EP.2 Falling to the Bottom of the Bottomless Pit
A pain like being pummeled all over my body was felt. I frowned and raised my body.
There was no place that didn't hurt. My arms and legs were stiff as if beaten with a club, and my parched mouth tasted of sand. I rubbed my heavy eyes a couple of times and looked around, but it was still pitch black in all directions. It didn't seem to be a problem with my eyes.
A faint light shone dimly from afar, but that alone was far from enough to illuminate the world.
While groaning and scratching my head for a moment, I felt something strange.
That's strange. Who took off the restraint suit? I was definitely thrown into the depths of the Bottomless Pit while bound tight.
I was tied up unable to move even a single limb, blindfolded and gagged. In a state where my physical freedom was deprived, I was thrown down to the bottom of the Bottomless Pit without any safety measures.
Even while falling, I struggled for a long time to survive, but the Military Nation's specially-made restraint suit was not something an ordinary person like me could do anything about. Well, it would be strange for me to undo a restraint suit that the Military Nation poured their heart into making. I only continued helpless resistance inside the restraint suit and eventually collapsed from exhaustion.
At least without pain, satisfied with the fact that the Earth Mother Goddess would end me in one blow.
But I'm alive even after falling to this bottom? Falling for over several hours without any safety measures?
No, before that.
This place is definitely the Bottomless Pit cursed by the Earth Mother Goddess. An abyss without a bottom. Why is there a bottom?
It's a contradiction. The bottom of the Bottomless Pit—such a thing shouldn't exist just from the connection of words alone.
Wondering what was going on, I realized something and muttered. This is it. There's no other way to explain it.
"Ah, I died and came to hell."
[No. This is not hell.]
"Gyaaah!"
The voice came from right behind me. I was so startled I rolled on the ground. Gathering my trembling body, I shouted at the 'something' before my eyes.
"Who are you!"
Two pupils sparkled in the darkness. Some existence with a ghostly faint presence was glaring at me from that spot.
It's definitely not human. If it were human, I would have read their thoughts. Then what? A ghost? A beast? Or an apostle of hell?
While I trembled with fear waiting for an answer, those eyes slowly approached. My eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, caught its outline.
Having figured out its identity, I called it with a trembling voice.
"Golem?"
Not a ghost, not a beast. Well, an apostle of hell would be the closest explanation.
Because the identity of that thing in front of me was a military magic golem created by the hellish nation called the Military Nation.
If you imitated a human using only cylinders and blocks, would it look like this? The golem was watching me with its eyes made of crystal orbs glowing. A mechanical voice flowed from the speaker at the golem's mouth.
[I am Military Nation Signal Corps Captain Eibi. As of today, you have been assigned to the Education Unit, and you must perform the duties given under my control.]
Magic golem, a remote control type that moves by syncing with its user. It's the Military Nation's equipment that's frequently used because it's convenient to operate.
Looking at that golem, I nodded and lamented.
"Did a golem fall into hell too? Tsk tsk. How many people must it have slaughtered... Blame yourself for being born as the Military Nation's golem."
[This is not hell. If you don't believe it, I recommend looking around.]
Following the golem's words, I looked around.
The ground is concrete commonly seen in the Military Nation. I don't know what's contained inside, but the concrete covering it hardily supports the world. Naturally, no grass or trees can be seen. Only achromatic structures made by humans stand in place of vegetation.
I casually looked up. Let alone the sky, not even something sparkling could be seen. Not night, not anything—pure darkness. The pitch-black that only emptiness could show, absorbing light, spread beyond.
And when I slowly lowered my gaze, a quite familiar building came into view.
Searchlights were moving left and right, illuminating the darkness within the Bottomless Pit. Round circles of light thoroughly swept the concrete ground. Then, the moment they touched my feet, like a thoroughly provoked beast, all the existing searchlights climbed up from the ground and aimed at me simultaneously.
Blinding artificial light focused on me as if trying to burn my body. Shielding the light with my hand, I took in the giant structure I hadn't noticed earlier.
A square five-story building made only for practical purposes. A thick concrete outer wall built with steel plates added here and there, with searchlights hanging to find escapees. Large lights are hung high illuminating the prison vicinity, but they're too insignificant to replace the sun. Just a few dozen meters away, without the searchlights reaching, nothing can be seen.
An isolated island on the ground, built to completely separate inside from outside.
The prison I had only seen from afar until now was right before my eyes. The prison that was like the Military Nation's symbol stood watching me with dozens of searchlights, as if declaring that this was the place I would stay from now on.
Quietly receiving all that light, the golem spoke to me.
[Do you now understand the situation?]
I slowly nodded.
It seems the Great Prison Tantalus is indeed a space worthy of becoming the Military Nation's legend.
"What a crazy country. To build a prison on the miraculous land at the bottom of the Bottomless Pit."
Should I say it's like the Military Nation if it's like the Military Nation? The crazy tech tree of building a prison first at the bottom of the Bottomless Pit—only a country as crazy as the Military Nation could do it.
The golem pointed out my muttering.
[I would like to warn you about your inappropriate remarks.]
"Unbelievable. Do you expect loyalty from someone who locked an innocent person in a place like this?"
[Time is short, so I will first brief you on your assigned mission. I recommend you listen carefully... if you don't want to die, that is.]
The golem warned ominously. I, who was about to be as sarcastic as possible, felt that chilling tone and closed my mouth for now.
When I stopped talking, a dry voice flowed from the golem's microphone.
[This is the Military Nation's Level 5 Important Facility, the Mental Education Unit Tantalus.]
The Mental Education Unit was another name the Military Nation used for prisons. They say there's research showing that the connotations of "prison" or "prisoner" are bad for social stability. So they called prisons "Mental Education Units" and prisoners "trainees."
Put nicely, it's Military Nation-style wordplay; put badly, it's language control.
The Military Nation wouldn't admit to either, though.
[Tantalus was a facility prepared for trainees with high-level danger ratings. They possessed very dangerous abilities and violent personalities, and lacking social skills, they were to receive socialization education at Tantalus, completely isolated from the world.]
"You said 'was'?"
[However, due to an unfortunate incident that occurred a week ago, a situation arose where most of the trainees escaped from Tantalus.]
"What?"
Escaped? They escaped the Bottomless Pit?
I set aside my rebellious attitude for now and focused all my nerves on the golem's words. Since I couldn't read the golem's thoughts, I tensed my nerves to somehow extract information from its tone and manner of speaking.
The fact that the numerous vicious criminals Tantalus held escaped and spread throughout society is not important at all. Whether that kind of country falls into chaos or perishes, what do I care?
What's important is the fact itself that they 'escaped from prison.' That information suggested the possibility of getting out from the bottom of the Bottomless Pit.
"How did they escape?"
At my question, the golem stared at me and replied.
[That is information not permitted to you.]
"Tch."
As expected, no luck. There's no way a Military Nation signal corps officer would be that sloppy.
It would be nice if I could read thoughts, but unfortunately. I can only read human thoughts; I can't read a voice transmitted by signal and reproduced through a microphone.
With no other choice, I had to obtain information in a somewhat ordinary and boring way.
When I gestured for it to continue speaking, the golem went on with its explanation.
[Most of the trainees rioted, damaging the facility and killing the management personnel. After occupying Tantalus by force, they escaped simultaneously through some method. The military authorities are pursuing them and plan to capture and punish all of them soon. However, even in the midst of this, three model trainees did not participate in those violent and barbaric acts and voluntarily remained here.]
In the Military Nation, the word "model" is an epithet attached to foolish saps. In other words, it means only cowards remained in this prison now.
That the world's most famous prison has become a haven for cowards is ironic.
[However, because of those who escaped, the facility is half-destroyed, and all management personnel have been killed. We can't just leave the cooperative trainees in an unmanaged education unit. Additional personnel was needed to manage Tantalus, and you have been assigned here.]
"Ahh. So that means."
Now I understand. No matter how falsely accused I was, there was no reason to lock an ordinary petty criminal like me in Tantalus.
I wondered why the military police were suddenly roaming the city. From the moment I was caught by the military police, to the trial that ended in less than three days. The circumstances of how I was brought here were clearly visible.
So in short, there was a shortage of personnel, and they rounded up petty criminals like me in large numbers and threw them into the Bottomless Pit under the guise of laborers?
Using prisoners to attend to prisoners. It's the Military Nation's favorite method.
Using one thing to handle another? No, a revolving debt. They don't care if they die, so they just patch holes with criminals.
Anyway, the fact I can learn from this is one thing. Although I'm locked up, I'm free here. There's no one to stop me from doing whatever I want.
If there are no instructors and I'm the only laborer, how would they stop me whether I slack off or make bombs here?
Having realized that, I raised my head and stepped forward confidently.
"What if I don't do my duties? Are you going to come down here and kill me yourself?"
[That won't be necessary. Because you'll have to do whatever it takes to survive.]
The golem that finished those words turned its head to look toward the prison. While only a few searchlights dimly illuminated the darkness, in that deep place, dark figures flickered near the closed door.
The golem muttered.
[...They're coming.]
"They?"
Ignoring my question, the golem spoke even faster.
[Those who remained in Tantalus... There isn't much time. I will now tell you the duties you must perform.]
Listen carefully to what? At most it'll be cleaning and laundry.
I leisurely interlaced my fingers behind my head. Let's see. Only three prisoners remaining? With that number, I can handle attending to them. If they're somewhat manageable prisoners, I could even coax them with sweet words.
No matter how vicious the criminals locked in Tantalus are, if they were so scared of the Military Nation's orders that they even threw away their chance to escape, they must have extremely passive and weak personalities.
Even though I'm a petty criminal, I was someone who walked around with my head held high in the back alleys. Plus, thanks to my mind-reading ability, even fairly violent people couldn't act tough in front of me.
It's not that I lack strength, but that I have no dignity? If it comes to it, I'll take over this place entirely.
That's when I was steeling my resolve.
[Survive.]