Memoirs of the Returnee

Chapter 49: Recordark (1)

Recordark (1)

That night, Elise had fully familiarized herself with the play ‘The Bard’. Of course, she had read it when she was 15, but she read it again.

The plot itself is simple. A famous Bard of the kingdom is invited to the palace by the king, where various events related to his past unfold, and in the end, it’s a typical romance with the princess (or prince).

It’s bland and dry. There’s no flavor to it.

No wonder it’s not the least popular among the Latinel’s 23 plays.

“This won’t do.”

Elise closed ‘The Bard’.

She opened ‘The Cunning King’, a tragedy considered the best among Latinel’s 23 plays.

She had to do this. She couldn’t make a deep impression with a flat play like ‘The Bard’.

She couldn’t let that ignorant fool—who somehow digests Latinel so well despite having no culture to speak of, a mystery of the world—ruin the play.

She couldn’t trust that underachiever who probably doesn’t read a book a month, whose thought process is broken...

“Sigh.”

But it was also true that she had no choice. His Latinel skills were objectively superior, even though she hated to admit it.

“Damn.”

How did it come to this?

If she had studied Latinel by reducing her sleep by an hour, no, 30 minutes, from the age of 8.

Would she have avoided this humiliation?

She pressed her temples and opened her smartphone messenger.

[Ballan: Elise, what are you doing~?]

[Tyric: You’re doing a play at the festival, right?]

[Silbin: I should go see the festival lol]

[Bel: Is it scheduled for April?]

There were still many men waiting for her response, but today there were quite a few women as well. Updated from

[Layla: T^T Elly, include me, include me, include me, include me T^T]

[Iliya: Elise, you’re doing the festival, right? Don’t you need people?]

It was because of the Magic High Festival. The rumor that she was doing a play had spread, and Professor Beatrice did not set a condition that ‘all actors must be Endex students’.

Because of this, she was frequently contacted by college students who were either into musicals or were actually majoring in theater and film. Since it’s an Endex festival, famous people from Endex would come, so they probably wanted to make an impression.

“......Enough.”

She didn’t need any of that now.

Swish swish swish swish-

Elise scrolled down her messenger and sent a message to the guy she had saved as [Trash].

[Change the play. The Bard won’t do.]

Elise hated this the most. Sending the first message to this worthless guy.

She had to endure it for the sake of Sermones Aeterni.

[I’ll say it again. Change the play. The Bard won’t do. I’m not even asking for The Cunning King. Do The Legs of Belarus.]

After all, she wouldn’t have to see him again after graduating from high school. If they ever met in the adult world, she could thoroughly crush him using adult methods.

She just had to endure until the festival.

Elise, you can endure this much, right?

[By the way, have you read all of Latinel’s 23 plays? You haven’t, have you?]

Ding-

A reply came.

[Trash: Ah, so noisy. I’ll be the one to revise the script. You just focus on practicing your acting. I’m the writer after all.]

“......This trash.”

Elise gritted her teeth.

[You’re thinking wrong. Your thoughts are flawed. No, your very existence is flawed-]

“Ha......”

Elise cooled her anger with a sigh. She tried hard to suppress her rage.

The person who probably I owe a favor in my previous life is still here.

He’s a life prisoner.

Ah, how do I know this so well?

I was a prisoner too.

“Do you come often?”

Someone called me out of my thoughts. It was Elise.

She ran the back of her hand through her hair and tossed it over her shoulder. The platinum locks fluttered unnecessarily.

“That’s right.”

“......Haven’t you given up on ‘The Bard’ yet?”

“Didn’t I tell you last night that I wouldn’t give up?”

Elise bit her lip. She exhaled a hot breath through the gap.

“Recordark. This place suits you well.”

“What?”

How did she know? It’s an unexpected correct answer.

“Could you stop giving me that rotten look? It ruins my mood from the morning. It’s like bugs crawling around. Well, you’re a stubborn piece who doesn’t even know what he’s doing, without a speck of culture......”

This crazy woman suddenly bursts into a rant. She must really dislike The Bard.

“If you had read even a few Latinel fairy tales, or at least read a paper, you would know why you’re being stubborn-”

“Hey. Shut up and get lost.”

Elise’s words abruptly stopped. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me.

“......Your mouth is really foul.”

“Before it gets more foul-”

She had already hurriedly distanced herself.

Anyway.

The number of seniors who chose, or were chosen for, Recordark for their job experience is a total of 63. There are many from other magic schools, among them from Endex are me, Elise, and.......

“—Wow. He’s handsome.”

“—Isn’t that Gerkhen Kal Doon?”

Gerkhen Kal Doon.

Even his name exudes the charisma of a man born in the desert.

“Ah, nice to meet you, nice to meet you~”

Just then, the entrance of Recordark opened, and a man wearing a hat came out.

“I’m Gaejin, the deputy warden of Recordark Prison.”

A man resembling a weasel, Deputy Warden Gaejin.

I don’t know him.

He wasn’t there in the future when I was imprisoned.

“Endex students, you’re seniors, right? Welcome. Please come in. It’s cold outside.”

He guided us inside. The 63 seniors passed through the corridor and entered the prison.

“This is the hall.”

A tall hall. For security reasons, there are a tremendous number of doors and locks between the corridors leading to the prisoners’ living spaces.

In my time, it was all digital.

“If you pass through the corridor here, you’ll come to the prisoners’ living spaces. They’re basically double rooms, corridor-style. As you walk down the corridor, the prisoners will reach out through the bars, but don’t be startled. They’re guys with anti-mana chips implanted in their Magic Cores. They can’t use magic.”

As Gaejin spoke, a guard unlocked the first lock.

He unlocked the second lock.

He unlocked the third lock.

Only then did the door open.

————Woooooooooooo.

At that moment, a wave of jeers surged like a tidal wave. Trash like paper and scraps of cloth poured out from between the bars.

It was the prisoners’ own way of welcoming, filling the ceiling and floor of Recordark with vibrations.