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, its a typical romance with the princess (or prince).

Its bland and dry. Theres no flavor to it.

No wonder its not the least popular among the Latinels 23 plays.

This wont do.

Elise closed The Bard.

She opened The Cunning King, a tragedy considered the best among Latinels 23 plays.

She had to do this. She couldnt make a deep impression with a flat play like The Bard.

She couldnt let that ignorant foolwho somehow digests Latinel so well despite having no culture to speak of, a mystery of the worldruin the play.

She couldnt trust that underachiever who probably doesnt 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: Youre 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.

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

[Iliya: Elise, youre doing the festival, right? Dont 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 its an Endex festival, famous people from Endex would come, so they probably wanted to make an impression.

Enough.

She didnt 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 wont 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.

[Ill say it again. Change the play. The Bard wont do. Im not even asking for The Cunning King. Do The Legs of Belarus.]

After all, she wouldnt 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 Latinels 23 plays? You havent, have you?]

Ding-

A reply came.

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

This trash.

Elise gritted her teeth.

[Youre 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.

What was needed now was persuasion and coaxing. The more you push such a person, the more they will resist.

[Youre thinking wrong. Of course, your thoughts might be right. But its too risky.]

[The Bard ranked 23rd and 22nd out of the 23 Latinel lines. Its the last place. Occasionally, it ranks just before the last when the condition is good. In all public opinion polls, votes.]

[On the other hand, The Cunning King has already been made into several musical operas, and even adapted into a movie. The ratings are very high. Do we really need to take such a risk?]

[Ill attach a link. Its a column by Professor Stellin of Edsilla University who evaluated the 23 Latinel lines. The Cunning King is ranked first, and The Bard is 23rd. Read it.]

Elise sent a message, suppressing her anger and adding words she didnt mean to make it as gentle as possible.

Ding-

A reply came.

[Trash: Lets take a risk. Good. Im more convinced thanks to you.]

Elise squirmed in her seat. She drummed the chair with her back. She rolled her feet.

[Trash: The problem is that its already a known work. Why remake something famous? Its not creative. Its not challenging. Lets go with The Bard. Ill write it properly. You should take this opportunity to take a risk too.]

Unable to bear it, Elise moved her fingers at high speed.

[Youre thinking wrong. Your thoughts are flawed. No, your very existence is flawed.]

[Why youre obsessed with it, I dont know, but you just need to follow my words, okay?]

Ding-

[Trash: Youre worse at Latinel than me.]

Elises fingers stopped abruptly.

Ding-

[Fish Trash: Im joking. Trust me. Ill revise it better. No, at least look at it and decide. Ill send it by Saturday. If its not good, you can rewrite it, right?]

She held back the curse that was about to spill from her mouth.

Alright, fine. Do as you please.

Dont worry about it.

If the script he claims to revise is not good, she can suppress it with authority and power.

No, she should start writing now because its obviously not going to be good.

Elise was about to pick up her pen when she paused. She looked at the clock on her smartphone.

[00 : 00]

Its midnight.

Its Wednesday, a day with an immediate problem.

Recordark

She is going to that prison tomorrow.

Although she told Layla that her first choice was Magic Tower, her first choice was that place from the beginning.

Damn

The person Elise despises and hates the most.

At present, Shion Ascal is hot on his heels, but he is still the undisputed number one, a real human trash criminal.

Tomorrow, she is going to meet him.

Im already disgusted.

Elise, who muttered under her breath, looked up at the night sky and was lost in dark thoughts.

The next morning.

I arrived at the job experience site.

Above the gate-like entrance, I could see the engraved [Recordark I].

Recordark is the name of the prison, and I signifies that its the first Recordark. There are a total of 13 Recordarks in Edsilla, and the higher the number, the harsher the environment.

Im here.

Today, Im in that Recordark.

Its both a welcome and a shitty feeling.

However, Recordark I is a prison located in the capital of Edsilla, a place that is almost like a dream for the prisoners.

That doesnt mean the quality of the prisoners is good. Its just a little less compared to the higher-numbered Recordarks.

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

Hes 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.

Thats right.

Havent you given up on The Bard yet?

Didnt I tell you last night that I wouldnt 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? Its an unexpected correct answer.

Could you stop giving me that rotten look? It ruins my mood from the morning. Its like bugs crawling around. Well, youre a stubborn piece who doesnt even know what hes 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 youre being stubborn-

Hey. Shut up and get lost.

Elises 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. Hes handsome.

Isnt 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.

Im Gaejin, the deputy warden of Recordark Prison.

A man resembling a weasel, Deputy Warden Gaejin.

I dont know him.

He wasnt there in the future when I was imprisoned.

Endex students, youre seniors, right? Welcome. Please come in. Its 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, youll come to the prisoners living spaces. Theyre basically double rooms, corridor-style. As you walk down the corridor, the prisoners will reach out through the bars, but dont be startled. Theyre guys with anti-mana chips implanted in their Magic Cores. They cant 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.