A Peaceful Prison Day

The prison was an old building. At one time, it used to serve as a town hall. Its top floor was lucky enough to have been recently renovated. The new architectural additions were supposed to make the place a little more bearable by improving the circulation of fresh air and light. It only made sense that the management chose this floor to locate their offices. The rooms were neat and clean, and the paint on the walls was still fresh.

Unfortunately for some, the ground floor never saw even a tiny portion of the allocated funds. Yet, that was where most of the cells were located. This part remained in the same state it had been in for years, with the creaking doors, leaking ceilings, and the overall aging process. The cells here were packed with regular criminals with no special abilities. So, according to the authorities, not much was needed to keep the inmates from fleeing. As for the dungeons… Well, that was a whole different story.

In the meantime, one of the other guests invited to that night's party at the Regal Dragon Inn was also getting ready. A short, plump, balding man with a neat mustache and well-kept beard was sitting in his office at the city prison. Yesterday was the day he had been waiting for for the last 5 years. The man's daughter graduated from the Academy of Magic and the Supernatural!

All the prison warden, the proud father, could think of now was how to continue the celebration! It was only a little past lunchtime. However, he was already tired of the work in front of him. And he was dreaming of leaving the place as soon as possible.

According to his official work schedule, the prison warden had to spend the whole day going over the usual pile of reports. He also needed to take care of any emerging problems. After that, it was all about sitting back and signing his name. One sheet of paper was followed by another. They seemed endless! The man looked out the window and yawned.

'Really. What could go wrong on such a sleepy summer afternoon?' the man thought. He stuffed the remaining stack of papers in his drawer and called his deputy over for instructions.

"I have important business to take care of. So I'll be leaving the rest of today's duties to you. Fortunately, I believe you're more than capable of handling it by yourself. Make sure the warlock is finally off our hands. They keep on postponing the date of the transfer. Hopefully, from today on, the warlock will no longer be our problem," the prison warden declared in a grave tone. "I'll thoroughly read your report tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir," the middle-aged deputy warden answered at once. He was glowing with happiness on the inside. On the outside, the lean man stood at attention, perfectly still, respectful and dutiful.

Great. Was the boss really leaving this early? If so, he sure had the right to go "a bit" earlier than usual, right? That certainly was his train of thought. All the deputy warden had to do was to command the assistants to see the inmate off. With that settled, the man would be free to enjoy the rest of the well-earned day off.

Ah, finally, he could have his brief vacation. Naturally, he deserved it for all the previous late hours he had put in! An employee's hard work with no extra pay for the overtime had to be rewarded somehow!

About fifteen more minutes passed. The deputy warden stood in front of his correctional captain and lieutenant. The lieutenant, Erza, was a petite brunette. Her hair was bound in a tight bun, and her uniform was neat, like always. The shirt was buttoned up to the very top. The captain next to her, Ernest, was a lean, muscular guy with brown curly hair, unruly and wild-looking, however hard he tried to comb it into place.

"Now, the both of you, listen up. Tonight, I will be too busy to supervise your work. Consider this an opportunity to prove you have what it takes to do the job. Show that initiative and carry out independent judgment. Is that understood?!"

"Yes, sir!" the young man and woman answered in unison.

Once their supervisor was out of sight, they let out heavy sighs. Both of them have been working here for a few years now. But nobody seemed to appreciate the effort they put into any of it. They were wasting their time doing the same thing from one day to the next. There were little to no results and no satisfying rewards.

It had been their goal to serve their country in this way for many years now. And they kept it in mind throughout their whole time at the Academy of Magic and the Supernatural. Unfortunately, the reality was harsh. It made all their dreams of glorious deeds shatter into a thousand pieces.

What initiative was he even talking about?! There were strict regulations. Anyone attempting to step out of line was disciplined straight away. The mere suggestion of such a thing was punishable.

All individuals were held liable for their own acts of misconduct. Yet, all their personal achievements somehow became the accomplishments of the prison management. There were no satisfying rewards. Not a single useless, pitiful certificate to put in a frame on their desk was ever granted.

"You know what?" the man said after pondering over the dullness of such an existence, with nothing but hopelessness in plain sight. "Damn him! Some initiative, really?! Is he having a laugh?! We all know he isn't planning on sticking around his office. Do you remember the award we were supposed to get? The one that somehow had his name written on it."

The woman nodded, let out a hard sigh, and closed her eyes.

"Well. Today is the day we will drink our fill in celebration of that damned award. Because it's ours by right! We deserve to at least have a little party. We earned it!" he said. His eyes darkened in anger as he unlocked a drawer with a couple of liquor bottles, his chin high, his nostrils flaring.

"We sure do!" the woman agreed with a wide grin.

A narrow, low corridor led to the underground dungeon. The curved walls and the long, winding passageway were built this way on purpose. It was the most effective way to muffle the screams of all the "guests" in these gloomy "living quarters".

Here was where the most dangerous criminals were kept, behind the double doors and under the arched ceilings. The thick walls were covered with countless anti-magic spells, the bars made from the sturdiest metal known to the local forgers, the walls of solid rock.

No comprehensible noise could find its way out of a cell here, let alone a human being. It was dark all around. The sunlight had no way of reaching so deep below the ground. The only glow came from the candles flickering in the hollowed-out alcoves.

The stone walls were wet and cold. Water could be heard dripping in the far corner. The air was stale and stuffy, the stench of mold, decaying wood, and rotting rags making it difficult to breathe.

A few floors below, one more person was getting ready to party. And that was the dark mage himself who was humming a jolly tune. A fat rat stood on its hind paws in the cell corner, swaying to the music.