CHAPTER 4: The Key to Freedom

That night after the incident, the room buzzed with hushed whispers. The girls couldn't stop talking about Yuzuki’s death. Some cried softly, mourning their friend. Others sat in silence, their eyes hollow with grief.

"Will you all shut up already?" Murasaki snapped, her voice sharp as broken glass. "Crying won’t bring her back. All it does is slow us down. We have wilted plants to revive before winter comes. Focus on that instead of whining."

"How can you care about that and not her death?!" Yuzuki’s friend shouted through her tears.

"Because we can't change it, can you? ." Murasaki shot back, her eyes blazing. "Why are you so weak?"

"Enough!" Etsuko stepped between them, glaring at Murasaki. "You're being too much."

"So?" Murasaki sneered. "Where’s your hero now, huh? Still not back yet?"

Etsuko hesitated. "She just went ou- “

“Or maybe she’s planning something tonight."

Murasaki shoved her shoulder, making Etsuko stumble into Himeji, who caught her. "Something~? Oh gosh… no wonder she isn’t here," Yami teased from her bed, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Don’t talk too much," Himeji whispered to Etsuko, worry etching her face. "If the guards hear..."

Before anyone could respond, the door creaked open.

"I just went to the toilet.. so who’s next?" Maika said, stepping inside with an innocent smile. Her eyes flicked to Murasaki as she approached.

Murasaki scoffed and turned back with the other girls without another word.

Etsuko sighed in relief. "Next time, don’t scare us like that."

"I'm fine. Just needed some air," Maika replied casually. Her tone dropped as she sat beside Etsuko. "But I need more time. Getting the key to the control room is harder than I thought."

Etsuko’s eyes widened. "Are you seriously going to help us escape?"

"Yes," Maika said firmly, her green eyes blazing with determination. "I won’t let anyone stay here and suffer for another year. We… need freedom."

Etsuko hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Fine… but be careful. Don’t get caught….” She then looks back at her “Is there…anything I can help with?”

Maika shook her head and gave her a smile.

“Nothing for now. I’ll try to handle it.”

“Please don’t hesitate to ask my help..” Etsuko reassuring her. “I don’t want to see you going through this alone…”

Suddenly, Himeji coughed, her body trembling.

"Are you okay?" Maika asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I’m fine," Himeji said quickly, her pale face betraying her words.

"No way.. She’s... ," Etsuko murmured, her voice heavy.

Maika frowned. "What happened?"

Etsuko grabbed her hand and pulled her aside. "She's carrying a child. If she loses control of her Elyssence, it could destroy everything around her. And even if she doesn’t... she might never see her child. Newborns rarely make it here."

Maika's stomach twisted. "She doesn’t deserve that," she whispered.

"None of us do," Etsuko replied bitterly. "Girls who made their mistakes on Elyssence… they’re forced to choose between death or... other punishments." Her voice broke, recalling Yuzuki’s fate.

"How can you be okay with this..?" Maika’s voice rose across the confinement room.

"Because we have no choice," Murasaki interrupted coldly. "Trashes like us belong here."

Himeji overheard their conversation. She just frowned lying on the bed.

Maika turned to face her, her eyes desperate. "Why do you think this is what we deserve..?!"

"Who’s going to save us? The Elyssians?" Murasaki laughed harshly. "The barons sell the poor like cattle. There’s no mercy there—only profit."

"Shut up!" Etsuko shouted, slapping Murasaki across the face. The sound echoed in the room.

Murasaki touched her cheek, her eyes burning with fury. "You’re really asking for it," she hissed.

Before anyone could react, a guard pounded on the door. "What’s going on in there?!"

The door swung open, but before the guard could yell, Maika raised her hand. A burst of flower petals swirled through the air, their sweet scent instantly lulling the guard into unconsciousness.

"That was…" Etsuko gasped.

"A little sleep dust from our garden," Maika replied with an innocent smile. "And hey, I had permission to use my Elyssence, right?"

As the guard slumped to the floor, Maika seized her chance. Himeji hushed the other girls, urging them to stay quiet, while Etsuko quickly dealt with the unconscious guard, tying him up with swift and practiced movements.

“Don’t worry. We’ll send this man back to his quarters… or better yet—” she trailed off, a hint of mischief in her tone.

The guard lay slumped against the wall, stripped of his shirt, with a bottle of alcohol clutched loosely in his hand—a clear sign of a night drowned in liquor.

Sneaking out through the hallway, she crept toward the control room at the back. She moved swiftly, her heart hammering as she avoided the guards who weren’t patrolling tonight.

Near the control room, laughter echoed through the night. Peeking from inside the bushes, Maika spotted a group of guards—drunk and rowdy, sitting and surrounding a long-haired elf woman who stood silently, her eyes distant and cold.

“Come on, strip off! What are you waiting for? You lost the bet!” One of the guards seized her arm, his hand sliding down her sleeve.

“Strip! Strip! Strip!” The chant erupted from the other guards, their laughter thick with alcohol.

She stood still, her gaze fixed on the two dice resting on the table—three and two. Empty bottles and half-filled glasses littered the surface, the air thick with the sour scent of alcohol. Her expression betrayed no amusement. Knowing she had to entertain them in exchange for something she needed. Yet she rolled her eyes, her mind raced searching for a way out.

A faint rustle from the bushes caught her attention. Her gaze flicked toward the pair of big green eyes peeking through the leaves—a pink-haired girl, watching silently.

Maika met the girl’s gaze, her lips moving without a sound.

Cover your nose.

The elf woman blinked in surprise but obeyed. Maika rolled a small ball between her fingers and threw it toward the guards. Smoke hissed as it burst, sending them all into a deep sleep within moments.

"Here," Maika said, offering the woman a small handkerchief. The elf took it, breathing through the cloth as the last traces of smoke vanished.

“What are you up to?” the woman asked in a low voice. She moved swiftly, following her to the wall and crouching beside her, concealed in the shadows.

“I’m trying to look for the key,” Maika replied, her eyes gleaming with determination as she peeked over the wall.

”…Impossible,” the woman murmured in disbelief, realizing the risk Maika intended to take. But Maika shook her head, resolve hardening in her gaze.

"Trust me. Now go back and rest."

The elf hesitated, then leaned closer. "…What key are you looking for?"

"It’s.. actually the gate’s key. I need to reach the border."

The elf's gaze darkened. "Young girl, I appreciate your efforts but it’s far from here. And you’ll face more guards and the Warden himself."

“I know,” Maika said firmly. “But when we crossed the border, I noticed the gate and the guards on duty that day… so I can roughly guess their work schedules.”

The elder paused, studying her with a curious tilt of her head before offering a slightly awkward smile.

“Ah… so you’re new here, huh?”

Maika’s gaze flicked toward her, faintly offended.

“Are you doubting my skills?”

“It’s not that I’m doubting—” the Elf began to reassure her, but her words trailed off as Maika raised her hand. With a soft hum of energy, her Elyssence flowed into the earth, coaxing a small apple tree to sprout before their eyes. The branches twisted upward, bearing a single ripe apple that Maika plucked and offered to her without a word.

The elf’s eyes widened in shock. “Only a skilled Elyssence user can control the earth with such ease…”

Maika tilted her head slightly, her gaze steady. “Do you still trust me?”

The elf hesitated for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. “Are you really from here? What’s your name?”

Maika offered a faint smile. “Just call me Maika.”

“It’s Shibarashi. But Shiba is fine,” the elf replied,

Maika noticed the kindness in her gaze, a rare gesture in a place like this.

“You can’t do this alone,” Shiba added, said gently. “Let me help you.”

“Eh?” Maika blinked, tilting her head in surprise.

“I’ve been here longer,” Shiba continued. “I know how this place works. I’ll help you find a way out.”

Maika paused for a moment then she nodded. The elf stood up, "Follow me."

They slipped inside the control room, shadows clinging to their steps. Maika’s breath hitched as she scanned the keys hanging neatly on hooks.

"Instead of the gate, this one opens the emergency exit," Shiba said, placing a key in Maika’s hand. "Guards use it when they need to leave quickly."

Maika turned it over in her palm, hope flickering inside her. "How do you know this?"

"I've... spent too many nights with guards in this room," Shiba muttered. "And I’ve overheard things. They sometimes use this key to smuggle illegal deliveries."

"Illegal deliveries?"

"Don’t ask," Shiba said playing a finger on her lips, "It’s between me and them~”

Maika bit her lip for a moment before she nodded. "…Alright."

"You’ll also need this," Shiba added, handing her another key. "It unlocks all the holding rooms. The same key works for every one of them."

Maika's fingers closed around the metal. "Thank you."

"I trust you," Shiba whispered. "Don’t let us down."

As Maika slipped back into the shadows, her mind raced. The plan was coming together—but the hardest part was yet to come.

She had to think of escaping without alerting the guards, bypass the unpredictable Warden, and remove every collar before crossing the border.

Failure meant death.

But success meant freedom.