HideLand

🟠 Chapter 14 :

After Simon had processed everything that happened, he began to speak.

"When I got out of prison this morning, I was happy finally, I was going to leave this cursed city. I had previously been recommended by someone named Boral to help promote tourism here, but it turned out he tricked me and got me thrown in jail over counterfeit currency. They use that fake money for money laundering, and they give it to tourists to throw off suspicion. Then, once we're released from prison, they sell us to nobles using forged documents."

Wow, I really didn't expect those two to be doing something like that. If I had been released after my sentence, I would've ended up working for some noble. Simon continued:

"As for the person who kidnapped me this morning—it was that big guy over there. I remember him. He was the toilet guard, the one who used to give us those green sedative candies after we cleaned the bathrooms."

The guard interrogating Simon looked at him and asked:

"Do you have any proof of what you're saying?"

Simon replied:

"Look at that desk over there. It holds all the forged documents for the prisoners who were incarcerated specifically for the crime of using counterfeit money. These documents are later used to sell off every prisoner who eventually regains their freedom.

They take the personal information recorded when the prisoner is first admitted, and use it to forge the necessary paperwork for the sale.

This city has a law that mandates immediate imprisonment for anyone caught with counterfeit currency—no trial, no investigation, and no consideration of whether the person might be innocent. It all stems from the city's long history with that crime, which made the authorities extremely strict about it.

And because people hate these kinds of criminals so much, no one bothers to check on them—giving that guard the perfect opportunity to steal their information without anyone noticing."

"And how do you know all this?"

That question came from me, Ren, and even the guard himself—we were all stunned by how much he knew. Simon looked at us and said,

"The toilet guard wouldn't shut up. He was boasting about all of this when he kidnapped me this morning. Since no one knew about him, he just said everything like it was all under his control."

Grot, huh? That explains it. Seems like Boral wasn't wrong when he called Grot arrogant.

The guard stood up, turned to the other guards, and said,

"Everything's clear now. Guards gather all the documents from that desk. Arrest the traitor Grot and the man working with him. And as for you three—come with us to the officer's office. We'll explain to him exactly how Grot deceived you."

Finally, the truth was out. A look of pure relief spread across Ren's face. I had been there for about a month, but he'd been in longer, so of course he was even more glad than I was.

Narrator's/Third-Person POV:

On the other side of it all, Raynar, Rick, and Zeek were happily on the run especially since no one was chasing them. Takero and Ren's escape had caused such a stir that it completely overshadowed theirs. The guards had forgotten their cook had even escaped.

The three of them followed Raynar's map to the exit. He had two maps: one from thirty years ago—which was now useless because the city's infrastructure had changed and another from twenty years ago. That second map had officially become outdated just last year. Unfortunately, Raynar had been in prison at the time and didn't know this.

The exit he was aiming for had a house built over it. And not just any house it was the officer's house. The three climbed up the tunnel happily, unaware of what awaited them. The officer had left the exit open, just in case a prisoner ever tried escaping that way. And that's exactly what happened now.

As soon as Raynar climbed out, he found himself face-to-face with the officer and his deputy. The exit led straight into the officer's office. Then came Rick, then Zeek and one by one, their smiles faded into expressions of dread.

The officer looked at them with a cold smile.

"Well, well... look who decided to drop by. Visitors from the prison."

The three were so stunned they couldn't even speak. The officer quickly re-cuffed them and wondered aloud why no guards had been following these escapees. He waited a bit, expecting more prisoners or at least some guards to appear from the tunnel but no one did.

Deciding to investigate, he opened the door to return the escapees to their cells. But at that exact moment, someone else opened the door from the other side causing the officer to acci

dentally smash his face into it and break his nose.