Sberg had originally thought he was doomed.
His boss, Vega, would surely bribe someone in the prison to make sure he walked in upright and came out horizontal.
What he had not expected was that his fellow workers had not abandoned him. They formed a circle outside the prison gates and even alerted the militia.
The prisoners inside watched the commotion, whispering curiously among themselves.
"By the Great Horned Deer God... I've never seen anything like this."
"What are they trying to do?"
"They'd better start fighting!" A desperado with blood on his hands clenched his fists excitedly, already preparing to use the opportunity to escape.
Sberg, sitting in the corner, coughed softly.
"They won't fight... probably not."
Everyone looked at him.
Sberg shrank back in fear and said quietly.
"I... there was something like this in the story I read to them. Awakener Bohr understood that killing Stephen wouldn't solve anything..."
The prisoners exchanged glances.
Though they did not understand what was going on, their instincts told them that the people outside were probably connected to the scrawny fellow before them.
The desperado walked over to Sberg, squatted down, and stared at him for a while.
Just as Sberg was becoming unbearably nervous, the man suddenly spoke.
"Bohr? Stephen? What are those?"
Sberg froze.
"...Well, that's a long story."
The desperado sat down on the floor and waved a hand.
"No rush. Take your time. You won't be getting out anytime soon anyway, and neither will I... We've got plenty of time."
Seeing the prisoners all staring at him curiously, Sberg swallowed and nodded hurriedly.
"Alright... then I'll start from the beginning."
Bohr had been born in the slums beneath the giant wall, a genuine country bumpkin from the outer city.
But who had started out in the city?