cooperation

It is impossible.

This is what most people would answer if asked to do beyond their capabilities.

So they form what are called bonds with others.

Because what is defined as impossible is actually a relative matter that the ability to do varies from person to person.

Something you think is impossible for you to do may be trivial for someone else.

And for that person also what he can't do may be something you can do easily.

But even for the impossible that was defined as a relative matter, there are still things that go beyond this proportion to constitute the impossible for everyone alike.

Just like if you asked someone to fly.

If this world did not exist in a fictional story, most people would answer that it is impossible.

Except for children who have been deceived by their parents and think that they will be able to do this naturally when they grow up.

In any case.

How about something like that.

Escape from a prison that contains an infinite number of guards?

In addition, this prison is located in a geographical area that you do not know about?

If you ask most people that, 99% of them will say that it is impossible.

As for the remaining 1% who will answer yes, they will be mentally ill.

Of course I'm not insane, but I thought escape was possible.

Not because I'm stupid or because I didn't think about it enough.

But I changed my mind later.

Not because I didn't do my best or because I did something wrong.

But if I had to give a reason, this would be it.

It is impossible.

It is not impossible to escape but it is impossible for me to do it alone.

To turn the impossible into the possible I need something called collaboration.

That is, taking advantage of the strengths of others to cover up your weaknesses.

Since I already know this, it can be said that I am already taking the first step towards escaping, but...

If there was a problem...that would be it.

I am alone.

Yes...

In this spacious prison that contains an infinite number of guards...

I..

The only prisoner they have to watch.

truly...

What a cruel world.

"...."

The young man put his ear to the ground.

'This is rare'

Normally, no one would visit this dungeon, but based on the sound of footsteps, it was clear that someone was heading here.

two people.

no.

Maybe three people?

Two are going at the same pace so they have to be the keepers.

It's scary that they both go so well that they look like the same person.

If it wasn't louder than the third person's footsteps, I'd think they were the same person.

And the third person...

Judging by the sound of his steps, he is one of the two.

As for a weak person.

or...

woman.

The second option does not seem very likely, but that is not enough to displace him.

In any case it is certain that the third person is not a guard.

So it will be one of two.

As for a visitor.

Or in other words the person responsible for putting me here.

or...

new prisoner.

In fact, neither of these options seems likely.

It is unlikely that an official who had not met me even once in ten years would suddenly feel the desire to see me.

The other option is unlikely for the same reason.

But it cannot be denied that he has more potential than the first option.

In any case, there is no point in trying to deduce, because the result will appear soon, whether you like it or not.

At the same time the door opened.

Three people entered.

Two guards.

And the...

woman.

So it was the second choice after all.

Judging by her appearance, she is definitely under twenty years old.

Maybe 17 or 18.

So it is impossible to be responsible.

Which brings us to the second option again.

This girl is also a prisoner.

It's certain seeing they put her in the cell across from mine.

Anyway, regardless of the girl, the bouncers are really amazing people.

Seeing that they are walking blindfolded with earplugs on and yet they don't bump into anything.

That must mean that the training they went through was definitely amazing.

Anyway, the guards put the girl in jail and then immediately got out.

It must mean that they don't want to get involved as much as possible.

Really why do they do that?

I'm not a wild dog.

On the contrary, I am rather weak physically to the extent that I got an average grade in sports at school.

Oh right... I've never been to a school before.

Anyway, regardless of this girl's backstory, I'm glad a prisoner was finally brought here.

In this way I can implement the plan I have been preparing for years.

Of course, before that I have to bring this girl into my class, but it won't be difficult.

Because I'm not someone else but Leder who was dubbed the King of Persuasion in middle school.

Oh right... I didn't go to school.

Anyway, that's easy.

Nothing is simpler than to impress a little girl.

And there is no person so hard for the king of persuasion to seduce!

"Welcome"

"...."

"My name is Leader, what about you?"

"...."

"Don't worry, I'm a prisoner like you here, you can talk to me comfortably."

"...."

No answer...

She has a more cautious attitude than expected.

Rather wary she might not have the desire to talk.

But it cannot be said that she is completely uninterested.

While her expression was nonchalant, she hadn't taken her eyes off me since coming over.

Perhaps this is her way of examining the person in front of her for a way to "cooperate".

She's the kind of person who will cooperate with everything he has the moment he finds the right person.

With this type of person, coming out strong from the start is probably the best way to attract them.

Leader smiled while covering his mouth.

Perhaps he did not want to show his expression to the opposite person.

A twisted expression like a snake might make the opposite person run away.

"I'll say it directly."

"...."

"I am trying to escape from here… For this purpose I need your help… In return, you can escape from here as well."

"...."

"What do you think? Isn't it a suitable offer for both of us?"

"I refuse"

"Yes?"

"I refuse to because I am not interested in escaping from here."

"...."

Not interested in escaping?

This means one of two things.

Or she completely lost hope.

Or she never trusts me to make her escape.

Or maybe there is a third option...

"I came here on my own will in the first place."

It was she who wanted to come here.

"Why?"

"I...I'm looking for someone"

"...."

I asked just in case, but I didn't really expect her to answer.

Judging by her personality, she doesn't seem like someone who would be interested in having a conversation.

But seeing as she answers like this, maybe...

no.

It's still too early to conclude.

It is best to look for more evidence as long as the other person is cooperating.

"What kind of person is he?"

"He's...my brother who's five years older than me."

"What are you going to do when you find him?"

"Nothing... absolutely nothing, I'm just bored so I decided to look for him."

"...."

It's a lie.

This could be easily told just by looking at her expressions.

It doesn't show much but that's not enough to fool me.

So to summarize.

This girl entered prison of her own free will because she was looking for her older brother, who was also imprisoned for some reason.

The reason why she is looking for him is still unknown but I can guess somewhat.

So do I come out harder.

at night.

"Is that really the reason?"

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe I don't know everything, but I can be sure that's not the reason at least."

"...."

"Can you tell me the reason you are looking for your brother?"

"...."

The girl was silent for a while.

For the first time, she removed her gaze from Lederer and stared at the ground.

It was as if she was organizing her thoughts.

Or maybe she was thinking about whether or not she should tell Lederer about it.

However, her silence did not last long.

She quickly turned her gaze back to Lederer with an expression as if she was about to tell a long story.

"My brother and I both lost our mother at a young age…my father was there but he was actually scum to call him father so for me my brother was my only family."

"...."

"It was like that until that incident happened."

"incident..?"

"That day, my father was even more mad than usual and attacked me so hard that I thought it would be the last day of my life."

"...."

"To protect me...my brother killed my father and he was arrested...if it wasn't for me, my brother's future would definitely be better....it's my fault...I'm the one who robbed him of his future"

"...."

"At the time I was too young to fully understand what had happened, so once I fully realized that over the years, I decided to look for my brother to apologize to him and also… to try to help him escape."

"...."

"Although I don't think he'll ever forgive me for that..."

"...."

As soon as she said that, the girl buried her face in her feet and began to cry.

Leder raised his head to the sky and didn't say anything for a while as if he was thinking about something.

'I see..'

I've been wondering how she survived this whole time but I think I already know.

This girl.

"I can't believe kids lie like they breathe these days."

Brilliant actress.

"Have you already figured it out? It's boring."

The girl sighed boredly.

There was no sign that she had been crying just a moment ago.

To this extent, she was an accomplished actress.

"Are you trying to gain sympathy by bringing out a backstory while shedding the right amount of tears? Isn't it really old fashioned? A man should keep pace with developments."

"I know it's an old method but from the looks of it you'd be fooled by it....I mean, you don't seem to be the one keeping up."

"I may look like this but I'm actually still in my twenties, I just haven't had proper grooming in a while."

"Is that true…? I was sure you were at least in your forties… I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize...it makes it even more painful."

"I'm sorry..."

"...."

"...."

"Huh.."

Leader sighed and looked at the sky(?) with a sad expression.

In fact, he was a handsome person, but he hadn't been properly groomed in ten years, so naturally his appearance had deteriorated.

He was already determined to take good care of his appearance once he got out of here.

The leader inside him desperately wished he could get out before his appearance turned senile.

"Anyway, my looks aren't what matters now. Isn't the problem the kid trying to fool older people? That's not a nice way to live, girl."

"It doesn't matter if it's bad or good, what matters is whether it works or not and it's worked really well so far."

"Well, it doesn't matter. If that's what you think, I don't intend to interfere because it's none of my business. What I care about right now is one thing."

"...."

"Lilia, what are you doing here?"

"...!"

The girl La Lilia opened her eyes slightly.

It didn't show much on her face but she was actually quite surprised.

She never told him her name but it was strange for him to know when there might be no one to mention her name anymore.

It's been a really long time since she used that name on her long commute through prisons.

It was a name she had really gotten rid of since she was determined to begin her journey.

But to think that someone knows about it...

impossible.

"my brother...?"

"What are you doing here after I had to go to jail for you?"

"Really brother…how…"

Tears welled up in Lilia's eyes.

It was a different cry from her previous cry.

"I'm sorry bro....because of you...I had to go to jail...for killing my father to protect me..."

"What are you talking about? Are we still going with that lie?"

"What do you mean...?"

"Don't you remember? Lilia, it was you who killed our father."

"I…killed my father…?"

Lilia opened her eyes wide with a shocked expression.

"I...?"

Her body trembled as if she couldn't believe what she had heard.

Her expression trembled and she placed her hands on her head as if she was in pain.

"I...right...a...I...killed him...a...na"

Her hands lost strength and she could barely put them on the floor in order to sit down.

Her expression looked like someone who had lost everything.

"So it was me who…killed him but my brother you…to protect me…why…"

I give you 100 out of ten.

"Yes?"

"That was just great, if it weren't for me but someone else, he would have already believed it."

"I don't understand..."

"Are you going to keep doing that when you know I already know everything?"

"Huh..."

Lilia sighed and wiped her tears.

Her expression returned to the way it was.

As if her earlier crying was a lie.

"Brother…isn't there really something you don't know…"

"nothing"

"You're really amazing bro, so I always respected you and that's also why I felt even more guilty for deceiving you."

Lilia spoke in a weak voice with a sad smile.

"But I also had no other choice...because I was a child too....just a child afraid of being devoured by the wide world."

"...."

"So once that man came and threatened to kill me if I didn't kill my father, I couldn't help but do it…. There was also a part of me that wanted to kill my father so I couldn't help but do what he said."

"...."

"But now that I'm older I can realize that….that person wasn't interested in me or my father in the first place….he did it all because he was sure you would protect me…although I don't know why he is interested in you." to this point

"...."

"I'm really sorry bro....I'm not asking you to forgive me but...I've been looking for you all this time because I wanted you to at least know that, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay Lilia, I don't want your apology, I did it because I wanted to so there's nothing for you to apologize for because it's no one's fault."

"Brother...thank you"

"It was nothing."

Leder scratched his head and leaned his back against the wall with a deep expression.

Silence continued for a while.

Because neither of them wanted to break it.

"Brother...you are really cute"

"Yes?"

You may be a genius, but you are very naive.

"?"

"You know, brother, I was the one who orchestrated this."

"...?"

"I mean arrest you."

"!"

Lilia smiled wryly while talking to Lederer.

"I had already been looking for any way ever since I was a child to get rid of you, when that man approached me and proposed to me his plan… There was nothing better than that, a way to get rid of you and at the same time get rid of my father with impunity."

"...."

"He said that….You are a genius so you will definitely know that it is a trap but you will have no choice but to walk into it with your feet to protect your dear sister, when you don't even know that it was that sister who set the trap for you."

"...."

"How is that? Are you surprised? How do you feel when you learn that the sister you went to prison to protect is actually the one who plotted to get you in? How does it feel when something comes out of your hands for the first time? How do you feel after finally experiencing an unexpected event?" "

"...."

my feeling?

Well how do I describe it.

nothing special?

Why?

Because I certainly know that.

It would be even more strange not to know.

That cute little sister has always looked at me with eyes that desperately want to kill me since she was three years old.

And it's not like I don't understand why.

It's pretty hard living with scum as a parent while having a genius sibling around.

How many times has she been treated like useless junk and beaten for it?

So it's not like I don't understand the reason for this grudge.

What I don't understand is why she thinks I don't know.

I mean, I'm a genius.

It is impossible for something like this to happen without my knowledge.

I might understand why she thought that when she was a child but now she's already an adult so I don't understand why she doesn't realize I know everything.

I wonder...

Is her intelligence that low compared to me?

truly..

What a genius I am.

"What's the matter brother? Why don't you say anything? Are you so shocked that you can't say anything?"

"Not like that, I already know the fact that you hate me and the fact that you cooperated with those responsible for the incident."

"Ha..?"

"I know everything from the start.... It's so stupid of you to think I've been fooled by your lousy acting.... I mean it's always been obvious that you have aggressive tendencies, it's even more weird that you think I'm the one who spent so much time with you since you were born I do not know that"

"...."

"What's the matter with Lilia? Why don't you say anything? Did the cat eat your tongue?"

"I don't understand..."

"Hmmm?"

"If you knew everything, why did you walk into the prison with your feet!? You could have gotten out of that situation easily by using your genius!"

"...."

I don't understand!

Why!

If you know everything, why?

"my brother!!"

"Do you know Lilia? There are times when logic doesn't work, it's those times when you choose the path full of negatives despite weighing the pros and cons well."

"I don't understand"

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand...because there will come a day when you will understand everything."

"I don't think I can understand, because we two can never understand each other, brother."

"Really? So maybe that's the case."

Lilia turned her head.

It was an expression of her unwillingness to continue talking.

Lederer lay down and didn't say anything either.

Because he also did not want to continue the conversation.

Time passed.

The morning sun rose, heralding the beginning of a new day.

And the end of a long night during which neither of them could sleep.

Of course Lederer knew that.

From the moment he chose to step into the trap with his feet he had already known that the day he would meet Lilia again would come.

From the moment he chose to enter prison.

Plans to escape were already gathering in his head.

Suddenly Lilia raised her head and looked towards the door.

There was nothing, but after about three minutes, two guards entered the door, carrying a tray containing a piece of bread and a glass of water.

They were still blindfolded.

In any case, each guard put the tray in his hand in front of one of the two cells, and then left immediately.

The way they were leaving, as if they were running away, was still the same.

"Man, I'm not a monster..."

Lederer picked up the piece of bread and began to chew it.

It was hard as a rock but Leader's expression didn't change at all as she chewed.

As soon as he ate the piece of bread, he drank water that tasted like slime in one go.

It's been ten years already so he's getting used to it.

Unlike him, Lilia looked at the bread and ate nothing.

"my brother"

"What is the matter?"

"What's with the name Leader?"

"Oh that? It's just a nickname, I also don't use my real name here."

"...."

"By the way, it means the leader."

"I know that much at least, I'm not stupid."

"correct"

"By the way bro...I'm getting out of here"

Leder raised his head and looked at Lilia.

Looking at his eyebrows, he looked a little angry.

"On your own?"

"I can escape on my own, but you rot on your own here."

"Do you think you can escape on your own? When I couldn't."

"Are you mocking me?"

"I am just saying the truth"

"...."

"...."

"I can escape. Opening a lock like that is a piece of cake for me."

"...."

Can you open the locks?

This is amazing.

It's an ability I don't have, so that would be useful for an escape, but...

She seems to be missing an important fact.

"You don't know anything, Lily."

"What..?"

"Do you think that getting out of the dungeon is all it takes to escape?"

It's not hard to avoid the guards.

"You're wrong, it seems you still don't know…what kind of prison is this."

"What kind… what do you mean…"

"The number of guards increases every year by 5%. The last time I counted the number of guards was three years ago. The number at that time was 356,734 guards, so the number is now estimated at about 413,901."

"H...h..?"

"As for the geographical location, 87% of us are trapped on an island surrounded by water on all sides. There is a high probability that it is an island that was discovered and kept secret by the government, so it mostly has no place on the map."

"Hh...hh..?"

"in addition to..."

Lederer paused and swallowed his saliva before continuing.

"we are the only ones here"

"Yes?"

"In this large building guarded by hundreds of thousands of guards….only you and I are the only ones."

"You're lying...of course..."

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"...."

"See?"

"I don't understand! Why would they put so much effort into it for you! Even if you're a little genius!"

"Huh?"

Leader looked at Lilia with such a puzzled expression that she felt embarrassed because it was the first time she had seen such an expression on his face.

"Hasn't anything been told to you?"

"...."

"Do you think I'm here because I'm a little genius...not so much?"

"...."

"You…you really don't know anything…"

I thought if they got her involved they would at least tell her some details but apparently they didn't actually do that.

Maybe they didn't feel the need to do it and maybe they simply didn't want to do it.

Anyway, whatever the reason, the result is that our Lilia here doesn't know anything.

And that I would have to explain everything to her for our cooperation in the future escape.

How annoying.

Huh...what has already been done can't be changed.

I have no choice but to explain everything from the beginning.

It will be a long story.

very long.

"Lilya, listen to me carefully, the reason why the person who cooperated with you is keeping me here and more precisely the offense I have committed to be here is not something else but because…."

"...."

"I tried to stage a revolution, to overthrow the system of government in this country."

"!"

"I have already collected a lot of opponents, so if the work continues without interruption, I will achieve my goal within five years."

"...."

"They have already tried to bring me down several times but failing to do so, they have resorted to using you, my little sister…my only weakness."

I'm a genius.

He's the kind of genius that appears once in a thousand years.

I mastered reading and writing at the age of three.

And I read all the books my hands could reach at the age of four.

By the age of six I had already mastered seven languages.

I had access to the largest library in the country and finished reading over 300,000 books by the time I was ten.

I walked around and saw all kinds of people.

That's when I realized.

That this world is not fair.

And this country needs to change.

I started gathering followers and created an organization.

In just two and a half years she has amassed a huge following.

Our goal was clear.

The coup against the monarchy first and transforming it into a democratic system.

Second, destroy the government.

We were discovered by the government at some point and there were a lot of attempts to bring us down but they all failed.

That was until that incident that got me here happened.