Chapter 1
People always say that if you die and transmigrate into another world, your status improves.
“Stop dawdling and move!”
“If you don’t meet today’s quota, nobody gets dinner!”
When I opened my eyes, I had become a seven-year-old prisoner.
Under the prison guards’ harsh shouts and the occasional crack of their whips, the other prisoners and I sweated as we worked.
This happened so suddenly that I didn’t even have time to be shocked.
The adults mined ore from the quarry, while I gathered it, loaded it onto carts, and hauled it away.
Waking up in a strange world overnight was an unbelievable experience.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t terrifying.
It was simply overwhelming.
Then—
“Huh?”
I noticed the red name tag attached to my shabby prison uniform.
Everyone else’s is white… Why is mine red?
When I asked one of the older female prisoners who shared my room, she looked at me with pity before answering.
“It means you’re a life prisoner. Someone sentenced to spend the rest of their life in exile. There are only two life prisoners here—you and Miss Dallis over there.”
“…”
I turned to where she pointed.
A young woman with white hair was staring blankly at me with lifeless eyes.
“She was sent here for murdering her husband and abusing her child. And she’s a little… well…”
“Out of her mind?”
“…If you want to put it bluntly.”
Damn.
I wanted to lose my mind too.
Holding back my tears, I asked the question I wanted answered most.
“Th-Then… what crime did I commit to end up here?”
“Don’t tell me… you really don’t know?”
“…No.”
The older prisoner’s eyes filled with sympathy again.
For the record, this kind woman’s name was Livi.
She had brown hair and brown eyes.
Her crime was robbery and murder.
“You were convicted of attempting to assassinate the Imperial Princess.”
For a moment, I wondered if I’d heard her wrong.
“Attempted… what?”
“Attempted assassination of the Imperial Princess.”
“…”
“Your family tried to kill Her Imperial Highness the Princess, but failed.”
Then came the next sentence.
“You were dragged here under the system of guilt by association.”
* * *
Guilt by association.
A system where a criminal’s family is punished along with them.
So it’s like exterminating three generations of a family.
A month had already passed since I transmigrated into the body of this seven-year-old prisoner.
“…Maybe I’m just naturally suited for exile.”
I actually loved life here.
I had never lived such a peaceful, comfortable life.
No wonder exiled scholars spent their time writing literature.
Six hours of labor a day.
Regular breaks.
Fresh vegetables and meat with every meal.
Outside of work, we were free all day, and the guards rarely bothered us.
Even the other prisoners were incredibly kind.
Every one of them had a terrifying criminal record, yet they were the kindest people I’d ever met.
Because I was small and clumsy, they always helped me.
Whenever food was handed out, they made sure my bowl had the biggest portions.
If they found pretty wildflowers, they always showed them to me first.
Whenever someone heated water, they insisted that I bathe before anyone else.
Even my own family never treated me like this.
So…
My old life had actually been worse than life in exile.
Pushing aside my complicated feelings, I walked alone to a nearby stream and sat down.
I decided to organize everything I’d learned so far.
First…
The identity of this little body.
Hevenia Clavis. Age seven.
The youngest daughter of an unbelievably wealthy family.
This world had a strict class system.
The Clavis family had once been so powerful that even the nobility and the Imperial Family couldn’t easily interfere with them.
Rumor had it they had once been granted a noble title…
…but gave it to the family dog and chose to become commoners instead.
If they were that powerful, why would they try to kill the Imperial Princess?
Even the prisoners found that hard to believe.
In any case…
All the men of House Clavis had been executed.
The women had been scattered across different exile settlements.
Looks like I have terrible luck with families in every world.
I let out a long sigh.
Then someone loudly called my name.
“Hevenia!”
“Ian.”
The young man with light-purple hair had once been an Imperial Knight.
His crime was embezzlement and breach of trust.
“What are you doing? It’s almost dinner time, so I came to get you.”
“I was looking at the forest.”
Ian sat beside me and gazed toward the enormous forest surrounding the exile settlement.
An exile camp surrounded by a primeval forest.
This place was called Exilium.
It held only the worst criminals, yet security was surprisingly lax.
The guards only watched us during labor.
The rest of the time, they left us alone.
Instead of prison cells, the prisoners lived freely in a village near the worksite.
The reason this was possible…
…was the vast forest surrounding Exilium.
“Ian.”
“Yeah?”
“Do monsters really live in that forest?”
“They say it’s crawling with man-eating monsters. I’ve never seen one myself.”
“Then why don’t they come in here? Wouldn’t they eat the guards too?”
“If that ever happens, I guess we’ll all meet again inside a monster’s stomach.”
Ian picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it toward the forest.
The stone flew through the air…
…then bounced off something invisible before falling to the ground.
“Like that.”
“There’s a barrier.”
“Wow…”
No matter how many times I saw it, it amazed me.
Exilium wasn’t impossible to escape because of the monsters.
It was because of the invisible barrier surrounding it.
Only once every month—
On the night of the full moon—
A temporary passage to the outside world opened.
That was when food and daily necessities were delivered.
I couldn’t remember it myself, but apparently I’d arrived here through that passage a month ago.
“Hevenia.”
“Hm?”
“Still can’t remember anything?”
“No.”
Everyone believed I’d developed amnesia from the shock of being punished under guilt by association.
Since I knew nothing about this world, I kept asking questions.
The adults misunderstood on their own.
Honestly, it made life easier.
I didn’t have to pretend to be the original Hevenia Clavis.
“Let’s head back. Dinner’s waiting.”
I stared at Ian’s outstretched hand before taking it and standing up.
“Ian.”
“Do you want to leave this place?”
“If I could, sure.”
“You probably won’t believe me, but I was framed.”
“The other adults all say the same thing.”
The prisoners were kind…
…but they really had no shame.
Still.
As long as they’re good to me, that’s what matters.
“Actually, there’s somewhere I’d like to go too.”
“Huh? You’d leave?”
“Yeah.”
“I really like it here.”
“I was even thinking of spending the rest of my life in exile.”
But…
I knew I never could.
I’m certain I can’t go back to the world I came from.
Maybe that was why I couldn’t let go of so many regrets.
The fact that I’d come from another world had to remain a secret…
…but I could at least tell him one thing I regretted.
“I want to pick up a package.”
“‘Package?’ What’s that?”
“The limited-edition Magical Girl Milk Shake Magic Milky that was made with an overseas jewelry designer…”
“…”
“The Eternal Heart Milky Way Straw Stick used in the final episode of Season Two was supposed to arrive the very next day.”
“I paid three million won for it…”
“It’s okay.”
Ian gently patted my back as I sniffled.
“Everyone goes a little crazy after coming to exile.”
“It happens.”
* * *
Don’t look for a reason to help people.
Even if you fall down, if you get back up, you can keep walking!
Even if it isn’t today, hope will save you someday!
As a child, I’d only watched the robot cartoons my older brother liked.
Then one day, at a friend’s house, I accidentally watched a magical girl anime.
It completely changed my world.
A girl my own age…
Saving the entire world.
How could I not fall in love with those strong, amazing heroines?
If I had to transmigrate… I wish it’d been into a magical girl world…
My hand froze just before picking up a dry branch near the stream.
…Actually, maybe not.
I was far too materialistic to ever be a magical girl.
Still… what a waste.
An entire bookshelf full of magical wands.
It wasn’t just the money I’d spent.
Every single one held memories I couldn’t bear to lose.
Especially the limited-edition wand that cost three million won.
It had been crafted using real gemstones and was unbelievably detailed.
I’d even emptied my savings account to buy it.
Everyone around me had called me crazy.
Especially my Senior.
The one who had always been kind to me.
Senior had looked at me with a helpless expression, as if asking,
“Can someone with your salary really afford something like that?”
“…Senior must’ve been shocked.”
Since I’d transmigrated…
…my body in the old world had probably died.
Trying to calm my complicated emotions, I sat by the stream and stared blankly at the primeval forest.
“…Still, this place is better than my company.”
“The prisoners are way nicer than my own family.”
“If you grow attached to a place, doesn’t it become your home?”
As I absentmindedly doodled on the ground, I muttered to myself.
An upside-down five-pointed star.
With a circle around it.
It was a doodle I’d drawn ever since I was little whenever I was bored.
My mother, who was a church elder, absolutely hated it.
She always said it was the symbol of the devil.
She even called me demon-possessed because of it.
But drawing it always calms me down.
Maybe…
…she had been right after all.
Maybe I really was possessed.
Why else would I get along so naturally with violent criminals…
…and feel so comfortable living in exile?
“Magical Girl Milk Shake~ Sweet and fluffy Milky Sugar~”
Humming the theme song, I continued doodling.
Then—
A tiny drop of saliva landed on the drawing.
“…Oops.”
Maybe it was because I now had the body of a seven-year-old.
Sometimes I made childish mistakes without realizing it.
I quickly wiped my mouth.
“Well… time to go…”
I gathered the branches and stood up.
Then I froze.
Right in front of me…
…was a luxurious four-legged bathtub.
Warm, fragrant steam drifted through the air.
Inside the tub was the shadow of someone.
A long, muscular arm slowly emerged through the steam.
Startled, I tightened my grip on the bundle of branches.
As the steam cleared…
A man soaked in water appeared.
He was so unbelievably handsome that simply looking at him felt almost disrespectful.
His sharp eyes left the strongest impression.
Combined with his muscular bare body and long black hair plastered against his skin…
…he gave off an overwhelming presence that was difficult to approach.
Wait…
Why is someone taking a bath out here?
The man looked just as stunned as I was.
His eyes—
The color of a worn, blazing sun—
Locked directly onto mine.
Instinctively…
I knew.
He’s not human.
For the first time since transmigrating, genuine fear ran through me.
I swallowed hard and slowly stepped backward.
Then—
“So…”
The corner of the man’s lips curled upward.
“You’ve finally returned.”
…What is he talking about?
“So.”
“What is your wish?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Your wish.”
Resting his chin on the arm draped over the edge of the bathtub, he spoke casually.
“If you’ve summoned a demon, it’s only natural that you make a wish.”
“N-No…”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
I politely declined.
Then I awkwardly bowed my head like a turtle stretching out its neck…
…and immediately turned to run.
Unfortunately—
My escape ended in complete failure.
