Chapter 1

Everyone says that when people die and reincarnate, they end up with a higher status.

“Stop dragging your feet and move!”

“If today’s work quota isn’t finished, no one gets dinner!”

But when I opened my eyes, I had become a seven-year-old prisoner.

Under the prison guards’ harsh shouts and the occasional crack of a whip, the other prisoners and I sweated as we worked without rest.

This happened so suddenly that I didn’t even have time to be shocked.

The adults mined ore inside the mine, while I gathered the rocks, loaded them onto a cart, and carried them away.

Waking up in a completely unfamiliar world overnight…

Rather than terrifying, the whole situation just felt overwhelming.

Then…

“Hm?”

Something caught my eye.

The worn-out prison uniform I was wearing had a red name tag attached to it.

Everyone else’s tag is white. Why is mine red?

When I asked one of the older female prisoners who shared my room, she looked at me with deep pity before explaining.

“A red tag means you’re a life prisoner. It means you’ll spend the rest of your life here in exile. In this place, only you and Mrs. Dallis over there have red tags.”

“…”

I blankly looked toward the woman she pointed at.

A young woman with long white hair was staring straight at me with lifeless, unfocused eyes.

“She was sent here for murdering her husband and abusing her child. And she’s a little… well…”

“Lost her mind?”

“…If you want to put it bluntly, yes.”

Damn.

I wanted to lose my mind too.

Holding back my tears, I asked the question I wanted answered the most.

“T-Then… what crime did I commit to end up here?”

“Don’t tell me you really don’t know?”

“…No.”

Once again, sympathy filled the prisoner’s eyes.

For the record, this kind older sister’s name was Ribi.

She had brown hair and brown eyes.

Her crime?

Robbery and murder.

“You were charged with 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 but failed.”

Then came the next sentence.

“You were brought here under collective family punishment.”

* * *

Collective family punishment.

A law where a criminal’s relatives are punished along with them.

So it’s like exterminating three generations of a family…

A month had already passed since I became a seven-year-old prisoner through collective punishment.

“…Maybe I’m just naturally suited to exile?”

I actually liked life here.

I couldn’t believe such a peaceful and comfortable life existed.

No wonder exiled scholars used to write poetry.

Six hours of labor each day.

Regular breaks.

Every meal included fresh vegetables and meat.

Other than work, we had complete freedom, and the guards barely interfered with us.

Even better…

The other prisoners were incredibly kind.

Every single one of them had terrifying crimes attached to their names, yet they were the kindest people I’d ever met.

Because my body was so small and clumsy, they always helped me.

Whenever food was served, they secretly gave me the biggest portions.

If they found pretty wildflowers, they’d bring them to show me.

Whenever someone heated water, they’d always insist I bathe first.

Even my real family never treated me this well.

…My previous life had been worse than living in exile.

Pushing aside the complicated feelings in my heart, I wandered 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 I now inhabited.

Hebenia Clavis. Age seven.

The youngest daughter of an incredibly wealthy family.

In this world, social ranks existed.

The Clavis family had once been so powerful that even nobles and the Imperial Family couldn’t interfere with them.

Rumor had it that they had been granted a noble title…

…but they gave it to their pet dog instead and became commoners.

If they were that powerful, why would they try to kill the Imperial Princess?

Even the prisoners found it strange.

Anyway…

Because of that incident, every male member of the Clavis family had been executed.

The women were scattered across different exile camps.

Looks like I had no luck with family in either life.

I let out a long sigh.

Just then, someone loudly called my name.

“Hebenia!”

“Ian Oppa.”

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 here? It’s almost dinner time, so I came looking for you.”

“I was looking at the forest.”

Ian sat beside me and looked toward the enormous forest surrounding the exile settlement.

A prison surrounded by an endless forest.

This place was called Exilium.

It housed only the most dangerous criminals.

Oddly enough, security here was surprisingly relaxed.

The guards only watched us during labor.

Outside of work, they left us alone.

The prisoners lived freely in a small village near the work site instead of locked behind prison bars.

The reason that was possible…

…was the vast forest surrounding the settlement.

“Ian Oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“Do monsters really live in that forest?”

“They say it’s crawling with man-eating monsters. I’ve never actually seen one myself.”

“Then why can’t the monsters come in here? Couldn’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.

Without warning, he threw it toward the forest.

The stone flew through the air…

…then bounced off something invisible before falling to the ground.

“Because there’s a barrier.”

“Wow…”

No matter how many times I saw it, it was amazing.

Exilium wasn’t protected because monsters feared it.

It was surrounded by an invisible magical barrier that prevented anyone from escaping.

However…

Once every month…

On the night of the full moon…

A temporary passage connecting the settlement to the outside world opened.

Food and daily necessities were brought in through that route.

Apparently, I’d entered this place that way a month ago.

“Hebenia.”

“Hm?”

“Still can’t remember anything?”

“No.”

Everyone believed I’d lost my memory from the shock of being imprisoned under collective punishment.

Since I knew absolutely nothing about this world and kept asking questions, the adults had reached that conclusion on their own.

Honestly…

It made things easier.

I didn’t have to pretend to be the original Hebenia Clavis.

“Shall we head back? Dinner’s waiting.”

I stared at Ian’s outstretched hand before taking it and standing up.

“Ian Oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“If you had the chance… would you leave this place?”

“If I could, of course. Believe it or not, I was framed.”

“That’s what all the adults say.”

The prisoners were kind…

…but they certainly lacked self-awareness.

Though I don’t really care.

As long as they’re good to me, that’s enough.

“Actually… there’s somewhere I’d like to visit too.”

“Huh? You’re planning to leave?”

“No.”

I smiled.

“I like it here. I might just spend the rest of my life in exile.”

Though…

That would probably never happen.

For some reason, I’m certain I can never return to my original world.

That certainty left me with many lingering regrets.

I couldn’t tell anyone I’d come from another world…

…but I could at least mention one regret.

“I want to pick up a package.”

“…A package?”

“It’s the limited-edition Magical Girl Milk Shake collaboration wand that I ordered with an overseas jewelry designer…”

The Eternal Heart Milky Way Straw Stick used in the Season 2 finale…

…was scheduled to arrive the very next day.

“I spent three million won on it…!”

“It’s okay.”

Ian gently patted my back while I sniffled.

“Everyone goes a little crazy after coming to an exile camp.”

* * *

“Don’t look for reasons to help people.”

“Even if you fall, you can always stand back up and keep walking!”

“Even if it isn’t today, hope will save you someday!”

Growing up, my older brother only watched giant robot anime.

But 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.

Falling in love with those brave, amazing heroines had been inevitable.

If I had to reincarnate… maybe becoming a magical girl would’ve been…

I reached for a dry branch beside the stream.

Then stopped.

…Actually, maybe not.

I was far too materialistic to live like a magical girl.

Still… what a waste.

An entire bookshelf filled with magical wands.

It wasn’t just the money.

Every single one carried precious memories.

Especially that three-million-won limited-edition wand.

It even contained real gemstones, making it incredibly faithful to the anime.

I had emptied my savings just to buy it.

Everyone around me had called me crazy.

Especially my senior at work.

He had always been kind to me.

That day, he’d looked at me with bittersweet disappointment, as if asking,

“With your salary… do you really think you can afford something like that?”

“Senior… You must’ve been shocked…”

Now that I’d reincarnated…

My original body was probably dead.

Trying to calm my tangled emotions, I sat quietly by the stream, staring into the endless forest.

“…Still, exile is better than working at my company.”

“The prisoners here are much kinder than my family.”

“If I grow attached to this place… maybe this will become my home.”

Absentmindedly, I drew on the ground with a stick.

An upside-down five-pointed star.

Then a circle around it.

It was a doodle I’d drawn since childhood whenever I was bored.

My mother, who was a church deaconess, absolutely hated it.

She always called it the symbol of the devil.

She even cursed me, calling me demon-possessed.

But drawing it always calmed me down.

Maybe she had been right.

Maybe I really was possessed.

How else could I become so comfortable around criminals…

…or feel so at home in exile?

Humming the opening song from Magical Girl Milk Shake, I traced the symbol over and over.

Then…

A tiny drop of saliva accidentally landed on the drawing.

“Oops.”

I quickly wiped my mouth.

Maybe it was because I now had the body of a seven-year-old.

Sometimes childish habits slipped out without me noticing.

“Guess I’d better head back…”

I picked up the branches I’d collected.

Then froze.

Right in front of me…

…was an elegant four-legged bathtub.

Warm, fragrant steam drifted from the water.

Inside the mist, I could make out a dark figure.

A thick, muscular arm slowly emerged through the steam.

I instinctively tightened my grip on the bundle of branches.

As the steam cleared…

A man appeared.

He was soaking wet.

A breathtakingly handsome man.

Just looking at him almost felt disrespectful.

His sharp eyes stood out the most.

His long black hair clung to his muscular bare body, giving him an intimidating aura that made him difficult to approach.

Wait…

Why is he taking a bath outside?

The man was staring at me with the same look of astonishment.

His eyes…

They glowed like worn, weathered suns.

The moment our eyes met…

I instinctively knew.

He’s not human.

I slowly took a step backward.

For the first time since reincarnating…

I felt genuine fear.

Then the man slowly curled one corner of his lips into a smile.

“So…”

“You really have returned.”

Returned?

What was he talking about?

“So…”

“What’s your wish?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Your wish.”

Resting his chin lazily on one arm draped over the bathtub, he spoke as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“If you’ve summoned a demon…”

“…then naturally you should make a wish.”

“N-No…”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

After politely refusing, I gave an awkward little bow, craning my neck like a turtle…

…and immediately turned to run.

Unfortunately…

My escape failed.