. Mini Cat

Inmate 'Mary' was the reigning queen of Augwell.

Mary's uncle and benefactor was a businessman, the top figure in logistics and the boss of a violent gang. Even before being imprisoned at Augwell, Mary had racked up 23 assault charges. The sheer amount of money spent on smoothing over these incidents had earned her the nickname 'The Walking Jackpot Punching Machine'.

Mary, who had a habit of regularly beating people on a monthly basis, was paradoxically known for being just as good at providing medical care afterward. Most of her charges resulted in light fines. However, her 24th assault landed her in Augwell for a simple reason: her victim, whose ribs she personally broke, was wealthy enough to make her 'jackpot machine' useless.

Thankfully for Mary, her team of lawyers ensured she was sent not to an ordinary prison but to the luxurious private Augwell. This arrangement left Mary with few complaints; in fact, she began to suspect that prison life suited her. What she enjoyed most about this isolated society was that she could throw punches without anyone demanding a settlement fee.

With her gang of followers, Mary ruled over Rooms 200–210.

When she heard that two newcomers had been assigned to the vacant Room 207, Mary decided to personally welcome them. The reason was simple: after spending so much time in confinement, she was considering getting herself a 'prison wife'. The mention of a 'stunning beauty' among the new arrivals piqued her interest.

Upon meeting Shushu, however, Mary had been mildly disappointed.

'Cute, sure, but stunning? Not really.'

The rare innocence that Shushu radiated intrigued her. Still, Mary was here for the real deal—the 'stunning beauty' she'd heard about.

The moment Mary saw Mini Cat, Shushu's roommate, she understood why the guards had emphasized such a description.

Mini Cat's beauty rivaled that of supermodels and top actors Mary's uncle had mingled with. She was, quite literally, breathtaking.

"You're the one they were talking about, huh? Nice to meet you, gorgeous."

***

Mary, whose rough mannerisms mirrored those of her uncle, a gang leader, managed to soften her tone at Mini Cat's stunning appearance. It was rare for her to be this courteous.

However, Mini Cat simply gave her a brief, disinterested glance, opened another window, and ignored her entirely.

Mary, whose fiery temper usually led her to knock out anyone who dared to disrespect her, clenched her fists but held back. She couldn't bring herself to ruin that face. It was a miracle born of restraint.

"Not sure if you've heard, but I'm Mary. I run the 200s. Everyone here is under my control."

"…"

"Sweetheart, what I mean is, if you stay on my good side, life here will suck a lot less. The opposite is also true."

Her words were intended as a veiled threat, though the crude language made it a poor attempt at subtlety. Regardless, Mini Cat paid her no mind. Not a nod, not a word—just a look of boredom as she stood by the window.

Mary's patience, thin as it was, snapped. Her followers exchanged knowing looks.

'That pretty face won't last long. If Mary shows some restraint, she'll only break a rib or two.'

"I was gonna be nice because you're pretty, but you're just a stuck-up little—"

Before she could finish, something incredible happened.

Mini Cat, who had been lazily watching Mary, moved. By the time the room's occupants blinked, Mary was gone.

It wasn't a magic trick, no doves were flying out of hats. Mini Cat had simply tossed Mary out the open window.

The only parallel to magic might be that, like a dove taking flight, Mary had soared out of the third-story window with a scream.

"This is the third floor…"

Someone muttered from Mary's crew, breaking the stunned silence.

Mini Cat, unbothered, shut the window as if she had merely shaken out some dust. She didn't even glance down to check where Mary had landed. Her calm demeanor left no doubt: this was no ordinary inmate.

Shushu, frozen in shock, pressed herself against the wall, trembling. Her instincts screamed that of everyone in the room, Mini Cat was by far the most dangerous.

'Please, don't leave me alone with this person!'

Shushu silently begged, casting desperate glances at Mary's followers, who had once seemed monstrous.

But Mary's gang had already assessed the situation. After recovering from the shock of seeing their leader turned into a metaphorical pigeon, they quickly exited the room, avoiding eye contact.

"…"

Left alone with Mini Cat, Shushu stood awkwardly in the corner, her eyes wide with fear. Meanwhile, Mini Cat sat casually on the bed, glanced at Shushu, and smirked.

"Looking forward to getting along, cutie."

Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

For Shushu, the next two weeks were nothing short of hell.

News of Mary's 'flight' spread quickly throughout the prison. Her broken ribs were the talk of the facility, and Mini Cat's reputation skyrocketed. When Mini Cat returned from solitary confinement, inmates swarmed Room 207 during free time, hoping to challenge her.

Mini Cat, however, never once ran from a fight. She took on every challenger who came knocking, thoroughly defeating them and earning herself repeated trips to solitary confinement.

For Shushu, who had lived a peaceful life up until now, the blood and bone-breaking sounds were a nightmare. She was terrified every day.

After two weeks, the cycle finally stopped as there were no more inmates foolish enough to challenge Mini Cat. Shushu sighed with relief, hoping for some peace.

But life wasn't so kind. Mini Cat's infamy brought trouble to her roommate.

"You're in 207? Then you're in bed with that crazy bitch, huh?"

Mini Cat's defeated enemies vented their frustration on Shushu. Though she had no connection to Mini Cat beyond sharing a room, they didn't care.

Thankfully, guards often intervened before things escalated, but Shushu was still left trembling after each encounter, terrified by the glares of those dragged away.

Her options seemed bleak. She could either:

Beat Mini Cat herself to escape this hellish association.Defeat the inmates and take over the prison.

Unfortunately, Shushu, a civilian with no fighting experience, was hopeless at either option. She lacked the sheer strength and ruthlessness of Mini Cat, who had effortlessly taken down entire groups of challengers.

While Shushu struggled to sleep, Mini Cat thrived in prison life. Despite her chaotic first day, Mini Cat followed an oddly disciplined routine: early to bed, early to rise.

Mini Cat went to sleep every day at exactly 10pm, and woke up at 7am sharp. Her mornings began with light exercise or reading, followed by a hearty breakfast. If anyone picked a fight, she handled them before lunch, then carried on as if nothing had happened. Her flawless skin and calm demeanor seemed surreal, as if she had stepped out of a moral education book for children.

'Is this what they mean by being built for prison life?'

Shushu observed Mini Cat warily. Despite her aristocratic beauty, Mini Cat's personality was a disaster. She didn't care about Shushu's troubles and shamelessly skipped her share of labor. Even the guards didn't reprimand her.

"Rumor has it Mini Cat is… one of them."

"One of what?"

"A foreign criminal. From Euspolia. That's why the guards don't mess with her—it's tied to international law."

Hearing this gossip during a meal nearly made Shushu choke on her soup.

'Euspolia?!'

Among the world's nations, two stood out in terms of influence: The scientific and logical Logwin to the east and the mysterious and magical Euspolia to the west.

Euspolia, recently transitioned to a constitutional monarchy, was a land that revered magic—something Logwin dismissed as superstition. Their disdain for each other was mutual, each nation viewing the other as backward and inferior.

Since the fire at the Isadoc family estate a decade ago, relations between Logwin and Euspolia had grown increasingly tense, teetering on the edge of outright hostility.