Prologue

Chirp, chirp. 

It was a morning filled with the sound of birds. 

As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling—specifically, a wooden ceiling and cold stone walls. For a moment, I was busy trying to assess the situation. 

‘What is this?’

However, even after several minutes had passed, I still couldn’t grasp what was going on. 

Despite being known for my unusual calmness since I was young, I was visibly flustered and confused.

Murmur.

“Silence, please.”

In front of me, there was a large podium, and three people were seated on the steps. On both sides of me, the seating area resembled an audience seat on a trial.

Yes, this feels like a ‘trial’ of sorts… Wait, a trial?

At that moment…

“I shall deliver the verdict.”

My head was spinning.

Hence, I couldn’t hear a single word from the old man with grey hair. All I could hear were fragmented words here and there.

“…Therefore, although the death penalty seems appropriate, considering the defendant’s young age…”

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of the gavel echoed three times.

“The defendant shall be sentenced to life imprisonment.”

…Huh?

It was only when I felt my body tightly bound and saw the clothes I was wearing, resembling a prisoner’s uniform, that I finally understood what was happening.

What’s this? What on earth happened?

One day, I woke up and found myself becoming a prisoner.

What crime have I committed?!

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Various voices were heard in my ears.

“This is madness. Utter madness.”

“Perhaps it’s the work of a devil.”

I was told that the carriage I was currently riding in was made with a special type of stone. The windows were made of sturdy iron, ensuring that no heinous criminal could escape during transport.

“Otherwise, how could she managed to kill dozens?”

I couldn’t tell the exact shape of the thing that covered my head. Was it designed to prevent me from seeing the door? By the way, the knights and guards who were escorting me were quite talkative. Thanks to them, I learned quite a lot.

“The work of a devil seems plausible.”

My current identity, or more accurately, the body I had possessed, was that of the youngest serial killer in the Empire. She was a horrendous criminal, and yet, she was just a twelve-year-old girl.

So far, there was no problem with that.

For starters, I am not the actual murderer. Furthermore, the series of killings that shocked the Empire were not the actions of this girl; she was framed. Thanks to that, I was somewhat at ease, knowing that this place was a world from a novel.

‘Ugh, is it a crime to love a novel?’

A friend of mine, who was a fan of idols, once said, ‘one of the greatest achievements in being a fan was to embrace your ultimate bias.’

However, for a web novel fanatic like me, embracing my ultimate bias only referred to one thing: transmigration. 

Of course, if given a choice, most people would decline.

‘And to top it all off, I’ve ended up in a wretched place and was labeled as a scum…’

Having peculiar tastes was practically a crime worthy of death.

‘I’ll uninstall the web novel apps once I go back, for sure.’

However, in the current situation, such determination was nothing but a futile declaration.

I was currently being transported to a prison right after receiving my verdict.

‘Niflheim’ was the name of the prison I was heading to.

In the language of this world, Niflheim means ‘Frozen Hell.’ It was probably derived from Norse mythology, and true to its name, it was located at the far end of the land. 

Although it existed on the continent, it was referred to as the land of the forgotten.

In reality, it was a place that could be described as an ‘island’ accessible only through a single path that not just anyone could enter.

“Heh, you’re young… but you seem pretty ordinary. You look weak and insignificant. A push is all it takes to kill you.”

“Be careful.”

After a long journey, I finally arrived at the infamous prison. Even though my vision was obstructed, I could feel the chilly air of the cells.

…I lived a virtuous life, so why did I end up being transmigrated like this?

“This one here is the insane b*stard who killed thirty-two people.”

“Tsk…”

Without even looking, I could tell who was the one clicking their tongue. 

He had a sinister and ominous voice, accompanied by an underlying sense of composure.

It was likely that the person clicking their tongue was the great warden of this prison. And it wasn’t a surprise that he clicked his tongue.

“Great. Our prison is already filled with lunatics. She’s just another stray dog! It’s not a good thing to have one more. Tsk, tsk!”

While being roughly dragged along, I finally had the chance to remove the blindfold after being thrown somewhere. As expected, it was a dark solitary cell.

“Hey, on your first day, you get the solitary cell. Reflect quietly on your sins there.”

Laughter echoed in the air.

“Of course, it won’t make a difference even if you regret it.”

“…”

“From tomorrow onwards, it’ll be hell.”

Upon hearing those words, I silently nodded to myself.

‘Well, I needed some time for myself anyway. This works out.’

This place was a notorious prison.

While people enter, no one has ever escaped from this prison for hundreds of years.

The male lead will appear in this place, and when he appears, the people here will join a life-or-death struggle to escape from the prison.

I know all of this because of the original story!

As I calmly think of the situation, I realized a perplexing and grave problem.

‘There’s a problem!’

And it was a very serious problem.

I am the youngest murderer and a dreadful serial killer.

Because it was mentioned in detail in the novel, I know the exact time when the male lead enters the prison.

The infuriating fact was that the male lead who was crucial for the escape will only enter this prison 10 years from now!

‘Oh my goodness.’

That’s right. I was reincarnated 10 years before the start of the original story! Consequently, I would have to rot in this prison for a long time and survive.

‘To think that having unconventional tastes would be such a grave sin…!’

I lifted my head and looked at the dark room with the faint light shining through the window.

I caught a glimpse of the prison guard’s shadow as laughter and mockery filled the air.

I even heard bets being placed on my survival.

‘Come to think of it, this makes me furious. They let minors be sentenced to life imprisonment?!’

With a belated surge of anger, rage filled my whole body.

“Aaargh!”

B*stard! Why did they reincarnate me 10 years earlier?!

“Hahaha, do you hear that? Was she growling?”

“Leave it be. I heard rumors about this crazy kid. Ugh, I’ve seen all sorts of trash, but this is the first time I’ve encountered such a dreadful one.”

“She’ll die soon anyway.”

I vented my anger for a good two hours before finally calming down. What else can I do? The only way for me to survive was to endure it.

The one who framed this girl as the ‘culprit’ or rather, the family behind the framing, was an unbeatable power at the moment.

I had to survive.

Yes, let’s focus on surviving!

10 years later, I became the leader of the inmates perfectly.