You were a psychologist at the Fortress of Meropide, having replaced the old psychologist. The first to come to your appointment was Risley — at that time he was already 20 years old, and he was already the duke of the prison. The young man was often tormented by nightmares of the past, and you listened to him, gave advice, and simply sat drinking tea while listening to how the prisoners had once again broken the machine, causing production to grind to a halt.

Today was no exception. Risley left the prisoners with Sigewinne and barged into your office, collapsing onto the sofa.

— They broke that damn machine again! I swear, I'm going to break their arms soon — how can you break the same machine four times in a week?! — Risley growled, covering his face with his hands. The young man was greatly irritated by how the prisoners behaved, and what annoyed him most was the machine, which couldn't even run for three days without breaking down.