Caught in the Net
Ten minutes ago—
Aiden entered the interview room, where Arsena had been patiently waiting.
"So, what do you want to tell me?" Aiden sat down at the iron table.
According to the prison guard's relay, Arsena seemed to have information about the drug flow within the prison.
However, what came out of Arsena's mouth next was explosively unexpected: "Inmate 3340 from Room 13 has colluded with Ophelia. They plan to incite a riot among the inmates in the infirmary and take advantage of the chaos to escape and kill you. In about two minutes, they will start their move."
It took Aiden several seconds to digest this information. Then, with a serious expression, he asked, "How did you find out?"
"They tried to win me over. me being here here was to lure you into the interview room to confirm your location," Arsena said with a poker face.
She then succinctly explained how Inmate 3340 helped them break the demonic contract and revealed the details of the magic potion that could temporarily restore magical power.
"So, are you planning to betray them now?" Aiden finally understood the situation.
"Making a deal with you might be more advantageous. Dailey thinks the same way," Arsena calmly stated.
...
And now—
"I never expected this, truly never expected it. The Inquisition, who couldn't catch the 'Ant Queen' for so many years, today she falls into my hands," Aiden said while crossing His arm, addressing the two motionless female inmates before him.
The noble Blood Princess Ophelia, and the witch Meirujinu who raises the king of the assassin, both could only glare at the warden standing in front of them.
The reason they didn't attack Aiden or attempt to escape was that their hands and feet were firmly caught by the claws of the shadow demon, and they were suspended in mid-air in an undignified manner.
On their right, the witch Dailey held a short wand, wearing a gloating smile.
When Ophelia was caught by the shadow demon, she tried to resist to the last moment. With her Princes-level Blood Vampire power, she could have split her body into a swarm of bats to escape.
However, a necromancer who understood vampires well, Arsena, quickly added a "Specter's Grasp" curse before she could move, sealing her magic.
"Damn it!" Ophelia looked at Arsena, who was standing expressionlessly on her left, and cursed loudly. "Are you brainless? I brought you along for the escape, and you just betray me like this?"
"With our old friendship, I didn't want to, but the rewards he offered were too tempting," Arsena calmly replied.
"I don't understand!" Meirujinu also looked towards Dailey on the other side. "We were already so close. I've already helped you break the demonic contract. Why did you choose to help this man? Isn't it better to leave this prison?"
She now realized that she and Ophelia had been played by these two women. From the beginning, Dailey and Arsena had been planning to ambush them.
Looking back now, in the core area at that time, Dailey seized the guards before Ophelia and stuffed them into the duty room, she even broke the door lock. Essentially, she was protecting those guards—if Dailey hadn't intervened, they probably would have died at the hands of Ophelia.
"You wanting to leave doesn't mean I want to leave," Dailey shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with being here. I can continue researching dark magic like before, with someone taking care of my needs. Most importantly, I won't be bothered by the officials and bounty hunters. And..."
She glanced at Aiden, smiling cryptically. "There's also a good man like him. Why would I have a reason to leave?"
Meirujinu was dumbfounded on the spot.
"Do you think they helped me because I coerced them with a demonic contract?" Aiden interjected, with arms crossed. "Wrong. It's because they agreed to work for me that they willingly wore the demonic contract. The demonic contract is just an insurance. They work for me because I provide them with benefits. Do you understand why I chose them for the deal?"
"Why?" Meirujinu subconsciously asked.
"Because I can offer them what they desire. You trade with them without truly understanding them," Aiden spread his hands. "Dailey used to live in the Shadow Ruins, and Arsena in the Dim Dark Forest. They secluded themselves from society to delve into dark magic and necromancy. Just considering their living conditions, even the prison is better. If I allow them to research spells in the prison, what reason do they have to leave?"
"Allow... research? But... What they research is forbidden arts!" Meirujinu couldn't comprehend.
"Yes, they were sentenced for researching forbidden arts because they didn't have approval from the Inquisition. So, I used my connections to obtain that approval for them. As long as they're willing to share their research findings with the Inquisition, I can even help them get sentence reductions if the research proves valuable," Aiden smirked.
This kind of experience is something I brought from my past life, utilizing the prisoners' expertise to engage in research and invention within the prison, fully maximizing their value.
Dailey and Arsena were both imprisoned due to their obsession with forbidden arts.
Aiden possesses a more progressive perspective on prisoners compared to other law enforcers. While other guards see these individuals as dangerous witches, Aiden recognizes them as rare talents, holding mastery over secret arts even more sophisticated than those managed by the Inquisition.
Talents, regardless of being prisoners, should be utilized.
For Dailey and Arsena, continuing to research forbidden arts within the prison is more preferable than living on the run outside. Once their sentences are complete and they have obtained permission for their research, they won't attract unwanted attention.
Therefore, they won't easily betray Aiden, a fact he is well aware of.
In fact, the only value in Meirujinu's proposed deal for them is the opportunity to betray her and Ophelia for sentence reductions and rewards.
"I have to admit, you are quite skilled. In the game of intrigue, I might not be as adept as you," Aiden approached Meirujinu, and slowly stating, "You only failed for one reason: underestimating my methods in managing this prison."
In the end, his greatest expertise lies in his original field. This prison, which meticulously managed by him, is not easily subverted by Meirujinu's schemes.
Meirujinu looked at the man before her, and clenching her teeth in frustration.
"You, too, have finally made the right choice based on your own thoughts," Aiden turned away, looking at the figure behind him, Evangeline.
"Is this enough?" Evangeline asked somewhat bewildered.
"Yes, as long as you avoid making the wrong choices, that's enough" Aiden smiled. "In the end, the rules of the prison are just that."