Free Web NovelChapter 61: Chapter 61 Caught in the Net_1
Ten minutes ago—
Aiden stepped into the conference room, where Asenna had already been waiting for a while. freewebnσvel.cøm
"So, what did you want to tell me?" Aiden sat down at the iron table.
According to the prison guard who relayed the message, Asenna seemed to have intelligence on the movement of drugs within the prison.
But the revelation that came from Asenna’s mouth was entirely unexpected and explosive, "The prisoner 3340 in cell 13 has colluded with Ophelia, they’re planning to incite a riot among the inmates in the infirmary and then take the opportunity to break out of their cells and come here to kill you. In about two more minutes, they’ll take action."
It took Aiden several seconds to process this information, and then he looked up with a serious expression and asked, "And how do you know this?" freёwebnovel.com
"They tried to enlist me, now my coming here was to lead you to the conference room to confirm your location," Asenna said with a poker face.
She then succinctly spilled the beans on how prisoner 3340 had helped them break their demonic contract and had given them a Magic Potion that could temporarily restore their Magic Power.
"And now, you’re ready to sell them out?" Aiden finally understood the situation.
"Making a deal with you might be more profitable, Daili thinks the same," Asenna calmly stated.
...
And now—
"Who would have thought, who would have thought, that ’the Queen of Ants,’ whom the Heretic Inquisition has been unable to catch even a glimpse of for so many years, would fall into my hands today."
Aiden, with his arms folded, spoke to the two female prisoners who were unable to move in front of him.
The noble Prince-level Bloodline Ophelia, and the witch Meiruki, the mentor of the King of Assassins, both could only stare at the warden standing before them.
The reason they neither attacked Aiden nor tried to slip away was that their hands and feet were firmly grasped by the shadow demon’s claws, and they were suspended in mid-air in an unsightly posture.
To their right, the witch Daili held a short Magic Wand, wearing a smile that reveled in the misfortune of others.
When first caught by the shadow demon, Ophelia had attempted to struggle in her last moments. With her Prince-level Bloodline strength, she could have split her body into a multitude of bats to escape.
But, unfortunately for her, there was a necromancer on-site who was quite knowledgeable about her kind. Asenna quickly cast a "Wailing Spirit Entanglement" curse before she could make her move, sealing her magic.
"Dammit!" Ophelia, glaring at the expressionless Asenna standing to her left, cursed out loud, "Do you have no brain? I broke out of prison and brought you along specially, and this is how you repay me?"
"As much as I didn’t want to betray our old friendship, the payoff he’s offering is far too generous," Asenna replied calmly.
"I don’t understand!" Meiruki also turned toward Daili on the other side, "We were so close, just one more step. I already helped you break your demonic contract, why would you choose to help this man instead? Isn’t it better to leave this prison?"
She now realized that she and Ophelia had been played by these two women from the start, with Daili and Asenna always planning to ambush them both.
Looking back on it now, when we were in the core area, Daili took action before Ophelia and grabbed those prison guards, shoving them into the duty room and tearing out the lock; she was actually protecting those guards—if Daili hadn’t acted, they would probably have all died at Ophelia’s hands.
"Just because you want to leave doesn’t mean I want to," Daili shrugged her shoulders. "It’s not bad here; I can dedicate myself to researching dark magic as I did before, with someone to take care of food and lodging, and most importantly, without being disturbed by the officials or bounty hunters. And..."
As she spoke, she looked towards Aiden and smiled enigmatically, "With such a good man here, why would I have any reason to leave?"
Meiruki was dumbstruck on the spot.
"Do you think they’re helping me because they’re coerced by a demon contract?" Aiden interjected with crossed arms, "You’re wrong; it’s because they agreed to help me that they willingly applied the demon contract. The demon contract is just a safety measure. They help me because I offer them benefits. Do you know why I chose them to make a deal?"
"Why?" Meiruki asked subconsciously.
"Because I can give them what they want, while you make deals with them without understanding them at all," Aiden spread his hands, "Daili used to live in the Shadow Ruins, Asenna in the Dark Forest. They secluded themselves from the world to research black magic and necromancy—and speaking of the environment where they lived, even prison is better. If I allow them to research spells in prison, why would they have any reason to leave this prison?"
"Allow... research? But what they are researching is forbidden magic!" Meiruki didn’t understand at all.
"Indeed, they were sentenced because they studied forbidden magic without authorization from the Heretic Inquisition Bureau. So, I used my connections to get approval for them, as long as they’re willing to share their research results with the Heretic Inquisition Bureau," Aiden smiled with the corners of his lips turned up, "If their research is valuable, I can even work on getting their sentences reduced."
This strategy too, he learned from his past life, using prisoners’ expertise, allowing them to engage in science and invention in prison, to fully capitalize on the prisoners’ value.
Daili and Asenna were both imprisoned because of their obsession with forbidden magic.
When it comes to prisoners, Aiden had a more progressive view than other law enforcers. To other prison guards, these women were merely dangerous witches, but in Aiden’s eyes, although dangerous, they were also rare talents who even mastered some secret techniques far more profound than the black magic managed by the Heretic Inquisition Bureau.
And talent, should be put to good use, even if it’s from a prisoner.
For Daili and Asenna, since they could continue their forbidden magic research, compared to being outside and living in fear of being wanted, it was better to stay in prison. Once their sentences were up, having already acquired the authorization for forbidden magic research, they wouldn’t be targeted anymore.
Therefore, they wouldn’t easily betray Aiden—a fact Aiden was well aware of.
In fact, the only value in the deal Meiruki proposed was that they had the chance to betray Meiruki and Ophelia in exchange for reduced sentences and rewards.
"I have to admit, you’re quite impressive. In terms of scheming, I’m probably no match for you," Aiden closed in on Meiruki and slowly said, "There’s only one reason for your failure, and that is you underestimated my methods of managing this prison."
In the end, what he was best at was still his old trade. This prison, diligently managed by him, Meiruki’s plots were simply not enough to overthrow it.
Meiruki looked at the man before her and clenched her teeth in frustration.
"You also, finally made the right choice based on your own thoughts," Aiden eventually turned around, looking back at Avansa.
"So, is that enough?" Avansa asked him, somewhat bewildered.
"Yes, as long as you don’t do the wrong things, that’s enough," Aiden smiled, "After all, the rules of the prison are just this and nothing more."
