Chapter 293: Sweep the House Clean Before Welcoming Guests
That evening, in a Rose Iron Prison corridor, Aiden stood inspecting a line of inmates before him. Behind him stood the Amalgam Golem, mirroring his movements perfectly. Follow current novels on ɴovelfire.net
Lich, Vampire, Tigerman, Witch... a total of twenty inmates, all red or orange alert level dangerous criminals, five with prior escape records. Most of them were on the list Ophelia had provided—individuals specifically approached by Anne and her group to cause trouble after the escape.
The inmates stood together, quietly exchanging glances. They had all been abruptly taken from the workshop, their cells, or the yard by guards without warning. Then, they were fitted with magic-sealing shackles and gathered in the corridor under the watch of the riot squad.
Seeing each other in the corridor, they all reached a rough guess about their situation—their collusion with the new pirate had likely been exposed.
However, they were unsure how they would be dealt with. Strictly speaking, they had only agreed tentatively and hadn't actually done anything out of line. Logically, they shouldn't receive severe punishment yet.
A Lich attempted to speak up: "Warden, why have we suddenly been brought here?"
"Being gathered here, you should have some idea yourselves," Aiden glanced at her. "The Red Shark Pirates have announced they're coming tomorrow for a jailbreak. I'm preparing to 'sweep the house clean before welcoming guests'."
"What do you mean?" The Lich's eerie blue flames flickered.
"Execute all you dangerous elements planning to participate in the escape. That way, the chaos those pirates can stir up should be much smaller," Aiden stated matter-of-factly.
The inmates looked at each other, stunned.
"Just kidding, don't be so tense," Aiden chuckled. "I'm just temporarily transferring you to the Inquisition's cells for a day. Once I've handled things, you can 'come home'. Don't miss me, have a safe trip."
After Ophelia's deliberate tip-off last night, Aiden realized those on the list were inmates with escape tendencies. When the Red Shark Pirates came for the jailbreak, these individuals would likely jump out and side with the pirates. Once they left the prison and regained their powers, they would probably immediately cause chaos outside, just as Anne had instructed.
Although Aiden had made preparations against Navia Drake's jailbreak methods, unstable elements... were naturally better kept to a minimum.
So, Aiden had sent an urgent document to the Inquisition that morning, requesting temporary cells to house the most dangerous inmates on the list—as for the small fry, Aiden wasn't particularly concerned.
After Navia Drake announced the jailbreak for tomorrow, Aiden had someone else explain the situation further.
Fortunately, Director Harold was accommodating. Although he sent back a verbal message complaining a bit, he still allocated a team to escort the Rose Iron Prison inmates in batches.
"Warden, could there be some misunderstanding? Someone did approach me about escaping, but I—" a Witch tried to defend herself.
"Didn't refuse, did you?" Aiden turned and cut her off. "No need for excuses. I already know everything. Your failure to report immediately after being approached is enough to show your stance."
"Damn it, Ophelia isn't here!" a Vampire suddenly reacted. "We've been sold out!"
"You should look on the bright side. Things being as they are, could your escape possibly succeed? If the escape fails, getting caught means an extended sentence. This directly eliminates the possibility of you doing something foolish," Aiden stated calmly.
Just then, another inmate raised her hand. "I have a question, Warden."
"What is it, Inmate 3340?" Aiden looked over leisurely.
"I wasn't persuaded by them. Why am I being transferred out too?" Inmate 3340, Melusine, also brought to the scene, asked with her hand raised.
"You and those four over there were judged by me personally as needing transfer," Aiden pointed. "Based on my understanding of you lot, you would definitely participate if an escape opportunity arose."
"Oh my, Warden, do you really distrust me that much?" Melusine frowned.
"Yes, of course, absolutely. Why wouldn't I?" Aiden answered without hesitation. "Besides, between you and me, there's no need for trust to exist at all."
"That's true," Melusine sighed helplessly.
The door at the end of the corridor opened, and Inquisitors wearing uniforms and masks walked in.
"Senior," Rebecca, the leading High Inquisitor, greeted him.
"Thanks for the trouble," Aiden waved to her. "To be safe, take them away five at a time."
"Alright," Rebecca nodded. "I heard about the situation from the Director. He said he can dispatch a team to support you tomorrow."
"The old man is quite thoughtful, even though he keeps complaining about me causing trouble for him," Aiden chuckled.
"He said if the inmates from your prison escape, we'll be the ones responsible for cleaning up the mess and catching them," Rebecca shrugged. "That's just how he is. It's not like you haven't known him for long."
"No need to worry, manpower here is sufficient. It's fine. Just station some people in the nearby blocks as a precaution," Aiden replied simply. "I'll handle things here."
"Senior, somehow it feels like since you changed jobs, after just a few stable years, you're back to being like you were on the front lines," Rebecca remarked suddenly.
"Indeed," Aiden smiled somewhat helplessly.
Counting back, ever since the Witch Coven incident, he had been forcibly drawn into the power struggles surrounding Authorities. In a way, his current life was even more intense than his predecessor Aiden's, who chased heretics everywhere.
The cause was sown at the very beginning of his reincarnation into this world. After gaining the power of divine word for the first time and understanding his true situation, there was no turning back.
Mephilia pulled the strings of fate already woven around him, and he could only follow the script.
This time was no different. Since the Unique Authority was delivered right to him, arranged by Melissa, he could only strive to seize it. From his position, it was something he had to do.
But occasionally, he worried. In this world where even Dominators could fall, if he reached the end of the so-called path to godhood, what would his end truly be like?