The Warden of The Witches

If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move; if the enemy moves, I still won't move.

"Of course, since there could be puppets with knives ready to strike me everywhere outside, it's safest for me to stay in prison," Aiden said calmly after taking a sip of soup. "Even if you manage to identify the puppet she created in the past few days, as long as she remains at large, my life will be in danger at any moment."

He had concerns about being targeted, but only out of a desire not to compromise his meals. Now certain that the witches' gathering was preparing to make a move against him, he naturally chose to play it safe.

"Wouldn't that be very inconvenient?" Veronica said with some concern.

"Not at all. The facilities in prison are quite complete. I can sleep in my own office, which is even more spacious than my apartment. There's a changing room, a bathroom, a cafeteria, and even a medical room. I'm quite comfortable here, and it saves me the commuting time," Aiden replied casually. "And this place is basically absolutely secure."

For the average staff in the unit, living permanently at their workplace without going home might be hellish, but for Aiden, it was no big deal. Why? Because he was the highest authority in the unit. Once he finished his work, he could do as he pleased here, treating this prison as a slightly larger villa.

Of course, the most crucial point was that this place was secure enough. With surveillance at all exits, riot squads on regular patrols, dozens of on-duty prison guards ready around the clock, and an alchemical barrier sealing magic in the core area, it was as fortified as a fortress.

Nowhere else was safer than this; staying here made it nearly impossible for Vera to make a move against him.

"It seems you have gone soft, after living a comfortable life here for a few years. You used to be so brave, like when you went straight into that guy's tomb where Ophelia was hiding before the backup arrived, saying you were afraid she might escape," Rebecca teased him.

"That's called being cautious. Planning tactics requires caution. Can you call that being soft?" Aiden defended himself.

"Tactics?"

"If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move. If the enemy moves, I... still won't move," Aiden replied calmly. "The witch's goal is to kill me. As long as I stay inside this prison, she can never win."

"So, if this witch remains at large, you'll stay in here forever?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it your responsibility to apprehend her? A malicious witch is targeting the life of a law-abiding citizen like me. Isn't it the Inquisition's duty to eliminate heresy and protect the lives of innocent civilians?" Aiden pointed out.

"What's with the former strongest inquisitor saying?" Rebecca couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I get your point. If you stay here, the witch Vera can't touch you. The Inquisition can also start from this prison. If she keeps sending golems around here, we can track their source by monitoring the golems' movements. If Vera tries something big to lure you out and targets the prison, we'll have a better chance of catching her in the act."

"Yes, that's what I mean!" Aiden smiled, playing along.

"Well said, chief," Veronica sincerely expressed admiration.

"But what if...?" Rebecca paused in thought. "What if she's patient enough to stay hidden? That would be troublesome."

However, at that moment, the worst-case scenario in Aiden's mind wasn't Vera taking unexpected actions but rather other powerful witches starting to make their moves.

Unlike Priscilla, who had her Token taken away at that time, endured continuous surveillance, and was forced to play a role, Vera should be able to communicate with other powerful witches.

Currently, Aiden has infiltrated the witches' gathering, and the fact that he survived Abigail's divine words is likely known to the other powerful witches.

His most significant threat at the moment is not Vera but the three divine witches, including Abigail.

While these witches may not have the same active intentions as Priscilla or Vera to rescue comrades and seek revenge against enforcers, Abigail did indeed use her divine word with the intent to kill him while he was gathering intelligence at the witches' gathering. No one can guarantee that upon learning that he is still alive, Abigail won't take real action to eliminate him.

In such a scenario, his enemies might become the entire witches' gathering, especially considering that the "apex witch" Abigail is to some extent the leader of the entire witches' gathering.

Divine words are triggered by divinity rather than solely driven by magic like dark magic. In other words, the alchemical barier in the core area of the prison, while capable of sealing magic, is ineffective against divine words.

So far, Aiden only knows that Abigail is a "near deity" and wields the divine word of "Return" that governs order. He is completely unaware of what the others hold in their hands.

While these are all assumptions, they are not impossible scenarios.

Merely staying guarded within the prison is not secure enough; he must gather means of self-preservation as much as possible.

The divine word of "return" is his only trump card at the moment, but he acknowledges that his understanding of this divine decree is not thorough enough.

During this time of guarding the prison, he plans to experiment as much as possible with the effects of the divine words and gather information from Mephilia...

Perhaps, as Mephilia suggested, he should try to acquire an authority... At the very least, learn as much of the divine words as possible to safeguard himself, akin to becoming a saint like Abigail or his "archenemy" to preserve his life—especially now that he has truly offended quite a few formidable adversaries.

It's strange how he ended up in this situation unexpectedly, abandoning his inherited profession just to return to his old line of work just to survive.

With these thoughts in mind, Aiden couldn't help but sigh.

Veronica stared at Aiden in silence for a while, hesitated, and then finally spoke, "chief, perhaps... I could stay in the prison to help?"

"Hmm?" Aiden politely responded, "That's..."

"No need for that. Vera can't possibly infiltrate the prison," Rebecca suddenly interjected.

"That makes sense," Veronica couldn't argue and had to agree with this statement.

Deep down, Aiden did consider finding someone to act as his bodyguard, as while Vera might not be able to infiltrate the prison, the witches wielding divine words might find a way in.

However, insisting that subordinates stay permanently at the workplace alongside him seemed too dismissive as a superior.

In fact Even without Veronica, there were always prison guards on duty in the prison, and there were inmates who could be of use...

In any case, having control over his own power remained the most reliable option.