The Warden of The Witches

I Can't Come

After seeing off Rebecca, who had come to visit, Aiden proceeded to the second prison block with the prison guard who had come to report.

"Here is where it happened. The inmate in Cell 4 was the first to hear strange noises, reporting that there were odd sounds coming from the toilet." The guiding guard opened the cell in front of Aiden.

Aiden turned his head, casting his gaze on several inmates standing outside the room.

"It was just last night, I don't know what time exactly, but I was awakened by noises coming from the toilet. The sound... it's hard to describe, like something scrambling wildly in the pipes. I called out to the others, and they heard it too," the first inmate said with lingering fear.

The others nodded in agreement.

At this time, most inmates from Block 2 were out for work. To facilitate the investigation, the prison guard had left a few inmates as witnesses to accompany Aiden in his questioning.

"Could it be rodents or snakes running down the drain?" Aiden speculated.

The city already had a fairly decent sewer system, and Rose Prison had its own network of pipes. However, several locations in these pipes had thick mesh-like iron grilles, making it nearly impossible for ordinary inmates without special abilities to escape through the sewers. Likewise, under normal circumstances, outsiders were unlikely to sneak in through the sewers.

Even rats found it hard to squeeze through those grilles, yet Rose Prison was not devoid of them; they mostly came in with large batches of materials entering and leaving the prison. While the high-security core areas were safe, in regular cell blocks, situations where rats frightened female inmates into collective calls for help were not uncommon.

"But inmates from Cells 6 and 8 reported that the sounds they heard came from the walls between the cells," the guard added.

Aiden turned his head to look at the other inmates standing together on the opposite side.

"It's true. I heard it first because I sleep by the wall, and it woke me up immediately," an inmate cautiously provided testimony.

"Me too, and that sound... very strange, like... a monster was eating something inside, quite frightening!" added the inmate from Cell 8.

Aiden furrowed his brow slightly. Although the walls between the cells were not entirely solid, and with no pipes laid within, it was practically impossible for animals to enter through the sewer system.

"Warden, do you think it could really be?" the guard asked Aiden nervously.

Aiden glanced at him. The regulations differed between the regular cell blocks and the core area, and there was minimal overlap in the assignment of guards. Guards from the regular blocks were only temporarily transferred to the core area to assist when the manpower was extremely tight, and most of them had little experience with black magic or supernatural occurrences.

"Don't worry. Even if it's a ghost, it can be dealt with as long as the approach is correct," Aiden reassured.

In this world, ghosts and undead creatures did exist, but they did not manifest naturally.

Based on Aiden's understanding of dark magic, strictly speaking, whether ghosts or undead, they were actually artificial creations. Normally, a person's consciousness and body are essentially one; when the body dies, consciousness dissipates as well. Only with external intervention can consciousness separate from the body. Ghosts are essentially created using necromancy to strip the remaining consciousness from a deceased body, preserving it with magic to prevent dispersal.

In other words, without someone practicing necromancy, ghosts or spirits cannot manifest. "Hauntings" and the like may be perceived as terrifying supernatural events by ordinary people, but to those with knowledge of dark magic, they are merely artificial phenomena.

Aiden occasionally felt that the regulations in the "Convention" regarding the management of dark magic, while necessary to a certain extent, might be overly restrictive. If the public could learn some basic theoretical knowledge, it could alleviate their fear of supernatural events, which would be beneficial for promoting societal progress.

From the situation reported by the guard, it did sound somewhat like an invisible entity such as a ghost was wandering in the regular cell block.

However, none of the inmates in the regular block possessed knowledge of dark magic, let alone expertise in necromancy.

It would be challenging to externally drive undead beings to invade this prison. Although the magic-sealing barrier only covered the core area, the prison's perimeter and entrances had outposts with minor barriers set up solely to detect abnormal magical flows, primarily to prevent core area inmates from escaping.

Regardless, it would be wise to investigate.

"Arsena, please take a look," Aiden said to the necromancer following behind him.

"Understood." Arsena calmly pushed her glasses up her nose, tapped her staff on the ground, and began chanting incantations.

Aiden stood with his hands behind his back, watching. Upon hearing about the "haunting," he had brought Arsena, who worked in the library, along.

While he could handle simple exorcisms himself with the knowledge and skills inherited from the inquisitor, he preferred to entrust such matters to the most professional individuals.

Moreover, given the current unusual circumstances for him, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious and have a bodyguard by his side.

After about a dozen seconds, Arsena ceased her spellcasting and informed Aiden, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"There is no trace of any undead presence here; it's definitely not a haunting," Arsena firmly replied.

"Well..."

Just as Aiden was about to inquire further, Arsena added, "I'm not quite sure about other reasons; I focus solely on necromancy."

Indeed, professionals are professionals, each with their own expertise. At least it could be confirmed that it was not a haunting.

Whom should he call upon to investigate further? Aiden pondered.

Suddenly, strange creaking noises came from Cell 6.

"It's here!!! this is it!!" The inmate standing at the doorway recoiled several steps in fear.

Aiden gestured for the guard to take these inmates aside, then approached the cell, motioning for Arsena to follow.

Despite sensing danger, issues and threats within the prison needed to be eliminated; it was his duty.

The sound grew clearer, emanating from the walls between Cells 6 and 8. Aiden could vaguely discern that it sounded like a beast gnawing on hard objects, it's unsettling to hear.

As Aiden reached the doorway, the sound abruptly ceased.

Then, the wall cracked open, and quicksilver silver liquid flowed out from the fissure, writhing and pooling on the cell floor.

Mercury?

Aiden an became alert, stepping back two paces and shouting to the guards present, "Sound the alarm! Evacuate the inmates! And Summon the riot squad from the core area!!"

He then turned to Arsena, saying, "Get to work; you take the lead!"

However, Arsena calmly refused him, "I can't handle this; it's your turn, Warden. Please allow me to seek refuge first."