The Warden of The Witches

Deadline for Revenge

"This is a normal phenomenon; her deadline is approaching," said Arsena coldly, standing in the corridor outside the confinement room.

"What deadline?" inquired Aiden.

"The deadline for the resurrection corpse. A corpse revenant, in essence, forcefully reattaches a departed spirit to a body using necromancy, allowing it to linger in the world fueled by the vengeful resentment. This spell has a duration, usually around a year," Arsena explained, raising a finger.

"So, she only had a year from the beginning to seek revenge?" Aiden questioned.

"Yes, the resurrection effect won't dissipate until she successfully kills her enemy. However, if the deadline arrives, regardless of her revenge's success, the spell will be forcibly lifted," Arsena explained, adjusting her glasses.

"How does this relate to her sudden transformation?" Aiden continued to inquire.

"It's a characteristic of the resurrection corpse. If revenge remains unfulfilled, the closer it gets to the deadline, the deeper her resentment for revenge becomes. The strength of the revenant is determined by the intensity of this resentment. It's similar to the 'last burst of light' when a dying person may temporarily regain vitality. As the revenant approaches forced departure, its resentment intensifies," Arsena elaborated professionally.

Aiden fell into contemplation after hearing this.

So, Silaine's sudden increase in magical power was merely a trait of being a revenant.

Silaine seemed to sense her impending deadline, and becoming more determined to seek revenge against Carmilla.

For prison management, this posed a significant threat.

Not only was there uncertainty about Silaine successfully killing Carmilla with heightened resentment, but the intense aura of malice emanating from her posed a threat to other inmates and guards.

In theory, strengthening the prison barrier's intensity could suppress Silaine's power, but that would increase the cost of maintaining the barrier—clearly not a cost-effective solution for just one inmate. As the head of the prison, he had to consider the rational allocation of prison resources.

Managing a prison always involved dealing with such headache-inducing inmates.

"Is there a simpler way to deal with this issue?" Aiden sought advice from Arsena, the expert in necromancy.

"The simplest way," Arsena raised her hand, pointing to Silaine's confinement room and then to Carmilla's room in the distance, "is to get rid of one of them—either use necromancy to obliterate the revenant or help her eliminate her enemy."

Death, a well-trodden path for necromancers accustomed to it, always had that refreshing simplicity. If a problem could be solved by killing, they would most likely opt for it.

Indeed, the most straightforward solution to a problem is often to eliminate the one causing it.

However, Aiden clearly couldn't employ this method.

"If I could execute criminals to solve problems permanently, there wouldn't be many left in the core area," Aiden sighed and rolled his eyes. "Please suggest a feasible alternative."

"I can add an additional seal to the revenant, temporarily suppressing the amplification of her power. When her deadline arrives, and she will naturally disappear," Arsena proposed after some thought.

"How long would that take?"

"I can't say for sure, but judging from the current situation, it shouldn't exceed two months at most."

"That's the only option, then." After a moment of silence, Aiden nodded in agreement.

His duty was to maintain order in the prison. While Silaine's background and circumstances were sympathetic, he couldn't abandon his position and allow her to cause trouble in his prison.

Suppressing Silaine's power, and strengthening her supervision until she passed away with resentment, was the most appropriate course of action from his standpoint.

After briefing his subordinates on the situation, Aiden returned to his office, preparing to take a short break.

However, just as he settled into his chair, before his seat had a chance to warm up, someone knocked on his office door.

Aiden sighed in resignation, "Come in."

Isabella, the young prison guard responsible for the core area, entered the office, saluting, "Chief!"

"Isabella? I recall you should be on duty at the visitor reception today, right?" Aiden suddenly remembered. "What's the matter?"

The prison received daily requests for visitors to meet with inmates, mostly friends, family, or lawyers. Isabella's duty today was to handle these interactions.

"Yes, Chief. Just now, a young man came who wanted to meet with a core area inmate. But the situation is a bit unusual, so I came to seek your guidance," Isabella respectfully reported.

Typically, as long as there were visitation opportunities, relatives, friends, or lawyers of inmates could be approved directly.

However, if there were complications, it required approval from the prison administration and leadership.

"Whom does he want to see?"

"He wants to meet inmate 3271," Isabella said cautiously.

"Silaine?" Aiden furrowed his brow slightly. "Who is he to Silaine?"

"He claims to be the nephew of Inmate 3271."

"A nephew from the revenant? Where did he come from?" Aiden was mildly surprised.

He knew Silaine's situation – she was a widow with no siblings, and her only family, a son, had been killed in a gang conflict a year ago.

"But according to the visitation records, he has come three times in the past year, and Inmate 3271 has agreed to meet him. He also brought money and items for Inmate 3271," Isabella explained.

If the inmate on this side refused to acknowledge the relationship and the visit, the meeting could not proceed.

So, at least this so-called "nephew" had some connection with Silaine.

"But now, Inmate 3271 is in solitary confinement, scheduled for a week. According to the regulations, a visit is not possible," Aiden shook his head.

"I've already explained that to him," Isabella's expression showed a hint of helplessness. "But he insists on meeting the warden; otherwise, he won't leave. Chief..." Isabella cautiously looked at Aiden's face and asked for guidance, "Should I have the riot squad escort him out?"

Aiden pondered for a moment and finally waved his hand, "No need. Arrange a visitation room for him; I'll go meet him now."

He suddenly recalled the information Arsena had just informed him – Silaine didn't have much time left.

If the person coming to meet her truly had any familial relationship with her, as prison guards, he had an obligation to inform him of this fact.