The Warden of The Witches

Law Enforcement Deal

Upon hearing these words, Carmilla grinned appreciatively, "as expected of a former police officer."

Aiden signaled with his eyes for Veronica to provide some context.

Veronica understood and began to explain, "A year ago, when Carmilla was sent to prison, the police force was gearing up to take down the Blood Hand Gang, the most influential force in the old district. The chief personally supervised the project. To dismantle a gang, it's necessary to systematically break down its key members, and Carmilla was on that list. Typically, high-ranking members of a gang carry a lot of suspicion, but convicting them through proper channels isn't easy. I believe the police force also sensed some irregularities in this case, but..."

"...but to avoid missing the opportunity to put key gang members behind bars, the police decided to pin this crime on Carmilla, right?" Aiden continued.

Veronica hesitated before nodding, "On the day before the discovery of the body, the police had coincidentally apprehended Carmilla at the scene of a brawl. In such a situation, convicting her might be more convenient. Compared to investigating potential mischief within the Skull Gang."

Aiden finally started grasping the situation.

So, at the time, when the police found Silaine's son beaten to death, they didn't immediately conclude that Carmilla was responsible for the fatal injuries inflicted the previous day. They also considered the possibility that the Skull Gang killed the boy after Carmilla's involvement, making it a plausible scenario to frame her.

However, for the police at that time, investigating the Skull Gang would likely be an uphill battle—collecting evidence would be difficult, and there was a high probability that some minor figure within the gang would take the blame, shielding the actual mastermind.

In contrast, prosecuting Carmilla was easier. After all, she was caught in the act of the brawl, and whether it was the arresting officers or other captured Skull Gang members, they could testify that Carmilla had assaulted the boy.

The police, at that time, were also focusing on dismantling the Blood Hand Gang which Carmilla belonged. Therefore to maximize the use of the gangster's death, the police ultimately choosing to directly pin the blame on Carmilla, considering her less-than-innocent background.

The enforcers in this world don't always stick to the rules.

Veronica, an elite in the police force, conveyed this with conviction.

However, it still didn't explain why Carmilla chose not to appeal.

"Why carry this blame then?" Aiden asked Carmilla.

Since it was supposedly a deal, where the police agreed not to appeal if Carmilla accepted the charges, there should be some benefit for her.

"They told me that the downfall of the Blood Hand Gang was just a matter of time. The police had already scheduled a plan to capture other key members. When the Blood Hand Gang was dealt with, my past crimes would likely resurface. But as long as I admit this charge and serve my sentence, they won't dig into my affairs again," Carmilla explained, recalling the conversation with the police.

"Do you actually believe that?"

"I was a cadre in the gang. I knew the situation within. Despite seeming like the dominant force in the old city, the gang was on the brink of destruction. Intelligence within the gang kept getting leaked to the cops, and who knows how many infiltrators and informants were planted. Emerging gangs eyed the territory of the old gangs, but the high-ranking members were still tangled in power struggles..." Carmilla's face showed a disdainful smile, "I was in prison for half a year, and the gang was gone, even faster than I expected."

In order to swiftly eliminate the Blood Hand Gang, the police seized the opportunity to send Carmilla to prison. And To prevent her from continuing to appeal and causing further complications, they struck a deal with her.

After Losing Carmilla, their ace enforcer, the pressure on the Blood Hand Gang in its conflicts with other gangs increased.

The police intentionally weakened the Blood Hand Gang, exploiting internal gang conflicts to suppress their survival space. They gradually used undercover agents and informants to take down the cadre one by one, ultimately leading to the complete demise of the most influential gang in the old district within a short six months.

However, an unexpected casualty emerged in this event—Silaine, the mother of the young boy, Bailey. After wrongly identifying Carmilla as her son's killer, Silaine chose to transform herself into a revenant.

"So, Silaine did indeed target the wrong person for revenge?" Aiden said softly.

"Hmph, that idiotic woman got deceived to death and still not realizing it" Carmilla said contemptuously.

Aiden fell silent.

In Silaine case file, it's mentioned that after her son's death, the Skull Gang, following the gang rules, provided her with compensation. But Instead of using the money for medical treatment, she took it and, through the introduction of her son's gang cadre, She found a necromancer who can turned her into a revenant to fulfill her revenge.

Logically, the cadre she could find was likely someone directly under her son.

That is, the gang member mentioned in the anonymous letter – in other words, the true culprit not only deceived her into believing Carmilla was responsible for her son's death but also guided her to transform into her current ghostly state for an apparently futile revenge.

"Do we tell the prisoner 3271 the truth?" Veronica thought for a moment, and cautiously asking Aiden.

Aiden shook his head, "It probably won't help. She won't believe it. Creating a revenant involves transforming the soul into an absolute vengeful spirit, and Silaine is unlikely to retain her pre-death rationality."

The former Aiden's memories included knowledge about undead creatures. The undead nature of a revenant stemmed from hatred. The necromancer creating a revenant purified the past resentment. In Silaine's case, it meant inscribing a program for revenge against Carmilla into her soul.

Given this premise, persuading Silane to believe that Carmilla is not the culprit is practically impossible.

"That cadre went to great lengths," Aiden remarked.

"What's the name of that cadre?" Aiden asked Carmilla.

"Carlo Polpo," Camilla answered. "He was the gang cadre responsible for competing with me for territory back then."

"Carlo Polpo?" Veronica reacted to the name.

"You know him?" Aiden turned to her.

"I've dealt with cases involving this man before. He's a senior member of the skull Gang, a strong candidate for the next gang leader. A genuine scumbag, very cunning. The police have been investigating him, but haven't been able to catch him," Veronica answered expressionlessly.

"He's risen in the ranks. When he competed with me for territory, he was just a minor cadre. Now, it might be difficult for you cops to deal with him in less than a decade or so, but it doesn't matter..." Carmilla said, a sinister smile appearing on her face, "when I get out, if he's still alive, I'll find a way to take care of him."