Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Training_1
"Here we go again," Aiden sighed as if he couldn’t bear it, looking at the all too familiar scene.
Squinting her eyes, Veronica peered over to the cell that Flandre faced... which seemed to be the very one she had previously occupied.
Come to think of it, wasn’t prisoner 3307 the succubus she shared a room with back then?
"Hey, warden, I really don’t feel well today! My head hurts!"
True to form, the voice of that "roommate" she knew all too well came from the room.
She was always like that, taking any opportunity to cause trouble with the guards while they lived together.
"You lived with Fille for half a month, you should have seen how to handle this kind of situation, right?" Aiden pointed in that direction and said, "Come on, consider it a little practical test. Get that guy out."
"Got it!" Without a second word, Veronica accepted the order and strode over with confidence.
At this moment, Flandre was about to warn Fille, but Veronica came up beside her and whispered, "Warden, please let me handle this."
Surprised, Flandre looked at her and then exchanged a glance with Aiden not far off, immediately understanding the situation, and nodded in agreement, "Fine, give it a try."
After Veronica finished speaking, she stood at the doorway of the cell. At this time, Fille was still curled up in bed with a blanket and hadn’t noticed her approach.
"Prisoner 3307, did you say you’re not feeling well?" Veronica addressed Fille.
"Eh?" Hearing the familiar voice, Fille turned her head from the bed, "Big sis, why are you back? Did you get caught for another crime?"
"Stop talking nonsense and look carefully," Veronica said expressionlessly.
Only then did Fille notice the prison guard uniform on Veronica.
"No way, you actually started working here!?" Her face suddenly lit up with a smile, "That’s great! You have to remember our old friendship and take good care of me."
"Cut the crap, and get ready to work," Veronica didn’t give her a chance to cozy up.
Fille immediately began to wail and thrash about, "Awww, I’m not feeling well! You ——"
"Is that so, well, then you don’t have to work today," Veronica cut her off and agreed, "I’ll carry you to see the doctor right now. But let me make it clear, if the doctor says you’re really sick, all is well. But if the doctor says there’s nothing wrong with you, I’ll pluck out your hair one strand at a time, right then and there."
"Aha ha, you’re joking right, sister..." Fille forced a laugh.
"I’m not joking," Veronica said coldly, raising a hand to crack her knuckles, "Or should I pluck a few first to make you believe?"
"I suddenly feel much better, let’s go to work!" Fille flipped over and sprang out of bed, folding her blanket at light speed, and lined up outside the cell.
Veronica turned around and saw Flandre nodding at her with an appreciative smile, "Not bad, rookie, you have a promising future!"
Veronica also smiled. During the days she had spent in the cell, she had closely observed how the prison guards dealt with these persistent inmates and had picked up a few techniques.
"Well done," Aiden came over and praised her, "In prison, many inmates like to feign illness. Even when dealing with habitual fraudsters, one must be cautious—to some extent. After all, if an inmate really does fall seriously ill and isn’t treated in time, it can become very troublesome. Of course, one cannot be too lenient with the inmates, or they will take advantage of that."
Veronica nodded and watched as Flandre directed the prison guards to take the inmates to different work areas.
She scanned the surrounding cells again and was surprised to find that there were still a few inmates in their cells, but the guards were ignoring them.
"Commander, are all those staying in their cells death row inmates?" she asked Aiden.
"No, not all non-working inmates are on death row or sick. Some inmates who lack the capacity to work are also exempt from labor," Aiden explained, gesturing towards a distant cell. "For example, that one over there, solitary confinement in Cell Number Three—’Mad Halo’, she’s mentally disturbed and not fit for regular work. Usually, we just let her stay in her own cell."
Veronica followed his gesture and saw a disheveled woman in front of the door of Cell Number Three, muttering something while repeatedly banging her head against the bars, her facial expressions switching between crying and laughing, creating a chilling and inexplicable sight.
"It really is quite horrifying..." Veronica commented.
"Yes, this lunatic is a priest of a cult. It’s said that she came into mental contact with the god she worshipped and lost her reason after hearing the voice of that deity," Aiden said with his hands behind his back and nodding, "Although she doesn’t work and is troublesome to take care of, she can actually be quite useful. If an inmate gives us trouble, just threatening to move them into the same cell as Halo usually gets them to behave."
"I’ve seen that before," Veronica recalled the scene where Aiden had threatened the thief Katherine and the pirate Anna.
"Besides, you should be aware, this individual has a special ability to deflect physical damage. If she causes trouble, do not use force to subdue her; just restrain her with binding techniques," Aiden added, "Basically, the inmates in the core area all possess unique skills or have rather bizarre characteristics. I’ll make a list for you later."
"Hey, little sister, remember me?" At that moment, the witch Daili from the opposite cell, Cell Number Twelve, also came to the front of her door to greet Veronica.
Veronica nodded slightly, bewildered. She remembered that this witch had subdued her with magic when she had gone mad in the cell.
"Inmate 3110, Daili, is a witch skilled in summoning demons, and a red-alert level criminal; be very cautious with her," Aiden introduced.
"That’s really too much, making me sound like some dangerous beast," Daili protested to Aiden.
"Does she not have to work either?" Veronica asked softly.
"She’s one of the exemplary inmates I’ve specially selected to help me manage the other inmates in the core area, and I assign her other tasks from time to time," Aiden explained.
"Selecting inmates to manage other inmates?" Veronica’s eyes widened.
"Yes, it’s the most efficient method," Aiden nodded.
"I’m the warden’s loyal dog," Daili said with a smile, waving at Veronica proudly, as if it were something to be proud of, "I put in a lot of effort to help overturn your case, little sister. You should thank me."
"Don’t flatter yourself. If we have to be honest, Avansa contributed more than you did," said Aiden, as he gestured with his thumb towards Cell Number Eleven.
Veronica instinctively looked in the direction Aiden pointed and saw a girl with her legs pulled up, sitting on the edge of the bed, resting against the wall.
"A child this young is locked up in prison!?" she exclaimed, eyes wide open.
