The Warden of The Witches-Chapter 221:

That night, after finishing his work and having dinner in the cafeteria, Aiden changed out of his uniform in the locker room and left the prison through the side gate.

He headed toward a nearby intersection, intending to catch a public carriage back home.

Suddenly, under the streetlamp at the corner, a figure emerged, walking directly toward him. “Excuse me, sir, might you be the person in charge here?”

"Who’s asking? What can I do for you?" Aiden, puzzled, halted and looked toward the man.

The sky was dim, and the streetlights hadn’t come on yet, so Aiden couldn't make out the man's face, only that his voice sounded unfamiliar.

“My name is Kyle Kaodo. I came to pay a visit to the leadership of this prison. Might you be the warden here?” Kyle removed his hat, placing it politely against his chest as he introduced himself.

“Ah!” Aiden suddenly understood. “You must be Ophelia’s—”

“Yes, yes, that’s me!” Kyle nodded eagerly. “Then you must be…”

“Ah, yes. I am the warden here. Name’s Aiden Galord,” Aiden acknowledged.

“Oh, Warden Galord, a pleasure to meet you at last!” Kyle extended his hand warmly toward Aiden.

“Hello, hello.” Aiden kept a calm expression as he offered his left hand.

Noticing this, Kyle quickly switched to his left hand for the handshake, continuing the conversation smoothly. “Warden, you look... quite young. May I ask your age?”

“Twenty-five.”

“To hold such a position at only twenty-five? Remarkable!” Kyle exclaimed.

“Just lucky, that’s all,” Aiden replied calmly.

He wasn’t being modest; his rise to this position was largely a matter of timing. In an institution like this, even the most capable person would find it difficult to advance quickly if all the positions above were occupied. Aiden had managed to reach the top of the Rose Prison in just five years primarily due to the dire working conditions at the time, which led to vacancies among the senior staff, including the warden’s position—vacancies no one else was willing to fill.

"Here are my credentials. I’m a registered other-species individual under the Nether Kingdom and a legal citizen of Nether," Kyle said, proactively presenting his identification.

"I know, I know. My subordinates mentioned you to me," Aiden nodded.

"It took quite a bit of effort to finally meet you," Kyle said, sighing. "To be honest, it’s tough for vampires in today’s society. As soon as our identity is recognized, people start keeping their distance. Even the human rights organizations for other-species individuals often overlook vampires, with many thinking we belong to the undead and aren't truly 'special humans.'"

"I can understand. Your social situation is indeed challenging," Aiden agreed.

"Can you really understand?" Kyle eyes brightened.

"Yes. My prison holds a fair number of other-species individuals, including a few vampires. I’ve had some contact with them," Aiden replied.

"That's great! In that case..." Kyle face wore an awkward but polite smile as he glanced down, carefully pointing at Aiden's right hand. "Could I ask you to put away the gun?"

When Kael had initially reached out to shake hands, Aiden had casually drawn his sidearm with his right hand, which was why he’d only offered his left hand for the handshake.

"Apologies. Occupational habit," Aiden replied with a straight face. "I used to work in the Inquisition Bureau as a senior Inquisitor. Seeing a vampire without a gun in hand makes me a bit uneasy."

"But you holding a gun makes me extremely uneasy!" Kyle said, spreading his hands in exasperation.

"Don't worry. As long as you don't do anything strange, I certainly won’t act against you," Aiden replied calmly.

Aiden was allowed to carry a firearm outside work, not because he was the prison warden but due to a special privilege from his former role as a senior inquisitor. He still had the authority granted to him by the Inquisition Bureau, as he was tasked with watching over mephilia.

Aiden’s lack of prejudice against other-species individuals didn’t mean he would lower his guard around strangers who posed potential risks.

Kyle possession of legal identification didn’t guarantee he was free of hostile intentions. His strong desire to see Ophelia made it possible he might try using his vampiric abilities to manipulate the prison staff. Aiden had every reason to be cautious.

Drawing his gun was simply a way of establishing a stance. Revealing his former role as a senior inquisitor was also intended to instill a sense of caution in Kyle, making him think twice about any rash actions.

Of course, if a fight broke out, Aiden wasn’t overly concerned. Unlike before, he was confident in his ability to handle it now. The Word of "Order" should work against vampiric blood magic and special abilities—and they were, after all, close to the prison.

"Alright, alright," Kyle sighed, forcing himself to ignore the weapon in Aiden's hand as he continued, "By the way, did you happen to receive the letters I sent earlier?"

"I did."

"So… what did you think of the gift that came with them?" Kyle asked, testing the waters.

"Hmm… very nice," Aiden nodded.

"I knew you’d like it!" Kyle snapped his fingers in delight. "That’s one of my prized collectibles!"

Having repeatedly hit walls in his previous attempts to visit the Rose Prison, Kyle had been wary of approaching the warden face-to-face. He’d heard that one of the warden’s subordinates was a pureblooded werewolf, and that a formidable witch was a frequent visitor—details that left Kyle uncertain about what kind of high-ranking figure he was dealing with.

He knew his identity as a vampire often made others uneasy, and approaching someone openly could easily raise alarms. If Aiden misinterpreted his approach as an attack and acted first, Kyle figured he’d likely end up dead before he could explain.

So, he adjusted his strategy. After learning that the warden was male, Kyle decided to mail some of his carefully curated photo collection to Aiden’s office, hoping it might help him break the ice.

As the saying goes, “One favors those who give gifts.” Kyle was confident these collections would win him some goodwill—or at the very least, lessen any potential hostility from Aiden.

In a way, Kyle strategy had indeed worked.

When Aiden confirmed his identity, the first thought that popped into his mind was: *So this is the guy who tried to bribe me with lewd photos.*

"To be honest, I’m a bit surprised," Aiden remarked. "As far as I know… vampires aren’t supposed to have any desires of that sort. Or am I mistaken?"

From what Aiden understood, nearly all undead species, including vampires, lacked the ability to reproduce like ordinary living beings. Naturally, any related desires would fade away once they transformed into the undead.

Becoming undead meant entering an eternal state of indifference—a “Sage Mode” that would last forever.

The idea that a vampire, who should theoretically have no interest in such matters, would collect provocative photos was genuinely astonishing.That night, after finishing his work and having dinner in the cafeteria, Aiden changed out of his uniform in the locker room and left the prison through the side gate.

He headed toward a nearby intersection, intending to catch a public carriage back home.

Suddenly, under the streetlamp at the corner, a figure emerged, walking directly toward him. “Excuse me, sir, might you be the person in charge here?”

"Who’s asking? What can I do for you?" Aiden, puzzled, halted and looked toward the man.

The sky was dim, and the streetlights hadn’t come on yet, so Aiden couldn't make out the man's face, only that his voice sounded unfamiliar.

“My name is Kyle Kaodo. I came to pay a visit to the leadership of this prison. Might you be the warden here?” Kyle removed his hat, placing it politely against his chest as he introduced himself.

“Ah!” Aiden suddenly understood. “You must be Ophelia’s—”

“Yes, yes, that’s me!” Kyle nodded eagerly. “Then you must be…”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“Ah, yes. I am the warden here. Name’s Aiden Galord,” Aiden acknowledged.

“Oh, Warden Galord, a pleasure to meet you at last!” Kyle extended his hand warmly toward Aiden.

“Hello, hello.” Aiden kept a calm expression as he offered his left hand.

Noticing this, Kyle quickly switched to his left hand for the handshake, continuing the conversation smoothly. “Warden, you look... quite young. May I ask your age?”

“Twenty-five.”

“To hold such a position at only twenty-five? Remarkable!” Kyle exclaimed.

“Just lucky, that’s all,” Aiden replied calmly.

He wasn’t being modest; his rise to this position was largely a matter of timing. In an institution like this, even the most capable person would find it difficult to advance quickly if all the positions above were occupied. Aiden had managed to reach the top of the Rose Prison in just five years primarily due to the dire working conditions at the time, which led to vacancies among the senior staff, including the warden’s position—vacancies no one else was willing to fill.

"Here are my credentials. I’m a registered other-species individual under the Nether Kingdom and a legal citizen of Nether," Kyle said, proactively presenting his identification.

"I know, I know. My subordinates mentioned you to me," Aiden nodded.

"It took quite a bit of effort to finally meet you," Kyle said, sighing. "To be honest, it’s tough for vampires in today’s society. As soon as our identity is recognized, people start keeping their distance. Even the human rights organizations for other-species individuals often overlook vampires, with many thinking we belong to the undead and aren't truly 'special humans.'"

"I can understand. Your social situation is indeed challenging," Aiden agreed.

"Can you really understand?" Kyle eyes brightened.

"Yes. My prison holds a fair number of other-species individuals, including a few vampires. I’ve had some contact with them," Aiden replied.

"That's great! In that case..." Kyle face wore an awkward but polite smile as he glanced down, carefully pointing at Aiden's right hand. "Could I ask you to put away the gun?"

When Kael had initially reached out to shake hands, Aiden had casually drawn his sidearm with his right hand, which was why he’d only offered his left hand for the handshake.

"Apologies. Occupational habit," Aiden replied with a straight face. "I used to work in the Inquisition Bureau as a senior Inquisitor. Seeing a vampire without a gun in hand makes me a bit uneasy."

"But you holding a gun makes me extremely uneasy!" Kyle said, spreading his hands in exasperation.

"Don't worry. As long as you don't do anything strange, I certainly won’t act against you," Aiden replied calmly.

Aiden was allowed to carry a firearm outside work, not because he was the prison warden but due to a special privilege from his former role as a senior inquisitor. He still had the authority granted to him by the Inquisition Bureau, as he was tasked with watching over mephilia.

Aiden’s lack of prejudice against other-species individuals didn’t mean he would lower his guard around strangers who posed potential risks.

Kyle possession of legal identification didn’t guarantee he was free of hostile intentions. His strong desire to see Ophelia made it possible he might try using his vampiric abilities to manipulate the prison staff. Aiden had every reason to be cautious.

Drawing his gun was simply a way of establishing a stance. Revealing his former role as a senior inquisitor was also intended to instill a sense of caution in Kyle, making him think twice about any rash actions.

Of course, if a fight broke out, Aiden wasn’t overly concerned. Unlike before, he was confident in his ability to handle it now. The Word of "Order" should work against vampiric blood magic and special abilities—and they were, after all, close to the prison.

"Alright, alright," Kyle sighed, forcing himself to ignore the weapon in Aiden's hand as he continued, "By the way, did you happen to receive the letters I sent earlier?"

"I did."

"So… what did you think of the gift that came with them?" Kyle asked, testing the waters.

"Hmm… very nice," Aiden nodded.

"I knew you’d like it!" Kyle snapped his fingers in delight. "That’s one of my prized collectibles!"

Having repeatedly hit walls in his previous attempts to visit the Rose Prison, Kyle had been wary of approaching the warden face-to-face. He’d heard that one of the warden’s subordinates was a pureblooded werewolf, and that a formidable witch was a frequent visitor—details that left Kyle uncertain about what kind of high-ranking figure he was dealing with.

He knew his identity as a vampire often made others uneasy, and approaching someone openly could easily raise alarms. If Aiden misinterpreted his approach as an attack and acted first, Kyle figured he’d likely end up dead before he could explain.

So, he adjusted his strategy. After learning that the warden was male, Kyle decided to mail some of his carefully curated photo collection to Aiden’s office, hoping it might help him break the ice.

As the saying goes, “One favors those who give gifts.” Kyle was confident these collections would win him some goodwill—or at the very least, lessen any potential hostility from Aiden.

In a way, Kyle strategy had indeed worked.

When Aiden confirmed his identity, the first thought that popped into his mind was: *So this is the guy who tried to bribe me with lewd photos.*

"To be honest, I’m a bit surprised," Aiden remarked. "As far as I know… vampires aren’t supposed to have any desires of that sort. Or am I mistaken?"

From what Aiden understood, nearly all undead species, including vampires, lacked the ability to reproduce like ordinary living beings. Naturally, any related desires would fade away once they transformed into the undead.

Becoming undead meant entering an eternal state of indifference—a “Sage Mode” that would last forever.

The idea that a vampire, who should theoretically have no interest in such matters, would collect provocative photos was genuinely astonishing.