The Warden of The Witches

Chapter 32:

Newcomer Arrives

In April, a familiar face appeared in Aiden's office.

"Newcomer, Veronica Wolfe, reporting for duty!"

In the warden's office, Aiden looked with interest at the "newcomer" saluting in front of him.

Unlike before, when she was in the prison with disheveled hair and hazy eyes, this time Veronica looked radiant. Her uniform was straight, and her shoulder-length brown curls were neatly combed back, giving her a striking appearance.

"Oh..., i almost didn't recognize you" Aiden chuckled, nodding.

Veronica smiled in response.

"I really can't understand you. If you stayed in the mounted police unit, you'd probably get promoted quickly."

"Although the chief tried to persuade me to stay, I no longer want to remain in the mounted police unit," Veronica admitted.

It was only natural for her to feel disillusioned with the unit after being unjustly accused by colleagues and sent to the prison for no reason.

"If you're planning to transfer, you can choose a more relaxed role in city administration, or if you want to be an elite, you can go to the Inquisition Bureau. You didn't mistakenly choose the unit, did you?" Aiden teased knowingly.

"I've already said that I will come back to thank you in person," Veronica confessed, "and I genuinely believe that working under your leadership would be a good choice."

"So, is this your way of repaying me? Being my gofer?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say it had to go that far," Veronica laughed.

"With your current rank and work experience, if you transfer here, you should be able to directly lead the riot squad" Aiden said, looking back and forth between the personnel file in his hand and Veronica's information,

"but we're a bit short on staff for the core zone surveillance position... How about this, you'll be on duty in the core zone in the future, and also serve as the captain of the fourth riot squad. How does that sound?"

This prison was Aiden's foothold in this world, and he was determined to run it well. With Veronica's abilities and background, Aiden had no reason to refuse such a talented individual under his command, especially since the Rose Prison was indeed short-staffed.

"Handling two roles?" Veronica was taken aback.

"Sorry, but we're a bit short on manpower here. It's normal for one person to oversee two areas," Aiden smiled. "Since you're coming here to work hard, I definitely won't hold back!"

"Really, Warden? Are you serious?" Veronica's face showed a hint of reluctance. "If it's too demanding, I might request a transfer again..."

Aiden waved his hand, signaling her to relax. "Don't be so nervous. The workload here isn't as heavy as you might think. The working hours haven't changed much, and the duties at individual posts are actually lighter than in other prisons. But you might not be very familiar with the prison's operations, right?"

"Yes."

"Then for the next few days, you'll follow me. I'll familiarize you with the operations here, consider it new recruit training," Aiden snapped his fingers.

"Alright," Veronica responded, realizing a bit too late, "Wait, Warden, are you personally giving me new recruit training?"

The warden was the highest-ranking official in the prison. Generally, something like new recruit training could easily be handled by any senior prison guard.

There was no need for the highest-ranking leader of the unit to personally come down and give hands-on instruction, and the police chief wouldn't go to the grassroots level just to accompany one or two probationary officers.

"Do you find it strange?" Aiden noticed Veronica's doubts. "Actually, it's like this. After I took office, I implemented a lot of reforms in this prison. Some of them haven't been fully implemented yet. Everyone is still adapting to some new procedures and regulations.

Sometimes, even the veteran prison guards come to me with questions about operations. So, I've taken it upon myself to handle new recruit training temporarily.

Besides, if you really think about it... I'm one of the least busy people here. Taking some time to train a new recruit is no big deal."

"I see," Veronica nodded.

"Then I'll take you to the core zone first to get familiar with the daily management of the inmates. After that, I'll explain to you the responsibilities of each of your positions. And it Just happen that It's almost time for work,"

Aiden said, standing up from his chair and leading Veronica towards the core zone.

When they arrived at the core zone, the zone supervisor, Franda, was directing the inmates to line up for work.

"Warden!"

Upon seeing Aiden personally inspecting, Franda and the other prison guards saluted him together, and Aiden nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, Franda glanced at Veronica behind Aiden. "Is the newcomer being transferred to our section? welcome."

"Please guide me in the future," Veronica replied politely, giving a salute.

"It's quite an experience to have inmates i used to oversee become colleagues. After being a prison guard for over a decade, this is the first time I've had such an experience," Franda remarked teasingly.

"Let's not bring up those times,"

Veronica self-deprecatingly chuckled. The memories of her past harsh words towards Aiden and Franda while she was in the cell still made her want to crawl into a hole.

Now that the incident was in the past, everyone has tacitly let it go. After Aiden uncovered the truth, Franda also started showing a bit more consideration towards Veronica.

"Alright, let's get the roll call done quickly," Aiden waved his hand.

Franda led the group down the corridor, starting the headcount.

"Except for holidays, the inmates have to work at this time every morning, doing labor in different work areas," Aiden explained to Veronica.

"Back then you were on death row, so you didn't have to do any work."

"Inmates have holidays too?" Veronica was a bit surprised.

"Yes, they have some basic rights. The inmates work long hours every day, and life in the prison is inherently oppressive. If we put too much pressure on them for an extended period, they're likely to develop rebellious feelings," Aiden explained.

"So, we need this many people to supervise the work every day?" Veronica glanced back at the riot squad behind her.

"Other sections don't require it, but the core area is a must. The reason... well, you'll understand if you look ahead," Aiden paused. "Take a look for yourself."

Veronica looked ahead and nodded in silence.

The core zone was filled with witches whose combat abilities surpassed even hers, a pure-blooded werewolves.

Even though their magic was sealed by a barrier, standing confidently in front of this group of dangerous individuals without a large group of guards backing her up was still quite daunting.

At this moment, Franda furious shout came from the front, "Inmate 3307, I warn you not to cause trouble anymore. Get out of the cell immediately!"