Volume 4, Chapter 7-1 – What Do We Do About This?

Meanwhile, on the surface.

In the Far East.

The highest-security prison under the jurisdiction of the Judgment Tribunal had stood here since the Holy War Era.

The White Tower.

It was nowhere near as sinister or terrifying as the legends made it out to be. It soared into the clouds, spotless and pure white, gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

The ancient, solemn walls were engraved with intricate protective runes. Day after day, year after year, they absorbed sacred power from the prayer hall to sustain the operation of the entire prison.

There were no guards inside the tower.

No jailers.

Only Chastisement spirits.

Hundreds upon thousands of Chastisement spirits patrolled the corridors day and night. They had no flesh, no life, and no emotions. They were law enforcers formed entirely from highly purified Holy Light.

They did not need to eat, did not need to rest, and required no form of compensation.

The sole purpose of their existence was to guard and torment the prisoners incarcerated here.

Pagans, heretics, demons guilty of grave crimes, and any beings who dared challenge the authority of the Holy See.

Every prisoner brought here would be branded with a Chastisement Brand on their first day of confinement. Like a maggot burrowing into the bone, it could never be escaped.

Since the White Tower was constructed, the number of prisoners who had managed to escape could be counted on one hand.

The warden’s office was located on the very top floor of the White Tower.

Calling it an office was somewhat generous. It was merely a cramped room of less than twenty square meters, and even the door had been completely sealed shut.

The warden was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early fifties, with short graying hair, deeply sunken eye sockets, and a plain black robe.

He sat behind his desk, holding a file in his hands.

A line of red lettering was printed on the cover of the file: Highest-Priority Wanted Notice

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The warden opened the file.

♡════════♡

♥ Name: Aetlana Samael

♥ Race: Dragon-type Demon (High-Rank)

♥ Status: Escaped

♥ Danger Level: A

♥ Crime: Demon

♥ Bloodline: Collected

♥ Chastisement Brand Beacon: Stable

♥ Number of Pursuit Attempts: 3

♥ Pursuit Results: All Failed

♥ Note 1: This prisoner is a remnant affiliated with an Archdemon of the Abyss and was confined in the extreme-cold prison cell on the thirteenth floor of the White Tower.

♥ Note 2: During the third pursuit operation, 12 Chastisement spirits disappeared. Cause unknown.

♥ Recommended Action: Dispose of her as soon as possible to prevent damage to the White Tower’s reputation.

♡════════♡

The warden rubbed his forehead.

If a group of dark-skinned heretics with cross-shaped holy marks branded onto their heads had not gone mad half a year ago and attacked the White Tower, tearing a hole through its outer defensive barrier,

Aetlana would never even have been able to walk out through the iron door of her cell.

Although the breach was quickly repaired by the Chastisement spirits, seven prisoners had taken advantage of those brief few minutes of chaos to escape.

Just thinking about how a bunch of incomprehensible fanatics had caused him so much trouble gave the warden a headache.

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Still… it did not matter that they had escaped.

As long as their Brands remained, the Chastisement spirits would pursue them without end. It would not take long before the exhausted fugitives were completely erased.

But the problem lay with the Chastisement spirits.

The warden frowned slightly.

Why had Chastisement spirits gone missing?

The warden was somewhat puzzled.

During previous hunts, even if a fugitive made one final desperate counterattack before death and unleashed extraordinary power that scattered a Chastisement spirit, that spirit would simply turn into pure sacred particles and return to the White Tower, where its spiritual body would then be reconstructed within the central Holy Light Pool.

Chastisement spirits were undying and indestructible beings.

There had never been a precedent for them simply disappearing.

Even now, the warden had yet to see them return to the Holy Light Pool. It was as though those twelve Chastisement spirits had simply evaporated into thin air.

“What exactly happened?” He murmured to himself.

What gave the warden an even bigger headache was another document lying beside him.

It was an accountability order from the Holy See.

The signature at the bottom belonged to Sibylla.

The Holy See’s newly appointed Saintess.

According to the file, she was not yet twenty, yet already possessed an affinity with Holy Light that even veteran bishops could hardly hope to match.

Some said she was the most perfect Saintess candidate the Holy See had seen in a century. Others said she would become a powerful contender for the position of the next Pope.

The warden did not care what kind of Saintess the newcomer was.

The problem was that the wording of the letter did not hold back in the slightest.

It plainly stated that Sibylla was questioning the White Tower warden’s authority and competence. A high-ranking demon had escaped more than half a year ago and still had not been recaptured, subjecting the Judgment Tribunal to widespread criticism. Sibylla demanded that the Holy See’s supervisory team intervene and temporarily assume operational authority over the White Tower.

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“Supervise and temporarily take over the operation of the White Tower?” The warden sneered.

What right did some little girl who had been crowned less than a year ago have to do that?

But sneering was one thing. He knew he had to dispose of Aetlana as soon as possible, reestablish his authority, and shut the young Saintess’ mouth.

But the problem was still those missing Chastisement spirits…

‘Forget it.’

The warden shrugged.

It was only twelve missing Chastisement spirits.

Perhaps they had encountered some rare spatial turbulence during cross-realm teleportation and suffered a minor accident.

There were hundreds upon thousands of Chastisement spirits in the White Tower. What, were all of them suddenly going to disappear?

As long as Aetlana was dealt with, everything else would be easy enough.

The warden stood up and walked over to the magical sand table on one side of the office.

A magical map floated above it, while the Chastisement Brand representing Aetlana remained within a region of the Abyss that had yet to be fully explored.

The warden sneered.

So what if she had fled all the way to the Abyss?

As long as the Brand remained, the Chastisement spirits would pursue her without end, while all he needed to do was wait for the right opportunity to launch another hunt.

Just then, the warden noticed that the point of light representing Aetlana on the map flickered once, changing from a dim glow to a steady golden light.

Work had come in.

The warden’s eyes lit up.

The beacon had fully activated.

The Chastisement Brand was a spell with its own spirituality, capable of deeply observing its host and determining the right moment to act.

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Without question, it now believed the target had reached the perfect moment to strike.

The warden did not hesitate in the slightest. He turned the silver ring representing the supreme authority of the White Tower’s warden.

Within a breath, twenty-four white spiritual bodies slowly emerged. Their ragged white cloaks swayed gently in the windless air. There were no facial features beneath their hoods, only pure sacred flames burning within.

Chastisement spirits.

Twenty-four of them.

Concerned that the same accident might happen again, the warden had summoned twice the previous number in one go.

Twenty-four Chastisement spirits were enough to flatten the territory of an ordinary demon family.

“Target, the Abyss, Aetlana Samael.”

With his hands behind his back, the warden issued his command.

“She has reached the perfect moment to strike. Go kill her now.”

The Chastisement spirits did not answer.

They merely nodded slightly, then instantly dissolved into sacred particles that filled the air, disappearing from the center of the office as they crossed realms toward the Brand’s coordinates.

The warden sat back down in his chair and stared at the flickering point of light on the beacon.

“This time…” He said softly, “You won’t escape, Aetlana.”

Translator Note

Oh~! Aetlana took the blame for the spirits’ disappearances xD