The Warden of The Witches-Chapter 224:

Chapter 224: A Night Visit to the Red District

Aiden could understand the approach. The best weapon against a gang was the police, and the most effective way to deal with a heretical organization was to leak their information to the Inquisition.

Of course, for the Inquisition, getting early intelligence on illegal organizations operating in their jurisdiction was certainly not a bad thing.

But information provided by an outsider couldn't be trusted entirely. After a brief moment of thought, Aiden decided it was safer to let the Inquisition assess the situation.

"That makes sense. In that case, why don't you come with me to the Inquisition and explain it to them yourself?" he suggested.

"Oh, spare me, please!" Kyle quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I really don't want to deal too much with a place that strict. Everyone there looks at me like I'm a criminal. They’d probably interrogate me for at least two hours! It would be best if you could pass on the message for me."

"This isn't up to you." Aiden fixed his gaze on Kyle. "What if you're giving a false report? Should I still deliver it for you?"

"Uh..." Kyle looked uncomfortable but then his eyes flashed, as though he had just thought of something. "How about this—I’ll prove to you right now that what I'm saying is true. How does that sound?"

"And how exactly do you plan to prove it?" Aiden asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Well, it just so happens that I recently tracked down a member of the Blood Moon Cult operating in the Silver City’s lower district. The guy… he’s actually a wanted criminal." Kyle gestured invitingly. "I've been planning to catch him myself sometime soon. Since I've run into you today, how about you come along? With you there as a witness, I can avoid a lot of trouble."

“If he’s a wanted criminal, why not just report him directly to the Inquisition? They’d go after him,” Aiden pointed out.

“But then the bounty would be gone, wouldn’t it?” Kyle grinned. “Even though he’s only a B-rank, catching him would be a decent bonus.”

“So where are you planning to catch him?” Aiden asked, wanting to confirm the location.

“Well… about that…” Kyle’s face lit up with a knowing smile. “He’s been hanging around in the lower district, in the kind of place a man would enjoy…”

“The Red District?” Aiden’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Spot on, Warden!” Kyle snapped his fingers.

Aiden thought to himself, *It’s not that I’m an expert on this… it’s just that entertainment options here are seriously limited. Back in my world, I’d have guessed a gaming café if I heard a question like that.*

“You must go there often, huh?” Kyle smirked slyly.

“Not really,” Aiden denied.

It was the truth—Aiden hadn’t frequented the entertainment spots of this world much.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested; it was more about the poor state of this world’s medical knowledge. Sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis were still widespread and posed serious social issues, even in this autonomous state.

As for birth control, latex contraceptives hadn’t been widely adopted, so they still relied on the traditional lambskin alternatives. To Aiden, a man from a modern era, such methods… felt a bit, well, unrefined.

It was clear that technological advancement was indeed quite important.

“Oh, no need to deny it, Warden. We’re all men here! Even though I’m an undead now, I was human once—I get it! Hahaha… Ah, alright, alright, I apologize for getting carried away!” Kyle chuckled mischievously, but then his face went pale when he saw Aiden silently aiming his gun at him. He immediately raised his hands.

“Stop drifting off-topic,” Aiden said expressionlessly. “What business does a vampire, with no need for that sort of thing, have in a place like that?”

“According to my investigation, he’s been ‘feeding’ there,” Kyle replied, shifting to a more serious tone. “In a densely populated area, vampires worry about being seen when they feed. Invading someone’s home isn’t easy either, since only vampire dukes or higher can use the mist form to slip in. But if he finds a woman in the ared District…”

“Ah, I see.” Aiden understood.

By creating the appearance of a normal interaction, the vampire could safely use his charm to subdue his prey and then feed without drawing attention.

“So, Warden, how about joining me as a witness?” Kyle spread his hands in an inviting gesture. “We can split the bounty.”

Aiden considered it. It seemed this vampire was only willing to share Blood Moon Cult information in this roundabout way.

Accompanying Kyle to catch a wanted criminal, especially in a bustling part of the city, minimized the risk of any traps waiting for him.

“Alright.” Aiden made his decision. “But you’d better not be lying to me.”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“Great! Let’s grab a carriage over there.” Kyle eagerly pointed toward a nearby street corner, where several rental carriages waited.

“No, let’s walk a bit further and then hail one,” Aiden suggested, gesturing in a different direction.

He often used the carriages parked here when he was in a rush or going off the public routes, and some of the drivers recognized him. The last thing he wanted was a driver he knew casually asking where he was headed, only for Kyle to cheerfully announce, “To the Red District!”—especially when other prison guards occasionally used these carriages too.

Two quarters of an hour later, the two of them found themselves in the Red District.

This street came alive only at night. Women in heavy makeup and sharply dressed attendants stood at the doorways of various establishments, constantly trying to lure passersby inside.

"When is he supposed to show up?" Aiden asked Kyle quietly.

“If we’re lucky, maybe in five minutes. I’ve been watching him for days now; he appears fairly regularly, usually entering the district from the north at a fixed time,” Kyle replied, glancing at his pocket watch.

“There are plenty of people coming in from the north. Are you sure you’ll recognize him?” Aiden asked. “What if he’s in disguise?”

“Not to worry. Vampires who regularly drink human blood have a distinctive scent. For us vampires who refrain from drinking blood, it’s easy to pick up on,” Kyle assured him. “We just need to wait patiently… Or, Warden, maybe you’d like to… you know, pass the time in one of the establishments? I think we’d have enough time—”

Aiden turned and gave Kyle a cold, expressionless stare, his eyes intimidating.

“It was just a joke! No need to be so serious.” Kyle chuckled awkwardly, waving his hand.

Just then, a voice called out from the side, “Oh, it’s you, sir! It’s been quite some time since you last visited!”