In the name of the true god

Not right.

Something's completely wrong.

Being followed for the second consecutive day, Jude did not feel any urge to use the revolver he was carrying. Based on his analysis yesterday, he knew that thieves and robbers would never target "tough guys" like prison guards.

Yesterday, I sensed someone following me, and I could still deduce that it was a criminal.

I was targeted as soon as I got out of prison today. It's obvious that the other party knew I was a prison guard and that they were after me personally!

Correspondingly, the other party might know that his brother is a priest of the Holy Wind Church.

Given his "background," the fact that he still dared to provoke them suggests that his barely-used revolver might not be able to perform its intended purpose.

In an instant.

Two pressing questions came to Jude's mind.

1. Who exactly is following me?

Second, should she continue to pretend nothing happened and leave, or should she return to the prison to seek her brother's protection before she gets too far away?

Regarding the first question, Jude's first thought was whether the fat wizard had accomplices who wanted to ask him for the Möbius strip ring.

If that's the case, I can't rashly ask my brother, who is a priest, to intervene, lest I suffer heavy losses on both sides while killing a thousand enemies.

However, this possibility is extremely low.

After all, even the Holy Church couldn't find out that the fat wizard had last contacted him, so it was practically impossible for anyone else to do so.

And even if they could find me, why not before I went to work in prison? Why only after I officially started working there?

This timing is very important.

After careful analysis, Jude was more inclined to believe that the stalker came from prison.

prison……

Who could it be...?

Once the first question has been resolved, the outcome of the second question is self-evident.

If the stalker really is someone from inside the prison, it would be safest to have his brother Connor, who is very capable and extremely familiar with the prison, assist in the investigation!

To avoid alerting the enemy as much as possible, Jude first stopped, rummaged through his pockets as if he had forgotten something, and then hurried back to the prison in frustration.

The sense of surveillance was subtle, like a stalker guarding the prison gates.

Jude felt a little relieved, and on his way to the special prison building, he secretly tested himself again using the law of contact.

This is thanks to the strong causal relationship between "tracking" and oneself.

Jude asked more detailed questions this time—

Is the person secretly monitoring me hostile towards me?

Is the person secretly monitoring me hostile towards me?

Is the person secretly monitoring me hostile towards me?

The answer is—

Yes.

I rely on!

What did I do to deserve this?!

Why are you hostile towards me...?

Bro, help me...

Even though he was already in a relatively safe environment, Jude still subconsciously quickened his pace, eager to see Connor immediately.

"You're not on today's shift, are you?" At the first gate of the special ward building, the prison guard on duty, responsible for registering entry and exit information, reached out and stopped Jude.

"No, I'm here to see Warden Connor Viera. Please inform him that Jude Viera has something very important to discuss with him." Jude didn't force his way in and explained his purpose truthfully.

The other party seemed to know about Jude and Connor's relationship, so they didn't make things difficult and immediately agreed, connecting the wired phone on the second basement level at the duty station.

A moment later, Connor, who was on night shift, returned from the second basement level to the main entrance on the first floor.

"Brother!" Jude waved to Connor.

Connor led Jude through the gate to a relatively secluded spot outside the special ward building: "What happened?"

"Brother, I feel like someone is following me..." Jude omitted the part about using his supernatural abilities and explained the whole story of being followed for two consecutive days.

"Are you sure it's not your imagination?" Connor frowned.

He also included people in prison as prime suspects based on the timeline.

To conduct a thorough investigation, it is necessary to first confirm that the tracking is true and not let panic cloud judgment.

Jude said with absolute certainty, "Absolutely! I've never felt this way before."

Connor gave Jude a deep look.

My younger brother doesn't seem like a timid or cowardly person. When he's in good mental health, there's really no reason for him to suddenly develop "persecution complex".

"Brother, you know what's going on in prison. Who do you think is targeting me?" Jude pressed.

Connor, deep in thought, briefly outlined his reasoning: "The most plausible explanation right now is that they are mid-level managers in the prison."

Middle management personnel?

The ranks in Wangdu Heavy Prison are as follows: Warden, Deputy Warden, First-Class Warden, Second-Class Warden, Captain, and Prison Guard.

The middle level, specifically the section of the warden?

Why?

"Your relationship with me can't be hidden away," Connor explained. "And my rapid rise from a low-level warden to a high-level warden when I arrived at the prison with no connections has already caused discontent among some people. Your arrival might make some middle-level managers feel threatened, and then become hostile."

So, are the first-level and second-level guards worried that they might squeeze out the others by using their connections, and want to strike first?

That makes perfect sense.

My colleagues at the lowest level were kind to me. Aside from the fact that we had good personalities, there was also a reason that there was no conflict of interest between us.

Those first and second-level wardens who were unaware of the inside story already had reservations about Steele Fernando and Connor Viera's nepotism.

Put yourself in their shoes.

If you were in someone else's shoes and saw others frequently using back channels, and with just a few words, everything you had worked so hard for was easily taken away, you might also take some extreme measures to resist out of indignation.

"What should I do then?" Jude's work experience was practically zero. "Even if I publicly stated that I planned to be a regular prison guard for the rest of my life, they wouldn't believe me, would they?"

"Yes." Connor already had a plan, "but their initiative has given us an opportunity."

"What do you mean?"

"Since you're being watched, my every move is likely under their close scrutiny. So, I'll entrust someone else to protect you secretly. When they can't help but make a move, your protector will intervene. By then, you'll be injured, and we'll have caught the culprit. With substantial evidence, you can decide how to deal with them," Connor explained the plan.

"Do I have to get injured again?"

"Only when you're injured can you put more pressure on them," Connor rationally explained the key point. "As for whether your life is in danger, don't worry. Even if no one protects you, those guys won't really kill you or fight me and Steele to the death."

really……

Steele Fernando's background is too powerful. He was able to be parachuted into the position of deputy warden of the Royal Capital Heavy Prison, and still have the power to help Connor become a priest and be promoted to a first-class warden.

No one would want to become his mortal enemy.

It's probably an attempt to intimidate me to the point of backing down, using limited intimidation.

"You said Steele gave you a handgun this afternoon? If a fight breaks out, don't fire. If someone on the other side dies and you only suffer minor injuries, the situation will be different." The meticulous Connor once again gave instructions on the details.

"Understood, I'll take the beating..." Jude replied. "Then, brother, who are you planning to arrange to protect me?"

"Have you seen this person before?"

"I've seen him before?"

"Cialley Rodney".

It was Rodney, the priest who helped him reunite with his brother!

She seems to have a strange temper, but she's not that difficult to get along with.

Most importantly, he's a priest, so his sense of security is definitely much higher than that of an ordinary person.

"Sure." Jude had no problem with it.

"One last question," Connor asked earnestly, "Tell me honestly, do you want a promotion?"

"Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"With substantial evidence, this matter can be either a big deal or a small deal. Even if they really wanted to bring you into management before, they had no official status or position. But with this incident, it will be very easy to kick someone out and make room for them... In other words, they have given you the opportunity to rise to the top for nothing."

It sounds like he could at least accumulate more experience and naturally become a second-level warden.

Their privileges and monthly salary within the prison will be significantly increased.

However, becoming a member of the management team prevents them from "going deep into the front lines" and interacting with the involved wizards and resonance sorcerers.

Forget it...

Don't let small things cause you to lose big...

"Brother, just teach them a lesson they need." In front of Connor, Jude only mentioned another concern, "I have no interest in the warden. Don't let this incident further fuel other people's hostility towards you and Mr. Fernando."

"There's no need for us to be coy with each other." Connor assumed Jude was just shy about showing his desires and ambitions.

Jude said helplessly, "I'm speaking from the heart. Letting them off this time is more convincing than verbally clarifying that I have no intention of climbing the ranks. Otherwise, even if I become the warden, life won't be easy."

Connor smiled slightly, his satisfaction with his younger brother increasing even more: "I thought you'd be very emotional at your age... but with such foresight and comprehensive consideration, it would be a waste of your talent to just be a prison guard."

"Let's talk about the future later. Anyway, I'm quite content being a prison guard for now."

"Okay." Connor glanced at the time. "I'll call Rodney in a bit. Wait twenty minutes before you go out. Remember, never fire a shot if there's a conflict."

"I've got it."

Twenty minutes later, Jude walked out of the prison again.

However, knowing that the priest Rodney would be secretly accompanying him, which would delay him considerably, he had to abandon his plan to go to the newspaper office and head straight towards Hearthstone Street.

Less than a minute after leaving the prison, the feeling of being followed returned.

This unsettling sense of being followed leads Jude to believe it's still the same group from the prison.

That's pretty stupid.

I clearly sensed something was wrong yesterday and looked back several times. Today I went back to prison to meet my brother, and even changed direction after coming out... If they had thought about it even a little, they should have realized that I was already on guard.

That's all? Why are you still going to follow?

Do you really have to beat me up?

Having mentally prepared himself for a beating, Jude maintained a steady pace, but nothing unexpected happened until he got home.

Ok?

So you're not going to beat me up again?

What exactly are we going to do?

Jude stood sideways in front of the balcony, slightly pulling back the curtains to look outside. There was nothing unusual outside, and the feeling of being followed had completely faded away without him even realizing it.

It must have been the priest Rodney who acted first.

I'll have to ask my brother Connor for details when I go to work tomorrow.

Jude, relieved that things were probably over, took a relaxing bath as usual, and then, still feeling energetic, began planning his next steps.

First, I absolutely must get my hands on a few old newspapers by tomorrow night. Because, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be meeting Edmund for the third time in the early hours of the day after tomorrow.

Secondly, the priest Rodney's appearance has another advantage: if he can run into him tomorrow, he can subtly inquire about the dock arson case and see if he can find out any clues about the fat wizard's true identity.

Finally, contacting the involved wizards and resonance sorcerers in the Heretic's Quarter is something that cannot be rushed at the moment. We need to wait until we are rotated to the Heretic's Quarter and stay on the second basement level for a long time to notice more details and thus integrate a feasible plan.

With a clear idea of ​​what he needed to do tomorrow, Jude went to sleep peacefully.

a new day.

October 7, 448 AD (Sunday) in the Christian calendar.

Jude had just finished washing up and changed into casual clothes, but before he could even leave the house, he heard a slightly urgent knocking on the door.

He tiptoed to the door and looked out through the peephole.

The person who came was actually his older brother, Connor...

Shouldn't he be on duty at this time?

"Brother?" Jude opened the door, full of doubt.

Wearing a prison overcoat, Connor looked serious. He first looked Jude up and down to make sure he was unharmed, then asked in a deep voice, "What happened yesterday?"

"Yesterday? You mean on my way back?"

"right."

Jude replied, "Nothing happened. I was just about to ask you when I got to work today if Priest Rodney had taken care of those guys beforehand."

"Are you sure nothing happened?" Connor asked again.

Why does my brother always doubt that he's lying...?

Jude could only repeat, word by word: "Nothing happened."

"...Jude." Connor took a deep breath and whispered the bombshell, "Cillelli Rodney is dead."