The woman craned her neck, staring intently at Raphael.
His figure was slender, his features handsome, and his fair skin immediately betrayed his noble birth.
His eyes were clear, yet carried a silent authority that inspired awe…
Though he appeared to be only 18 or 19, his innate aura of a highborn was unmistakable, even filling her with fear.
“My Lord!” The woman scrambled to her feet, instantly sober. Her flushed face turned white in a snap, and a fawning smile spread across her features.
“Chief Guard Estina reporting!”
Her voice was resonant and full of spirit.
“My Lord, you must be exhausted from your long journey! Please sit, take the seat of honor!” Estina crept forward, her posture hunched. naturally hung down, and a deep, bottomless cleft was pressed into a slightly curved line by the taut collar. She made a gesture of invitation.
The other guards saw this and imitated Estina, bowing and scraping with reverence.
But in their hearts, they were all cursing: That damned chief guard, she changes her face faster than flipping a coin!
“Hmm, not bad.”
Raphael nodded.
Tulip Prison held only about a hundred death row inmates, but there were over a thousand half-bloods.
In the traditional beliefs of this world, women were born with sacred power that could supposedly “repel” evil, especially young virgins.
Thus, many prisons often hired young women as guards.
“Superstition, that’s all.” Not only he, but even his cheap father thought so.
To Raphael’s surprise, these female guards were actually quite attractive?
Especially this chief guard named Estina.
Not only was she generously endowed, but her golden hair was slightly disheveled, falling from the white trim seam of her black regulation wide-brimmed hat onto her shoulders. A few strands curved from her forehead to her cheeks, adding a faint, elusive allure to her delicate features.
“Chief Guard Estina, go now and notify all prison staff to assemble here.”
“At once, my Lord!”
Estina stood up and stepped back. Then, as if thinking of something, she said, “My Lord, might I dare ask your honored name?”
“Raphael Lancaster. Remember my name—it’s also your warden’s name.”
“Yes!”
Estina beckoned her subordinates to scatter in all directions, her voice and footsteps trembling.
“Heh, Estina…”
Raphael murmured, carefully examining the panel before him:
[Individual Name: Estina]
[Position: Chief Guard]
[Loyalty: 1 (Unstable)]
[Special Note: Maximum loyalty is 100. Value is the weighted average of the target’s loyalty to the host and the prison.]
“Loyalty of 1 point—even Wu Sangui would shake his head at that.”
“The loyalty of the others is also below 10. No wonder the prison riot index is so high.”
During the time the staff were assembling, Raphael sat alone at the table, pondering how to resolve the current crisis.
Money—the biggest crisis right now was undoubtedly money.
The prison going bankrupt was a minor problem. If a real riot broke out and things got out of control, what if he ended up dead?
Thus, this month’s salaries had to be paid in full.
However, when he left the duke’s manor, he only had 1,000 crowns as emergency funds, far from enough to fill that gap.
If it were anyone else, they’d probably be thinking about cutting their losses and running by now.
But Raphael had a system—what did he have to fear from such difficulties?
“Executioner…”
Raphael flipped through the system panel’s information again. “These are all death row inmates. Just drag a few out and cut off their heads, and it’ll be fine.”
At this thought, the dark clouds on his face gradually dissipated, replaced by a sunny smile.
“M-My Lord, everyone is here.”
Estina stood by the door, which was crowded with people.
“Is that the new warden? He looks so young.”
“Becoming a warden at such a young age—he must have connections…”
“An imperial capital young master here to experience life, huh.”
…
Hearing these words, Raphael just smiled faintly.
Estina, standing in front, was already drenched in sweat…
‘These idiots!’ Estina cursed inwardly.
That was a big shot from the imperial capital, a member of the House of Lancaster. With just a sneeze, they could make these commoners vanish. How dare they gossip about him to his face?!
If things went wrong, the entire prison staff might end up on the gallows the next day!
“Shut up, you idiots! Lord Raphael hasn’t spoken yet—how dare you chatter and make noise!”
As she spoke, Estina stepped forward two paces and knelt on one knee before Raphael.
“My Lord, you know, I’ve worked in this prison for many years, always dedicated and loyal! I obey every order from my superiors, I am meticulous with every request from leadership, and I have nothing to do with these good-for-nothings! My Lord, I am a loyal subject!”
Estina, with tears and snot flowing, proclaimed her “sincerity” with great emotion.
The guards outside heard her disassociating herself from them and immediately exploded with rage.
“Damn it, Estina, you big-chested woman spouting that nonsense every day—have you no shame!”
“You even adulterated the last meal of death row inmates with fake liquor, and you have the nerve to say you’re dedicated?”
“Damn, you take the most kickbacks normally, and now you’re playing the innocent here!”
…
Facing the accusations coming from all sides, Estina was not flustered at all.
She knew very well that a new leader didn’t care what his subordinates had done, only which side they stood on.
Well-versed in the ways of the world, she naturally had to curry favor with the big shot, otherwise, with her abilities, it would be hard to get by in these times.
Raphael swept his gaze around and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Among the 35 staff present, Estina had the lowest loyalty.
Although the others weren’t much higher, her “1” was truly an eyesore.
“Alright, stop arguing.”
A simple, plain sentence, but imbued with the warden’s authority, instantly silenced everyone.
The previously noisy guard room fell into an icy silence.
A pressure weighed down on them; they were like deer glimpsing a tiger’s hide in the jungle, cold sweat pouring out.
“Estina, are there any prisoners to be executed today?”
“My Lord, today’s execution time has already passed. The usual execution time is 8 AM.”
“Then bring the prisoner scheduled for execution at 8 AM tomorrow. As the newly appointed warden, I naturally need to get a good understanding of the prison’s situation.”
“Yes.”
Having received her orders, Estina immediately left the guard room with her subordinates.
The remaining 24 staff—1 prison doctor, 5 cooks, and 18 guards—stood dumbfounded in place.
“Come in, don’t crowd by the door.”
Hearing this, the staff nervously entered the guard room and stood in two rows.
“Relax, everyone.”
Raphael knew that managing a prison wasn’t so easy. Even though no employee had a loyalty higher than 20, he couldn’t rashly fire them.
First, he had just taken office and had no connections, so he couldn’t find replacements in time.
Second, loyalty was something that could be cultivated slowly.
Lastly, and most importantly—he needed to survive this week without any changes!
“I’m new here, and there’s a lot I need to gradually learn, but I’m somewhat aware of the difficulties you’re all facing.”
“Nowadays, prices in the empire are skyrocketing while salaries remain frozen. Especially since this prison’s ownership has changed, your future jobs and benefits are uncertain. It’s normal to feel dissatisfied—I understand.”
Upon hearing this, everyone looked up at Raphael.
These words truly struck a chord with them.
Those powerful big shots never said such considerate things.
Seeing their expectant expressions, Raphael knew he had found the right approach.
These otherworldly people had never heard such rhetoric!
Factory owners and capitalists would whip them into tops, and they’d still bow down in gratitude!
Even though prisons weren’t as profit-driven, in this era of incomplete systems, it was common for superiors to bully and oppress their subordinates.
This oppression created a cascading effect: the warden put pressure on the chief guard, who vented her anger on the guards. The guards, not willing to be humiliated for nothing, turned around and beat the prisoners.
The prisoners, punished without cause, harbored resentment and frequently caused trouble. When the warden saw this, he would lash out again.
Such a vicious cycle made prison management increasingly severe.
Therefore, what Raphael needed to do now was to curb this phenomenon at its source while increasing the staff’s loyalty and cohesion.