Chapter 1: False Saint(1)

The desk in the warden’s office.
For once, the usual stench of stale liquor was replaced by the aroma of coffee wafting through the air.

Silver hair gleaming brilliantly and green eyes.
Though scrawny, a man exuding the haughty air of nobility sat there.

At twenty-one, his black uniform bore a nameplate.
Derek Minster.

[Objective]
Survive your first week as the prison warden.

[Passive]
Gloom: Long-term alcoholism has left his eyes haggard and intimidating.
Corrupt Noble: The Minster family is notorious for contract killings and loan-sharking.
Noble Elegance: As the second son of a count, he possesses refined looks. However, the family’s infamy diminishes this effect.

‘Yeah, this was about my level when I first got thrown into this game.’
No matter how well I did in my previous life, right now, I’m just a washed-up noble who bought the warden position with money.

[Perk]
You can inherit some experience from your previous life.
However, the current Derek Minster’s low base stats limit you to one class.

If I had to pick, it’d be the Swordmaster from my first life, no question.
Gotta ignore the trembling hands of an alcoholic clutching a pencil.

[Some of the robust physique and experience from your first life will be applied.]

A fraction of the stats I built in my past life flowed into this frail body.

I swung my fist lightly, testing the returning sensation.
Not the full strength of my Knight Commander days, but at least the tremors were gone.
Satisfied, I rose from the leather chair.
Then, I locked eyes with the adjutant who’d been staring at me oddly.

[Clea Rockhart.]

A twenty-year-old adjutant with blue hair tied in a ponytail.
Her striking face, rare for these remote parts, regarded me warily.

“You’re awfully energetic for your first day.”
“Of course. I didn’t expect such a capable-looking person as my adjutant.”

I tossed out a compliment to make a good impression.
But Clea’s blue eyes remained ice-cold.

“I heard you were quite the scoundrel in the capital. This place isn’t as easy as you think.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve heard the rumors. I came here to work hard.”

In this game, you can tell who’s important just by their looks.
Extras are drawn plainly, but the skilled ones usually have standout appearances.

From what I recall, the woman before me had high charm and intelligence stats.
But since she wasn’t a main character, she had a major flaw: a foul personality.

In the past, some players tried hitting on her because of her looks.
No matter the approach, romance was impossible.

“Well, if you’re focused solely on work, I can assist you.”

Clea pulled a monocle from her uniform pocket and put it on.
Then, she plopped a neatly organized ledger onto the desk with a thud.

“But if you’re planning to approach the prisoners with ulterior motives, you’d better give up now.”

Berryhill Prison Incident Log.
Ten incidents in the past month.

Six guards began suffering hallucinations while distributing meals to prisoners.
Two guards were killed after flirting with prisoners.
Two former wardens were executed for corruption after soliciting bribes from prisoners.

‘This place is a damn bloodbath when you put it like that.’

My green eyes flicked toward Clea.
The adjutant stared back with the aloof gaze of a disinterested fox.

“I’m tired of cleaning up bodies.”

I’m pretty sure I’m a year older than her, but she’s looking at me like I’m some pathetic kid.
I desperately want to shed this wretched reputation.

“You don’t know me, but I’ve been through worse. I’m ready.”
“Your eyes aren’t bad. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Clea’s lips curled into a faint smile, as if she was teasing me.
She’s testing whether I’m here to work or just another boastful scoundrel.

“Fine. Let’s get to work.”

Her ponytail swayed lightly.
The adjutant gracefully opened the office door with a wave of her hand.

“I’ll prepare for the warden’s first task: prisoner interviews.”

We headed down an old corridor toward the basement stairs.
The descent was so deep it took minutes to reach the bottom.

“No guards in sight.”
“Most of them are injured, except for me and the ones at the entrance.”

Clea adjusted her monocle and spoke clearly.

“With so many incidents, hasn’t the higher-ups done anything?”
“Those assigned here are mostly castoffs from the capital. They don’t care if we die.”

Walking beside me, Clea was a former imperial secretary.
She was exiled for assaulting a royal who obsessively courted her.

“So this prison is essentially lawless.”
“Yes. That’s why I sighed when you were assigned here.”

Why me?

“I thought you’d be like the previous wardens, drinking away your salary.”
“Those rumors about me are fake. Look at me—I’m a fine specimen, aren’t I?”

Clea’s eyes widened like a shocked fox.
Sure, in my past lives, plenty of noble ladies fawned over me.
If the world hadn’t gone to hell, I could’ve lived comfortably as some noble’s kept man.

“I’ll give an honest evaluation of you if you come back alive.”

At the bottom of the stairs stood a desk.
On it were white flowers, honoring the guards who’d died.

“The first prisoner you’ll meet is the False Saintess.”

False Saintess.
The familiar name wiped the smirk off my face.

A beautiful woman with snow-white hair and red eyes.
She wore a red dress, claiming to be the saintess from the holy scriptures.

“Her real name is Anje Lenoir. Nineteen years old, arrested in the nearby city of Bern.”

Her crime: inciting the masses.
She brainwashed three hundred citizens to beat a local lord to death.

It took ten priests from the Holy See to subdue her and place a sealing necklace on her.
Even then, her power kept leaking, so they exiled her to this remote prison.

“Why exile her instead of executing her?”
“It’s just a rumor, but… they say the saintess was a secret experiment of the Holy See.”

“An experiment?”
“Yes. She kept getting stronger, so they hid her here to avoid exposure. They plan to use her brainwashing magic to control the empire.”

That’s an accurate guess.
But she probably didn’t report it because there’s no evidence.

Accusing the Holy See based on suspicion is dangerous.
Since religion aims to swallow the empire, they’d ruthlessly retaliate against accusers.

“Thanks to the barrier they placed on the prison, she can’t escape, but she’s still dangerous. Until they find a way to control her, they’re throwing guards to her like bait.”

Clea’s face radiated quiet anger as we reached the door.
She clearly hated knowing all this yet being powerless.

“So be careful. Even upright knights succumb to her hallucinations.”
“Knights are probably more vulnerable.”

“What do you mean?”
“Knights are often exposed to situations that break their minds. To survive, they’ve likely killed someone.”

In the dim passage, lit only by a single lantern, my eyes grew deadly serious.
Dark circles, like those from my Swordmaster days, formed under them.

“That guilt makes them easy prey for the saintess.”

Clea rested a hand on her smooth chin, pondering.
She glanced at me, and a faint smile tugged at her lips.

“Then that attack won’t work on you. You’ve probably lived too recklessly.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No, I’m saying you’re suited to face the saintess.”

It sounds like a compliment, but…
Her top-tier ally personality shines through in her words.

“Gotta praise you here so you don’t run scared. Good luck.”

The expressionless beauty raised both fists.
Her pretty face didn’t exactly inspire me.

“Let’s go in.”
“One moment.”

Clea removed her monocle.
Then, she put on black glasses with a sharp gaze.

“What’s with the glasses?”
“Looking into the saintess’s eyes can enchant you unknowingly. These blur my vision on purpose.”

Smart move.

“Give me a pair.”
“No way. I only have one.”

“I’m going in alone, so lend them to me.”
“Oh, if you’re going alone, here you go.”

I narrowed my eyes like a snake.
My adjutant is brutally honest.

“Take care of the surviving guards while I’m gone.”
“I’ll look after them.”

I grabbed the underground corridor’s door handle.
Suddenly, blue text, like the kind that appeared when I died, floated in the air.

[Opening this door will begin your duties as warden. Proceed?]

Why’s it trying to scare me now?
There’s no turning back at this point.

‘Of course.’

I pushed the old handle with force.
At that moment.

Even with the Knight Commander’s perks, my body trembled.

[Starting duties as new prison warden. Updating available bad ending list.]

[Into the Saintess’s Sweet Embrace: Failure to reform the prisoner results in automatic suicide.]
[Great Elder’s Retribution: Failure to reform the prisoner exposes your family’s corruption, leading to execution.]
[Moon’s Curse: Failure to reform the prisoner results in both eyes being gouged out and a painful death.]
…
…
…

[Bad ending list expanded from 3 to 999.]

“Huh…?”

I thought reforming three disasters would be the end of my warden life.
Right at the start, hundreds of ways I could die were added.

‘Did I pick the wrong job?’