*Nightfall*

At night, the prison became utterly silent. The only sounds one could hear were occasional small talk between the night watch and the barking of dogs outside the prison. The reason for that was simple, fear, fear of becoming the next target, the next head on the guillotine. That's why it was the perfect time to act. They had to know about what I wanted to do, otherwise they wouldn't start. I stood up, went towards the bars of my cell, and started shouting as loud as I deemed necessary.

"Guard! A guard, please!" I could see some of my fellow inmates watching me, bewildered by my actions.

But before one of them could talk to me, loud footsteps of military-style boots resounded through the long hallway. Every step made me feel a little more nervous, because I knew who these steps belonged to.

The warden appeared in front of my cell, his domineering presence crushing my confidence for a second.

"What is it, prisoner number 53?" Despite appearing to be the most brutal of all the guards, I knew that he was actually the most decent one. He mostly just followed orders, which is why most people here had the illusion of his cruelty settled in their minds. The dread in the stares of my neighbors was evidence of this fact.

"I have something to report to the director, sir!" I replied hastily, as I straightened my posture.

"Tell me, and I will relay your message with your corresponding number."

"No, I can't. The information has to be shared privately!" I insisted. For a moment, everything fell silent. His dark eyes bore into me as if they wished to pierce my soul. This part was crucial to the success of my plan, so I continued, feigning nonchalance.

"Are you sure you don't want me to tell him? If I don't and something goes wrong, you could be punished for not speaking up. And if he ever found out that I knew about it beforehand, he wouldn't be merciful. It's worth noting that you were the one who advised me not to tell him directly." He seemed taken aback and went deep in thought. His mind was probably clashing with his obedience right now. However, to my surprise, he answered confidently after just a few seconds.

"I understand. Prisoner number 53, I will lead you to the director. You will follow a few steps behind me. The moment you distance yourself, you're dead." His threat weighed down on me, but I was glad. My gamble had worked out.

"Of course, sir Warden, I will not go against your word!" As he opened the door and guided me to the end of the hallway, I caught sight of the soldier and one of his goons from before. The look on his face made it clear that he had murder on his mind. He had figured out what I was up to. A smirk spread across my face as I met his gaze.

'Sorry, dumbass. You can think of this as natural selection,' I thought. At least he knew to keep his mouth shut, otherwise his execution may have come even faster.

We walked through several corridors that had the cafeteria for the guards and their lockers until we finally reached our destination. The warden knocked on the entrance three times. The voice on the other side sounded delayed and angry, probably annoyed by the late interruption. Director Edwards was a small but stern man. Every aspect of his appearance was uniform.

That's why I was a little surprised to see him that casually. With only a tank top, which was completely messed up, and a bottle of alcohol in his hands, he seemed more like a thug. The warden just ignored his rugged state and saluted instead.

"Sir Edwards, I have prisoner number 53 with me. He has something urgent to tell you. I deemed it acceptable to bring him here. If that is not to your liking, I shall execute the boy and face any punishment." He started, still stiff.

The director first glanced at the warden, then turned to me. Although he seemed disgusted by my presence, his curiosity won out and he eventually calmed down with a small sigh.

"Come in." He ordered.

His office was decently furnished, as it also was where he resided. A bed and other basic furniture were visible. We sat face to face, he on his personal chair and me on a small stool. The warden was in front of me, observing my every move.

"Go ahead, number 53, tell me what's so urgent. For your sake, make it interesting, pig." He started. I found it amusing that he continued to use slurs even outside of work.

"Of course! I will keep it brief." I looked at the sheet and pen lying on the table. He nodded and signaled me to take it.

"First of all, it concerns a few prisoners who are the head of the what I want to report. You can probably guess what I mean, but the numbers of these prisoners in connection to this event are currently pretty expensive. If I tell you what I know and head back to my cell, I will probably be dead by the next morning." I said. Just as I wanted to continue however Edwards interrupted me.

"What if I just torture you until you tell me?" He asked while chuckling.

"I can assure you that it will be too late for you to prepare before you get anything useful out of me."

"Hoho, so I don't have a choice is what you mean?" He asked quizzically.

"Exactly," I replied.

He leaned forward on his chair, his eyes having lost their disgust towards me. Instead, he seemed intrigued by the idea of working with me.

"What is it you demand for your information?" I deliberately steered the conversation towards this topic. I had heard from some guards that he tended to drink at night, albeit moderately. Rumors had it that he was more approachable when under the influence.

'Seems like the rumors were correct,' I noted.

"I want to work in the guard department, even if it just is a substitute position. As long as I have a higher status in prison, I can secure myself from those who may cross me after the incident. If you can accept this condition, I can share everything I know." This was the climax of my plan. If this gamble worked out in my favor, I would have easy play in escaping later on.

The director looked at me, a serious expression resting on his face. He probably knew that I had planned to use that as a means to escape but his greed for the soldier was triumphant. After he finished thinking and told me his final answer, I almost jumped out of my seat because of the pressure I had built up.

'Finally, I can relax.'

"This riot you meant, we actually were investigating it since the rumors started rising. If you can accurately provide me the numbers of their leaders, I shall grant you your request. Meanwhile, you will be temporarily placed under solitary confinement. If we see truth in your statement, we will ready your room in the guard wing and a supervisor for you." A deep sigh of relief was all I could muster. The work I had put in sure did pay off.

"However, if any of the information you're about to provide turns out to be falls. I will be your personal executor. The way you die will be something you will not look forward to, so be careful with the things you're about to reveal." His smile returned as he gestured for me to start. Nevertheless, there was still one problem left.

"Before I finally do, I propose a blood oath." The blood oath was one of the most critical ways of keeping promises on the whole continent. If one of the contractors decided to go against his word, he would be killed by his own mana. His smirk went even wider, but he didn't seem to care.

"Very well." He said as he activated his mana. A crimson sheet appeared out of thin air. All the conditions we had settled on were included.

After both of us signed the contract, I relaxed in my chair and started to leak every bit of information I had about the soldier and his companions, knowing fully well that this would end in a blood bath between the guards and the soldiers.