Do It for Me (Please Keep Reading!)

"You... want me to break out?"

Svanney frowned deeply, staring at Herbert in confusion.

What are you talking about?

Aren't you the Prison Warden?

The prisoner doesn't want to escape, and you're insisting on forcing her to?

"Yes, but not exactly."

Knowing his words were bound to cause a misunderstanding, Herbert shook his head and explained, "I do want you to reply to them, but I don't actually want you to leave with them."

"To put it more directly, I want you to turn against them and become our inside source."

With a pleased expression, the Holy Cleric extended his invitation to the Dark Elf. "I want to feed them false information through you and use it to screw them over."

In other words, entrapment.

At that moment, Herbert laid it out bluntly, almost gratingly so.

I want you to help me persecute your family.

To be fair, that really didn't sound right.

It wasn't remotely something a righteous person would say. It sounded more like the words of a villain with no moral boundaries.

Their roles seemed to have switched.

It was as though Svanney were the female knight captured and tormented by a villain, constantly being tempted and trained by the villain Herbert, gradually descending into corruption...

"Huh???"

At that moment, even the most aloof elf couldn't keep her composure.

Svanney's face filled with confusion. Her brow furrowed deeply as she looked at him, utterly bewildered.

You... uh, I... huh?

Is this really right?

"You want me to betray them? Why would you do that?" Svanney looked at Herbert, trying to find the answer on his face.

As it turned out, she didn't need to guess. Herbert revealed the answer himself.

"Because I want to help you."

The handsome Holy Knight gazed deeply at the elf without looking away and said firmly, "And this is our opportunity!"

"I'm the Prison Warden, responsible for overseeing every prisoner in the Third Disciplinary Ward. But in reality, my job isn't as simple as just keeping watch over you."

"My true duty is to reform you."

Herbert's expression was earnest, his eyes brimming with sincerity as he said solemnly:

"Suppression and sealing were never the goal, only measures taken out of necessity. What the Monastery truly wants is for all of you to 'turn away from evil.'"

Herbert spoke with heartfelt sincerity, his true feelings laid bare, like a scumbag deceiving an innocent girl... but this time, he really wasn't lying!

That truly was the case. If all they wanted was to imprison the captives, a Prison Warden would have been unnecessary. The Sealing Formation was enough; there was no need for an extra person.

The Prison Warden had only one true purpose: to reform these prisoners of other races who had strayed down the wrong path.

And this was the method Herbert had chosen.

Watching the thoughtful Svanney, he pressed his advantage and added:

"Of course, I understand that you aren't actually evil. But my understanding alone is useless. To outsiders, you're just as evil and dangerous as everyone else here."

"We can't count on the monks. They're already utterly convinced of your evil. None of them will question whether that belief is correct, and none will bother investigating."

"But I'm different. I'm an outsider, and I didn't start out taking those assumptions for granted."

At that point, Herbert stepped forward, moving a little closer to Svanney and looking intently into her eyes.

"Especially after spending time with you all, I've become even more certain of my belief-perhaps you aren't the heinous prisoners they make you out to be."

Herbert wasn't lying about that.

Of the four prisoners he had met so far, aside from a certain embarrassing vampire in whom he had yet to find any redeeming qualities, the other three were quite different from the evil prisoners he had imagined.

They might have been extremely dangerous, but they weren't necessarily evil.

"You can change, and you shouldn't have to endure this treatment."

Herbert took another step forward.

"I want to help you."

Another step.

"Please let me help you!"

By the time he said that, he was almost right up against Svanney!

"You..."

Overwhelmed by his forcefulness, Svanney took an uneasy step back and averted her gaze. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Heh.

The instant Herbert saw her yield, a flicker of amusement flashed through his eyes.

Good. She's taken the bait.

He stopped pressing her and said with a confident smile, "I want to prove it to them!"

"To do that, we need to produce results. Not just the two of us talking about change, but concrete action."

"And they will be your results!"

With the conversation having reached this point, Svanney finally understood what Herbert wanted to do.

He wanted her to offer the Monastery proof of her allegiance.

To use those people's blood to prove her "descent into goodness."

The method was simple enough to understand, and it wouldn't take much effort on her part. It sounded pretty good.

But...

Svanney's expression remained cold, and she made no attempt to hide her challenge. "Do you really think I would betray them?"

I'll betray them just because you tell me to?

Is it that simple?

Herbert's answer was even more direct.

"Why not?"

Svanney: ?

Without the slightest hesitation, Herbert said as though it were only natural, "Since they already betrayed you long ago, why can't you betray them?"

"They didn't spare you a thought for centuries, then remembered you when a family power struggle broke out. Do you really think they mean well?"

"Impossible. I'm a noble myself. I know this maneuver all too well."

He scoffed and shook his head. "They just want to use you as a tool in their struggle. Once you're no longer useful, they'll toss you aside."

To put it plainly, they only wanted to use Svanney as a figurehead to rally support.

"Besides, you may be used to solitude, but is this really a suitable place for your research?"

"Do you still have enough research materials? Even if you do now, your current supplies will run out someday, and new materials will be discovered outside... can you really stand watching your research make no progress at all?"

First appeal to reason, then to emotion.

"And just as you said yourself, Dark Elf blood runs through your veins. Betrayal isn't something you find unacceptable."

"Since that's the case, what is there left to hesitate over?"

"Svanney, please help me. Give me a chance to help you."

He said:

"Rather than trusting those 'family members' who never trusted you, never understood your thinking, always belittled your research, and ignored you..."

"Why can't you choose me?"

Herbert smiled at Svanney, then bowed and gracefully extended his hand toward her.

The gesture looked just like an invitation to dance at a ball.

"So... do it for me."

"Please betray your family."