Chapter -10.
"We were foolish to tangle with such a kind soul; people like him should have been left alone and treated kindly."
The prisoners in the cell could scarcely believe what they were hearing.
They had all resigned themselves to the idea of being forced into a loud slogan classroom, but they never imagined that the moment they gave in, Lester would elevate one of them to a small leader.
He even told this newly appointed leader to stab himself a few times to keep things lively. Was this really what human resources looked like? The thought of pushing someone with a scarred face forward sent shivers of fear through many of the inmates.
They were just petty criminals; being stabbed was definitely not on their agenda.
While the other confused prisoners were busy processing the situation, Lester kept going, "In a little bit, the next cell will start reciting the same slogans; you'll join in."
"I hope you study hard, so when you get out of here, you can be a good person and still remember my face!"
With that, he pointed at the new small leader and instructed, "Keep an eye on them; if they mess up, stab them."
"If anyone is disobedient, just let me know, and I'll take care of it."
The scarred man nodded vacantly at Lester's harsh directive.
He began to wonder why the voices of the prisoners chanting next door sounded like they were crying.
Now, seeing Lester's merciless demeanor, the scarred man suddenly understood the source of those tears.
Eagerly nodding to show he understood, the scarred man quickly pulled out a small knife from under his pillow.
As the head of this cell, he naturally had his own weapon.
"Shout loudly and keep an eye on them; I have high hopes for you," Lester said as he patted the scarred man's shoulder. After a moment's gaze, he once again vanished from sight.
Lester had other matters to attend to and no time to spare with these prisoners.
Just a few days prior, when he entered the prison, he carefully surveyed the layout of the Azkaban cells.
As the only prison in the British wizarding world, Azkaban held a variety of criminals.
Since it was the sole prison available, notorious Death Eaters alongside petty thieves found themselves incarcerated in Azkaban for monitoring.
If the crimes committed by these individuals weren't categorized for appropriate confinement, lives could be endangered daily.
That's why lighter offenders like Lester were typically held in larger outer cells, while only the worst dark wizards were confined to the innermost cells, spending their days in the company of Dementors.
From Lackie, Lester learned that Azkaban contained as many as ten light offender cells, each holding eight individuals.
Moreover, these cells were lined up in a row throughout the outer areas of Azkaban.
This meant that Lester, who had the ability to walk through walls, could easily transition between the various cells for light offenders.
Seeing the scarred man and others obediently accepting his authority, Lester felt satisfied and slipped back through the wall to his own cell.
Inside, Lackie and the other six were glancing at one another, kneeling on the floor as they awaited his return.
"Alright," Lester slowly became visible again after dropping his invisibility and stated, "The issue has been addressed."
"You've been running your mouths with the truthful slogans all day; it's time for a break now." On hearing that they could rest, the prisoners, still kneeling, immediately collapsed onto the floor.
After reciting the so-called truthful slogans nonstop for a day and night, complete with occasional stabs for mispronunciations, anyone would be in a similar state.
"Lackie," Lester approached him after everyone had settled down and asked, "Why didn't I see any Dementors today?"
Curious, Lester had two main reasons for having this group shout those ridiculous slogans so loudly.
One was to earn fear points through the stabbings when they messed up.
The other reason was that he expected their chanting would attract Dementors and provide him with another round of fear points.
With this strategy, he was confident he could make a significant leap forward within a year!
However, what puzzled him was that despite their loud recitation, he hadn't encountered a single Dementor all day.
"Well," Lackie hesitantly explained, "we light offenders are watched over by a single Dementor."
"Yesterday, that Dementor consumed a soul, so it's probably in a dormant state now."
Realizing this, Lester understood the Dementor was merely dormant, which startled him because he had thought they wouldn't show up anymore.
Once his doubts were cleared, Lester patted Lackie on the shoulder and said, "You all take a one-hour rest, and we'll begin the recitation afterward."
With that, he concealed himself again and turned invisible.
He needed to visit other cells and meet his fellow inmates.
Since they would all be aimlessly stuck in Azkaban, it would be better for them to learn a thing or two with him.
After their eventual release from prison, they could have a fresh start!
Thus, the kind-hearted and compassionate Lester embarked on his challenging recruitment mission.
Easily moving through cell walls, Lester slipped into another cell.
Once inside, he remained silent.
Wielding a small knife, he mercilessly stabbed the inmates regardless of their age or gender.
It was a tough choice; from his past experiences, he knew that sweet-talking them into joining his little classroom would likely backfire, and they might just see him as a fool.
So, Lester chose the simplest and most straightforward approach—without any introductions, he stabbed whomever he encountered.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you've gained +100 fear points from Mona Lisa.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you've gained +100 fear points from Obilia.]
[....]
Before long, Lester accumulated another 800 fear points.
Then, amidst the terrified and bewildered stares of the prisoners, Lester gradually revealed his presence.
Skillfully, he invited them into his little classroom for learning strange slogans and eagerly named it the "Azkaban Study Group."
The innocent prisoners, who had just been stabbed, were left speechless.
Looking at Lester, who appeared concerned and insisted they join his little classroom, those who had just been inexplicably stabbed felt deeply pained.
Can't you simply have a conversation? We never refused your study group! You just stabbed us in the waist—come on, that's a bit excessive, isn't it?
Facing the situation, they felt powerless; he could turn invisible and walk through walls.
Without wands to defend themselves, how could they fight back?
Thus, the prisoners in this cell reluctantly submitted.
Led by the former head of the cell, they all joined Lester's small classroom on those silly slogans.
As for whether their participation was genuine, they alone would know.
After all, being suddenly stabbed in the waist really stings!
TL/N : Reading this? add to library, and throw some power stones!!