“Then we are settled.” the Baron looked over at Hector. “When are you planning on leaving, Hector?”

“Tomorrow morning at the latest.” the elder said. “I need to settle some things within my sect first. I’ll be sending Domeron to coordinate things with your men tomorrow.”

The Baron nodded. “Good. Then, with fate permitting, we shall win over this horde with no accidents or loss of lives.”

After these words, the Baron exchanged some details with Gustav and Hector. He provided both of them with communication talismans and arranged details on where they would meet on the morrow. Orvin, captain of the guard, would coordinate their defensive efforts, while the Baron and Gustav’s two bodyguards would act independently, ready to move wherever their powers were required.

They exchanged some pleasantries before the Baron dismissed the meeting. Hector was the first to get up and walk towards the door, with Red and the others following behind. The boy took one final look back at the room, sensing the invisible fluctuation was still there.

Still, he didn’t let his gaze linger. Red planned on following Hector’s advice on this matter, and he wouldn’t mention this strange presence until the elder brought it up.

They soon left the castle and were back in the streets of town again. Allen, who had been strangely quiet the entire meeting, looked over at Hector with a worried expression.

“You’re not really going to put yourself in danger, are you?” he asked.

Hector nodded. “Of course I am, it’s what I agreed to.”

“B-But what if the monster is too strong even for you?”

The elder shrugged. “It’s entirely possible, but you shouldn’t worry about it. If the monster is too powerful even for me, I don’t intend to risk my life for a lost cause.”

Allen frowned. “What will happen to the town then?”

“Nothing will happen to the town even if we lose against the horde.” Hector shook his head. “The Baron has his own methods of defending this place. However, if we lose, it’s likely that we will be stuck inside the town for gods know how long until the sects can send someone to get rid of that wolf.”

Allen nodded, feeling more confident with the elder’s assurances

Hector continued to walk through the streets as if nothing else had happened. Red looked over at him with a frown, trying to communicate through his gaze.

The elder shook his head. “Not now.”

Red didn’t say anything else. It was very likely that Hector was worried about being heard even after they left the castle. The boy also focused on his crimson sense, worried this invisible individual could be following them, but he felt nothing within two hundred meters.

Since they couldn’t talk about this right now, Red decided to ask about something else that was on his mind. “Why are you so confident Gustav will follow the contract’s terms?”

“It’s because of the faction behind him.” Hector said. “You see, merchants like him are all backstabbing bastards, and yet how could they be successful in this world with such horrible reputations? No one would want to make deals with them and they wouldn’t be able to conduct any business.”

This was something Red hadn’t considered before. “You mean the contracts are their assurance?”

Hector nodded. “Indeed. His faction even encourages such skullduggery, and yet they have the inviolable rule that every one of its members should and will fulfill all the terms in any contract they sign of their own volition. Members that try to avoid these responsibilities are punished and most of the time expelled from the faction. It’s the only way they can keep their reputation in the world and be so successful.”

Red nodded in understanding. “What is the name of this faction exactly?”

“They’re called the Golden Prestige Guild.”

“So they’re a guild like us?”

Hector glared at him and Red fell silent.

Soon enough, they were back in their sect’s street and out of prying eyes of the townspeople. Hector suddenly stopped walking and looked back at Red with a questioning gaze.

The boy knew what he wanted to know. “I sense no one.”

“Good.” Hector nodded with a serious expression. “Then we need to talk.”

“Huh?” Allen looked at the elder in confusion. “The sect is right there! Why do we need to talk right outside?”

The elder shook his head. “We can’t be sure there’s no one else spying on us in there, so it’s safer to do it out here.”

The young master’s face paled. “There are spies in the sect?”

“It’s totally possible, which is why it’s better to be safe.” Hector looked back at Red. “Now, tell me, what exactly did you sense?”

“A single individual in the meeting room.” Red said. “They were standing behind the Baron the entire time without moving and I at first thought they were one of the guards.”

“Wait!” Allen cut him off. “I’m sure there was no one behind the Baron!”

“That’s the problem.” Red nodded. “I saw no one there either, but I’m certain I felt someone there with my powers.”

“So they were invisible?” The young master frowned.

“It’s not that simple.” Hector shook his head. “It’s more than just invisibility.”

It was Red’s turn to be confused. “What do you mean?”

“I have a technique that allows me to scout my surroundings using my Spiritual Energy.” Hector said. “It works similarly to the echolocation of certain monsters, where I send out a wave of Spiritual Energy to my surroundings and they bounce back to me, giving me an accurate layout of the closed space I’m in. It’s nowhere near as powerful as the Spiritual Sense of cultivators in the Spirit Core realm, but it’s extremely useful in detecting hidden and invisible presences.”

Eiwin frowned. “But you didn’t detect anything there?”

“That’s correct.” Hector nodded. “I have a habit of using it in any place I stay for more than just a few minutes, and I had already used it even before the kid told me about the invisible presence. I’m certain there was no one there behind the Baron.”

This revelation came as a shock to everyone. Red even began to question himself as to the accuracy of his crimson sense.

‘Could it be that there’s something interfering with my power?’

After yesterday’s incident, Red couldn’t discount it.

Hector seemed to sense the boy’s doubt. “I’m not questioning the veracity of your claim, kid. I don’t know exactly how your power works, but I do know that there are plenty of techniques out there that can fool my own detection methods. The only issue is that for that to happen, the individual in question will most certainly be a high level cultivator. At the very least higher than me.”

Red frowned. Back then, this invisible individual seemed no more powerful than a normal guard to his crimson sense, but the boy couldn’t trust what he felt at face value.

“W-Wait!” Allen’s face paled. “Could that have been one of those demonic cultivators?”

Hector frowned. “We can’t say for certain, but we have to consider the possibility. It could also be a cultivator sent by another sect to spy on us or to keep things in order. They always had a habit of being secretive.”

“There’s also another possibility.” Eiwin said. “This could be just a weaker individual armed with a treasure that can fool people’s senses. Maybe they were even there under the Baron’s own orders.”

Hector grunted. “Hm… That could be true too, but even then, the mere fact someone could possess a treasure like that means their background is not to be underestimated, regardless of their power. In any case, I have the distinct feeling that this coming battle will not be as straightforward as it seems…”

The woman put on a worried expression. “Do you think other forces might take this opportunity to attack us?”

The elder nodded. “What better occasion than when we are occupied fighting against a ravenous horde of monsters? There are too many forces that have remained quiet in this region for months already. The Empire, whose envoys yet remain in the capital for negotiations, Rickard, the demonic cultivators, the Curse Breakers, even that bloody necromancer who disappeared after that trial.”

Red tensed once he heard that last name.

Hector continued. “The Baron knows this as well, but the fact he remains so confident means he has some tricks up his sleeve. Perhaps that invisible individual is a guardian of sorts that can help us in case things go south.”

“If that’s the case, what reason does he have to keep it hidden from us?” Allen asked.

“It’s probably out of fear of information leaking.” the elder said. “Maybe this hidden protector means to use us as bait to draw out certain individuals and if news of their presence was made public, then their planning would be for naught.”

The young master’s eyes widened in shock. “T-They’re using us as bait?”

Hector smiled. “Wouldn’t be the first time. In any case, anything at this point is mere conjecture, but we need to be ready for the worst-case scenario.”

Eiwin frowned. “You mean…”

The elder nodded. “Evacuation of the sect.”

“… B-But didn’t you say that the town would be safe?” Allen asked with a crestfallen expression.

Hector shook his head. “That’s only from outside attacks. If the enemy is already inside, of what use would these defenses be?”

A heavy silence followed his words.

“Goulth and Domeron will remain behind and make preparations.” Hector said. “The rest will all be going out to fight against the horde.”

“Including me?” Allen was surprised.

“Indeed.” the elder nodded. “Inside the town might not be any safer out there, and if something goes wrong near the front lines, I might still be able to rescue you from danger.”

The young master looked both happy and worried at the same time.

Hector looked at Eiwin. “I will leave you in charge of the group in the front lines.”

The woman frowned. “Miss Valt has always been the one to lead us in these kinds of confrontations.”

“If this was just combat, I wouldn’t think twice about putting her in charge. However, if things go wrong just as I’m thinking they will, then you need to prioritize your fellow sect members’ safety, and I don’t trust Narcha to make the best decision then.”

Eiwin seemed hesitant, but she still nodded.

“Good.” Hector nodded. “I will brief all of our sect members on this, but it’s important for you to be bracing yourselves.” he looked over at Red. “This includes you too, kid. Since you’re the only person capable of detecting this invisible individual, your help might mean the difference between life or death for all of us.”

‘This certainly isn’t the kind of responsibility I would like to have.’

Still, the boy nodded despite his misgivings. “I will do my best.”

It was all he could and all he had ever done.