Hector’s eyes widened in shock. “Bernard? Are you certain?”

“Yes.” Frida nodded. “Although he hasn’t personally moved yet, we have spotted quite a few of his men making ventures into the southern part of your kingdom. We are under the impression these are mere scouts, preparing the way for another potential assault.”

Domeron frowned. “But that doesn’t make sense. Why would they circumvent the capital and target this region?”

“We don’t know either, but there are a few guesses.” she said. “The general has always been someone very interested in ruins from ancient times, and he has always pursued them on the side. We suspect he must have found a lead of interest to him, hence why there’s a reasonable chance they could target this town.”

‘They aren’t here because of the inheritance?’

Red was confused, but he thought better than to mention this in front of an agent of a sect. He didn’t know how much information the Crystal Sky Sect had about that accident, after all. However, there was another matter he felt puzzled about.

“Aren’t these ruins from an ancient temple? Why would an Imperial be interested in that?” he asked.

Imperials believed in the Celestial Gods, and this now ruined temple was dedicated to gods who no one even knew the names of in the present. For an imperial general to be interested in this was baffling, to say the least.

Frida seemed hesitant to respond. “… This is not typical Imperial behavior by any means. As far as we are led to understand, these pursuits of his are of his own personal interest, and have caused him no small amount of trouble in the Imperial Court.”

Hector snorted. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you telling me he is disobeying orders and risking a war just to explore some useless ruins?”

The woman sighed. “None of us can say for sure, but that’s certainly the impression we have been given from the outside.”

Red didn’t know what to think, and judging by the expression of those around the room, neither did his companions. The youth never had a concrete image in his mind to this once in a millennia talent, someone he had sworn to kill in the past. All he understood was that he was an incredibly strong knight, who was still barely starting in his path of ascension.

To now learn that the most talented individual in the world was someone who had no problem defying the will of his own country just to pursue his selfish interests left Red unsure of how to feel.

After a moment of reflection, Hector’s expression twisted in fury. “Do you mean to say that my entire life’s work is at risk just because some damn brat that is not even half my age decided they wanted to go spelunking?”

Frida shook her head. “This brat has the power and prestige to do almost anything he wants in the world. You should know better than anyone that this is what matters the most.”

“And your sect? Are they not going to send anyone to deal with him?”

The woman hesitated. “… That is not for me to say.”

The elder snorted. “You mean they will let him do as he pleases?”

“Your town is not the only one with a ruin in this kingdom. The sect can’t possibly have an elder watch every single one of these sites, and even if they did, it doesn’t mean they would be able to stop the Imperial General.”

“Then go and attack him directly!” Hector slammed his fist on the table. “You know he’s planning on breaking a treaty he made with your sect, so what are you waiting for?! Does your sect’s honor mean nothing any more?!”

Frida frowned. “Besides the fact this is not my decision to make, you know better than anyone else the answer to these questions. We have been having this same discussion internally for hundreds of years already.”

Domeron sighed. “They don’t find our kingdom worth enough to declare war against the Empire.”

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened in history. The Empire declared war against a small kingdom, got told off by the sects, sometimes even paid reparations for their aggressions, only to repeat the same transgression a few decades later. This was how they had conquered half the continent already, and yet the sects didn’t stop them, seeing as none of their actions crossed their bottom line. Or perhaps, for some of these sects it is better to say that by the time they thought to stop the Empire, they found out it wouldn’t be nearly as straightforward of a task as it would have been in the past. So they hesitated, rife with internal disputes about how to proceed, and this hesitation afforded the Empire even more time to strengthen itself.

There was an exception to this in the White Sun Sect, who was currently at war with the Empire, but unfortunately for Red and his companions, this sect was located in the north-western part of the continent, with their kingdom far beyond their range of influence.

Hector shook his head in disdain. “The same old story. When they finally decide to do something, the world will already be lost and cultivators will no longer exist.”

“I have not come here to discuss the stances of my sect, Hector.” Frida interjected. “We don’t know if Bernard will act personally, but judging by what happened in town already, he doesn’t need to be here himself to cause this place to collapse. A few of his subordinates would be more than enough to destroy this town, hence why the sect even agreed to this deal in the first place.”

The elder seemed like he wanted to say something, but the woman cut him off again.

She continued. “You are this town’s best chance to survive through this affair, and the sect is willing to put at least this much forward to acquire your assistance. Even with your sword, there is no guarantee that you will survive, but at the very least, you will be securing a future for your sect - and I know this is the most important thing to you right now. So instead of worrying yourself with the Crystal Sky Sect’s stance towards the Empire, why not concern yourself with your disciples and how to prepare them for a life without your protection and guidance?”

Hector glared at her in anger, but he remained silent. It seemed that her words rang true with him.

Even Red was surprised. Other than Domeron, the youth had never seen anyone put the elder in such a state where he was unable or unwilling to argue back.

Thankfully, the awkward atmosphere didn’t remain for long, as the swordsman once more tactfully interjected.

“There is something you should know.” he said as he stared at the woman. “There was a slight change of plans.”

Frida frowned, staring between the Hector and Domeron. “Do you mean to go back on your deal?”

“No, not at all.” The man shook his head. “However, only three people are going with your sect. The rest will stay behind.”

There was a change in the woman’s countenance, something she tried to disguise to no effect. “What do you mean?”

“Red, Allen, and Rimold are going.” Domeron said. “The rest will stay behind to help Hector.”

Frida’s expression twisted with distress, and she glared at Hector. “Why make them stay? They are not like you - they will definitely die!”

Hector snorted but didn’t say anything, meeting the woman’s hateful gaze in kind.

“This was not his decision.” Domeron said. “Me, Rog, and Goulth have all decided to stay behind out of our will.”

Frida’s face fell, much more so at the mention of that last name. “Why would you choose to do that?”

The swordsman gave her a soft smile. “We have loyalty to our sect, Frida. It might seem like what we did here is nothing more than playing pretend compared to what the Crystal Sky Sect is, but the truth is that this is our entire lives and we believe in what Hector was trying to build. If we can’t stand up and put our lives on the line to defend this place and our elder, how would we be able to face ourselves in the mirror?”

The woman seemed skeptical. “You still have your disciples. Who is going to teach Red and Allen if all of you die?”

Domeron chuckled. “Have you seen them lately? I’m certain both of them will open their Spiritual Seas soon, so what else will we have to teach them by then?”

“It’s not merely about teaching cultivation, it’s about guiding them in life. They are not even over 20!”

“Life has to be experienced, not taught. If we tried to guide them through that too, then we’d probably do more damage than good with our rotten views.”

Frida was silent for a while, trying to digest these words.

“… Is that what he said too?” she asked.

It was evident to Red who she was referring to.

Domeron nodded. “Maybe not with the same words, but I’m sure his thoughts are not too far from it.”

“… I’d like to see him.”

Hector scowled at this. “That is not a good idea. If he wanted to see you, he would have already gone to visit.”

“I don’t care what he wants. If you don’t let me see him, then I will refuse to guide your sect tomorrow!”

The elder’s expression fell. “You-”

“I will take her.” Red cut the old man off before he could say anything else. “I can convince him to speak to her if all else fails.”

Both Hector and Domeron stared at the youth in surprise.

The swordsman frowned. “Are you sure about this?”

Red nodded. “I am.”

Hector had a reluctant expression, but he remained silent. The youth took this as silent agreement to his decision.

Red looked over at Frida. “Come. He is probably still awake right now.”

If the youth knew anything about his master, he would probably be forging away in the middle of the night, unable to sleep with thoughts about the upcoming battle.

Frida stared at Red with a surprised gaze, but eventually she nodded at him with a sincere smile. “Then lead the way.”

…

A few minutes later, both of them were standing right outside the door of Goulth’s workshop. Just like Red expected, the lights were still on, and there was the noise of items being moved around inside.

Frida’s fluctuation was wavering as she approached, and the woman’s expression faltered. The youth ignored this, though, and approached the front door.

He knocked against it two times.

“Who is it?” Goulth’s annoyed voice came from inside.

“It’s Red.”

“Hm? What do you want this late?”

“Someone wants to see you.”

“Who wants to see me?” The blacksmith sounded confused.

“Frida.”

As soon as Red said that, the sound of shuffling inside the workshop stopped. The youth also felt the man’s fluctuation waver wildly, indicating his emotional state.

It took almost half a minute before a seemingly emotionless reply came from inside. “… Is she there?”

“She is.” Red said.

“Tell her to come in.”

The youth looked behind at the woman, who seemed on the verge of tears. She threw him a thankful gaze and opened the door, walking inside.

Red decided to give them some privacy and walked away, sitting on the grass a few dozen meters away.

…

Half an hour later, the woman walked out. Contrary to what the youth was expecting, there were no loud voices inside the workshop, and instead Red even heard the sound of laughter from inside every now and then. Judging by both of their fluctuations, it seemed like the conversation had gone well.

Frida spotted the youth waiting by the side and approached him. She had a sincere smile on her face, and her eyes were red from shed tears.

“Thank you for taking care of him.” she said. “To think he was so happy all these years… I should have tried to approach him earlier.”

Red didn’t quite know what to say, so instead he just nodded. “He took care of me, too.”

The woman smiled, looking back at the now closed workshop. “Did you know that we were meant to marry one day?”

The youth shook his head. This was the first time he was hearing about it.

“He decided to abandon our marriage once that damn old man called for his help.” she continued. “He said he needed to repay his debts, and how this might be the only opportunity he would have to find a disciple. I resented him then, but only now do I understand how important that was for him. Seeing him happy and fulfilled… That makes me happy too.”

Red didn’t know how to respond. It seemed like the woman was speaking more to herself than to him.

A few seconds later, she looked back at the youth. “Please, make him proud. That is all I ask of you.”

The youth nodded. “I will.”

This was one promise Red didn’t feel pressure into making.