Red didn’t respond to the accusation, but the General’s gaze seemed to see the truth even beneath his mask.

“This is nothing more than an educated guess.” The man shrugged. “I can’t sense any Spiritual Energy from that sword, but it’s not rare for artifacts to be imbued with runes to hide their power… Of course, the safer option would be to stow it in a dimensional storage, but I assume you don’t have the option.”

The youth still kept silent, paying close attention to the General’s actions. Although he kept his composure, his mind was working furiously to come up with responses to whatever came next, but no obvious way out made itself apparent.

The older man seemed to guess at what he was thinking, so he just gave him an amenable smile. “I had my men ask around, and never once did they see you part ways with your swords. In fact, you made quite a point to be with them even in your meeting in the Golden Temple. Mind you, it’s not uncommon for swordsmen to refuse to part ways with their blades, but I sense no shred of Sword Energy or intent in you, so that led me to believe the value lies in the weapons’ powers rather than in their emotional significance. After last night, Captain Johann was able to inspect that dark iron sword of yours and assured me it was not an artifact, so that only leaves me with one option…”

‘The other sword, of course.’

This was an oversight on Red’s part, but one that there was no way to avoid. A covered weapon at a cultivator’s side was always sure to catch the eye of others, and yet the youth could not part ways with the blade, seeing as it contained a demon within its steel.

“Of course, there is no hard evidence to back up any of this.” General Winslowe said. “But I have a feeling that I’m not off base, and with my experience, you learn to trust your gut on these things.”

“Is that relevant to the assassination attempt from yesterday?” Red asked.

“Not directly.” The man shook his head. “It’s not uncommon for cultivators to carry hidden artifacts with them, so it’s hardly something I can blame you for. However, this does relate to another matter of importance: who are you exactly?”

This was the question Red didn’t want to hear.

The General seemed to read over a list on his table. “Mask to hide your identity, what I assume can only be a fake name, skills with scripture, carrying a powerful artifact… You have something to hide, that much is clear, but that in and of itself is not particularly rare in our capital during times of war. I wouldn’t be so interested in it either if it wasn’t for what happened yesterday. So here is the question, Master Viran, why did one of the Shadow try to kill you?”

“If you’re as well informed as you seem to be, you will probably know more about it than me.” Red shook his head.

“Right… You were at the center of a dispute between the Golden Hand and the Royalists, though your involvement was more of a catalyst to their previous disputes than anything.” The man nodded. “At one point or the other, it was likely some nobles would have tried to make matters hard for you, but to involve one of the Shadows directly… Too big of a cost and too high of a risk to get rid of the equivalent of a pawn. It makes no sense as a political move.”

Red kept silent, but he frowned beneath his mask. These were questions that bothered him, too.

“There must be another reason.” The General said. “Another reason they would want to kill you. Perhaps you yourself might not be aware of it, or maybe you have a good idea what it is. In any case, I’m certain it involves some of your secrets, and my intuition has never led me astray on these matters.”

‘Another reason…’

Red could imagine such reasons, but it was hard to substantiate anything without hard evidence. Suffice it to say, though, following such a line of thought would be disadvantageous to the youth.

“I’m afraid there has been some sort of misunderstanding here.” Red shook his head. “Whatever reasons that assassin had for targeting me, you know as much about it as me.”

General Winslowe smiled. “Is that so? Then you wouldn’t mind cooperating with me, would you?”

He extended his hand over towards Red.

“Would you mind letting me see that sword at your waist?”

Red’s frown deepened. “… Is this an order?”

“Not at all. It is merely a friendly request.” The man said. “Mayhap you could have acquired an artifact of interest to the Shadow, hence why you were targeted. Since we don’t know the real reason, it’s important to explore all venues to find a connection that would help us catch the culprit... This is something I will stress to my superiors in the court tomorrow.”

In other words, while this was still a friendly request, the General was more than willing to turn this request into a more “formal” one. Red couldn’t help but sigh internally.

‘How did it come to this?’

Wasn’t he the one being targeted by assassins? What did he do to accrue such suspicion?

The worse of it all was that General Winslowe wasn’t wrong for pushing the youth on the matter either. It was likely one or many of his secrets were involved in the reason he was targeted by the Shadow.

‘What do I do now?’

Handing his sword over was out of the question. Yet, was there really no way to leave this conversation on a friendly note? A note that would make sure investigators wouldn’t come knocking at his door and turn his manor upside down in search of clues.

Before Red could think much further, there was another knock at the door.

“What is it?” The General frowned, showing the first hint of displeasure since their conversation began. “I’m busy!”

“G-General, someone is demanding to see you!” The voice of Captain Johann came from behind the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s the son of Duke Leon!”

Red’s eyes narrowed.

“What?!” The General sounded baffled. “What does that child want now?”

“That ‘child’ is here under the orders of the Minister of the Left, Duke Leon Northvale, to see that the investigations into yesterday’s accident are proceeding apace.” Another voice came from behind the door, one Red was familiar with.

The General’s frown deepened. “… Come in.”

The door opened, and in walked Leon, wearing similarly fashionable noble clothing from when he met Red yesterday, yet embroidered in a different style and with much more vibrant colors. Once he walked in, he looked at Red and nodded with a smile.

Captain Johann waited behind him, but he didn’t dare to barge into his superior’s office like the young master.

General Winslowe let out a sigh as he looked at that friendly yet conniving visage. "What is it you want, Young Master Leon?”

Leon smiled. “Didn’t I tell you, General? I’m here to make sure the investigation is proceeding apace.”

The man frowned. “Your father sent you, is it?”

“He did.” The young master nodded. “As soon as he heard about the matter of the Shadow resurfacing again, he took great interest in accompanying the investigation closely. However, his responsibilities as minister make it impossible for him to personally take part in the proceedings, so he sent me, his son, to assess matters in this place.”

“… I see.” The General nodded. “It just so happens we were in the middle of an interrogation.”

“And am I to believe this gentleman is the victim?” Leon pointed at Red.

“Yes, he-”

“Great! Then please, continue from where you left off!” Leon waved and walked to the side of the room, watching the two of them with a smile.

No one said anything, though, and an awkward atmosphere set into the office.

Leon frowned in confusion. “What is it General? Please, continue with the interrogation as if I wasn’t here!”

The man’s face continued to get uglier. “I will, but-”

“What is it? Is there a complication?” Leon looked at Red. “Is he not cooperating with your questions?”

“He wants to see my sword.” Red said.

“Huh? Your sword?” The young master looked over at General Winslowe with surprise. “Is his weapon relevant to the case?”

The General eyebrow twitched. “… If you would step outside the room, I can-”

“He thinks I’m hiding a secret, and that secret is the reason the Shadow attacked me.” Red said, cutting the General off. “He seems to think that by prying into my past and things that I keep from the public eye, it will give him an insight into why I was targeted.”

The youth, who was smart enough to pick up on Leon’s cues, interjected before the General could say anything. This earned him a glare from the man who was an entire realm above him, but before he could be rebuked, Leon spoke up.

“Is that true, General?” The young master asked in a severe tone.

“Yes, young master.” The man didn’t deny it. “The Shadow have always been very hard to hire, so it’s hard to imagine a minor dispute in court would lead to someone hiring them to eliminate an almost unrelated party. There has to be another reason for their actions.”

“Is that so, General?” Leon frowned. “And what evidence do you have to back that claim up?”

“The background of the victim is entirely unknown, young master. It’s rather obvious that he is hiding something, and that could be rather vital in-”

“Vital how, General?” Leon cut him off. “Unless this person is directly involved with the Shadow, do you think you will find anything that will get us closer to their capture?”

“… Any information at this point is valuable, young master. It could get us a lead we would otherwise not have.”

“A lead?” Leon shook his head. “You have been investigating their organization for longer than I have been alive, General. Even when we found people who had direct dealings with them, it always led to a deadend and we could never so much as get close to their leadership. Why are things different this time?”

The General frowned. “Young Master, we can’t give up on a lead, no matter where it takes us.”

Leon sighed. “May I be frank, General?”

“That’s all I wish you would be, young master.”

“Someone gets attacked by the Shadow, survives, and the first thing the City Guard does is to investigate and pressure the victim. What kind of message do you think that sends to the rest of the capital?”

The man was quiet, but judging by his expression, it was clear he wasn’t too happy to hear this.

Leon continued. “I know what you are gonna say, ‘this is the only lead we have.’ You probably had your man investigate the entire area and maybe even the entire city for clues about the assassin’s whereabouts, only to turn empty-handed. Now, having to come to terms with your failure in turning up anything useful once more, you turn to harassing the victim in hopes of finding clues you know very well will not be there.”

“I do not appreciate your insinuation, Young Master Leon.”

“I do not share these thoughts, General, and I am certain of your commitment to keeping this city safe. Yet, you can surely see how others looking from the outside will interpret this situation, can you not?”

The General snorted. “So what do you suggest, young master? To just let him go? For what? To appease how the court and people will look at our efforts?”

“That is exactly what I suggest, General.” Leon nodded. “Our house, most of all, is committed to finding and eliminating the Shadow. If we believed such a line of pursuit would turn up positive results, we wouldn’t mind to let you continue it. Yet, this is a pattern we have seen many times before, and more than a few innocent lives were hurt during these pursuits. In such troubled times, it’s important we thread carefully in how we deal with these matters.”

“… Am I to assume these are also the Duke’s thoughts? Or is this just another one of your attempts to save one of your strange friends?”

“I am representing my father’s will, General Winslowe. I assure you he won’t protest to my decision.”

The General sighed and shook his head. “Get out of my office, you two.”

Leon nodded. “Thank you for your understanding, General.” He turned towards Red and nodded. “Come with me.”

Soon, the two of them were walking out of the headquarters under the unfriendly gazes of hundreds of guards. It seemed Leon didn’t have an excellent reputation amongst the city guard.

Once they were outside, Leon turned towards Red with a smile.

“You’re free now.”

“Why did you help me?” Red asked.

With his suspicious nature, this was the first question that came to his mind.

Leon chuckled. “Why, did you forget? You still owe me that meeting later tonight!”

Once again, Red started to regret his decision to come to this city.