“Follow me.” Leon said. “I have a carriage waiting for us.”

Red shook his head. “I can walk back on my own.”

“Ah, you certainly could, but how would you attend the meeting like that?”

“I thought you said that was tonight.”

“Well… Circumstances changed.” Leon shrugged with a helpless. “I called my friends to meet us over at my manor. They will be waiting for you there.”

Red frowned, and for a moment he considered refusing the invitation. He wasn’t ungrateful, but as things stood, he still needed some rest to recover his strength after the assassination attempt.

Leon seemed capable of reading the situation from his silence. “Trust me, this is more than just a casual meeting. We will be discussing things that will certainly be of interest to you.”

“How would you know what’s of interest to me?”

“We might have need of your expertise and there’s a lot of money to be made… But if that alone doesn’t convince you, wouldn’t you at least like to learn more about the Shadow and why you might have been targeted?”

Red sighed and fell silent once again. Their presence in front of the guard base was drawing more than a few curious and hostile gazes, and the youth didn’t want to spend a moment longer in this place.

“Lead the way.” he nodded.

“Great!”

Leon smiled and led Red over to an ornate carriage drawn by two horses. An older man wearing butler’s clothing sat on the coach’s seat, and once he noticed their approach, he made a slight bow.

“Young master." The butler nodded. “Where to?”

“Back to our manor.” Leon said as he opened the door and climbed into the carriage. He looked back at Red. “Come on, get in.”

Red followed him in, closing the door behind him and sitting across from the young man. Soon enough, the carriage lurched, and they were being led through the busy streets of the capital.

Leon looked out the window with a relaxed expression. “Have you had the opportunity to get to know the city?”

Red shook his head. “I have learned what I needed to learn.”

The young master chuckled. “Of course, you are a cultivator, after all. Even so, there are some sights worth seeing in this plac-…”

Right as he said that, they passed through what seemed to be a widespread brawl in front of a store. Guards were trying to restrain the agitators, but it was clear they were lacking in manpower to contain the fight.

Leon cleared his throat and looked away from the sight as they drove by. “Of course, the capital doesn’t find itself in the best of states at this moment, but trust me when I say there are sights and experiences you can only taste in here.”

Red completely ignored his companion’s attempts at conversation, instead looking around the carriage.

“You have no bodyguards.” He said.

“I don’t.” Leon nodded, as if he found his reply reasonable.

“Why?”

“Well, I can carry my own in a fight, and I also have some items on me against such ambushes.”

“Enough to live against one of the Shadows?”

He laughed. “Not necessarily. However, only a bodyguard at the Greater Ring Realm would provide me with any security against such a threat, and those are in short supply.”

“Your family doesn’t have any such cultivators?”

Leon’s expression turned solemn at this question. “We had five of them… Right now, the only ones alive in that realm are my father and my uncle.”

‘So that is the power of a noble house.’

Red, noticing he seemed to have touched on a sensitive subject, decided not to ask any further questions. Leon didn’t remain in a gloomy state for long, though, and soon was spewing all sorts of facts about the city to his mostly silent companion.

Their trip brought them into the inner city, and closer to the towering palace than Red had ever been before. Eventually, the carriage came to a stop near a large manor wide enough to occupy an entire neighborhood at the outer edges of the capital. The house itself was already big enough, but the yard and other facilities surrounding it seemed to form a small village closed off by large steel fences.

A white flag flew above the main gate, with a golden sigil of a strange wolf-like beast.

Red didn’t recognize it, but he could only assume it belonged to the Northvale family. Two guards waiting by the gate opened the way for the carriage, who drove onto a road that seemed more well-paved than the one outside, before stopping near the entrance of the manor proper.

Leon opened the door and walked out, with Red following behind him. As soon as he stepped out, the young master was greeted by a group of five maids and butlers.

An older maid, the one at the lead of said group, bowed to him. “Welcome back, young master.”

“Thank you, Silla.” Leon nodded. “Have my guests already arrived?”

“Young Master Emeric and Young Lady Ilse are here. Pierre is yet to arrive, and Madam Lehmann said she would not be able to attend.”

‘Lehmann?’

Red frowned at the name, but he didn’t speak up.

“Very well.” Leon nodded. “Where are they?”

“In the gazebo in the backyard where you told me to take them.”

“Have you provided them with refreshments?”

“Yes, young master.”

“Good.” The young man looked back at Red. “Do you have any preferences?”

“Of what?” Red asked.

“Drinks, something to eat, perhaps.” Leon shrugged. “Your preference.”

“I don’t want anything.” He shook his head.

“Fine, then.” Leon looked at the woman. “I will take my guest there. We are not to be disturbed until I say otherwise.”

“As you wish, young master.” the maid nodded.

The two of them walked through the path around the manor until they arrived in the backyard - a garden full of vibrant plants and a large artificial lake where various colorful fish swam - with a spacious gazebo at the center of it all. Two individuals sat inside it, with all sorts of delicacies spread across a table in front of them.

One of them - a young, tall and slender man, with blonde short hair and refined features - spoke in a boisterous voice that could be heard from the other side of the courtyard.

“With the mask he is supposed to be wearing? Has to be a barbarian shaman!”

Another calmer voice responded, this one coming from an elegant young woman with long auburn hair and a fashionable red dressing that seemed to shine brighter than even the surrounding garden.

“You have no sense for these things, you oaf.” She shook her head and took a sip of her tea. “If he really wants to hide his identity, why would he wear something that would give others a hint about his background?”

“Maybe that’s what he wants you to think.” The blonde youth tapped his head. “Hiding in plain sight, and all of that. Besides, haven’t you heard his name? I looked it up, and-”

“Shush!” The lady put her cup down and glared at her companion before looking back.

“What? What is it-” The young man followed her gaze and spotted Red and Leon approaching the gazebo. “Oh, look! They’re here!”

Leon waved at the duo as he approached, while Red, who quite clearly heard their entire conversation, followed behind him in silence as he observed them. He had already long since scouted their cultivation with his crimson senses, and unsurprisingly discovered that both of them were at the Lesser Ring Realm.

“Leon, is that…?” The blonde young man’s gaze was drawn to Red, showing undisguised curiosity.

“Yes.” Leon nodded. “The friend I wanted to introduce to you.”

“By the gods, he looks even more savage than I expected! Why are you all bloody?!”

“Someone tried to kill me.” Red said.

“Wait… You’re still wearing those clothes from when the Shado-”

“Be quiet!” The young woman interrupted him. “Let us at least be introduced before you force all your impertinent questions on him!”

“Right, of course! My name is Lord Emeri-

“The host, Emeric! The host is the one supposed to make the introductions!”

Leon chuckled. “It’s fine, it’s fine!”

He turned around, looking over at Red.

“This is Master Viran, as you may already know.” He then pointed at the duo. “That is Lady Ilse, and this is Lord Emeric. They are my good friends.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Viran.” Lady Ilse got up and did a curtsy towards Red. “I heard a lot about you from Leon.”

‘We only met yesterday.’

Red refrained from pointing that out, though.

“So…” Lord Emeric extended his hand towards him. “Are you a barbarian?”

Red looked down at his hand and made no motion to accept his handshake. The young master seemed to become embarrassed at this before retracting his hand.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “We welcome even peasants amongst us, so what is a barbarian on top of it?”

Red sighed before looking over at Leon. The young man seemed to guess at his thoughts and pointed at one of the chairs.

“Please, sit.” he said. “We don’t want to discuss this on our feet.”

Everyone sat down, and Ilse and Emeric proceeded to partake of the pastries in front of them like they were never interrupted.

“So, Leon.” Lord Emeric said. “I saw that egg-headed bastard yesterday, and you won’t imagine what-”

“Not now, Emeric.” Leon cut him off. “Business first.”

The young man's eyes widened. “Business first?”

Leon nodded. “Out of consideration for our friend’s time.”

“Oh, right.” Emeric looked Red up and down, as if only now remembering his state. “Business first, then.”

The air around the young man changed, and he adjusted his posture on the chair. From a decadent wastrel to a serious politician partaking in an important meeting - the change was evident to all who looked at him.

Lady Ilse took one last sip of her tea before setting it down and adjusting her posture, too.

“The others are not here yet.” she said.

“Marina isn’t coming.” Leon shook his head. “And I have already spoken to Pierre.”

‘Marina…’

If Red was uncertain before, that name all but confirmed the identity of one of Leon’s friends.

“What have you found?” Leon looked at Emeric and asked.

“Not much more than you.” The young man shook his head. “Noble circle was just as surprised when they heard about the Shadow, and no one seems to have done anything out of the ordinary yet. Not even the usual suspects.”

“How’s the court response?”

“They moved quickly, as I’m sure you know.” Emeric spared a glance at Red. “None of them seem too keen or hopeful in pursuing this investigation, though. At least not with the Imperials at our gates.”

“Of course.” Leon nodded before looking over at Ilse. “What about you?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head with a calm expression. “Though this shouldn’t surprise you. The Shadows would never make contracts with reckless clients.”

The young master sighed. “So it seems.”

They all fell silent, and Red was left puzzled.

“I thought you said I would learn more about this Shadow.” he said, looking over at Leon.

“I did.” Leon nodded. “We have still not given up on investigations, but first of all, there is something you should know…”

When he said those words, the air around the gazebo suddenly changed.

“Leon, what are you saying?” Lady Ilse asked with a frown. “What do you mean to tell him?”

“I mean to tell him everything.” Leon said.

“But you’ve only just met him yesterday! How could you trust him with that information?”

“I know, but the fact he was targeted by the Shadow means he is definitely not on our enemy’s side.”

“So says you! There is still no proof they were involved!”

“It’s a matter of life or death for him, Ilse.” he said. “There is no telling if or when he will be targeted by them again. By then, not only will an innocent bystander have lost their life, but we will also have lost a potential ally.”

Ilse frowned at those words, and although she fell silent, her skeptical expression remained. Red, who had no idea to what they were talking about, listened to the conversation with interest.

Emeric frowned and looked between Red and Leon. “Are you certain about this?”

“If we had more time, I would have proceeded more slowly, but right now, we have no choice.” Leon said.

“Fine, then. I trust your judgement.”

The young master gave his friend a grateful smile before turning over towards Red.

“You must be confused.”

“Not particularly.” Red shook his head.

“There is something you should know, Master Viran…” Leon said with some hesitation. “As you might have surmised yourself, though the city nobles might seem to have had motive to act against you after guessing you might be a Golden Hand agent, it’s hard to imagine they would resort to assassination to deal with you.”

“Assassination through Shadow, no less.” Emeric said.

Red nodded. “I have been told as much before.”

Leon continued. “This leaves us then, with the reasonable possibility that a third party might have been involved. One who might have benefited from seeing you dead.”

“Benefited how?”

“We think they would have used this as pretext to further the conflict between the royalists and the Golden Hand in the court.” Emeric said. “Even if you weren’t an agent of the Golden Hand, they surely would have seen an attack against their client as a major provocation.”

Leon nodded. “And at that point, it wouldn’t matter if they found it reasonable that a noble could be behind this. If they didn’t seek retribution, they would be displaying weakness.”

Red fell silent in thought. “… That is certainly a reasonable way to see it. But that is not what you wanted to tell me, right?”

In fact, the youth had considered such possibilities himself, but they were beyond him to investigate. At least, so he thought until a moment ago.

Emeric and Leon exchanged glances, as at that point the young Northvale master seemed to hesitate to speak. Someone else spoke in his stead, though.

“What matters is not their intent, but who is behind it.” Ilse said, looking at Red. “Demon cultists, Master Viran. They have infiltrated our capital.”