There was a heavy silence as the three nobles didn’t know how to react to Red’s response. Only when the youth was almost fifty meters away that they had a reaction.

“W-Wait, Master Viran!”

Leon came running after him, but Red didn’t stop.

“Please, just wait a second!” Leon said as they walked side-by-side. “There is more to discuss before you give us a definitive answer!”

“What else is there?” Red asked.

“I know the task may seem dangerous, but we have prepared countermeasures for it!”

“Better countermeasures than what a sect could provide?”

“W-Well, not necessarily, but-”

“You don’t even know what you’re dealing with.” Red shook his head and kept walking.

“We don’t, but that’s why we need your help!” Leon looked at him with a desperate look. “Innocent people may suffer if this matter is left alone! I understand you’re not a citizen of this city, but would you ignore their plight if you could help?”

“It is a pity, but I have to care for my own safety first.”

Red didn’t mind offering a helping hand to someone in need, but that was only in case his own life wasn’t put at risk in the process. To get involved in this demonic matter at the moment was a bad idea, and for more reasons than his hosts apparently knew.

Leon frowned, struggling to come up with any other reasons to convince his guest. “T-Then what about compensation? We haven’t discussed that!”

“You wouldn’t be able to afford my price.”

“How would you know that before we even discussed it? I know that what I’m asking you to do is reasonable, so I’m willing to pay a significant sum, if that’s what it takes!”

“… How much?”

This finally gave Red some pause. Taking a risk was always a bad idea, unless there was a worthy reward waiting for him at the end.

Leon shook his head. “However, much is necessary, but listen- can we at least continue this discussion back at the table?”

Red finally stopped walking. “… Fine.”

“Good, then we-”

“But I need you to tell me the truth first.”

Red lowered his voice as he stared at Leon.

The young master seemed confused. “What do you mean?”

“You’re hiding something from me.”

This time, Leon’s face became more serious. He seemed to consider his words for a moment, looking back at the gazebo where his companions waited from the corner of his eyes.

He then looked at Red with a stern gaze. “What exactly do you think I’m hiding from you?”

“Your reasons for investigating this formation are flimsy.” The youth said. “You seem sure that you will get something useful out of investigating this matter, so much so that you would invite a stranger to do it for you when out of options… You know something about it that you’re not telling me and don’t feel comfortable telling others.”

The risk of investigating a demonic formation might be high, but if Leon was offering so much money in the first place, Red was sure someone would take the job. Besides, while it was possible the guard was none too eager to investigate the formation, if they were sure they would get something useful out of it, would they hesitate to look into it? It was not like it would be one of their guards researching the runes in the first place, so the most they would do is spend a lot of money to hire a specialist to do it.

Leon instead acted like this was a task of utmost importance, and while it might all be a shot in the dark, Red found that to be too farfetched. Wouldn’t it be more useful to spend these resources to investigate other cultist activity? It’s not like the city was lacking any, by the looks of it.

The entire situation was too suspicious, and there were some other matters too that led him to believe Leon was hiding something from him.

The young master sighed. “… You’re sharp, but I’m afraid that is something I can’t tell you unless you agree to the job.”

“… Let’s discuss compensation first, then.”

Leon smiled, somewhat regaining his composure. “That is wise.”

They returned to the gazebo, receiving weird looks from the two other nobles.

“How did you convince him?” Emeric asked.

“… We will discuss compensation first.” Leon said.

Lady Ilse chuckled. “Hah! So much for him doing it out of the kindness of his heart.”

“I do not blame him.” Emeric shook his head. “We are putting him in a difficult situation in the first place.”

Leon sat down across from Red, ignoring the comments of his companions. “So exactly how much do you want?”

Emeric almost spit out the tea from his mouth as he heard this. “What is this ‘how much do you want’?! Are you right in the head?! What if he asks for more than this is worth?!”

“He is the one taking the risk, so he deserves to set the price.”

“Ah, this guy! Do you even know anything about negotiating?!”

Leon ignored his companion and looked back at Red. “So how much?”

“I want more than just money.” Red said.

Emeric glared at him. “More than just money?! So you want the money too?!”

“What is it you need?” Leon asked.

“I need you to find someone for me.” Red said.

“That shouldn’t be too hard if they live in the city-”

“Don’t say that just yet. They are related to the Golde Hand.”

This indeed made the young master’s face of relief to change slightly.

“Is it a member of the Golden Hand?” he asked.

“No.” Red shook his head. “You could say it’s one of their clients.”

“I see… And how big of a client are they?”

“Not big at all as far as I know, but the Golden Hand might be keeping their eye on them.”

Leon closed his eyes in thought. “I assume this is a matter that requires secrecy?”

“That is correct.”

The young master opened his eyes. “If it’s as you say, then this shouldn’t be a problem. What do you know about them?”

Red shook his head. “That is something I can only tell you if you agree to my other terms. I also need a variety of items.”

Leon nodded. “Cultivation items?”

“Yes. Do you have pen and paper?”

The youth put his finger to his mouth before whistling. A servant came running over from around the corner. Leon ordered them to bring him pen and paper, and less than a minute later, they had returned with the items.

The young master handed them over to Red. “Please.”

Red didn’t stand on ceremony. His list wasn’t long, and less than half a minute later, he handed it back.

When Leon eyed it over, he seemed surprised.

“What? What is it?”

Emeric, who was watching his expression, moved over to get a look. His expression changed when he saw the items.

“Wha- So many formations! What are you trying to build, a fortress?!”

“It doesn’t matter.” Leon shook his head. “You say you want these formations and fifty Spirit Stones?”

Red nodded. “That’s right.”

The young master frowned for a moment. “I see… And these are your only conditions?”

“Correct.”

“That’s more than a hundred spirit stones!” Emeric said in shock. “Is he really worth all that?”

“I have seen his talismans.” Leon said. “If he is half as good in formation drawing, then it’s more than enough for what we need.”

The young master looked back at Red and nodded.

“I agree with these conditions.”

“I also need a guarantee.” Red said.

“A guarantee on top of all this you’re getting?” Emeric frowned. “We’re the ones who should be getting a guarantee!”

“Your guarantee comes in me agreeing to be related to this conspiracy at all.”

“Agh, but still…”

“It’s fine.” Leon cut his companion off. “He’s right.”

As he said that, he fished something out of his pouch before handing it over to Red. It was a golden insignia of the same strange-wolf beast that represented the symbol of the Northvale family.

“What is this?” Red asked as he looked over the object.

There was no sign of Spiritual Energy coming from it.

“This is a symbol carried by honored guests of my house.” Leon said. “It grants you the privilege of using any of our services in the city, including our facilities. It also allows you to visit the Royal Court, and to leave and enter the city at will. Not to mention that if you show this to the guards, they should stop giving you so much trouble.”

“This… Are you certain about it, Leon?” Emeric asked with an uncertain expression.

“Of course… It’s the only guarantee I can give that would satisfy him, anyway.”

Red frowned. On the surface, this didn’t look like much of a guarantee and more like another reward, but there was obvious meaning behind this insignia. If what Leon said was true, it represented the will of a great noble house of the kingdom, and any trouble its carrier got into while wearing it would also reflect on the family.

With this, Red could deliberately cause problems for them if he wished to. Not to mention, the benefit of being able to travel freely through the capital couldn’t be understated.

He wouldn’t be bound by bureaucracy to this city if he was forced to leave in a hurry.

“Does this serve as collateral, Master Viran?” Leon asked.

Red, who couldn’t detect a hint of dishonesty from his fluctuation, nodded. “It will suffice… But there are also the others.”

“Others?” Leon looked back at his companions. “Them?”

“You don’t want me to give you my insignia too, do you?!” Emeric glared at Red.

“No.” Red shook his head.

“Good, because-”

“You can also hand something of equal value as collateral.” Red cut him off. “The choice is up to you.”

“Ugh, you bastard!”

Ilse didn’t say anything, but judging from her expression, she also wasn’t happy to hear his demands.

Leon sighed. “I understand your worries, Master Viran, but the situation of my companions is different from mine.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, their houses are not as powerful as mine. In fact, Lady Ilse is the only member of her family in the capital, and Lord Emeric’s father only relocated to the city recently. Their insignias wouldn’t hold much meaning, and I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to offer anything of the same value.”

“And the other two from your inner circle?”

Leon hesitated. “… Well, Pierre is just a guard with peasant blood, and Marina is a merchant’s daughter. They’re not nobles.”

Red frowned. “So they can offer me no collateral, is what you are saying?”

“There’s no need to offer you any more collateral than the Northvale insignia.” Lady Ilse interjected. “All of us are intimately involved with Leon and his investigation, so anything implicating his house will also implicate us. If it comes down to it, I’m sure you can use that insignia to threaten us, too.”

Leon flinched at those words, but nodded. “It’s as she said.”

Red wasn’t too satisfied with this. His worry was that someone from this inner circle of Leon might backstab him and reveal information about the youth, hence why he would have liked to have collateral from each one of them.

‘Then again, if this insignia is as important as it seems…’

Perhaps it wouldn’t be a problem to drag down these companions of Leon even if they went behind his back.

“It will have to suffice.” Red nodded.

Leon seemed relieved. “Good… Then, I believe there was also your other request, right? Do you now feel comfortable sharing more information about it with us?”

This time, it was Red who hesitated. If possible, he would have liked to investigate this matter on his own, but after learning how powerful the Golden Hand was in the capital, he realized how risky it would be to look into their affairs.

The information he needed would likely be located inside their temple, and a Spirit Core cultivator guarded that place. That or he could threaten a certain merchant for it, but that was, in some ways, even more dangerous than trying to infiltrate their headquarters.

As such, he realized that only someone as powerful as a duke’s family could have the resources and information network to accomplish that task without much risk.

“I’m looking for a girl.” Red said. “She has a rare disease that threatens her life and that can only be treated with Spiritual Medicine.”

Leon nodded. “Do you know her name?”

“No. I know that a merchant from the Golden Hand named Gustav might have been involved with her case, however.”

“Her case?” The young master frowned. “I assume she borrowed money from them?”

“Not her. Her brother.”

“Do you know his name at least?”

Red hesitated.

“I do… It’s Rimold.”