Kaden followed the way where he knew Nervin to be. The place appeared completely ordinary. It was just a hill like any other. He could not even sense anything he knew to be inside it.

"This concealment formation is better than mine", Kaden muttered to himself. "Yet, it is not made by a True Magus that made the teleportation formation or otherwise I could not do anything to it. It is likely that they added it themselves afterwards by paying Condensation stage formation master to do so."

He had assumed this was the case. If it had been made by a True Magus, it was likely possible that his connection to Nervin would have been cut and he would have continued following his last orders. That is to appear loyal to Northwinds.

Kaden observed Nervin quickly. It seemed like the Northwind family was still concentrating on communicating with Corand and their other places of interest rather than really paying attention to what was happening outside of their hiding place. They did have the means, but they left that to their bodyguards.

"Nervin, go stand around the device to your left", Kaden told Nervin. "Appear as if you are manning the spot. No one must see me out here as I penetrate this concealment. Then once I'm done, quietly go to the doorway and let me in. After that go tie down the bodyguard next to the Northwinds and I will rush to deal with the other. Try to wound severely rather than kill. They will serve me well too once we are done here."

Kaden planned upon entering to release a burst of mana to disrupt any communications. He hoped to do it at a moment they were not talking to anyone.

The Condensation guards, two of them, if not counting Nervin, were the biggest problem. He would have to disable his own target near instantly. For that a charged up Fire Beam would likely do the trick. A long battle inside would be dangerous and most likely result in deaths of the Northwind family who were the point of this entire diversion.

Wounding was the goal. Enough to allow Kaden take control of the situation fully and enslave Fanin first, so that he could continue communicating as normal. Immediately after that should come the Condensation stage bodyguards and then rest of the Northwinds.

They might get a bit scuffed, perhaps suffer wounds from the sudden battle, but that was easily hidden, if none of them died.

Kaden started to work punching a hole through the concealment formation.

All it needed was to distrupt a section that kept up the appearance and you would see inside it. If one knew where the concealment was this could be done even with less familiarity with formations, but the hard part usually was to find the place or to be aware of it to begin with. As Kaden already knew the place, this was not a problem this time.

Kaden released his mana and the concealment was disrupted. There was an entrance hidden inside a crevice. It appeared to be only an external door leading inside to the actual doorway. Luckily the way was large enough that Kaden could fit in.

Now Kaden was literally standing quietly at the inner entrance ready to go in. He was holding all his mana inside. This close those inside might notice his presence otherwise.

Kaden looked through Nervin that Fanin stopped talking. He expected there to be probably ten to fifteen minutes until Fanin contacted his people once more asking for updates. There was perhaps a bit more time in addition before anyone would become suspicious, if no contact was made.

It was time to attack.

"Nervin, you know what to do", Kaden whispered to Nervin.

Nervin stopped looking at the device where he only watched Kaden approach. He instead quietly walked to the entrance. Everyone was paying attention to their own things. The Northwinds were talking among themselves while bodyguards mainly hanged around. There wasn't really much to do. They were supposed to be at a hidden location. Protect the Northwinds from who?

In other words they were mostly like Nervin. They had just looked security and communications and such to appear as if they were doing something rather than lazing about. Its just that Nervin had been at the important one and no one had noticed Kaden approach. Now it was too late.

No one really noticed how Nervin just walked at the door and worked the mechanism keeping it shut. All it took was a moment to doom everyone inside.

*Creaaakk*

Nervin stepped out of the way just as Kaden tore open the now unlocked door and rushed in. As Nervin rushed at one of the bodyguards to disable him, Kaden shot an empowered Fire Beam at the other who was in complete surprise.

The bodyguard was hit right in the chest. Being at Condensation stage, the bodyguard was instantly severely injured, but did not die. The weaker members of the Northwind family screamed as the heat blasted against them and they were singed. Kaden still wondered whether he had put in too much effort. Losing another potential Condensation stage slave would be a loss, if he succumbed to an injury. Afterall the man had not held up any defenses and had been hit directly at critical location.

"What?!!!" Fanin shouted in surprise.

Everyone was still basically paralyzed in surprise due to the sudden attack. Nervin was literally beating down the second bodyguard. Kaden leaped there and tore at the bodyguard with his talons and tossed him away and then shot a weaker Fire Beam after.

"Go see he doesn't get up Nervin!" Kaden commanded.

*Bam!*

A ball of energy hit Kaden's side. It was Fanin's doing. The strike had been pathetic excuse for someone at Condensation stage. Sure, it still hurt, but the actual damage was neglible enough. Kaden was more concerned how it ruined some of his feathers.

Kaden acted quickly and leaped once more, this time at Fanin and pressed him down.

"I have to thank you for this", Kaden said in a mocking tone. "To think you would just happen to take my slave with you and reveal this place to me just as as I was passing by."

Rest of the Northwinds were screaming at corner. Kaden was prepared to blast them with something, if they tried something.

"How!? WHAT!" Fanin was screaming incoherently.

Kaden pulled out Vengeance and prepared to turn the man into slave.

"Haha, who do you think arranged all this?" Kaden continued as he charged Vengeance. "With the current atmosphere in the Saint Empire and causing a major scene in your capital, everyone will look there just as I intended to pass through human territory, that is your territory specifically."

"Vengeance mana? Beast! Explain!?" Fanin shouted and trashed about. Kaden had to disrupt a few of his attempts to cast something. "I remember! There was a phoenix some year ago that was killed. Is this about it! I can tell you where its killers are, if you leave!"

Kaden silenced the man by stepping on him harder.

"I already know them", Kaden replied. "Your involvement here is merely by chance. From now on your family will serve me."

He then stabbed Fanin with the blade and started the process to turn him into a slave. Fanin screamed and rest of his family cried in terror at the corner that resembled more like mewling of scared kittens. Weak fools that had always everything given to them rather than earn in. The Fanin was far weaker than his previous Condensation stage subjects. At any rate, Kaden was far more interested in Fanin's status than strength.

"Continue as if nothing unusual has happened", Kaden told Fanin once he was done. "Keep communicating and continue whatever plans you had. You will conceal everything related to me. Over time, you will gather for me as much cultivation materials as possible without being noticed. No risks. Your primary goal is to arrange me as much power and influence as possible in the Saint Empire."

"Yes, master", Fanin said. There was no terror. Nothing pointing to his experience just now. "What is all this? If I knew what you want, I can set that as my goal better. I do not understand your actions."

"All you need to do is what I told you". Then Kaden pondered for a moment. It would be better if Fanin knew why to some extent. "I will take my time now, but be prepared give me a clear path to No Man's Land with no patrols or anyone to see me once I ask for it. Everything I did was to secure that path. This all is just a coincidence. Most useful, but still coincidence."

"Yes", Fanin replied.

The rest of the Northwinds were covering in the corner still and were not a problem. The first bodyguard who Kaden had shot upon entering was still unconscious, but alive. The smoldering injury was heavy. Kaden wondered, if he would survive the enslavement process.

He decided to save him for later. Even if he did survive, he wouldn't be doing anything.

"Maybe I can give him a bit of life mana along enslavement process and then have him just stay out of trouble while he heals", Kaden pondered as he walked by the other bodyguard that Nervin was keeping eye on. "This one should be fine. He has injuries too, but he can function after a day or two."

Kaden enslaved him too.

Enslaving those at Condensation stage was taxing so next Kaden started working on rest of the Northwind's. They were weaklings at Formation stage and he expected even with their number that he could finish them all without taking a rest.

The children wailed and screamed as Kaden made them slaves. Fanin's wife spit at Kaden, but he quickly incinerated the glob before it even reached him.

"This was the main family", Kaden pondered as he looked over at his work. "There are other branches of the family, but they can be as they are. I might need Northwinds far in future and I still don't know how long human's last with the enslavement before they die. It is good to keep the family alive in general and keep some of them free, but unaware. They will be replacements, if the main family just perishes at some point."

After taking a bit of time to rest, Kaden started working on the last remaining bodyguard. It did indeed take some effort to keep him alive, but once Kaden was done, the man was still alive.

"Good", Kaden felt pleased. "With all of them alive, I don't have to deal with anyone wondering what happened to them. With a bit of aid from me even this one can likely return and be functional once the situation at Corand calms down. He will just have to stay out of sight for a while."

With everything done Kaden started to question the Northwinds of basically everything. Their family businesses, plans, family secrets... everything. They were now his tool and he would make the best use of the said tool. There would be as little as possible of the useless noble posturing and foolishness. Just enough to not draw attention while Kaden quietly laid his talons on the Saint Empire's government system.