“Damn it, there’s no way!”

Aurelia shouted in an incensed tone. She seemed to have realized the same as Red.

‘The same as that snake…’

“Did that description help you in any way?”

Leon’s question snapped him out of his reverie.

“Do all serpent demons share the same features?” he asked.

“I don’t know for certain.” Leon shook his head. “That type of knowledge is something only sects know these days.”

‘A dead end, then…’

Another thread of uncertainty to an already chaotic web of secrets and mysteries. Red felt that he was bound to lose track at some point, but at the very least, he was gaining information this time around.

“The operation,” He said. “When do you intend to set out?”

“At midnight.” Leon said, with a hushed tone. “We will need to go about it stealthily so as not to attract any attention.”

“‘We’? You’re coming?”

“Of course. I don’t intend to let others do all the work for me and my family.”

“You don’t have any subordinates better suited for this?”

Leon frowned. “What is that supposed to mean? You think I can’t hold my own as a cultivator?”

Red looked the fancily dressed young noble up and down. His gaze then went to the assortment of delicacies on the table.

Leon seemed to guess at his thoughts. “Look! Just because all you’ve seen me do is eat doesn’t mean I’m not a cultivator!”

“What can you do?”

“My abilities are supportive in nature. I can help strengthen others’ powers and heal them if they’re wounded.”

“Can you defend yourself?”

“Of course I can! However, direct combat is not my specialty, so I work better alongside a fighter.”

“I assume you have one of those prepared for this mission as well.”

Leon nodded. “You remember my friend Emeric?”

Red frowned. “Him?”

Of all of Leon’s acquaintances, he would have expected Pierre to be chosen. The only impression he had of this Emeric was of a spoiled young noble with a rather short fuse from their brief interaction.

“Emeric is a reliable ally.” Leon said. “Besides, when it comes to actual combat, he is one of the strongest cultivators his age in the city.”

“And that is the only help you have?”

“The only one I could gather in a short period. Pierre is under house arrest, Ilse has a meeting scheduled tonight, and Marina will be with her father. There are other… Venues where I could find help, but the gist of the matter is secrecy. People are always watching us, and our involvement with this matter is definitely not a secret anymore. We don’t want to alert anyone to our movements, and only me and Emeric are disengaged for the day. Our presence won’t be required anywhere.”

“That doesn’t mean they still won’t keep an eye on you.”

“That may be so, but we have the support of our households to slip away unnoticed. We have made ample preparations for such an occasion.”

“And what about me? I also have my own stalkers.”

Leon smiled. “This is part of the reason I invited you here. If someone were to ask about your presence, I am consulting you in some important matters, which will require a long discussion that could last well into the night.”

‘He even thought about this.’

If people figured out Red’s involvement in the investigation of the demonic formation, they wouldn’t find it weird he visited Leon the very next day to give his report.

“This still feels risky.” he said. “Even if they don’t see us coming, there’s no way they will leave that underground area unprotected, if it’s that important to them.”

Leon nodded. “I know, but this is our only opportunity. I don’t plan on risking my life if the situation seems untenable, but I have to take this chance, at the very least.”

Red sighed. “As long as you understand that.”

Since he had already agreed to help, he wasn’t too worried about confrontation and risks. However, he wanted his companions to be on the same page - that being not throwing their life away if they were in a tough spot.

“Tell me the exact plan.” he asked.

“We will move at nightfall.” Leon said. “I have a magic item that can make us invisible and will allow us to sneak by anyone watching. We will then make our way to a sewer entrance, which some of my family’s members have secured beforehand. The trip there will be long, but our first stop will be halfway through where we will meet Emeric…”

The young master went on to detail their route and their general plan. This was a reconnaissance mission, and their priority would be to find any evidence of the cult’s wrongdoings in the sewers. Combat was to be avoided, but if they had no choice, they would need to end their engagements quickly or retreat.

Red’s role was simple - he would be on the lookout for any traps or hidden formations. Since the enemy already made use of subterfuge, it was reasonable to expect they would employ it again to surprise anyone snooping about.

“While Emeric will be in charge of combat, I want to be sure you have the means to defend yourself if it comes down to it.” Leon said. “Do you require any equipment? I would be more than happy to lend you artifacts for this mission.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.” Red said. “I can’t promise to be of much help in taking down an enemy, but I can take care of myself.”

He still had his Gale Breath as an offensive spell, but he couldn’t use it in front of others. He would need to rely on his swordsmanship to cause any harm, which wasn’t as powerful just yet.

Before Leon could ask him any more questions, Red spoke up.

“I need a room to meditate and prepare.”

“Ah, yes, we can certainly provide you with that…”

It seemed like the young master still had more to say, but he held himself back.

“One of my servants will bring you to a guest room, where you will have your privacy.” Leon said. “If you need anything, just ring a bell by the bedside. I will send someone to look for you when night nears.”

Red nodded and stood up. Soon enough, a servant came by to bring him into the mansion, leaving behind a Leon that seemed quite baffled by the sudden end of their meeting.

Judging by his fluctuation alone, he still had a lot of worries regarding their plan, perhaps on Red’s part and reassurances. However, Red couldn’t tell him his secrets, so there was no point in entertaining the conversation any further.

The servant brought him through a luxurious corridor, but he barely paid attention to its details. Once he was inside a spacious guest room and was sure the door was locked and no one was nearby, he reached into his pouch and grabbed the crystal core.

“What is it?”

He reached through his expanded awareness instead of speaking up. After all, he didn’t know if there were any spying devices in this room.

Aurelia’s angry voice was quick to respond.

“What do you mean ‘what is it’?! How exactly did you know that stupid snake was involved in this?!”

“I didn’t know it. I just had a feeling of recollection when I felt that demonic energy.”

“And how could a little boy that is barely a cultivator recognize a spiritual energy that escaped even my perception?”

“It may have to do with my corruption.” Red said. ”It allowed me to tame the snake in the first place, so perhaps there is an instinctual recognition of their energy signature now.”

“That… I didn’t think about that.”

Aurelia went quiet for a few seconds.

“Still, that would mean that your corruption is more than just skin-deep at this point.” She said.

Red frowned. “But I haven’t been in contact with any of that corruption lately.”

“Well, you just entered a city full of cultists. Your body is bound to react in a few peculiar ways when faced with other types of corruption.”

“That can also happen?”

As far as he was concerned, his corruption would only worsen if he came into contact with more demonic energy for extended periods of time. If it developed on its own or by simply coming into contact with more corruption, then it would make matters much more dangerous.

“Of course, that’s just a wild assumption.” Aurelia said. “The more likely scenario is that you already had that instinctual power for a while, but just never had the opportunity to use it.”

This other alternative gave Red some comfort.

“So, does this mean this cult has that snake under their control?”

“I can’t possibly answer that.” Aurelia said. “I doubt that snake is unique, so it could be some other six-eyed snake. It could even be that some of their demonic techniques are based on those species of serpent, hence why you felt recognition in that spiritual energy. In the end, though, I can’t feel even the slightest bit of similarity between them, so this is something only you can answer for sure.”

That would be quite difficult, since Red had neither his pet snake nor the demonic energy nearby to study and compare. Still, knowing that the cultists might be related to the six-eyed snake was already precious information.

That serpent could seal its egg and make it seem like was uncracked even at close inspection. Its venom also had extremely powerful paralytic ability. If the cultists had similar powers to that, it was something Red needed to be wary of.

At moments like these where his life and not his principles were on the life, he was never too proud to ask for help from his most valuable source.

“Do you have any advice in fighting these cultists?” he asked.

Aurelia snorted. “I told you already, I never really fought these snake idiots.”

“You have fought other demonic cultivators, though.”

“Bah, what is there to know? They didn’t turn to worshipping a demon because they were wise or mentally stable. If you can’t kill them outright, just be smart, prey on their emotions, and wait for an opening. That kind of strategy never failed me.”

Red expected more actionable advice, but perhaps it was truly that simple.

‘Or perhaps I need to learn better than to take the advice of a sect genius in combat.’

…

Hours passed, and night soon arrived.

Red, who was meditating, heard a knock at his door.

“Master Viran. Young Master Leon requests your presence.” An old voice said. “He tells me it’s about time.”

Red took a deep breath and got up, strapping his swords to his waist.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he would be the one on the hunt again.