The guards opened the large wooden gate before the group, revealing a lavish patio inside. Unlike the castle’s outer appearance, everything in this courtyard was elegantly adorned, more befitting a noble as Red imagined them.
There was a garden on each side of the paved path, where flowers the boy never saw before were bathing under the sunlight. Finely crafted stone statues of angelic figures were sparsely placed around each corner of the patio, and Red even saw a few paintings hanging off the walls. The path leading into the castle split further in, leading to other rooms where there was a constant flow of servants and guards weaving in and out of rooms.
This patio alone was bigger than their sect grounds, and the boy knew there was even more awaiting him further in.
Allen looked at him with a smile. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? Just looking at it from a distance doesn’t do it justice. I hear the King’s castle in the capital is even bigger than-”
Hector cleared his throat, glaring at Allen. The young master fell silent with a reluctant expression.
A servant dressed in elegant clothing, flanked by two guards, approached them once they got inside.
The man bowed towards Hector. “The Baron is honored to welcome you to his castle, Master Hector.”
The servant spoke in a reverential manner, yet his expression remained cold and emotionless.
Hector grunted. “We both know the Baron wouldn’t invite me here if there wasn’t an emergency.” the elder looked around with a frown. “Is everyone else already here?”
The servant nodded, unbothered by his words. “Sir Gustav is already waiting inside the meeting hall. Would you like me to show you the way?”
The elder nodded. “No point in waiting.”
“Then please. If you would follow me.”
The two guards stepped aside, clearing the path as the servant led Red and the others towards the large central building of the castle. The boy was still examining his surroundings with interest, but above all else, he was paying attention to his crimson sense.
He counted more than a hundred people in this castle alone. He could also sense through their fluctuations that these people, being mostly servants and guards, were carrying themselves with a sense of urgency and concern. Red could make a good guess as to why.
Some of these people even looked at Hector with some fear and trepidation, sentiments which were extended to the people following him.
They were led through a long stone corridor, at the end of which two guards were waiting in front of a large wooden door. The servant nodded at them and stepped aside, looking back at Hector.
“The Baron is waiting for you inside.” the man said.
Hector grunted and walked forward.
The guards pushed the door open before stepping aside, revealing a large chamber to the group. They were first hit by the light from a crystal chandelier hanging off the ceiling. It illuminated the rest of the room, decorated in lavish paintings depicting majestic creatures that Red had never seen before. Beneath it stood an enormous, round wooden table, on which all sorts of foods and decorations were set.
The boy couldn’t pay attention to it, though, since as soon as they entered the chamber, he felt multiple gazes being thrown in his group’s general direction by the people sitting around the table.
“Ah, so the old man finally deigns to bestow upon us his presence!” a loud and vibrant voice said.
Red looked over at the source of the voice. A large, overweight man sat on the right side of the table, staring at Hector with a wide smile on his unblemished and round face. He wore elegant clothes, the kind one might expect from a merchant, except much more extravagant, as jewels and fancy decor occupied almost every spot on his person. Most of all, the boy felt the man carried himself with a sense of confidence and astuteness that he felt befitted the best of conmen, something he was familiar with since arriving in this town.
It took little thought to figure out this was Gustav.
Red’s attention shifted towards the two individuals sitting on either of the man’s sides. They wore plain, white masks, hiding their facial features, and unlike the merchant, they were sporting a set of scale armor, not unlike what the boy had seen people from the adventurer’s guild use.
The one on Gustav’s left was a tall, muscular man who towered over everyone else, even from his sitting position. Red gathered he must be even bigger than Goulth, something the boy had yet to see before. The individual to the merchant’s left didn’t call as much attention to them, being average in build and having a reserved air. By simple observation, one wouldn’t be able to discern their gender, but Red could tell through his crimson sense that they were a woman.
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Both of these individuals were in the Lesser Ring Realm.
Hector snorted. “I deliberately arrived late to avoid hearing your loud chewing.”
Gustav laughed. “Oh, then I’m afraid you’ve failed! I’ve been waiting for you before digging into this feast!”
To underline his point, the merchant grabbed onto a chicken leg in front of him and took out a large bite from it, not breaking eye contact with Hector the whole time. The elder twitched in anger and looked as if he was about to retaliate, before the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted him.
“Please, gentlemen.” a man sitting at the head of the table said. “If you despise each other’s presence so much, then you shouldn’t extend this meeting with petty discussions.”
Red looked over at this middle-aged man, with a serene expression and sporting a short glistening dark hair and beard speckled with grey hairs along their length. He wore elegant dark and crimson clothing, decorated with fine golden threads and a coat of arms depicting what looked like a mountain on his chest. Unlike Gustav, his get up didn’t seem as fancy, and yet the way the man carried himself with such nobility and composure hinted towards his obvious identity.
This was the Baron, and to Red’s surprise, the third fluctuation in the Lesser Ring Realm he felt belonged to this man.
Hector grunted in annoyance. “You’re right, Feron, but do not presume I will stand by and take in silence every insult this rogue throws at me.”
Gustav laughed again. “Insult? We both know that if anyone so much as breathes too loud in your vicinity you would take it as an insult!”
The elder frowned, glaring at the merchant.
“Please, Hector,” the Baron cut them off. “Sit, so we may end this as soon as possible.”
Hector didn’t respond, and simply walked towards the free chairs on the other side of the room. Red and the others followed him, sitting on either side of the elder. Eiwin had a calm expression and demeanor as she sat down, while Allen couldn’t help but look around the room in concern, clearly affected by the heavy atmosphere.
He looked as if he wanted to speak to Red, but he caught himself.
“I see you’ve brought a few of your sect members over, Hector.” Gustav said as he examined the group through squinted eyes. His gaze lingered on Red. “I don’t believe I recognize this one, though…”
“He’s a new member.” Hector said with a frown.
Gustav smiled, not shifting his gaze from Red. “Ah, is that so? I do feel like I recognize him, now that you mention it. Say, aren’t you the little thief that has been stealing from me over the last year?”
Suddenly, the atmosphere around the room changed. Hector’s frown deepened, but he didn’t respond. Much to Red’s dismay, he felt everyone’s attention in the room shift towards him, including the unfriendly gazes of Gustav’s two bodyguards, which could be felt even underneath their masks.
The boy didn’t panic, though, and returned the merchant’s gaze. He already expected Gustav to know about this, since Reinhart had already revealed to him he was aware of his involvement in the theft involving their guild.
He examined the man’s mocking expression that dared Red to respond, to lose his composure in front of the Baron by denying this accusation and embarrass Hector.
The boy didn’t fall for it, so instead, he just nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”
Gustav’s expression changed in bewilderment, and the two bodyguards by his side gave the boy murderous glares. Hector twitched beside him, while both Allen and Eiwin looked at him with expressions of shock.
An awkward silence followed his words, before the baron cleared his throat once more.
“We should move on to the subject matter.” the man said, trying to change topics.
“You’re right.” Hector nodded, sparing an angry glance out of the corner of his eye towards Red.
No one protested, not even Gustav. The merchant was still staring at Red, but the gaze of provocation had changed to one of curiosity.
The man nodded with a smile. “You’re correct, Baron. We should move on - but not before I eat a bit!”
Gustav turned his attention to the food on his plate, digging into it with unexpected savagery. Hector stared at the merchant with disgust before looking back at the baron.
“What of the demon?” the elder asked. “Did you find out anything else about it?”
The baron shook his head. “Nothing yet. We learned that the merchant had one more bodyguard looking after his carriage, but we didn’t find him at the scene. He must have fled as soon as he noticed what happened.”
Red’s attention was piqued by this.
“Do you know where the merchant is from?” Hector asked.
The baron nodded. “According to the documents Gustav provided, he should be from Illion, across the river.”
The elder frowned. “That’s rather far.”
The baron sighed. “Indeed, and it will take us a while to get any information from them, much more so considering the horde is just about to hit us.”
“Me and my guild can help you with the investigations, my dear Baron.” Gustav interjected. “Of course, it will still take a while to receive information back, but we have more important matters to worry about right now, don’t we?”
“More important than a demon appearing in the middle of town?” Hector frowned. “Aren’t you just trying to avoid responsibility?”
Of course, the elder said this since the demon had appeared inside Gustav’s adventurer’s guild.
“Oh, don’t be like that, Hector.” the merchant shook his head. “Do you truly think I had anything to do with a demon appearing inside my own establishment and killing some of my trusted clientele? I would expect you to know better than that.”
Hector snorted, but didn’t respond. Indeed, it was hard to imagine Gustav would jeopardize his own reputation like this. Red, however, knew better, since he was aware that Gustav had a habit of stealing from his own clients, but he couldn’t reveal that to Hector as he promised to keep Rimold’s secret.
The baron set about explaining what they had learned from the demon and the merchant’s belongings, information Red already knew. So instead, the boy once more examined the rest of the chamber.
He didn’t pay attention to it before, as absorbed as he was, but there was a guard placed near each corner of the room, standing in posture and in complete silence. The boy found it impressive for them to maintain such composure, but he could tell through their fluctuations that they were also in a state of turmoil.
Red counted five of these guards with his crimson sense, but just when he was about to return his gaze to the table, he noticed something strange.
‘Five guards?’
Since when did a square room have five corners? The boy frowned, looking around once again. He counted only four guards, and not one more individual in the room.
‘How is that possible?’
Red felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked towards where he felt this strange fifth fluctuation. It was right there, behind the Baron. Yet, when the boy looked towards it, he saw nothing but empty air.
However, Red knew better than to doubt his crimson sense, so he arrived at a conclusion.
There was an invisible individual inside this room.