Lady Ilse smiled after Red’s agreement.
“Good. Do you need to make any preparations?”
“Are we moving right now?” He asked.
“No, but we are doing it as soon as possible. I have no doubt that the City Guard will come bother me about the attack at my manor, so I will need to deal with that before anything.”
“Will they question me?”
“I won’t point them in your direction, but they will obviously realize you’re related. If I were you, I’d get ahead of this and answer their questions now rather than later.”
Red thought to himself for a few moments. If there was no way to avoid it, then he might as well deal with it now.
“Can you make me another Condensation Spiritual Pill?” Red asked.
Lady Ilse frowned. “I can, but how is that going to help?”
“I’m about to break through.”
“To the late stage?”
“No, the middle stage.”
She seemed shocked by his words. “…You’re in the early stage of the Lesser Ring Realm?”
Red nodded.
“Then how did you kill two Shadows?” She asked.
“My claymore is very strong.”
This was half the truth. His sword was indeed not only expertly crafted with the Amber Saber Sect’s technique, but it was also created to fit perfectly with his techniques, a privilege not even nobles could get even if they could afford. This made it so Red could fight above his level, if only barely. The other half of the reason for his victory, though, was his demonic technique and the element of surprise.
If the Shadows knew he had that power in his repertoire, then they might have survived.
“I see,” Lady Ilse eyed the large sword strapped to his back. “In that case, breaking through to the middle-stage will indeed provide you with a big jump in power. I will make you the pill.”
“How much will it be?”
“It’s free of charge. If you’re as strong as I think, then you will be the one spearheading this operation either way. It’s my responsibility to see you’re well prepared.”
Red didn’t bother debating with the woman about payment. They kept silent for the rest of the trip until they arrived back at the Fairclough manor.
At the entrance, though, a group of guards was there waiting at the gate. Amongst them was Pierre, and also the Lesser Ring realm captain who just so happened to have been the one who first arrived at the scene in the Shadow’s previous attack, Captain Johann. The latter looked impatient as he was being held at the gate by the servants.
When he saw Lady Ilse and Red walk out of the carriage, he didn’t stand on ceremony.
“We heard reports of explosion from your manor,” he said to Lady Ilse. “Your servants tell me there was an assassination attempt. What happened?”
She looked over at Red, who nodded.
“Master Viran was attacked by two Shadows while I was away at court.”
“Again?” Captain Johann looked over at Red. “Tell me what happened, exactly.”
He was about to recount the events, but Lady Ilse interjected.
“He already told me what happened, so I will speak and you can ask me questions.”
The guard frowned. “It would be better if-”
“He’s a guest at my manor, Captain. I will not have him be harassed just after having survived an attack.”
“Lady Ilse, this is a matter of great importance to our investigation.”
“Great importance?” She snorted. “Don’t think I am not aware of how your general treated Master Viran the last time he was attacked. Yet, it’s been months since then, and what have you turned up with your investigations? Nothing! If we had to rely on you lot, Master Viran might be dead already.”
Captain Johann seemed at a loss. He turned to look at Pierre, who had remained silent with his usual serious expression throughout the entire conversation.
Pierre looked over at Lady Ilse. “Please, tell us what happened.”
She nodded and started to recount Red’s report word for word. There were no details that she missed, but by the end of her explanation, Captain Johann didn’t seem very satisfied.
“He killed two Shadows by himself? How is that possible?”
“He’s a cultivator, and cultivators keep their abilities secret,” Lady Ilse said. “Do you propose he reveal his entire arsenal to the guard? How would that help the investigation?”
The Captain looked like he wanted to say more, but Pierre interjected.
“May we investigate the crime scene?”
“You may, but be quick about it!” She said.
They entered the manor, with Lady Ilse leading the way to the workshop. When they got there, though, a servant approached her with a distressed expression.
“M-Mistress! The bodies, they’re gone!”
The noblewoman’s expression changed, and she hurried past the servant, with Red and the two guards following behind. Indeed, when they entered the room, there was no sign of the sludge that was supposed to be the Shadows’ body.
“How is this possible?!” Lady Ilse turned to her servant with an infuriated expression. “Did no one keep watch over the room?”
“I-I did, ma’am,” the same servant nodded. “I just looked away for a moment and-”
“And then what?! The bodies disappeared?!”
The servant nodded with a nervous expression. Lady Ilse seemed about to go on another tirade, but Pierre stepped in.
“Do not blame him. The Shadows are known for their furtive capabilities, so all they would need is one second of distraction to accomplish something like this. That being said, this also means one thing…”
“There was another Shadow waiting nearby,” Red said, also coming to this grim realization.
Were there actually three Shadows in that assassination attempt? Or did this Shadow only come in after they realized Red and Lady Ilse left the manor to clean up the scene?
‘I did not sense anyone with my crimson sense, but I can’t discount that they could have been hidden as well.’
With all that said, it would be strange that this third Shadow refused to move at any point during the assassination attempt. Red was leaning toward them being a late arrival, but the faint possibility that they might have seen his demonic technique during the fight was bothering him.
“Where were the bodies located?” Pierre asked.
“There and there,” Lady Ilse pointed at two spots.
The guard walked over and examined these spots with his companion. A few seconds later, though, he shook his head.
“No signs left at all. They must have used a special method to get rid of this sludge.”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Have there been similar cases before?” Lady Ilse asked.
“Of bodies disappearing? No, but this is also one of the few times a Shadow has been killed in a situation where the body could be retrieved. I would need to consult the files to find any clues about it.”
“So this is all to say that, other than the destruction, there is no evidence of any Shadows here?” His colleague said, looking over at Red.
“Are you implying my guest is lying, captain?”
“I’m merely saying it’s strange that there is no evidence, and you keep being vague about how these Shadows were killed.”
Lady Ilse snorted. “Even if there was any evidence, I don’t trust you lot would have found it. But since you seem so sure there’s nothing to be found, you don’t mind being on your way, right?”
Captain Johann frowned. “Lady Ilse, it is our job to raise these questions. The reason we haven’t made any progress with our investigation into the Shadows is because we have little information about his background and what could have prompted others to kill him.”
“We both know that’s not the reason you haven’t many progress. If you want answers, you know where to search for them, but in truth, you’re all too scared to provoke the people responsible for this. Let me guess, this too: you have yet to catch any of the murderer who killed the employees of my friend’s company.”
The guard fell silent at this.
“Now, don’t posture in front of me, captain,” she said. “The reason I don’t trust you is that I know you’re not up to the task. So why don’t we just skip the entire ordeal and get to the part where you leave the crime scene empty-handed?”
Captain Johann sighed and looked at his companion. Pierre nodded.
“Wait for me outside.”
The man didn’t protest and left the workshop under the guidance of an attendant.
Pierre looked over at Lady Ilse. “You know I’m part of the City Guard too, right?”
“Yes, and I feel sorry for you every time I’m reminded of it.”
The guard didn’t comment on this, instead looking over at Red. “You’re sure it wasn’t the same Shadow?”
“I’m sure,” Red nodded.
Pierre looked back at Lady Ilse. “You told me everything”
“As Master Viran told me, yes.”
He gazed at Red, seemingly wanting to ask something more. However, he seemed to give up and nod.
“I will look into the matters of the corpses. Though perhaps you’d have more luck asking Leon about it. As far as I’m aware, his father was one of the few people who actually ever killed a Shadow.”
“We actually need your help with something else too,” Lady Ilse said before Pierre could leave.
The guard raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“The murders of the Lehmann’s people - do you have any suspects?”
Pierre fell silent at this question, looking at Lady Ilse with a serious expression.
“What do you intend to do?”
She smiled. “Just ask them a few questions.”
“…This is not a good time to provoke them.”
“There is never a good time to provoke them, so I have just lost my patience waiting and decided to do something about it.”
Pierre frowned and looked at Red. “You’re going to help her?”
“I am.”
The guard fell silent again. He looked back after the place where his companion had just left.
“We have no suspects, even though we know there are witnesses,” he said. “Still, some of the murder methods match with the abilities of some members of the Adventurer’s Guild.”
Lady Ilse expression worsened. “Who?”
“Nikon is one of them.”
Red felt a wave of surprise as he heard this name. Nikon was the demonic cultist that had come to negotiate with him after he killed a member of their group. He was also in the late-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm and the one who killed Emer before Red transformed him into an imp.
“Nikon?” Lady Ilse frowned. “Am I supposed to know him?”
“He has kept a low profile, but he is a former soldier turned mercenary from the Stormgard Kingdom. He is at the late-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm, possibly the peak.”
‘Stormgard Kingdom?’
Red recognized that as the name of the kingdom from where Rickard, the bandit leader, came from. It had been conquered by the Empire almost a decade ago.
“Great, so he dies too,” Lady Ilse said, unbothered. “Are there any others?”
“Other adventurers close to him, mostly, but… You really intend on killing them?” Pierre asked.
She snorted. “What do you think? Is there any other way to send a message?”
“They’re way too strong for you both, even if Master Viran did kill two Shadows.”
Red was compelled to agree. Not only because Nikon was potentially at the peak of the Lesser Ring Realm, but also because he was a demonic cultivator, which was bound to make him even stronger than he seemed. Of course, he couldn’t tell them about this last part.
Lady Ilse, however, seemed unconvinced. “So? We don’t need to fight them head on to kill them.”
“May I make a suggestion?” Pierre asked.
“If you are trying to dissuade me, I’d advise you to not waste your time.”
“It’s not that. I’m just going to suggest a slight change of plans.”
She looked skeptical, but still nodded. “Go ahead and suggest.”
“There is going to be a black market meeting in the slums in a week. From my understanding, Nikon and his comrades have never missed this gathering before, so it’s bound to be a great opportunity to target them.”
“A black market gathering? Who’s sponsoring it?”
“The Golden Hand as per usual. This time, I hear that the Royal Court is also turning a blind eye to the smuggling activity, so it’s going to be a large gathering this time.”
“And how is that the best opportunity to target them?”
“Because the authorities won’t be looking.”
Lady Ilse fell silent in thought. She looked over at Red with an inquiring gaze.
“What do you think?”
“If they feel like they have the protection of the Golden Hand, this is an opportunity to catch them off guard,” Red said. “Other than that, I don’t know enough about this gathering to make a judgment.”
“I agree,” Lady Ilse looked back at Pierre. “Will you accompany us?”
The guard frowned. “A guard in the middle of the black market?”
“We would be disguised, of course. But if your intent is to help us, then your knowledge would be extremely useful.”
“And you would have me fight them as well?”
“At that point, that wouldn’t be much of an ask, would it?”
“…I suppose it would be reasonable to help you all the way through it. Have you told Leon about this?”
She snorted. “What do you think?”
Pierre sighed. “It’s your choice. In any case, I will give you more information about the meeting as it gets closer. Meanwhile, I’d suggest to not do anything to grab attention to yourself.”
With that, the man left the workshop and Red and Lady Ilse were the only two remaining there.
The woman seemed to suddenly realize something and looked around the room. “Damn it, I forgot we need to repair this place!”
“What for?” Red asked. “We lost our business.”
“And do you think it will remain that way forever? Besides, we may yet need your skills in forging. Now, just stay here for a second.”
She walked up the stairs into her lab before returning with a bottled pill and handing it over to Red. It was a golden pill, with the same horse markings over its surface.
“It’s a Superior Condensation Spiritual Pill,” Lady Ilse said. “It’s not wind-aspected, but it has more energy than a normal condensation pill. I would concoct a wind-aspected pill for you, but I have to make preparations now that I know who our target is. Do you think this will suffice?”
Red thought to himself for a second. “How much more energy does it have?”
“Double the amount, roughly.”
“Then it should be fine.”
Breaking through small realms was not about accumulation, but rather about battering a barrier to advance your foundation to the next stage. If you failed, the progress would reset and you would need to try again later, which was why quantity of available energy was also important.
“Good,” Lady Ilse nodded. “Tell me when you break through. There are a few things that we need to discuss before we proceed with this operation.”
Red nodded and turned around to leave.
“Wait!” Lady Ilse called out after him.
He looked back at her, confused.
“Thank you for helping me,” she said.
“I’m not doing this for you.”
“Maybe not, but I doubt anyone else would have helped me with this.”
Red didn’t respond and walked down the corridor, thinking to himself.
In his mind, he thought Lady Ilse’s behavior was strange. She was ruthless and decisive, not hesitating to consider the thought of killing, something that simply did not match her upbringing and seemed to imply that she had some experience with the matter, unlike her peers. He knew there must be something she was hiding, but he didn’t bother pushing her about it.
They all had their secrets.
…
When Red returned to his manor, he was greeted by an eager Emer.
“Master, you’re bac-” The imp’s eyes widened when he looked Red over. “Your clothes! What happened to you, master?!”
“I was attacked, but the situation has been dealt with,” Red was about to walk past the imp before a thought came to him. “Do you remember Nikon?”
“N-Nikon?” The imp trembled. “I-I do remember him, master. Why?”
“Did you know he came from the Stormgard Kingdom?”
“Yes, master. As far as I’m aware, he was a colonel in their army.”
“Then do you know if there are any of his compatriots in the capital?” Red asked. “Someone named Rickard, perhaps?”
He only met the bandit leader once at the end of the inheritance ground, but much of his early life on the surface was defined around that man’s actions. As far as he knew, Rickard wasn’t dead either, though he had simply disappeared seven years ago.
“Rickard?” The imp tapped his chin in thought. “I haven’t heard the name before, master. Is there something else to describe him?”
“He uses a spear and attacks that can explode at the tip of the weapon.”
“I-I’m afraid I don’t know of anyone that matches the description.”
Red nodded and walked away towards the Spirit Gathering formation. He didn’t know if he was hoping to meet Rickard, and he wasn’t even sure if he was the man’s match despite having opened his Spiritual Sea. Still, a part of him wondered what would happen if they fought again, and he couldn’t quite wipe this thought away.
After activating the formation, Red sat down and started to meditate. His body had been completely healed from the battle earlier, but he still needed to calm his mental state.
This meditation lasted for almost five hours before he decided he was ready to break through. He took out the pill Lady Ilse had given him, as the aroma of rich Spiritual Energy pervaded through the room. Without hesitation, he swallowed it and felt the energy spread through his Spiritual Veins. Unlike the wind-aspected pill, Red needed to circulate the energy for a long time before it was appropriate to assimilate into his Spiritual Sea, but there was enough energy to more than make up for this inefficiency.
Like an unstoppable tide, he sent the energy towards his Spiritual Sea, where it started to assimilate with the azure mist vortex within. The vortex, which was his cultivation base, however, wasn’t able to absorb anything else no matter how much Red threw at it, and its surroundings became covered in saturated Spiritual Energy.
He wasn’t dissuaded by this, though, and continued to force the energy into his Spiritual Sea. Eventually, some of the energy started to be absorbed by the vortex, which seemed incapable of maintaining this level and was trying to spew it out again. Red saw his opportunity, though, and kept forcing more energy into it.
The mist vortex continued to tremble as more energy was forcefully inserted into it, like it was about to explode. Yet, at one point, it seemed to reach an equilibrium, completely stabilizing as the earlier resistance disappeared and it eagerly absorbed all the remaining energy. By the time it was done, the azure vortex had more than doubled in size, and its misty energy was far more condensed.
At that moment, Red knew.
He broke through into the middle-stage of the Lesser Ring Realm!