"Please come in, sir. All the evidence and the animal's body are ready to begin the investigation," said Matthew as he stepped aside to let them enter.

After the incident last night, the beast's body was brought to the Painter’s Tree. Then, he bathed, prepared everything, and waited for the guards to arrive, trying to organize his thoughts. This day was very important to him, and perhaps this opportunity would never come again.

---

"Very brave. You didn’t have to go through so much trouble after what happened last night. You must be exhausted... My deepest condolences for the death of Mr. Edmund and Henry."

Colonel Austin sighed as he entered the Painter’s Tree. He wasn’t surprised that Matthew had brought the beast’s corpse leaving it for animals to devour wasn’t exactly a logical option, was it?

Oliver also stepped inside and offered his condolences, but he shot Matthew a cold look without saying another word because the Colonel was present.

---

Colonel Malova was familiar with the structure of the Painter’s Tree, so he didn’t need anyone to guide him. He went straight to the treatment room, opened the door, and was followed by the investigation team, who used their methods to examine the two corpses.

As for Oliver, Matthew, and the others, they waited in the living room.

"The awakening of the seeds is a real danger; no one can predict its consequences. We lost Mr. Edmund and Henry because of it," Oliver said, directing his words at Matthew, subtly implying that he wasn’t responsible for their deaths.

"Many factors contributed to the deaths of Lord Edmund and Henry," Matthew replied calmly, casting a firm glance at Oliver and Martin.

'This boy…'

Oliver felt that Matthew was placing part of the blame on him, so he chose to remain silent and wait for what would happen next.

'The deaths of Lord Edmund and Henry are linked to those sensors, aren’t they? It seems that Matthew has a way to make them pay... I hope he really can.'

Theo fixed his gaze on the tense Oliver and Martin, thinking with a mocking smile. Though he hadn’t known them for long, their deaths had shocked him. He felt weak and afraid feelings he had never experienced before. The thought of punishing the culprits seemed very appealing, as if it could replace those unpleasant emotions.

After some time, Colonel Austin entered.

"Can you tell me what you found, Colonel?" Oliver asked immediately.

Austin sighed and replied:

"Everything matches the report… Mr. Edmund died from burns sustained when he wasn’t wearing a synthetic skin suit."

Seed hosts at the fourth level, like Lord Edmund, could raise their body temperature to the point of ignition, which he had done to kill the beast. Normally, they used special suits called synthetic skin to protect themselves, but Edmund didn’t have the money to buy one.

"As for Henry, he died from the beast’s attacks. He didn’t stand a chance against it the creature was at level five, while Henry hadn’t even reached level two. It’s a miracle he managed to escape, perhaps because the beast was insane."

Oliver nodded quickly, confirming the Colonel’s words:

"As I told you, sir, it was just a mad seed, wasn’t it? Not worth all this fuss."

"Yes… The beast’s burned corpse is deformed, and one of its hands is larger than the other. This confirms it was just an unstable creature that evolved too quickly. Such irrational seeds usually die on their own due to the deformities they cause in their bodies."

---

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The Colonel looked at Matthew and asked seriously:

"You can tell me now... why did you use the Red Seal?"

Matthew turned to Oliver, who shot him a threatening look, then to the tense Martin, and finally to Colonel Austin, who seemed ready to close the case.

'It looks like they reached an unspoken agreement quickly... I wonder how much Oliver will pay the Colonel. The more, the better for me.'

Matthew scoffed internally before speaking in a calm tone:

"Sir, can you come with me to the monitoring unit? I’ll explain everything there, and I’d prefer if we were alone."

Oliver’s eyelids twitched, but he found nothing to say.

"What is it that you can’t tell me in front of everyone?" Colonel Austin asked with a slight frown.

"I can’t say it here… I promise you’ll understand everything when we go to the monitoring unit."

"Alright then, everyone stay here," Colonel Austin said before turning and leaving, with Matthew following behind.

Oliver opened his mouth as if to speak, but then closed it without uttering a word. He realized that there was no escaping Colonel Austin learning about this matter. He could only hope Austin wouldn’t be too angry… or demand more money.

In the monitoring unit, Matthew took out a small box and inserted it into a designated slot in the table. He pointed at the screen and said:

"As you can see, the western area where we found the beast is completely still there’s no movement, no sign of life… because it is simply devoid of sensors."

"Do you mean they stopped working? You requested new sensors, didn’t you?" Colonel Austin asked with a frown.

Matthew replied coldly:

"Yes, sir, but they were delayed beyond the scheduled delivery date. That’s why we didn’t detect the beast’s anomaly in time, and the disaster happened."

Colonel Austin was silent for a moment, then sighed and said:

"The Ministry of Fiefdom and Treasury is under a lot of pressure, so it’s natural for some orders to be delayed."

Matthew raised an eyebrow and said:

"They were delayed for three months, sir."

Colonel Austin’s eyes widened, and he found himself thinking only one thing:

'Are they insane?'

Surveillance was a fundamental part of land management and couldn’t function without sensors. Normally, they arrived within ten days on average, unless there was an urgent need, in which case they would arrive within twenty days at most. A three-month delay definitely meant there was a problem. And from the way Oliver had acted before, it was clear what that problem was.

ColonelAustin sighed slowly and said in an official tone:

"I understand. I’ll make sure they are punished."

Colonel Austin may have been corrupt, but he definitely wouldn’t remain silent about something like this. Lord Edmund was a knight who had climbed his way to that title from nothing on the battlefield and had succeeded. He had contributed greatly to humanity. Dying this way, due to the greed of some officials, was unforgivable.

"Sir, you must understand how sensitive this period is… Exposing this issue might not be a wise decision." Matthew looked at the Colonel’s angry face and thought, 'This might be a problem.'

Recently, several attacks by "seeds" had occurred near the surrounding areas, raising the possibility that a "Commander Seed" had awakened! The Commander Seed was responsible for leading the other "seeds" in battle and other activities. Because "intelligent seeds" lacked the cognition of a living being, this type of parasitic "seed" was created to lead others on land.

The guards’ interest in this incident stemmed from the possibility that a Commander Seed had awakened, causing the other seeds to awaken as well.

"You don’t need to worry about these matters."

Colonel Austin had already seen the beast’s body and confirmed it was a "mad seed," meaning it wasn’t following orders from a "Commander Seed." He didn’t want to discuss such matters with this unimportant young man.

"Listen to what I have to say, Colonel, I won’t take much of your time," Matthew insisted.

. "Fine, but make it quick."

The colonel sat on his chair and said in an impatient tone, as he thought this was just the talk of an ambitious young man hoping that after speaking to him, he would like him, benefit from him, and perhaps reward him.

"Thank you, sir. Recently, several incidents have occurred, and although they didn’t cause much damage, they came directly after the wave of the 'Black Plague.' This has negatively impacted the general psychological state of the region, and with the corruption of the Treasury and Estate officials, although they haven’t reached the level of 'Olver,' the situation is on the verge of exploding at this point. If a corrupt official is punished for such betrayal, I can’t even imagine what will happen."

Matthew stated his perspective on the situation, then stared at Colonel Austin to see if he agreed with him or if he was wrong.

"What do you mean? Are you suggesting we leave it like this without punishment? Is that okay with you?"

Colonel Austin realized that he hadn’t considered the matter from this angle. After a moment of thought, he found Matthew’s words to be very logical.

Matthew smiled and said:

"I think ensuring the region's security is more important than our feelings... and that’s not all I have to say."

"Go ahead then."

Colonel Austin began to take interest in what this young man was about to say.

"What we need most right now is to boost morale. I believe the best way to do that is to give people something to look forward to, and show them how through an example they can follow. And I think we have the necessary requirements for that here."

"And what are these requirements you mean?" asked Colonel Austin curiously.

"A hero... and a reward." Matthew said without looking at Colonel Martin.

"We give them something to look forward to through the reward, which will improve the administration’s image in their eyes, and make them feel like it cares about them. As for the heroes, they are: you, Lord Edmund, and his son."

Colonel Austin smiled, as he now understood why Matthew had brought up this idea. Lord Edmund and his son had died, so who would this reward go to? Definitely to Matthew...

Austin didn’t mind Matthew’s desire for a reward, as this was natural. Matthew was a smart young man, and if there was no benefit to him, he wouldn’t have raised the idea in the first place. Colonel Austin suddenly felt that this clever young man was quite a pleasant sight to behold. And of course, if he presented this idea to his superior, he would benefit as well. Naturally, he would say it was his idea... as for Matthew... let it be!

"Not just me, but my brother as well." Matthew said, adding:

"In order to cover up the incident and present it as just a coincidence, and to downplay this tragedy, we should also give Theo a reward, and indicate that he is not a host for a 'seed.' This will automatically make them underestimate the incident."

Matthew paused for a moment, then continued:

"This is my idea... to make them see the administration from a different perspective, not the perspective of the corrupt, as before, but to realize that their lives matter and have value. And to motivate them through rewards for their work. Of course, the bigger the reward, the better. It could even reach the point where some might wish for the 'seeds' to awaken just to get the reward!"

He then added with a smile:

"Even that small and weak boy survived, and he’s not even a host for a 'seed'... So why can’t I? That’s what they’ll think!"

Then he looked directly into Colonel Austin's eyes, clenched his fist, and asked:

"What do you think, Colonel Austin?"

Colonel Austin placed his hand on his chin as if thinking. A few seconds passed, but it felt like hours to Matthew. Then Colonel Austin lowered his hand from his chin and smiled, saying:

"It’s a brilliant idea."