After a few hours, during which Red took rests to recover his Spiritual Energy, they burned every single contaminated ingredient as the youth instructed. By then, both Red and Emer were completely spent.

‘This is the weakest I have felt in a while.’

Not even after his fight against the ghost in Bestrem did he feel this weak. All his muscles were completely exerted, and this included his Spiritual Sea, which ached with a dull pain - his first experience with the consequences of overusing Spiritual Energy. The worst of it all was that it didn’t feel as if his body was recovering as fast as he was used to - and that was with his superior regenerative abilities.

Anyone else in his situation might have been crippled, or even worse.

‘I need to buy some pills.’

A recovery pill could be life-saving for a cultivator. Red hadn't bought those since entering the city, but that was also because he didn’t think his life would be at immediate risk this soon.

“M-Master…” Emer approached him while taking deep breaths. “The sun is already up.”

Red nodded. “You can rest. I’ll remain here.”

“A-Are you certain, mast-”

“I am.” he cut him off. “Just keep an eye on the tablet if I have to leave.”

He still wasn’t sure who tried to sabotage him, but if it happened once, it was likely to happen again.

The imp nodded before turning invisible and hiding in a cabinet in the kitchen. Red was left alone in the living room, sitting cross-legged and staring at the door as if waiting for something.

Finally, a few hours later, he felt multiple fluctuations approach his front door before he heard a loud banging.

“By the authority of the crown, the city guard hereby summons foreigner Viran to attend interrogation at our headquarters!”

After that, they fell silent, waiting for a response from inside the house. Red sighed before getting up and approaching the door. When he opened it, he found himself face to face with the same Lesser Ring Realm cultivator from yesterday. This time, though, he brought an escort of over ten other guards.

“Mister Viran.” The man nodded. “Show him the decree.”

One of his subordinates stepped forward and handed Red a sealed scroll. He looked over the symbol, examining the tree that was the official sigil of the Kingdom of Lomrikh.

Without further ado, the youth broke the seal and opened the scroll. Like the Captain told him, this was a letter summoning him for questioning about the accident the previous day, mentioning the importance of collaborating in an investigation about an organization as dangerous as the Shadow. At the end of the letter, there was King Thomas’ personal signature and stamp, proving the veracity of this document.

Red rolled the scroll up again before looking up at the guards. “Am I being arrested?”

“No.” The Captain shook his head. “From everything we know, it’s clear you are the victim in this matter. This is merely an invitation to collaborate with the investigation, but we aren’t forcing you to agree.”

“Is that so?” He frowned beneath his mask. “Then what if I deny it?”

“As is stated in the contract of temporary citizenship, the Kingdom reserves the right to renounce said status at any moment with reasonable justification.” The guard said with a serious expression. “A citizen unwilling to cooperate with official investigations of importance to the city of Carlhanne is not a citizen the Kingdom has any interest in keeping around.”

“So these people are meant to escort me out of the city if I refuse?” Red pointed at the guards.

“Indeed.” The captain nodded. “So I urge you to accept this summoning, as we discussed yesterday.”

Red fell silent, deep in thought. This matter of collaborating with the investigation wasn’t something that would end at just being questioned. As far as he was concerned, at any point the city guard could demand something from him under the guise of collaboration, and if the youth refused, then they would still be justified in expelling him from the city. Red didn’t know if they would go so far, but it would be a perfectly legitimate strategy if they wanted to force him out of the city or even make him give concessions over his plans.

Unfortunately, though, there was nothing the youth could do against it other than showing his willingness to collaborate.

“Can I bring my weapons?” Red asked.

There was a pause as the Captain seemed to consider the request. “… You can.”

“And my mask? I won’t be forced to take it off, right?”

“… You will not.”

“Good. Then let us be on our way.”

The man frowned. “Are you not going to change your clothing?”

“My clothing?”

Red looked down, noticing his shredded and blood-stained clothes. He was so used to walking around in rags that he forgot to change and clean himself once he got back.

After a few moments of thought, however, Red shook his head. “No need. It would take too long.”

The guards gave him strange looks, but the captain nodded. “Fine. Then follow us.”

The youth closed the door behind himself as the guards led him away. Thankfully, they didn’t plan to go to their headquarters on foot, and there was a carriage waiting to escort Red away. Still, as he sat inside, the guards all kept a close eye on him, as if afraid he would suddenly change his mind and run away.

None of that happened, and soon enough, they had arrived at said headquarters. The enormous building looked brutish, built off of large polished stone blocks and nary a piece of wood. A large spire rose above it, which was overshadowed only by the palace a few kilometers away. By all intents and purposes, this resembled a fortress built in the middle of a city, and it stood out in the rather rich neighborhood it was found.

‘It certainly looks familiar.’

As Red stepped off of the carriage, he didn’t hesitate to extend his crimson sense towards the towering stone building in front of him. The last time he crossed the place, he felt one Greater Ring Realm cultivator and five Lesser Ring Realm ones. This time, the Greater Ring Realm practitioner was still there, but other than him, there were only two Lesser Ring Realm cultivators inside - three now, if you accounted for the Captain that arrived with him.

Said Captain was waiting for him as he stepped off the carriage near the large metal gate.

“Follow me.” he said. “The General is waiting for you.”

“General?” Red frowned. “He’s conducting the investigation?”

The man nodded. “Foreigners like you might not realize the severity of what just happened, but our General is well aware of it. He has been fighting the Shadow for longer than most people in the city have been alive.”

The general he referred to, of course, was the Lieutenant General of the City Guard, Elton Winslowe. Even Red, who had less than an appropriate knowledge of the capital, knew the name. He was a commoner turned soldier for the Kingdom, who rose through the ranks through his own efforts, becoming a folk hero for many aspiring peasants as the example of what one could achieve through hard work. He later retired from his life in the army and was awarded a position in the city guard.

This was as much as Red knew, though, and this was the first time he was hearing about his apparent conflict with the Shadow.

The Captain, however, didn’t seem to be inviting him for a conversation, simply turning around and walking inside as he beckoned Red to follow into the wide entrance hall. The youth was not the only civilian inside the building, as many people seemed to be in the process of filling in complaints or being dragged against their will into jail cells, or into stairs that extended below ground.

There were easily hundreds of people just in the first few large rooms Red came across. Most guards greeted the Captain with reverence as they came across him, and it was through that where he learned the man escorting him was named Johann.

The youth examined the place as well as he could, but as he was led through a courtyard, he noticed someone staring in his direction. Another Lesser Ring Realm guard, looking down at him from a window at the second floor of a connected building. Red would have not thought it was strange if not for the fact the man’s attention was immediately drawn to him as soon as he walked into the courtyard, as if he was expecting his arrival.

Nothing happened, however, and soon enough Red was led out of that guard’s sight and into another large building. Through his crimson sense, he was already able to guess what awaited for him inside.

Captain Johann came to a stop in front of a set of double wooden doors. “The General is waiting for you inside.”

Red frowned. “He’s interrogating me in his office?”

“You are not a prisoner… Besides, the matter is of great importance to him.” The Captain said. “Now just go in.”

Johann proceeded to open the doors, revealing the room to Red. A simple, circular office, with a wooden desk and wooden chairs for seating - illuminated by the light of lanterns as no window could be found inside. Other than that, there were a few bookcases lined up on each side of the wall - but at first glance, one would be hard pressed to associate this office to one of the most powerful men in the city.

And, of course, behind this desk was a grizzled middle-aged man, with a finely trimmed beard and grey hair tied into a small knot behind his head. He had a crooked nose, a missing ear, and plenty of small scars across his face that spoke to his experience on the battlefield. He didn’t wear any armor, much to Red’s surprise, instead sporting what one could only call common city folk clothing, with a dark leather tunic over top of it. The only thing to attest to his rank was the star-shaped embroidery with an oaken tree drawing sewed into his leather tunic.

That, and his Greater Ring Realm cultivation, of course.

The man seemed to be reading some documents with a frown on his face when the Captain opened the door.

“General Winslowe.” Johann saluted to him. “The victim of the Shadow’s assassination attempt is here to see you, as you commanded.”

The man nodded, but he didn’t raise his gaze from the documents. “Good, you can go… And close the door behind you.”

The captain did as much, leaving Red alone with the General inside the room. The youth didn’t feel nearly as much of a pressure coming out from the man as he did from other Greater Ring Realm beings, but he didn’t feel at ease in his presence either.

“Please, sit.” The general pointed at the chair across from him. “I just need to finish this one paper…”

Red followed the man’s instructions, sitting in the wooden chair across from him with no hesitation. He took the time while the general was occupied reading to inspect his fluctuation more in depth.

Although the man looked middle-aged, Red could tell through his fluctuation that he must be as old as Hector was, at the very least. It wasn’t a surprise, though, as advancing through realms would slow down your aging considerably.

What was surprising, though, was the lack of weapons in the room. The man didn’t have even so much as a dagger visible at his waist, which was strange for a military man.

‘Then again, he doesn’t need a weapon to defend himself from me…’

A few minutes passed by while the General read through a couple more documents, before he finally set them aside and looked up at Red with a smile.

“I’m sorry about that, Mister Viran. At my age, if I leave some of these documents half-read, I’ll have to go through them all over again to remember what they were about.”

“It’s no problem, senior.” Red nodded with respect.

Contrary to the man’s rough appearance, his relaxed expression and his affable smile made him seem more approachable than one would expect.

General Winslowe chuckled. “Senior? There’s no need to call me that. I’m not a cultivator by trade, so just sir will do.”

“Very well.” Red nodded again. “May I ask what I have been called here for, sir?”

“Huh? Don’t tell me they brought me the wrong person? “The man seemed confused for a second. “Were you not attacked by one of the Shadows last night?”

“I was.” The youth nodded. “That’s not what I was referring to, though. I’m just afraid I don’t have much information to add other than what I already told your men.”

“That’s fine.” The general waved his concern off. “I would like to hear how things happened from your mouth.”

‘Here it is.’

Red was worried about this exact possibility. He had too many things to hide, and there were too many holes in his story that would cast suspicion over his abilities. A cultivator this talented would definitely pick up on it, of this he had no doubt about. His major concern was if the general would push him on those matters.

“Where do you want me to start?” Red asked.

“From when you were walking back home.” The General said as he set a blank piece of paper and inked his pen. “Did you notice anything strange by then?”

“Not at all. The only moment I noticed something strange was moments before the assassination attempt happened…”

Red proceeded to retell his version of events. He didn’t lie about anything, though he did gloss over some facts, such as how he was able to notice the Shadow, or how he was able to survive against a cultivator far more powerful than him. To his surprise, the General didn’t ask him anything other than some clarification questions, until the story was done.

“It is remarkable that an early stage Lesser Ring Realm cultivator was able to survive such an attempt on their life.” General Winslowe frowned. “How did you do it?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t feel comfortable revealing my means.”

“That’s reasonable.” The man nodded. “At the end of the day, a cultivator still has to keep his secrets. It’s just that… You are aware of the reputation of the Shadow that attacked you, right?”

“Shattering Steel.” Red nodded. “I have learned about them since our encounter.”

“Then you should be aware of his cultivation realm, right?” The man asked. “I don’t mean to insult your skills, but for someone to survive a surprise attack against a cultivator an entire realm above them… That’s surprising, to say the least.”

“… He wasn’t an entire realm above me.”

“Hm?” The General’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t have much time to examine their cultivation base, but I’m certain they were still a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator.”

“Really?” The man looked perplexed. “… And you’re entirely sure about it?”

“I am almost certain.” Red nodded. “I have a rough grasp on a Greater Ring Realm cultivator’s strength, and I couldn’t have survived against such an attack if the perpetrator were in that realm.”

The General nodded and jotted down a few more lines on his paper.

“We will investigate your claim… Now, just a few more things.” He looked up at Red, his expression changing ever so slightly. “You said your assassin ran away, right?”

“… Yes.”

Red had a bad feeling about where the conversation was headed.

“That seems strange.” General Winslowe frowned. “There was no one else nearby, and the guard arrived entirely too late. It seems to me he could have kept his attack up a while longer if he truly wanted to kill you, and yet… He didn’t. Do you know why that is?”

“… I’m not sure about it either, sir.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The man smiled, pointing at Red’s waist.

“Is it not because of that cloth-covered sword on your waist?”

The youth immediately felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.