Walking through the halls of the meticulously designed mansion, Redgenald took in the wealth on display. This house, and he wasn't including the house itself, contained more wealth than the total assets of the average noble family. Once the land, businesses, investments, and loans that were undoubtedly scattered around were taken into account, the wealth of Senator Ponpti and his family began to boggle the mind.

Then again… everything he had seen could be a facade hiding the rotten and decomposing heart of an old and decomposing tree. You really couldn't tell with nobles how well off they really were until you started digging into their business. Of course, taking such actions would bring you to their attention in a hostile manner, and if they really did possess the abilities they were projecting, it wouldn't end well for the digger.

It might just be his gut feeling, but Redgenald didn't think the Ponptis were a family that was putting on an act. No, the man was competent. More than that, he did not give off the air of someone frantically searching for the next score to hold off the debts piling up. And if he ever did fall into such a situation, selling off some of the priceless works of art that were packing the halls would buy him enough time to get back onto his feet.

There were suits of armor on display that the reaper was confident belonged to the elves before the Republic ever existed. While he was less sure of the origins of some of the statues, their craftsmanship was so excellent that he felt the need to touch them to reassure himself they weren't living plants. Next to the statues were paintings of scenery by famous painters or portraits of notable persons from the last two thousand years, scattered about like sand on a beach. Glass and metal sculptures that would trick the eye as one spent hours staring at them filled entire rooms.

Then there were the less mundane displays. Artifacts found in the ruins of elven cities. Sure, most could only produce light, heat water, or project some sound — everyday items that would have made one's life easier back when they were created. However, nowadays, one of them would sell for the entire family home in any city besides the capital.

When you finally had a moment to tear your eyes away from the decorations and inspect the building, you would find that while the pillars were ornately crafted stone to look like trees, there were no other sources of stone visible. It was quite the subtle show of wealth.

In the capital, you could kick a stone and hit a Knight Terra, or so it was said. Whether the saying was true or not, what was utterly accurate was that working stone was common. All you had to do was roughen a side of a tendril or shape the tip into a flat edge before running it vigorously over a block of stone, and pieces would come flying off.

Honestly, finding the stone was as easy as digging a hole, depending on the size you want, providing plenty of material to work with. Sourcing good lumber, cutting it down, and hauling it to crafters was a lot harder. Having the crafters be skilled enough to bring the wood to life was a few steps — and years of practice — beyond that.

The reaper wasn't sure if the house was entirely made of wood or if the walls had a core of stone for extra protection. Ultimately, it didn't matter. The facts were that this was on a level of wealth and grandeur that he had never thought to experience in his life. Making it the perfect spot to leave his charge while he went to deal with some errands.

It was a matter that he had already come to an agreement with the senator on during their long ride to the estate. Amid all the pleasantries and small talk, they also discussed Redgenald's continued presence on the estate, with the senator being surprisingly agreeable to it. A circumstance that the Inquisitor attributed to the man taking the threat of the dark elves seriously. Which was another reason to offer the man more support than he typically would. Within limits, of course.

Walking up to one of the barracks in the back of the house, Redgenald didn't bother knocking and stepped right inside. The room was pretty much exactly like he expected. Relatively long and narrow, with rows of bunks on either side. Right now, most of those bunks were unoccupied, with only the nine scouts present, dropping off their luggage and gear into trunks at the base of the beds.

"Anooha," Redgenald called loudly, ensuring he had everyone's attention even after he slammed the door open. "There will be a slight change of plans for tonight. Have two of your scouts stand guard inside the room while Green sleeps."

"Why the change of plans?" The scout woman asked, as Redgenald was turning to leave.

She would find out soon enough why, but it was more that she dared to ask him something at all that prompted him to respond. "I'll be going out tonight. I need to attend to some business. And Kathren, if you would be so kind as to join me." At his words, he felt the intense gaze of Kathren on his back, but he paid the look no mind as he stepped out and waited for the woman, his mind wandering to the food he enjoyed less than an hour ago.

The dinner that greeted the guests of the senator was no doubt simple by his lofty standards, but Redgenald had been to few gatherings that could match it. Wine of a quality he would have to gouge his purse to afford flowed like it would never end, food overflowed from the table, and music that threatened to enchant the listener was ever present.

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Even now, he could still be on the far side of the manor enjoying the festivities with the rest of the Kin delegation, but that was not to be. All he could hope for was another opportunity to revel in such a night. For this one, he had to venture into the depths of the city.

Eyes darting to the opening door, Redgenald took in Kathrens' appearance at a glance. Most of the woman was obscured by her cloak, but as she moved, the edges parted, and he caught sight that she was dressed in her scout gear. While he didn't expect any danger, it was always better to be safe than sorry, so he simply gave her a nod before tilting his head, signaling her to follow.

While they could not be said to be strolling down the hallways, it also could not be said that they were running. Redgenald would guess that the people who saw them would describe them as moving with purpose. Which was more than fast enough to prompt the occasional servant and guard to intercept them, given where they were. At least that was the case until they sized up Redgenald.

The smart ones recognized how fast he was moving and assumed he had the right to be there; otherwise, why else would he draw attention? He was going so far as to use a minor casting to pull himself forward, lengthening his steps. But even as the dumbest moved to confront him, they snapped back to their duties and refused to look him in the eyes a moment after they apprised him. Given that everyone knew he was around, he decided to wear his Inquisitor badge out in the open, supplying them all the justification they needed to move fast.

Spotting the simple working of silver no larger than a large silver coin with an obelisk on its front was enough to instill fear in even the hardest of criminals. Some of his coworkers had stories of common citizens fainting at the mere sight of it. While the fear wasn't always useful, Inquisitors generally weren't meant to act in the open, so the Order actively propagated and maintained the darker rumors about them.

With everyone giving him a wide berth, it wasn't long before he exited the building with Kathren trailing behind and made his way across the grounds to the main gates. Which was where he met a real collection of people for the first time since leaving the party. The better part of two squads of legionaries were on either side of the gates, and behind each were men who radiated the aura of knights.

Part of the reason behind the display of force, he had no doubt, was that the senator wanted to ensure that nobody got any ideas and attacked his manner to kill the Kin. Though any mod that could charge through the noble district and reach this estate would not be stopped by a few dozen guards at the gate. If anyone were planning to eliminate the Kin, it would more likely happen by a single well-placed blade.

Which was why Redgenald was leaving early on this night, as he needed to fulfill the primary concern of the senator before he would be allowed to stay. And that concern was the other main reason behind the extra guards, namely the lone figure casually leaning against the outer wall next to the entrance. Nobles, because of their station, were not exactly fond of Inquisitors.

After all, Inquisitors were the ones primarily tasked by the senate to investigate the nobles themselves, when a family was suspected of overreaching their station. Nevertheless, it did not do them any good to be rude to such figures, as an offended Inquisitor has been known to initiate their own investigation at times. More than that, there was no need to alienate someone who could, with a few well-placed words, sway the opinions of influential people. Whether that was for or against a specific family was mainly up to the whims of the Inquisitor.

Leaving the nobles in the uncertain position of always seeking to curry favor with the Order while at the same time not wanting to get too close, as that could suggest they were hiding or plotting something. However, the Shadows of the Inquisitors were not ones that anyone wanted to be close to.

Shadows were criminals who had performed deeds so atrocious that they were no longer fit for society, or were simply crazy, and possessed a level of power that rivaled knights. Such madmen were still valuable, so long as they had the proper mental leashes placed upon them, and an Inquisitor was always present to constantly monitor them.

At least that was the general opinion. In the early days, when the practice was implemented, the results were less than advertised. Several of the shadows escaped their mental constraints, and one such occurrence happened within a noble's house, butchering many of the inhabitants during a fiery night. Since that time, the nobles made it a policy that no shadow was allowed on any of their personal residences, unless they were actively fulfilling an assignment.

And that was the reason why Drogaith was being watched for the slightest of twitches, moments away from being ripped apart by tens of willing hands. Redgenald himself wasn't entirely sure if he should be pleased that his Shadow didn't intentionally get himself killed or not, as he knew he didn't leave the proper orders to prevent it.

Even as he existed as the only kind of legal slave within the Republic, it seemed that the man still wanted to live. Which, like always, caused a flood of uncertain and uneasy emotions to rise up within the Olimpian, but at the end of the day, the Blood Knight had become a tool that had saved many lives. Just look at Southtown, as without his help, Redgenald and the legionaries would have died within the cavern. Distasteful as it might be, Redgenald would continue to use him as such as long as he was able.

"Don't worry." The Inquisitor called, causing some of the men to jump as their entire focus was on the Shadow outside the gates. "I'll be taking him back to the Pens."

"That is good to hear." One of the knights responded with a friendly smile on his face. "Should we be expecting you to return to these premises?"

"Not in the next few hours," Redgenald responded, confirming that he would be returning, "Perhaps in the early hours of the morning, I will be showing back up… or possibly another from my order. I still have duties to perform after all."

The rather young-looking knight stiffened, taking offense at something in Redgenald's words. A quick thought, and Redgenald realized that he had just implied that the personal guards of the senator were not up to the task of protecting Green and the Kin. It was something Redgenald believed, but it was a pain in the ass that he would have to start being careful with his words again.

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