Shadow Weaver: Sole Heir Of The Night-Chapter 181: Secrets
"Vincent, what are you doing in here? Don’t you know this is a freedom party stronghold? Or does the crown seek to start another conflict with us?"
The voice drifted across the courtyard like smoke, low and amused. Its owner remained hidden behind layers of shadow and silk curtains that swayed gently in the afternoon breeze.
The Freedom Party was no minor faction that could be bullied at will. They had roots in every corner of the kingdom, even buried deep within the Royal Guards themselves.
Many wore the crown’s armor by day and whispered freedom slogans by night.
The Royal Guards understood this better than anyone. Stirring trouble here without a clear command from the crown would not be bravery. It would be foolishness.
Unless the crown truly intended to cut them down once more and remind them who ruled the capital.
"The Freedom Party is not exempt from the law. Kidnapping is a crime."
Vincent’s voice was calm, almost bored. He shifted his gaze away from the demigod in the kimono and let his eyes settle deeper within the courtyard.
Behind the bamboo blinds, a short man sat leisurely on a wooden chair, sipping from a worn cup as though this was nothing more than an afternoon tea.
"Kidnapping? We did no such thing. Kidnap who?"
The response came without haste.
In that same breath, Enzo, Zeke, and Leon vanished. Their figures blurred and then dissolved as if swallowed by an unseen tide. One second they stood bound in the open courtyard. The next, there was only empty air.
A faint ripple lingered where they had been, like the surface of a disturbed pond.
"Cheap tricks. All we need to do is check your wonderland. Or do you think the two of us cannot pry it open?" Minister Fin sneered, his aura tightening the air around him.
The Freedom Party was the closest this generation had to the old Lokian faction. Free spirited. Chaotic. Always laughing in the face of authority.
They were the replacement for that dead legend.
"Hehe. Loki is dead. Stop making a fuss and die already."
The cup hit the ground and rolled lazily across the stone.
The man behind the blinds spoke as though discussing the weather.
"Besides, it is their friend who wishes to see them. Is that not why they are here in the first place?"
The courtyard fell quiet.
The royal who had requested the Freedom Party retrieve Enzo and Zeke was none other than their friend.
Raven.
Minister Fin’s expression darkened.
Not visibly at first.
Just a faint tightening at the corner of his eyes, a subtle stillness that replaced his usual careless air.
He had long suspected Raven’s connections ran deeper than what she allowed the public to see. She was clever, far too clever for someone who wore the appearance of a sheltered royal.
But this?
Mobilizing the Freedom Party. Having them intercept Enzo and Zeke so openly. That was not influence gained overnight.
That required trust. History. Leverage.
It meant she had been walking within circles far more dangerous than most imagined.
That bordered on absurd.
She was not even exalted.
In this kingdom, power usually followed rank. Strength was visible. Measured. Ranked. Announced. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Yet Raven moved pieces on a board most could not even see.
The blinds rustled softly.
The short man rose at last.
He stepped through the filtered sunlight with unhurried ease, his sandals making almost no sound against the stone.
He was not tall. Not imposing in build.
Yet the moment he stood fully revealed, the courtyard shifted.
His presence was compact yet heavy, like a blade kept hidden in a sleeve. Not flashy. Not overwhelming. But deadly if drawn.
His eyes were sharp, calculating, and faintly amused.
"I am not so stupid as to harm these two knowing who stands behind them," he said lightly.
His gaze drifted toward the empty space where Enzo and Zeke had vanished.
"You may take the third one though. Jake is a bit erratic."
A few Freedom Party members nearby exchanged glances, faint smiles tugging at their lips.
Jake had caused them more trouble than either of the others.
Minister Fin did not smile.
But the tension in the air eased by a fraction.
Both sides understood the direction this conversation had taken.
This was not an abduction.
It was a summons.
No blood needed to stain the courtyard today. Not over something as trivial as arranging a meeting between friends.
Starting a war for pride would only expose weakness.
And neither faction wished to show weakness first.
Vincent stepped forward.
"I have a question. Then I will leave."
His voice was even. Controlled.
But his eyes locked firmly onto the man before him.
This was no ordinary member of the Freedom Party.
This was someone who sat near the center of its web.
If anyone possessed knowledge about what made the Terra Turtles special, it would be him.
The short man tilted his head slightly.
"Ask."
"Terra Turtles."
Vincent did not hesitate.
"The Royal Frost Alliance is hiding something. What is it?"
His voice remained steady.
But something in his gaze sharpened.
He had been tasked with uncovering what truly happened that day involving Enzo and his accomplices.
The official report had been vague.
Too vague.
When he reviewed the records within the Royal Guard House, searching for files marked catastrophe level threat connected to the turtles, he found nothing.
Not restricted.
Not sealed.
Gone.
Erased cleanly.
Entire entries missing from index logs.
Cross references broken.
Archive shelves re numbered as though those files had never existed.
It was not incompetence.
It was deliberate.
The Lokian remnants lacked the reach to accomplish something so thorough.
They were chaotic, not meticulous.
But others had both the reach and the patience.
Like the Royal Frost Alliance.
The short man chuckled softly.
"Oh that?"
He leaned back against a wooden pillar, arms folding loosely.
"Do not tell me you are not part of any force beyond the Royal Guards. It is practically an open secret."
His tone was almost teasing.
"Asking me this is like asking why the sky darkens before rain."
He glanced upward briefly, then back at Vincent.
"Once upon a time, the Royal Frost Alliance had the bold idea to kill an heir."
The words landed heavier than his casual tone suggested.
"They attempted it with assistance from several demons. Real ones. Not half breeds. Not strays."
A few guards shifted slightly.
Demons were not spoken of lightly.
"Her Highness found out."
His expression changed just a little.
"People died that night. Many of them."
He let the silence stretch for a heartbeat.
"It was a mess. Blood in halls meant for ceremonies. Ice stained red. Names erased from family trees before sunrise."
He exhaled slowly.
"Of course, we all know how difficult demons are to kill. And how much harder they are to find once they scatter."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"One of the turtles is either a demon or the offspring of one."
The words seemed to pull the warmth from the courtyard.
"A survivor from that failed purge. One of the few they did not clean up."
Minister Fin’s fingers tightened at his side.
So that was it.
A catastrophe level beast was not merely a beast.
It was a mask.
"There are still a few more though..."
The man stopped mid sentence.
His hand rose suddenly to cover his mouth.
His eyes flicked upward.
Not dramatically.
Just a brief glance.
As if something unseen lingered above the courtyard, listening.
The shift in his demeanor was immediate.
Playfulness vanished.
"Oops," he said softly.
"The cat is out of the bag."
His tone hardened.
"You can leave now."
Vincent did not press further.
"Very well, Marquis John."
The title slipped from his lips without hesitation.
He inclined his head slightly and turned.
But even as he walked, he forced his mind into stillness.
No conclusions.
No connections.
In a world where domains existed and senses stretched beyond flesh, even thoughts could betray a man.
He would analyze later.
Behind closed doors.
Marquis John’s gaze shifted slowly to Minister Fin.
His smile returned, faint and unreadable.
"What about you?"
"What will it take for you to leave?"
"Nothing."
Minister Fin shook his head slowly.
The movement was calm, deliberate.
"They are my responsibility."
His voice carried no aggression.
"I will follow you as long as they are with you."
The courtyard quieted once more.
There was no threat in his tone.
No raised aura.
No challenge.
Only certainty.
And that certainty was far more dangerous than anger
"Well then, I hope you’re able to keep up with me" smiling as if he expected this marquis John sighed then stepped forward disappearing with a bag in his hand.
Immediately he phased several times in a few minutes escaping into the sky.
"Always with the cheap tricks, you try so hard to be like the lokian faction old man," minister fin shook his head and followed the fading shadow closely as they moved deeper into the city of ice.
