In the Imperial City, there is also a Noble District.
However, unlike the clear division in the Royal Capital, the Noble District in the Imperial City consists primarily of high-end buildings surrounding the Imperial Palace.
The mansions of the nobles are constructed around the palace, enclosing that area into the Noble District, which then spreads outward to the commercial areas and subsequently to the civilian residential areas, eventually reaching the military training ground known as the Knight Camp.
Beyond the Knight Camp lies the city walls of the Imperial City.
So, unlike the clearly divided Royal Capital, the Imperial City presents a concentric socio-economic demarcation, where social standing decreases as one moves closer to the city walls except for the Knight Camp. Positioned near the walls for defensive convenience and quick deployment, it is encircled by fortress-like walls and considered a military stronghold, off-limits to everyone except formally affiliated knights.
In such circumstances, the Bigusler Family's residence is naturally located close to the Imperial Palace, within the prestigious Noble District.
Once Shane and his group entered the Noble District, they found that there were fewer people coming and going, mostly patrolling knights and carriages hurrying to and fro. There were not many people walking on the streets.
But the area was heavily guarded with fully armored knights patrolling everywhere. The knights were extremely vigilant, and Shane's group attracted many wary and suspicious glances, merely because they wore cloaks covering their faces. They were even stopped several times by squads of the Knight Order, asked to remove their hoods and show their faces, creating a tense and rigorous atmosphere akin to a city-wide search as if they were apprehending wanted criminals.
Initially, Shane cooperated, but as similar incidents increased, he grew tired of it.
Therefore, Shane, dragging along Lasha and Lilith, chose to enter into stealth mode, activating the "Inner Destiny" stealth effect, becoming unnoticeable shadows in black clothes, moving through the alleyways of the Noble District.
Despite such precautions, Shane still noticed several traces of the Knight Order, seemingly searching for something, patrolling even the alleys with tense and serious expressions, clearly on high alert.
"What in the world is going on?"
By now, Shane also sensed something was amiss.
Such extreme security measures were quite uncommon.
It would be conceivable in the Imperial Palace, but Shane couldn't believe that such stringent security was the norm across the entire Noble District. Alwаys rеаd frоm thе sоurсе: М|V|LЕ4МРYR.
Shane's thoughts raced, contemplating the situation.
However, Shane did nothing but proceeded with the original plan, taking Lasha and Lilith to the Bigusler Family.
Yet upon arriving at the Bigusler residence, Shane noticed more anomalies.
"Why are so many people watching this place?"
From a dark corner, Shane, holding onto Lasha and Lilith, furrowed his brows as he looked ahead.
In the vast square ahead, a grand mansion sat.
The mansion wasn't overly flamboyant, decorated somewhat coldly and strictly like a small Chalk Castle, exuding a serious vibe.
At first glance, the mansion seemed unremarkable.
However, Shane's "Outer Destiny" was not for show.
His enhanced Six Senses and various perception abilities informed him that many eyes were fixated on that mansion.
Subtle Magic Power reactions emanated from around the Bigusler residence, yet none were openly visible; they were like Shane, hidden in shadows, seemingly observing something.
"It doesn't seem like the guards of the Bigusler family, but more like a secret force surveilling them."
Lilith seemed to have noticed it too, her gaze turning to Shane as if asking whether they should take action.
Lasha, oblivious to the surroundings, remained calm and indifferent, quietly letting Shane lead without fussing or speaking, entrusting everything to him.
Shane patted Lilith's head, said nothing, and did nothing.
Dealing with those secretly watching wasn't difficult, but Shane was keener to find out what exactly had happened that led to the Bigusler family being under such surveillance.
"Could there be trouble?"
Shane pondered this possibility.
Within the Empire, Harvis and Rocque already had enemies.
That was Moro, the mysterious Princess who had bewitched the current Emperor and held significant influence over court affairs.
According to Harvis, Moro had surreptitiously targeted several of his siblings and was constantly scheming against him and his sister, Cappelen.
Rocque, as a supporter of Harvis, was also among the Imperial Nobles opposing Moro's power.
Thus, it was certain that Moro would not make life easy for Harvis and Rocque.
Now, with Harvis and Rocque having returned from the Kingdom for half a month, it was entirely possible that something had occurred during this period, putting them in a difficult situation.
"Are they unable to protect themselves now?"
Shane narrowed his eyes.
Originally, Shane chose to ally with Harvis, valuing his influence within the Empire.
With the backing of the most powerful Prince in the Empire, confronting Moro would definitely be more convenient.
At least, he could use the intelligence provided by Harvis to keep track of Moro's movements and prevent this elusive Princess from escaping.
If Shane hadn't been concerned about this, he could have easily descended into the Imperial City with Ai Yi and Lilith, directly unleashing a massacre, which would have been easier than anything else.
And if Harvis himself was in danger and unable to provide any help, then there would be no reason for Shane to cooperate with the Prince.
Ultimately, in this partnership, Harvis had always been the weaker party, needing Shane's help due to his inability to deal with Moro. He hoped to use Shane's power to depose his delusional father and seize the imperial throne.
For this, he even volunteered to help Shane against the Lefirut Family. That was the Prince's pledge of allegiance.
Unfortunately, in the end, Harvis let William escape.
Thus, if he could no longer offer any assistance, then naturally, Shane had no reason to help him usurp the throne and reap the benefits.
Of course, it wasn't time to make that conclusion yet.
Whether the other party was truly in danger was still up for debate.
After thinking it over, Shane had a plan in mind.
"Lilith," Shane lowered his voice, speaking to Lilith, "You and Lasha hide first, I'll go in alone to check things out."
Upon hearing this, Lilith blinked her big eyes, seemingly wanting to go in with Shane.
"It's alright, I'm just slipping in to check the situation. Maybe I'll leave right after assessing the situation of the Bigusler Family. If so, there's no need for us to go in." Shane added, "So, you and Lasha wait here for my message, and don't let those rats discover you."
Upon hearing Shane's words, Lilith thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
Lasha had no objections at all, not speaking from the beginning to the end.
"Good girl." Shane kissed Lilith on her cheek, making her smile brightly before turning to Lasha and saying, "Wait for my message."
"Yes," Lasha nodded expressionlessly.
Observing the maid's undisturbed demeanor, as if completely detaching herself from the situation and ignoring anything that happened, Shane raised his eyebrow, and suddenly also kissed Lasha's delicate face.
The touch was indescribably satisfying.
Lasha seemed not to have anticipated this, momentarily stunned.
But by then, Shane had already vanished in a flash, no longer remaining on the spot.
Lasha remained silent.
In her heart, ripples she might not even have been aware of herself were starting to stir.
Simultaneously, Shane utilized his Instant Movement ability to enter directly into the Bigusler estate.
He remained in a concealed state, unnoticed by anyone.
At that moment, Shane appeared on a tree branch in a backyard garden.
He closed his eyes and focused his spirit.
At this instant, his perception ability from the "Outer Destiny" spread out.
It swiftly enveloped the entire Bigusler estate, feeding back the situation of the entire estate to Shane.
Shane sensed some disturbance in the Bigusler Family. Apart from the servants bustling about, at the mansion's top floor, in a hall, there seemed to be quarreling.
Shane sensed Rocque's Magic Power, and another similar Magic Power appeared alongside Rocque's, which was quite remarkable.
But Rocque's situation didn't seem too good.
Other than the Magic Power staying close to him, there were several other Magic Powers in the hall, all confronting Rocque and each quite formidable. Among them, one had a Magic Power reaction comparable even to Rocque's, which surprised Shane.
"A second Legendary powerhouse?"
Shane instantly thought of something.
"That must be 'That Person', right?"
In the Royal Capital of the Kingdom, there was only one famously Legendary powerhouse, Aridia.
Though surely there were more Legendary powerhouses in the Kingdom than just Aridia, he was the only one serving the Kingdom and holding a position within the Royal Capital.
In contrast, apart from Rocque, the Empire had another Legendary powerhouse.
His reputation was not as illustrious as Rocque's, but he was also considered a top Imperial Knight just below Rocque. They both belonged to the same Knight family and held similar status and standing as Rocque.
But what was this Legendary powerhouse doing here, in a standoff with Rocque?
"It seems there really is trouble here."
Shane opened his eyes.
"Let's go take a look."
Deciding this, the next second, Shane's figure disappeared as if he had never been there.