The Purpose

Venus seemed not to notice his reaction. She led him to the largest room on the second floor and pushed the door open.

The room was significantly larger than a standard guest room and luxuriously furnished, arranged with the highest level of amenities. It was essentially comparable to a suite in a luxury hotel.

Upon entering, Venus casually set her wine glass on the table and leaned back into a lounge chair.

She looked up at Hogg and said lazily, "So, Royal Preceptor, what business brings you here so late at night?"

Hogg stood by the table, his gaze fixed on Venus's face. He tried to discern some useful information from her expression, but it was clearly futile; after all, they were both "old foxes" who had lived for over a century.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke.

"What exactly is the Empire's true purpose for coming here?"

Venus blinked, as if she had just heard a very boring question.

"As you can see, it's a standard diplomatic exchange to convey the Empire's goodwill."

"Would you believe me if I said the same thing?"

Hogg responded quickly.

"If that were all, the Empire would never have sent you."

Venus, hearing this, seemed to take an interest. She turned on her side, propping her head up with one hand as she looked at him.

"Then where do you think I should be?"

Hogg shook his head and said with conviction.

"Anywhere but the Kingdom."

Venus's expression immediately shifted to one of wounded pride.

She pressed a hand to her chest, her tone and expression both carrying a clear sense of affectation. "Could I not have traveled ten thousand miles just because I admire the Royal Preceptor and wanted to see him?"

Hogg looked at her, his brow furrowing involuntarily. Hearing those words from Venus made him feel entirely uneasy... as if he were being targeted by something troublesome.

Or rather, it was psychologically unsettling.

He did not take the bait and instead continued his questioning. "Where are the people from the Inquisition you brought with you?"

Venus spread her hands.

"I don't know."

Hogg's gaze darkened significantly.

"Does Lady Venus think I'll believe that?"

"Whether you believe it or not is your business, but I truly do not know."

Venus leaned back into the lounge chair again, her tone sluggish.

"The Inquisition has tasks personally assigned by His Imperial Majesty. Where they go and what they do does not need to be reported to me item by item. I am only here as a safeguard."

"A safeguard?"

"Mhm." Venus nodded. "To prevent things from getting out of hand, or to prevent someone from not following the rules."

The room fell silent for a moment. The sound of rain drifted in from outside, densely filling the space.

Hogg looked at Venus and suddenly spoke, "Are you monitoring me?"

Venus blinked and smiled.

"Monitoring is a bit much."

She paused, her smile deepening.

"I simply wanted to see you."

Hogg's gaze turned sharp.

The mana in the air fluctuated noticeably at that moment. The papers and books on the table began to tremble, and the very air in the room started to feel thick and viscous.

Venus naturally noticed the change in atmosphere.

She merely raised a hand and waved it dismissively.

"I know you're eager, but don't get ahead of yourself."

Her tone remained relaxed, seemingly indifferent to the attitude Hogg was displaying.

"I don't mind if we start a fight right now, but can you guarantee you won't hurt any innocents?"

Hogg knew very well that it was impossible. This was the Foreign Embassy; inside were imperial civil officials, scholars, and guards, and the Kingdom's own Imperial Guards were stationed around the perimeter.

If two Heroic Spirit rank experts were to fight here, the entire Foreign Embassy would be reduced to ruins in an instant.

Hogg forcibly suppressed the mana that was leaking out. It hadn't been his intention to actually strike... he only wanted to make his stance clear.

After a moment, he said in a low voice, "What is the Empire's true purpose?"

Venus looked at him and gave a soft tsk.

"Hogg, you really don't know how to read the room... no wonder you're destined to be a bachelor for the rest of your life."

She sat up a bit straighter on the lounge chair, picked up her glass to swirl the wine, and took a small sip.

"Fine. Since you've come here yourself, I won't waste any more time."

She looked up, her tone a bit more serious than before.

"Two words."

Hogg stared at her as Venus spoke slowly.

"Finding someone."

Hogg's pupils constricted slightly, and he followed up immediately.

"Finding whom?"

Venus did not answer. She merely looked down at the swaying wine in her glass, as if she hadn't heard the question.

Hogg waited for a few breaths before saying in a deep voice, "Lady Venus!"

"I can't say that."

Venus looked up, the trace of playfulness on her face having faded considerably.

"At least not yet."

Hogg's brow furrowed even tighter.

"You come into the Kingdom's territory to find someone so brazenly, yet you don't intend to tell the Kingdom who it is? Am I to view this behavior as a provocation?"

"That is why I will say next: I 'request' that you do not inquire, and that it would be best to pretend you know nothing."

Venus placed her wine glass back on the table, emphasizing the word 'request,' her tone becoming earnest.

"The Empire did not come here to declare war on the Kingdom. On the contrary, His Imperial Majesty truly wishes to maintain good relations. The cultural exchange, the academy cooperation, and the trade—those are all genuine, not a smokescreen."

She paused.

"But besides those, we have another purpose. This purpose cannot be known by the Kingdom for the time being."

Hogg waited quietly for Venus's next words. He did not detect any dismissiveness in her tone, nor did she seem to be lying.

Venus continued, "You can think of this as the Empire's private business. As long as the Kingdom does not obstruct our actions, we will not cause trouble within your borders. In fact, the Empire will consider this a favor from the Kingdom."

She looked at Hogg, her tone turning serious.

"And after this is over, the Empire will provide compensation."

"Compensation?" Hogg said coldly. "What if the person you're looking for involves the Kingdom's security?"

"Then I will personally handle it. That is the bottom line... but our Emperor has given a death order this time. We must find the person and bring them back. There is no room for negotiation on this point."

Venus spoke quickly, but her words allowed for no rebuttal.

"Until then, I hope the Royal Preceptor can act as if he has seen nothing."

Hogg looked at her, remaining silent for a long time. He was weighing the pros and cons as much as possible. Gaining the Empire's friendship was certainly important, but their request... the uncertainty was too great.

Furthermore, with a delegation led by Venus herself, it was hard to believe their mission was as simple as "finding someone."

Unless...

While Hogg was still deep in thought, Venus leaned back into the lounge chair, her tone returning to its initial nonchalance.

"Don't make it sound so serious. Again, the Empire isn't here to declare war on you. At least for now, I have no interest in that."

Hogg stared at her for a long while before finally reaching a compromise. He exhaled slowly and spoke.

"I hope you remember what you said tonight... and refrain from any actions that harm the Kingdom's interests."

Venus smiled and nodded with satisfaction.

"Don't worry. I've always had a good memory."