It's so hard being a hero!

A long line of people was moving toward the city of Kyle.

Leading the way was a cavalry unit of about one hundred men.

They rode black warhorses, wore dark red armor, and their helmets covered most of their faces, revealing only pairs of indifferent eyes.

This is the Blood Rose Knights.

It is a renowned elite knightly order of the Delos Empire Adventurers' Guild, with all members being at least high-level adventurers, and the leader, Samira, being a gold-level powerhouse.

Behind the knights were a dozen or so carriages.

The vehicle is emblazoned with the logos of the Imperial Ministry of Resource Planning and the Ministry of Finance.

More than thirty civilian officials accompanied him.

Vlad took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and strode forward to meet him.

The cavalry formation stopped at the city gate, then parted to the sides to make way.

A completely black carriage slowly drove up from the back of the procession.

The carriage was not pulled by ordinary horses, but by two robust Nightmare Beasts, their black manes fluttering in the morning breeze, their hooves splashing sparks as they trod on the stone pavement.

The carriage stopped and the door opened.

The first person to get off was a middle-aged man wearing a dark gray uniform.

He was in his early forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and carrying a black briefcase.

His name is Drummond, the deputy minister of the Imperial Resource Management Department, and also the highest-ranking administrative officer of this investigation team.

Following closely behind were two young officials, a man and a woman, dressed in Ministry of Finance uniforms, carrying thick ledgers and documents.

After getting off the carriage, Drummond didn't rush forward. Instead, he turned around and spoke to a tall, black-haired female knight on horseback.

"Commander Samira, please."

This is a woman around thirty years old, wearing a full set of dark red armor.

A blooming blood-red rose is engraved on the breastplate; it is the emblem of the Blood Rose Knights.

She stood there, her whole being like a drawn sword, so sharp that no one dared to look directly at her.

Samira, a Gold-rank Flame Swordsman.

"Count Vlad".

Drummond stepped forward, extended his hand, and wore a standard, official smile.

"Haha, you must have had a long journey."

Vlad quickly grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.

"I never expected, Lord Drummond, that you would come in person. This is truly..."

Drummond withdrew his hand, pushed up his glasses, and glanced past Vlad at the low city walls and dilapidated streets of Kyle.

"This is a serious matter; we have no choice but to come."

"Your Excellency, please take us to the Earl's mansion first, and we can explain the situation in detail along the way."

"Okay, okay, this way please."

Vlad stepped aside and gestured for him to proceed.

The group marched through the streets toward the Earl's mansion.

People along the way made way for the procession, craning their necks to watch it.

They probably had never seen so many knights in magnificent armor in their entire lives.

"Who is that woman? She looks so imposing."

"I heard it's a big shot from the Empire, here to investigate the mine."

"A mine? Wasn't it said that there were spiders in the mine, but they eventually ran away on their own?"

"What do you know? The spider may have escaped, but the ore is gone too. Do you think the Earl is happy about that?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't talk nonsense."

Whispers rose and fell among the crowd, but no one dared to raise their voices.

The group soon arrived at the Earl's mansion.

In the living room, Vlad sat in the main seat, Drummond sat opposite him, and Samira did not sit, but stood by the window with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the outside, as if looking at something, or as if looking at nothing at all.

"Your Excellency, please speak."

Drummond opened his briefcase and took out a blank notebook and a quill pen.

Vlad nodded, took a deep breath, and began to speak.

From the appearance of spider monsters in the mine, to the disappearance of the militia, to Sofia entering the mine alone to rescue everyone, to the Spider Queen asking her to deliver a message, to his preparation for the oil extermination, to the disappearance of the Spider Kingdom and the loss of the ore, to his summoning of Solot for questioning, to Sofia causing a ruckus at the Earl's mansion, and to the easy defeat of Morey.

As he spoke, he observed Drummond's expression, trying to glean something from the other man's face.

But Drummond's expression didn't change at all from beginning to end.

You're saying that girl is only 12 years old?

"Correct."

"Still a bronze-level adventurer?"

"Yes, it's certified by the Adventurers' Guild of Kyle City."

"She also easily defeated your chief mage, Morey?"

"Yes, Morey told me that the opponent has at least a silver-level combat power."

Drummond paused, then looked up at Vlad.

"A twelve-year-old Silver-level?"

His tone was clearly skeptical.

“I know this sounds outrageous, but it’s true.”

Vlad quickly explained.

"Morey is a bronze-level fighter, which is considered top-tier in Kyle City, but he didn't even have a chance to fight back against that girl."

Drummond was silent for a few seconds, wrote a few more strokes in the notebook, and then turned to look at Samira by the window.

"Commander Samira, what do you think?"

Samira did not turn around.

"A twelve-year-old Silver-level player is not unheard of, but he is very rare."

“In the entire empire, those who can reach the Silver level at this age can probably be counted on one hand.”

"So what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, there must be someone behind this girl."

Samira turned to look at Vlad.

“My Lord, you said before that there might be powerful figures in the Empire behind her, and that judgment is correct. But there are no more than twenty people in the entire Empire who can teach a twelve-year-old Silver-level mage, and I should know most of these people.”

She walked up to Vlad and looked down at him.

"So, we need to find out who her teacher is first."

Vlad felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Then, what do we do?"

Drummond closed the notebook, adjusted his glasses, and interjected.

"Let's invite them over first and meet them before we talk."

"Let's probe her first, see what her attitude is, and also see who's behind her. If the person behind her is someone we can't afford to offend, then we'll handle it differently. If not, then we'll follow the rules."

Vlad nodded.

"Then I'll send someone to bring her here?"

"Yes, please."

Drummond emphasized the word.

"It's not an arrest, be polite."

Vlad stood up and walked towards the door.

As he reached the door, Drummond added another sentence.

"By the way, Your Excellency, I'm very interested to hear what that girl said at the Earl's mansion, as you mentioned before."

Vlad paused for a moment.

"What?"

"She said that humanity's enemy is not monsters, but the witch of desire, Lilith."

Drummond's eyes narrowed slightly.

"For a twelve-year-old girl to say such things, either someone taught her or she has experienced something herself. Either way, it is worth investigating."

Vlad opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Drummond's shrewd eyes, he swallowed his words and turned to leave the living room.

The living room fell silent again.

Drummond leaned back in his chair, his mind racing.

A twelve-year-old with silver-level combat power is already astonishing, and when combined with other factors, it makes one think even more.

"Commander Samira."

Drummond suddenly spoke.

"Ok?"

Who do you think that girl's teacher is?

Samira remained silent for a few seconds.