Karl gently shut the heavy iron door leading to the underground shelter, cutting off the warm light behind him, then stepped onto the spiral stairs back to the surface.
The brief peace within the family needed protecting, but external threats had to be eliminated proactively.
The Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads would not vanish simply because they hid. On the contrary, delay would only give the venomous snakes lurking in the dark more time to prepare and infiltrate.
"My lord." Richter, who had long been waiting there, appeared soundlessly around the corridor corner like a shadow and gave a slight bow. His eyes were bloodshot from nights spent searching through and analyzing intelligence, yet his gaze remained sharp.
Karl nodded without exchanging unnecessary pleasantries and strode toward his surface command room.
Richter naturally followed half a step behind. Several elite Intelligence Bureau agents in plain clothes, their eyes alert and hands never far from the weapons at their waists, along with Karl's fully armed Guards, swiftly formed a moving, airtight protective ring around them—three layers deep, inside and out.
They moved through the corridors of the bank, still quiet within but already carrying the faint clamor of the postwar city outside, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
Unless the attacker was a knight on Friedrich's level, breaking through such a defense to reach Karl would be all but impossible.
"Report as we walk." Karl's voice rang through the corridor, calm and direct. "Things at home are settled for the moment, but this cannot last. Living underground is inconvenient enough, but more importantly, having a poisoned blade pressed to one's throat at every moment is intolerable. We must deal with this trouble as soon as possible."
"Yes, my lord." Richter immediately took over, his speech steady and clear;