A Sudden Whim

Inside the Lord's Mansion, Lord Kurokawa Yasumasa received the two with considerable courtesy, expressed his gratitude, and informed them that before their arrival, the city guards had already successfully apprehended the human trafficking ring responsible for the crimes. He assured them the mission would still be counted as complete, and the subsequent reward would be paid to Konoha as usual.

When Maruboshi Kosuke asked about the whereabouts of the abducted children, the Lord's face showed regret as he explained that this group was a criminal syndicate that had moved through multiple countries, and the children had already been sold abroad. However, he promised to do his utmost to investigate and strive to recover them.

After hearing this explanation, Maruboshi Kosuke said no more. He rose and took his leave: "We thank the Lord for his hospitality. In that case, we shall take our leave now."

The two declined the Lord's further attempts to detain them and walked out of the mansion.

As they reached the entrance, Shinichi's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. Without turning his head, he could clearly feel that the middle-aged man dressed as a steward, who had been standing at the Lord's side the entire time, had once again fixed his gaze on Shinichi's back.

From the moment Shinichi had entered the hall, this man's gaze had periodically fallen upon him. It was not ordinary scrutiny, but an observation of exceptional focus, even carrying a faint, pressing urgency.

Shinichi had once glanced back as if sensing it. The other party immediately restrained himself and looked away as if nothing had happened, but afterward, the gaze would still steal over from the shadows or the corner of his eye, time and again, as if repeatedly confirming something.

"Shinichi, what do you think?" Maruboshi Kosuke asked after they had walked some distance from the Lord's Mansion.

"Abnormal," Shinichi replied briefly, his gaze sweeping back over the stern mansion behind them.

"Hm." Maruboshi Kosuke nodded slightly, lowering his voice: "Let's talk more once we're farther away."

Inside the Lord's Mansion, the heavy wooden door had just closed, sealing off the light and sound from outside, when Elder Takahashi's steward-like mask of deference instantly shattered.

He whirled toward Kurokawa Yasumasa, his fingers trembling slightly with agitation, his voice pressed to a near whisper yet unable to contain the fervor surging within it:

"Did you see that?! That boy... that Genin from Konoha named Higashino Shinichi!"

Kurokawa Yasumasa's heart jolted, and his face darkened: "What are you trying to do again? I warned you, don't act rashly!"

"No! You don't understand!" Elder Takahashi cut him off urgently, a strange light flickering in his eyes: "That was a response! A direct revelation from the Holy God Himself! The moment he stepped into that hall, the power of Divine Grace deep within my bloodline throbbed and called out! This is no coincidence! His body... his very existence may well be the perfect vessel for bearing the Holy God's power! A natural Saint Candidate!"

He stepped closer, his voice carrying a hoarse, seductive edge: "Kurokawa Yasumasa, tell me—you too have bathed in the Holy God's grace, and the seed has been planted within you. When you saw him, did your heart not stir? If we seize him and complete the final ritual... the great undertaking of the Holy God's descent will be realized through us!"

Kurokawa Yasumasa's eyes flickered with a complex conflict, and he said reluctantly: "But he's a Konoha shinobi!"

"A Genin!"

Elder Takahashi scoffed disdainfully: "Look at his companion—still a Genin even at his age. Teaming up with him already proves this boy is unimportant and disregarded in Konoha! In past wars, a role like his was nothing but expendable cannon fodder. This world has never known peace. A dead Genin is perfectly normal."

He continued coldly: "We can do it cleanly. Stage an accident, pin it on rogue shinobi or wandering ronin. An old, mediocre Genin dies, a minor Genin with no background goes missing... In a border region like this, things like that happen every day. Would Konoha really go to great lengths to investigate two insignificant low-rank shinobi? As long as we keep our hands clean and leave no evidence, time will bury it all."

Kurokawa Yasumasa remained silent, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his sleeve, the light of weighing pros and cons clashing fiercely in his eyes.

Seeing his continued hesitation, Elder Takahashi's gaze turned dangerous, and he said sharply: "Don't forget your illness, Kurokawa Yasumasa! Only with the Saint's descent can your illness be completely cured."

He had already prepared himself—if Kurokawa Yasumasa refused, he would kill him and proceed with his followers on his own.

Thinking of his illness and looking at the increasingly dangerous gaze before him, Kurokawa Yasumasa gritted his teeth and said: "...Fine! Then... let's do it!"

Elder Takahashi nodded in satisfaction and was about to lay out the plan when a follower hurriedly slipped in and reported in a low voice: "My lords, those two Konoha shinobi... have already left the city."

"So soon?" Kurokawa Yasumasa was taken aback.

Elder Takahashi's pupils abruptly contracted, and a sense of foreboding seized his heart: "Damn it! They must have sensed something! After them! We cannot let them leave!"

The two had barely left the Lord's Mansion when they slipped into a quiet, deserted alley.

Maruboshi Kosuke stopped, turned to face Shinichi, his gaze calm, and said in a low voice: "Now you can speak. What did you find?"

Shinichi analyzed in a steady tone: "Senior, regarding this child abduction case, the Lord's Mansion is not only aware of it but likely deeply involved. More precisely, Lord Kurokawa Yasumasa himself is either their protector or collaborator."

Maruboshi Kosuke's brow furrowed deeply: "Evidence?"

"First, the attitude is unnatural." Shinichi laid out his logic clearly: "The Lord was too warm and thorough toward us, as if eager to hand us a complete set of answers. The criminals were caught just before we arrived, the children sold abroad... every explanation fits perfectly, which is precisely why it feels too perfect, like a story rehearsed in advance. As the ruler of a city with countless affairs, personally handling such a routine C-Rank mission with such speed and detail is abnormal in itself."

"Combined with the fact that local security forces found nothing in the child abduction case, only deliberate concealment at the highest official level could have made it so clean."

"Second, that steward." Shinichi paused, recalling that gaze that seemed to be repeatedly confirming something: "He paid abnormal attention to me from the moment I entered. It wasn't curiosity—it was more like... evaluating some quality. When I looked back at him, he immediately hid it, but he kept observing me in secret afterward. That is absolutely not the behavior of an ordinary steward. His interest seemed to be in me as a person, far more than in my identity as a Konoha shinobi."

"Senior, aside from being a Konoha shinobi, what else about me would warrant such attention?"

Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes shifted slightly, and he uttered one word: "Child."

"Exactly. Child." Shinichi nodded, following that line of reasoning: "So, the truth behind the recent child abductions in this area is likely that some force is secretly kidnapping children, trying to screen for those who meet certain specific requirements or traits. And this force is in deep cooperation with the Lord's Mansion—perhaps the Lord himself is a member or the leader."