They had no idea what to expect as they followed that group to a mansion hidden in the middle of the forest.

Lucas had said the organization wasn’t extreme, and that it would be possible to negotiate with them and avoid trouble.

But for some reason, William wasn’t so confident that was true. Things could have changed since Lucas hadn’t visited the kingdom in quite some time.

What made William think differently was the way those people looked at them—and the faint bloodlust emanating from their bodies.

He had no idea if Thompson and Lucas could sense the same thing.

“At least the three of us can take them,” William thought. “It’s just going to be annoying becoming enemies of a large organization on the first day…”

Actually, that would be terrible. It could affect their plans in multiple ways.

They flew to a mansion hidden in the forest, a massive red rose symbol emblazoned at the entrance.

Not just at the entrance. The symbol was scattered across various parts of the mansion.

They stopped their flying mounts near a stable where each one was tied down. Bob had to be secured too, though the creature could easily escape if it wanted.

After that, William, Lucas, and Thompson made their way to the mansion’s main door, following the leader of the soldiers who’d intercepted them.

“We are the Order of the Red Rose,” the man who’d stopped them explained. “You must have heard of us before.”

Lucas nodded. “But of course. Everyone in the kingdom knows of an extraordinary organization like yours.”

The man chuckled. “Not mine since I’m not the leader, but I appreciate the compliment. Come, dinner should be almost ready.”

The mansion was somewhat dark inside, lit only by candles and candelabras on the walls and ceiling.

It made sense—they wanted to stay hidden in the middle of that forest. It was one of the organization’s many secret bases.

Before entering, they all traded their boots for fur slippers to wear inside and avoid dirtying anything. They also removed their wet ponchos, hanging them by the door.

William observed the decor as he walked through the corridors. Various paintings hung on the walls, giving the place a somewhat aristocratic charm.

On top of that, there were rugs everywhere, as well as high-quality furniture—indicating the organization spared no expense when decorating their bases.

They walked straight to the dining table, which was already set. Several cooks and mansion staff were arranging the table, placing various types of food for them.

At the center of the table, seated at the head, was a man slightly older than the others—his hair gray, his face clearly worn from the passing years.

It was easy to tell he held a higher position in the Order of the Red Rose.

“So these were the intruders flying over our mansion?” the gray-haired man asked, his gaze fixed on William, Lucas, and Thompson.

The man who had been guiding them until then tried to calm the situation.

“They had no idea they were flying over our base. It was just a misunderstanding. I decided to invite them to dinner by way of apology.”

Even as they said that, William didn’t like the tone of the conversation. He knew acting timid wasn’t a good idea.

“We’re not intruders. We just flew over your mansion without knowing. I imagine plenty of people do that, and I find it hard to believe you invite all of them for a chat. Why don’t you just tell us what this is really about?” William said.

Lucas and Thompson had similar thoughts—they just hadn’t gathered the courage to speak in front of that man. When they heard William, they glanced sideways, feeling proud to have him as their leader.

The gray-haired man smiled. “Oh, looks like you’re not so dumb after all. Indeed, we don’t invite everyone who flies over our base to dinner. Would you like to sit so we can talk properly?”

William exchanged brief glances with Lucas and Thompson, and they decided to sit at the table to talk with that man.

Lucas and Thompson didn’t touch the food, fearing it might be poisoned. It was the right thing to do, but William decided to eat a bit.

“Even if it’s poisoned, it’s not like it could actually hurt my body,” William thought.

One of the many benefits of having vitality as high as his. He started eating a chicken leg, waiting for the gray-haired man to begin explaining why he’d called them there.

“To be honest, we called you here because of your mount. It seemed quite strong, which meant you were powerful people as well. And indeed, you are,” the man said, pausing to eat some of his soup.

“What do you think about working for us? This organization has plenty of opportunities for growth, and you seem like the right type of people we want.”

William wasn’t expecting a job offer. It could be a good idea if they didn’t have other plans in mind—like creating their own organization.

“Unfortunately, we have other plans at the moment,” William said, “but we can discuss cooperation. We could help each other mutually without necessarily being part of the organization. Allies, you could say.”

The gray-haired man set down his spoon, his expression unreadable.

“Allies, you say? That’s an interesting proposal. Most people either join us or become our enemies. Very few walk the middle path.”

The gray-haired man remained silent for a while, pondering the proposal William had made.

During that time, William, Lucas, and Thompson ate the food laid out on the table. In the end, nothing was poisoned.

With a final sigh, the man said, “I accept your proposal. How can we stay in contact?”

“For now, we’re heading to the capital. Maybe if you have some form of identification that would make other members of the Order see us as allies?” William suggested.

The gray-haired man nodded, slowly rising from his chair.

“Wait a moment, I’ll get the identification item for you.”

He returned after about five minutes. Most of the items were stored in a stockroom, which was a bit far from the dining table. It made sense that he took a while. The delay didn’t make William anxious or anything like that.

The gray-haired man returned with a wooden box containing several rings inside. They were crafted with a red stone, similar to a ruby, shaped like a rose.

You could tell it was made by a highly skilled artisan. The other man—who had found them in the sky and brought them to the mansion—couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“You’re giving them the rings? Those are only for high ranks in the Order.”

“Yes, any problem? They’re our allies now, and considering the power they possess, they’re more than skilled enough to have them.”

He wasn’t stupid. Lucas and Thompson had monstrous energy within their bodies. They were, after all, above level 100. That was something very few people could achieve.

William accepted the box, took one of the rings, and handed them to his friends.

“You can walk freely with that ring on the streets. Members of the Order will find you if they need help with something, or if we need help with something. This relationship will be one of cooperation, right? I’ll inform the Order’s leaders about this.”

“Yes, definitely. Just don’t ask too much of us. We don’t want to start a war or anything,” William said.

The gray-haired man laughed. “Relax, don’t worry. No one’s obligating you to do anything. To be honest, this turned out better than I expected. It’s better to have three strong people like you as allies rather than enemies. Well, I think our meeting is over. You can continue your journey if you don’t want to waste any more time.”

“It was a pleasure talking with you,” William said, bowing his head slightly in respect.

As he left the mansion, William could feel the man’s gaze on his back.

“I hope this was a good decision…” he thought.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep