The Red Seal

Inside the Carriage

Inside the luxurious square-shaped carriage, drawn by the horse "Silver Wind Shadow," sat the head of the Ministry of Feudalism and Treasury Department for the region, "Oliver Jones," his deputy "Martin Evans," and two guards. The carriage sped towards their destination, with tension clearly visible on Martin's face, as if he feared what was to come.

"Be careful with every word when we arrive. We don't need any more problems," said Oliver in a firm tone, rubbing his head with his left hand, trying to calm himself.

"Y-yes, sir," Martin replied nervously, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his trembling handkerchief, trying to keep his nerves in check.

Oliver looked at him for a moment before speaking in a calmer tone: "This region has suffered the most from the Black Plague and has become impoverished. Is this our fault? Why should we bear the responsibility for this? They put us here because we're commoners, no one wanted this place. The death of Mr. Edmund was because of them, not us."

He shifted his gaze to the window of the carriage and continued in a quiet voice, tinged with suppressed anger: "Yes, we were late in sending the sensors, and we took some money from it to live—us and our families—what you could call a sufficient life. Who could have expected that a damn seed would hide there, in the only place without sensors?"

Martin listened in silence as Oliver continued: "This land was Mr. Edmund's and his son's responsibility, and it was their duty to protect it with their lives for humanity. The war between us and the seeds has always been a fight for survival."

He finally turned to him and asked in a quieter tone: "Are you calm now? We have a lot of work to do."

Martin took a deep breath and responded with more confidence: "Yes, sir. At your service."

"Our problem today is the red seal. Because of it, this incident was escalated to the General Director's office, and the land guards as well... Matthew, that damn boy, must be planning something," said Oliver, grinding his teeth in anger, realizing that the situation was bigger than just an incident.

"Calm down, sir, that thief's son isn't worth getting worked up over," Martin said, trying to calm him down.

Oliver took a deep breath and replied: "Yes, now is not the time for anger."

He then continued: "First, we must stop the guards' investigation into this incident. We cannot afford for them to discover the sensor issue. Everyone will abandon us, and our fate will be sealed. We can't rely on Ethan either; his response might come too late, and he may not have a way to solve it either." Ethan was the other party involved in the sensor deal.

Martin looked at him with concern and asked, "Are you sure about this, sir? Won't the army arrive quickly because of the red seal?"

Oliver laughed cynically before answering: "No need to worry about that. Why do you think I chose 'Silver Wind' for this mission? For speed. Also, even though the case was sealed with the red seal, it's not that important. Matthew's description was a bit vague, but he told them the situation was stable. The guards are busy all the time, so they'll arrive a few minutes late, maybe more."

"That's reassuring."

Oliver fell silent, thinking: "The only reason I can think of for Matthew using the red seal is revenge, because he knows this incident will reach the guards, and then I won't have enough influence to use it to escape the problem. But why didn't he mention the western region in the report? If he had, he would have closed all escape routes for me. Everything he wrote about the attack made him and Edmund heroes in an exaggerated way. Clearly, this incident doesn't deserve the red seal, so how will he explain its use? This makes it easier for me. Maybe I can bribe the guard in charge of the investigation to write that the incident doesn't deserve the red seal, and that Matthew was shocked by what he saw. They might even punish him. Why is he putting himself in these problems? I really don't understand that boy."

...

"Sir, we've arrived," said the driver, stopping the carriage at the "Painter's Tree" area.

Oliver took a deep breath, then exited the carriage, followed by Martin and the guards.

"They've beat us here... by a little."

There was a handsome middle-aged man with brown hair, tall, wearing a green military uniform. The man stepped out of the carriage in front of them, and Oliver's gaze immediately went to his shoulder, where he saw a golden badge shaped like a shield, with a brush drawing in the center and several strange patterns around it. The man exuded an aura of authority as he stood like a mountain, with several people standing behind him in formal discipline.

"It seems they are giving this matter more attention than I expected. Is something going on?"

Oliver approached him with a polite smile, then said, removing his hat in respect—this was their custom—"Greetings, I'm Oliver Jones from the Ministry of Feudalism and Treasury. I am responsible for this region."

He extended his right hand to the colonel, who shook it firmly before responding: "Colonel Austin Sanders, from the Land Guards. It's rare to find honorable officials who care about their responsibilities like you, Mr. Oliver, but I must ask you to leave now. The area may be dangerous."

The colonel's tone was calm, but it carried a clear command.

"I cannot leave while I investigate," Oliver replied confidently.

"I see. But we must investigate what happened. After all, it is our job. The red seal wouldn't have been used without reason, would it?" Austin responded with a slight surprise, realizing what was happening. 'It seems he's afraid of my investigation uncovering something. As I expected, it's impossible that he came here for no reason.'

"Why don't you see for yourself? I've brought all the reports from the region for the past few months. I believe they'll suffice," Oliver said, gesturing to Martin, who opened his briefcase and took out the reports. There was a large, oddly visible number next to several golden books.

"He's really trying to bribe me. He must have been neglecting his duties a lot," Austin thought as he scanned Oliver. Oliver shuddered slightly under his gaze.

"Since we're here, why don't we take a look at the area first? If it's suitable, I'll review the reports," Austin said with a smile.

"Certainly, but I think you'll just be wasting your time. Just keep working like you're busy with the guards," Oliver replied, then thought: "He's looking for something, and that something will decide whether he accepts the bribe or fears there's a bigger problem, and that this bribe is too small for it. That's why he told me to go with him—he can only see the reports after knowing the state of the area. The fact that he didn't expel me proves this, and it also means he won't dig too deep into the investigation unless he finds what he's looking for."

"This is our job. If we leave it, many problems will arise. We must follow everything, no matter how small," said Colonel Austin as he turned and walked towards the "Painter's Tree."

"Sir, it seems things will be fine," Martin whispered as he hurried to catch up with Oliver, who had already started walking.

"I hope so," Oliver whispered back and continued walking.

"Guards, open the door!" one of the people around Colonel Austin knocked on the Painter's Tree door and said.

After a few seconds, the heavy door opened, and they were able to see what was behind it—a young man in clean white clothes, with black hair and black eyes, with somewhat handsome features. It was Matthew.

Matthew looked at them and thought: "It's so easy to predict human behavior."