The road was quiet.
William continued walking while Adrian followed several steps behind him.
Neither of them had spoken since leaving the battlefield.
The silence was not uncomfortable, but it was different from the silence they had shared before.
Adrian could tell that William was thinking.
He had noticed it several times since they met.
Whenever William became quiet for too long, his eyes stopped focusing on what was directly in front of him. His attention would move somewhere else, searching through memories and connecting things that other people would probably never consider related.
Eventually, Adrian broke the silence.
"You've been thinking about the people who attacked us, haven't you?"
William did not stop walking.
"Yes."
"Do you think they were really after me?"
"No."
Adrian gave him a questioning look.
William finally turned toward him.
"If they were truly interested in the inheritance they mentioned, they would have tried to capture you immediately. Instead, they spent most of the fight forcing us to move in specific directions and watching how I reacted whenever you were in danger."
"So you think I was bait."
"Not exactly. I think you were useful to them because of your connection to me."
Adrian frowned.
"My connection to you is only a few days old."
"That's what makes it strange."
William slowed his steps.
"Someone has been watching my movements for longer than we've known each other. They knew enough about my plans to recognize that you might become important to me, even though I had only recently met you."
Adrian remained silent for a moment.
Then he asked, "You mentioned an information organization before. The one you visited while traveling under the name Roman. Do you think they sold your information?"
"I don't know."
"You don't sound convinced."
"Because I don't think it is that simple."
William stopped beside a large tree.
"When I went there, I didn't ask them to find people who would follow me. I asked which powers were interested in me, who had investigated my past, and who carried hostile intentions toward me. But the questions I asked revealed something about myself as well."
Adrian crossed his arms.
"That you were preparing for something."
"Exactly."
William looked toward the road behind them.
"I wanted to know who might interfere with me before I started building anything. I thought I was gathering information about them. In reality, I was also giving them information about myself."
Adrian slowly nodded.
"So someone reconstructed your intentions from the questions you asked."
"That is one possibility."
"And the other?"
William's expression became serious.
"Someone inside that organization may have been paying closer attention to me than I realized."
Adrian thought about it.
"Would you go back?"
William shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because if they are involved, returning immediately would tell them that I already suspect them. I would rather let them believe that I haven't figured it out."
Adrian smiled slightly.
"You've started thinking like them."
"No."
William continued walking.
"I've simply stopped assuming that everyone who smiles at me is harmless."
Adrian laughed.
"That's probably a healthier way to live."
By the time they reached the next settlement, the sun had already begun to disappear.
The settlement was not large, but it was busy.
Travelers moved through its streets, merchants shouted from their stalls, and cultivators gathered in small groups around restaurants and inns.
William chose a modest inn.
They rented a room and entered.
Adrian immediately sat down.
His injuries had not completely recovered, and the journey had exhausted him.
William looked at him.
"You should rest."
"I will. But before that, I want to ask you something."
William waited.
Adrian leaned against the wall.
"You said you wanted to build your own force."
William nodded.
"What exactly does that mean?"
William remained silent for a few seconds.
He had thought about the question many times, but answering it aloud was different.
"I don't know yet."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
William sat across from him.
"I know what I don't want. I don't want a force where everyone follows me because they are afraid of me. I don't want people joining because they believe my name will protect them from every problem in their lives. And I don't want to create another organization where the strongest person makes every decision while everyone else simply obeys."
Adrian listened carefully.
"Then what do you want?"
"I want people who can stand on their own."
William's voice became quieter.
"If they decide to walk beside me, I want it to be because they believe in what we're doing. If one day they disagree with me, they should be able to tell me that. And if they decide to leave, I don't want to destroy them for making that choice."
Adrian smiled.
"That's a nice idea."
William looked at him.
"But?"
"But it is going to be much harder than you think."
"I know."
"No, I don't think you do."
Adrian sat forward.
"You are strong enough to make people obey you without needing to convince them. That will always be the easiest path. If someone disagrees, you can simply overpower them. If someone betrays you, you can remove them. If someone threatens your people, you can destroy them."
He paused.
"Your idea sounds good because you are imagining everyone making reasonable choices. They won't."
William listened without interrupting.
Adrian continued.
"Someone will join you for the wrong reason. Someone will lie to you. Someone will become jealous of another member. Someone will fall in love with the wrong person. Someone will make a terrible decision and then expect you to fix it because you're the leader."
He smiled bitterly.
"And eventually, someone will probably blame you for something that wasn't your fault."
William looked at him for a long time.
"Then I will deal with it when it happens."
Adrian laughed.
"That's exactly the answer I expected."
William's expression softened.
"I never said it would be easy."
"Good."
Adrian leaned back.
"Because if you had said it would be easy, I would have left tonight."
William smiled faintly.
Several hours later...
William was standing near the window.
He suddenly felt something.
A presence.
Not strong.
Careful.
He looked outside.
A man was walking through the street.
Nothing about him appeared unusual.
He was simply another traveler.
But William watched him for several seconds.
Then the man disappeared around a corner.
William opened the window.
"Stay here."
Adrian stood immediately.
"What happened?"
"Someone is watching the inn."
Adrian reached for his weapon.
"Should I come?"
"No. If he is connected to the people from earlier, he may be watching to see whether we react."
Adrian hesitated.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"I'll let him watch."
William stepped through the window.
"But I want to know who is watching him."
William moved across the rooftops.
He deliberately made himself visible.
The man noticed.
He immediately changed direction.
William followed.
The man increased his speed.
William did not pursue too closely.
He wanted the man to believe that his escape was working.
The chase continued through several streets before the man entered an abandoned building.
William landed on the roof.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
He entered.
The building was empty.
Dust covered the floor.
No footprints.
William's eyes narrowed.
He walked deeper.
Then he noticed something.
A small piece of paper lay on the ground.
He picked it up.
There was only one sentence written on it.
You are looking in the wrong direction.
William stared at it.
Then he smiled.
Not because he found it amusing.
Because he finally understood the purpose.
The man had not been trying to hide from him.
He had wanted William to follow.
The entire chase had been a message.
William turned around.
Someone was standing behind him.
A woman.
She looked young, but her eyes carried the calmness of someone who had survived far more than her appearance suggested.
She did not attack.
She simply looked at him.
"You noticed."
William held the paper between his fingers.
"Was I supposed to?"
"No. Most people would have assumed the message was a threat."
"And you wanted me to find it."
"Yes."
William studied her.
"Who are you?"
"My name isn't important yet."
"Then why are you here?"
She hesitated.
That hesitation told William something.
She wasn't completely comfortable with what she was doing.
"I was asked to speak with you."
"By whom?"
"I can't tell you."
William's expression remained calm.
"Then there is nothing to discuss."
He turned to leave.
"Wait."
He stopped.
The woman took a breath.
"They know you are searching for people."
William looked back.
"I assumed that already."
"They also know you don't intend to create a normal sect."
William said nothing.
"They know you want to gather people who have their own beliefs and abilities, people who won't simply become servants under your command."
William's eyes narrowed.
"How much do they know?"
"Enough."
"That's not an answer."
The woman looked away.
"I don't know everything they know."
William stepped closer.
"Then tell me what you do know."
She looked at him again.
"I know that they aren't planning to attack you directly."
"Why?"
"Because they think that would be a waste."
William waited.
"They want to see whether your ideals survive once the people around you begin suffering because of your decisions."
The words remained between them.
William's expression did not change.
The woman continued.
"They believe that if you gather people and become responsible for their lives, eventually you'll be forced to choose between your principles and the people who depend on you."
"And they intend to create that situation."
"Yes."
William looked down at the paper.
"Who are they?"
The woman shook her head.
"I can't tell you that."
"Then why tell me anything?"
She remained silent.
Finally, she answered:
"Because I don't agree with them."
William's gaze returned to her.
She looked uncomfortable now.
"I joined them because I thought their goal was reasonable. They wanted to stop another powerful individual from creating an organization that could destabilize the region. I thought preventing that was safer for everyone."
She clenched her hand.
"But then I realized they weren't trying to prevent you from becoming dangerous."
"They wanted to prove that you would become dangerous."
William studied her face.
"That's different."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because if they already believe you will become a tyrant, then everything you do becomes evidence for them."
She looked directly at him.
"If you punish someone, they will say you are becoming cruel. If you forgive someone, they will say you're pretending to be merciful. If you defend your people, they'll say you're building a personal army. If you abandon them, they'll say you never cared."
William was silent.
The woman took a breath.
"They've already decided what you are going to become."
William finally spoke.
"Then I'll have to show them that they were wrong."
She smiled sadly.
"I hope you can."
William turned toward the door
Before leaving, he stopped.
"You said you joined them because you believed their goal was reasonable. Why are you still helping them?"
The woman lowered her gaze.
"Because leaving isn't as simple as admitting that I was wrong."
William looked at her for a moment.
Then he walked away.
He did not ask her to join him.
He did not threaten her.
He did not promise to save her.
He understood something now.
People did not always remain with a force because they believed in it.
Sometimes they remained because they were afraid of what would happen if they left.
And if he wanted to build something different...
He would have to understand that too.
When William returned to the inn, Adrian was waiting.
"You took your time."
William sat down.
"Someone wanted to speak with me."
"Did you learn anything?"
"Yes."
Adrian waited.
William looked at him.
"The people following us don't know exactly what I'm going to build."
Adrian nodded.
"But they know I'm building something."
"And?"
"They intend to attack the people around me rather than attack me directly."
Adrian's expression became serious.
"Then I'm already a target."
"Probably."
"That doesn't sound very reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to."
Adrian sighed.
"At least you're honest."
William stood.
"We leave tomorrow."
"Where?"
"I want to find someone."
"Who?"
"Someone who knows how these powers operate."
Adrian frowned.
"An expert?"
"Not exactly."
William looked toward the dark window.
"Someone who understands how people choose where they belong."
Adrian smiled.
"That sounds like a strange person to search for."
"It is."
"Do you know where to find them?"
William nodded.
"Yes."
He had remembered something.
A place he had passed through before.
A place where independent cultivators gathered.
A place where people who had refused the great sects and ancient families often disappeared.
If he wanted to build something that did not resemble those powers...
Then perhaps...
That was where he should begin.
Outside the inn...
A figure stood beneath the darkness.
The woman from the abandoned building.
She watched the window for several moments.
Then she turned away.
She had expected William to threaten her.
He hadn't.
She had expected him to demand that she betray her organization.
He hadn't.
Instead...
He had simply listened.
And somehow, that frightened her more.
Because for the first time since joining them...
She had begun to wonder whether she had chosen the wrong side.
Far away from the city, another message was being delivered.
The report was short.
William knows that he is being watched.
The recipient read it carefully.
Then asked:
"Did he become suspicious of the organization?"
"No."
"Did he ask who is behind it?"
"Yes."
"Did he threaten her?"
"No."
The recipient remained silent.
Then smiled.
"Good."
The messenger looked confused.
"Why is that good?"
"Because he still doesn't understand the real problem."
"What problem?"
The recipient folded the report.
"We aren't trying to stop William from building his force."
"We're waiting to see who chooses to join him."
He looked toward the distant city.
"Once we know who they are..."
"We'll know exactly where to strike."
The messenger lowered his head.
"And if they become too strong?"
The man smiled.
"Then we'll simply give them a reason to fight each other."
Outside...
The wind moved through the empty streets.
The first pieces of a much larger conflict were moving into place.