Shang kept drowning himself in training with his saber. He fought one beast after the other without any pause.
During these fights, his mind was calm, and he was focused.
His survival and power were the only important things.
About a month later, Shang summoned some more Abominations in the Storm Eagle Zone, but he only summoned them around Warrior's Paradise.
The Abominations couldn't even end a single life during that fight.
Surprisingly, the Storm Eagle didn't decide to leave. It probably was still a bit afraid of getting involved too much.
Sure, if there were a Commander Stage or True Path Stage Abomination, it would definitely come out and kill it, but the Commander Stage Abomination vanished so quickly that it couldn't be sure if there had even been one.
Shang's return was still kept secret, even from the Dean.
Right now, Duke Whirlwind wanted to be careful more than anything else.
Luckily, Shang managed to keep himself away from any prying eyes. He had become very good at hiding after years of staying inside hostile Kingdoms.
Duke Whirlwind and Shang talked from time to time, but it was mostly about how to deal with their next target, Duke Torrent.
Duke Torrent was an Early High Mage with a Water Affinity. She was generally seen as approachable, likable, and friendly. Additionally, since she was the second-best healer in the entire Kingdom, right after the Archduke with her Light Affinity, she was very popular amongst the populace.
Due to her abilities, nearly no one died under her rule while being attacked by the Abominations, which was very rare. After all, only extremely fortified locations could claim to have such a low fatality rate amongst their forces.
However, when Shang heard about these qualities, he only narrowed his right eye.
She was his enemy, just like 90% of the world, and her beloved status only made it harder to assault her public image.
In comparison to Duke Mithril, she followed all the Council's orders perfectly, and there was nothing Shang could bring to light that could taint her image in the Council's eyes.
Duke Whirlwind and Shang talked a lot about how to deal with her, but it just seemed too difficult.
That was until Shang got an idea.
But as soon as Duke Whirlwind heard that idea, he shot it down.
He couldn't possibly do that.
Shang tried to convince him, but Duke Whirlwind refused to do something like that.
He knew that nothing would happen, but he still saw it as a breach of trust.
Shang asked him what else they could do, but Duke Whirlwind kept shooting down the idea, and by the looks of things, he wouldn't budge.
In the end, Shang could only groan in frustration.
Without Duke Whirlwind's support, he couldn't do these kinds of things. Well, he could do them, but that would be akin to betraying Duke Whirlwind, which was bad for Shang.
What had Shang's plan been?
Kill a couple of isolated and powerful Circles of Duke Torrent.
Now, if it were only that, the Duke wouldn't mind as much, but the important bit was what came after.
Shang would have killed Circles filled with Mid True Mages, which wouldn't be easy for him but also not too hard.
Of course, Duke Torrent would quickly investigate what had happened, and she would just happen to find evidence that brought her to one solid conclusion.
A powerful warrior had to have killed them.
Shang would have killed the Mages in a way that made it certain that they had been killed by a warrior.
Together with the power of the dead Circles, only two suspects would come to mind.
The Dean and Vice-Dean Ranos.
Duke Torrent would accuse them of treason, and they would be brought in front of the castle.
A Truth Verification Spell would have been activated, and they would have been questioned thoroughly.
Duke Torrent would have been certain of their guilt since they were the only two warriors with enough power to achieve something like that.
However, since both of them didn't even know that Shang was back, their innocence would be proven. After all, they genuinely wouldn't know who had killed the Circle or Circles.
After that, Duke Torrent would have to take a loss and apologize publicly.
Accusing someone of treason was a risky maneuver. After all, the Kingdom couldn't just investigate everyone that was accused and treat them like criminals.
It was similar to the time Shang had asked the Inquisitor to read the mind of one of the warriors in the Northern Ice Wyvern Zone. If they proved to be a traitor, Shang would have found a criminal and would have been rewarded.
But if he had accused them unjustly, he would have had to pay the price.
So, Duke Torrent's spotless track record would have received a thick and grimy stain.
Shang thought that this was a good plan. After all, nothing would happen to the Dean or Vice-Dean Ranos. They would just need to talk a bit, and that was it.
However, Duke Whirlwind refused.
According to his words, this was like manipulating or betraying his two most powerful warriors.
It would give him short-term gains, but the broken trust would be more expensive in the long run.
At a very frustrated moment, Shang had nearly given a solution to that as well, but he kept himself in check.
If he gave that solution, Duke Whirlwind might lose all trust in him.
The conversation ended, and Shang got time to think about what he had just been about to say.
For a moment, it felt surreal to even have such a thought in his mind.
Kill the Dean and Vice-Dean Ranos after they showed signs of betrayal?
They had been his teachers for years, and they had helped him.
'I can't believe I actually thought of something like that,' Shang thought. 'Yes, it would be a solution, but it's just wrong.'
'It just seemed like the simplest, most direct, and efficient method of solving the problem.'
For some time, Shang thought about what kind of things he had done, but he quickly focused on training again.
He couldn't waste time on such unimportant matters of earthly morals!
And just like that, six months passed, and it was time for Shang to officially return to the Skythunder Kingdom.
