It felt a bit like reporting to a superior.
Freya held back almost nothing, recounting everything that had happened in Koga City that day, including the city fire and the civilian uprising, and of course, the battle with that [garbled] creature. When she mentioned the [garbled] creature, Sean clearly saw the look of shock on Philip’s face in front of him.
“That thing really exists?” Philip asked incredulously.
“I don’t know. When I fought it, I always felt a sense of panic, an indescribable feeling… Baron Weigel probably felt the same way.”
Freya tossed the topic to him.
Actually, before coming, the two had discussed how to tell the prince about this, and his suggestion was to tell the truth.
Because only then could the matter of Koga City be truly resolved. No matter who ended up as the next Earl Hamilton, they wouldn’t question the prince’s decision, and it would truly protect Taylormian Town.
“Oh, I heard Baron Weigel was there too?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I had some personal matters and fell behind the other nobles. When I caught up later, I ran into rioters on the street, so I had to head to the Earl’s mansion nearby to seek help…”
Sean had thought about this many times.
Why did he go to the Earl’s mansion?
He had to come up with a reason.
It was true that because of the things he’d seen those days, he concluded that Earl Hamilton had concealed something, which ultimately drove him to the mansion.
But anything others didn’t know could be hidden, not what was done in plain sight.
Back then, he deliberately left Ignia behind, which upset her senior. No one saw that… but the airship dock workers and Ignia’s senior certainly knew, and the prince in front of him likely knew these details too.
Otherwise, the [Testing!] status wouldn’t appear above his head.
What a sly old fox!
He already knew everything but wanted him to repeat it, to test his loyalty?
Too bad Sean had long planned a reasonable excuse for his actions…
For instance, if he suddenly saw danger in another area on the map, he couldn’t just send someone there directly. Those detailed maps showed real-time events; if he told someone nearby what was happening in a certain place, it would spread faster than news.
Otherwise, people would either think he was a prophet or an accomplice of the enemy…
So, whenever he made a decision, Sean deliberately left room for an explanation later. If things got tough, he’d also boost the goodwill of those involved.
That way, he could smoothly avoid being ‘suspected.’
And back then, because of the Ignia matter, he’d argued with that wizard named Warren. The people in front of him had probably already found out about that.
So what could they say about him?
At most, they’d slap him with the title of a romantic baron.
Men’s little affairs, who would make a big deal out of them… Ignia was a perfectly fine unmarried girl; if he liked her, he could pursue her. The prince wouldn’t single that out.
So, as long as the connection with Ignia existed, any move Sean made in Koga City had a reason!
“So you went to the Earl’s mansion?” Prince Philip confirmed.
He said “you,” plural.
It seemed he already knew the situation at that time; he just wanted to hear the specific details.
“Yes. We ran into rioters along the way. Luckily, the witch Elinta was with us, so I made it safely to the Earl’s mansion…” Sean briefly recounted what happened afterward.
The matters of Wiseman and Isley, including how they awakened the restless power inside the Earl.
But Sean made sure to emphasize that he didn’t understand much…
Why did Earl Hamilton turn into that after a single spell?
“That was a creature I’d never seen before. Even now, I sometimes recall it in my dreams and wake up in a fright,” Sean said.
“It’s indeed a terrifying experience…”
Sean noticed that no other status appeared above the speaker’s head, meaning they at least didn’t doubt his words.
And there was no increase in goodwill; it remained at [Neutral].
“That was the power of the Caine Tablet!”
Finally, Prince Philip sighed and said.
Sean had thought the other wouldn’t bring it up, but he did.
“I won’t hide this from you. Ten years ago, Earl Hamilton did hand the tablet over to me. If he hadn’t acted quickly back then, the tablet might have flowed south into other countries. The world ten years ago wasn’t as peaceful as it is now. We couldn’t let something so important fall into other nations…”
He paused here.
“So, many decisions made then seem hasty in hindsight, but what’s done is done. I just didn’t expect this to implicate Earl Hamilton.” At the end, Prince Philip showed a hint of regret.
“Yes, Earl Hamilton was the most respected man among the southern nobles. He extended a helping hand when my town was in its darkest hour. Someone like him didn’t deserve that end. It was all because of those two wizards, who used some power to summon that monster inside his body.”
Seeing that no one else spoke, Sean boldly began to probe.
This was probably the closest he’d ever been to the secret of the tablet.
From Lucille appearing in Taylormian Town to him seeing that giant eye that triggered the [Chaos!] status, the Caine Tablet had always connected these two events.
“Did the wizards who cast the spell say anything?” prompted by Sean’s words, the person standing beside Prince Philip asked.
With a [Eager!] status above his head.
“Uh… I don’t remember clearly. Something about showing the true power of the Caine witch, something about the world’s origin. I’m not well-versed in that. And at the time, seeing Earl Hamilton’s grotesque transformation, I didn’t have time to catch those words clearly,” Sean said.
Not only the dark, sturdy man in front of him, but even Prince Philip himself waited [Curiously!] for his answer.
“That’s all? Think again,” the other pressed.
But at that moment, a prompt appeared in Sean’s vision: [Being watched…]
He instinctively wanted to turn his head!
But reason told him not to move.
There was still someone else in this room.