Carrying the large map was inconvenient, so Sean could only take the slightly smaller one with him as he stepped outside.
Outside, it was still snowing heavily. According to Luke, this snowy weather might last for a whole month, and by then, they’d likely have to organize the young people of Taylor Town to clear the roads with shovels, or else the town might be cut off from the world for the entire winter.
As soon as he walked out the door, Luke hurried over from behind. As a scholar, he still clung to what Sean considered meaningless life etiquette—changing into different clothes and boots when entering or leaving—so every time they went out, he was the busiest.
Sean had previously told him to relax a bit around here, but Luke didn’t seem inclined to change.
Maybe that was just one of his stubborn points...
"Where are you headed, my lord?"
"Just taking a stroll. While we’re at it, tell me about those outsiders and the ancient tomb." Earlier, Luke had wanted to talk about it, but Sean hadn’t given him the chance.
Now seemed like a good time for Sean to test how the map’s displayed range would change as he moved. Since he’d been at home, both the small map and the clearer large map only showed the area near his house. As he moved, the visible range would expand.
But the question was...
Would that range stay permanently, or would it fade back into shadow like in some games once he left those areas?
"I see. Would you like to call for a carriage, my lord?" Luke continued.
"No need. We’ll walk to the town inn and then come back!"
Opening the map to check, Sean saw that his current position had moved outside the house. As he walked forward, the triangular arrow slowly crept ahead.
Too realistic!
Sometimes Sean couldn’t help glancing up at the sky, wondering if he’d spot something unusual up there—like a projection, constantly showing his moving position.
Especially on the clearer large map, he could even see the town’s layout.
If walking around could permanently expand the map’s visible range without it reverting to shadow, he could monitor everything happening in town from home.
Along the way, Luke mostly talked about the ancient tomb and past excavation records. Since the archaeological team had only entered the deep mountains yesterday, and even the townsfolk sent out hadn’t brought back much news yet, there was little to go on—just stories about the tomb.
It was only after yesterday’s events that Luke had thought to dig up old records...
For every hereditary noble household, the scholar kept his own books and records, so future scholars could look up relevant information—a kind of professional tradition.
Just as nobles passed down their bloodlines, professions had their own inheritance methods.
The records from previous scholars about the ancient tomb were sparse. One, however, had taken a great interest in it and written extensively. Luke had carefully studied the timing—it coincided with the peak of the archaeological "recorders" visits, so he’d added more detail.
It speculated that the tomb might belong to a former mountain king from the area, given the many primitive tools found inside.
Another theory was that it could be a temporary burial site for some noble during a war period... Since no traces of ancient city-states had been found in Taylor’s history, a tomb with so many grave goods was suspicious—not just tools, but early mechanical samples and magical items.
"Wait, did you just say magical items were found inside?" Sean was still studying the map, barely paying attention to Luke’s chatter, but perked up at the mention of magic.
"Yes, magical items. Apparently, quite a few rune artifacts were unearthed back then... Let me check—the guess at the time was that they were collectibles." Luke flipped through his record book as he spoke.
Sean quickly took it from him to look.
There were no drawings, just text describing what was dug up: crystal energy sources, magic scrolls, items, and so on.
Sean wasn’t familiar with magic yet, so he couldn’t make much sense of it!
His deal with the witch Lucille was that she’d teach him magic while he helped her find what she was looking for. Hearing about magical items now, he paid extra attention.
He remembered that the thing she wanted was a disc—probably different from these recorded items.
"Luke, I need you to do something else for me. Privately ask around about this item’s whereabouts, and make sure no one else finds out." Sean pulled a small paper roll from his coat pocket—the one Lucille had given him yesterday—with a detailed drawing and description of its appearance.
"What’s this..."
Luke glanced at it and could tell it was some kind of magical artifact.
"Yeah, just keep it in mind." Sean nodded, signaling him to put it away.
It counted as progress on his deal with Lucille.
...
By nightfall, Sean returned to his room and looked at the day’s results laid out on the table.
It turned out that the field of vision he’d opened up while walking remained permanently visible. Now, not only the area near his house but even the region he’d passed through today was clear. Though it was night, what he saw wasn’t shrouded in fog but dotted with lights.
Since the large map was inconvenient to carry around, Sean placed it in his bedroom for easy observation of everything happening in Taylor.
Word was that the archaeological team hadn’t returned yet... No news since they entered the mountains yesterday. He wondered what Lucille was up to—she’d promised to teach him magic but was nowhere to be seen.
Sean held the note Luke had given him today, perfect as a trade item.
Late at night,
Watching the dwindling time by the fire, he figured she probably wouldn’t show tonight.
Just as Sean was about to blow out the candle, he noticed a peculiar figure on the map—moving fast, instantly arriving at his doorstep.
Creak~
The window opened, and Lucille jumped in, wearing a different outfit than yesterday but still sporting that tall, round wizard’s hat.
"Looks like you’re punctual."
"Only because your timing’s inconsistent," Sean said.
"Why fuss over details like that? Isn’t it normal to wait for a pretty lady?"
Sean hadn’t expected her to joke with him.
He noticed that her favorability had somehow shifted to "friendly"!
"Here... I didn’t find what you’re looking for, but I did dig up some records on magical artifacts." Sean handed over Luke’s notes from today.