Uh...
Sean looked at the other's kind face, sensing an unseen, inexplicable pressure lurking behind that smile. What did he mean by telling him this now? Was he supposed to kneel and immediately shout "My lord"?! The Vigor family had indeed been elevated by Duke Haruman, and the family tree recorded that their lineage was originally the Duke's men... back then, they had been promoted and ennobled for saving Duke Haruman during the Pacification War. Though many years had passed, the family tree still preserved the respect of the first Baron Vigor for Duke Haruman. As later generations gradually forgot, the gratitude toward the Duke's house waned.
"The family tree records that Vigor was a brave man, righteous and fearless..." Duke Haruman continued praising Sean's ancestors. If Sean were truly a native of this world, these words might have rekindled passion in his heart. Unfortunately, he was a typical "outsider," so his sense of family honor wasn't that strong. Still, the other's goodwill gave Sean some other ideas... The Prince hadn't taken him seriously, and now he was alone in the north. Only Freya was his support, but she was someone who navigated among high-ranking nobles. Why not listen to Duke Haruman's opinion and see what he wanted?
A status of [Expectant!] kept appearing above the other's head. He was probably hoping Sean would immediately pledge allegiance to him.
"Yes, my family tree does contain many records of Duke Haruman's help to us. I never imagined I'd meet the Grand Duke in person today." "Haha... aren't many unexpected things happening right now?!" Duke Haruman replied with a laugh. Sean figured that given the other's experience, he could easily tell he was being perfunctory, but the Duke didn't mind at all, continuously guiding him toward submission—starting from family history and gradually delving deeper. This gave Sean some understanding of the bearing of high-ranking nobles. Indeed, this was what it meant to stand at the top! This demeanor was fundamentally different from those scheming, arrogant noble youths. Whether it was him or Prince Philip... they both had that sense of saying little but knowing everything, the aura of true politicians.
After some idle chat, Duke Haruman probably felt it was enough. After all, he was old, and even if he had schemes, he didn't want to waste time... and given his status, there was no need to play games with Sean. Being straightforward was more refreshing.
"Sean, lad, I won't hide it from you. Your family was originally a vassal of the Harumans. Though many years have passed, I still hope you'll carry on your ancestors' will." He took a sip of tea with a trembling hand and continued. "Actually, after the Pacification War long ago, the Harumans made long-term plans for the south... Do you know why that war was launched?" He suddenly threw the question to Sean.
Sean truly hadn't heard about this. There weren't many history books at home, and Luke rarely spoke of it... Perhaps the real reason was never shared, like the avalanche incident. If someone hadn't seen the snow giant appear, Sean would have even hidden the snow giant matter to avoid panicking the townsfolk. But the Bachler affair definitely hadn't leaked!
"I don't know about this," Sean said seriously. "After all, such matters aren't glorious. The Pacification War was publicly said to be about wiping out the powerful rebel forces of the empire in the south, but the real reason was fighting the empire's enemies..." "The empire's enemies?" It wasn't strange for a country to have enemies—why else have an army? "Correct. They were a rebel force that existed since the empire's founding, survivors from the Radania region that the empire had crushed. They long lurked around the empire, harassing border folk, until that battle brought centuries of peace. Since then, the Haruman family placed vassals in various southern regions to maintain the empire's rule."
So they put trusted people in charge of each area. That did sound like something a power-holder would do—hadn't he himself handed Taylor Mian's authority to the trustworthy Luke? From this perspective, the Duke Haruman's family was indeed remarkable, controlling the entire southern imperial territory so early on, placing vassals everywhere... and maintaining that for a hundred or two hundred years. But...
"Do you have any doubts?" "Not for now," Sean said. "It's fine. You can speak your mind today—that's part of our conversation." With permission granted, Sean no longer held back. "But doesn't this leave a handle for accusations of wanting to rule independently?" If every region was managed by his own vassals, that would almost mean controlling the entire south. And the empire was called the Basharan Empire, not the Haruman Kingdom. "That's also why some vassals weren't properly settled. The Vigors were placed in a remote mountain village due to obstruction from others at the time... Many years have passed, some vassals have lost contact, and the Vigor family, completely isolated, received no further news." He paused, then a [Motivated!] status appeared. His aged voice grew firm and powerful... "Sean Vigor. I wish to summon you back to the Haruman family. We will face new enemies together."
So that was his plan today... Compared to the Prince's indifferent attitude, Duke Haruman seemed eager to have Sean under his command. What to do? Agree? The other's status was indeed high enough, and following the family history seemed reasonable. But he was still a member of the Sky-Covering Wings, an organization under the Prince's protection. And once he joined that camp, it would mean entering "combat mode," no longer able to stay neutral as before.
"May I ask who our new enemy is?" Sean didn't answer immediately but posed another question. "Prince Philip." The other answered almost without hesitation. Though Sean had long known the two were politically at odds, he hadn't expected it to escalate to outright hostility. "I know you have doubts, but I'm not joking about this... The Haruman family has always been loyal to the empire, even placing vassals to govern the south to better maintain imperial rule. But Prince Philip." His voice dropped here. There was no one around, and no one could hear... because in Sean's view, there were no prompts, and the other's [Serious!] status made it hard to doubt. "I haven't found conclusive evidence yet, but Prince Philip may no longer support the king's rule." It was said cryptically, because he couldn't directly say treason... but the meaning was that the Prince wanted to establish his own rule!
Chapter 117: Rainy Season
Could he just say that? That was royalty! People to be spoken of cautiously in any country. "I know it's hard to imagine, but various signs over the years show the Prince has divided loyalties to the nation." Sean looked at the Grand Duke, still with a [Serious!] expression, speaking so confidently, and from a Duke's mouth at that. He couldn't find an excuse to doubt. Power struggles among royalty were often more brutal than among ordinary nobles, and one misstep could expose the empire to external threats. Even so, the Prince was willing to fight? Sean recalled his meeting with Prince Philip, aside from his particular concern about the Chaos Eye. "I remember when the Prince summoned me yesterday, he was focused on the Chaos Eye. Count Hamilton of Koga City was injected with some magic by an organization called the Immortals before his death, awakening that thing..." Sean didn't hide it. After all, if the other wanted to know, he could inquire anytime. "I've heard of this too. It's already alarmed most of the empire's wizards. I'll specially invite a wizard from the north to learn more soon. The Chaos Eye falls under unknown power... Ultimately, any power is most dangerous in the hands of its user; power itself isn't a threat." Worthy of the empire's Grand Duke. Not just his age, but his vision surpassed many. Though he hadn't studied magic, his words were reassuring: power itself wasn't scary, only the one wielding it. "Many want to use greater power, but few can truly touch it. So our key task now is to stop Philip's restless actions." The Grand Duke wasn't as shaken by the fear of the Chaos Eye as Ash was; he focused all his thoughts on opposing the Prince. But so far, Sean hadn't detected any treasonous acts by Prince Philip... The south had once been under the Grand Duke's rule, and though the Prince had been later assigned there, he likely hadn't reached the Haruman family's level. Many nobles like his own family were probably placed in southern cities; the Vigors were just one. With so many people, couldn't they find evidence of the Prince's treason? Hard to believe! Yet the Grand Duke's status hadn't changed while speaking, at least showing he was certain of his conjecture and not lying. For a moment, Sean couldn't decide who was right... But one thing was certain: the Prince wanted power, and Duke Haruman wanted what he called imperial peace, though it also mixed in his own selfish motives. In the end, Sean gave an ambiguous answer and followed the guide away... If the Prince's mansion had informants for the Grand Duke, then there were probably some here too. The other likely already knew he'd come. Future days might involve more survival between two power centers... He hadn't expected that after arriving in Rietis, the Koga City matter wasn't resolved, and he was dragged into the struggle between the Prince and the Grand Duke.
Rumble~ At that moment, thunder rolled outside the carriage. He looked at the sky. [Night: Heavy Rain, 8:40:40] It was raining! Ah, it must be the summer rainy season. He remembered it was still spring when he left Taylor Mian Town, but the northern season seemed a bit faster than the south. By now, the north had entered summer. "It's raining, guest." The driver wasn't a tracker but another coachman hired from outside the yard. "Mm. Take me straight to the Sky-Covering Wings headquarters," Sean told the driver. For now, he'd better focus on improving his magic and learning, not getting involved in other matters—especially the open and covert struggles between the two camps; he'd just cheer from the sidelines. With his current strength, siding with either would invite retaliation from the other, and navigating between them wouldn't be easy. "This rain might last all night, coming down so suddenly," the driver grumbled outside. The rain was so heavy that water was even seeping into the carriage... "It might last several days." Sean murmured, looking at the values in the sky. If there was anything valuable about him, it was this ability he now possessed.
…………………………
In the following days, it indeed rained heavily. Sean stayed at the Sky-Covering Wings headquarters without going out. Each day, besides practicing his magic, he observed the maps he'd brought. Even in northern Rietis, he could still monitor the situation in Taylor Mian Town. Now, in the eastern mountains of the town, an area had been cleared as planting forest. The avalanche at Creek Village had altered the terrain there, but Luke was good at planning. He hadn't planted many trees in that area, instead also trying to reclaim barren mountains in the south... Almost every day, many green dots could be seen moving around the southern mountains, likely the working townsfolk. Fortunately, they didn't go north, or the place where he and the archaeology team had buried Bachler might be discovered. To be safe, Sean wanted to write to Luke, telling him to develop only the east and south and leave other areas untouched. But it had been storming for days, and apparently, messenger eagles couldn't fly. Sending messages in such weather relied on human couriers—even airships struggled in this heavy rain, leaving many communications cut off. Besides Taylor Mian, Sean also observed the maps of Rietis and Cliff Peak City. Cliff Peak City wasn't worth much attention—mostly neutral goodwill. He'd only walked a few streets there, but every night, three green dots appeared at the Sky-Covering Wings outpost, representing the three girls staying there. They appeared at the house on time each night... Since some areas of the map were in shadow, they couldn't be seen if they entered those shadows, only at night like this. It seemed it was raining there too—because when it rained, the projected map before him showed rain falling. The three were all there, meaning that magic hadn't affected their lives since.
Thus, seven days passed...
Until one morning, Freya was the first to burst into his room and open the door. "Sean, news from Katiya Village!"