Woken from sleep by someone calling out.
Freya's urgent voice came from outside the door.
Climbing out of bed, the sound of rain could still be heard outside.
Katia Village!
Wasn't that the village the three girls cursed with [Petrification~] had gone to?
"Hold on a moment."
He rushed out of the bedroom, and by then Freya was already standing in the room. Still in that reddish outfit, her voluptuous figure made any clothes she wore look incredibly alluring.
"Any news from Katia Village?" he asked, glancing at the map on the table. The three girls with [Friendly] affinity were no longer visible on the map of Cliffpeak City.
It was daytime, so they were probably out. The news about Katia Village had come from them.
"How's the situation?" Sean asked.
Freya had been radiating [Urgent!] and [Anxious!] emotions ever since she walked in. Not sure what she was thinking, Sean pressed for more details.
"I don't know yet."
"You don't know?"
That was a bit odd. Hadn't the organization already sent people out?
And after all these days, still no word!
Looking at the heavy rain outside, he figured it must be because of the weather.
"Then where did the news come from?"
"The Prince's Mansion. The Prince's Mansion just sent someone to notify me that a contact from the southeastern region seemed off and wanted me to check it out." Freya's furrowed brow and anxious state must have been because of this.
A contact was something like an intelligence agent. Not only did Sky-Covering Wings have outposts in major southern cities, but the empire's great nobles also had intelligence networks in various regions. Otherwise, the Prince couldn't have known the details of what happened in Koga City so thoroughly.
"How off?"
More than the contact agency, Sean was curious about the contact person described as "off."
"That's why I wanted to bring you along to see..."
"But Prince Philip didn't call for me." Since returning from the Grand Duke's place, Sean hadn't interacted much with the great nobles, mostly spending his time practicing magic and reading grimoires.
"That doesn't matter. You're now a member of my Sky-Covering Wings. If I bring you, no one will say anything... And I think the situation might be similar to those three girls." It seemed Freya had the same thought as him.
This visitor wasn't a subordinate of the southeastern nobles but a contact, which made one wonder what was happening over there.
They got on the carriage early.
Sean followed Freya to the Prince's Mansion, accompanied by Sohana and others.
Since Sky-Covering Wings was called in to check what was happening, it was better to bring a few people with relevant experience.
"Sean, I heard you were invited by Duke Haruman recently?" Sohana, sitting across from him, suddenly asked.
The rain was still falling outside the carriage, making the silence feel cold and still...
"Yes." Sean replied briefly.
Though she had a [Attempting to Ask!] status, she didn't actually voice it. Probably because Freya was nearby.
"This time, His Highness the Prince will likely summon the Grand Duke as well. It seems that since the rainy season started, all news from the southeastern region has been cut off!"
Sean hadn't noticed until Freya mentioned it.
Only a few days had passed, but there should have been some news by now.
Plus, it had been nearly half a month since they traveled from Cliffpeak City, and still no word from that region.
"Leader, don't worry. This happens every rainy season. Maybe once the weather clears, their news will come through." Sohana tried to reassure her.
"You didn't see what happened at Cliffpeak City, or you wouldn't think that way."
Logically, as the leader, Freya shouldn't panic, but given what happened at Cliffpeak City, even Sean couldn't make sense of it.
And the people sent to the southeastern region still had no news...
He remembered last time, whenever it involved organization members, Freya would get visibly anxious.
On the rain-soaked streets, there were few pedestrians, and shops were closed—you had to knock to enter.
It was clear that Rietis had poor drainage. After a full week of heavy rain, some streets were already flooded, and apparently, this was a common occurrence.
Nothing to be done...
The city had been like this since it was built, and changing it completely was too difficult.
That's why the nobles gradually moved to higher ground.
Entering the Prince's Mansion again...
Probably because of the rain, not many people came to greet them—only two guides waiting near the corridor.
After getting a little wet in the rain, they reached the corridor and were safe.
"Red Dragon Witch, Your Highness the Prince and the Dukes are waiting in the hall." The guide said [Urgently!].
Throughout the journey, everyone Sean saw at the Prince's Mansion had either [Confused!], [Eager!], or [Uneasy!] statuses, making the atmosphere feel oppressive.
"All the nobles are here?"
"Yes, and some wizards will be attending as well."
Calling so many people at once, with both the Prince and the Grand Duke present, hinted at something serious.
It took something major to bring these two figures from opposing factions to the same side...
Sean followed Freya through the hall's corridor. As they entered, many eyes turned toward them.
Of course, most were focused on Freya and Sohana beside her; only a few paid attention to him.
When his eyes met Duke Haruman's, the old man gave a faint, approving smile.
Because of his age, even in the rainy season, he wore a thick coat, though [Uneasy!] still hung over his head.
Beside the Prince and the Grand Duke stood many lavishly dressed people.
They were likely other nobles, including Ash, whom he had met once before.
"Freya is here!"
"Your Highness."
As soon as she entered, Philip greeted Freya.
The Prince didn't acknowledge Sean, as his baron status seemed too low in his eyes, but Duke Haruman did greet him.
"Your Highness called us here..."
"I know what you're going to say. Come this way."
Before Freya could finish, Prince Philip cut her off.
Sean noticed that besides the girls from Sky-Covering Wings, there were many high-ranking Order members in the hall, including Ash.
A screen stood in the hall, and behind it, Sean could sense a magic being cast...
[Imprisonment~]
It was like a magic circle, with complex patterns drawn on the ground, and in the middle lay a middle-aged man in dirty clothes.
His eyes were vacant and lifeless, even rolling back.
His body trembled slightly.
He muttered to himself...
"When... when the stars align in the right position..."
Above his head was a status affected by magical interference.
[Mania~]