Talisah Haruman.
A member of the Haruman family—that would make her part of the Grand Duke's household, wouldn't it?
Sean took a closer look at the young girl before him. Her facial bones were somewhat broad, but with her long hair setting it off, she could be considered pretty. Fair-skinned and tall, her figure was passable too.
The main thing was that he'd been spending all his time lately in the Sky-Covering Wings, where over three hundred girls roamed around daily, often seeking him out to play for no particular reason... After a while, Sean felt his own standards of appreciation had risen.
Especially with someone like Freya around—a woman whose physique was utterly unlike the typical women of the Basharan Empire. Having looked at her for so long, he felt that anyone without a decent amount of curves hardly measured up anymore!
"Is there something you need, Miss Talisah?"
She glanced at Sohana and the others behind him, then stepped forward slightly.
"Could we talk somewhere else..."
Her voice wasn't exactly quiet; to Sean, it felt deliberately loud enough for Sohana and the others to hear.
Looking around, he noticed quite a few nobles and lingering wizards watching them. A change of venue would indeed be more convenient.
He glanced briefly at Sohana behind him...
She shot him a look of disdain.
As if to say: Go if you want to!
Though Sean had only lived in the Sky-Covering Wings for a few days, the girls there had treated him well. Even those who barely spoke would smile when they saw him, and there was never any hostility.
Girls like Ellie or Karyana would even occasionally help tidy up his room.
Very considerate...
In short, even if a status bubble reading [Annoyed!] appeared above their heads, he probably wouldn't get angry. Compared to the arrogant and domineering people outside, the anger of the Sky-Covering Wings girls seemed far too gentle.
Maybe it was the principle of opposites attracting.
Anyway, Sean felt that the Sky-Covering Wings truly was, as rumored, a man's paradise!
"Wait here for me, then. I'll be right back."
He'd already spotted a [Displeased!] status on Sohana, though she didn't show it. Subconsciously, the girls of the Sky-Covering Wings had already accepted him as one of their own.
"It's fine. She's the Grand Duke's family, after all. Probably the Grand Duke has something to discuss with me," Sean whispered in Sohana's ear. She instinctively stepped back.
"Then go!" Her tone was somewhat impatient, but the [Displeased!] emotion vanished.
Instead, a notification of being watched appeared in his field of vision...
Sigh.
That's just how men are~
Heh.
Following Talisah out from the edge of the crowd, with several high-level guards trailing behind, Sean became even more convinced that she might be a direct descendant or legitimate heir of the Grand Duke.
"I heard Baron Viger has become a member of the Sky-Covering Wings?" she spoke as they walked.
"A matter of chance. I met the Red Dragon Witch Freya in Koga City, and for various reasons, she agreed to bring me to Riyetis City to study," Sean replied with a smile. They'd discussed this many times—this was the story they'd tell anyone they met.
"Oh~ Then Baron Viger is very fortunate. Many noble men have racked their brains trying to squeeze into the Sky-Covering Wings headquarters, yet you got in so smoothly... and you've even made the famous Red Dragon Witch Freya so reliant on you."
Talisah's words gave Sean a sudden realization.
So that was it. When Freya had asked for his opinion earlier, her attitude and tone were noticeably gentler than how she dealt with outsiders. That's why he'd received so many dirty looks and expressions of displeasure from the nobles and wizards.
"Perhaps the Red Dragon Witch saw value in my knowledge and that's why she allowed me to join."
After all, in front of outsiders, he had to save Freya some face.
"Miss Talisah didn't call me over just for this reason, did she?" Sean forcibly steered the conversation away.
The Sky-Covering Wings was, after all, the most talked-about wizard organization in Riyetis, and formidable in its own right. He didn't want his involvement to bring it any undue criticism.
"Grandfather asked me to bring you here and tell you a few things."
Just as he thought.
This girl was indeed a descendant of the Grand Duke.
They walked out of the main hall and into a small side room. Everyone else stayed outside, leaving only Talisah and Sean to enter.
Though they were on Prince Philip's grounds, the Grand Duke's people could still find a relatively quiet spot...
"Let's wait here for Grandfather to come out. He probably has something important to tell you. And he told me to let you know that the Francis family was once one of the Haruman family's vassals. If anything happens on their end, we should offer help."
Sean had already guessed as much from the Grand Duke's earlier words and demeanor...
So most of the southern nobles were indeed under the Grand Duke's command!
The two waited in the room for a long time. During that period, Talisah kept trying to chat with him about the south and the Sky-Covering Wings, but Sean, seeing through her intentions, managed to dodge every topic.
Probably realizing he didn't want to talk, she gradually fell silent.
She just stared blankly at the rain...
Occasionally, she'd bring up matters from the southeastern region, but since neither had been there, the conversation would fizzle out after a few words.
It wasn't until Grand Duke Haruman returned that the awkward atmosphere eased...
"You're both here!"
"Grandfather."
"I told you to call me Grand Duke in front of others." The Duke scolded her, but his eyes were full of affection.
"I know~"
Talisah even stuck out her tongue playfully, leaving Sean, who was sipping tea nearby, utterly bewildered. She was like a completely different person from before.
The Duke noticed Sean's expression and walked over with a smile.
"Sorry to make you wait, Sean." He addressed him by name rather than title.
"It's no trouble. Did the Grand Duke have something to discuss by asking me to wait here?"
"Yes. But it's not convenient to talk here... I'd like to find a separate time to tell you everything. Earlier, the Prince and I decided to dispatch three thousand Black Feather Knights, along with wizards from the Sky-Covering Wings, Elinta, and Black Cube, to go." He paused, looking out the window.
"I suspect that young lady Freya will want you to go with her, but I hope you won't..."
Huh?!
That was unexpected.
When he'd come, Sean had considered whether the Duke might want him to go, and he'd already thought of how to refuse. But instead, the Duke was advising him not to.
"May I ask why?" Sean inquired, puzzled.
"When I heard Wizard Eshu tell that story, I felt uneasy. The Francis family, like your Vigers, were once vassals of the Harumans. But over the hundred years when everyone governed themselves, we gradually lost touch. About fifty years ago, when I was just over twenty, I tried to reconnect with them, but the Francis family's response was very vague..."
"They neither directly agreed to rejoin nor refused."
Looking at the Duke's gaze fixed on him, Sean felt the man was indirectly referring to him.
"Later, I had someone secretly investigate the Francis family's affairs over the past century, and I uncovered a secret... They had secretly executed 108 witches. For reasons unknown, but what I do know is that all 108 were put to death in different ways..."
"After that, rumors began to circulate that the Francis family would eventually be cursed."