"What ritual? Do you know something? Now that I think about it, you were the first one to step forward last night and say there was danger... and you were also the first to lead people away. Tell me, do you have some inside information?" A mercenary stepped forward to question.
"That's right, I remember now too..."
"I recognize your weapon. It's you!"
Several others stepped forward as well.
"What exactly do you know? Why didn't you tell us? We've already lost so many of our men, all because we were led astray by insiders like you," the man said angrily.
Sean studied him closely. Wasn't this the same guy who argued with Lukar last night about staying behind?
Interesting.
Yesterday he was clamoring for people to stay with him, and now he's singing a completely different tune.
"Is that so? I recall you were the one asking others to stay with you last night," Sean said with a smile, watching the man's expression sour.
"Well... that's because of people like you! If you knew something was wrong, you should have told us sooner..."
"That's right, if you knew, you should have spoken up."
A few others in the group agreed with him.
Sean didn't immediately retort, but his own mercenary squad members stepped forward instead...
"Sir Sean has been with us since Rietis City and has asked us many questions along the way. Besides, he's a Silver-ranked bounty hunter—far more sensitive to danger than we are."
The moment Jonathan mentioned the bounty hunter title, many people looked over in surprise.
Especially the girl Sean had noticed earlier in the crowd, who now turned her attention his way...
"No one truly knows the situation in the southeast. Otherwise, the Prince and the Grand Duke wouldn't have sent us ahead. But I've heard some rumors from the wizards."
He didn't want to dwell too much on his bounty hunter identity, since it wasn't his real profession.
"There are things I only started finding suspicious after arriving here. Since we have the chance, let me share them..." Sean decided not to hold back much about what he'd heard from the soldiers.
Ever since meeting Freya, he felt that sharing certain information was more meaningful—more minds thinking about a problem was better than one. Of course, it depended on the situation. Right now, revealing some things could help steady the tense emotions of those present.
Sean recounted everything about the night circus and what the surviving soldiers from the southeast had said, including the goatmen and the stars above them... Of course, he attributed the source of this information to a wizard friend who had been present at the time.
"I never understood what 'the stars returning to their proper positions' meant until now. Maybe..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but most people could guess the conclusion.
Who would have thought the sky over the Takoma region could look like this...
"So what do we do now, Master Sean?" Jonathan and the others looked to him for answers again.
The stars had already appeared and were indeed moving (returning to position) as the soldier had said. But what did it mean? Some kind of ritual? Or summoning something else?
The only thing Sean could think of was the Eye of Chaos he'd seen in Koga City. Could it be the Immortals again? Or... the Wizards' Council...
Deep down, Sean really didn't want to connect the Wizards' Council to the current situation, but he couldn't help thinking about it. Ever since Koga City, it would pop into his mind occasionally—Bachler's unfinished words, why a wizard like him had ended up in Sean's small town, and so on.
And now, looking at it, the Takoma region was much larger than his town, but wasn't it essentially another frontier?
It was the same as Koga City and Taylemian Town. He remembered that Freya had sent those three girls to a small village here, where they discovered the night circus, leading to the subsequent petrification.
If you swapped the locations, the same things could have happened in Koga City or Taylemian Town.
Sometimes Sean even thought that if he hadn't used his affinity to identify Bachler among the crowd, the story might have ended differently—including what happened in Koga City.
The giant rat, the smuggled gunpowder, the riots...
Time and again, his ability had subtly changed the outcome.
"The goatmen won't let us go back that easily. We have no choice but to head toward Takoma City," Sean said. Going outward would likely mean running into the goatmen again. If they wanted people to come in, it was probably for those ten planets above.
The stars returning to their positions...
"Sir Sean is right. Going out now would likely mean death. Continuing toward Takoma City might let us meet up with the Black Feather Knights and the wizard group. With them around, we'd all be safer. If something really is happening in this region, I believe the Empire will send more troops."
Alphonse, who had been silent until now, stepped forward to speak, clearly agreeing with Sean.
"Since it's daytime and the goatmen won't come out, we should focus on traveling instead of wasting time arguing here..."
With only a dozen or so mercenaries left and no better options, they had no choice but to follow the group and keep moving.
They were currently in a small village near the edge of the Takoma region. Heading further south would officially enter Takoma City's territory. It was a long way, so they had to pick up the pace. Otherwise, when night fell, who knew if anyone present would still be alive.
Alphonse stayed close to Sean at the front of the group. He clearly had something to say but hadn't spoken yet, so Sean kept him nearby, figuring he'd eventually break.
"Sir Sean."
"What is it?" Sean thought, impressed he'd held out this long.
"Actually, what you said earlier about the goatmen... I've heard of them before."
Oh?
His voice was low, probably only audible to the two of them.
"I don't know if you've ever heard of the Necronomicon, Sir Sean. That's actually why I came here..." Only now, after experiencing a battle, did Alphonse finally reveal his purpose.
"What is that? A book? Or some kind of incantation?"
The name sounded like something related to necromancy or death magic.
"It's a book that only exists in oral tradition. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's been passed down and transcribed by those who seek forbidden knowledge. It records many bizarre and grotesque events and knowledge. One of them is said to be in the swamps of the Takoma region... I used to think it was just a story, but after what happened this time, I really wanted to come see for myself. And now..."
"It's turned into this."
No one could have imagined an entire region being transformed like this.
What kind of powerful magic could cause such a thing?
Right now, Sean's top priority was finding Freya and the others. If they were here, maybe a lot of things would start to make sense.