All the high-ranking members of the Black Knight Order and the wizards were busy calming the residents of Tacoma City, because throughout this incident, the local lord, Count Francis, had never been seen. Many speculated that Count Francis might have been persecuted from the very beginning, to the point where not a single member of his entire family remained.
As a result, Tacoma City had fallen into a state of complete anarchy.
However, there were many strange aspects, and upon closer examination, they seemed utterly baseless.
For most people, the earliest memory point was indeed Katya Village. This village was not far from the center of Tacoma City, as the southeastern region consisted of plains and hilly terrain with a tropical rainforest climate. Unlike the villages in the south and west, which were nestled among mountains, these were not far apart from each other.
Initially, a circus troupe did arrive in Katya Village, and they only performed after nightfall. This was rare for traveling circuses; most wandering troupes would try to stay open day and night without sleep, but this one only performed at night.
Moreover, their performances were highly unique, featuring terrifying stories about witches, unknown realms, and many jaw-dropping acts—chainsaw men, strange creatures in water tanks, and so on.
Although the shows were unconventional, the sensory thrill and people's curiosity about unknown life forms made the circus a huge success.
But even those who witnessed it firsthand still believed it was fake, like the roles played by actors in a stage drama. They thought it was all illusion, yet the impact was so strong that word of mouth made the nighttime circus incredibly popular.
For a large border city, such a scene was rare; the last time something like this happened was probably when a thunder dragon was delivered from a neighboring region.
Yet, most people only remembered this much about the nighttime circus.
Anything deeper seemed completely forgotten—where they went afterward, why the Deep Ones appeared, and how Weissman ended up here?! All these mysteries were baffling.
In the end, based on various clues from the swamp region and the wizards' magical knowledge, the Black Knight Order arrived at a conclusion.
"I think Weissman didn't die in the incident at Koga City. The one who died was his assistant—the other person you mentioned. He used a spell called Sacrifice to make the other pay with his life to protect himself. As for how he ended up here, there are two explanations."
"What explanations?"
"Either he was forcibly teleported to the outskirts of Koga City and left the south while the guard was still in the city, or the unknown realm—the Eye of Chaos or some force—brought him here."
Freya's explanation was weak, because she had seen Ghroth herself, and that entity had no interest in the life or death of an ordinary person, let alone a minion of an ancient god!
"So you're saying Weissman was near Koga City at the time and then made his way here? But why did he stir up all this trouble afterward?"
Freya flipped to the next page of information.
These documents were intelligence gathered from various places by the Black Knight Order and the wizards.
"We found some clues about the Deep Ones you mentioned in the southern swamp. It turns out they've been living there for a long time, but few people noticed. Over the past decade or so, there have been occasional reports of attacks in the swamp, sparking rumors of a swamp monster. But the area is too vast to search thoroughly."
"However, through magical exploration, we uncovered many things, mostly sculptures and patterns with octopus tentacles. These should be the symbols of the ancient god's followers you mentioned."
In fact, over the past few days, Sean had shared what he knew with Freya, and through their discussions, they had pieced together most of the story.
"Is there anything else?"
"There are also some patterns related to the Immortal organization. So I suspect the Deep Ones are connected to the Immortals. The earliest large-scale appearance of the Immortals was in the Edak region, and there's a trade route leading there from here."
Sean looked intently into her eyes. Today, Freya had specifically worn a wizard's robe—the female version with a slit at the bottom of the long skirt. And the Freya before him was the best-looking person he had ever seen in such attire.
"So you think it spread from here?"
"At the very least, they're connected. We also found some female skeletons in the Deep Ones' swamp cave. They've been trying to mate with human women to produce offspring that can walk freely on the continent."
When she said this, Sean clearly saw anger flash across Freya's face.
So it seemed mutants really did exist, and more than one.
Back then, he couldn't see the racial attributes of people, so he didn't know about these things. If he had been able to see clearly when he first met Weissman, maybe the subsequent events wouldn't have happened.
"We haven't fully grasped the rest yet, but it won't be long."
"Mm..."
He had essentially learned everything he needed to know. The Black Knight Order needed to find the cause to give the public an explanation, and that explanation would inevitably omit many details to avoid causing panic.
But a city losing so many people at once was impossible to suppress. Panic was inevitable; it all depended on how the empire's high command would handle it later.
Just then, they heard someone reporting outside the door.
"Someone's coming, Sean. You should go." Her tone was tense.
From the very beginning, Freya had never mentioned her presence here, and under the current circumstances, she dared not. So their meetings were always secret, unknown to others.
To outsiders, he was just an ordinary mercenary who occasionally reported to the wizards. But a direct meeting with the wizard leader like this was unheard of. What should have been a simple matter, with constant secret meetings, had become even more suspicious, making them even more afraid of being discovered.
"This way, this way, through the basement."
"Got it. We'll talk tomorrow."
"Mm." Freya nodded.
The basement under the general's quarters connected directly to his room.
After returning, Sean planned to take a walk in the city that was just beginning to recover. But as soon as he stepped out of the camp, he felt someone tailing him.
The military fortress was still some distance from Tacoma City, and Sean deliberately chose a less crowded path.
"Come out. You've been following me the whole way."
Having seen Deep Ones and octopus men, he felt his courage had grown considerably.
He turned around and saw a woman in dark brown leather armor standing behind him, dressed like a mercenary.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why can't it be me? You really are that witch Freya's little man!"
Sean frowned.
Standing before him was that female thief—the one who had followed the mercenary squad and miraculously survived all the way.