This was probably the busiest evening Sean had ever seen Calibo.
The old butler had taken care of him since childhood, though Sean naturally didn't remember the specifics of what he said. To Sean, the old butler was like a nanny, always intimately familiar with "his" daily life.
Ever since Igniya arrived, the old butler had been exceptionally excited, even more thrilled than when Sean was home. He kept bringing out good things from the treasured cellar to entertain her.
The so-called good things were mostly his pickled vegetables, the best specialty the town had to offer. These wild greens, grown only in the mountains and then pickled, might taste quite nice to someone used to rich, heavy food.
Back in the city, Sean rarely saw Igniya eat much meat, but she really enjoyed these pickled vegetables.
"How do you find it, Miss Igniya?" the old butler asked with a smile, the wrinkles on his aged face seeming to hold dirt, yet his smile was sincere and kind.
"It's delicious! I really like it," Igniya said, nodding.
"Just call me Niya..."
Perhaps the overwhelming warmth of Sean's family made Igniya feel embarrassed; all the encouraging words she'd told herself earlier seemed useless now.
"That's good, that's good! Then I'll get you some more, Miss Igni... Niya."
"That's enough, really enough. I can't even finish all this."
Looking around, she noticed there wasn't a single girl present, making eating under everyone's watchful gaze feel quite unnatural.
"Where's Sister Esmeralda?" she suddenly asked.
On the other side of the table, Claude had been there all along, but his sister was nowhere to be seen.
"You mean my sister? She's probably off meeting her old flame... We don't need to worry about her," Claude said without even lifting his head.
Over the years, the family had pressured Esmeralda countless times to get married, but she had always stubbornly refused. Now, finally arriving at the place where her old lover lived, Claude had no intention of disturbing them.
"Old flame?"
"Oh, I never mentioned this to you before... Actually, that scholar subordinate of mine has a past with Esmeralda."
"There's actually something like that..."
...
Back in the town, life suddenly seemed to slow down.
There wasn't much entertainment in the town either. Every morning, Calibo would call Sean for breakfast, and Igniya always woke up earlier than him.
As a witch and someone he had brought here, she was treated with respect by everyone in the household.
Claude and Esmeralda were also staying at the Baron's residence. These days, Sean took them around the mountains to survey the town's terrain, including the newly planted fruit saplings.
Over the past few months, Luke had been leading the townspeople to work in the mountains. Now, most of the southern mountain wasteland had been planted with fruit trees, with an initial estimate of nearly a thousand acres of cultivation—something unimaginable in a small town like Tylermian.
It seemed that in the days ahead, the town's young people would be busy tending the orchards.
If the fruits could be harvested next year, then Sean's efforts during this time wouldn't have been in vain.
Besides the orchard, Sean also took Claude to several suspected mining sites for field inspections. Early records of Tylermian Town had always mentioned the presence of ore.
The family had mines, but generations of Viscount Weigel had never turned them into a proper industry, so Sean brought this professional to take a look.
But the results weren't as good as Sean had hoped. Samples from several excavated sites showed very average ore content. Mining was possible, but the cost would be too high.
The main issue was the town's geographical location—deep in the mountains with inconvenient roads, and a bunch of machinery and instruments would need to be brought in.
Such high costs weren't something ordinary people could bear. More importantly, the town lacked sufficient manpower, and it wasn't professional. Training new workers would take a lot of time.
In short, if they wanted to make money from this, the first few years might only bring losses without any returns. It would probably take three to five years before income gradually increased.
Hearing this explanation gave Sean a headache.
Unless he invited the new Count Hamilton to collaborate, he definitely couldn't afford such expenses on his own.
Even an ordinary merchant would need to be a large one; otherwise, without returns for three to five years, who knew what problems might arise in between.
It seemed he had to focus on the orchard first.
Setting aside economic development, things between Luke and Esmeralda didn't seem to be going smoothly. They met every day, but their dynamic had shifted from the initial "nervousness" to now both being in a state of "mutual resentment."
Sean wondered what they had discussed privately. Had their talks fallen apart?
That couldn't be, right? Weren't they both single all this time for each other? They should have had plenty to say.
Sometimes Sean would privately call Claude to discuss it. They might need to do some counseling for the two.
As for Igniya, Sean didn't need to worry. He thought she might not adapt to rural life, but it seemed fine now. Every evening after dinner, she would invite him for a stroll around the town, much like how she felt at home.
Even at home, she would rearrange things to her liking. Calibo and the other old servants didn't interfere, letting Igniya redecorate the house as she pleased.
"Sean... come here quickly!!"
Sean, who was studying a magic book in his room, suddenly heard a voice from the next room.
It was a room across the hallway from his own. He had never entered it since the previous Viscount Weigel died, and the servants dared not go in without his permission.
"What's wrong?"
Sean walked into the room where Igniya was.
"Why are you in here!"
He saw her holding a framed oil painting in front of her and asked.
"Who are these two?"
The painting showed a loving couple, holding hands and standing close together. Sean recognized the man—he had seen him on his first day in this world.
"This is my father, and the other... is my mother."
Although he had never seen the woman in the painting, she stood very close to his father, so she must have been the original "Sean's" mother.
"Oh~"
"What's wrong?" Seeing Igniya looking hesitant, Sean suddenly asked.
"Just say it if there's something."
"Well..."
"Hmm?"
She suddenly pointed at the woman's neck in the painting.
"Sean, your mother was a witch!! Do you know what the necklace she's wearing means? Six birds with a sun crest above them... This belongs to an ancient wizard organization in the Edak region, the Sun Crown."