Gripping his flintlock pistol tightly, Sean kept his eyes fixed on the figures in the alley.
Even though the streets were sparsely populated, this group probably wouldn't dare to rob someone outright. Cogar City had weathered one riot, but it was precisely that uprising that led the Earl's manor to overhaul the entire city's治安.
Street robberies shouldn't happen...
But there was still a chance, so Sean kept watching the people in the alley corner.
It was autumn, yet several of them were bundled up in coats as if it were winter, constantly communicating with each other...
As he got closer, they all turned to look at him at the same time.
[Curiosity!], [Caution!], and [Unease!]
Were they afraid?
Sean instinctively glanced at what he was wearing today. Since he was heading to Aria's estate to see her, he had put on clothes of better quality—not exclusive to nobles, but definitely something only the wealthy could afford.
In his field of vision, the prompt [Being watched...] appeared seven times. There were only four people in front of him, meaning there should be three more in the alley behind.
The displayed attributes showed no hostility, and the好感度 remained neutral, so they probably weren't robbers.
Still, that [Prayer!] status did resemble some secret gathering organization, and their behavior was indeed odd.
Sean ignored them and kept walking.
Suddenly, his vision showed someone following him...
He spun around quickly.
Behind him was a man about his age, but with more facial hair!
The man was clearly startled too, probably not expecting Sean to turn around so soon.
"Sir."
Before Sean could ask, the other spoke first.
"Are you following me?"
"We just felt that you might be fated to join us..."
Oh~
Hearing that, Sean was sure—these people really were preaching, or more bluntly, running a cult.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. Not interested!" Sean couldn't be bothered and kept walking.
"This concerns the future of all mankind. The great Shepherd God will return to the mortal world... If you give up this chance now, you'll regret it later."
No matter how much the man called after him, Sean didn't look back, continuing forward...
The Shepherd God.
When did another one show up? Not long ago, a giant octopus tentacle from the abyss was just beaten back, and now another one?
Since the incidents in the Takoma region kept escalating, more and more religious organizations that had been hidden in the shadows began emerging into the open. Especially after Sean and Freya used the methods of Gheros's followers to cover up the traces of their battle, people became even more convinced that something existed in the unknown realms of humanity.
And its power was unimaginably vast!
So this kind of situation would likely become common...
He remembered that when he first returned, Cogar City wasn't this bad. Now they were even recruiting followers in the alleys!
Tsk~
Didn't the new Earl Hamilton care at all?
Looking at the current state of Cogar City's management, the gap with the previous Earl Hamilton was enormous... Religion was best when it served political purposes to justify its existence. But from what Sean had encountered so far, these followers of the Old Gods were all in a... hard-to-describe state. They didn't seem like normal humans anymore—either mutants or deep ones.
And their doctrines had nothing to do with development; in fact, their goal seemed to be destruction!
Letting such things spread in the city was never a good thing...
But no matter how he thought about it, Cogar City wasn't his territory, and he had no right to interfere.
Walking on, he passed through the city gate and headed north past one or two small farms before he could see the estate where Aria now lived—a building like a castle.
It wasn't large, just two or three stories high.
At the bottom were arched iron railings, already rusted, probably where the estate kept animals or livestock.
But it was empty, giving a desolate feel. The entire wall was covered in green moss, left untended. It seemed Aria's life after losing the inheritance struggle wasn't great either.
At the rusty gate, only an old man was sweeping the yard. Seeing Sean approach, he asked politely.
"May I ask what business you have, sir?"
"I'm here to see Miss Aria. Oh—I'm Baron Sean Vigil. I was invited by the lady." He flipped open his coat to reveal the noble insignia on his shirt.
"So it's Baron Vigil. Please, come in... quickly, come in." The old man sweeping, likely also from the Earl's manor, seemed to recognize the noble insignia at a glance.
……………………
In the spacious but sparsely furnished room, Sean sat in the center of the hall.
Waiting for Aria to arrive...
Noble ladies always took a long time to dress for guests. It seemed this habit of hers hadn't changed. After the third cup of tea, he finally heard footsteps from the hallway.
"Baron Vigil, I truly didn't expect you to come in person."
Aria, whom he hadn't seen in a while, looked somewhat haggard, but her naturally beautiful face and figure still kept her charming and attractive.
Sean stood up, giving her the respect she deserved...
"Long time no see, Miss Aria."
"I'm no longer Miss Aria now!" She seemed to deliberately put on a [Melancholy!] expression, sitting directly in the seat next to Sean.
Today, she wore a noblewoman's wide-skirted, corseted dress, her figure squeezed into curves... Her expression carried a persistent sadness, and her eyes seemed to glisten with tears.
Of course, Sean could see the purpose behind her actions.
"Since Baron Vigil has come in person, I'll ask directly."
"Yes, that's why I'm here."
Seeing a hint of [Excitement!] appear in Aria's expression.
"So... what do you think of my proposal, Baron Vigil?" She leaned in deliberately.
"Sorry, I can't recommend you to the Grand Duke." Watching Aria's expression shift from excitement to resentment.
"Why?"
"If you must have an answer, it's that my recommendation carries no weight and wouldn't be accepted. Also, I don't want to directly clash with the current Earl Hamilton." Sean said.
If a recommendation were possible, her brother would have done it long ago, and the Earl could have granted her a local honorary title.
Why didn't he? Clearly, there was conflict between the siblings...
And why Aria wanted to directly petition the Grand Duke for a title was full of implications. Sean had been in this world for a long time and had interacted with some noble circles—their political games were treacherous!
"I always thought Baron Vigil was different from other nobles, someone who didn't care about such things and was a man of loyalty. But it turns out you're the same... Don't forget, Baron, that I was the first to send people to help you in Taylemian, and I was the one who opened up extensive trade between Cogar City and Taylemian Town."
There it was.
To be honest, if it weren't for that, Sean wouldn't have come in person.
It was precisely because of that past cooperative relationship that he made the trip himself.