Sean didn't tell anyone else about his arrival in Koga City—only Claude and Igniya, who had traveled with him, knew. However, Igniya was spotted by her senior, Warren, when she returned to Elinta Tower, so Sean figured the new Earl Hamilton probably knew he was here too, maybe even from the very first day.
After all, this was the other party's turf. Almost every ruler cultivates their own intelligence network. While walking through Koga City, Sean often noticed hints in his peripheral vision that someone was watching him, but since he was on the street... even ordinary people might stare, so he didn't pay it much mind.
These past few days, he'd been mostly studying the book Igniya had brought over.
Reading about many similar wizard organizations, Sean realized it wasn't just the Sun Crown—descriptions of many wizard groups carried a mysterious aura, the kind that made you eager to delve deeper.
Take the Takoma region, for instance, where he'd traveled.
There were plenty of wizard organizations there too, including one called the Night Forest, which had a few entries in the book. But every story left Sean feeling utterly baffled.
The book recorded that this wizard group had very few members, but their behavior was bizarre... They often appeared near small towns close to the swamps, leaving the locals with the impression that they were superstitious and always muttering incomprehensible words. There were even rumors that deep within the swamp lay a gateway to another world.
Records like this were sparse...
Maybe they dared not write more, or perhaps it was all hearsay.
But after the incident with the Immortal, Sean had grown interested in these chance, legendary tales.
Especially those indescribable stories that kept tugging at a reader's curiosity, each one seeming as if it had truly happened...
[Thirty-four years ago, fishermen from Merxin, the southernmost country of Zambutar, hauled up a strange statue made of an unknown material from the sea. Some wizards said it might represent another long-lost civilization... But time didn't allow people to learn much about it. Shortly after acquiring the statue, its owner descended into madness, and everyone who studied it met the same fate. In the end, all results were swept under the rug...]
And another...
[Seventy-eight years ago, a bottomless blackwater pond appeared somewhere on the southern continent. At first, fresh fish gushed out every day, and nearby villagers grew wealthy selling and eating them. The fish's taste was almost magical, driving people wild with delight... Until one day, the fish stopped appearing. The villagers craved that flavor so desperately that countless people willingly jumped into the black water... Not a single one resisted. After that, the pond slowly vanished, like the ending of every story—nowhere to be found!]
He flipped another page.
This time, it was a description of the "Gate of Truth."
[Seventy years ago, on the western continent, an alchemist regarded as a madman by locals was obsessed with studying the Gate of Truth, trying every way to transform what he called weak humanity. Unfortunately, he was truly feeble—even weaker than an average healthy person—and "alchemist" was a title he gave himself. One day, when a neighbor noticed he hadn't appeared for a long time, they mustered the courage to knock on his door. Upon entering, they found him collapsed in a strange cloud of dust... He had been dead for a long time...]
[But what was truly terrifying wasn't that. When the body handlers opened his clothes, they discovered... his body was riddled with pits and hollows, with no internal organs. Later, it was said that inside those bloody cavities, they found things resembling eye tissue. Even stranger, he seemed to be smiling at the moment of death!]
Page after page...
Sean gradually felt that there truly existed a terrifying, unknown world out there, much like the Gehros he had encountered and the giant octopus tentacle summoned by Weissman—just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
As if drawn in by these stories, Sean sometimes read for an entire day.
An uncontrollable [excitement!] and [urge!] surged within him...
Until Claude snapped him out of it.
"Sean, big brother, why have you been studying this book lately? Is it that good?"
He instinctively sensed something was off, but Claude had already run over and flipped the book open.
"What's this? Just these stories? I've heard tons like them—what's so interesting? They're so fake, not even as fun as a bard's tales." Claude glanced through a few pages and found them boring.
"Uh... You don't feel anything when you read them?"
"What feeling?" The young man stared at him with wide eyes.
Nothing unusual appeared above his head—completely different from Sean's own state just moments ago.
"Nothing, just curious," Sean said.
Strange. Why did he seem to be the only one getting sucked into the stories?
"Don't bother with this, it's boring. Haven't you noticed that Sister Igniya hasn't come by today?" Claude suddenly asked.
Today...
Right.
Sean realized he hadn't paid attention to the girl for a while. When she'd visited before, she seemed to notice he was focused on reading and didn't disturb him. Today, she hadn't shown up at all.
"Should we go to Elinta Tower and check on her?"
"She should be fine. At least nothing major would happen inside Koga City." Things like robberies or attacks were rare now that the city was more strictly managed, and with her Level 4 Orderer abilities, ordinary people couldn't beat her.
But...
With others, it was hard to say.
As they talked, a call came from the adjacent hall.
It wasn't a customer's business call but someone shouting a name, even including the title "Baron Weigel."
Accompanied by Claude, Sean walked to the shop's front hall. Standing in the center were two fully armed soldiers.
[1500/1500, Human, Neutral], [1800/1800, Human, Neutral].
"You are?"
"Oh, apologies for disturbing the Baron. We're members of Earl Hamilton's guard. We heard that the Baron has arrived in Koga City, so we've come to invite you to the Earl's residence. Earl Hamilton has long wished to speak with you face to face."
This was probably Ryan Hamilton's exact words; the two men were just following orders...
Sure enough, Earl Hamilton had known Sean was here all along, and even knew that Skov's Shop was his base. Now, they'd come to extend the invitation.
"Sean, big brother!" Claude looked at him from beside.
"It's fine. The Earl's invitation, after all. I haven't even paid a visit to the newly appointed Earl yet."
He was, at the very least, the region's highest-ranking noble. It was only right to go.