Sean didn't linger long in Old Tacoma City. After inspecting the border military camp on the third day, he was ready to head back.
In Tacoma City, he only had people conduct a cursory search that same day, especially in places the Edak merchants hadn't visited. Sean could tell these people weren't being truthful. Though Old Tacoma was vast, nearly two months had passed since the last incident. With the trade route restored, plenty of Edak merchants had been staying there, and they should have scoured every corner they could reach.
If that book really existed, someone would have taken it by now.
But then again, could that tome—revered by Alphonse as the ultimate scripture—really be in this city?
The world was too vast for coincidences to align so neatly. Sean figured it must have something to do with the octopus-man Wiseman and those Deep Ones from back then. Perhaps his horrifying transformation was caused by something connected to them.
Since he wasn't the leader at the time, and even kept his identity hidden, Sean had limited contact with Freylia. Though she occasionally consulted him privately on certain matters, their meetings were rare, conducted through secret tunnels in the military camp.
Later, when she escorted him back, a large portion of the Black Feather Knights and the wizard contingent remained in Tacoma City. Maybe she didn't know everything either.
The Necronomicon might be impossible to find, but the statue made of unknown material caught Sean's attention.
When he asked the Edak merchant about it, the man couldn't describe its appearance—he'd never seen it himself.
He only repeated what others had said: it was captivating, bizarrely shaped, yet possessed a unique allure.
When pressed about what that allure was, the merchant's reply stunned both Sean and Joseph.
The merchant mimicked someone else's tone.
"If I could, I'd want to keep it for myself."
It wasn't the words themselves but the expression on his face. Whether he was imitating others or deliberately putting on that act, the twisted greed and longing in his voice sent a chill down even the hot-blooded Joseph's spine.
After that day, Joseph repeatedly told Sean that the merchant's face kept haunting him, refusing to fade, making him feel like he was falling into that obsession.
It even jolted him awake from a nightmare that night.
A statue.
And captivating.
Sean tried to picture what it might be. Perhaps it held some kind of magic that drove anyone who saw it to desperately want it.
But since it had already been taken out of the country, retrieving it would be nearly impossible—there wasn't even room for negotiation.
Whether in everyday exchanges or at the national level, the Zantabarr region and the Edak region only maintained ordinary diplomatic relations. People from both sides often badmouthed each other privately. If he tried to ask for it back or even investigate, the city's administrators would likely block him.
Maybe he should ask Freylia about this. She was there for a while and might know something.
His territory was too close to the border between the two realms. Any potential threat needed to be nipped in the bud.
"Sir."
Joseph caught up from behind.
"You look pale. Still didn't sleep well last night?" Sean asked, puzzled.
That shouldn't be.
Joseph was a sergeant major, after all. Whatever he'd done before, anyone who survived the Tacoma incident had seen their share of death. How could a single twisted grin scare him until dawn, leaving him dazed even now?
If Sean hadn't sensed anything off, and if that merchant was just an ordinary human, he'd almost think the man had cast a spell to terrify this battle-hardened veteran.
"A bit, but it's fine. Should be over by today." His words were strained, and his face grew even paler.
"I'm curious, Joseph. You're a properly promoted sergeant major. You've seen things most people haven't. Remember how imposing you were that day, scaring the other guy? Yet that merchant's one line shook you this badly." With no one around, Sean felt comfortable joking with his sergeant.
They rarely had time to talk, but Joseph was a key officer under him, and Sean wanted to know him better.
"Heh."
Joseph grinned sheepishly, his thick beard giving him a rugged look, yet he was surprisingly timid.
"Actually, seeing that man's expression reminded me of something."
"Oh? What?"
Joseph gave an awkward laugh, but Sean could tell he had more to say.
"We've got a long road ahead. Why not tell me your story?"
"That expression—I saw it once when I was very young. It was on my best friend's face the last time I saw him."
"The last time? What happened to him?" Sean asked, intrigued.
"He died."
"Because of a terrifying legend."
That piqued Sean's curiosity even more. Dying from a legend?
"What do you mean?"
"Like the eerie tales that spread everywhere, we had one passed down through generations when I was a kid. I grew up in a remote mountain village in the Oro region, near a place called Tacoma. But the story was from even earlier, before Oro City existed—when it was just a small village."
"A woman named Marian, who lived in the forest year-round."
Joseph's story sounded like the scripts Sean often heard bards perform in taverns.
A reclusive old woman living in a sunless forest, behaving strangely and terrifyingly. People would see her in various parts of the woods, and there were countless theories about her origins. Most assumed she was an evil demon in disguise.
"When we were kids, our biggest fear was being stared at by Marian. Her eyes felt like they'd drag you into an abyss." Joseph's voice still carried a hint of lingering dread.
"But you turned out fine."
"Yeah, but one of my friends wasn't so lucky. After Marian stared at him, he vanished. That night, he ran into the forest and disappeared."
"The one you mentioned?" Sean pressed.
"Yes. But we found him eight days later. You can't imagine how a child survived in that dense forest for eight days. Even now, thinking about it sends chills down my spine." Joseph suddenly looked at Sean, his face still unable to hide his terror.
"In the end, he went mad. And the last time I saw him, he had that same eerie grin."
"He also told me, 'I'll be back sooner or later.'"