Returning to the Earl's estate in Oro City, the construction work was still in full swing.
Sean didn't want to spread news of what happened in Tacoma City any further. He only told Luke about the incident privately. The book was impossible to find, but he wondered if he could inquire about that unknown statue. Earlier, when the Adac traveling merchant mentioned the statue, he had already speculated whether it might be something left behind from the previous Immortal summoning. If so, he needed to prepare.
"I personally don't think it's necessary," Luke said, surprising Sean.
"Tell me your reasoning."
"Since you, my lord, believe this thing is dangerous, why not just leave it alone? If the people in the Adac region will also fight over it, and the Adac region is vast, it's likely lost somewhere there and may never be brought out again. Besides, they have many countries with opposing factions."
Luke often incorporated a broader perspective into his thinking.
It was probably the way a clever person thought, but even clever people weren't always right in their predictions.
That was true.
The Adac region had its own internal politics and rival nations. Once that thing spread, other enemy countries would surely take notice, possibly even sending people to investigate.
But Luke hadn't witnessed the summoning scene firsthand.
That was something no human could resist—at least, among the humans he'd seen, no one could withstand that madness.
And Tacoma's old city was the site of the summoning.
Still, the other's words did remind him: sending ordinary Basharan soldiers would be too easy to detect, and training a special elite squad couldn't be done in a day or two.
"Luke, how's the Adventurer's Guild in town lately?"
He'd been so busy with city construction that he'd almost overlooked such organizations.
In truth, the Adventurer's Guild was a force not to be ignored anywhere. While they prioritized their own interests, they united when everyone's interests were threatened.
Last time during the Tacoma incident, hadn't the Prince and Grand Duke tried to use the mercenaries' power? It hadn't worked well, but that was due to irresistible forces—any power seemed insignificant then.
"My lord wants to use mercenaries? But mercenaries aren't reliable."
"I'm just considering it. Of course, mercenaries with known backgrounds would be better. What do you know about Oro City's mercenaries?"
"I have no interest in mercenaries, but there is one thing worth your attention, my lord." Luke was a scholar, and there seemed to be a chain of disdain everywhere—scholars and warriors looked down on each other.
So Luke had never cared much about mercenaries.
"What is it?"
"Recently, though it's only a small group, their reputation isn't good." That was putting it mildly; likely, some in the city were already resisting his rule.
"I expected as much."
He'd been heavily involved in construction, dividing land for building and other purposes.
Some of that had already encroached on certain people's interests, inevitably drawing opposition.
"You're wise, my lord, but the voices I've heard outside are different."
"Different how?"
"They seem to be a group specifically fighting against nobles and powerful families. Many commoners talk about their deeds," Luke said.
Rebels?
Sean immediately thought of the rebels both Prince Philip and the Grand Duke had mentioned. Though they stayed well-hidden, no one denied their existence.
"In the city?"
"Unknown, but people have been discussing it often lately. I wonder if we should bring more guards to the estate," Luke suggested.
"No need. If we do, they'll act sooner."
"But—"
"Once one group enters the estate, another can follow. If they're truly in the city, they'll strike early," Sean explained.
Adding more guards was possible, but Sean didn't like the idea of a dozen people standing at the door. Besides, his own strength wasn't weak—as a Level 4 Order Keeper, he wasn't completely defenseless.
Luke wanted to argue further but stopped seeing Sean's insistence.
Sean still hadn't forgotten about the statue. He wanted to find a wizard to help study the Tacoma old city's artifacts, but wizards were scarce in all of Oro City.
Not because there were none, but because the Tacoma incident had claimed the most capable people. Sean suspected the Abyssals had orchestrated it—like when the goat-man directly killed the strongest mercenary, Lukar, using the strong as sacrifices to summon what they wanted.
But with many high-level Order Keepers dead and others fleeing, Oro City now had almost no Order Keepers above Level 8. Even the Mercenary Guild's highest was Level 7, with most around Levels 5 or 6.
This had shelved Sean's plans to recruit talent.
Then he suddenly thought of something else: wasn't he publicly known as a member of the Sky-Covering Wings? If he remembered correctly, Freya had promised him permanent rights to that status.
Why not have the Sky-Covering Wings set up a branch here? Not only would it connect with headquarters, but more importantly, those girls seemed to have a good impression of him and were capable—it would be a waste not to reach out.
With that in mind, he began writing a letter to the Sky-Covering Wings headquarters in Rietis.
Sean would make sure to describe his current situation as dire as possible, preferably chaotic.
That way, even if the Prince found out, he couldn't object. Even if suspicions arose, he had his status—asking headquarters for help seemed reasonable. Given Freya's intelligence, she should grasp the letter's meaning.
He worked late into the night.
Almost every night, the last lamp in the estate was in his room.
And now, hundreds of meters from the estate.
"Tazmi, have you found out where the Earl of Oro City lives?" a female voice said to a figure in the darkness.
"I have. He usually works late. We just wait for the last lamps to go out, then move in separately—we'll definitely take down this noble!"
"Right, his soldiers can't stop us," another figure in the shadows added.
A group of five in total, silently waiting for the night to deepen.