Time came to the morning of the third day. Sean had most of the townspeople gather at the town entrance to welcome the visitors...
Actually, even if he hadn’t called them, most would probably have come anyway. This was another monumental event in recent years that would be passed down through stories. Years from now, people might still sing tales of how, on a winter morning, Miss Hamil from Kogar City personally visited this small town. The townsfolk would likely have various versions of her appearance and everything that followed.
And this time, the protagonist was him!
Looking at the approaching procession in the distance, the lead was a white horse and a girl with flowing golden hair—that must be Arya Hamil.
Close beside her was a robust man, likely a guard of some sort, and next to him was Danti... He was still chatting with that guard, suggesting he’d been treated well during this time.
Among nobles, as long as there was no family feud or enmity, mutual courtesy was usually the norm.
They had to show respect to the kingdom, after all. If a high-ranking noble bullied a lower-ranking one, it could stir resentment among nobles of the same rank across the nation, ultimately shaking the kingdom itself. Sean understood this clearly, which was why he had Luke prepare those things.
Standing in the middle of the town road, Sean had the old steward prepare a set of clothes that represented the Wiggler family and were the most luxurious available. It turned out to be a relic from two generations ago, reportedly brought by a foreign merchant from a big city at great expense. Sean couldn’t tell what made it so valuable.
But he wore it anyway.
The old style perfectly highlighted his miserable life, his thinking stuck in the last century, needing someone with more advanced ideas to guide him forward.
They drew closer...
Sean could vaguely make out Arya Hamil’s features...
A noble lady, after all—delicately sculpted, fair-skinned and charming from a life of ease.
She probably wasn’t used to the mountain climate. Even though spring had arrived, she was still bundled in thick fur clothing like deep winter, white fur that was likely very expensive.
Sean had never seen anything like it in town. Fine furs were hard to come by, and processing costs were high—only nobles and wealthy merchants could afford them. It made the noble lady look even more pristine.
She was pretty, a completely different type from the Lussier he’d met before.
The horses stopped about a dozen meters from the town, and then a few people dismounted to approach on foot. Sean stepped forward to greet them.
“Miss Hamil.” He performed a standard noble salute.
“You must be Baron Wiggler,” she said.
Her voice sounded somewhat youthful, maybe eighteen or nineteen, perhaps a bit younger. Definitely not old.
Above her head floated a status: [Curious!]
Seems like a noble lady visiting the countryside, curious about everything.
“I am Sean Wiggler, Miss Hamil.”
“Just call me Arya, Baron Wiggler. No need for such formality,” she replied.
Technically, noble children were still nobles but held no title. His status should be above hers. If this Arya Hamil couldn’t inherit the title of Count Hamil, then after two more generations, they’d become commoners. Even if they kept the surname, they’d be distant collateral relatives.
That was how the kingdom controlled its nobles—preventing them from perpetuating their power indefinitely.
“Miss Arya must be tired after traveling so far. Let’s rest at my home first. I’ve made arrangements to accommodate everyone properly.”
In his previous life, Sean hadn’t been a leader or official, so he wasn’t smooth with bureaucratic talk.
Most of the time, he could think things through if given a moment, but face-to-face, he might not say much... So he just kept it casual. After all, in their eyes, he was probably just a country baron.
“I’d like to see the disaster-stricken areas first, Baron Wiggler. That’s what we came for this time,” Arya replied, surprising Sean.
She was quite decisive. Not exactly the typical noble lady visiting the countryside...
“Alright.”
Reconstruction was far from complete—to be precise, it lacked manpower and supplies.
Though the road to Creek Village was cleared, the surrounding mud and large rocks couldn’t be fully removed yet. The damaged houses had only a few simple structures dismantled and set aside. Trees, bent crooked by heavy snow, were still draped with red cloth strips.
“What’s that?” Arya suddenly asked.
“That’s...”
He quickly searched his mind but realized he had no idea what it was.
He’d never seen anything like it before.
“That’s a custom from our Taylemian region. We use it to commemorate the dead, hoping they’ll remember their homeland,” Luke suddenly interjected.
“I see! So this disaster really hit Taylemian Town hard.”
Sean watched them—one with [Thinking!] above his head, the other with [Sympathy!].
No need to guess... Luke had probably set those things up, now scrambling to come up with a story to match.
He didn’t expect Luke to use such a direct method to gain sympathy.
What a talent.
Truly a talent—one dared to speak, and the other dared to listen!
After seeing Creek Village still under repair, Sean led Arya Hamil back to his home. In all of Taylemian Town, his house had the best living conditions, far better than the local inns.
Though he’d never seen a count’s mansion in the city, Sean had Calibo prepare the finest environment possible, clearing out a small attic just for her.
At the same time, Sean was observing whether she was truly worth his serious attention.
Was she just following Count Hamil’s orders, or was there another purpose in sending this young girl?
Seeing his home, she showed no sign of disgust. Her status had shifted to [Deep in Thought!] since earlier.
She was thinking about something...
He just couldn’t guess what.
In the hall, only four people remained. Sean had sent Danti to arrange accommodations for the five hundred people Arya brought, leaving only Luke by his side. She had only the sturdy knight with her.
“Baron Wiggler. We’ve already understood the situation in Taylemian. Danti told us a lot earlier... So, first, I’ve come on my father’s orders to bring some helpful relief supplies and 100,000 gold coins to aid Taylemian’s reconstruction.”
Hearing that number, even Sean, trying to stay composed, was stunned inside.
100,000.
They just casually brought 100,000 gold coins!
“Second, we have some matters to discuss with you, Baron Wiggler.” Her expression turned serious.
So it’s finally time for negotiations, Sean thought.