That evening, Sean was invited to stay overnight at the Earl's residence.
He had already anticipated this when he arrived earlier, given Earl Hamilton's sudden illness and the subsequent private meetings he held with each noble, one by one, in his room. The last session included his three children, and everyone who emerged wore expressions of gravity and mental turmoil.
As a result, the planned banquet did not go smoothly. Everyone seemed disinterested in eating, merely filling their stomachs out of hunger without any extra socializing.
On Sean's side, Ignia appeared curious about what the Earl had said, repeatedly whispering to ask him about the content of their conversation. In truth, it wasn't much—it would likely spread among the nobles soon enough—but now wasn't the time, and with Ignia's nosy nature, he feared she might blurt it out. The matter would eventually get out, but it couldn't be now, especially not on the very first day after Earl Hamilton had spoken, with Sean as the source.
Everyone seemed to adhere to this unspoken rule, which was why the banquet was so quiet.
Of course, for Sean, sitting beside Ignia also meant enduring stares from various directions. Though they had only known each other for two days, he realized for the first time how popular Ignia was among the nobles. She was indeed beautiful, but several other noble girls present were also attractive, and since this was Earl Hamilton's household, Aria should have been the most sought-after. Yet, many eyes lingered on Ignia, especially within Aria's faction, where one man's opinion of Sean had dropped from neutral to cold.
Sean felt that if he teased Ignia any further, it might escalate to hatred.
And that man seemed familiar—he was Ignia's fellow disciple, named Warren, if he recalled correctly. Earl Hamilton had mentioned they were wizards from Elinta.
Sean guessed that was an organization name or some kind of sect, similar to the martial arts schools in the wuxia novels he used to read. After all, wizards in this world were divided into many factions.
After dinner, Sean excused himself, claiming fatigue, and returned to his room to rest. He wasn't alone in using this excuse; given the unusual circumstances, all the nobles had their own thoughts, so the banquet ended early. Ignia and her group weren't nobles but were invited guests, so she would leave that evening. Before departing, she sought Sean out for a few words.
They had met through their search for magical beasts, but since that was no longer possible, their connection seemed to lack common ground. Ignia asked if he planned to stay at the Earl's estate for a few more days before returning to Taylemian Town.
That had been Sean's original plan—to find a way to develop Taylemian and then head back, as a lord couldn't be away from their territory for too long. However, after Earl Hamilton revealed the situation today, Sean began to realize that beyond his own development, there was another matter worth his attention, one that was a matter of life and death.
His answer to Ignia was that he would stay in Koga City for a while, but not at the Earl's estate for long, as he had things to do. He also invited her to visit a nearby orchard with him later, as he wanted to purchase some fruit tree saplings for his town.
The wizards of Elinta. Though he didn't know if any of them were particularly powerful, this was another magical organization he had encountered. Whether for his own sake or broader considerations, maintaining a good relationship with Ignia would be beneficial. Even if he later needed to borrow her magical tools to check his level, he'd have to build up some goodwill first.
………………
Night fell, and Sean was alone in the Earl's guest room. Nearby, other nobles were lodged, and he could occasionally hear voices from the next room—the soundproofing was poor, or perhaps they deliberately left their windows open, putting on a show. They were acting within the Earl's estate, pretending to instruct their subordinates and arrange their next moves, all while emphasizing the severity of the situation and showing great concern.
To Sean, it felt like they were pledging loyalty to the Earl.
After the evening's conversation, Sean sensed that nothing happening in this house seemed to escape the notice of the ailing Earl. The other nobles likely felt the same, which explained their behavior.
Sean walked to the window to look outside. The Earl's estate had many buildings, and across from his window, several hundred meters away, stood another structure. It was dark, with no lights, a completely blacked-out building. If someone in a room there used an instrument to observe the lit rooms here, it would be easy—meaning his every move might be under surveillance.
Fine.
Sean pulled a chair over to the window and sat down, pretending to leisurely admire the moonlight.
In truth, Earl Hamilton's words had provided answers to the questions he'd been pondering. Ever since the man-made avalanche in his town, Sean had wondered if someone was targeting Taylemian. From Lucille to Bachler, and then to the struggle for the Hamilton heir—all these connections were clarified by the Earl. Yes, there were indeed other forces targeting the nobles, and as the Earl put it, they were beginning to shake the empire's foundations.
But conflict existed everywhere.
As a noble, representing the empire's class, Sean had to endure provocations from opposing forces. Lucille's appearance was about treasure hunting, and Bachler's might have been the same or simply a provocation. So, in facing these things, his course of action had always been clear: develop Taylemian and improve his own strength.
Gazing at the moonlight outside, Sean picked up a book from the table. He leaned back in his chair, pretending to fall asleep, letting the book slip to the floor. Due to the height difference between the window and himself, the book fell into a blind spot, invisible from outside or any other corner of the room. He tried to lift it with magic.
He crooked his fingers, and the book floated up slightly.
[Magic Proficiency: 69]
He let go.
It fell back down.
He crooked his fingers again.
[Magic Proficiency: 70]
He practiced magic in this simple way, now able to cast about ten spells each night without exhausting his energy. This must be what Lucille meant by feeling improvement. But progress was slow. Sean was grateful that even this simple action could raise his proficiency level; otherwise, if it took multiple casts just to gain a single point, leveling up would be much harder.
After using it twelve times in a row, bringing his magic proficiency to 80, he felt very tired and had to stop.