For two consecutive days, Sean lived a life as ordinary as any noble's son could be. With the count's household taking care of him, he spent his days eating and drinking leisurely, then following Miss Alia around the streets... He wasn't sure what the point was, but it happened almost every day. According to Alia, it was meant to boost her popularity among the commoners. Her biggest supporter was Viscount Isaac, and her two brothers were Bernstein and a viscount named Kukar—all three were either the largest local lords or the most powerful regional rulers near Koga City. Each supported a different heir of the Hammel family, and their equal strength created a delicate balance. Alia couldn't find a breakthrough, so she resorted to helping the citizens to earn some goodwill points.
She heard that her two brothers, knowing they couldn't outshine their sweet-faced sister in this arena, chose other methods to boost their support. One opted to improve the surrounding environment, while the other seemed to be seeking aid from a larger city to the north! All three candidates were making their final efforts, but ultimately, it was up to Count Hammel to give his approval. Yet the count's current actions were puzzling... Telling everyone about the potential threat from the southern nobles, then asking them to continue supporting his children—what was that about? Easing the tension? Or had he already made up his mind and was just testing the heirs' adaptability?
As time passed, Sean gradually realized that in the count's household struggles, he could only follow blindly, not step forward with advice. Besides, his own standing wasn't significant enough. Let them do what they wanted. He'd just tag along; the key was still developing and strengthening himself.
"Baron Weigel... Baron Weigel." Alia's voice came from beside him as Sean was lost in thought.
"Hmm? Sorry, Miss Alia. I was spacing out."
"It's fine. Many nobles seem to be in a bad mood lately," Alia said.
Sean noticed the statuses above her head: [Probing!] and [Thinking about conversation!]. He sighed inwardly. Since meeting more people, he increasingly felt that this ability of his was sometimes a hassle—others' intentions were exposed before they even began.
"What do you think about the recent matters with the nobles, Baron Weigel?" Alia asked, her eyes darting around.
She was probing him. What else could she be probing? Nothing but what her father had said to him.
"They probably have their own thoughts, but Miss Alia, don't worry. Things will work out," Sean replied in a diplomatic tone.
But this answer didn't seem to satisfy the count's daughter. She pressed on. "Regarding what my father asked you to do, do you have any leads?"
For a moment, Sean wondered if she knew about Count Hammel's request for him to investigate the enemy. But when he looked at Alia, the statuses above her head hadn't disappeared. So she was still probing!
"Actually, the count didn't ask me to do anything specific. He just said the southern nobles aren't peaceful lately and there's a potential threat, so I should be careful and stick with other nobles," Sean said, mixing truth and lies, lowering his voice. This left Alia puzzled but with no grounds for suspicion.
"That's it?"
"Yeah." Sean nodded.
Just then, voices came from behind them. "Oh, stop telling me to go back! What danger is there? Staying there is just boring. Nyah~" Ignia stuck her tongue out at Warren beside her.
"Heh~ It seems little sister Ignia really likes following you. Whenever you show up, she tags along. We can hardly find her otherwise," Alia remarked, glancing back.
"Is that so? I think she just wants a playmate!"
Sean looked at Ignia, who was pouting and walking to the side. Just then, a commotion arose on the road ahead. Alia and her companions went to check, while Sean walked over to Ignia.
"What are you thinking? I'll talk to Miss Alia in a bit—I'm heading to the orchard outside the tech city for a look. Want to come along?" Sean said. For the past two days, Claude at Skov's shop hadn't sent any news, probably not finding the girl selling peaches. So he'd have to check the orchard himself and learn about this world's farming methods.
"Sure, sure!" Ignia nodded eagerly at the mention of going somewhere else, but her face fell. "No, my senior will definitely follow... My mentor told him to look after me while he's away, and he always uses that to hold me back."
Sean glanced at the man Alia had called over—the only one among the group whose attitude toward him was [Cold].
"You're smart enough to slip away, aren't you?"
"Hmm~ True. Okay, where should we meet?" Ignia thought it over and agreed.
"Outside the city. I'll wait for you in the eastern suburbs!"
Seeing the girl nod, Sean noted that he wasn't Alia's retainer and could leave anytime with a simple excuse. Lately, he'd been telling everyone he was developing Taylor Mian's fruit farming, and many nobles had expressed strong support. So, claiming he needed to check on seedlings, he left Alia's group...
Koga City's orchards were developed in the east, a small area but enough for Sean to pick from. His ideal was still the peach from the girl on Brukand Avenue—no one else had sold anything similar since. But if he couldn't find her, he'd have to look at other varieties. The peach seeds he'd bought were already sent back to Taylor Mian, but they were too few. The whole town had plenty of land for planting...
Sean waited outside the city for a long time, almost giving up, before a graceful figure hurried out from the city—Ignia.
"No need to rush that much."
"Don't even mention it. I said I was going back, but he followed me. I barely managed to shake him off!"
Seeing Ignia's annoyed expression, Sean felt a bit sorry for that guy.
"Forget it. Where are we going now?"
"You're late. I wanted to check the orchard... Since it's this time, let's ask around at the nearby farms," Sean said.