Koga City's main street was attacked by a group of unidentified thugs, and the Earl's residence suffered significant losses in the assault as well. Even Earl Hamilton himself perished in the incident...
Despite the joint efforts of many to resolve the crisis, they were still unable to save the gravely ill Earl Hamilton from danger. This lord of Koga City—who had led the city for over thirty years and witnessed its decades of prosperity—fell alongside his most cherished city on that day.
We mourn this earl who made immense contributions to Koga City, and we must forever remember the spark that ignited this disaster. In the long period that followed, all records of the Koga City catastrophe pointed fingers at a certain secret and evil organization: the Immortals!
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The Earl's residence was destroyed in the riot, but the Hamilton family still had a villa behind the academy. Though not as large as the original estate, it was more than enough to accommodate the three siblings and the Earl's household. As for the invited nobles, it was impossible to house them all. Given the major incident in Koga City, higher authorities might intervene soon. In the two days following Earl Hamilton's funeral, nobles had been steadily taking their leave to return to their territories. Some minor nobles, driven by fear, had even rushed back the very next day...
Sean, of course, was forcibly kept behind.
For six whole days...
His persistently uncomfortable head only began to clear on this day. It felt as though he had been perpetually drunk, seeing the world sway before him—his mind was agitated, but without the nausea of intoxication, merely stuck in that mental state. For the first time, he saw a persistent effect lasting over a full day: [Confusion! Duration: 105:00:00], totaling one hundred and five hours. Since a day in this world was twenty hours, this state dragged on until the sixth day before finally lifting.
Throughout much of that time, the Red Dragon Witch Freylia Igueil and Igunia had tried numerous [Clarity~] spells to no avail. Igunia had even summoned Elinta and some wizards and alchemists from Koga City Academy, and even the Seer, but none could resolve the condition. Sean also learned for the first time that Koga City truly harbored so many experts.
But these experts were not high-level, mostly limited to Order ranks 3 to 7, with very few at rank 8. Those above rank 9 were rare. Rank 10 he had never seen, though one alchemist seemed close...
They were called in to try using non-magical methods and items to dispel the negative status, since as long as the Red Dragon Witch Freylia was present, others had no say. Despite his poor mental state, Sean avoided contact with outsiders as much as possible, but that didn't mean he couldn't communicate at all. He could still speak normally, just with a foggy mind.
It wasn't until the final hours of the duration that his body began to recover, and only after it fully dissipated did he feel a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted. That single glance at 'that thing' had inflicted this condition. Good thing he could see the negative status and its duration; otherwise, in a panic, he might have worsened things by trying random remedies! He accepted the various potions but never drank them, especially those from people with [Neutral] or [Indifferent] affinity—none of those were consumed...
"Are you really okay now, Sean?" Igunia jumped in front of him, studying his face intently. A few days ago, he had been frowning, but now he indeed looked much better.
"Haven't I said I'm fine? Of course, I'm okay," Sean said with a smile. After the battle, he noticed that Igunia's affinity toward him had reached [Respect]—the third time he'd seen such a level since arriving in this world, meaning she was worthy of greater trust.
"Speaking of which, it's strange—how did you know your own condition? Refusing excessive magical treatment and declining potions... Did you know in advance you'd recover?" Freylia asked from the other side, puzzled.
The three were now on the western side of Koga City, near the hillside. The academy was built at the foot of the hill, while the Earl's villa stood higher up, offering a view of the academy below. On the day of the riot on the main street, many had fled westward, likely for this reason. It was said that some of the attackers were later taken down by guards and students rushing from the west. Looking back, those rioters, though armed with guns, were no match for trained soldiers and gifted students. If not for the diversion of most people heading east to fight fires, they might never have had the chance to start a riot on the main street. They probably charged in with a death wish from the start.
What a pity...
He took a gold coin from his hand and held it in his palm.
"You didn't deny it outright..." Freylia pressed on when he didn't respond.
Even Igunia was curious about this. She had only thought him clever before, but now it seemed truly incredible.
"Is it really that important for you to know? I'm just a minor figure, not part of any faction... As for you, have you found Weissman and the others? And the cause of this incident—aren't those worth pondering?" Sean countered.
Seeing her affinity at [Friendly], Freylia didn't take offense even at his words. In truth, since the monster vanished from the Earl's residence, she had been searching for remaining clues. She hadn't found Weissman or Isley, nor any leads in their homes. Perhaps they had died when the monster appeared, or fled on the spot. Either way, no conclusions...
"This matter is complicated. I know what you're angry about, Baron Weigel. I do know about the Cain Tablet... Ten years ago, Earl Hamilton personally sent the tablet north. I just didn't know how he obtained it back then. It wasn't until a few years ago, when he met me again and spoke of his health, that he told me all this."
Freylia watched as [Complicated Mood!] appeared above Sean's head.
"But it's been so long, and the tablet is now in Prince Philip's hands—I can't pursue it further. He told me back then that if he hadn't acted first, the tablet might have been smuggled out of the empire through the south. I understand the situation... but you're an imperial noble too. You should know that some things can never satisfy everyone," Freylia said.
Sean let out a long sigh. Often, decisions seemed to follow majority rule, but in truth, many critical ones were made by a single person.
"And this matter is likely not so simple. Now that Earl Hamilton left no will, Koga City has no true heir. Higher authorities will probably intervene soon. The origin of the Cain Tablet and the wizard who awakened its power... you've been both a listener and a witness to all of it." She looked at Sean, then glanced at Igunia beside him.
"But rest assured, I'll handle these matters... Otherwise, you'll struggle to cope with the current situation."