"Yesterday evening, I heard from the guards that someone used privileges to enter Cliffpeak City, and then today in the hall, I learned it was you... Quite surprising." General Daniel kept trying to showcase his conversational charm, but having likely spent little time among nobles, it sounded awkward to Sean.
"It was too late yesterday, and I heard there were many airships queuing to enter the city. So I had no choice..."
"No matter. It's my soldiers who need a lesson in proper conduct." Both avoided directly addressing the disrespectful remarks from the soldiers the day before.
On one hand, Freya's status was too high to bother with such trivialities; on the other, it showed the general's strong pride—he wouldn't apologize unless the other party brought it up first.
Yet he still tried to mimic the nobles' way of speaking. Quite interesting!
Watching the status [Thinking!] appear above his head, followed by [Probing!]...
"Recently, news of the attack on Koga City has been spreading everywhere. Duke Harman ordered all cities to strictly inspect entries and exits, which is why things are like this." The conversation gradually shifted toward Koga City.
"So there's one thing I've never understood: what exactly happened in Koga City, and why has it become so severe this time? I heard Count Hamilton died in the attack."
It seemed this general wanted to clarify that matter today.
"What exactly attacked that place?" When it came to the key part, the general dropped all pretense.
[8000/8000, Neutral]
The numbers showed he was merely an Order Level 8 figure, a full four levels below Freya.
"It was a premeditated plan. They used the opposition populace in Koga City to create chaos on the streets, then seized the opportunity to storm the Count's mansion... We were careless." Freya gave the same standard answer to everyone about this, never mentioning the unknown creature.
After all, few probably knew about that thing...
"But I heard Koga City's defenses in the southern empire were decent, and the Black Feather Knights were top-tier elite cavalry." Daniel still found it hard to believe, even though the words came from the Red Dragon Witch.
Sean noticed the [Suspicious!] status above his head.
No.
He wasn't disbelieving—he was probing for more information.
"That incident was sudden, and I had just arrived in Koga City, so many things were taken out of our hands..." Freya recounted the events of that day.
In truth, she had already discussed this with nobles from various regions while in Koga City; now she was just repeating it.
After hearing the whole story, Daniel took a sip of tea from the table.
"I see. So a lot happened in Koga City... No wonder the Grand Council ordered all cities on alert. Such an incident would be tough for any city."
The [Suspicious!] status still lingered above his head, though he didn't dare ask directly.
"Then does our city need to watch out for anyone in particular, Lady Red Dragon Witch?" Daniel asked in a deferential tone.
"I checked the wizard's home at the time. There was a special runic mark inside." Freya dipped her finger in the tea beside her and drew on the table.
She had mentioned this in Koga City too, but back then Sean was under the negative status of [Confused!] and couldn't focus, only learning later that the conclusion pointed to a wizard organization called the Immortals.
But he had never actually seen what that symbol looked like...
Sean moved closer, and Daniel also approached from the side.
On the table, Freya drew a circle, with a symbol like the character "人" in the middle, and a cross-shaped base below.
"What is this?"
"It's a symbol of a certain wizard organization. Its name originates from the Edak region, translated as 'Devotion.' This mark is their unique emblem." Freya glanced slightly at Sean; she hadn't mentioned this rune during their private time together.
"What kind of organization is that? Also from the Edak region?"
"Its last appearance dates back many years. Yes, it's from the Edak region... They worship the ancient Sand God, the Son of Storms. It started as a fairly normal wizard organization, but later became obsessed with studying evil magic, so it was shunned by the world and gradually faded from public view. I saw this mark when I was still an apprentice, otherwise I wouldn't recognize it." Freya said.
Just then, Sean stood behind her...
"Both Weissman's and Isley's homes had the same thing, so I think it's connected to the Immortals." She looked up slightly at Sean.
"Baron Weigel knows about this too?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, I was at the Count's mansion at the time. If not for the Red Dragon Witch's sudden arrival, I might have ended up like the Count." He almost blurted out Freya's name but caught himself, mindful of propriety given her high status in front of an outsider.
"That sounds very dangerous. What was the situation like?"
Watching the status he maintained, it seemed this guy still hadn't gotten the answer he wanted.
Or perhaps he felt the enemy shouldn't be just that, so he kept trying various ways to fish for information.
But it was useless against Sean, who could see the data...
After a round of conversation, all he got was Freya's standard public answer, while she asked him many questions about the southern region.
Including the village of Katia, where the night circus appeared—it was on the southeastern border, outside the Duke's jurisdiction and beyond his influence...
The Basharan Empire was divided among nobles, and those local lords' territories were usually off-limits to outsiders, making it hard to command matters there directly.
Only someone like Freya, from a state-backed wizard organization, could travel freely... Perhaps that was one reason for the empire's cooperation with major wizard organizations.
After exchanging the information they wanted, they had a simple lunch before leaving.
Of course,
Freya barely ate, quietly pushing her food to Sean...
She didn't care what others thought.
After they left, the hall was left with Daniel and a few of his subordinates...
He had originally wanted to meet the leader of the Sky-Covering Wings upon hearing she was in Cliffpeak City—the famously beautiful witch he'd heard about since his days as a knight, when the commander mentioned her name.
He'd also learned she came from Koga City, perfect for finding out what happened there...
Lately, news from Koga City kept coming, and after the Duke's strict inspection order a few days ago, he grew even more curious about what really happened.
In Daniel's mind, this matter felt anything but simple!
But today's information didn't meet his expectations. The only valuable thing might be the description of the Immortals.
He looked at the runic mark she had drawn on the table...
Now dried up.
But there was another strange observation...
On the side where the Red Dragon Witch sat, there was only one plate, while all the other plates were placed in front of that baron.
"General... this..."
Hiss~
Daniel took a deep breath and looked at the soldier beside him.
"Does the legendary Red Dragon Witch like this type? Not impressive at all."
Not a pretty boy, nor a muscle man.
Just a very ordinary person!
Seeing the soldier shake his head silently.
"Have someone watch their Sky-Covering Wings base. Report to me immediately if anything happens." Daniel ordered.
"Yes, General!"