Burp~~
Sean let out a loud burp on the street, drawing stares from quite a few passersby!
"Can't you pay a little attention to your image? You're supposed to be a noble, after all." Freya walked behind him, keeping a bit more distance.
"Why bother with that at a time like this? No one knows you here anyway. Isn't it nice to let loose a little? Besides, weren't you the one who pushed all that food in front of me?"
"I pushed it toward you, but I didn't force you to eat it," Freya said.
That sounded fair, he supposed.
"Still, it tasted good."
"Well, it was a feast hosted by the local general."
The two of them were now walking along one of the top-tier streets. Cliffpeak City was built like a terraced fortress—the higher you went, the narrower the roads became, but the more luxurious they got. The people living in this area were all wealthy merchants from the city, dealing mostly in high-end goods.
Even though the city was originally described as a border fortress when it was built, that was many years ago.
Now, further south lay Koga City and even farther, some small villages he didn't know the names of. As the empire's territory expanded, this city had long lost its original defensive purpose and become increasingly commercialized.
At this hour, he could still see airships in the distance steadily approaching the city...
Since the city backed onto a mountain, the view ahead was a vast plain. Besides the airships in the sky, there were also many caravans and travelers on the ground.
Cliffpeak City was the first truly unique city Sean had encountered since arriving in this world, mainly because its structure felt so novel.
"So, what's our next move?" Sean slowed his pace a little, waiting for Freya's answer.
"What do you think?"
The question was tossed back at him.
"Why are you asking me? I'm not the leader. And it's not my report the Prince wants to hear."
"If you know that, then why ask me... Koga City is still waiting for my report. Otherwise, word from above will never come down, and the vacancy for Count Hamilton will drag on forever." Freya looked at Sean as she spoke.
The original purpose of their hurried trip north was to resolve Koga City's issues. As for her subordinates' matters, he'd only learned about them yesterday. His question was just to confirm her current thoughts.
"So, we keep heading north."
"And we need to hurry... I'm worried the situation in Katya Village might escalate too."
Cliffpeak City wasn't a large city, and more importantly, no noble was stationed there. By the time news reached here, something would likely have already gone wrong. So Freya believed rushing back to Rietis was the right choice.
"You're right. Getting there sooner will help settle Koga City's problems too," Sean said.
Back in Koga City, the higher-ups had been dragging their feet on choosing the next Count Hamilton. The three Hamilton heirs had probably put a lot of effort into lobbying for that.
Now, the Prince needed a more accurate report before he could advise the King on the next Count Hamilton... and that reporter was Freya, himself included.
So that was still the most pressing issue. As for Katya Village...
Sean didn't know exactly where Katya Village was, but the empire's structure was clear—the southeast was someone else's territory. Even if he and Freya went there, they'd have to follow the local lord's orders. If they needed reinforcements, word would still have to go back to the largest city in the south, Rietis.
So it was better to head back first and send people to scout that place along the way!
Just as Sean and Freya were descending from the top level, a prompt appeared in his vision: [Being watched...]
"Someone's tailing us?" he whispered to Freya beside him.
"How do you know?"
So it was true...
"I turned around earlier and saw someone acting suspiciously." Sean made up an excuse.
He still wasn't used to the new prompts he'd gotten after leveling up. He couldn't figure out the exact conditions for them to appear. If someone was staring at him face-to-face, no prompt seemed to show up. It only appeared when he was unaware and someone was deliberately focusing their gaze on him...
"Yeah, it's probably one of Daniel's men. He's been watching us since we left," Freya said.
Sean turned to look.
The prompt in his vision was displayed in a corner. He couldn't see the person now, but the prompt hovered directly above that spot.
"Don't mind them. They're just trying to keep tabs on my organization's base here." Freya seemed unfazed by these stares.
"Aren't you part of an empire-backed wizard organization? Why do they keep watching you?" Sean asked.
"Having imperial backing doesn't mean there aren't rivals among the nobles!" Freya looked at Sean...
"You might learn about these things when you get to Rietis. I don't mind telling you now... The Grand Duke and Prince Philip seem to get along on the surface, but everyone knows they're political opponents behind the scenes."
Duke? Prince?
Sean chuckled inwardly.
So it was another case of nobles and royals at odds.
But to maintain political balance, such relationships had to exist. Factional struggles actually helped stabilize rule.
"So you're on the Prince's side, then," Sean said.
"Prince Philip has helped us a lot. When my mentor was still alive, the Prince always supported us, which is why the Sky-Covering Wings has grown so big today." She glanced at him again.
"Sean..."
"I don't intend to drag you into these factional struggles. Even though we haven't known each other long, I can tell you don't like that kind of environment. You can choose freely when the time comes. Once the heat dies down in Koga City, you can go back to your territory and live your life... Being a small-time lord isn't so bad. Not many worries."
Above her head appeared the status [Longing!].
That statement must have come from Freya's heart...
Sean was grateful she was thinking of him like that.
"I may not want to get involved, but from the day I left Taylemian, I was probably already in it," he replied with a smile.
In truth, after the avalanche incident in winter, the day he'd sent for help from Koga City had already opened a door into the noble world. Shutting it again would be tough.
"Oh, is that so? I think you're handling it pretty smoothly."
Freya smiled too.
That same alluring smile with her blood-red lips...
"But I just thought of something. What do you think about sending Karyana back and leaving the other three here? She's been in this place for a long time, and everyone around knows she's not easy to move around. The three girls have been out longer and know more."
"You're the leader—you decide!"
"I'm asking for your opinion, aren't I?"
Don't... don't try to trap me.
If I decided that, those three would hate me forever. Who'd want to be stationed long-term in a city like this?