By the time they returned to the lodging, it was already past noon.
The young witch Karyana immediately reported that she had delivered the message to Rietis, and that Freya would likely receive it upon her return.
“You’re coming back with me this time, Karyana.”
“Huh?”
“Come back with me, to Rietis... Leave the remaining matters in Cliffpeak City to Andy and the other two for now. You’ve been here so long that the locals know you well, which makes it harder for you to operate in this city going forward. So I want you to return to Rietis with me.” As Freya spoke, she also glanced at the other three girls in the room.
Though the statuses 【Surprise!】 and 【Reluctance!】 appeared above their heads, they obediently nodded on the surface.
After all, it was an order directly from the organization’s leader—it had to be carried out.
But in Sean’s eyes, leaving the three of them behind was a pity. They had only just recovered from their negative state a day ago, only to be left in this city. If Freya ever wanted to learn about the southeastern villages in the future, she probably wouldn’t even find an acquaintance.
Still, Sean kept these thoughts to himself. He didn’t want a single word from him to alter their lives... because when Karyana heard she could leave, she clearly showed signs of 【Excitement!】.
They began packing, with Freya wanting to leave as soon as possible.
Since the three girls were now safe, the remaining tasks involved dealing with the lingering issues in Koga City and the situation in the southeastern village of Katia.
Sean was also busy packing, though he had never carried much with him.
A map of Taylemian, a pocket watch magical artifact gifted by Igunia, and a grimoire left by Lucille.
These three items were all the possessions he owned.
However, when he saw Karyana packing, she pulled out a large pile of paper, pens, and various writing tools.
Things like rulers, compasses, and so on.
All were wooden tools, quite intricately made. For instance, the compass had a fixed point with an iron nail, a long ruler with markings that could extend, and a charcoal-tipped pen at the end—so Sean deduced its purpose.
“Are these still useful?” Sean suddenly picked up the paper and tools to ask.
“These were my tools for writing letters and reporting messages. I’m taking them for the others,” Karyana said.
“Could you give them to me?”
“What!”
“What do you need them for?” She looked at Sean with a puzzled expression.
These items weren’t hard to buy—they could be found in any scholar’s shop—but since they were originally meant for the other three, Karyana was reluctant to part with them.
“I have my own use for them.”
“But we need these...”
As they spoke, Freya walked over.
“What’s going on? Hurry up and pack. We need to leave this afternoon. I’ve already arranged for the fastest airship in Cliffpeak City to get us to the next rest stop before nightfall.”
“Leader, Sean wants my tools,” Karyana said, pointing at the items on the ground.
“Tools? What do you need those for?” Freya glanced at the items on the floor—just ordinary paper and pens, with a few uncommon tools added.
“I’m using them to learn something.”
The first thing that came to Sean’s mind when he saw these items was that he could use them to draw maps.
“Then give them to him. Just have someone buy more... Move quickly, we’re in a hurry.” Freya dismissed the matter casually and gave the items away without a second thought.
As a subordinate, Karyana had no choice but to comply. Watching Sean’s smug smile, she felt a surge of frustration she couldn’t vent.
...
After packing, the three of them left Cliffpeak City on the afternoon airship.
It was likely specially arranged by Daniel. This airship was quite different from the ones Sean had seen before—the rear wind wheel was a double wheel, and the engine noise wasn’t as severe as the previous one.
The overall power was much stronger.
“Once we pass Cliffpeak City, there are many cities and villages ahead. We’ll find plenty of rest stops. Let’s cover as much distance as possible. We might even arrive a day early.” Standing at the front of the airship, Freya addressed the two.
“Whatever the leader decides,” Karyana agreed with a nod.
As for Sean...
“Sean?” Not hearing a response, Freya turned around to look.
There was no sign of Sean at the stern. Instead, he was leaning against the central area sheltered by a canopy.
“What’s he doing hiding over there?”
Freya walked closer and saw a wide topographic map spread out on the table, resembling a map of some small town. She looked at the name below.
Taylemian Town!
Wasn’t this the mountain village town under Sean’s jurisdiction?
Looking closely, every house and street was marked. Even the surrounding mountains and streams were detailed.
A map nearly a square meter wide was hard to come by even outside—likely specially drawn by scholars and preserved. Usually, only local lords would have such detailed maps.
Sean didn’t answer her. Instead, he remained focused on studying the Taylemian map in his hands. He wanted to draw a smaller version based on it to see if he could observe the situation there.
If it worked, drawing maps in the future would be incredibly useful.
“Leader.”
“Shh!”
Freya stopped the young witch who was about to greet him.
The two had traveled together from Koga City for two days, including their time living there before, and they had never seen him look so serious.
Looking at the blank paper and various drawing tools on the table...
She couldn’t understand why he was so focused on drawing this kind of thing. Maps were indeed important tools for travelers.
But most travel maps could be bought. Though simply drawn, their purpose was to avoid getting lost—knowing the direction was enough; there was no need for such detail.
Handheld maps were only so big. If drawn too detailed, they couldn’t cover much area.
For travelers, having a broad route map was far better than a detailed schematic of buildings!
But for Sean, the priority was still testing how to make his ability more flexible.
He tried drawing a standard room on the white paper.
No effect appeared in his field of vision.
Right.
There were countless square rooms like that. If drawing one at random let him see what he wanted, he’d be the biggest bug in this world.
“If you’re copying this map, that method won’t work!”
Just then, the silent Karyana finally spoke.