Danger Lurked in Safety

"Sean? Why haven't you left yet?"

After Elvily and Iris came out of the temple, they'd planned to wander around the plaza, clear their heads, and buy some more Witch Potions. But they hadn't gone far before they ran into Sean again.

Sean answered honestly, "I was waiting for you."

Elvily: "?"

Waiting for me?

The girl immediately eyed him warily. "Why were you waiting for me?"

Sean gave the same reason as before. "I don't know anyone else. You know I'm a shut-in."

Shut-ins were usually socially awkward.

"You say that as if we know each other very well." Elvily shot back. If Sean weren't so easy on the eyes, she wouldn't have wanted to humor him just then.

A suggestive, mistaken look appeared in Iris's eyes. "You were waiting for her on the street earlier, and now you're waiting for her again... Tell me, big-shot writer, don't you have a thing for our Miss Flame Crow?"

Elvily: "?"

Sean explained unhurriedly, "I wanted to ask you two about something."

Neither confirming nor denying it was a common conversational tactic.

Admitting it would clearly be inappropriate. Whatever Sean thought, Elvily would definitely resist the idea, and even joking about it would make things awkward. But to say it was a misunderstanding would amount to denying Elvily's appeal to some extent. The girl might not take it to heart, but it certainly wasn't the best answer.

After all, Sean really did want to be friends with her.

What kind of friends...

That might depend on what kind of history she had with Black.

"What did you want to ask? Go ahead," Elvily said.

Sean got right to the point. "I've been wandering around the plaza for a while. It's lively, but not exactly a good place to meditate. I couldn't find anywhere quiet. The houses seem to be soundproofed, but they're all occupied. Do you have to pay to use one, like you do outside?"

"No, it's first come, first served." Elvily kept walking as she spoke. "It's just that this part of the plaza is crowded. Unless you get lucky, there usually won't be an empty room for you. You can try North Street."

The northern part of Void Arts Space was set aside specifically for wizards to practice. There weren't many houses, but it was peaceful, and everyone made sure to keep quiet. Even if you sat cross-legged in the middle of the road, no one would disturb you.

"Which way should I go?" Sean looked at the plaza, packed with people, and struggled to get his bearings.

"Over there... Actually, never mind." Elvily figured she was going for a walk anyway, and it didn't matter where she went. She changed her mind. "Wait while I buy a few things. I'll take you there afterward so you don't get lost."

Void Arts Space wasn't complicated, but it was enormous, about the size of a second-tier city. Sean was new here, and if he took a wrong turn, he could waste a lot of time.

And time was a wizard's most precious resource, especially for a Newborn wizard. Their lives depended on it.

"Sure. Thanks, Miss Flame Crow." Sean followed obediently behind the girl, making Iris laugh.

She found him rather interesting. He claimed to be socially awkward, yet he played every role the situation called for perfectly. She didn't believe Sean was really some harmless puppy. Harmless puppies didn't kill people—not so decisively, at least, and certainly not without sparing even a single Smell Crow.

Iris was more inclined to think Sean's mind was as useful as his face. He was good at acting... or perhaps at hiding who he was. Someone like that would be a formidable enemy. She hoped Sean wasn't one, or it would be a shame to waste such a handsome face.

The three of them walked along the street, drawing plenty of glances.

To avoid being recognized, Sean kept his head down the entire time.

But the girl seemed to have quite a standing here. Sean noticed plenty of people sneaking glances at her. Just like with the statue earlier, they only dared to look, not approach her. Every so often, one or two bolder young men would pretend to pass by and say, "Good evening, Miss Elvily."

The girl would simply nod and keep walking.

After buying Witch Potions at a shop, the three of them left the plaza. Elvily didn't say a word along the way. Iris, on the other hand, chatted quite a bit with Sean. Treating him as a complete newbie, the beautiful, mature woman explained all kinds of basic occult knowledge to him, such as different branches of magic, possible paths of development, and the pros and cons of ranged and close-combat styles.

Sean already knew all of it, but he listened attentively anyway. He couldn't let Iris's explanations go to waste.

Once Iris had talked herself tired, he pretended to mull over what she'd told him, then seized the chance to strike up a conversation with Elvily.

"You seem preoccupied," Sean said, though he already knew why.

Elvily glanced up at him but didn't answer. Iris, however, smiled. "I forgot to tell you. Something big happened at our meeting tonight."

Sean put on an expression of keen interest, then hesitated slightly. "Is it okay for me to hear about it?"

"There's no reason you can't," Elvily said this time. "Karl Black, the one you've always been so interested in, might not be dead."

The news would spread soon anyway, so there was no harm in telling Sean early.

"Not dead?" Sean exclaimed. "Then how long has he been alive?"

Elvily said, "Maybe he did die. He just didn't stay dead."

Sean picked up on a hint of resentment, but still said, "Isn't that good news?"

"It is. I hope he's still alive, too. It's just..." Elvily anticipated Sean's next question. "Don't ask about the rest. I don't want to talk about it. If you need material for your writing, ask someone else."

Sean: "..."

No one else could help him.

Not everyone had a story with the great Mr. Karl Black.

North Street was close. Since they weren't allowed to speak once they entered, Elvily stopped at the entrance and said to Sean, "It's just ahead. But I suggest you go back first and find somewhere absolutely safe, where you won't be in danger. Come back to Void Arts Space to meditate after that."

Time flowed at the same rate here as it did outside. Only a few hours had passed since the Witch Hunters had been wiped out and Elvily had run into Sean on the street. That meant Sean's real body was still in Black Berry Rainforest and hadn't gone far. If he ran into the large force sent to investigate, she was afraid she wouldn't get to see that face again tomorrow.

Touched by the girl's concern, Sean smiled. "Don't worry. They won't find me."

Elvily noticed how confident he always seemed. "Have you left Black Berry Rainforest?"

"No."

In fact, he hadn't even left the small grove. He'd found a spot with good feng shui nearby, dug a deep pit, buried himself in it, covered it with branches and leaves, and then entered Void Arts Space.

Elvily: "?"

"You really are bold."

"The most dangerous place is the safest," Sean said. "I don't know when they'll get word and come this way. If I simply leave, I might run right into them."

He would leave eventually, of course. But casting True Formula had taken too much out of him, and his body needed to rest. Once he'd mostly recovered, he'd head out in another direction.

The only thing he had to worry about in the meantime was the Smell Crows. So he'd speared dozens of their corpses onto trees. The sight of their dead companions would frighten the Smell Crows that came later and throw them off. Unless they pressed their heads against his "grave" and sniffed, no one would find him.

Iris's beautiful eyes showed a trace of admiration.

She admired men who dared to think and act.

"What will you do next?" Elvily asked. "Quill won't let you go."

Floris Hospital was backed by a powerful family. Killing a team of Witch Hunters might keep them out of sight for a while, but with Sean's current abilities, hiding from them completely would be very difficult.

"That's fine. I wasn't planning to let him go, either," Sean said.

From the moment Quill attacked Chris and tried to keep Sean there as well, he and Quill had been locked in a fight to the death. Even if Quill didn't come after him, Sean would go looking for Quill.

This wasn't just about avenging Chris. The best way to solve a problem was to get rid of the person causing it. Sean wouldn't be able to rest easy until Quill was dead.

And then there was the policeman, Burg.

They must have been surprised to learn that the people they'd sent had been killed instead, right?

This was only the beginning. They'd soon be even more surprised.

"On the first of next month, I'll be holding a book signing. Would you two like to come?"