This Miss Wouldn't Want...

The signing event was being held in a mall on the downtown pedestrian street.

On the first floor, right where people would see it as soon as they entered.

Sean had chosen the venue himself. Of the locations with the heaviest foot traffic, he had picked the one relatively closest to him.

With his current level of fame, he normally wouldn't have been worthy of such an expensive commercial center. Renting the space for just one day would cost a fortune, and the investment would most likely outweigh the returns. After all, his writing wasn't mainstream, and he couldn't compare to real literary masters.

Besides, the stories he wrote were published online and leaned toward entertainment, with little depth or philosophy. In serious literary circles, they sat at the very bottom of the contempt chain, far inferior to poems about peeing in a straight line or making a hole—works that were both accessible and profound.

But making money wasn't shameful.

Since the publisher was fully sponsoring the venue fee and he didn't need to pay a cent, Sean shamelessly chose it. At the time, he was still only a writer. Naturally, he wanted to raise his profile and hoped more people would see his work.

He had never denied being an ordinary man.

Back then, Sean had even been grateful to the publisher.

There weren't many kind capitalists willing to keep investing despite expecting negative returns. They could be called angels among devils.

But now, it seemed he had been too young.

Dogs couldn't stop eating shit. You thought capital had suddenly grown a conscience, when in fact, you simply hadn't seen the real benefits involved.

This matter might not have had much to do with the publisher. They were merely middlemen handling things for money. But after opening his eyes to the world over this period, Sean believed that the Floris Family's shadow was certainly behind this signing event.

During the final two days of the month, the person from the publisher in charge of the event had called him and repeatedly confirmed:

"Mr. Sean, you're sure you can arrive on time for the signing event on September 1st, right?"

"We're preparing to plaster ads all over the pedestrian street."

Sean didn't know whether Quill had told her to ask, but his answer would not change.

"Don't worry. I won't be late."

In the restroom, Sean stood before the mirror with a mask on, phone in hand, and chuckled softly at his reflection.

He was already inside the mall.

Sean was genuinely relaxed right now. He wasn't putting on an act.

After one deep meditation and two Forbidden Meditations, the magic power under his control had reached 3.14 Raks, allowing him to step into Tier Two—but that wasn't the important part. What mattered were the techniques and methods recorded in The Beginning of Forbidden Spells.

Perhaps because The Beginning of Forbidden Spells had been written by his former self, or perhaps because he had practiced it before and retained latent memories, his meditations went exceptionally smoothly. After only two sessions, he was already close to touching the sun in the sky.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could pluck down the sun and eat it.

More importantly, although he had not yet fully completed Forbidden Meditation and could not be considered successful in cultivation, the process happened in stages and immediately fed back into a witch's body. In other words, he could already draw power through more parts of his body. The magic power he truly controlled was far more than a mere π.

That was why Sean felt so relaxed.

He had come to the mall today not to scout around and plan escape routes like he had at Floris Hospital, but to buy himself a new outfit. After all, this was his first signing event. Since he would be appearing publicly at such a major occasion, Sean wanted to dress himself up properly.

It would also make Quill look good.

After leaving the restroom, Sean continued wandering through the mall. He stopped now and then, chatted with sales clerks with a smile, changed clothes in fitting rooms—he looked no different from any ordinary customer.

It was obvious that he really was at ease.

All fear came from insufficient firepower. Having gained an initial grasp of forbidden spells, Sean was no longer afraid.

But while he was relaxed, someone else was nervous on his behalf.

From the moment Sean entered the mall, a ponytailed girl in sunglasses had been secretly following him.

The girl's name was Isha. She was a reporter by profession and Miss Flame Crow's "eyes" on the side. She specialized in keeping watch for Miss Flame Crow, occasionally moonlighting as an agent to gather intelligence or protect specific targets. This time, her assignment was the latter.

Isha had arrived in Old Sigel City two days ago.

At the time, Sean had still been holed up in a motel. Unable to find him immediately, she had booked a hotel near the pedestrian street and lingered around the mall.

Isha wasn't in a hurry. Elvily had already told her the general situation: a Newborn witch intended to use the signing event as an opportunity to bait a group of Witch Hunters into a trap. The event was scheduled for the first of next month, two days away. As long as she wasn't late, there shouldn't be any problem.

When she first received the mission, she had complained that this man was bold as hell, as if he wasn't afraid of dying. Yet she hadn't expected his real nerve to be even greater than she imagined. He had actually come here to stroll around. What if she failed to recognize Sean, and the Witch Hunters spotted him? Wouldn't the mall be soaked in blood today?

Just then, Elvily called to ask how things were going.

"Wait a second."

Isha raised the camera hanging around her neck and aimed it at Sean, who was trying on clothes in front of a mirror inside a store. Click, click, click! She snapped a flurry of pictures. The photos printed straight out of the camera, slowly gaining color as they developed. Looking closely, Sean in the photograph actually moved, repeatedly swaying his hips as he inspected himself.

Only after the photo had fully developed did Isha use her phone to photograph the picture in her hand.

She could have simply taken the picture with her phone. The camera was completely unnecessary, but this was both her professional habit and her hobby. She couldn't change it. Isha liked the feeling of pressing the shutter. It gave her a sense that this world could be recorded, that it was real.

She sent the photo to Elvily and complained as if tattling, "Miss Flame Crow, look at him. He knows the mall is dangerous, yet he still came here to buy clothes. He doesn't value his own life at all."

Elvily looked at the photo and muttered quietly, "He's pretty handsome."

Isha: "?"

"Miss Flame Crow, what did you just say?"

Elvily replied expressionlessly, "Nothing."

Standing far away, Isha raised her head and gave Sean another once-over. "He does seem kind of handsome?"

Elvily: "..."

"Ahem." Isha coughed twice and asked, "Miss Flame Crow, should I go warn him? Tell him to be more careful?"

"No," Elvily said. "Keep yourself hidden. Don't let him discover you."

She didn't want Sean to know she had sent someone to watch over him. Otherwise, Sean might think she cared about him a lot.

In reality, she didn't. She merely had her own considerations.

"Alright," Isha said. "I understand. I'll report back if there's any new information."

After saying that, she hung up. When she looked back into the store, however, Sean was gone.

Isha froze. Before she could react, a low voice like that of a ghost drifted up from behind her.

"Report what? To whom?"

Isha: "!!!"

The voice was very, very close. Goosebumps erupted all over her body, and her sunglasses nearly slipped off.

When she turned around, all she saw was a broad chest.

With her loli-sized build, she couldn't meet the newcomer's gaze at eye level. Only when she tilted her head up did she see his face. Who else could it be but Sean?

"Y-you, how did you get over here?" Isha stared at the man who had suddenly appeared behind her, clutching her phone nervously as she began to stammer.

Sean noticed the photograph in her other hand and raised an eyebrow. "You were secretly taking pictures of me?"

Isha immediately hid the photo behind her back and protested, "I wasn't! You saw wrong!"

Sean didn't argue with her and asked directly, "Tell me. Who sent you?"

Of course, Isha wouldn't tell him. Avoiding Sean's eyes, she stammered, "What do you mean, who sent me... I-I was just passing by. I like taking photos, so I snapped a few while I was at it."

"Not talking, huh? That means one of your mission requirements is not exposing yourself. That makes this easy." Sean took out his phone, opened the camera, and took a photo of Isha right in front of her.

"Ah!" Isha tried to dodge, but failed. Even her evasive motion was captured in the photo.

"You're pretty cute," Sean evaluated objectively. "But..."

He tilted his head. "This miss wouldn't want her boss to find out she failed her mission, would she?"

Isha: "???"