Really Disappointing (Please Read!)

"Sean, that's too much!"

"This is too much?"

Sean pursed his lips. "I took it right in front of you, while you secretly took photos behind my back. Isn't that even more excessive?"

Isabelle's small face flushed red. "Then I'm a pervert. It's normal to take a picture of a handsome guy on the street. Are you a pervert too?"

Sean: "..."

She's really going to blow herself up, huh?

Too bad he doesn't fall for that.

"I'm definitely not a pervert," Sean stated confidently, "because you're not a beauty."

Isabelle: "???"

Is he attacking me personally now?

I'm clearly very cute, everyone says so!

Damn it... Why didn't Miss Flame Raven tell her this man was so good with his words before she accepted the mission?

After just a few sentences, Isabelle realized she couldn't gain any advantage over Sean verbally. She huffed and decided to act shamelessly. "Think whatever you want. Anyway, I was just passing by, humph!"

She wasn't going to fall for Sean's tricks, let alone betray Miss Flame Raven.

She really didn't want her superior to discover her work error, but Sean didn't know who her superior was. What good would the photo do?

He wanted to extort her? Not a chance!

It wasn't even clear who was tricking whom.

"Actually, I could have guessed even if you didn't say anything," Sean said. "Elvilly, right?"

Isabelle pouted. "Who? Never heard of her."

Sean smiled and shook his head.

He didn't know many wizards. Besides Elvilly, he couldn't think of anyone else who would send someone to protect him.

Yes, protect.

Sean didn't feel the slightest bit of hostility from this loli girl, otherwise, he wouldn't have talked to her so much.

However, it probably wasn't entirely for protection.

The reason was simple: Sean didn't believe Elvilly would genuinely care about him just because he was handsome.

After all, Elvilly still maintained a rather resentful attitude towards his past self—Karl Black. It might not be hate, but she definitely didn't like him. His appearance hadn't changed from his past self to his current self, which showed that his sister-in-law was definitely not someone who judged purely on looks.

That's good.

Because he wasn't either.

When it came to girls, Sean valued inner qualities more.

The very proper kind of inner qualities.

He said to Isabelle, "Seeing you like this, you've probably been following me for quite a while? How about we just walk around together and grab a coffee to rest?"

"No," Isabelle huffed. "If you want to walk, go by yourself. Like I said, I'm just a passerby, and not a beauty. Why would you ask me out? So cringe."

Sean: "..."

Why does it sound like he's the one taking secret photos?

Who's the cringe one here?

"I'm leaving. See you around if fate allows," Isabelle said, then slipped away.

But she didn't get far.

She was just putting on a show; the mission still had to be completed.

Mainly, she would be embarrassed if the target discovered she was following him and then they stayed together. Otherwise, she really would have accepted Sean's offer for coffee to probe his background and see where he got the confidence to set a trap for the witch hunters.

She could still do it without coffee, it would just be a bit more tiring.

Isabelle followed Sean from a distance. Since she had nothing else to do, she might as well see what this guy was up to at the mall today. Perhaps she could uncover something.

However, to Isabelle's great disappointment, Sean seemed to be genuinely just buying clothes.

He wandered around the men's sections on the third and fourth floors, finally choosing a suit, paying at the counter, and then leaving the mall. He went to a restaurant on the pedestrian street with a shorter queue and had a simple dinner.

After the meal, he elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin. After leaving the restaurant, he went to a bookstore.

On the way, he encountered an elderly homeless man begging by the roadside. He threw a few coins into the man's worn-out top hat.

Isabelle thought he was quite kind-hearted. Miss Flame Raven would also give a bit of change in such situations.

But then she couldn't understand what happened next.

She realized Sean wasn't just browsing in the bookstore; he actually bought a few books.

Because she was too far away, she couldn't see the book covers clearly, and she didn't want to ask Sean directly...

But it was okay, this level of difficulty wouldn't stump her.

After Sean left, Isabella quietly slipped into the bookstore and asked the cashier at the counter.

If she directly asked what books Sean bought, the other party would most likely not tell her, and might even suspect her of having ulterior motives. But if she added money, it would be different—

"Hello, the books that handsome guy just bought are quite good. I want them too. Do you still have them?"

"Yes, please wait a moment, I'll get them for you."

"Mhm, thank you, sis."

Isabella thanked her sweetly.

It was obvious she was very experienced with this sort of thing.

But soon, her sweetness disappeared.

Because the cashier brought her several math workbooks.

"These are them," the cashier said with a smile. "You have good taste. Out of so many workbooks, these are the best sellers."

Seeing Isabella's petite and cute appearance, she added, "I wish you good luck on your exams."

Isabella: "???"

"Are you sure it's these?"

"Of course, I have the list here, see?"

Isabella: "..."

Wait, isn't this guy a novelist?

What does he need math workbooks for?

And he's about to have a book signing, facing the witch hunter directly. Instead of meditating to increase his magic, he's doing something irrelevant like practicing math problems. Does he plan to stump the witch hunter with a few questions?

Believe it or not, Sean had actually considered it.

As his magic and rank increased, the True Knowledge Poses he mastered were also gradually unlocked.

The circular array formula that could reflect bullets before was just one of the most basic applications of the material formula laws in this world.

Many people believe science is science and mysticism is mysticism, that they are two different things. But in reality, they are the same knowledge, or rather, science and mysticism complement each other.

Having stepped into Rank Two and preliminarily mastered Forbidden Meditation, Sean could now use Truth Formulas to perform more unfathomable moves, such as bullets that could curve—something that only existed in movies or required extensive practice to master in gun-fu. Sean could achieve it with just a function.

There were also ropes that required solving problems to escape, mazes that could only be navigated by learning permutations and combinations, and attack trajectories that could only be predicted by understanding function graphs... etc. It could be said that if the encirclement in the Black Gu Rainforest happened again, he could now give each of them, including Wenster, a different way to die.

Isabella didn't know any of this.

She only knew that Sean was confident, and as the one protecting Sean, she was in trouble.

On the morning of September 1st.

Isabella, disguised as a specially invited reporter, arrived near the mall early.

There were many people here... so many that Isabella almost regretted taking on this mission.

Because these people were not passersby, but police officers.

The entire huge mall was almost surrounded by police in uniform, with officers patrolling the streets.

Isabella initially wanted to count how many enemies had shown up this time, but she gave up after counting just over half. She couldn't count them all.

It was as if Quell had mobilized all the available police force in Old Siegel City. Isabella had never seen a witch hunter deploy such a large force to deal with a Rank One nascent wizard. Was that guy... really only Rank One?