By the time they left Lorne's villa, the sky had gone completely dark.
Earl Hall and his son hurried back to the carriage, which was closely guarded by several Beyonder bodyguards.
Ever since Hibbert's accident, Earl Hall had become more cautious, deliberately increasing the protection afforded to his family members when they went out.
The Church of Evernight had assured him that the recent situation in Backlund was under control and that it was perfectly safe, but he still refused to let his guard down. After all, amid this political turmoil, he was more worried about the extreme measures certain political enemies might take for their own interests than about those so-called cultists.
"Rory." Leaning against the velvet cushions, Earl Hall looked at one of the bodyguards responsible for his personal protection.
"What is it, Your Excellency?" the Sequence 6 Beyonder named Rory asked respectfully.
"Hmm... How strong do you think Viscount Scott is?" Earl Hall asked in a low voice.
"Well..."
Rory looked troubled. After a moment's thought, he decided to tell the truth:
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency. I was simply too far away from Viscount Scott earlier. I couldn't sense anything."
Lorne had only received them in the sitting room and seen them to the door afterward, without ever coming close to the bodyguards. Combined with his innate anti-divination properties, this meant that even the Mystical Item with investigative abilities Rory carried had failed to yield any useful information.
"Then what would you estimate, based on your experience?" Earl Hall asked again.
"He's certainly stronger than I am. Judging by his various exploits, he's at least as strong as a Sequence 5," Rory replied.
"At least?"
"Yes, at least!" Rory nodded firmly.
In other words... he's definitely stronger than Alfred... Earl Hall silently weighed this up, believing he