A great family like the Florists was indeed powerful—even the government answered to them. But the larger an organization, the less likely it was to be a monolith. Some people who worked for the Florist Family didn’t even know Wizards existed; they just followed orders from above. Those kinds of enemies were the easiest to deal with.

’They had no so-called beliefs or principles. Or rather, their only principle was self-interest. There was no need for harsh threats; as long as the price was right, anything was negotiable.’

’The businesses he ran often required a bit of... flexibility.’

As they spoke, the two of them reached the parking garage exit.

The moment the police officers outside saw Kate, they immediately whipped their heads to the side and stared up at the sky. One of them nudged his partner, a silent reminder not to look at things they weren’t supposed to.

"Say, partner, weather’s looking pretty nice today, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, you don’t see the sun this much in autumn. It’s already four or five, and it’s still up..."

The officers chattered nonsense, acting as if they hadn’t noticed anyone leaving the parking garage.

Sean and the others blended into the crowd, left the commercial district, and arrived at a bustling intersection.

Kate said, "Alright, this is far enough. I’m heading to the airport. Be careful for the next few days, and try to keep a low profile."

"Okay." Sean nodded in understanding.

That look in Quill’s eyes before he died made it hard not to suspect the man had another move planned.

"Can’t be too careful. I’m off." Kate hailed a taxi and headed for the airport.

Sean watched Kate leave, then asked, "And you?"

Charles, thinking Sean was asking him, replied, "I have to head back too. I still have an order to finish. If it weren’t for coming to support you, I wouldn’t have left the house these past few days... As for you lying to me, we’ll have a nice long chat about that when we’re both free. Hmph."

It was clear he was still holding a grudge about Sean hiding his identity as that ’damned author’.

’No basic trust between people at all!’

In truth, Sean was a little touched that Charles had risked coming to save him despite knowing the danger. But that was a separate matter. Regarding the question at hand, he still had to say, "I wasn’t asking you."

Charles: "?"

’Kate was gone. It was just the two of them. Who else could Sean have been asking?’

"I’m going to Holkaydo."

A crisp, girlish voice, like the chime of a wind bell, suddenly sounded behind Charles.

Charles: "!!!"

It scared him so much he jumped back, pulling Sean in front of him for protection.

Only then did he see that the speaker was a small, doll-like girl.

"Who are you? Why are you following us?" Charles didn’t let his guard down just because the girl was cute.

His teacher had once told him that the more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she tends to be.

Yisha rolled her eyes, not even bothering to acknowledge him.

Sean smiled and said, "I was planning on heading back to Holkaydo, too."

’Today wasn’t just his book signing; it was also the day Elvire and the others were attacking Florist Hospital. They would make their move after dark.’

’Yisha’s mission here was complete, so she probably wanted to rush over and help. He also wanted to use this opportunity to retrieve Chris’s body and let his old friend rest in peace.’

"Then get your own taxi. I’m not going with you," Yisha said. ’Otherwise, the fact that her mission didn’t go smoothly would be exposed.’

Charles let out a sigh of relief. It sounded like she was an ally. But on second thought, something didn’t feel right...

’All the way from the pedestrian street to the edge of the commercial district, not even Kate, the Light Attendant, had noticed someone following them. That meant this girl was no simple matter. She was definitely not as harmless as she looked. She was probably another High-tier Wizard.’

’But wasn’t Sean a total newbie who had to ask him how to trade in the Void Technique Space? Where did he get all these connections?’

’Just because he’s handsome??’

Sean ignored his sour gaze and said, "Fine. I need to go back to the motel to pack my things anyway. See you tonight."

"As for you... I’ll see you in the Void Technique Space when you’re free," he said to Charles.

Charles: "Oh."

’Next time they met, would Sean have yet another powerhouse by his side?’

The three of them parted ways at the intersection. Sean saw Yisha and Charles off before hailing a taxi back to the motel.

He arranged with the driver to wait outside the motel for half an hour, since it was hard to get a cab in the suburbs.

At first, the driver refused.

’Wouldn’t that be a complete waste of his precious fare-finding time?’

But then Sean offered more money.

"No problem. I’m tired after driving all day anyway. It’s a good chance to take a break. Go handle whatever you need to. I’ll be waiting downstairs for you," he readily agreed.

It was about a twenty-kilometer drive from the city center to the motel, and with the weekend traffic, the sky had already grown dark by the time Sean got back.

’On the way, he kept replaying that look in Quill’s eyes. Did he really have another move planned?’

’If so, what was it?’

Sean tried to think from Quill’s perspective, but so far, he knew too little about Quill, the Witch Hunters, and the Florist Family to guess what this supposed final move might be.

’Quill was dead, which meant Sean’s "case" no longer had anyone in charge. The only thing Sean could think of was that Quill had passed his "criminal file" to someone else before coming to Old Segal City. That way, even if Quill failed his mission and couldn’t capture him, other Witch Hunters would continue the pursuit.’

This was a real possibility, but Sean felt it wasn’t "unexpected" enough.

’A case the district precinct can’t handle gets passed to the city department. The city department can’t handle it, so it’s passed to the state department, and a special task force is formed... This kind of escalating pursuit, with increasing resources, was a standard procedure. It wouldn’t be enough to make Quill give that kind of smile and look, the kind that said he’d already won.’

’From what Sean had seen, Quill was an incredibly arrogant man. Failing to catch his target and needing someone else to clean up his mess... it was like in the movies, when a detective fails to crack a case in time and a higher-ranking agent forcibly takes over. Quill wouldn’t smile at that; he’d be resentful and indignant, because it was fundamentally a repudiation of his personal abilities.’

’For Quill to have that expression meant that even in death, he was confident Sean would be caught. Furthermore, the plan had to have been laid out in advance, one that didn’t require the intervention of other Witch Hunters.’

But Sean couldn’t figure out what that plan could possibly be.

’Could it be that Quill had figured out his tendency to overthink things and deliberately gave him that look just to mess with his head?’

Sean couldn’t make sense of it.

It wasn’t until he got out of the taxi and entered the motel that he finally realized things weren’t that simple.

The book signing was a setup.

It wasn’t a setup to kill him, but to show him a death.

On the first floor of the motel, an old lightbulb hung from the ceiling, casting a yellowish glow.

The thick, coppery smell of blood hung in the air.

Sean’s heart sank.

The dim lobby was utterly silent.

Even though he trod lightly, he could still hear the scuff of his leather shoes against the floor with every step.

The girl who had kept offering her services to him, who had asked him where he was going and if he needed a companion when she saw him leave that morning, was now lying quietly over the counter, all her previous enthusiasm gone.

A thin line of blood was drawn across her neck, as if sliced by a sharp blade. It was stark and neat, dripping blood that stained her clothes and short skirt.

The small blackboard that had been on the counter displaying the room prices had been wiped clean. In its place was a crimson arrow, pointing toward the stairs.

They were inviting him upstairs.

Sean took a deep breath and clenched his fists.

A resentful rage brewed in his heart.

The girl wasn’t a Wizard, yet they still killed her.

’What was her crime?’

’Harboring a criminal?’

Sean looked up toward the second floor, a baleful energy gathering in his eyes.

He walked up the stairs step by step. The old, worn-out wooden planks groaned under his weight, letting out a series of CREAKS.

His room was on the third floor.

Half-dried bloodstains marked the path all the way up, as if guiding him.

Just as he reached the door, he heard a voice from inside the room.

"Are you very surprised, Mr. Sean?"

"Did you think I couldn’t find you?"

"Or perhaps, did you think I was really dead?"

The voice was both familiar and absurd, prompting Sean to wrench the door open.

The next second, he saw Quill sitting on the old sofa.

The lenses of his glasses glinted, and the corners of his mouth were turned up in a faint smile.

"We meet again, Mr. Sean."

...