’The morgue is empty?’

Sean suddenly remembered that back in the Black Fruit Rainforest, the bodies of Vincent and Johnson had also been taken away by the Witch Hunters who arrived later. ’Is there a connection between these two incidents?’

Quill is a Wizard who practices Puppetry Art.

So is Vice Director Zajik.

’Then what about the others in the Florist Family?’

Since the Era of Polymath, Puppetry Art had been a well-established branch of magic. Though Sean wasn’t familiar with it, he’d heard of it. If the Florist Family truly controlled this magical path, then there had to be quite a few people who practiced Puppetry Art.

"Are they using living people to make Puppets?" Sean’s eyes narrowed, and his voice grew cold.

Practices like this, which were basically human experimentation, were strictly forbidden in any era. To say nothing of the fact that his friends were involved, it was hard for Sean not to be furious.

"Try to calm down. We’re already investigating it," Elise said, trying to soothe him.

She, too, utterly despised these depraved, inhuman bastards. But she’d been exposed to this kind of thing far more than Sean. The Florist Family was just one part of the vast Witch Hunter faction; even more horrifying atrocities were taking place in every corner of the world. Elise had already grown used to it.

Or rather, they had to get used to it.

Blind anger was useless. They had to remain calm and rational. Only by surviving could they ever have a chance to take revenge on their enemies.

"I understand."

Sean quickly got his emotions under control and asked about the fallout, "What was the Florist Family’s reaction?"

"They’ve made some big moves. See for yourself," Elise said, pulling a newspaper from a drawer and handing it to Sean.

Florist Hospital was one of the Florist Family’s core assets and the very nexus of their control over the city of Holkaydo. The only reason Quill had been able to mobilize the city police was because the hospital pulled the strings of Holkaydo’s entire government. After they had destroyed such an important location, it was no wonder the Florist Family was furious.

The losses in terms of Wizards and property were secondary. What they cared about more was their reputation.

As the largest capitalist conglomerate in all of Siracle State, having one of their operations dismantled was a huge public slap in the face. This would not only affect the "fearful respect" that local governments and residents had for them, but the other powerful families in other states would see them as a joke.

For that reason, the Florist Family had no choice but to quietly swallow the loss.

On the only two major channels of information available—the internet and newspapers—they were desperately trying to cover up the events of September 1st.

First, the book signing in Old Segal City.

Second, the attack on Holkaydo Hospital.

The former was manageable; after all, Boger had already given the onlookers a heads-up.

The latter was the difficult one to handle.

The commotion that night was enormous. The massive explosions could be heard and the flickering fires seen from kilometers away. Worst of all, someone had managed to film the giant figure of light that Kate and Elvire had used to restrain Zajik, and the footage had been causing a huge stir online for the past few days.

The Florist Family could only write it off as a "divine miracle." They had the government urgently issue a clarification, stating that the attack on the hospital was merely a drill. They claimed the drill was just too realistic, the intensity wasn’t controlled properly, and it accidentally caused casualties. The statement went on to say that the merciful "Master" could not bear to watch, believed they had acted recklessly, and so sent down a punishment, destroying a main building as a warning.

Never mind whether the logic was sound or not; they just had to force the story to stick.

Then, they’d leak a few celebrity scandals to bury the story.

Sean had to laugh at their maneuvers.

Besides being absurd, it was also pretty satisfying.

They had truly struck a blow against the Florist Family, and to save face, their enemy didn’t dare make a scene.

But then Elvire interjected coolly, "Don’t start laughing just yet."

Sean: "Huh?"

’I can’t even laugh?’

Elise suppressed a smile and motioned for Sean to keep reading.

Not sure what the two women were getting at, Sean skeptically flipped the newspaper over.

And saw his own picture. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Shocking! Massive Terrorist Attack Erupts in Old Segal City on the Afternoon of September 1st! Police investigation reveals that renowned fantasy author Sean is a person of major interest and the suspected leader of the terrorist cell!

According to reports, 153 police officers were killed in the line of duty during the attack. The Siracle State Police Department has formed a special task force and issued a B-Class Wanted Order for Sean. His photo is below. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact their local police department or call the dedicated hotline immediately.

Bounty: 500,000

Sean: "???"

’Wait, they actually made me a Wanted Criminal?’

’What the fuck, Florist Family? Have you no shame?’

Elise said, stifling a laugh, "Now do you see why I told you not to celebrate too early?"

"Hold on," Sean said indignantly. "How come I’m the only one who’s wanted?"

He’d considered that this day might come—he’d thought about it as soon as he decided to walk the path of a Wizard. After all, the government and police were in their pocket; issuing a wanted order was a trivial matter. This was only B-Class, not even the highest level. It was just a statewide warrant, with A-Class and S-Class still above it.

Sean could wrap his head around all of that. The one thing he didn’t understand was: why only him?

Elvire, Kate, Elise, even Yisha—weren’t they all a higher Tier than him?

They were the ones who did all the killing!

’All I did was play support, and they still targeted me?’

"Because they know wanted orders are useless against us," Elvire said.

"A Tier Three Wizard can practice Illusionary Magic and is capable of standing up to most firearms," Elvire explained. "Tier Four and above are considered High-tier Wizards in this day and age, with even more abilities at their disposal. The average cop couldn’t find us, and even if they did, it would just be a suicide mission."

"That’s why the Florist Family won’t issue warrants for us. They’ll just look for opportunities to set traps and ambush us, like they did at the hospital."

"But you’re different, Sean."

"If the information Quill had wasn’t up-to-date, then your patient file with the Florist Family probably still has you listed as Tier One. Who else would they put a warrant out on?"

"Are these guys part bird or something?" Sean grumbled. "Just like the Young Eagle Birds in the Wild Bird Forest, always picking the easiest target."

"And there’s another piece of bad news,"

Elise said. "Over the past two days, Little Yisha and I went to cover your tracks. We found some cash in the suitcase you left at the motel. You must have withdrawn all your money before heading to the Black Fruit Rainforest, right?"

"That was a smart move, because as of today, you won’t get another chance to withdraw money. Your bank cards have been frozen and your ID has been blacklisted. Simply put..."

"You might want to prepare for a life of begging."

Elise blinked, offering a suggestion. "Or you could seek aid from a certain kind-hearted person."

Whether for basic living expenses or for the various Magic Potions needed to advance his Tier, everything required money.

In any era, it was impossible to get by without money.

Sean understood Elise’s hint and instinctively glanced toward Elvire.

"What are you looking at me for?" The girl turned her head away haughtily and huffed. "Figure it out yourself."

...