บท 84: Two Weeks
"Farewell party? Might as well just call it a flirting party..."
Elliot sighed. Maria couldn't say anything else. She sat in the same table as them, after all.
"For the duration of the party, all they did was flirt with each other. I couldn't even get in the mood to feel sad about his departure!"
"It's fine, isn't it?"
"Haaa... I suppose so."
"So, you aren't going to tell him about your brother? He's going to be leaving in a fortnight."
"It's too early for him. Maybe in a couple more years."
"Jeez. We don't know how powerful your brother can be in two more years, isn't now the best chance?"
"You were there, weren't you?" Elliot stretched his body before continuing, "on the day Sebastian was attacked."
"Yes."
"Then, you should already know how strong he is from just that."
"..."
Maria closed her eyes to contemplate.
'If it's the him after he had gone mad, then it's possible...'
"You're right."
In the end, Sebastian wouldn't be able to enter that state without any stimulus.
"Ugh! Why did Sebastian have to be a candidate?"
"I don't know what you're expecting from me to answer..."
"Even though you were so scared when you had learned he was a candidate?"
"Just shut your mouth."
Elliot and Maria continued their banter.
When they had finished arguing, Elliot lied down on the grass. Maria had laid down beside him.
"A Sage candidate, who'd have guessed?"
Elliot muttered and closed his eyes.
...
"Thunderclap."
"Thunderclap!"
Sebastian tried to replicate Mile's movements but ultimately failed and was sent flying again.
"Wow..."
Amy couldn't say anything other than that. She knew that Sebastian's training would be intense, but she didn't know it would be this intense.
The two of them were practically killing each other without dealing the finishing blow. Though, it was a little too one-sided seeing as how one side wouldn't get hit at all.
Sana was a lot more worried than Amy. She even had her hands prepared to heal Sebastian at a moment's notice. Amy knew that Mile wouldn't hurt Sebastian, but Sana was still a child. Since she sees Sebastian getting hurt, then it's only natural for her to worry.
"Urgh..."
Sebastian stood up after about half a minute. Mile held back the power behind her attack by quite a bit. She was a Magus after all.
"Sebastian, take it easy!"
"Un!"
Sana expressed her approval by cutely nodding repeatedly with her cheeks puffed up.
Sebastian wiped some of the dirt off his face before charging forward again.
Mile had given him one goal to do in these two weeks. To be able to execute half of the forms in Lightning God and in turn, Lightning Spear.
Lightning God had six forms while Lightning Spear had twelve. With three forms of Lightning God learned, Sebastian would be able to execute six of Lightning Spear's.
The number on the forms were by the order they were created and didn't have any particular meaning, or so Mile had said.
Currently, Sebastian was trying to learn Thunderclap but he was stuck. Each form was several times harder than the last.
Sebastian managed to learn Death Throes in two days but he'd need at least four with Thunderclap, and then twelve with the next form which he hadn't even been showed yet.
Mile challenged him. Sebastian didn't have enough time if they went through the standard training, that's why Mile promised to reward him if he was able to learn at least three of Lightning God's forms before he returned to Aurora.
"Jeez. What kind of reward did she promise to give to get him so riled up?"
Though Sebastian had told Amy the circumstances, he didn't give her any specifics.
"Death Throes!"
Sebastian used flames instead of lightning. Amy and Sana were watching him after all.
"Death Throes, Thunderclap."
Mile's spear blocked Sebastian's and stopped an inch in front of his throat. Then, an explosion of thunder and lightning sent Sebastian flying once more.
Sebastian couldn't count how many times his body had been thrown like a doll this day alone.
"Sebastian, it's time for a break."
With Amy's call, Mile sat down next to her. Sebastian dusted off his body after being able to move and sat beside Amy and Sana.
"Here."
Amy put a sandwich right in front of his mouth. Sebastian gratefully took a bite.
"I must say, these sandwiches are delicious."
"Thank you."
Amy smiled at Mile's comment. She's tasted all kinds of delicacies around the world but she still considered Amy's sandwiches delicious.
It had a slab of meat, vegetables, spreads, and a secret ingredient. Though it was prepared by Amy, it couldn't really be considered cooking.
"Eat more."
Amy moved the sandwich in front of Sebastian again. She didn't want him to touch the sandwiches with his dirty gloves and get sick so she fed him personally.
Sana ate while sitting on Sebastian's lap. After a few bites, she looked up at Sebastian.
"Mister, can I call you papa?"
"Mff!"
Sebastian choked on his sandwich. Amy hurriedly handed him some juice and he gulped it all down.
After patting his chest a few times, Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief.
"I don't have much of a problem but what is it all of a sudden?"
Sebastian knew that Sana wasn't exactly keen on calling someone else her parents. He knew that she still missed them dearly.
"Because Mister a-adapted? Adopted? Because Mister adopted me!"
She tried to find the right word and it caused her to fumble her speech.
"Sister said that those who adopt us will be our new parents."
Though Sana liked the two of them deeply, she still remembered her real parents and looked down.
Amy stroked her hair and lovingly said, "you can call us whatever you want. You don't have to call us your parents if you don't want to."
Sana looked at Amy with teary eyes and nodded.
"Mama. Papa."
While the three continued their harmonic talk, Mile had an odd expression.
"Well," she muttered as she scratched the back of her head, "they're not the youngest parents I've seen."
...
Amy and Sana departed shortly after eating. Amy knew that Sebastian wouldn't be able to use lightning with them around so she decided to leave early. There was also the fact that it was already near dusk.
She and Sana had just visited Sebastian after Amy got back from school so they had to go home quickly before it became dark.
"Mm..."
Mile looked at Sebastian with a scrupulous gaze.
"What is it?"
"The little girl is a healer, isn't she?"
"Yeah, do you need her for something?"
Mile shook her head and pointed at Sebastian.
"I don't. You do."
"Eh?"
"I've decided to fix your training regimen. By the time the two weeks are finished, you will have learned the third form. I'll also show you the six forms of Lightning Spear once you learn them. And to do that, we need to adjust your schedule."
Sebastian slowly backed away. The smile on Mile's face reminded him of Wisteria's... no, this was much more sinister. Wisteria couldn't hide the fact that she liked tormenting or at the very least, watching others squirm and struggle. A natural S that knew what she wanted and how to achieve it.
Mile, on the other hand, felt that her regimen was harsh, but doable. She would increase the difficulty each time Sebastian adapted because her standard is herself. That was what Sebastian felt that Mile would do.
"Well then, shouldn't we be starting?"
"..."
Sebastian looked to the sky and shed an invisible tear.
"I miss Amy already."
...
Two weeks later. A few hours before departure.
"A...my..."
"Sebastian?!"
Amy quickly caught the collapsing Sebastian in her arms. Sana was nervously jumping around him while attempting to heal him.
"H-he's badly hurt!"
Sana had tears in her eyes as she tried her best to close his wounds. Sebastian's clothes were tattered and there was a lot of dry blood as well.
His cheeks that were full of vitality from Amy's snacks also looked thin enough to reveal his cheekbones.
"He fainted..."
Once Sebastian smelled Amy's scent, he dropped down like a puppet with its strings cut.
"What happened for him to end up in this state...?"
Amy knew Sebastian wasn't in any immediate danger, but she still felt horrible seeing how hurt he was so she turned her questioning gaze at Mile.
"Mmm... You can ask him once he's woken up. Anyway, he's completed his goal successfully so hand these to him once he wakes up."
Amy caught the objects that Mile had thrown.
"Badges?"
"Nn. One of them is my badge of identification. Having it means he's either slain me and is wishing for death, or that he's my disciple. The other one is... well, tell him to hand it to Briggs. He'll give you the reward I promised him."
"I see... Thank you."
"Mmm..."
Mile's expression was odd. It didn't look like the expression of someone wanting to be thanked.
"Well, just be tolerant of him for the next few days. Also, if possible, don't be a spear's length near him whenever he falls asleep. And, uh, don't let the spear leave his side for now."
"..."
What kind of training did Sebastian go through?
'It sounds like she just gave him a trauma...'
Mile quickly ran away without saying anything else.
Amy stared dumbfounded at her departing back before sighing and carrying Sebastian on her back. She was strong enough to outmatch adult men in physical power so carrying Sebastian and his spear wasn't all too difficult.
Sana followed behind them with her hands healing Sebastian all the way.
...
"Wow..."
Sana looked up at the airship in awe.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
"Un!"
Sana nodded her head over and over in excitement.
"I'm glad you're having fun."
Sebastian smiled at Sana while trying to ignore Amy's fierce glare at him from behind.
When he had woken up earlier, he had immediately attacked Amy and didn't realize it until her face was on the ground.
When she stood up, she dusted off her clothes with a smile that didn't reach her eyes and she stayed silent throughout the duration of their ride here.
Sebastian felt danger with each passing second that she stayed silent but no matter how much he apologized, she wouldn't talk to him at all.
"Sana, hold my hand."
Amy walked up next to Sana and held out her hand. Sana complied and then tried to take Sebastian's hand as well but flinched.
"..."
Sana's hand trembled under Amy's gaze and she slowly retracted it. After giving Sebastian some teary glances that signified her cry of help, she walked up to the airship with Amy.
"Welcome aboard the Griffin once again, Lord Sol, Lady Luna. And, welcome aboard, Miss Sana."
It was the same woman that had greeted them before.
Amy exchanged some pleasantries with the guide before walking aboard. Sebastian was a few steps behind him when he heard the guide's comment.
"I heard that roses are a great way to appease one's lover."
Sebastian turned his head back but the guide acted like she wasn't talking to him.
Sebastian silently gave his gratitude and walked a few steps behind Amy as he scavenged through his wallet.
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