章節 50: After You Catch Me
After having the forest closed, Sebastian decided to ignore the matter of the Shades for a moment. If he couldn't do anything, then there was no point in trying, lest he makes it worse.
Sebastian laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling absentmindedly.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
He still had his daily training routine and his salt farm but it felt like he wasn't making much progress in terms of his strength. Just adding distance to his runs didn't seem like a solution either.
After contemplating it for a bit more, Sebastian got up to train in the backyard. He really wanted to go to Tidas as soon as possible but it felt like he couldn't go yet.
"Am I just reluctant to go abroad for the first time? There's also my unborn sibling and mother to watch..."
Though his mind was clouded with various thoughts, his movements weren't slacking in the least. He had cut apart the target made of logs and moved on to another. He needed to improve his skill with the spear as compared to his skill with the bow, it was extremely lacking.
"Should I really get a mentor?"
He had been doing fine without one thus far. Balanos wasn't exactly a mentor per se, but she was very close. However, there was still the problem of finding the right person.
Kathrina could instruct him in the bow and a few survival skills but that was it.
...
"You want me to become your mentor?"
Sebastian nodded.
"Me? As your mentor?"
Sebastian nodded twice.
"No."
"Come on!"
After receiving such a firm refusal, Sebastian clasped his hands together in front of Hound.
"In the first place, what makes you think I can teach you properly? You don't even know what I look like underneath this mask."
Accompanied by Hound's very androgynous voice, it was the perfect combination for hiding an identity.
"That doesn't matter. Wisteria told me that one of the organization's rules is that though the organization's members may not all be in good terms with each other, they are not allowed to harm another member. And, she also told me that you are one of the most loyal to the rules."
"..."
"Well?"
Hound sighed and nodded begrudgingly.
"Great! When can we start?"
"After you catch me."
"Eh?"
Without another word, Hound disappeared and the next thing Sebastian knew, the window was open and Hound's figure could be seen in the distance.
Contrary to Sebastian's thoughts, Hound didn't stop to explain at all and Sebastian was left staring dumbfounded.
"Crap."
Realizing that he was tricked, Sebastian leaped out of the window. They were only on the second floor so it was no trouble for him to use his stigma to cancel out the damage.
He was operating at 100% of his energy, that was how desperate he was at the moment. But, for some reason, although he was already using everything he had, the distance between him and Hound was only growing bigger.
It wasn't like Hound was doing anything evasive like hiding in alleys or jumping on roofs, it was just that Sebastian was too slow compared to Hound. There weren't many people on the street so it's not like Hound was being hidden either.
It was just pure speed.
"Does he have something similar to the Walt House's body enhancement...?"
If so, then this was going to be a lot more troublesome than he thought. Right now, he could run faster and longer than any average person and perhaps even best some of those who train. But, he couldn't see himself approaching Hound's level at all.
To the bystanders, the two of them looked like shadows that appeared in the corners of their eyes but even then, it was obvious that one of the shadows was faster than the other.
"Using the stigma to boost myself doesn't cost very much even when I'm using all of it but would I be able to catch up?"
He could rely on his improved stamina but his speed output would plummet. He was already behind when using the stigma, what more when he only uses his physical body?
Before he knew it, they were already out of the area and reached the capital's plaza. The two of them were wearing masks and cloaks so it wasn't a problem but...
"Stop right there!"
Like before, people from the Walt House spotted Sebastian and blocked his path. They were faster than the ones that had intercepted him that night. Nevertheless, he was still superior to them.
Sebastian gripped his spear and thrust it at one of the interceptors and forced him to step back. Then, he took a large step forward and swung his spear to hit the man at the side of the head.
Once he was down, Sebastian moved to incapacitate his next opponent.
CLANG DING THUMP
He deflected their weapons and counterattacked with his own. It wasn't like they would attack Sebastian on sight, they just planned to question and apprehend him for disturbing public order. If things went well, he could even be released by the end of the day. Sebastian's sudden attacks had caught them off-guard.
"Haa..."
Sebastian sighed as the last guard dropped down on the floor. He had taken only a little less than a minute to subdue all of them however, he had already lost sight of Hound.
It was the first time in a while that he had felt helpless against another human being prompting him that sigh. He should've been used to it with all his experience in the past but now that he had tasted power, he craved more. Having someone best him felt frustrating.
Still, he couldn't just hang around a bunch of unconscious people and moping around. A crowd was already gathering to see what the commotion was all about.
Sebastian slipped into the crowd who tried to avoid him and hid inside an alley. He took a moment to catch his breath and take one last look around his surroundings for any sign of Hound but when he couldn't find any, he walked back to the mansion in dejection.
...
"...How?"
"?"
"How are you back here so fast?!"
Scratch that, Hound was already sipping some tea. The mask that usually covered Hound's face was slightly raised up, exposing the lower half of her face and Sebastian could make out her pale skin and moist pink lips. Even just from that, Sebastian could tell that Hound was a beauty. If that wasn't the face of a woman, then he didn't know what could pass off as one.
"You were just far too slow. I headed back as soon as you were stopped by those guards."
She headed back immediately?
"Wait, what if I had still went looking for you?!"
"Did you?"
"No..."
"Then, there's no problem."
What was up with that logic?
Hound took one last gulp of her tea and covered her face once more.
Sebastian gave up and sat in front of Hound.
"Why are you looking for a mentor?" Hound suddenly asked.
"It's just that... I've been training myself for a while but the progress I made compared to when I first started was meager. Back then, I was taught by someone and I improved. Maybe it could happen again... is what I was thinking."
The more he talked, the more he realized how stupid it sounded.
"It's only natural for progress to slow down. If a beginner were to improve at the same pace for the rest of their lives, then they'd become a master in no time. You absorb more knowledge when the vessel is empty. When it is nearly full, you limit the amount of knowledge you gain.
"You have simply stepped past the basics. You can no longer be taught the same way as before. The choices open to you are to consistently train and overcome it yourself, or to find someone who has even more knowledge than you.
"You have chosen the latter," Hound uttered in one breath. She then slowly got up from her chair and walked out of the room and the mansion.
Sebastian looked at her through the window while contemplating the words she left behind.
"Smitten?"
"?!"
The voice that suddenly called out to Sebastian startled him and he stood up from his seat.
"Can you please stop hiding your presence?"
Sebastian glared at Wisteria and sat back down.
"You saw through my concealment during our first meeting and now you've suddenly lost the ability, don't joke with me. Anyway, did 31 teach you anything?"
Sebastian shook his head.
"Figures. She's a tough nut to crack, that one. I haven't seen her face after all this time and she disappears from time to time. I'm assuming her public identity isn't one that can be left alone," Wisteria took a piece of paper and held it out, "anyway, I have a job for you."
"I'm busy..."
"You're going to want to accept this. After all, it concerns your little lover as well."
Sebastian snatched the paper in Wisteria's hands and looked over it.
"Investigate the companions of the House of Luna's Amira Luna. At least one of them is a spy. Once found, inform Amira Luna or Markus Luna."
Sebastian read the contents of the paper in surprise.
"This is a request from the House of Luna?"
"A strange one at that. Normally, the clients do not let themselves be known but here, it specifically states that we have to inform them. Either it was the little lady or the House of Luna's head. It could also possibly be someone working in cahoots with them too. It's undeniable that the request has went through them one way or another though."
Sebastian pondered for a moment before replying, "I'll do it."
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