As the sun began its ascent into the sky, Hikaru found himself navigating through the streets toward a nearby carriage station. There, he hired a carriage to transport him to the hotel where he was staying. Along the way, he mulled over the training session he had with Lydia, feeling the residual thrum of exertion in his muscles.
After the carriage arrived at the hotel, Hikaru instructed the coachman to wait momentarily. He proceeded to his booked hotel room, gathered all his belongings, and checked out. Afterward, he directed the coachman to head to the Purple Walnut, hoping to arrive in time for lunch.
Not long after arriving at the Purple Walnut, Hikaru settled with the coachman and swiftly transported his belongings to his room. Fortunately, Loyd had just finished cooking, so Hikaru helped him prepare the table and then joined him for lunch.
As Hikaru savoured the flavours of Loyd’s cooking, he couldn’t help but initiate some casual conversation. “So how is the bakery doing?” he asked between bites.
Loyd chuckled softly. “You know, the bakery’s just a front,” he replied. “But speaking of which, where’s Lydia? I thought you two were heading out together.”
Hikaru paused, a hint of confusion in his expression. “I’m not sure either. After our little sparring match, she decided to give me some impromptu military training. But then, out of the blue, she mentioned something about other matters and took off.”
Loyd's brow furrowed. ‘That's odd. She didn't mention anything to me,’ he mused, a note of curiosity in his voice.
Loyd leaned in with a curious glint in his eye. “So, how did your match with Lydia go?”
Hikaru shrugged, and said: “She halted our sparring session halfway, so there wasn't much of a conclusion, really.”
Loyd's brow furrowed further at Hikaru's response, but before he could inquire further, Hikaru changed the subject. “By the way, Lydia mentioned yesterday that you're quite the skilled mage. What kind of magic do you specialize in, Loyd?”
Caught off guard, Loyd’s thoughts lingered on Lydia for a moment before he replied: “Well, I specialize in illusion and water magic. I learned illusion magic because humans inherently possess higher mental base attribute points compared to other orbies. And I’m proficient in using water magic due to my high water affinity as a Frostfolk.”
Intrigued by the topic of illusion magic, Hikaru asked further: “I never used illusion magic before, can you tell me more about it?”
Loyd leaned back, considering his response. “Ah, illusion magic... It’s a bit like playing a game of chance. Sometimes it works like a charm, and other times, not so much,” he explained, “as it’s effective only against opponents with a low wits attribute.”
As Hikaru absorbed Loyd’s insight, a spark of realization flashed in his mind. ‘During my last mission, I lost part of my reward because I damaged the pelts I was supposed to retrieve. But what if I used illusion spells to incapacitate the wolves first? That way, the damage to the pelts would be minimal.’
Hikaru nodded thoughtfully, and asked: “So, theoretically speaking, illusion magic should work like a charm against most monsters and beasts, right?”
Loyd nodded. “Exactly! It’s all about reading your opponent's wits attribute and knowing when to use the spells.”
Illusion magic is a branch of magic that operates by altering mana’s properties to mimic a specific inanimate particle or substance, allowing for more efficient transfer to a specific destination. This type of mana is primarily employed to infiltrate the minds of others and exert control over them. To ensure the effectiveness of illusion magic spells, users must possess the necessary wits to generate altered mana capable of deceiving the target's body into recognizing it as their own. Conversely, if the targets possess sufficient wits, they can naturally prevent this foreign mana intrusion.
Hikaru's eyes lit up with excitement at Loyd's answer. “Fascinating! Can you teach me Illusion magic, Loyd?” he asked eagerly.
Loyd responded firmly: “You seem to misunderstand something, boy! My primary duty is to ensure your safety, but I also have other responsibilities. Teaching you magic would use too much of my time and divert my attention away from those other responsibilities.”
‘What a letdown! I thought he’d teach me, like Lydia did, to keep me away from adventures,’ Hikaru lamented silently.
As the day progressed and dinner time arrived, the atmosphere in the dining room underwent a drastic shift. Lydia and Loyd, typically reserved, suddenly became unusually friendly towards Hikaru, which made him a bit uncomfortable. Hikaru found himself taken aback by their sudden warmth. What shocked him the most was Loyd's sudden change in attitude. Unlike during lunch, where he declined to teach him magic, now he voluntarily offered to teach Hikaru illusion magic anytime he wanted.
‘I always thought only girls had a fickle personality, but now I see that boys can be just as fickle!’ Hikaru pondered to himself.
#*#*#*#
Lydia’s POV.
In the quiet stillness of the dawn, Lydia stood atop the Fujimoto Residence, vigilant and resolute. From her vantage point, she surveyed the serene lake below, her mind consumed with thoughts of duty and responsibility. As the royal guard to Prince Clay, her days were spent in unwavering dedication to his safety and well-being.
Yesterday, a boy named Hikaru broke into the Fujimoto Residence through a hidden passage across the lake. As a precaution, Lydia stationed guards at the entrance of the hidden passage. This morning, Lydia checked on the guards patrolling the entrance from the top of the Fujimoto Residence, ensuring they remained vigilant and focused.
‘I JUST DON’T GET IT. Why would he allow the intruder to walk away scot-free? It doesn’t make sense,’ Lydia pondered to herself, a furrow forming on her brow as she mulled over the implications of his actions.
Lydia didn't have to wait long for an answer, as Prince Clay summoned two of his trusted subordinates, herself and Loyd, after breakfast.
“You must be wondering why I allowed the intruder named Hikaru to get away,” Prince Clay stated.
“Your Highness, forgive my candor, but I must express my disagreement with your decision,” Loyd said respectfully. “Given the importance of the Orb Converter, perhaps a more assertive approach toward Hikaru would have been prudent. After all, even the kingdom has placed a substantial bounty on capturing Kaito alive.”
“Stop interrupting, Your Highness, Loyd. I believe there is more to the situation. Could you, Your Highness, please enlighten us further with your decision?” Lydia interjected, her tone firm yet respectful.
"Well, you're right, Lydia. Hikaru wasn't initially one of Kaito's soldiers. This person was actually brought into the fold during his time as a military trainee in the Red Dagger army brigade during the Aran War," Clay elaborated.
Clay then briefed them about the information he had obtained on Hikaru from the file provided by the BCMA (Bailey Central Management Agency).
Lydia furrowed her brow, her gaze fixed on Prince Clay. “Your Highness, isn’t this information a bit odd? How could a teenager without any special training possess enough medical knowledge to be recruited by a top scientist like Kaito?”
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Clay leaned back in his chair, contemplating Lydia's question. “That's been bothering me too. But the BCMA has already interrogated Hikaru and confirmed the accuracy of the information, so it should be true.”
Loyd, standing beside Lydia, couldn't shake his concern. “But why didn’t Your Highness pressure him a bit using his family? After hearing the information about Hikaru, he may have sadistic tendencies similar to Kaito.”
Clay’s gaze shifted to Loyd, his expression thoughtful. “And that’s precisely why I didn’t pressure him using his family. The fact that his family enlisted him in the military for the Aran War might indicate that Hikaru isn’t particularly close with them. Moreover, the fact that he voluntarily divulged information about his mission objective honestly, without being prompted, suggests he wasn’t a loyal subordinate of Kaito.”
Loyd glanced at Clay, still uncertain. “But are you sure Hikaru was being honest, Your Highness?”
Clay’s tone was confident. “Well, I am pretty certain about it. You guys just need to trust me on that!”
Clay then changed the subject and asked: “Loyd, you've been stationed in Purple Walnut for some time now. Any progress in locating the Orb Converter?”
Loyd sighed, his brow furrowing with frustration. “Unfortunately it’s a no, Your Highness. We haven't made significant headway. My agents continue to scour every lead, but the trail remains elusive.”
Clay sighed, relaying another piece of information: “Hikaru mentioned that he will meet with Kaito tonight.”
Before Clay could finish, Loyd interjected eagerly: “Then why wait? We should set up an ambush in the area, Your Highness!”
Clay shook his head. “No, we’re not going to set up an ambush. Loyd, you seem to have forgotten about his Spiritual Eye. If he notices something amiss, he’ll slip away.”
Pressing on, Clay continued: “Recently, our people have witnessed Kaito battling Elvira military personnel, indicating that Elvira has successfully tracked him down. Our kingdom has already suffered significant losses, conceding the Aran mine and even placing a bounty on his head to appease them. Now, consider this: if I were to capture Kaito, there's a high likelihood of many witnesses. They would undoubtedly pressure me to hand him over, further exacerbating our losses. Therefore, I plan to wait and see how Hikaru’s meeting with him plays out before deciding on the best course of action.”
"Lydia, I plan to entrust you with the task of observing Hikaru and handling him. Find out his true personality and use him to obtain the artifact at all costs. I've instructed him to report to me within a week. In the meantime, stay close and be prepared to move out at a moment's notice," Clay ordered Lydia.
The next night, Hikaru came to report to Clay about his meeting with Kaito. Clay patiently listened to his report with Lydia nearby.
‘If what he stated in his report was true, then this Hikaru really is a smart person.’ Clay thought to himself.
Clay asked Hikaru about his future plans, to which Hikaru replied that he intended to do adventure missions to earn some coins. This provided Clay with an excuse to plant Lydia into Hikaru's life.
After Hikaru agreed to stay with Lydia in their new accommodation, Clay whispered his instructions to Lydia: “Go to Purple Walnut and stay there. Don't let Hikaru risk his life by going on adventure missions. However, don't directly oppose his decision so he remains cooperative with us.”
Lydia then headed out to Purple Walnut and met with Loyd. After putting all her belongings in her room, she introduced Loyd and chatted with Hikaru for a bit. Next, she held a secret meeting with Loyd after Hikaru was sleeping in his bedroom.
“So what’s your take on Hikaru?” Lydia inquired.
“He doesn’t seem to have the same psychopathic tendencies as Kaito. He appears normal, but that's just my personal opinion,” Loyd replied.
“Prince ordered me to prevent him from going on adventures, but I need to do it discreetly. So I plan on breaking his spirit,” Lydia stated.
“And how do you intend to do that?” Loyd inquired.
“Tomorrow, during my assessment of his combat skills, I aim to thoroughly defeat him to make him realize his vulnerability. I’ll make sure to wipe the floor with him!” Lydia declared.
“But can you handle that? You heard the prince mention he can fly!” Loyd reminded her.
“Don’t worry, I have my own way!” Lydia reassured Loyd.
The next morning, Hikaru and Lydia went to a nearby Training Hall, where she had booked a 100-square-meter training ground. There, she initiated the assessment and instructed Hikaru to attack her with anything at his disposal. The fight began with Hikaru launching fireballs every 3 seconds while flying.
‘As expected, he used the fireball spell. However, to cast this spell every 3 seconds, he must have at least 70 points in intelligence, which is quite high,’ Lydia thought to herself.
After Hikaru launched his fifth fireball, Lydia retaliated with a flying slash attack using her sword. To her surprise, Hikaru managed to dodge it.
‘Damn it, I’ve got to put an end to this fight, pronto. Forget about winning spectacularly; if this goes on, I might just end up on the losing side. While he’s tossing fireballs fueled by his mana reserves, my flying slashes drain my Essential Energy, wearing me down with every swing,’ Lydia inwardly cursed.
As a seasoned Royal Guard, Lydia had experienced numerous battles. Yet during her spar with Hikaru, she couldn’t shake the feeling of facing someone with similar attributes. This seemed absurd, considering her age and regular training regimen. Nevertheless, it reminded her of past encounters with individuals possessing a rare talent called Prodigy. Convinced that Hikaru possessed similar talent, she abruptly halted the match, urging him not to suppress his abilities.
She then changed her strategy, telling him about the weakness of overreliance on flying, and taught him the basics of Bailey close-combat skills.
‘Although I can't demonstrate my overall dominance in combat, I can certainly assert my superiority in close combat. This way, I can kill two birds with one stone: first, redirecting his focus towards training close-combat skills with me instead of embarking on adventures, and second, acquiring a sparring partner to enhance both of our skills. After all, unlike magic, close-combat training is much better with a partner.’ She thought to herself.
However, she soon realized that something was amiss. During the close combat training session, she asked Hikaru about his repertoire of close-combat special skills. He told her he had two techniques in that category: Body Fortification and Leg Chi. She instructed Hikaru to utilize the Body Fortification technique whenever she launched an attack, emphasizing the importance of repetition to ingrain the technique.
During the intense close-combat drill, a perplexing realization dawned on Lydia: ‘His Body Fortification is obviously in play, yet I’m gasping for breath while he looks as fresh as a daisy. Even if he has Prodigy talent, his chi reserves should be on par with those of a regular human his age, and definitely lower than mine. Unless he’s a Human Lord, this just doesn't add up. Focus, let’s keep a close eye on him,’ she resolved silently, determined to unravel the mystery.
After about two hours of intense drill, Lydia starting to lose focus as she only had about 30% of her chi reserve left, while Hikaru still looked fine even with the Body Fortification still active.
‘Damn, there is a high chance I will also lose in a close-quarter combat with him. Hikaru is most likely a Human Lord. I've got to report this to the Prince!’ These thoughts raced through her mind.
Lydia excused herself, informing Hikaru that she had other matters to attend to, and bid him farewell. She then made her way to Fujimoto residence, while she contemplated how she should report her findings to Prince Clay along the way.
Meanwhile, in the Fujimoto residence, Clay had just finished his breakfast. He then headed to his office and began reviewing some of the reports submitted by his subordinates. Amid the sea of paperwork, one report caught his eye—a recent account of Hikaru's activities. His curiosity piqued, Clay delved into the details and was stunned to learn that Hikaru had accomplished a D-rank adventure mission, acquiring three pieces of Twin-tailed wolf pelts in a single day.
‘How the hell did he manage to do that? Even if he could fly to the hunting ground, the speed and strength required to accomplish this feat should be beyond his capabilities!’ Clay thought to himself.
Shortly after, a knock sounded at Clay's door. Inviting the visitor in, he greeted Lydia, who entered his office looking fatigued. She proceeded to report what had transpired, underlining her belief that Hikaru was most likely a Human Lord.
“Well, just moments ago, I stumbled upon a report detailing Hikaru’s recent activities. It turns out, before even reporting his meeting with Kaito to me, he managed to pull off quite the feat. He completed a D-rank adventure mission, snagging three pieces of Twin-tailed wolf pelts in just one day!" Clay stated.
“Your Highness, how do you think Hikaru became a Human Lord? Could it be because of Kaito’s research?” Lydia inquired.
“I highly doubt it. The research materials we seized from Kaito’s facility were solely focused on body transmutation. If he had known how to upgrade an ordinary orby without any bloodline into a human lord, he would undoubtedly have exploited it to build a legion of Lord-grade orbies,” Clay countered.
Clay stated his theory: “I believe Hikaru was originally a Human Lord with a Vermillion bloodline to begin with. Unlike others in the Kaya clan, his bloodline wasn’t diluted, but instead had some defect. So Kaito took interest in him and helped him remove this defect.”
Lydia was taken aback. “What? So, Your Highness, are you suggesting that Hikaru has the Vermillion bloodline like the main family of the Ishihara clan, rather than the Fiery Fowl bloodline from the Kaya clan?”
Clay responded: “Well, it shouldn’t be much of a stretch, considering the fiery fowl bloodline is a diluted version of the Vermillion Bird bloodline. So, given that Hikaru is a Human Lord, he most likely has the Vermillion Bird bloodline.”
Lydia pondered this revelation. “Then, what do you think our next move should be, Your Highness?”
Clay considered their options. “Hikaru might just be our most valuable asset. So, I want you to maintain the pretense of ignorance regarding the origin of his power, while also building a friendly relationship with him. Additionally, both you and Loyd should support Hikaru to the best of your abilities, so that he will be inclined to assist us when he gains influence in the future.”
Clay thought to himself: ‘I had originally planned to order the Guildmaster to prevent Hikaru from undertaking adventure missions, but it seems that won't be necessary after all! Now, Bailey finally has someone who can rival the Ishihara Clan.’
Clay then order Lydia with a decisive tone: “You know what, Lydia. I’ve had a change of heart. Instead of holding Hikaru back from doing adventure missions, let’s switch gears. Keep an eye on him, but let him spread his wings. Just make sure he doesn’t bite off more than he can chew!”
After giving one final instruction, Clay handed Lydia a sum of money. “Keep a close watch on Hikaru,” he urged, “and make sure to pass my directive to Loyd. Use this to foster a strong rapport with him when needed.”
After returning home to Purple Walnut, Lydia wasted no time in relaying Clay’s directives to Loyd. She recounted their conversation, emphasizing the significance of Hikaru. Loyd was visibly shocked by Clay and Lydia’s conclusions about Hikaru. He scratched his head, regretting that he had already informed Hikaru that he wouldn’t teach him Illusion magic.