Raven had already realized that Miles was far better at naming things than he was. Even if he spent years trying, he wouldn’t come up with a name as clever as Mimic-Veil. In fact, he’d probably spend hours pondering and end up calling it something awful like "Changing Face." The truth was, Raven’s general intelligence outside the battlefield was about on par with an average chimpanzee. There was no way he could invent anything close to this in his lifetime.
After they both stared at the device for a while, Raven took a deep breath and spoke.
“You’re aware of what’s going to happen tonight, right?”
Miles nodded with a more serious expression. Raven continued, “Instead of thinking about the tournament right now, we should get the layout of the cult’s hideout for tonight and start planning.” Miles nodded again, lightly tapped Raven’s back twice, and headed for the exit. Raven followed behind him.
When they finally climbed back up to the upper floor, the temperature change was immediately noticeable. The lower floor, with its metal walls, had been quite cold, while the upper floor, with its numerous fireplaces and wooden walls, was warm and cozy. They began searching for Edward Hunter to retrieve the map they needed. Since Miles rarely found his father in his own room, he didn’t even bother checking there. Instead, they wandered the house, hoping to run into him. However, in a mansion of this size, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
As Miles explained why finding his father was so difficult and why he was rarely in his room, Raven cut in.
“Finding your father is actually quite simple. Could it be your stupidity as a mage that stops you from sensing it? I’m not sure, but the immense magical energy he radiates is glaringly obvious in the house.”
Feeling like an idiot for not thinking of something so simple, Miles reluctantly agreed, and they began walking toward the source of the mana.
When they reached the third floor, they saw a massive man with round glasses reading a book in front of a fireplace that hadn’t been lit earlier. The library’s entrance was just behind him. Despite the size of the armchair he sat in, Edward’s towering figure made it look small. Quietly, Raven and Miles sat in the two chairs facing him—one on his right and one on his left. Neither of them said a word, as interrupting him before he finished the page would have felt disrespectful. Although Edward had never once hit or scolded Miles, their silence wasn’t born of fear. It was out of respect for a father’s natural authority.
When Edward finished his page, he marked his place with a bookmark, closed the book, removed his glasses, and placed them on top of the book before setting it on the table. Leaning back in his chair, he finally spoke.
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“So, boys, what do you want?”
Miles began, “Father, as you know, Raven and I are heading out on a mission tonight. If there isn’t already a prepared route or plan for us, we’d like to take the map and make our own.”
Edward chuckled before responding, “Of course, there was a plan, but I think a strategy devised by two teenagers sounds far more entertaining. Why don’t you give it a try?”
Initially, Miles and Raven’s faces fell, but they quickly realized this response was classic Edward Hunter. It wasn’t a dismissal but rather his unique way of encouraging them. Raven spoke up, “Sir, if there is a pre-determined strategy, we can work around it. If not, we’ll create one ourselves.”
Edward stroked his beard before answering. “I know you two lack the experience to formulate a proper strategy, no matter how much it excites me to let you try. I can’t take that risk. That’s why the mission must be carried out passively. At least until you secure the two artifacts. If an alarm is raised, it will either result in a battle or force us to negotiate. You’re neither strong enough for a fight nor experienced enough for negotiations. If you were, I’d let you take a more aggressive approach.”
Though Edward trusted them, Raven and Miles still failed to grasp the gravity of the situation. A war breaking out would leave them powerless to act. After a brief silence, Edward continued, “I’ll leave the map in your rooms. There are approximately 20 enemies in the hideout, and their positions are marked. Make a plan to remain passive based on their numbers and placements.”
After nodding in agreement, the two left the room and headed to the second floor toward their rooms. As soon as they exited, Edward picked up the book he had left on the table and muttered something to himself. “An Original, huh?”
As Raven and Miles walked to their rooms, they started a casual conversation, initiated by Raven.
“You’ve mentioned before that every powerful person has a symbiote. Your father is the strongest person I’ve ever seen. What’s his symbiote?”
Miles chuckled softly before answering, “My father always thought symbiotes were pathetic creatures. He believed they didn’t deserve to merge with beings like humans, who possess almost unlimited potential for growth. If you think about it long enough, it actually starts to make sense. Take magic training, for instance—you can break your limits with effort. But symbiotes? They can barely survive without humans. On any planet with life, you’ll find countless symbiote markets. It’s hard to argue against such logic, especially for someone like my father, who’s practically inhuman.”
As Raven mulled over the idea, he found it so logical that, for a moment, he wondered if he, too, should avoid using a symbiote. Then he asked another question.
“If your father found an Original, would he still refuse to merge?”
Miles grew serious before answering. “I don’t know about that. But I’ve heard he’s declined offers from a few Semi-Originals on the battlefield.”
Raven followed up, “If he rejected Semi-Originals, then he’d probably reject Originals too, wouldn’t he?”
Miles laughed. “Dude, you have no idea how this works, do you? There are thousands of Semi-Originals, but only four known Originals. If a Semi-Original is a mountain, an Original is a solar system.”