My lips curled into a smile as I walked towards the counter as well.
"Oh…so this is the only son of the Jun family ?" The woman muttered as she gave me a thorough look. Her brows slowly furrowed up and I was fully aware of the reason why she would have that kind of expression.
".....you…How can you use both of them ?" She asked while my sister let out a sigh.
Phestus stared at both of us with a baffled expression as he dropped the bag on the counter.
"That's why I came here" I muttered with a wry expression. It couldn't be helped, since I would have to wait till I'm a master before I could hide my aura or mana heart then it would be best to use a potion instead.
She held up her chin.
"A potion that can hide one's aura…..I do have one….but it only works on one of them...." She muttered slowly.
"....." Phestus seemed to want to say something when he decided to remain quiet.
".....hah !" She yelled out as if she had just reached a hypothesis.
Well, alchemists were really rational sets of people at times. Few of them even decide to become a mage.
"Though it might take some days to get it prepared…I do have something else that'll suppress it for you for only a day…..at least for now".
Well I didn't really expect much in the first place but I was more curious about Whatever she had in mind than whatever she had right now.
"Can…can we go get the ingredients ? Money isn't exactly a problem for us…." My words may have come out a bit arrogant but it was true.
She stared at me with a baffled expression before suddenly bursting out with laughter.
"Oh…you're a funny one…" she turned towards Rebecca. "He causes a lot of trouble doesn't he ?".
She nodded her head relentlessly.
'Oh..way to go sister…and you're supposed to have my back ?' I did feel a little hurt but it's not something I can't handle.
"Alright then…." She wrote down some things on paper. "As long as you pay the right fees, then there's no potion we won't concoct".
She handed the paper to Phestus and when he looked over it, he turned towards me in bewilderment.
"You have both ?" He cried out.
'Well…I should be the one surprise….you understood what the potion was for by just looking through the ingredients ?!' My lips curled into a smile.
"Your brother's amazing ! Rebecca"
She looked up with a smug expression.
'Too cute….' My gaze quickly turned towards Phestus and he had the reaction I had expected from him.
He quickly adjusted his glasses walking towards the door and Rebecca quickly walked out towards him, urging him to slow down.
I slowly observed them when the woman behind the counter said "You see it too don't you…the sparks"
I chuckled with a smile. "Young couples these days huh…"
"Oh…your sister was right…you really do talk like someone that's not your age".
I shrugged slowly, placing my hands on the counter. I had some questions I needed to confirm of course.
"When did she first arrive here ?"
Her intense gaze which was fixed on mine seemed so petrifying, almost like she could see through my soul.
"Ever since the practical exams….He came home with several injuries on his body….it's a surprise he was somehow able to recover quickly" .
'I see…'. It wasn't a new occurrence, he was probably beaten because of his weakness in combat. His mana level was only at the 4th level barely able to make the cut-off.
"Hmm…so she most likely saved him huh…"
"....most likely….It would be nice if he's able to get a little stronger than he is now….I'm a little worried you know".
A thought crossed through my mind. "I can ask an elder sister of mine to help him out".
"Oh…..well if you think you can help…" she said, her words lingering on each sentence. It seemed like she had second thoughts but what sort of hidden intentions could a ten year old possibly have.
"Alright then". I turned around to leave when she called out to me. I slowly turned my face towards her with an inquisitive expression.
She smiled. "You'll be attending five years from now, won't you ?"
'Hmm ?' I thought, debating on her words. Now it was my turn to wonder if she had hidden intentions behind It, though that could just be me overthinking it. "Yes I will".
"Alright then…I look forward to it".
I nodded and quickly walked out of the room in an attempt to avoid her stinging gaze.
NORMAL POV.
Right after the door clicked, the woman's smile slowly faded and the atmosphere beside her began to warp as a boy with similar features as Phestus appeared. The only difference would be the freckles on his face.
"He seems interesting" the boy said while nonchalantly crossing his legs as he floated in mid air with a book in his hand.
"He's the same age as you…."
"Hmm….he doesn't look like the other kids from the 12 great families either…"
The woman sighed as she slowly turned her gaze to the boy. "It's still too early to judge…he shouldn't be able to measure up to you by the time you take the examination"
"...if you say so…" the boy ignored her stern expression and continued reading his book. "Oh…are you really going to let Phestus mingle with that Jun girl ?"
"...she's an interesting girl. I might make use of her when the time comes".
Her tone and voice came out rigid and stern in contrast with the tone she had used with Raffaelo and the rest. It may seem that her true nature isn't what it's portrayed to be.
"There's nothing to lose either way". She chuckled.
A sigh exuded the boy's handsome face as his body slowly faded into the atmosphere. "You're crazy".
****
Raffaelo walked quietly behind his sister and Phestus as they headed towards what they called the central garden.
It was more of a botanical building where plants and herbs were grown for commercial purposes.
He seemed keen on their conversation and he was getting bored of it after walking what seemed like hours.
'I wonder if I'm this tired because of my body....I really need to start exercising'
They got to a flight of stairs and slowly found their way up ignoring the guards that stood at each corner while observing the people that went in.
Raffaelo slowly let out a yawn as his gaze slowly looked up from the ground to meet the worried looks from his sister and Phestus. He sighed.
"What…what is it ?" He muttered.
"Sorry, I don't really know what to say that could be of interest to you.." Phestus said with an intense gaze focused on him.
"Hope you don't feel left out…" Rebecca muttered with the same expression.
'Oh…they're even making the same expressions now…how cute'.
They finally made their way up the stairs when Phestus was pushed back by an unfamiliar figure.
He was about to snap at the person when a frightened expression appeared on his face. Rebecca didn't seem pleased either as she quickly strode to his front.
A young blonde boy with a smug look on his face, stared at them as some boys slowly walked up behind him.
"Oh ! If it isn't Ph*niusWarlock" the boy said with a childish tone in his voice.
'Oh….he looks familiar…' He noticed the group of boys that stood behind him. 'Bullies ?'
My sister glared at him. "What do you want ? Bruno…"
'Hah !....Bruno Pheran….the 5th varsal family of the Imperial King himself and also the son and 2nd child of the owner of the Central garden'.
Regrettable memories crossed through his mind as he stayed still behind them during the situation.
He didn't really need to do a thing since Rebecca was with him. The problem was Bruno just happened to take one unique feature of his father, the King at the time. Craftiness.
It was something he wasn't able to handle with just his power alone.
"My name isn't that !" Phestus cried out as Bruno's expression slowly turned into a scowl.
"Try not saying that behind a girl's back next time".
'.....well damn….that's going to leave a spot'
"What do you want ?" Rebecca questioned, her expressions turning colder. It seemed like he made a mistake without even realizing it.
A group of boys, 4 in number began to walk out behind him each calling out his name as if they had been occupied with something.
"Oh ! Its Ph*nisWarlock and the Ice Princess !" One of them yelled out. A chubby fellow at that.
Raffaelo could feel the urge to burst out a laugh when he held up his mouth to hold it tight. 'They're all from the vassal families…what is this ? League of the Vassals ?'.
The current King was an individual with great wisdom and skills since he was able to guide the town for so long but sometimes he would grow weary of his wife and sleep with other women from other households.
Those that got accidentally pregnant become part of his vassal family.
The 7 vassal families were more like a vermin to the Imperial Family before he regressed and they were also youngsters his age that attended the Academy.
"It would be best if you avoid causing any issues". Rebecca said with a stern tone in her voice. She was prepared to summon her sword, the moment he tried anything funny.
Bruno chuckled as he shook his head.
He turned away from them and walked closer to the stairs.
"Let's go boys…we still have other things to take care of". He said when he stopped next to Raffaelo.
His gaze centered on him. "So you're being nice to Blind people now" he chuckled as his friends walked past him. "Tsk…that kind of careless righteousness will be the death of you…" . He laughed with his friends as he waved his hand in the air.
Raffaelo slowly watched him with a sour expression on his face. A sigh escaped his lips as he turned away towards his sister.
"He didn't notice the hair did he ?" He asked as they resumed their trip.
"Most likely not…." Rebecca replied. Her tone still sounded way harsher than she had intended.
All this while, Phestus walked behind her with his head hanging low. He had much more talent than he thought he had and much more ahead of him.
He wasn't aware of this but deep-within his heart was the Will of Revenge.