A few days passed but the stinging pain of betrayal in his heart was still fresh. Cassius had spent the last few days in the training hall distracting himself with the swing of his sword, trying to exhaust his body enough that his mind wouldn't wander back to that night.
[Again.]
He swung his sword to the left, muscles burning.
[Again.]
He swung again to the right, sweat dripping down his face.
[Mission Complete
1000/1000 sword swings]
Cassius collapsed against the wall, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Kar, I'm used to training, but why don't you just give me skills without making me do quests? Wouldn't that make things easier for both of us?"
[Do I look like a god to you?]
"Well..." Cassius smirked, glancing at his own reflection in the training hall mirror. "If you do, that says some concerning things about my self-image."
[...I hate that I laughed at that.]
"Come on, admit it. I'm hilarious."
[Listen. This needs to seem like a normal system-hunter relationship, for both our sakes. I can't keep doing things out of the ordinary. ]
That's true. For both of them, discovery would ruin everything. Cassius needed to maintain his façade as a simple swordsman - if anyone discovered his dual class nature, his carefully laid plans would crumble. And Kar... well, Cassius still didn't fully understand what game Kar was playing with the system administrator, but he knew the stakes were just as high.
They both fell silent. Outside the training hall, servants hurried past carrying decorations and flowers. A celebration would be held again to formally congratulate Cassius on his awakening.
"Another party?" Cassius scoffed. "As if the first one wasn't enough."
[Your father seems quite pleased with your 'awakening' as a swordsman.]
"Of course he is." Cassius picked up his sword and began polishing it methodically. "A powerful swordsman son who will obey his every command, it's exactly what he wanted."
[And exactly what will let you get close enough to destroy him.]
Cassius's hand paused mid-polish. Even now, a small part of him ached at the thought. Not because he still craved his father's love - he knew now that "love" had always been conditional, always about power. No, what ached was the memory of how desperately his younger self had believed in that lie.
'Enjoy your perfect swordsman son while you can, father.' His grip tightened on the sword. 'You won't even see the blade coming.'
[Wasn't there somewhere you wanted to go today?]
"Right." Cassius sheathed his sword, " Now that the attention around me has died down, It's the perfect time."
[Died down?]
Cassius glanced at the servants gossipping about him, "Lessened ever so slightly?" He corrected himself.
Cassius waited until nightfall for everyone to fall asleep, before sneaking out and going to Anna's room through the old servants corridor that the servants no longer used.
It was easy for him to evade detection and it reminded him of his mercenary days.
Anna's scent still lingered in the room, roses. But Cassius just pushed the thought aside and pulled open her wardrobe. "I'm sure you won't mind me borrowing this," he whispered, taking her black cloak.
Then, he went deeper into the closet.
His fingers traced the pattern on her closet's back wall. He had discovered the magic portal two days ago while searching her room for clues. Another secret she'd kept from him.
'This artifact must have cost a fortune. Did Anna's master buy this for her?' Cassius thought.
He pressed his palm against the wall's hidden runes, watching red light trace patterns. Anna might have betrayed him, but at least her portal would serve his purposes now.
Cassius was transported to the merchants district and proceeded to buy a potion that changed his appearance just in case.
The bell chimed as Cassius pushed open the door to his favorite spot. He then made his way to the bar, sliding onto a well-worn stool before turning to the bartender. 'I'll have a hot iced margarita.'"
The waiter flinched, "Aren't you too young to drink, kid? "
"I am." Cassius smirked, "Which is why I suppose we're lucky that's not a drink then, aren't we?"
The waiter paused for a moment and then spoke, "Right this way."
Cassius followed the waiter but instead of the stairwell that led to Leon's office, they were headed the opposite way.
[Something's wrong.]
"I know. But how do you know that?" Cassius asked, it's not like Kar could know they were going the wrong way.
[Something wrong?* Is what I meant.]
"I see."
After going through the door, Cassius found himself in a back alley then three big muscular men appeared.
"Well, well," One took a step closer. "What do we have here? A child?"
Then, the other thug picked up a bat and came closer, a clear threat.
"Are you looking for a fight?" Cassius took a step forward glaring up at them, ready to take out his sword any moment. "If so, I can give you a fight."
"Calm down, kid." A man with a scar over his eye came out from the shadows laughing. "We don't want to fight."
"Leon?"
"Interesting." Leon tilted his head, smiling. " How does a kid like you know who I am?"
[ First rule of being a regressor, you don't call people by name whom you haven't met in this life.]
"Just a lucky guess," Cassius replied smoothly. "The scar gave it away. You're quite famous in certain circles."
"Famous enough that a child would know me?" Leon's smile didn't reach his eyes. "How about we have a chat about where exactly you heard of me?"
[Good save. But he's not buying it.]
"I think I'll pass." Cassius said, walking away as if he was just going to leave. "Maybe some other day."
"Not so fast." Leon picked him up like he was a small kitten, "You're not leaving until I get an answer."
Then, a potion suddenly shattered against the ground, releasing a cloud of shimmering purple smoke which immediately rendered two of the thugs unconscious while the third barely stumbled backwards in time.
" Put. Him. Down," a feminine voice called from the alley's entrance. "Sleep powder isn't my only specialty."