A new day had arrived. My new ability had started to show its effects. If I gave someone a weapon with a name I had assigned to it, my charisma stat would reach the next level. Moreover, I could feel that new ideas were forming in my mind. The things I saw and heard seemed to have greater impact on my memory.
My lessons on thursday had been exhausting. Borrow had made me do yet another grueling training.
But I tried not to think about it.
Today, I was meeting Stefan and I was going to ask if he had any idea where Hanbel was currently. I was obviously grateful that the cunning ritchi had helped me get to the Academy but as he put it, I didn't want to be a "wolf". Stefan seemed more suited for this role and I thought he could get in touch with Hanbel. Plus, I was looking for someone to spend some brotherly time with.
We met in the square and asked each other how we were doing. Stefan looked less tired compared to before. He must have finally gotten used to the lessons.
"Shall we walk around the city? We can also talk."
He accepted my suggestion and we left the area where the Academy was located. I had mentioned that we could chat but nothing came to my mind. So, I just waited for Stefan to tell me something.
"Ela is constantly following me and it's very tiring."
"I figured. You're always side by side. Is there something going on between you two?"
"Ha... No! Where did you even get that idea?"
Honestly, I said that just to tease Stefan. When he saw that I wasn't responding, he played his card himself.
"I also told you to talk to that noble girl. She keeps looking at the boy who defeated the Sin of the Flower."
"Really? Then I must have misunderstood. So, you actually like Viola."
Of course, Stefan wasn't that kind of person but to notice Viola constantly looking at Alex, you'd have to keep a constant eye on Viola. Such a thing could only be done by foolish, love-struck people like Viola. After saying these things, Stefan started giving me advice again. He told me he didn't understand romance and that the girl who would fall for me would be incredibly unlucky. Stefan's way of speaking made my pride feel a bit touched. I wasn't someone who didn't understand romance. I was simply someone who was not interested in romance. Also, Stefan's words about me making him see me as handsome stroked my ego.
I guess I've become a bit narcissistic since my ability evolved.
We walked together to a busy square in the city. At this point, Stefan proposed a race to me. I didn't expect him to suggest that. Even though he had lived in the city for a while, it was unlikely he knew all the streets. I myself didn't know every corner of the city and I avoided the impoverished outskirts where the extremely poor lived.
Just like in every city, there were poor people in Natura too. They mostly lived in the outskirts with makeshift houses. Although they weren't many, they were the center of the criminal underworld. That's why people tended to stay away from this area.
"If you want to race, you decide how far we'll race."
"I already decided that, buddy. The first to reach that clock tower wins."
"Okay. I'm in, but I don't race for free. What's in it for me?"
"Let the loser tell the girl he likes to the winner."
"What kind of claim is that!?"
"Haven't you ever liked someone in your life, buddy?"
Somehow, he brought up girls again. Thinking there was nothing else to do, I accepted the challenge. I thought to myself, 'I'll just make up that I have a childhood love.' Ignoring the few people around us, we assumed our racing stance and started running at full speed towards the clock tower.
Running to the clock tower normally took about fifteen minutes on a regular road. We dashed over cobblestone sidewalks and passed between carriages pulled by various creatures. Stefan's pace was faster, and he was starting to overtake me. While he followed his own path, I quickly veered into a side alley. Stefan could continue on his chosen route. I decided to take shortcuts and reach the destination before him.
Through the shortcut, I moved along a side street, passing by an elderly woman. Then I had to turn right, and at the upcoming intersection, I had to go straight without turning in any direction. While doing all this, I kept calculating whether Stefan would reach the finish line before me, adjusting my pace accordingly. After running for a little longer and crossing over some relatively low fences, I needed to turn left and give my legs a bit more effort. I would reach the square where the clock tower was located in less than a minute.
However, things did not go as expected.
As soon as I veered to the left, I failed to notice the person in front of me and bumped into him. The last thing I wanted was for this to happen and on top of that, I felt a pain in my leg. 'Great! I hope I didn't sprain it.' I thought to myself and as I got up, I looked to see who I had bumped into.
"Watch where you're going, you bear!"
It truly seemed like fate was playing a game with me.
The person I collided with was taller and more muscular than me, had striking green eyes similar to my own, relatively long hair and two small horns on top of his head. His clothing was discreet, making him quite suitable for sneaky activities.
This person was, of course, none other than the student who appeared to be the leader of the nalias therefore, also the leader of the cultist group. Though I wondered, 'What is he doing around here?', I quickly dismissed such thoughts. I didn't want to do anything suspicious at this moment.
"Oh... You're Nell, aren't you?"
"Of course I am. It's nice that you remember my name. Though I haven't had the chance to ask yours."
I was intentionally smiling quite clearly and began scratching my head with one hand. I wanted to maintain a relaxed attitude because I didn't want to do anything that would provoke the nalia.
"Mater."
Even the way he said his name made it obvious that he was suppressing the tension of his depraved inner self. I wondered, 'Is the here for some assassination job? Maybe he's following someone close to ritchi or examining his route.' Only he could truly know his real intentions.
"Anyway, Mater. I have to go now because there's a bet I don't want to lose. Though Stefan has already won."
The best tactic was to act as if I hadn't seen him at all. There was no point in trying to establish any closeness right now. If I had more chances to talk, I would do that. I could only do something like this later.
"Wait!"
But when Mater called out to me from behind, I had to stop. I could never underestimate these overly suspicious cultists. I truly didn't want to make a mistake.
"Thanks for what you told us earlier. Thanks to you, we found some information about Rona's death."
I thought to myself, 'So he really wants to reinforce his image as a good person.' It seemed like he was doing this so he could easily tell me something I'd remember later. Mater definitely wasn't leading his group for no reason. He used the most effective methods to achieve his goals without arousing suspicion. Of course, since I already knew his identity, all I had to do was play idiot.
"I understand. I am glad to hear that what I said was helpful to your work."
Due to the rise I achieved in the sub-stats within the charisma stats, I had the opportunity to give a stronger impression. Stats don't just increase; they can also decrease and charisma is quite variable in this regard. A noble with high charisma might show a noticeable drop in their charisma after a scandal is exposed, or at least, in the next fifteen years, my father might not be as powerful anymore—an example of such a decline. Being very swift and then losing that agility due to a wound on your foot that you picked up along the way is also part of this.
Nothing can rise forever.
Whenever I think about rising, I reflexively turn my face upward. I kept thinking about why I wanted to be stronger, faster, smarter and of course, more handsome. As humans, we generally dislike remaining in the same position. I don't know if it's greed but whenever I see a flash of something shining, it's clear I don't think about any of those things.