"Hmmm…"
Rey creased his eyebrow when he noticed something quite irritating.
Over a month had passed since he entered the Desgarron Estate as Augustus' slave, and he had already successfully won three bi-weekly Variety Events.
He was on a winning streak, which meant he had secured favor in the eyes of his Master and was even allowed greater freedom than ever before.
The food he ate was much better, and ever since Leon's early retirement, he had no troubles with the staff of the Desgarron Family.
But there was someone who always bothered him.
Even now, as he enjoyed a serene afternoon reading in the garden, she kept poking her head out of the walls to stare at him.
Who?
Well, who else but the Young Lady of the Desgarron Family—Amara.
Rey didn't know if she was doing this on purpose, or if she genuinely thought he could not detect her, but her constant attention on him was getting suffocating.
He was reaching his limits.
'I thought she would grow tired or bored of it after a while, but this is the second week since she had started following me everywhere and watching my every move.' He sighed to himself.
'What does she want?'
If she had remained the forthright girl he first met, Rey wouldn't have minded. But her suspicious change in personality aggravated him.
It felt uncomfortable how sneaky she was being, all of a sudden.
'Maybe… Should I approach her?'
It was a risky venture, one that could get him in trouble if he wasn't careful, but Rey could tell that this girl desperately wanted to talk to him.
He simply wanted to offer her a chance.
"Young Miss… I can clearly see you hiding behind the garden walls." The moment Rey said this, he noticed her retracting her head. "Is there something you'd like to say to me? I'd be more than happy to… ah, she's gone."
Indeed.
Amara was no longer hiding behind the wall.
She had run away.
"Weird…"
Rey shook his head and continued reading, not particularly moved by what happened.
'If I knew speaking to the girl was the key to getting rid of her, I would have done it much sooner…' He smiled wryly. 'Though her strange attitude is certainly perplexing.'
A few days later, after Rey finished reading and was about to begin his final training for the day, he finally received his answer.
He had just closed his book and was about to leave the garden for the training room field where he often practiced when he felt a certain presence a small distance away.
'Her again?'
This time, she didn't hide like a coward.
Instead, she jumped out from the walls and folded her arms awkwardly.
"You, there! Are you perchance heading to the outdoor training field?"
Rey felt drained just listening to her stiff words. However, he couldn't be rude to one of the Desgarron Young Masters
He could only nod with deep reverence.
"Yes, Young Miss."
"Hehe, is that so?" Her eyes brightened almost immediately, and she stared at him.
Her emerald eyes shone like gems, and her silver-white hair danced elegantly as she pointed at him.
"Then I will accompany you!"
"H-huh?"
"To tell you the truth, I have been watching you for some time now. You were able to detect me after some time, which I consider impressive."
'Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!' Rey fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"You have potential, so I have decided to oversee your training for today and give you some pointers." She declared boldly. "You should be grateful!"
Although he found her persistence to be infuriating, Rey was actually pleasantly surprised by the girl's offer.
'I haven't spent up to two months here, but even I have heard of this girl's talents. It wouldn't be a loss having her oversee my training. If I can learn from her, then…'
Rey licked his lips in excitement.
This was a good deal.
"I would be honored, Young Miss." He bowed respectfully, and the two walked to the outdoor training field.
The Desgarron manor was vast, with a lot of unused land taking up space. Some of it was converted to a training field, and Rey had his own section which he used to practice his combat skills as well as Ancient MajiK.
It took him a month after learning the first three Sequences, but Rey could now use a fourth one belonging to the Inverse Technique.
He had also grown more accustomed to his body and was even more skilled than before.
This showed in his performance within the Coliseum as well as his physique. The once scrawny and lifeless looking boy had grown taller, with his muscles appearing more toned.
As Rey took off his shirt, ready to begin training, he noticed the Young Lady Amara's gaze on his body.
Although she pretended not to pay it any mind, her flushed cheeks and fidgety demeanor gave it away.
'Hold on…' His eyes twitched mildly. 'Does this girl have a crush on me or something? Or could it be just my body she is attracted to?'
The moment he thought this way, her odd behavior began to make more sense to him.
'When we first met, she wasn't very attracted to me due to my appearance at that moment. But I've gotten more fit and better-looking, so it isn't strange that she would see me in a better light.'
This was all just speculation on Rey's part, but he had a feeling that there was some truth hidden in his suspicion.
Why else would Amara be showing him so much attention now?
At first Rey suspected she was just bored and wanted a play buddy. After all, he was the only person close to her age in the entire manor.
But even that made no sense when he took her subtle obsession into account.
'She's always so assertive, so if she just saw me as a slave, plaything or potential friend, she wouldn't act this way. There are definitely feelings involved. To what extent, however, I don't know. She might also not be aware of her feelings. These are things I should be able to find out if I deepen our interaction.' Rey began cooking up another scheme at that moment.
Although he wasn't particularly fond of being attractive to a child, he could use this to his advantage.
'First, I have to bedazzle her with my abilities. Because of how flat and uncovered this place is, if she had tried to watch me train, she would be exposed. I also never sensed her when training before.
That means this is the first time she'll be seeing me exert myself.
I have to impress her and let her fall much deeper into her feelings. Even if it lust, I'll be able to trigger feelings once I start perspiring and showing all kinds of movements.
Rey would never expect, in a million years, that he would be trying to seduce a girl much younger than him.
But he was desperate for opportunities.
Since one had just presented itself to him, he had to seize it.
WHOOSH!
Rey began his training, showing all kinds of footwork, mixing it with various martial styles as well as his Inverse Technique.
He would often spot her from the side of his gaze and notice how invested she was in his training.
His sweat sprayed everywhere and he pushed himself to the limit, eventually breathing heavily after hours of effort.
It was evening already, approaching night, yet Amara was still in the training grounds with him.
She hadn't gotten bored from watching him.
'Strange girl…' Rey thought to himself. 'But what do you think? Did I impress you enough?'
"You suck!" Amara suddenly spoke, her voice blunt and her gaze unmoving.
'Hm?'
"Your control of Ether is too unrefined. It causes too much energy to be lost in the process of using your Technique. You have to be more efficient. As for your martial arts, they are barely passable."
'Really?' Rey raised his brow while staring at the audacious girl. 'I know I'm not at full strength, but these are martial arts that I made while referencing my experiences in H'Ttrae. As for my Ether output, I'm already being as efficient as I can be. I have no choice but to be efficient, given my limited pool of universal energy.'
"You look like you don't believe me." She smiled at him before taking a few steps forward and pointing at him, then at herself.
"Then how about a demonstration? Let's have a spar, right here and now!"