Preparation (Part 1)

7 days before Aima was chased in an alley.

Sebastian was in Leo's study once more, quietly sipping his tea. He made sure this time as well that there were no calming spells mixed in the tea. Leo was quietly looking at him, clearly amused.

"Sebastian. I know that you've become wary of me, but I assure you there is nothing in the fruits as well. You can have some if you want."

Sebastian looked at the fruit platter in between the two men, before returning Leo's gaze. "I'm rather good in that aspect. Tea should be enough for me. I don't have the luxury of time, can we please discuss regarding the reward that you were supposedly going to give me?"

Leo continued to stare at the Forgotten One in front of him, who looked more mature and sombre each day. With a sigh, he stood up and went to a bookcase beside his office table. He waved his hand in front of a panel at the side, revealing a metal plate. Leo placed his hand over the plate and coursed his mana through it. Gears audibly clicked behind it, revealing a small door that only allowed one person at a time.

"So you cast a specific spell to reveal the plate, then use your mana through it? Extremely stringent system if I do say so myself." Sebastian remembered that every person's mana signature was specific to themselves only, something similar to a fingerprint. It was one of the reasons why adventurer tags only responded to the owner it was bound with.

"You're the first person to analyse it to that extent. Although I am quite confident that you won't be able to replicate the methods. Which is why I showed you. Follow me."

Sebastian placed his teacup back down with a gentle clink before he stood up to squeeze himself through the narrow passageway. It was damp and narrow, dimly lit with mana crystals above his head. It was narrow to the point that mana crystals or lamps didn't have a place beside him, it had to be placed above his head instead. After what seemed like a few minutes of shuffling through the passage, he finally entered into a small study. The walls were filled with books, some of which were encased in glass with runes carved around it. It gave off an ominous look that sent a rare chill down Sebastian's back.

"Is this your treasury of sorts Leo?" Sebastian broke the silence as he stood in the middle of the room, taking the scenery in with a slowly building anticipation for his reward.

"That is correct. Actually, most of the relics or equipment here are related in one way or another to other worlds. Like yourself. Leo stopped to face a display case that was as wide as the wall. "Come here, I'll show you something."

With a curious look, Sebastian followed Leo and looked at the display case. Housed inside were different weapons which had strange shapes and markings. He saw daggers, swords, and long swords that had different hues, unique handles, and strange curves. Sebastian suddenly had the feeling of being in a museum, surrounded with encased books, and exotic weapons.

Using the same method to open the secret passageway, Leo used a spell and his mana to open the weapon case. He waved his hand over it as if showcasing his wares to a possible customer. "I can give you one weapon to aid you in your adventures. This was our agreed reward as per the last quest. I can only give you one. As I mentioned before, knowledge and artefacts which came from other worlds are dangerous in the wrong hands. I can only risk giving away one weapon to you."

With a nod, Sebastian continued to look at the weapons in front of him. His eyes were drawn towards a sword with a jet black sheath. He was about to reach out when Leo stopped his hand. With a start, Sebastian looked at Leo, expecting a fight. His eyes quickly flashed golden before turning brown.

Leo released Sebastian's hand while shaking his head. "It's nothing like that. The weapons here are not only unique in terms of design or build. I'll show you something before you hurt yourself."

Leo picked up the sword and stood a few paces away from Sebastian. Holding the sword with one hand, Leo coursed his mana through it. The sword released a blue spark, before glowing lightly in a bluish hue. Sebastian could faintly hear the sword humming as mana flowed through it. His eyes were open with shock as he unknowingly balled his hands in fists.

Seeing Sebastian's reaction, Leo started to explain. "Magick items. Although the technology was lost, there have been relics that surface time and again. All the weapons you see in that case are magick weapons. This one is imbued with the element of lightning. Which is also why I needed to show you first before you activate it by accident."

Still wearing the blank expression, Sebastian turned his attention towards the weapon case again, imagining the different properties of the weapons within. With a smile, Leo returned the sword and the sheath in the case. For the next hour, Sebastian studied each weapon diligently, looking over the design and the materials, asking Leo what their special abilities and history were.

After exhausting his curiosity, he finally turned to Leo. "I've made my decision. Thank you for the explanation. I'll go with this." Sebastian lifted the sword with lightning properties, showing Leo his choice after much deliberation. He sheathed it in the jet black case and held it tightly, showing how much he treasured the magick weapon.

"That's a good decision. If you combine it with a high-quality sword, it would be suitable for your dual sword style. Remember that magick items need your mana to activate. If you keep them activated during combat where you're also using spells, you will suffer mana burnout quicker than you would expect. Also, that weapon has a name." Leo was smiling as he looked at the sword in Sebastian's hand.

"Oh? A name? From the maker?"

"Yes. It's called Fulgur. Apparently, the maker named it such because of its electric properties. Well, now it's yours so you can name it whatever you want. My simple request is that you don't sell it or lose it. As I mention time and time again, magick items in the wrong hands can be dangerous."

"I understand. I'll keep its original name - Fulgur. Thank you for this Leo. I've taken much of your time. I'll head off now."

After closing the secret passageway and sending Sebastian off, Leo sat down in his office table once more. He took a sip of his reheated tea while he gazed blankly into the air. "Victor old friend. Your successor has chosen one weapon from your cache as you requested. Hopefully, he uses it for good as you did. You Forgotten Ones really have a way of shaking up the world."

***

5 days before the chase.

Sebastian placed his utensils down the table and wiped his mouth with the napkin prepared. He finished the entire course, leaving nothing in the plate. A testament to how delicious the meals in the mediocre restaurant was. Needless to say, he had grown fond of this restaurant not only for the price and serving size but because of the taste as well. It never disappointed him. Looking across the table, Aima was also finishing up with her meal. She also tidied up before looking at Sebastian, who promptly ordered for tea and fruits to be served. It was an indication that they would be discussing for quite some time after the meal, so refreshments were necessary.

"I have to say, the morose Sebastian treating me to dinner feels a bit strange. To what do I owe the favour?" Aima handed her utensils and plate to the server who came to tidy their table up in between courses.

As soon as the server left, Sebastian explained the reason for his invitation. "I am going to be direct so I apologise beforehand." After gauging Aima's reaction, he continued. "I am hunting down the other Forgotten One and I need your help." Sebastian paused once more, waiting for Aima's response.

The server came and placed down teas in front of the two adventurers, along with an assorted fruit platter. After making sure that they didn't want anything else, the server promptly left.

"There's a couple of things that bother me." Aima warmed her hands using her teacup while looking at Sebastian. "First, why do you say 'the other Forgotten One'?"

"Ah, actually I am also a Forgotten One. We tried to hide it by saying that I'm a country bumpkin, but I think you should know by now. I wanted to tell you but - things happened." Sebastian trailed off as he looked down at the assorted in front of him. A pit suddenly opened in his stomach, however, instead of food, it drained his appetite and energy, leaving him feeling cold and tired.

"Pfft. Ahaha!"

Sebastian looked up to see Aima struggling to contain her laughter. After a couple of deep breaths, she calmed down enough to continue the conversation. "You looked so cute and helpless when you tried to come off clean."

"Eh? Did I say something wrong? You do know what a Forgotten One is right?"

"Of course I do. Even though I'm the authentic country bumpkin among the two of us, I still know what a Forgotten One is. In fact, Becky told me when I first joined your party. So I kinda knew what your background was. It's very important when joining a party to know what their background is, don't you think?"

Sebastian smiled as he took a sip of his tea. For some reason the feeling of warmth permeated through his body and bones, it felt like it warmed through his core. "Thank you for pretending to not know, and playing with my charade."

"It was actually fun teasing you about being a country hick when you were just pretending."

"Now that it's out of the way, what else was bothering you?" Sebastian finally felt peckish and plucked a few pieces of fruit off the platter. The pit in his stomach suddenly disappeared after the feeling of warmth washed over him.

"What will you do when you find him?"

"I will extract information from him, but I will keep him alive - if that's what you're worried about. We need to know what he did aside from making weapons. I'm guessing he's using his manufactured mutated beasts for something else."

It was Aima's turn to be quiet while she pondered over the brief plan. After a few moments, she finally looked at Sebastian. There was a hint of determination in her eyes. "So what do you need me to do?"

"Thank you, Aima. For now, what we have as our lead is that he makes use of a dwarf to forge his weapons. We need to find that out first."

"That doesn't really help now does it. It's like looking for a freshwater drop in a bucket of salty water." Aima furrowed her brows to show disappointment with their current lead and proposed plan of action.

"Hear me out first. We sell iron ores and mana stones by the bulk, selling it at a cheaper price. I'll leave that part up to you. Jin and I still have some iron ores left from previously so we can add that to the pile. Once we get the attention of a specific dwarf, they will contact you and will try to bargain with you. Then I'll check to see if they know something about gun manufacturing or not. We can narrow it down to the merchants that contact you. How's that?"

"I think it will work. Although it might be a bit slow, as you said, it is our only lead for now."

***

2 days before the chase.

"I'm telling you, Sebastian, this is not the way to go about it! Reconsider!" Jin used his slightly bigger frame to physically blocked Sebastian from entering a door.

"I've already reconsidered this multiple times. You know that I always assess first before I make any action whatsoever. We need to increase our party size, so we need to do this." Sebastian didn't force his way in, however, annoyance was clearly creeping into his face.

"We can always recruit someone using the adventurer's guild! I know that you've already talked about this with her, but this matter indirectly affects the party. I'm against this!"

"Jin. I understand your point, and I can assure you that I won't use her as a battle slave. I've already discussed this with Mel and Aima, they understand this. She's also met everyone before so we don't need to do much explanation." Sebastian's eyes flashed the familiar golden hue before dissipating. It indicated that he used his [Augment] skill as evidenced by the building of his muscles.

Jin saw the details and sighed dejectedly as he stepped aside. "I can't believe you're actually contracting a battle slave. I'm going crazy."

"If this bothers you that much, then why don't you help me in managing her? Mel and Aima agreed under that condition. They want to make sure, aside from the slave contract, that I treat her properly. I won't follow Oswin's path if that's what you're also worried about."

Jin shuddered as he remembered the fate of the battle slaves in Erimead Village and how they were used as fodder while Oswin's party made their retreat. The scene was deeply rooted in his memory and was affecting his current decision. "I understand. Make sure you treat her properly. I will not let you off easily if you do so otherwise."

Finally entering the room, Rivie was seated in a table with another female elf. Her graceful face was framed by her long, blonde hair fell which in turn, fell over her dress that accentuated her slender body. It clearly showed the preparations she undertook as she waited for her future master.

Standing up to greet the two red-faced adventurers before the two female elves, she curtsied while introducing herself. "To reintroduce myself, I am Zestaria Parfaren, an elven mage. I'm part of the survivors in Erimead Village whom you rescued. Thank you for taking me under your wing master."

Still feeling warm on his face, Sebastian turned to Rivie. "You taught her something ridiculous as well."

With a formal bow, Sebastian replied to Zestaria. "I'll also reintroduce myself. My name is Sebastian. I'm going to be your master after we do the contract. Thank you for also having me."

Unable to hide her joy, Rivie clapped as she stood from her chair. "And what is wrong with this? It looks so formal and decent. These actions should be introduced to Kalonia." She beckoned to Sebastian with her hand to come closer. "Stand closer to Zes. We can't do the contract with you that far."

Standing in front of Zes, Sebastian was able to smell the familiar scent of flowers from Rivie, although now it was mixed with the scent of perfumed oils from Zes. It created a subtle harmony that enveloped him, easing his senses.

"[Contract]." Rivie cast a spell that materialised an ethereal contract on the air. "The slave contract indicates that Sebastian Miller will be the sole master of Zestaria Parfaren. Zestaria shall follow her master's commands to an extent. She shall fulfil her duties and serve her master to her capabilities. Sebastian will, in turn, ensure Zestaria is protected and safe at times. This is a mutual contract, and can be cancelled anytime at a mutual understanding as well."

Rivie handed a dagger to Zes who pricked her finger and placed a drop on the contract. Once she was finished, she passed the dagger to Sebastian who did the same. Once two different blood drops were recognised in the contract, it glowed brightly before dissipating. After the bright light slowly waned, Sebastian felt a nostalgic feeling of warmth in his body.

"[Contract]." Sebastian summoned the newly-formed contract as if he had known that spell for a long time. The specified tenets were written in the contract, followed by the drops of blood above his and Zes' name. He browsed and checked it multiple times, however, it stayed the same. He couldn't change it with his will alone. Feeling satisfied, he waved his hand to dematerialise it as if it was never there.

"Is everything to your liking master?" Zes looked at Sebastian with shy eyes. She considered Sebastian her saviour, as his party rescued her and the other survivors from Oswin's clutches. She almost gave up hope when they were holed up in the storehouse in the middle of their village. When Oswin and his party were talking about using the survivors to buy time for them to escape the village, she decided then that her fate was sealed. When Sebastian came and calmly took them out of the storehouse, he was like a shining beacon to her eyes. She was more elated when she found out later that they killed off Oswin and his party. Being asked to be his slave didn't require much thought from her side. She willingly agreed and was excitedly preparing for this day to come.

Sebastian looked at Zes' expectant eyes before he looked away shyly. He couldn't stand to stare into her eyes for long periods, otherwise, he might lose control. "Yes, I was simply amused with the [Contract] spell. That's all." With a slight cough, he tried to change the topic. "First order of business though. Can you please not call me master? I'm not used to it and I think it reminds us and the people around us about our status. Call me Sebastian. I allow it."

It was her turn to blush this time as Zes hurriedly looked away from Sebastian's eyes. "Yes, I understand ... Sebastian."

"By the gods, what have we gotten ourselves into," Jin muttered to himself as he shook his head subtly.