Ch. 20 A Stalker's Diary

Arthur Hunt was a serious young man. He rarely socialized and avoided parties like the plague. When his father tried to groom him as the new head of the family, he refused outright and eventually joined the fighter's class.

From a young age, the boy realized he was much more suited for cultivation and training than dealing with customers and negotiating deals. Thanks to his decent talent and endless amounts of hard work, he eventually became the best in his class.

However annoyingly, this brought him fans, groupies, and people he did not even know that somehow wanted to know him. He was entertaining such a groupie, after his first day of the 2nd year, when a servant walked in.

"Sir. Arthur, young master Oliver has sent me to look for you. He needs a healer urgently."

"He's hurt!?"

"No, it's for someone else."

"Then, why the hell didn't you say so? Anyway, let's go."

Fortunately at this time, Arthur wasn't exactly busy. Instead of working on his mana circuit, he was forced to chat up some girl at his father's insistence. Apparently, she was a rank 1 healer with a bright future.

They went to his brother's chamber and found him with 2 other youths. One was lying in bed while the other was holding her hand. Once his eyes focused on the second teen, a cold shiver ran down Arthur's spine. His legs became weak and his breathing heavy.

'No…' He wanted to turn the other way and make a run for it. But, his brother was still there. Oliver was guiding the healer towards the girl while explaining the situation.

Though a million thoughts were running through his head, Arthur forced himself to take a closer look. There were 6 empty bottles strewn around the room. The girl had horrendous wounds across her back and the bed was soaking wet. Since not even half a dozen healing potions could fix her, it was no wonder they were so desperate for a healer.

But, the problem was the boy. Thick Killing intent and malice flowed out of him like smog. His mana was black and Arthur felt he'd get cursed just by touching it.

"You can stop pouring mana." said the healer. "It will interfere with my work."

Despite the murderous quality of his mana, the wounded girl was fine. A few inches before it passed from the boy's hand into her body, it turned from death incarnate to a beautiful shade of blue.

It was like nothing Arthur had ever seen. The quality of one's mana reflected his state of mind. It wasn't something a mage could change at will.

After that incident, Arthur decided to investigate the youth. Fortunately, he had an army of fangirls ready to do his bidding. In less than a day, he knew the boy's name, where he lived, how he met Oliver, even his height and weight.

Some girls said he got incredible results on his alchemy exam. Others claimed Ethan was a beggar they often saw at the edge of town.

'Oh well, some nonsense is bound to slip in.'

Though he spent hours organizing the information in his mind, there was only so much he could conclude.

"Thump, thump."

"Come in."

Only his father could knock down his door with such gusto.

"Are you busy, Arthur?"

"Of course." answered the youth.

"You're always busy! Anyway…"

Since his father lowered his voice, it was clear he wanted something. But, this was not necessarily a bad thing.

His father, Simon Hunt, was the worst lender Last Heaven had ever known. It was to the point where not even his children could ask for a favor without paying him back 3 fold.

But lately, the roles seemed to have reversed. Simon was desperate to find his son a bride and was willing to even go into 'debt' for it.

"I've entertained the missus." Arthur explained. 'That's 3 favours you owe me.' "But, I don't like her if that's what you're wondering."

"But, why!? No, that's not why I came here for. Though, this is upsetting..." The old man tried his best to straighten his frown but was failing miserably. "Your brother has left with a couple of friends to gather herbs in the forest."

"A boy and a girl?" Arthur stood up.

"Yes, he said they'll stick close to the city, but…" Seeing his son already changing into his fighting gear left Simon speechless. It was not supposed to be this easy.

"You're going?" he asked.

"Of course." smiled Arthur. "He's my brother, isn't he?"

With a soldier's speed and efficiency, Arthur finished his preparations, obtained the group's general location, and left the room.

"Pfiu…" His father sat heavily on the bed and sighed in relief.

"By the way." his son's head poked back through the door. "You owe me."