"Mystic Soul Convention?" Acht asked.
"Yes, It's a yearly convention held by the hunter organization."
She briefly explained what this convention was to the duo. Acht, however, was already aware of this name since it was one of the book's main plot points. Despite this, he decided to stay silent and let her explain.
"We have many events that are held during this convention. Auctions, interviews with popular hunters, playing certain games for a chance of winning certain artifacts, entertainment shows, and more. But the most important one of them… the Mystic Soul tournament."
"I see, but why do you want us to participate in it? I don't see where our interests collide." Acht answered as calmly as ever.
"Fufufu... I knew you would say that. But, trust me when I tell you that you will find a lot of things you'd like. Hmm… let's see, you use a sword, right?"
Acht nodded.
"In this convention, we will auction a lot of amazing swords that are enhanced by soul force. The winning prize for the Mystic Soul tournament is a sword too... So, you won't get out of it empty handed, I guarantee it."
Leislet was somehow talking more excitedly the more Acht asked about this convention. But, Acht was still not fully convinced.
"Then why do you want us to participate? And what exactly is your purpose for asking us?"
One of Acht's mottos is that there is no free breakfast in this world. He didn't have a shred of belief that Leislet did this out of the goodness of her heart. She wanted something from him and she would have to tell him what it was.
The moment he asked those questions, Leislet's expression changed slightly. She looked slightly troubled for some reason as she scratched her cheek.
Then, with a small sigh, she answered.
"It is slightly complicated but I will explain as simply as I can. My full name is Leislet Windstorm, which means I'm the heir to the Windstorm family. I was chosen to be the next CEO of the hunter association this year through polls. However, my position isn't at all secure and I could be changed anytime if I lose my footing. So, most of the other families, including mine, want to either secure this position for themselves or snatch it away from the other families."
She leaned her back against the chair even more and added.
"You could imagine the number of schemes that the other families are plotting just to take me and my family down. That's where you come into the equation."
She pointed at him.
"If you participate in the Mystic soul tournament and win, people will be interested in your origins. They will quickly learn that I was the one who sponsored you before the tournament. This could easily solidify my position." She said,
"...And what if I refuse?"
She giggled slightly and bent forward to look at Acht closely.
"You would've participated on your own even if I didn't ask you, am I right? Also, I'd be your sponsor so I'd have to provide you with a good salary each month until the tournament starts, and also a place where you could settle down for a while. I won't take the prize you get or anything else you gain from the convention."
"So, in a nutshell…You just want your name next to mine in case I win… But what happens if I don't win?"
She clicked her tongue with a smile.
"I trust that you will win 100%. But, in case of your failure, there won't be any repercussions, from me or anyone else for that matter. So, what do you think?"
Acht didn't answer immediately. He would be lying if he said it wasn't attractive but he was still slightly skeptical. The offer was just too good. The only thing she wanted from him was to win the tournament. As for him, he will get multiple benefits all at the same time.
'Maybe the tournament is extremely hard?' He thought to himself.
Leislet saw him deep in thought and said.
"You don't have to answer me now if you want. I can give you a few days to think about it properly."
Acht nodded his head. He needed to deal with some things first before he could actually give her a proper answer.
Then, Tania and Acht stood up, intending to leave.
"Oh, wait a minute ...Here, this is your hunter license. Everyone will automatically start as a G-Rank hunter so you need to work hard to rank up. It was nice talking to both of you."
They both received a license that looked like a credit card. Their names and pictures were imprinted on it along with their current rank.
It seemed to be made of a high-quality material since Acht couldn't bend it easily.
They then took the elevator and left the floor.
This meeting with Leislet had somehow been fruitful. Acht still didn't accept it but he had a good idea about what he would do next.
The Mystic Soul Convention seemed like an amazing opportunity for him to increase his prowess, especially with his weapon. Regardless, he? intended to participate even if he wasn't going to accept her offer.
The sword he had was indeed good, but it was still not a soul artifact so he was planning to change it as soon as possible with a more powerful weapon.
"Hmm."
Suddenly, he heard a small groan so he looked next to him. Tania was somehow still frowning even after they left Leislet's office.
'She really does hate her, huh? Or is it something else?' He squinted his eyes as some doubts started manifesting in his heart.
At first, he thought that Tania considered him as a friend or less. But, with time, he had seen how she reacted whenever he was in danger or he was not in a good state. This enhanced the thought that maybe she saw him as more than just a friend.
But what made him not so sure about that idea is the fact that Tania was a very bizarre person. She couldn't talk properly, she couldn't show any emotions, and she was hard to approach. Therefor, her show of affection could simply be interpreted as her showing how much she appreciates him as a friend rather than a lover.
'Either way, I won't even entertain the thought. I'm not into kids.' he shook his head.
Then, they both left the building. He was thinking of moving straight to what he intended to do.
"What are you going to do now?" He asked. He still needed to see what Tania had in mind before he left.
Tania didn't answer immediately, she seemed to be clueless about her next goal so she stood there, motionless with her eyes glued to his.
But as he was about to speak again, he felt the hair on his spine stand up and all of his senses went into full alert mode.
Then, with a swift move, he readied himself as he looked at the threat that appeared out of nowhere.
They were in the middle of the street with hundreds of people moving around them. In normal cases, it would've been hard to precisely locate a person in such a sea of humans. But this particular individual was so eye-catching that Acht located him almost instantly.
He was a long-haired man with a huge beard. His eyes were razor sharp that they could almost cut humans to pieces with just a look. All in all, if you removed his neat clothes that prove his rich background, he was no better than a slightly neat-looking caveman.
Even though he wasn't as strong as some individuals Acht met before, the dangerous aura he had around him was almost incomparable to anything Acht had ever seen. He was a walking disaster that exceeded the most notorious humans he had the full displeasure of meeting.
Seeing how her beloved was on full alert, Tania stepped up and said.
"Stop… Winstor." She said with a cold glare
"My apologies, my lady." He said as he bowed in front of Tania.
Acht was slightly surprised by this. He had already discovered that Tania was indeed from a rich background but he didn't know that she was from such high standing.
'Wait…a monster like him is only a servant?'
"You know him?" Acht mustered the energy to ask.
"Yes." She said with a nod.
Then, she shifted her eyes to look at Winstor again. This time, they were even more serious.
"Purpose."
Tania didn't even bother to say another word to him. But, the man still respectfully answered.
"His highness…Your father wants you to go back home immediately."
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