The Talentless Inheritor

"You're just a small torch, a flickering flame that will soon disperse. Why should I waste my resources on your wish?"

"I..." in the face of his father's question, Sebastian's mind went blank. He had prepared all this time but now that he faced the pressure from his father personally, all of that preparation went down the drain.

"Why?" that was the question that Sebastian focused on answering the most and he had come up with many responses but, right now, all of those responses seemed inadequate to him.

He wanted to answer but knew that in his current state, all of the answers he'd say wouldn't amount to anything.

"I... think that I can surpass my peers—" before Sebastian could finish his words, his father cut him off coldly, "you think? You're not sure that you can surpass them, then why are you trying to convince me? Why are you asking me to risk something for you?"

"That's right... If I'm not even sure of it, then how am I going to convince father?" Sebastian made a self-deprecating chuckle and was just about to apologize and leave but before he could do so, Jonathan spoke.

"What? Now you're going to leave because things hadn't gone according to plan? I don't recall having a spineless coward of a son," the words that Jonathan spoke mocked Sebastian but Sebastian didn't focus on the words that his father spoke.

His focus was on that single word, 'son'. It was the first time that his father had called him that.

Sebastian took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was a resolve hidden within. Perhaps sensing Sebastian's newfound will, Jonathan didn't cut him off like before.

"Father," Sebastian spoke his words slowly but resolute, "I'm not asking for you to give me special treatment and neither am I asking you to take a risk by supporting me.

"I'm asking for an equal opportunity like my siblings. No, I don't need an equal opportunity, they can have better treatment than I can receive but I'll show you—

"I'll show both you and the world, that I, Sebastian Sol, am not inept. I'll prove to you and I'll prove to everyone else that they're wrong. Less than three months from now, I will fight Gilbert in the banquet.

"That day isn't far-off and during that time, I will rise from inept to an Apprentice or at the very least, someone capable of defeating Gilbert Walt, the future successor of the Walt House."

Before Sebastian could continue to bask in the afterglow of his words, he felt his heart leap out of his c.h.e.s.t at a sudden realization. "What the heck did I just say to a Caster?!" he lamented but what's done was done.

A Caster is someone who could do the impossible. They could hold the power of a hundred men and be tougher than castle walls. If people like them were to be unreliable, then the system of the 『Inheritors』 ruling would have long since been overruled.

In the end, 『Inheritors』 were just humans with special abilities. They would die you stab them with a knife through the heart and they can also die of old age. Although they wouldn't fall in the short-term, they eventually will.

Contrary to Sebastian's expectations, Jonathan neither lashed out nor scoffed at him. Instead, he looked at Sebastian with eyes that seemed to look through him. It was as if he was seeing a figure overlapping Sebastian's own.

The two of them maintained the silence for a while. Sebastian didn't know how long it lasted but to him, it felt like hours. Only when Jonathan finally spoke did Sebastian's tense self calm down.

"Fine," Jonathan only spoke a single word but that single word contained all of what Sebastian wanted to hear.

"Thank you—" Sebastian was about to thank Jonathan but stopped his words, "you won't regret this, father."

Jonathan calmly waved his sleeves and turned his chair around. "I'll have the facilities ready for you by tomorrow. As for resources, you can pick anything as long as it doesn't exceed your monthly budget of 100,000 Aur. If you want to buy items yourself, you can withdraw it all."

Sebastian's eyes widened. 100,000 Aur wasn't a small sum. As a son of a major house, his weekly allowance was at 5,000 Aur while an average student would have less than half of that. The priciest meal in the cafeteria costs 700 Aur while the cheapest was bread at fifty to a hundred Aur depending on the filling.

To be given that much money which could be spent at Sebastian's leisure, he felt both excitement and pressure. Although sparing that much money wasn't much to a major house like the House of Sol, even some minor houses would be reluctant. And not only that, this was every month!

If Sebastian were to continue for three months with these funds, then he'd have 300,000 Aur to spend. That would be more than five years of salary for an average household.

Sebastian felt that saying any more words was redundant. He bowed deeply then walked out of the room on his own. He didn't know what expression Jonathan had when he gave him that money.

...

The recuperation time the school had given him had been used up. He had to return to school.

Perhaps it was because of his newfound powers, he didn't feel gloomy upon passing through the gates. Most of the students didn't look at him any different except for those who participated in and watched the free-for-all.

It wouldn't be surprising for Sebastian to have broken a limb or two with how he was blown away after all. Yet, Sebastian walked normally as if nothing had happened. This prompted them to look at Sebastian with strange expressions.

Of course, Sebastian was aware of their thoughts and he felt a bit guilty. Although it was true that Gilbert's gang had beat him up, he would've recovered the very next day though he'd be a bit sore. All of the howling in pain he did and the resulting comatose was just because of the branding.

What they did wasn't uncommon for Sebastian. It happened once or twice a week and they'd even take his money while they were at it. What Gilbert's group did was just a toned-down version though he doubted if they were aware of that.

Nevertheless, he didn't plan on explaining the misunderstanding nor did he plan to do anything to make up for it. In fact, giving them that sort of reputation would be useful for him in the future.

"First thing's first..." Sebastian walked over to Lyon's office. He was fine with arriving late to his first class, this was more important as there wasn't any practical training today. He also didn't know Lyons' schedule and didn't have the spare time to look for him. Sebastian needed to train for every second he has.

As Lyons answered the door, he was surprised at seeing Sebastian so early in the morning.

"Sebastian?" Lyons peeked out of the door and looked around the hallway. All of the teachers were given miniature dorm rooms on campus. These offices were in a separate building from the one used for lessons but the distance between them wasn't that far.

"Did something happen?" Lyons asked, "come in."

Sebastian nodded and sat down on a seat pointed at by Lyons. The room wasn't large, that was to be expected. The place was also cluttered with paper which Sebastian thought to be exams and then there were weapons hung on the walls.

Lyons walked over and sat on the seat opposite Sebastian's after a few minutes and handed over a cup of tea, "I didn't know if you preferred coffee or tea and I didn't have any juice so..."

Sebastian smiled and took the cup, "thank you."

He took a sip of the tea and then placed it on the table in front of him. At that moment, Lyons spoke, "so, what are you here for? As I recall, your first class should've started by now."

Sebastian had a solemn expression on his face, "Instructor Lyons," he called Lyons by his formal title, "do you think that I have potential in martial arts? I want you to tell me the truth, I'm going to be fighting Gilbert in three months and I need to know my weaknesses."

When Lyons heard that Sebastian will be fighting Gilbert, his eyes widened. "You accepted their duel?!" Lyons exclaimed.

"I had no choice, they were going to hurt someone I cherish," Lyons felt that Sebastian had changed. The one he knew would've acted meek and apologize but now, the one he saw had a resolute will and answered decisively.

"You..." Lyons sighed, "alright, I'll tell you the truth. You have absolutely no sense for martial arts and close combat. Not only that, but your physical coordination is also quite bad—that part can be solved through training at least."

It was the answer Sebastian had expected so his expression didn't change but he was also forced into silence. Even if his flames were to his main form of attack, he still needed something to accompany it. Gilbert would most likely wield a heavy sword or a halberd as he has been shown in the past.

Sebastian couldn't just rely on his flames or else he might run out of energy and end up helpless. He needed a weapon to fight with.

"I know what you're thinking, you need a suitable weapon," Lyons stood up from his seat and walked into the next room. A minute later, he walked back out holding a long case.

"This is..." Lyons placed the case in front of Sebastian and unlocked it. Inside was a black bow and quiver loaded with thirty arrows, "a bow and arrow set passed onto me by a friend, he told me to keep it for safekeeping until I found someone who I felt could wield it."

Lyons must've had no idea what the bow was, but Sebastian's eyes widened upon seeing it. On the bow and quiver, there was a stigma. Like Sebastian's stigma, it was also an arrowhead but unlike Sebastian's five layers, it only had three.

It wasn't simply written on there, it was embedded into a silver plate much like how the crest on the House of Sol's carriage is engraved.

—It is one of the bow and arrows wielded by the founder's troops in the past. I've no idea how it was passed on until today as I remember them all being burned. But, it appears that the previous user wasn't someone with a stigma.

Balanos suddenly spoke up. She had been silent all this time and he almost jumped after hearing her voice. Of course, Sebastian couldn't just reply to her so he acted as if he hadn't heard anything.

"If you want to defeat Gilbert, you need a suitable weapon. Although there's also the option of slings or a crossbow, neither of those would help you against Gilbert. With a bow, at least you'll be able to draw the bowstring back but you'd be out in one shot after using a crossbow," saying so, Gilbert closed the case and passed it over to Sebastian.

Sebastian gave Lyons his gratitude and barely made it to his first class.

...

It was nighttime. Sebastian was at the dorm sitting up on his bed while his dormmates were asleep. They had welcomed Sebastian back earlier and apologized for being unable to protect him but after he gave them his thanks, he focused on the case.

He didn't take out the bow from the case but he took an arrow from the quiver and inspected it under the moonlight. Although Sebastian couldn't tell what the arrowhead was made of, the shaft was just made of wood though they were both colored black. The fletching wasn't made of regular feathers, he didn't know what animal they were from but they definitely weren't from geese.

—Treasure those arrows well. The animals the feathers are from are nearly extinct and the wood used here is something that won't decay even after thousands of years pass. The arrowhead... is made of a special metal that can pierce through iron and concrete. It isn't far-fetched to say that these thirty arrows are the last of their kind.

Though Sebastian wasn't adept with bow and arrows, even he could tell that they were special.

"...Let's go practice," after speaking those words to Balanos, he placed the arrows and quiver back into the case, slung the handle over his shoulders and let it hang on his waist then stood up.