Chapter 15 - Training
Though Xio's mind swirled with questions, she didn't voice any of them. She had a feeling that even if Ebner knew the answers, he wouldn't tell her just yet.
Besides, if Ebner truly knew everything, then surely he had a reason for temporarily keeping things to himself. Xio had enough trust and patience for her friend to wait.
"And anyway, once our friendship deepens, I might be able to get some clues by probing here and there, and then conduct my own investigation!"
Unaware of her thoughts, Ebner followed her to the backyard shooting range and asked with curiosity, "With all those businessmen who bought this place meeting tragic ends, are there actually spirits haunting it?" He didn't have any way of seeing spirits yet, unless he performed a ritual, which was time-consuming.
"Those businessmen all had different faiths, so both the Nighthawks and the Mandated Punishers looked into it. I don't know what the Nighthawks found, but the Mandated Punishers had a fierce battle with a powerful Extraordinary around here, which left one of their team members seriously injured! I heard that recently they've been cracking down on a few gangs in East Borough, partly because one of them killed that seriously injured team member," Xio replied after a moment's thought.
Ebner pondered this, thinking, "The Church of the Storms supposedly has access to some of the 'Reader' potion formulas, so the Extraordinary characteristics my predecessor found might have belonged to that unfortunate guy. But how'd he manage to haul himself from the northern suburbs back to the Bridge District while so badly injured? Surely not by taking the subway..."
"So... is it safe now?" Ebner glanced around, a bit nervous that a Punisher squad might pop out and pin him to the ground. As a follower of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, he was definitely seen as heretical in the eyes of the Lord of Storms.
"Don't worry; it's been thoroughly cleansed and hasn't been monitored for a long time. I've visited a few times without any trouble. Old Todd, the caretaker, also told me no one's been by in ages. Oh, Todd is the old servant I mentioned who looks after the property. He can't speak or write, but he knows some sign language," Xio reassured him confidently.
With that, Ebner relaxed a bit. Besides, he reasoned that he was just here to use the shooting range, not perform any Extraordinary abilities. Even if spotted by officials, it likely wouldn't be seen as noteworthy. A couple of young people using a private shooting range for target practice wasn't exactly unusual... it just sounded a little odd.
Xio wasted no time and thoroughly explained shooting techniques, important safety points, and specific training routines for quickly mastering marksmanship.
After listening intently to all of this, Ebner firmly gripped his revolver, lifted it straight in front of him, and aimed at a target 10 meters away. He didn't pull the trigger immediately but followed Xio's instructions, repeatedly practicing his stance and aiming.
From time to time, Xio would correct his posture, tapping his arm when it was out of alignment, her youthful face filled with an air of authority.
After about ten minutes, Xio finally nodded in approval, permitting Ebner to move on to the next stage of training.
He took a brief rest, rubbing his sore arms, and then, with renewed determination, stepped up to the firing line. He assumed the proper stance and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
His arm trembled, and his body leaned back slightly, causing the shot to miss the target.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Learning from each shot, he fired slowly, gaining a better feel for the weapon with each round, until all six bullets were spent. They were practice rounds, courtesy of Miss Xio.
"Not bad, you're starting to hit the target!" she praised, watching his progress. "You have a decent sense for the gun. A few more sessions, and you should be at par with the average marksman at West Vilas Field."
Despite the compliment, Ebner wasn't exactly proud of himself. With only one hit out of six shots, he would hardly stand a chance in a real fight.
After burning through all his practice rounds, he'd finally reached a consistent hit rate, even managing to land a shot in the 8-point ring! With that, they moved on to the next phase: combat training.
Xio offered to spar with him to gauge his current skill level. Unsurprisingly, within just half a minute, Ebner found himself sprawled on the ground for the third time, struggling to stand.
"Miss Xio is quite petite, yet she's very strong... That must be the Arbiter potion at work," Ebner thought as he rubbed his sore back.
"Actually, Ebner, you have a pretty solid foundation. Your strength and reflexes are well above average, so it's clear you've trained before. But without any real combat experience, you're only using about 30 or 40 percent of your power. If you had proper technique, you wouldn't be this easy to knock down," Xio observed with a straightforward assessment.
Ebner was surprised since his predecessor's memories had no trace of physical training, nor did the "Reader" Sequence 9 formula boost physical abilities.
"So this means the golden finger also boosted my constitution? Just enough to make a difference, but not enough to be noticed as supernatural," Ebner thought, finding the revelation interesting but ultimately a good thing.
"With your current abilities, I can start teaching you proper combat techniques. Stick with your strength routine as well... I'll show you some knight exercises, which should be even more effective than what you've been doing." Xio then started demonstrating and explaining various combat techniques and exercises, which Ebner carefully mimicked.
Through her teaching, his progress was swift, and by 11:30 a.m., he could finally hold his own for a move or two against her.
As he was scheduled to visit Detective Isengard's house that afternoon to study mysticism, they cleaned up the practice area before heading back to the city.
Before leaving, Xio hesitated, watching his retreating figure, and then asked, "Ebner, I actually wanted to get your advice on something."
"What's on your mind?" he replied, turning back curiously.
"Well... I want to investigate the truth behind a noble's rebellion case. Do you have any suggestions on where I should start?" Xio took a deep breath, finally speaking up.
Ebner immediately understood that she was referring to her father's case. He hadn't intended to get involved since she'd eventually uncover the truth after joining the Tarot Club. But then he realized that, thanks to his intervention, Xio might no longer be arrested for injuring that thug... which could mean Fors would never meet Miss Audrey, depriving them of the chance to join the Tarot Club.
If that were true, the consequences of his meddling would be severe. Xio might never find out the truth about her father, and Fors could very well end up as dried-up fish under the full or blood moon!
Feeling a sudden responsibility, Ebner resolved to help. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Secrets of the court are likely only known by the highest ranks of nobility. I think you should start by making inroads with that circle."
"Nobility? But given my current status, I have no way to get close to people like that, let alone ask them for the truth." Xio frowned, frustrated.
"At first, you wouldn't need to approach the top-tier nobility directly. Instead, try to reach out to their children. I hear a lot of noble sons and daughters are interested in mysticism—that could be your way in. If you have friends with even modest reputations, it'll be easier to connect with those young nobles. Once you establish contact, avoid discussing rebellion at first. Exchange mystical knowledge or minor information, and, when you've built some trust, you can ask for more sensitive information," Ebner advised gently.
When he mentioned friends with modest reputations, Fors immediately came to Xio's mind. But she couldn't help sighing at the thought of Fors's aversion to socializing, unsure how to persuade her. Xio knew that, left to her own devices, it would be difficult to approach nobility.
Trying to push aside her concerns, she focused on Ebner's advice and, sensing a hint of purpose behind his words, asked, "Do you know of any suitable nobles I might approach?"
"Viscount Glaint! His character isn't too bad, and he comes from a modest family background, so he's a good place to start," Ebner answered without hesitation, offering the name of the viscount Fors had connected with in the novel. He'd considered suggesting Audrey herself, but as the daughter of Earl Hall, she was likely too high-ranking for Xio and Fors to approach initially. Using the viscount as a stepping stone seemed more realistic.
"Viscount Glaint..." Xio knew of him and, as Ebner said, his standing wasn't high. Inheriting his title at a young age, he was unlikely to know much about a court conspiracy... Could he really just be a stepping stone?
In the end, Xio decided to trust Ebner and planned to ask Fors for help.
...
As the two of them disappeared through the back door of the shooting range, ripples suddenly appeared in the glass window of a bedroom on the second floor of the manor. Following that, it transformed into a woman wearing a black regal dress.
The woman had light golden hair and blue eyes. Her appearance was rather exquisite, but her face was abnormally pale.
She wore a small black bonnet and seemed to find an illusory high-back chair in the glass. She sat down with her left hand on her right elbow and her right hand on her cheek. She quietly watched as Ebner and Xio left the manor...