The ride back home was silent, Adam was starting to feel the itch as his body healed thanks to the special bandages. In the first place, the wounds he had received were not so profound. He was mainly tired mentally. Using all those attacks was draining.
Slowly Cecilia stopped next to a Pier. The sun was already setting over the horizon, giving a sort of mystical and picturesque scene as it vanished behind the sea.
The fresh breeze and the sound of the bird moving around added to all this.
"You coming down?"
Adam shrugged and went down with his mother. The two gazed quietly at the scenery, each deep in their own thoughts.
"Firstly, I want to say congratulation. This is a big night you know. Your first day as a hunter."
Her voice was filled with joy. For humans in the supernatural world, passing the exam and becoming a hunter was like entering a super prestigious company after years of studying and hard work.
"After this, let's have a full night out okay? Drinks are on me."
Adam smiled and shrugged. He didn't care about the title. Since he didn't exactly understand all the benefice that it entailed and was never raised as a hunter in the first place.
Still, it feels good to be praised for the hard work he put in.
"Haha. My son is a gold rank. I wonder what face they would make if they knew how long you trained for."
She ruffled his hair and on her face, a smile full of pride could be seen.
"Furthermore, that fight was beautiful. You used abilities you only recently obtained and managed to push someone who was trained for years by the Kaminari family to use her divine weapon."
Adam might not realize just how incredible it was yet. But the more he mingled in this world, the more he would understand and appreciate what he had just done.
"Of course, you also made many mistakes. After the party, I want you to think about the fight from start to finish."
Her voice became stern, "Adam, you are different from me. Of course, you can go all out and go wild if you want. There is nothing wrong with letting out some steams. But, you have such a large skill set. I believe having a mix of instincts and strategy-focused style will give you even more advantages in the future. This is even more so since you have the power you call The Magician."
Cecilia could easily see through Adam's current illusions. But in the heat of the battle, even a small mistake could be deadly.
He had shown this when he mislead Makoto at the start of the battle.
She shuddered when she imagined just how much chaos he could wreak on the battlefield. Be it by moving like a berserker or manipulating the entire battlefield from the shadows.
Surely he would become the worst kind of enemy anyone could have.
"Sorry. I just want to say. Good job."
"Thanks, Mom. But, I know this isn't exactly why you stopped us."
"Haha. I guess I am a little too transparent, huh."
She stopped herself and looked at the horizon.
"Theresa is suspicious. Well. Normally, she is. But at the very least, she won't act as long as she doesn't know your true identity."
Cecilia had no illusions of convincing Theresa to not immediately kill Adam or try to seal and detain him.
After all, before raising Adam, she also had the same thoughts.
The world was currently in a status quo. A hard gained illusions of peace that could break down at any moment and the appearance of a new King.
A new primogenitor could become the precursor of a new war.
"The good thing is...She won't share information about you with the main family yet. So you have to grow in the meantime. Even faster. Only by becoming at least equal to an Executor holding a divine weapon, or even better to a Director, would people hesitate."
Peace treaty only existed when the opposition forces were somewhat equal. When you knew that attacking the other would cost more than it would give.
The world did not function following justice. But only a cold and harsh reality based on gains and losses.
Adam stayed silent. "I guess I won't really be welcome on the supernatural side as well?"
Cecilia shrugged. "I will be honest. I don't know. Most of the Primogenitors' races were enemies at different points in time so at least it's clear they aren't friendly. But that is for the people below. Who knows, perhaps the Primogenitors themselves are friendly? Perhaps you would be welcomed with open arms "
She grinned, "But you know it right?"
"Hope for the best but prepare for the worst."
"Perfect!"
A laugh escaped her.
"As long as you become strong enough, everything else won't matter. If they welcome you. Good. If they don't, then it won't matter since you will have the power to defend yourself and make them hesitate."
"Mom..."
"What?"
"Should we finally talk about the map?"
"..."
"I had Genesis make the calculation and we now have an estimate of the time and place."
Cecilia did not speak.
"It's a place near Sweden. Genesis needs more calculations but it will most likely happen around February or March."
The Vikings, before being influenced by Christianity had their own calendar which was divided in Winter and Summer and was calibrated by using the Moon.
On the map, the time appointed was the Goa's month. Which was the equivalent of Mid February to Mid march.
Cecilia sighed, "Adam. How strongly do you think I was when I was at my peak?"
Adam stopped speaking. He remembered clearly the stats he had seen when inspecting Cecilia.
She was such a monster even the mocking remarks stayed silent in awe.
Even though it was a question, Cecilia did not really expect an answer.
"Now can you imagine how much more powerful a creature would have to be to give me an even better heart?"
She gave a weak grin.
"Adam. Debris of the Astral realm isn't place you visit just for the heck of it. I don't know what we will meet if we go but at the very least, it will be equal to a Zodiac."
This was why she had been so reticent all along.
Of course, she wanted to heal. She did not fear death in any way but she was not suicidal either. If she had a way of healing that didn't go against her conscience, she would accept it gladly.
But, this wasn't it.
She would never force her son to enter such a dangerous place just to save her life.
Even if she followed, she would not be of much help as even by using the Armor and her weapon, she was far from her peak.
"Of course, you might think this isn't a problem for you. But Adam, not everyone else that will follow you will be like you."
"Mom ..."
Her features softened a little.
"You know what. Let's make a deal. If by then you can bring me something that will give me confidence the expedition can succeed, I will accept. What do you think?"
She grinned, "December is approaching so you have between three or four months to bring something that will make exploring a Zodiac-level dungeon seems doable."
Adam looked down for an instant before nodding.
"Deal."
