Curse the Mainframe! 109 Sect Master

"Is there something you need?" Alec inquired politely.

It wouldn't do to be impolite to the sect master. After all, Alec was still a member of the Heavenly Ascension Sect at the end of the day, even if they had never personally interacted.

Besides, with how Dominique seemed to be sticking to him incessantly whenever he went by, it didn't seem like he would be rid of the Sin any time soon. In that case, then they would have to interact sooner or later, regardless of the sect master's stance towards his son.

Let it be said that Alec had never cowered in the face of authority.

Even if he didn't like it, he knew propriety – as long as they hadn't ignited his anger, that was.

That was how he acted with the Mainframe until he'd been constantly interrupted without being able to get a second word in. His temper ran hot whenever he thought his opinions weren't being heard. Even if they didn't agree, you couldn't act so tyrannically!

"You are… strange," Dorian said, studying the young disciple in front of him. "Who are you?" While Dorian might not think that the young boy had any malicious intentions towards the sect, he had not lived through so many things in his life without having seen things. There were always ways to fool the inflexible array, so he was alert.

Dorian could feel from his son's magic that he was happy whenever this young disciple was around him. It was something that he hadn't expected to feel in his son's magic when he wasn't doing anything remotely close to fighting.

He was worried. What if his son fell into the wrong hands? Wouldn't that just be spelling death for the both father and son?

It had been a long time since he'd felt anything of the sort from his usually taciturn and prickly son, and even longer since they had a proper conversation without it ending in his son leaving in a huff.

"This disciple's name is Alecris Neil, elder Nathan's direct disciple." Alec knew that this wasn't what the sect master meant, but he said it anyway.

Dorian continued staring at Alec, his face and eyes unreadable even with the System's vast experience in reading people.

"Dismissed," he said in the end. He turned around to leave, his thoughts still stuck on the strange disciple.

Though he was young, he was already let out into the world based on the Neil Clan's standards, which were frighteningly high, and rumoured to be notoriously harsh. Some denounced the clan as inhumane, but Dorian thought otherwise. He didn't think that the clan would have prospered as much had they not had their high standards.

Only when the clan member had started developing their own magic based on their Magitype were they allowed to leave the clan.

Dorian had met a few members of the Neil Clan over his years, and they all excelled at various fields and specialties. It made him wonder – just what kind of teaching did they all go through to be able to produce such outstanding individuals time and time again?

Still, whenever they were questioned, they remained tight-lipped and silent, which only provoked one's imagination further.

Now that he had a closer look at young Alecris Neil's movements, he found no fault in him. He was diligent, hardworking, polite – Nathan had no end of praises for his disciple, which was surprising.

But it also frustrated him.

How was the young disciple connecting with his son when he wasn't able to do the same?

Just what had caused his usually prickly son to connect with the seemingly gentle and well-behaved younger boy when Dominique had usually spurned the affections of others?

He… should he shadow the child more to see it up close?

Dorian was confident that if he didn't want to be seen, he wouldn't be.

It was with this in mind that he waited outside Solitary Confinement Peak for the young disciple – Dorian had reports stating that the time he got up with obscenely early – so much so that it was more like late in the night rather than early morning.

Spotting the young disciple's form – aided by the feel of his magic, Dorian followed him silently even as he was amazed at the young boy carrying twelves boxes of food.

They were stacked so high that he couldn't possibly know where he was walking – not to mention, it should have been too heavy for him to carry, but he did so with ease.

His arms were not straining, nor was he using any enhancements of magic.

Curious.

Just what was it about this boy?

As they approached Solitary Confinement Peak, the young disciple who was usually sleeping whenever Dorian dropped by to see the state of the Sins, jerked awake as if he noticed that young Alecris was approaching.
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How unusual.

Inside the cave, Dorian felt pleased when he realized that the disciple had cleaned up around here – it was cleaner than it'd ever been – something that he had been trying to put the various disciples up to, but to his immense frustration, it never quite worked out because of how many sect members spurned and despised the Sins.

While they might have had cause for punishment, that didn't mean that their punishment was always just. He knew that elder Polren from the disciplinary hall usually took things a bit too far with his punishments just because they had the Sin Societype.

Alecris knocked on the doors one by one, dropping off the boxes of food.

There were various groans and curses as they were woken from their slumber, but when they reached Dominique's room, his son was already awake and standing at the door. There was a glint in his eyes that Dorian had not seen in a long time.

Dominique didn't say a single word, but Dorian was suddenly struck by the thought that his son had seemingly devoted himself to this young boy without any reservations on his part.

There was a glint in his eyes that spoke of devotion and fanaticism that he didn't know how to aptly put into words. He'd seen something similar in various others before, but he never expected that he would see something similar reflected in his only son's eyes.

Dorian knew that come hell or high water, there would be nothing that would shake his son's determination. Even if Alecris was removed from the equation, Dominique would never rest even if Alecris was dead.

Instantly, he felt a mix of complicated emotions.

He didn't know this disciple, and he didn't trust him just based on word alone. He loathed to think that his son had chosen someone who was unworthy of his loyalty to, but Dorian would have to keep an eye on Alecris longer before he decided whether or not he wanted to do something about it.

But still, this was the first in such a long time where Dorian had seen Dominique's eyes show a spark of life, rather than his usual emotionless state, and the sect master couldn't help but want to continue seeing that.

Even if those eyes weren't looking at him.

Chapter end

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