[A/N: If you leave a Comment / Review / Vote / Rate, you will help Motivating the Author and Promote the Novel.]

"You two are impossible! If you have a location, we move out immediately." Said Eleanor who kept going back and forth across the room.

"His condition seems fine. I can't just locate where he is. That's all." Said Erielle who tried to explain things to her.

"I will not rest until we find him and get him away. This is not natural." Eleanor seemed to have lost bits of her reasoning now that they almost had a solid lead on him and it suddenly vanished.

"Will ya quit it, BOTH OF YA?!" Yet the angriest was clearly Vadim.

He angrily jumped off his chair and walked between the two.

"Ya put a Soul Mark on the lad which he must have noticed and so he will lose the trust we established." Vadim angrily pointed at Erielle who looked away.

"And you… stop trying to handle things your way first." He pointed at Eleanor with double the anger he had towards Erielle, "Ya made paintings for him and sent yer knights to search… in the streets?"

"What else can I do?" Eleanor didn't back down.

"Ya could have come to me, damn ya!" He shouted, "The boy forgot us all and the first thing you do is to keep chasing him and make him afraid? Do ya have any idea how he's feeling right now? If he's scared and alone, he'll act stupid and may get himself… you get what I said."

"And you had him here for an entire hour!" Eleanor lashed back, "What did you do, huh? You made him fight like a madman in the streets, you had him register into this band of cutthroats, and you just wasted time."

"I was building trust with him. Ya don't track 'im or look for 'im or lie to him. Just be kind and he'll listen." The Dwarf spoke with reason.

"Need I remind you that his enemies won't wait for your kindness?" The Duchess refused to back down.

"And need I remind ya that yer greed is what got him here in the first place?" He said.

"This was not…" Eleanor tried to deny what he said.

"Ya looked away!" Vadim said in spite and anger.

This caused Eleanor to just stare at him without words. Just her eyes stuck where there is no eye contact and her expressions solid. She then turned to Erielle who refused to say a word in her defense.

It is true after all. There is no point in denying it.

"Everything I did…" Eleanor turned away back to the window she was originally standing at before changing the subject, "Don't speak to me like that again, Prince Vadim."

"Whatever… Duchess." He replied as if he no longer cares about her and turned to his desk.

Erielle, who witnessed the exchange between the two, was so done with her friends as this no longer was a subject suitable for debate. Eleanor wanted to haste things up, Vadim wanted to take it slowly, everyone was simply putting hurdles in front of the others when they acted this way.

Vadim's method was already working, however, as he had his time to approach Leon and teach him a few things about armor which have surely established some trust. Eleanor is simply stumbling around not knowing what to do. Erielle then decided to take a more subtle way between the two to bring their efforts together.

"Vadim, what was that job he took?" Erielle asked.

"Hm?" Vadim turned around with a puzzled face.

"Leon must take a job in the first few days under the monitoring of the Hall, he will have to return at some point." Erielle said.

"Right!" Vadim remembered as he strode out of his office and returned in a few seconds with a large ledger.

He put it on the coffee table between the seats of his office and the three of them gathered around to search for the name "Leo".

When they found it, however, they had that same look on their faces and muttered in unison…

"""Shit!"""

***

Leon landed gracefully in the street not too far from the Honey Saloon with an awkward look on his face. Just now, he went to visit someone but turns out that someone was paying him a visit as well.

He crossed the street very calmly with his hands in his pocket and walked by the Dogs which are stationed around the saloon. He nodded towards them, tipping his cap down and they moved out of his way yet with disdainful stares.

Nobody likes a Rat that became a Rabbit overnight.

Leon walked in the saloon quite casually and scanned the place around. Jessica was behind the counter speaking with customers and everything was just happening at its own pace. Not a problem here.

Where is that guy then?

"Leo!"

At this moment, Jordi called for him.

"What?" He replied to the fatso who was running down the stairs.

Jessica noticed that Leon had arrived as well but didn't react much.

"Madam was looking for you, she wants you up in the guest room." Jordi said.

"Coming."

Leon walked past him and ran up the stairs avoiding the girls who were trying to tease him. As he became a Rabbit, he now gets more money and has permission to pay for the girls' services, unlike the other Rats and Dogs. He was also good-looking and young which was an attractive plus.

He avoided all this and that until he reached that guest room and entered after knocking. Three people seemed to be inside the room; a mature woman in a red dress with breasts that are pushed very high up and a face so impatient that it would start causing distortions in space and time, a man with a loose appearance and unkempt hair putting his attention on something very interesting as he was wearing a strange big lens, and finally one of the saloon girls with a very nice body sitting in front of the man with her upper half exposed.

"Such a waste of time." Madam Ruth spoke as she noticed Leon, "For fuck's sake, where were you? Didn't I tell you not to go anywhere yesterday?"

"Hm?" Leon furrowed his brows but he shook his head, "I don't remember you saying anything of the sort, Madam."

"What?" Ruth didn't take his reply well, "You're talking back now, boy?"

Leon was absolutely patient with that woman but he still acted meek for the sake of appearances.

"I am sorry, Madam. It is just that Madam Mikaela told me to go check the Mercenary Hall when I am free and so…"

"You don't take orders from Mikaela or other bitches. Only I give you orders." She said.

"Understood." Leon nodded.

It seems that despite him being a Rabbit, Ruth was taking him for granted and is planning to keep treating him like a Rat. All the more reason to hate that bitch anyway.

"This here is Mr. Zal the Artist. He is one of my associates." Ruth said.

"Hm? Oh- oh- it's… the customer." Zal turned to Leon and removed the stupid lens that was covering his eyes.

"Mr. Zal." Leon greeted the man by tipping his cap.

"You two know each other?" Ruth asked.

"We made business this morning." Leon nodded with a casual smile.

"This is a blessing then since you don't need an introduction." Ruth said, "Leo, I want you to describe the escapee which the Knights were chasing that night. Mr. Zal here will draw him for you so you don't forget his face."

"Yes, Madam." Leon nodded.

"Mr. Zal, I hope you are satisfied with the payment." Ruth said pointing at the topless girl which Zal was groping.

"Ah! Yesyesyesyes… it will be done… any time now."

With one hand, the man continued groping, and with the other, he returned to the painting brush and started highlighting the details on the painting he was so immersed in.

Leon and Madam Ruth looked at each other not knowing how to deal with this obsessed weirdo but as she ran out of patience, Ruth decided to leave the room for now.

"Interesting details." Leon commented as he stood behind Mr. Zal and looked at his painting.

"Oh! You think so too? It indeed is interesting." Mr. Zal said, "I was thinking about our conversation from this morning and… you were right, repetitive art falls out of grace eventually."

"It is the case with all art." Leon grabbed a chair and sat beside Mr. Zal, "Once you stray away from that spark, no matter which color it is, you will go astray in the end."

"Indeed… indeed… indeed…" Mr. Zal kept repeating as his focus returned to the painting.

"Don't you think it is a bit beneath your skill to return back to such practices? Drawing boobs, I mean." Leon asked.

"My Skill? Hahahaha!" The man let out a creepy hoarse laugh which made the girl turn her face away from the creep as he continued, "My skill is as rusty and sticky as an old cog. I am simply returning to the basics and look… look what I found."

Mr. Zal kept pointing at the girl's breast.

"She looks lovely." Leon said and winked to the girl who silently giggled.

"Hm? You mean… yes yes but that is not what matters here. Look closer." Zal said, "A painter like me has always gone after what is perfect, what is most beautiful, what is mind-blowing. I never found such a thing but I got an idea this… maybe I chased the grace too much that I can no longer see what is important."

"And that is?" Leon asked.

"How do I say this?" Zal kept thinking, "In the original Grace (painting), the artist captured the Holy Mother in an old self, in a state where she…"

"The Who?" Leon frowned, "That painting you had in your place is the Holy Mother?"

"Well of course, who else would it be?"

No wonder the woman in the painting was akin to a saint, she looked so perfect and so tranquil that she conveyed a lot of warmth just from the painting. Zal said that his replica is nothing like the real thing despite having a perfect resemblance.

A strong magic has to be in play here.

"When I thought about it, I realized one thing. I may have pursued perfection and forgot about the basics." Zal returned to the girl again, "I totally forgot how the mundane looked like and strayed away from art. That's why I will educate myself again by capturing those flaws, those blemishes and skin marks. They are perfect."

Leon couldn't help but agree. Flaws can be perfect at times but he is not an artist to contemplate the deep meaning of the word.

"You can go take a rest now, sugar." Leon said to the girl and urged her to leave, "Your boobs say that they feel cold."

"Hm? No, wait! I am not done with…"

Zal tried to stop Leon from making the girl leave but she was already walking out of the door as Leon returned and sat in her place.

"She's just taking some rest." He said, "You and I need to have a conversation just the two of us."

"Hmph! If it is about that work the madam wants, just describe the face and I will get to it. No need to…" Zal seemed impatient but Leon cut his words.

"Just draw any average young man's face with short black hair, you don't need more than that." Leon said.

"Wh… I don't understand?" Zal looked at Leon with puzzlement.

"I am saying it is a waste of time. You and I need to do something much more important."

Zal didn't seem to like what Leon was saying and sighed as he put down his brush.

"Listen, Rabbit. I know you're confident in your abilities and all of that since you have risen faster than most but don't let it get to your head…"

"Fool." Leon replied.

"What?"

The word had the effect of magic on Zal as he totally froze just from hearing it.

"I said Fool. That's what they called you, right?" Leon asked.

A shiver ran through the body of Zal as Leon started mentioning something very traumatizing… and effective.

"Zal the Fool. Someone who wasted his skill chasing Grace and he was called the Fool. That's the story, right?" Leon said as he sunk in his seat and put one leg on the other.

"WHO SAID THAT?" Yet in reaction, Zal jumped off the chair he's on as if he was seeing a demon. His face distorted in anger as she shouted and his spit flew around.

"Hehehe!" Leon laughed.

Zal kept glaring but Leon was very casual regarding the situation.

"Tell me! Who told you?" Zal pushed everything aside and held Leon up from his shirt's collar.

"Your peers used to call you that, of course. You tried to surpass the impossible and you got obsessed. After countless tries, you lost your touch and was branded as the Fool. The Fool that no matter how much he tries, he always gets sloppy."

Leon held Zal's hands and forced them off him by sheer force.

"You! Know! Nothing!" Zal shook off Leon and proceeded to gather his tools in anger, "I will find out how you know about that… Curse! And I'll deal with you!"

Leon sighed as Zal was already not going to hear him.

"You see… that's the problem. Everyone kept calling you the Fool so you just thought that if people forgot about you and your infamous Title, you may actually remove it. You ran from wherever you came from here to this city and hid in the slums with that talent you have. You then made everyone call you the Artist for some reason thinking that this will purge your bad Title, am I right so far."

Zal paused as Leon spoke but he couldn't deny anything of what was said. He finished gathering things and was about to turn away but Leon said the magic words.

"I can help you remove that Title." Leon said.

Zal's feet became rooted to the ground but after a second, the miserable and messy man laughed in self-mockery.

"No, you can't." He said.

"I am sure that you tried many methods all that time." Leon said as he blocked the man's way slowly taking his attention, "But have you ever tried to not hide from what you are?"

"I did." Zal replied, "Let me spoil it for you, it didn't end well."

"Oh but this time, it will be different." Leon said.

"How?"

Seeing Zal finally calm, Leon spoke in a much calmer voice.

"To manipulate titles, you need two factors. Those who know of it and acknowledge it, and a deed of a series of deeds worthy of a Title. Titles are like Charisma but they are very mysterious. You heard that some titles don't work in some places until they are knowable so you escaped but the title of the Fool doesn't work this way. Some titles have an extra factor and that's…"

Leon halted his words making Zal look at him in anticipation.

"… You."

"What?" Zal frowned as if he heard the silliest thing ever.

"Hear me out." Leon said, "This may sound like a cheap cliche but deep inside you, you also acknowledge the fact that you are a fool. You can't simply shake it off or fight, why would you escape from wherever you're from to live in a shit hole."

"That's preposterous." Zal said.

"Is it?" Leon asked, making a smart face.

"Yes, it is." Zal said, "Because if any of that is true… I would be… I would be… a waste!"

Zal had a devastated look on his face. If a single Title can render all his skills useless, then he is a waste. That was the hard truth.

"But…" Leon raised a finger, "Uncle Leo will give you a hand for he has the solution to your problem."

Zal's emotions were manipulated well by Leon thus he couldn't help but stare at him waiting for a word.

"I know you possess high skills in Painting and Engineering. I possess some level in Engineering as well." Leon said.

"No! Your Appraisal Certificate was very clear. You only had four…"

"Is that so?"

Leon handed Zal a plate of metal. The plate was unusually smooth and possessed some Magic in it. It was the thing that Leon picked right after his awakening in the Academy, the Magic Identity Plate.

That thing had a different version of Leon's status written on it.

——————————
- Name: Leo
- Level: 3
- Class: Warrior
- Titles: {Rabbit}
- Skills:-
— Engineering Technique Lv.3
— Blade Technique Lv.2
— Martial Technique Lv.2
— Stealth Technique Lv.1
— Physical Resistance Lv.1
- Proficiency: (Talent: 25%) (Affinity: Earth)
——————————

Indeed, there was an Engineering skill visible among the skills.

"But… how?"

Zal was at his wit's end seeing that yet Leon's reply was his hand pointing for Zal to sit back on his seat.

"It is a secret of the craft and it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that you and I join hands together. You are the big Engineer and I'll be your assistant in a small project that you will take all the credit for."

Zal's messy appearance and frozen expressions indicated that he can no longer endure the cliffhangers in Leon's speech. He patiently looked at him.

"I am listening." He said.

"You and I are going to pull off a Masterpiece. Something that becomes the talk of the Syndicate." Leon said.

"You can… do art?" Zal asked.

"What? No!" Leon replied instantly, "I appreciate it but I am not an artist like you are."

Leon leaned forward and spoke.

"I was thinking of a crime. Something that they can teach for ages in crime schools."

"I see." Zal nodded, "I can think of a few things worth stealing."

"No! We won't steal for you." Leon cleared the confusion, "We will steal for someone so important that it will be easier for us to get acknowledgment, you see?"

Leon's smile became more evil.

"Tell me, Mr. Zal… how much do you know about the Overboss they call the Bull?"

———————————
Support the Author by Commenting, Considering Patronage or Joining Discord: https://linktr.ee/donovel