PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

“Do not even think about it. Rundert may be a jerk, but he’s still the most powerful person in this town. Going after him is no different than seeking your death.”

Revna’s obsession prevented her from going against Desmond’s orders. Still, at the same time, it did not allow her to tolerate people like Rundert, who was obviously targeting Desmond. So, Revna tried to convince Desmond. “That may be true, but I can’t let that man become a nuisance to the Master.”

What Revna didn’t expect was for Desmond’s tone to turn stern. “I have said no. We’re going to deal with Rundert smartly. Did I make myself clear?”

Revna immediately turned obedient, though you could still see a little something else in her eyes; she wasn’t used to Desmond talking to her like that. Desmond wasn’t an empath, but his senses were so acute they were frankly not human; he noted what was happening inside Revna.

Desmond had nothing but good intentions for this girl, who had made it her life’s mission to serve him.

Desmond also understood that he couldn’t give her free rein as it would break the nature of their relationship and lead to problems in the future. Still, Desmond decided that this was one of those times when the carrot and stick strategy should be used.

Since Revna had already received the stick, Desmond found an exciting way to give her the carrot. “I’m a little thirsty.”

Revna caught on immediately; in an instant, her hands were already moving to fill Desmond’s glass with some more whiskey and ice. Revna held up the glass, intending to hand it to her Master, but Desmond made a move first.

.....

Taking Revna by the arm, Desmond pulled her up, pulling the girl onto his lap. Today, Revna wore an extraordinarily revealing and sensual maid outfit, showing off all of her Nordic beauty at its best.

Surprised but excited, Revna was a bit distracted, enjoying her closeness with Desmond. Beside her, Desmond placed one of his hands on Revna’s smooth, plump thighs, giving a slightly playful caress before clinging to her with a little more strength and dominance.

Revna had blushed up to her neck, but she never tried to resist. Desmond knew that Revna would do absolutely anything for him, so he didn’t plan to take things too far; it didn’t seem fair knowing she wouldn’t resist.

Looking into those blue eyes that stared back at him with an obsessive, lustful gleam, Desmond only said. “I’m still thirsty.”

Revna snapped out of her stupor, bringing the glass to Desmond’s lips for the latter to drink his whiskey. The rosy, provocative vibe remained, but neither took another step. Desmond just enjoyed a bit of Revna’s sensuality as she sat on his lap. In contrast, Revna enjoyed their closeness as she slowly fed him.

All good things must end eventually, so Revna got up from Desmond’s lap with a great deal of unwillingness. Revna was an intelligent girl; she knew that Desmond wasn’t willing to break certain barriers with her. She also knew that this was Desmond’s way of comforting her.

“Thanks, Master.”

Desmond heaved a satisfied sigh, suppressed the libido that had built up inside him, and responded. “Don’t even mention it. Revna, you are the one who knows the Garden girls best. Do you think they are ready for their first mission?”

Seeing things turn serious again, Revna covered every inch of her sensuous figure with shadows. In the next instant, her attire had changed into one of the special forces suits that Garden wears.

Desmond wasn’t surprised; he had seen this trick before; it was a somewhat ingenious move, although he didn’t understand Revna’s eagerness to design such an ability. Seeing the satisfied expression on Revna’s face, Desmond believed she just liked the feeling of cosplaying, either that or a fetish of stripping in front of him.

Completely unaware of how low Desmond’s opinion of her was, at least concerning her strange hobbies, Revna gave her report. “Ever since the trip you took after the bitter winter battle, I have been training the girls rigorously. We have carried out several small-scale operations; they have gone through more than one combat scenario and have managed it properly. They have all improved a lot in terms of infiltration and surveillance; it has helped a lot that we have the best equipment at our disposal. Yulei and Kira have trained with the material provided by the Master and have greatly improved in combat. Sara has warmed up quite a bit, studying and expanding her knowledge. She is an excellent operator and hacker now.”

Desmond was quite pleased with what he was hearing; he understood Revna quite well and knew her standards were relatively high. She would not approve the girls in Garden just because she cared for them.

“What about Natalie and Tania?”

Revna flashed a proud smile. “To be honest, Natalie’s improvement has been outstanding. Of all the girls, she was the one I worried about the most. Training can help overcome fear and improve combat, but it can’t necessarily correct one’s personality. In Natalie’s case, she has learned to take things seriously when duty calls. Inside Garden, she remains the same as ever, but as soon as she sets foot outside for a mission, she becomes a different person. She practically becomes a super detective when she gets serious.”

“I didn’t think that would be the case; she has always struck me as somewhat...naughty.”

“Well, I believed it is because she understood that Master does not show any favoritism; you objectively reward our achievements. After seeing the rest of the girls earn praise from you, Natalie didn’t want to be left behind.

“Not the kind of motivation I was hoping for, but I guess it will do.”

“It’s more efficient than you think. In Tania’s case, she remains the same. Emotional support from her is vital to Garden’s development, and she has found her own way to support despite her lack of combat ability. She carries out our administrative duties and as an operations assistant when required. Also, her ability has taken an interesting development.”

Desmond had a pretty clear understanding of the Garden girls’ abilities. He was the one who helped them awaken and analyzed them when they acquired them. While it’s true that he hadn’t been keeping a close eye on their development, it could be said that he understood them. That’s why Revna’s comment caught his attention. “What kind of development?”

A disturbance formed in Revna’s shadow, like ripples on the water. Revna had called it her wardrobe, a very unoriginal name for such a rare and unique ability. In essence, she always carried a compartment where she stored things in her shadow. There, she kept all her costumes, weapons, and other items of hers.

Revna pulled out a folder from her shadow and handed it to Desmond. As Desmond began flipping through the documents, Revna briefly summarized the contents.

“I’m not very clear about how it works, but given the number of samples and the effects shown, I believe Tania’s ability works as an amplifier of properties. In the past, eating something prepared with her ability would speed up regeneration and restore stamina; I think that’s just the most basic part of her ability. If my assumptions are correct, her ability is highly related to the ingredients at her disposal; that’s why she hadn’t shown her true colors until now.”

Seeing how detailed the documents were and the experiments recorded, Desmond couldn’t help but ask. “Who compiled this?”

It took Revna a moment to understand Desmond’s hesitation; only now did she realize that Desmond very rarely received written reports from Garden. He only asked for verification from her. This showed that Desmond trusted her enough, but it also led to carelessness and unawareness of the overall situation.

“The experiment was devised by Sara and supervised with the help of Natalie. The ingredients were obtained by Yulei and Kira in the forest, although they did not dare to go too far. It seems to me that the report was written by Tania.”

Desmond flashed a smile that perfectly combined the expression of a satisfied man and that of a sadist about to start a bloodbath. “I see. It seems that the flowers in my garden have grown very healthy and beautiful.”

No one couldn’t blame Desmond for being so happy either. He had invested a lot of resources and effort into Garden. Now it seemed that his hidden weapon had already become sharp enough.

“I want to give Tania’s skill a try on my own. Get ready; we’re going out for a walk in the woods. That idiot Rundert gained a lot of authority due to the new military reforms. Still, it also opened many doors to acquiring military credits and rising in the ranks. I already planned to visit Athena in the forest and gather information; now, we can bring some ingredients for Tania. We’ll talk about our next move after that.”

“Yes, Master.”