Chapter 86

From Beatrice's perspective.

Today, I had planned to adjust my spear after its repair, so I didn't intend to enter the forest.

I went to the guild just to pass the time, but I had a feeling something interesting might happen, so I went.

And it turned out to be the right decision.

When I tried to enter the guild, a young Terry was lying at the entrance.

I thought he must have been drunk and got into a fight, but no one seemed to be coming to his aid.

Feeling that someone should help him, I said, "There's a Terry lying outside! Hasn't anyone noticed?" and went inside.

Inside, Terry's companions were staring with their mouths agape at the counter. I followed their gaze and saw a hooded figure and a boy around ten years old talking to the receptionist Tina. The boy turned around when he heard my voice.

When I saw his face, I thought he was a beautiful child. Yes, if rich middle-aged women or old men with a penchant for boys saw him, they would drool and try to get close to him. However, his eyes were filled with a vitality that would make even such people back away. There was not a hint of decadence.

I don't have a taste for admiring beautiful boys. But the moment I saw his eyes, my curiosity was piqued.

Unconsciously, I asked the boy, who was about to leave after finishing his business, "Did you take down Terry?"

The boy answered my rude question politely. He seemed to be a well-educated child from an upper-class family.

"I was attacked with a sword, so I retaliated with magic. I did hold back, so I don't think he's injured, but if he is, I can treat him."

I murmured, "Magic, huh... You can even heal injuries," while watching his footwork. From his weight distribution, it was clear he was ready to dodge at any moment, and there were no openings.

"You don't seem to be just a mage. You look like someone who has trained properly. It's no wonder Terry was taken down..."

I muttered this without realizing it.

While I was talking to myself, the hooded figure and the boy were heading towards the entrance. I couldn't help but call out, "Wait a moment."

I thought my tone was a bit harsh, but he didn't show any signs of fear and asked, "Is there something you need?"

I am a large, intimidating woman, and I often scare children. Children around his age can at least talk to me, but younger ones might cry just from my presence.

I thought I had made a mistake but said, "Terry isn't my subordinate or anything, but it seems he caused trouble for a regular customer. I wanted to apologize," but he politely declined with a smile.

I found this a bit amusing and forced a smile, saying, "Well, don't be like that," as I approached him.

He tensed slightly, but I decided to ask his name.

"I'm Beatrice. Beatrice Raval. What's your name, kid?"

He answered cautiously, "I'm Zack." If my intuition was correct, he was from an upper-class family, so this wasn't his real name. He must be quick-witted, thinking through the situation and only giving his nickname.

Hearing the name Zack, I finally realized who he was.

He was the incredibly skilled child Ian had mentioned, and the genius causing a stir in the old town of Doctus, Zacharias Rockhart.

I said, "Can you spare a moment?" and moved closer.

The hooded adventurer stepped in front of me, as if protecting him.

When the adventurer removed her hood, a beautiful elf woman stood there, glaring at me with deep emerald eyes. At that moment, I was thinking about something else. In my thirty years, I had never seen such a beautiful woman.

Ignoring my thoughts, she said, "I'm Lydiane. What do you want with my Zack?" emphasizing the word "my" and looking up at me provocatively.

The young men behind her sighed, and I understood why. Her beauty was so captivating that it didn't even evoke jealousy, but rather made one think of irrelevant things.

I managed to regain my composure and said,

"I want to see the kid's skills in the training ground behind the guild. I'm not going to eat him or anything."

Lydiane replied, "We're in a hurry. And what do you want to see from a child?" without backing down. Standing in front of me, she didn't seem to be afraid, suggesting she was quite skilled despite her appearance.

I found this amusing and burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha! I just want to see the skills of the genius Zacharias Rockhart. Isn't that right?"

He seemed surprised to hear his name and quickly changed to a wary expression, glaring at me.

When I mentioned that I had heard about him from Ian, the young adventurer who saved me from a giant centipede, he showed a bit of his true self. He didn't seem intimidated by me and boldly challenged me.

Even when glared at by a tall, intimidating woman, he showed no signs of fear.

"There's no benefit for me in showing my skills. I'm already dealing with a lot of trouble. I was attacked with a sword, and now you want me to cooperate? Doesn't that sound strange to you?"

I was slightly surprised by his words and found them even more amusing, bursting into laughter. I bent down to look him in the eye and said,

"Ahahaha! You're a funny kid. Aren't you afraid of me? You've got some guts!"

I knew I would be feared for this, but I couldn't stop laughing.

"If there's a benefit, I'll cooperate. Sure, I can even share a bed with you. Ahahaha!"

I said something unnecessary. But when I looked at him, he seemed to be calmly observing me.

I added a bit of intensity to my tone, "You really are different from what you look like," and watched him.

He met my gaze head-on without looking away.

After a few seconds, Lydiane stepped in again, glaring at me and saying, "It's not right for an adult woman to threaten a child like that."

She was right, and I realized I had gotten carried away.

As I was thinking this, he relaxed and asked, "Are you a third-class adventurer, Beatrice?"

I was taken aback by the sudden question and could only manage, "Yes, I'm third-class," without thinking of a reason. As I was puzzled, he spoke casually,

"Sharing a bed sounds tempting, but if you think I'm worth it after seeing my skills, can you become my sponsor? I want to register as an adventurer."

I was surprised by his offer. As the top student at the academy, he was destined for a bright future. I couldn't understand why he wanted to register as an adventurer.

I stopped thinking and decided that it would be interesting to see what he was up to.

I took him to the training ground behind the guild. At the time, I only expected him to have some basic skills with magic and a sword. I thought I could become his sponsor as a form of compensation.

Terry's companions, who seemed to be free, followed us. Of course, they weren't my party members or subordinates. I don't form fixed parties.

As a beastkin, specifically a tiger, I have a fearsome appearance, which makes it hard to find companions. I've formed parties a few times, but after completing a few quests together, they usually say, "You're too strong for us," and disband. If I joined a stronger party, it would be better, but those parties already have fixed members, leaving no room for me.

The same goes for men. I wonder why men like big chests. Many men come to me for that reason, but after a few nights, they usually break up, saying, "I've lost my confidence as a man." Of course, I dump those who only play with my chest and ignore me.

Getting back to the story, I ended up working solo. As a result, I often joined other parties as a helper, which expanded my network.

Because of this, some people, like Terry, call me "sister" and look up to me, but I don't take care of them that much.

When we arrived at the training ground, I picked up a training spear and let him choose a wooden sword. If Ian's story was true, he would be a mage-swordsman at his age, and I wanted to confirm this.

He chose a sword without hesitation and asked, "What about magic?" I thought he was a strange kid. As the top student at the academy, he should normally use magic to fight.

I had planned to let him use magic from the beginning, so I said, "At this distance, it's hard to cast a spell normally. I'll let you go first."

At that moment, I underestimated his skills. No matter how talented, he was only ten years old. I thought he might have some sword training, but combining it with magic would be too much.

"Then, I'll attack first."

He started casting a spell I didn't know.

When he finished, a transparent bird flew out of his right hand. The bird was so beautifully formed that it was mesmerizing, even in a mock battle.

I quickly regained my composure and prepared to counter. To my surprise, the bird flew in a circle and headed towards the ceiling.

I was momentarily confused. Sensing danger from the bird above, I kept an eye on it while also watching him. As I was deciding how to act, he started casting the same spell again.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

In Doctus, where mages often work together, I pride myself on my knowledge of magic.

So, I was stunned by his unconventional ability to cast two spells simultaneously.

His unconventional nature didn't stop there. He used the first spell to attack from behind and the second to target my feet. Controlling the magic he cast was something I had never seen, even in this city, the heart of the mage guild.

However, I could still respond. His true terror was that he used the magic to force me into a situation where I had to react, and then took advantage of the opening to attack me with his sword. His speed was unbelievable for a child.

I decided to go all out. I jumped towards him, using all my muscles. He seemed surprised by my action.

At that moment, I realized he was a genius but lacked experience. I instinctively knew he was aware of this too.

I found this interesting.

I used my best techniques to attack him.

I followed his gaze to avoid the magic coming from behind. Remembering that the magic could move freely, I knocked it away with my spear to prevent it from coming back.

He showed a surprised expression, which made me smile. I then attacked him with my spear while he was confused.

As I expected, he lacked experience. When I changed the speed of my first and second attacks, he quickly fell behind.

He wasn't wearing armor. I tried to hold back, but when the tip of my spear hit his sternum, he writhed in pain, vomiting.

I was a bit worried. Even with training, hitting a ten-year-old was not my intention.

As I was reflecting, the magic targeting my feet hit my left thigh. I braced for pain, but it seemed he had held back, as the wind magic disappeared without damaging my leather armor.

I was surprised again. Normal mages don't change the quality of their magic. Even in mock battles, they might reduce the power slightly, but not to the extent of changing the sharpness.

He was trying to stand up, spitting out stomach acid.

Even a grown adult would have trouble standing after such a hit, but he used his sword as a cane and said, "Shall we have another round? Without magic this time?"

I lost my composure and couldn't respond. How much training must he have undergone to stand up like that? The young men watching would have taken a break for at least ten minutes after such damage.

The others watching were also speechless, thinking the same thing.

In the silence, he asked, "Is this enough?"

I whispered, "Who are you?" in a hoarse voice.

He answered my question diligently.

"I'm Zacharias Rockhart, a student at the Tilia Magic Academy. Nothing more, nothing less."

I didn't know what to say to him and could only manage, "It's been a long time since I've been this surprised."

I remembered receiving his magic and said, "I'm sorry about earlier. I underestimated your magic."

We then had a non-magical sparring session.

His sword skills were astonishing for his age, surpassing a seventh-class swordsman in his twenties.

His speed was remarkable.

He attacked with a speed that made me, a beastkin, use my full strength. I didn't let him get close due to the reach difference between a spear and a sword, but he easily dodged my spear. While I could have defeated him with my full techniques, his skills were enough to make me use my full strength.

His attacks were also diverse.

From his stance, I could tell he had learned orthodox sword techniques, but he also used unconventional moves like leg sweeps and unexpected acrobatics. If his opponent was younger, they would have been overwhelmed, and he would have taken control.

The throwing swords on his belt weren't just for show. Although he didn't use them this time, if he had the same talent with throwing as with swords, it would have been difficult to use the spear's reach.

Unfortunately, his stamina didn't last. I wanted to continue, but I ended the session by deflecting his sword and pointing my spear at his throat.

He smiled in satisfaction and thanked me.

I was momentarily puzzled but quickly