'Stella, do you know what a Cao fruit is?'

Reiji asked his student as he can't follow the Knight's conversation.

​​

Why are they suspecting the Greiner Family? What made them create such grave accusations?

As far as Reiji remembers, Alexander Greiner and his family were people that Aria suspected to have something to do with their father's disappearance and created rumors that he had betrayed the kingdom…

However, because the man itself had disappeared, the rumors can only stay as much and could not be proven at all. Unfortunately, it was still enough to destroy the reputation of the baron's family. Their businesses declined as trading partners turned their backs on them.

Now that he heard about this Greiner family again, Reiji became curious as he wanted to understand what was going on.

'Cao fruit? If you're referring to the Native Cao Fruit, then, yes… I have heard of it. Do you want to eat them, Master?'

'What? How can I eat them? I just heard from Castillo that the beast tamers just now had traces of this Cao fruit on them… Then, I heard the Chaos Knights immediately suspected some people who have possibly betrayed the kingdom… It's quite a hasty decision so I'm curious.'

'Cao fruit? Is that so? Mhmmm… I heard about Native Cao Fruits but I'm not too sure. They are fruits that are being processed and served to the nobles of the kingdom as a snack... In short, they are expensive…'

'Native Cao Fruit… I think that's the same fruit they mentioned. Perhaps that fruit can only grow in certain places?'

'I'm sorry, Master… I'm not sure about this… But if you want to know more about them, I have books in my room related to raw materials, potion ingredients, and records of various plants. There should be some information related to the Native Cao Fruit there…'

'Alright… But there should be an easier way, let's try to ask people who specialize in these things.'

'Ahh… That's right, we can ask the merchants about it… or perhaps Iris. She must've heard about this fruit. That's a good idea, Master…'

Stella replied as she saw that the Knights together with Lord Castillo had entered their golden camp to perhaps conduct a meeting.

They would surely be very busy as they needed to do something about those Beast Tamers. She also didn't want to ask them about it as she might end up participating with them.

It doesn't mean that she didn't care about their plans to protect the village. It just means that she has her own way of fighting.

If the Beast Tamers truly intended to attack their village, she would retaliate with her full force without any mercy.

She would never let the same thing happen ever again… The Three-Eyed Imp Cult's incident was already enough.

"Stella! Did you go outside? Have you heard those howls from the wolves? Are you alright? I heard that some bad guys were planning something to our village again… Is that true?!"

As soon as Stella entered Gentle Leaves, the Apothecary in the village, she was immediately bombarded with questions by her friend.

"Iris… Don't worry. The Knights are already working on it. You also know that the large Merchant Guild's Caravan is here. They have very strong guards and Arcanists with them. We should be safe as long as we don't go outside the village…"

Stella replied. Considering that the Beast Tamers only provoked them, they must be wary of their opponents as well, especially those ten genuine Chaos Knights.

It wasn't easy to attain their current status and even if they have the blood of nobility in their veins, the accolade remains strict by the standard of the knights.

"Right, the reason I'm here is to ask about the Cao Fruit or perhaps Native Cao Fruit…"

Stella then stated her purpose for the visit.

"Native Cao Fruit? Mom… Do you know anything about this fruit?"

Sally, Iris' mother, doesn't seem to be worried about the Beast Tamers appearance a while ago as she cleans the apothecary's tools in making potions and medicines.

"Mhmm… Of course, they're popular in the eastern part of our kingdom."

Sally thought for a moment as she tries to recall all the information about this fruit.

"I remember that this fruit can be used to sweeten pastries and the nobles like them a lot. Ah, what kind of information are you looking for?"

Before Stella could answer, Iris butted in.

"Oh… That's why I'm not too familiar… They aren't being used for arcane concoctions, right?"

Sally nodded after hearing this. She understood that her daughter only has interests in these kinds of concoctions so it was natural that she was unaware of the ingredients used to satisfy the people's cravings for good food.

"Mhmm… May I know where this fruit grows specifically?"

After Stella asked, Sally explained to her everything that she knows about the fruit.

The plantation where they are located can only be found in the eastern border's county and one of the old territories of Count and General Maximilian Greiner.

It is also the same territory blocking the Erliente Dukedom from entering the Kingdom freely! This means that transporting a large number of Inferno Wolves and Beast Tamers shouldn't have happened unless the count had gone mad and turned a blind eye to their entry.

If the speculation leading to their betrayal was true, it would also explain how they could easily move within the kingdom.

If they have received some help from the Greiner Family, then giving them proof of identities and necessary supplies wouldn't be any problem.

With this information, Reiji understood that Aria's words weren't just for nothing. Perhaps, their father realized this betrayal, and before he could make a report to the royal family, he was probably intercepted by the Count.

Of course, this is just Reiji's imagination and the truth may differ. However, there might be a tinge of truth in that.

Stella thanked the two before she left the shop and returned home. It was not a good idea to lurk around the forest right now as she might just attract some trouble.

As she entered her room, she made a serious face and started a conversation with her master.

"Master… Am I strong already?"

"Mhmm?"

"I don't have a lot of experience yet… but I want to know how strong am I… How would you grade my strength, Master?"

"Well… In truth, I've already taught all the important aspects of Kendo to you and you just need to practice them… If you're fighting against people who have never seen your sword skills, then you can definitely dominate the fight… However, if I'll rate you with fellow Kendo Practitioners…"

"That's right! Please rate me with my Kendo skills!"

"Mhmm… I'd say that you can pass as a 1-Dan, No-- Maybe 2-Dan…"

"Eh?"

Stella wasn't too familiar with the Dan Grades since Reiji didn't fully discuss it with her. After all, there is no Kendo Federation here to make such examinations.

Maybe it will happen someday in the future if he wanted to do so, but definitely not this time.

"Two-Dan? Is it good or bad?"

"Of course it's good since it hasn't been long when you started practicing Kendo. It can be considered as a high grade already…"

"Really?! Thank you, Master…"

Stella thanked him sincerely.

"Ahh… Can you tell me more about the Dan Grade?"

Reiji thought for a moment about how he should explain it.

"Let's see… The lowest grade is 1-Dan and the highest is 8-dan… Although there are six grades below 1-Dan, you can easily pass them since you have a trained body to compensate."

"Six more grades? Is it for the beginners like me?"

"Yes… It is called Kyu… 6th-Kyu for the lowest and 1st-Kyu for the highest just below 1-Dan…"

"I see… Kendo seems to be more complicated than I thought… Right, why did you change my grade to 2-Dan, Master? I think I'll be happy even with just 1-Dan now that I know about the six lower grades… Hehehe…"

In truth, it was impossible to pass as a 1-Dan Kendoka or above without a year of experience. However, that is for the Kendo Federation's grading system. Reiji graded her high because of her skills in Kendo.

"One-Dan is for someone who has trained the basics of Kendo and possesses acceptable skills or techniques… However, being a Two-Dan means that aside from learning the basics, you already have a good grasp or proficiency in using kendo techniques. If you're curious about the Eight-Dan, they are someone who reached the inner-secret of Kendo, someone who had trained their skills for many years, and has attained complete mastery of Kendo…"

Stella's skills were improving so fast not just because of her training but because Reiji often uses Take Over on her. When he uses it, her consciousness was still present, so whenever he uses various techniques, her body easily remembers them.

She just needed to repeatedly practice those techniques so her body can't forget them easily.

"I will do my best to reach the peak of Kendo, Master!"

Stella said as she imagined herself being in the highest grade someday…