Aaron reacted to the kick immediately, rotating his body, leaving his legs in the paw's direction. He also drew his sword and firmly pointed it down.

The impact from the attack would have broken the legs of any other Two Star Qi Manipulator, but he crouched and absorbed the attack within himself. He used his Qi to decrease the damage to his body, but even with his high-quality Qi, he received a minor internal wound from absorbing the tiger's attack. It was his first injury in that world, which was quickly healed by his Qi.

Meanwhile, the sword precisely pierced the tiger's paw.

That simple action would've surprised any beast tamer. The leather of a paw of that size and power had immense resistance! Otherwise, how could it withstand the tiger's enormous weight as it walked over fallen branches and pointed rocks at high speed?

But Aaron detected, in a mere instant, the point where the leather was weakest and his sword went deep.

The tiger roared in surprise at the sting. Aaron filled his legs with Qi and leaped from its paw towards a nearby tree, pulling the sword with him. He flipped his body midair and hit the tree legs-first, causing it to bend under his weight. There, he seemed to crouch diagonally and used his personal launch again.

The tree's trunk practically exploding into pieces as he shot at the tiger again.

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The tiger could hardly believe what had just happened.

Injured!

It had been hurt!

It was the first time in its life. It had been born powerful and had remained stronger than all beasts in the area as it grew older, except those damn worms it needed to avoid. To find a challenge that suited it, it had even started provoking other beasts by killing their cubs for sport. Unfortunately, no parent came to seek revenge. At least hearing its victims' cries of despair and pain had become a pleasant pastime.

But now, it, one of the strongest in the Red Forest, had been hurt!

It was so absorbed by that strangeness that it barely saw when the human jumped in its direction again. It shocked it to feel the human land on its back!

It tried to flap its wings to take off, but the place was too tight and the trees were in the way.

So, it threw itself to the ground and began rolling to crush the human to death!

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Aaron used a new skill when he reached the beast's backside.

Myriad Absolute Arts — Martial Arts — Two Star Qi — Harmonious Balance!

When the tiger flapped its wings, Aaron concentrated Qi on his legs and balanced himself perfectly. When the tiger rolled on itself to crush Aaron...

Aaron could hardly believe how inexperienced the carnifex was in combat!

He ran practically vertically as the tiger rolled, and when the animal was on its back, Aaron attacked.

His sword was just long enough to pierce the carnifex's pelt all the way through. After doing so, Aaron continued running, and the tiger, rolling. The result was a huge cut to its belly. It roared in pain and struggled in despair. He kept his harmonious balance going while running and opening more of the carnifex's pelt.

That wound wouldn't be fatal. The enormous amount of Qi in a Five Star beast was enough to seal the thin wound like the one caused by the sword almost as soon as the weapon had gone through it.

But the pain wasn't something the tiger could ignore. Aaron wanted to show that he could hurt it. That should be enough for the beast to either go on a rampage on the surroundings or step back a few hundred feet and allow the Fire Wolves and himself to escape.

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Its belly was being cut, and it had never been injured in his life! It didn't know what to do.

Should it destroy the nearby trees to fly? But if it did so, would the human leave his back?

Should it try to bite the human? But what if the human made the inside of its mouth hurt too?

It had to think. It needed space. It had to leave.

Amid the madness caused by the pain, it rolled back to its feet and sprinted away.

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Aaron jumped to the ground in time to avoid getting crushed and watched, surprised, as the tiger ran away at a fast pace.

He had a few theories on the reason for such a drastic reaction, too many for him to pick the right one. However, the worse of them required immediate attention and he would thus act as if it was the right one.

The tiger might be rushing to get help from its pack.

It was time to leave, and leave fast.

He turned to the Fire Wolves, who had their mouths and eyes agape. He ignored the looks of astonishment and ran to his liguru. As he ran, he swung his sword at the empty air, shaking it with an extremely fast movement of the wrist. It threw the dirt and little blood on the blade away, leaving the sword perfectly clean. Satisfied, he sheathed it, just in time to reach the liguru and mount it with a jump.

"The tiger will be back soon! Follow me!" he said with an urgent voice.

He galloped in the safest direction he could determine, and the others followed. After half an hour, the Fire Wolves had put the territory of a powerful beast between them and the tiger — or so Aaron believed by the signs he detected. Only then did he allow the ligurus to stop and rest.

The group had ridden in silence, not daring to distract their guide in the dangerous Red Forest, but now Logan couldn't take it anymore.

"What was that?!" he shouted.

"Amazing!" said Tia excitedly. "How did you do that?"

Aaron smiled. Tia was a simple person who couldn't stop herself from interacting with him when she saw something impressive, even after being blackmailed by him.

Logan, on the other hand, had an edge of fury within him; he couldn't accept that Aaron had hidden his power. It was also humiliating — and thus infuriating for some people — to be saved by a man you hated so and thought so little of.

Alys and Lana looked at Aaron in silence with admiration.

"I have my secrets," he replied simply.

No one could say anything against those words. People naturally had all kinds of secrets, and when those secrets involved palpable power as it was for cultivators, they were even more common. Secrets that allowed a Two Star Qi Manipulator to battle a Five Star Four-Wings Blue Tiger for a few tens of seconds were invaluable, and Aaron had the right to keep them to himself.

"You better lead the way from now on," Tia said after a brief period of silence. Her voice was full of disappointment with herself for putting everyone at risk.

He nodded, not willing to risk his life again just to avoid hurting her feelings. "Alright, but I need a map to know where we are going."

She took a map of her spatial ring and gave it to him, showing where they were and their destination. He memorized everything in a few minutes. Red City, the major stop before they reached the cave complex they were heading to, was not far; they would arrive that same night, as long as they didn't stop to camp as early as they had been doing.

"Let's ride together," he said, returning the map to Tia. "If something happens, we better be close to each other. Dividing us to patrol the area was a bad idea."

Tia swallowed dry and accepted the criticism.

There was no other problem for the rest of the ride. They arrived at Red City in the middle of the night.

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Red City was surrounded by a clearing of almost a thousand feet and protected by thick wooden walls and a closed metal portcullis. The sentries stationed atop the walls wore brown leather and gambeson uniforms with a small red C on the chest — a half-moon.

"Halt!" ordered one guard when the Fire Wolves approached. "We're closed for the night, and it's forbidden to spend the night close to the city walls!"

Alys promptly raised her Circle emblem. This time, the reaction was the opposite of what the Captain of the Royal Guard had shown. The men here didn't work directly for the king, but for the Red Baron, the city ruler. To these men, being arrogant with a member of the Arcane Circle, even if ordered to, wasn't any different from committing suicide. Add her current level to the mix, and even the captain might have thought twice before being so arrogant toward her.

The guard ordered the gate open and ran off to fetch the commander of the local forces, who quickly appeared with a sleepy face but immaculate garb to receive Alys.

"It's an honor to receive a Four Star Sorceress of the Arcane Circle in our humble city," he said with a military salute. "The baron ordered me to accompany you to the Central Residence," he continued.

Alys nodded. "Very well. Let's go."

The commander led the way, and two guards followed the group. The three of them rode a yellowish lizard species.

The city buildings were made of wood, and the central street was barely wide enough for just two carts to travel side by side. They proceeded to the Central Residence, a small stone castle that was more or less in the center of the city.

Once there, the rear guards left, and the remaining people all dismounted. The commander guided them to a dining room with a long table already set, filled with food and drinks despite the late hour.

A man in his early fifties, tall and thin, sat at the head of the table, a forty-year-old elegant woman sat to his left, and a teenage boy to his right. Five servants stood by the walls.

"Your guests, as ordered, milord," said the commander with a bow and left.

As soon as Alys entered the room, the man sitting at the head stood up, his wife and son imitating him.

"Sorceress, welcome to my humble city," said the man with a smile on his face.

"Thanks, baron. It is an honor to be invited to feast so late at night," said Alys without smiling, making it clear she wasn't pleased.

The baron ignored her icy words and gestured to the chairs. "Come, sit down."

Alys did as suggested and sat next to the Baron's son, while the rest of the Fire Wolves sat in the farthest seats possible. When everyone was seated, the baron took the first bite of his food and started supper for everyone, as the local etiquette dictated.

"How was the trip?" asked the baron after a long silence.

"Pleasant," replied Alys simply.

There was another silence, broken only by the noise of cutlery hitting the plates until the baron spoke again. "I heard there have been a lot of carnifex activity in the forest."

"Me too."

The baron frowned in displeasure at Alys's attitude, but instead of saying something, he just went back to another long silence.

The tension on the table was almost palpable. Only Aaron seemed oblivious to it, eating cheerfully. That was the best food he had tasted since turning mortal again!

"Did you meet any trouble on the way?" asked the baron after he finished eating. "Were you attacked?"

Alys finally couldn't keep that farce going on anymore. She put the cutlery on the plate and looked at the baron.

"You got up when I arrived but didn't introduce yourself or ask for my name. It shows you want to be polite, but don't see me as an equal. But if you don't see me as an equal, why would you do me the honor of waking up your family to welcome me so late at night? The obvious answer is that my presence in this city makes you anxious enough that you want to make a good impression.

"However, if that was all, why make me dine so late? Doing so after a long trip will probably make me want to rest the next day instead of going on my way, which is strange if my presence makes you anxious. So I ask you, who told you to waste my time in this city and why?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow. That was a huge logical leap. The baron might be delaying their departure, yes, but it was also possible that he just wanted to please her so much that he hadn't done something stupid. Or that he always dined this time. Or that he had poisoned the food and wanted to kill them all.

Why had she singled that possibility?

The baron grimaced. "These are not the manners to be had at the table of nobility, Sorceress."

Alys let out a derisive laugh. "It's been a long time since I saw someone dare tell a Four Star Sorceress how she should behave at the table. I must say, baron, that you are a very brave man."

The baron frowned for a moment, but then Alys stood up and pushed Space Energy directly at a wall. It exploded outwards.

Aaron understood then that there was more to it all than met the eyes. He would talk to them about it at a more suitable occasion.

The host's eyes widened, and he went pale. "This is an act of war—" he started, but Alys interrupted him.

"You dare to keep taking me as a dumb farm girl?!" Another wall exploded outwards, and every single drop of blood drained from the baron's face. His wife, son, and servants ran from the room, but the man's guards were wiser than him. None came to stand up against Alys. "You offended me three times, baron. That would be enough to take your life here and now, and no stupid war would follow! You have stayed holed up in this god-forsaken place, playing politics for too long. In the Illyria Kingdom, a Four Star Sorceress is a law upon itself."

He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly before forming a sentence. "They said you would be coy."

"Who are they?" she pressed.

The baron clenched his jaws shut. He feared the other party more than Alys, which was an answer in itself. Few people could outrank a Four Star Sorceress in Illyria. It also explained how he had risked acting so haughtily toward her.

Alys didn't press for an answer. "I'll leave the city tomorrow after lunch," she said, "and I'm sure no unforeseen circumstances will prevent me from doing so and force me to postpone my trip. Otherwise, baron, I'll be very upset. You don't want an upset Four Star Sorceress in your city, do you?" She exploded yet another wall. "As you can see, I am not coy."

He said nothing, but his panicked face was enough of an answer.

They left the Central Residence by the hole she had just created. Before leaving, Aaron took two roasted thighs from a tray, one in each hand. They were really delicious!

Tia took the lead as soon as they left and took everyone to an inn that was almost full, but had enough room for them to get a table.

"That was poorly done," Aaron said, his mouth full of meat. "If you're so sure of foul play, you should at least have forced him to pay restitution at the threat of death. Allowing people to disrespect you without no personal damage but a few broken walls sets a dangerous precedent."

They looked at him in surprise, except Logan, who snorted knowingly. "The Rogue wants us to extort someone," he said. "How surprising."

Aaron ignored the man. "Anyway, what's going on? Why did someone tell the baron to waste our time? And why didn't you pressure him to give us the mastermind's name?"

The Fire Wolves looked at each other before Alys replied, "What exactly do you know about the commission to retrieve the Sky Splitter Sword?"