Reeling back to reality, I join teacher and Astrid over at the terrace, where a table and a few chairs have been set up by the butlers and maids.

Astrid was already sitting there, I make my way over and I take my seat next to her, while teacher takes one beside me.

“Hi, my name’s Selene!” I say to Astrid trying to be as friendly as possible before realizing my mistake immediately after and try to salvage the situation.

“Though I guess you already knew that, hehe.” I nervously laugh.

Astrid seems to be taken aback by my sudden introduction judging by her blank expression, then she turns red in the face and shyly says in a small voice.

“It’s nice to meet you Selene.”

I tilt my head in confusion, her current appearance is totally different from the graceful introduction she did before.

Noticing my expression, she looks down in dejection and answers my silent question.

“Sorry, I’ve had a lot of lessons in etiquette but, I’m not really that good at socializing.”

“No no, it’s okay! I know someone just like you actually, kind of. He’s not great at talking either but he gets really excited about his books!” I say to calm Astrid down but I think I might’ve said the wrong words.

“Really? What kind of books does he like? I like books too, the Arcadium series is my favorite. Followed by Luminous Aquera and the Sage Weaver’s Compendium,” She says rapidly no signs of being upset.

I sigh to myself in relief and smile as I recall my first meeting with Alex. However, I reeled back upon hearing the name of a familiar book.

“Arcadium? Are you studying runes?” I ask.

“Yes! Runes are the best! It’s so interesting how a slight change in the rune formation of a spell can have drastic changes when done properly!” Astrid suddenly erupts.

“My, someone from the Vrynn family being interested in Runeology, today is full of surprises.” Teacher suddenly says reminding us of her presence.

Astrid once again turns slightly red and looks down. I pout at teacher for messing with Astrid.

“Fufu, don’t worry my dear, I think it’s wonderful! I’ll prepare a gift for you tomorrow, I’m sure you’ll find it most interesting.” Teacher says with a soft smile.

Astrid lit up upon hearing it.

“T-t-thank you very much!” Astrid stutters as she shoots up and gives a deep bow.

“Fufu, you’re very welcome my dear. Anyway, it looks like things are about to get started.” Teacher says while directing our attention to the field.

Papa and Marquess Alphonse are now standing opposite of each other on the dirt field. Their wooden swords held by their side.

“Are you ready? Sir Abel?” The Marquess asks.

“Yes, your excellency. I am ready.” Papa nods.

“Good good, the match will be settled once one of us is rendered unable to continue or surrenders.”

And with that, they both readied their swords. They simply stared at each other for a few moments.

A couple of seconds go by with them just staring each other down when suddenly the Marquess leaped towards papa.

It was incredibly fast, I only saw their clash after it sent out a slight shockwave that could be felt by us sitting at the terrace.

Papa took a step back after diverting the contest of strength towards the ground.

Chasing after him, the Marquess unleashes a flurry of swift strikes from multiple angles, his blade becoming a blur under the incredible speed.

Papa stands his ground with a mix of carefully placed blocks and dodges. After a few seconds of the onslaught, papa retaliates with a horizontal slash, forcing the Marquess back. I catch my breath as the two reach a stalemate.

“Wow, I’ve never seen anyone be able to withstand grandpa’s flurry. Selene, your papa is amazing!” Astrid suddenly said from next to me.

I can only stare in amazement at what’s happening, I never knew papa was so strong! I tug at teacher once again with a question.

“How can they move so fast, teacher?”

“Well, like I’ve explained before, warriors forge their bodies constantly by tirelessly training their physique using mana. Abel’s strength is a testament to his hard work.”

“Wow, papa is so cool!” I cheer.

“Ahem, of course, he is my knight after all. Don’t forget though, Selene, this is nothing in the eyes of a powerful mage.”

As teacher finished, I notice the ongoing battle coming to halt. Papa and the Marquess take a short distance from each other, maintaining their stance.

A red glow starts emanating off of the Marquess’s body but it immediately disappears, followed by a green glow doing the same. Papa also glows yellow slightly in reply.

“What’s happening teacher?”

“This is what’s known as combat arts. It is very similar to magic but not quite.” She explains calmly.

“By navigating mana from their core into various parts of their magic circuit, they can temporarily increase their fighting capabilities. The skills utilized by the Marquess are ‘Boost’ and ‘Acceleration,’ one is to raise his overall abilities, and the other to raise his agility tremendously.”

“What about papa?”

“Abel, on the other hand, is using a special skill, not many warriors try to learn it so it might be unique only to him.” She says with genuine praise in her voice.

“Because Abel has low mana purity and capacity, he focuses all of it into boosting his reflexes, I believe it's called ‘Limit Break.’ It takes intense concentration as the secret to this technique involves the magic circuit in his brain. One wrong move and it could be deadly.”

I can feel the pressure radiating from the Marquess’s body. It’s as if the air shook under his might. Inversely, I couldn’t feel anything from papa at all.

“Is papa in trouble, then?” I worriedly ask.

“Fufu, just wait and see.” She replies with a grin.

I turn back and watch closely as the two men stood motionless in the moonlight. Then, in a split second, the Marquess turn into a blur and appeared where papa stood.

Papa, on the other hand, didn't move at all, and then it was over in an instant.

A loud bang sent another shockwave at us and as I covered my face to guard myself, I missed what happened completely.

As I examine aftermath, I see the two stood in the middle of the field next to each other and soon, one of them knelt down.

The Marquess had fallen, supporting himself with the wooden sword in one hand and clutching his stomach with the other.

Papa points his sword at the marquess' neck with a resolute look.

“A beautiful counter, I must say, Sir Abel.” The Marquess says with ragged breath.

“I surrender!”

With that, papa withdraws his sword and helps the Marquess stand up. He supported him as the two make their way back to us.

“Grandpa, are you okay?” Astrid worriedly asks.

“Hohoho! No need to worry my dear, tis but a bruise! That was a great battle, Sir Abel. Thank you for indulging in this old fool’s request.”

“Please, your excellency, it is I who should be thanking you. That was a great learning experience.” Papa says with respect.

“As humble as he is strong! Wonderful! Hohoho!” The Marquess heartily laughs as he sits down.

As the previous tense atmosphere began to deflate, I take this opportunity to ask what happened as I had missed it.

“Papa, what did you do at the end there, I didn't catch it at all! Amazing!” I enthusiastically ask.

Papa shows a bewildered expression and then shyly say,

“A-haha, it's really not that amazing. I can only use one combat art so the only way I could win was to bet everything on a counter.”

“Or so he says.” The Marquess interjected. “Do not sell yourself short, Sir Abel. It was a beautifully timed and executed counter. Even with my Acceleration, I could not dodge it.”

Papa shows a somewhat flustered face upon the sudden praise and then quickly composes himself.

“Thank you, Lord Vrynn. I am honored that my plain swordsmanship could be evaluated by you.” Papa says with a neat bow.

“Hohoho! Nonsense! Compared to the pointless flashiness of the youngins I see these days, I admire your efficient form much more!”

Papa did not reply but there was a warm smile on his face. Teacher continued sipping her tea with her trademark smug expression.

Then, we were soon joined by Mary and miss Sylvae, who were led by one of the butlers.

“Ah, Mary. Too bad you didn’t arrive sooner, you missed a good show.” Teacher suddenly says with a somewhat mischievous expression.

Mary begins to examine the situation, first looking at the energetic but albeit tired Marquess, and then Papa.

Seeming to understand the situation, Mary gives a tired sigh, to which papa returns with a nervous chuckle. Mary continues over to teacher with miss Sylvae and whispers something in her ear.

“?!” Upon hearing whatever Mary told her, teacher shot a surprised expression.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Teacher asks as she puts down her tea.

“Yes madam, Sylvae confirmed it herself.”

Teacher ponders for a bit before finally speaking up.

“Marquess Vrynn, I fear we have a situation on our hands.”

The Marquess responds in kind with a serious expression, waiting for what teacher has to say.

“My maid Sylvae has detected the presence of a demonic beast not too far from Luna.”

“What?! A demonic beast this close to settlement?!”

Everyone displays a shocked expression. I’ve only read about demonic beasts in books.

They are cursed wildlife, twisted by dark, evil magic. A wound from a demonic beast can curse its victims, making them incredibly dangerous creatures.

“I’m afraid so. Sylvae, explain the situation.”

“Yes, mistress.” She nods at her master before turning to the rest of us.

“I arrived here earlier today and prepared alarm magic within a two-mile radius of the town to detect any high amount of magical energy traveling through.”

“Approximately 2 hours ago, that alarm was triggered north of the town. Upon surveying the cause, I found footprints with the magical residue of a medium-sized demonic beast.”

“My word...I thought we drove the last remnants of them away in the war 600 years ago. I hope this doesn’t forebode something more sinister,” the Marquess thinks out loud.

“Relax, Alphonse. We shall aid you in defending the town. Sylvae, I want you to use your search magic to try to identify the location of the beast. Do not engage it without my permission.”

“Yes, mistress.”

Miss Sylvae then walks over to me and handed me a piece of paper before jumping northward over the entire mansion. I read the note to find two runes, presumably for Wind Burst and Air Barrier.

“On behalf of the people in Luna, I thank you for your assistance, Duchess. I will prepare a hunting party and we shall slay the beast tonight!” The Marquess proclaims.

Teacher nods in agreement, which goes to show how perilous the situation actually is.

“If you’ll excuse me, Duchess,” the Marquess says as he stands up. “I shall send a servant to inform you when the preparations are finished. Come, Astrid.”

Astrid looks concerned but nonetheless followed her grandfather. She turns and waves goodbye to me before the two enter back into the mansion.

“Teacher, can I do anything to help?”

She smiles at me and gives me a head pat upon hearing my question.

“I’m sorry, Selene. But this is simply too dangerous.”

I look at Papa and Mary but both instantly shake their heads.

But I want to help! If teacher is this serious about it, I can't just stay back and do nothing!

“Please let me come! I’ve been training with teacher for 5 years, I can defend myself!”

“Selene...” Papa starts to interject, but then teacher interrupts him by raising her hand.

“If you wish to come, then show me the extent of your training.” She says as she raises her hand in my direction.

“If you can withstand this, I’ll let you come.” She resolutely states.

I can already feel the mana pressure pouring out from her hand before she even started. I instantly erect a magical barrier in preparation to receive teacher’s blow, and then I move out toward the dirt field.

“It looks like you’re ready. Everyone, stand back.”

Papa and Mary reluctantly retreat a couple of steps back. Teacher remains seated and relaxed as ever as I stood a completely tensed a couple of meters away, still near the dirt field. Then, I felt it.

“Vermilion!”

A giant ball of heat and mana flew toward me at breathtaking speed, there wasn't any time to think. I pour every ounce of mana I have into my shield after seeing the size and power of Teacher’s spell. When it finally hits I fully realize the magnitude of it.

The concentrated flame instantly makes my barrier buckle under the pressure, the heat coming off it makes me feel as if my face was next to an open flame. If I wasn't distracted by my barrier about to break I would've cried out from the pain.

The grass and dirt burnt away under teacher’s spell, leaving nothing but a scorched patch of land. The energy condenses into a ball and continues to push at me, refusing to dissipate.

“Nghh!” I groaned in pain from the strain of, what felt like, trying to hold up a house.

I struggled as much as my body would let me, but I feel my mana reserves running out. Out of options, I start to use every spell my body remembers to try to push against the force of teacher’s spell.

“Impact! Negative Wall! Shadow Burst!”

I try every spell I can but they only get burned away under the dense heat of teacher’s 6th tier spell, Vermilion. I suddenly thought of a desperate idea, remembering Sylvae.

“Armaments: Shadow wings!”

A giant pair of wings grow from my back, using nearly the remainder of my mana pool.

“Air Barrier!”

I create an air barrier around teacher’s spell, cutting off the air from which it feeds to fuel its strength and also upon my wings to fortify it. Then I stretch my wings out and collapse them quickly on the inferno, dissipating the remainder of the spell.

“Haa. Haa. Haa.”

I fall to my knees, completely drained of energy, my wings completely disintegrating. The spell has pushed me back to the other side of the dirt field, with burnt, scorched earth left in its wake. Papa quickly ran over to pick me up and carry me back to the terrace.

“Well done, my student. That was very clever, weakening my Vermilion with Air Barrier before destroying it with Shadow Wings. As expected of a Darkness-Wind Hybrid Spell.”

I beam at Teachers praise until she throws cold water on my excitement.

“Though, why didn’t you just fly out of the way after activating your wings?”

I pause upon hearing what she said.

“Oops.”

Papa and Mary sigh hearing my response. Teacher simply shrugs.

“In accordance with our agreement I will bring you along.”

My face lit up in excitement but then,

“However! As I suspected you are still far too weak, you will be a bystander and no more.” She resolutely states.

I look at Teacher in surprise then recognize what she’s talking about.

“From what I saw, you’re still not strong enough.”

I wilt in dejection and disappointment and stare at my feet so they can’t see the face I’m making.

“Well, even though I held back a lot in that Vermilion, it’s still impressive that you were able to destroy it.” She says sincerely.

My head shoots up immediately after hearing that.

I turn to look at the barren land the spell left in its wake and look at Teacher with wide eyes.

“Held back!?” I say incredulously.

“Of course.” She says with a mock sniff of disdain.

“That Vermillion was dramatically weakened to practically a tier 5 spell instead of its full tier 6 power. If I use my specialty magic it would become a tier 7 spell as well.”

I almost start to feel even more depressed but inwardly smile slightly at Teacher’s behavior, I still think it’s cute when she’s smug.

Teacher clears her throat before smiling in reassurance at me.

“Don’t worry, there’s no way a beast can ever stand a chance against me.” She states with natural confidence.

I blink then smile weakly at her and nod. However, her confidence reassures me that everyone will be okay.

(As I thought, teacher is amazing. I have to try harder so that I can make her proud.)

Teacher stands up elegantly and pats my head.

“Be proud of what you have accomplished. Also, although you won't be participating in the battle, do not be negligent. This is an opportunity for you to witness a real battle.” She consoles me.

My motivation grows further upon hearing teacher's words and I smile brightly.

“Yes teacher, I'll do my best,” I exclaim with a guts pose.

Papa and Mary gave a relieved smile and together, the four of us walked back into the mansion.