ã€ŠFrom Beast to Man and Back Againã€‹


 Ch.1 I woke up

    Authors¡¯ note: Like a lot of people, I''m a newbie at this. Suggestions to make the story better are greatly welcomed.

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    It''s cold. I hate waking to the cold. Shivering a bit I reluctantly open my eyes... Where am I? This... isn''t where I should be. I''m confused, where is mother?

    I take a deep breath and sit up. I was lying on the light colored ground. Looking around I''m in a jungle like forest. I seem to be in the center of a small crater with no grass.

    That''s odd, this doesn''t seem to be what I''m used to, but I don''t feel like it''s all that strange... I''m scared being alone though, I''m usually with mother... Where is mother?

    With these thoughts running through my mind, I turn my attention to myself. I seem to be completely intact, not even any scratches or bruises. I don''t feel any pain, so that means I have no internal damage.

    Why would I be injured? There are some broken branches nearby. Did I fall from above the treetops? I remember now! I was on mothers back while she was walking through the sky, and a big bird attacked us.

    It was really strong and mother was having a hard time fighting it. I fell during the fighting. I stand up and dust off my clothing. What should I do?

    Uuu, I don''t know. Reflecting on things doesn''t seem productive. I''ll go look for water instead. I''m not thirsty, but it''s a start. All I really need to do is survive, and mother told me if I ever get lost I should search for food and water first.

    I use my top pair of ears, they are better at hearing most things, swiveling them back and forth I manage to catch the faint echo of running water. I walk towards it with light steps.

    .....

    I walk a mile to reach the sound of running water. It is a wide brook, almost a river, and is flowing fairly fast, which is why I could hear it. I kneel down, and lap up the water. As I drink I keep my eyes up, darting around for any signs of danger.

    I wipe my mouth once I''ve finished drinking. I''ve been hearing a lot of animals around, but none are nearby. I use my sense of smell though to be sure, and am rewarded with a sweet smell. Fruit.

    There''s a tree to my left that has pink fruits hanging from the branches. They don''t smell poisonous, so it should be fine to eat them. I run up to the tree and stretch out my hand to grab one, but I''m much too short.

    Pouting, I think about what I''m doing. Being only five years old, I''m not that tall, and I''ll have to climb the tree to get fruit. I nod to myself, it is tough being short.

    I begin to climb the tree. When I reach the first branch, I wrap my long, fluffy tail around the tree branch to make sure I won''t fall as I reach for the fruit. I lick my lips in anticipation; it seems I''m very hungry.

    I pluck a fruit from the branch below me, and take a bite. It''s so soft and juicy. I finish it off with a few more bites, and reach for another. After eating ten more fruits I lick my fingers clean and climb down from the tree. I look to the sun and find that it is almost noon.

    I''ve eaten and drank, so I have no pressing needs... I''d like to return to mother, but I don''t know how to. I''m saddened by the fact I''m now alone. Where is she? I''m lonely. What should I do?

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    Hmm, should I try to get stronger? I can smell a lot of spirit beasts in the area, so to survive I''ll have to anyway. What if mother can''t find me?

    In that case I''ll just have to find her. To find mother I''ll have to survive, and mother herself is really strong. Plus it will give me a goal... Alright, I''ve decided. My goal from now on is to be stronger, so that I can find mother. I sit down and close my eyes to get started.

    The fastest way to get stronger is to increase both the strength and control of your second energy. If you can control it well, then you can use it to make yourself stronger and make things like fire and wind with it. Mother taught me that.

    Shaking my head, I refocus on my second energy; it''s really hard to do anything with it though. I make it cycle through my body first, to warm up, and then try to bring it outside. Hehe, it tickles as it leaves.

    Once it''s outside I lose control over it, and it fades away. Pouting at the failure, I try again. This time I imagine it as a stream leaving my body and circling me, the mental image is really important. This time I manage to control it for longer, but it soon dissipates.

    *Sigh* Why is this always so hard? I''ll continue until I''ve used up all my second energy! I''ll get stronger so that I can survive and find mother.

    .....

    I get up and stretch. I''ve used up all my second energy. I even managed to hold it outside my body for almost a minute. Yawning, I realize I made it to evening, and a light rainfall has started. It''s colder than when I woke up. Should I go look for a cave to sleep in? I could sleep in a tree, but a cave would be better... I''ll go look for one.

    I end up sleeping in a tree. I walked for a while in a random direction, but realized that wasn''t a good idea. By the time I thought to climb to the top of a tree, to see if there was a hill, cliff, or mountain nearby, I was drenched from the rain.

    There is a large hill in sight but it''s at least a day''s walk from where I am. I climb back down from the top of the tree, to one of the middle branches, and settle in for the night. I''ve already walked at least four miles today; I''ll continue to the hill in the morning.

    .....

    It takes two days to reach the hill and find a cave. The rain hasn''t stopped, if anything it has gotten worse. Shivering, I walk into the large cave. It''s occupied. There is a pack of wolves in here and they''ve woken up. They walk up to me, who is drenched to the bone and severely shivering.

    I caught a cold on my way over here, so I have a fever too. The wolves surround me, and begin to brush up against my legs. The wolves behind me push me further into the cave. They lie down, and curl up around me. They are inviting me to sleep with them, to share their warmth, I''m grateful.

    Regular animals are very kind to me, only monsters and spirit beast would try to hurt me, so I''m not afraid of the wolves, and accept their kindness. Their warmth makes me feel less lonely. I cry a bit as I fall asleep. My mother would always curl up around me as we slept; it was a lot like this. I miss my mother.

 Ch.2 If I work hard

    I''ve decided to stay with the wolves. They live in an ideal area, a river is only a mile away and there are fruit trees growing by the bank of it. That means really good hunting grounds.

    The wolves themselves are pretty good too. They are strong for normal animals. There are six wolves in the pack. They''ve already welcomed me into their pack, so I think I''ll stay. They''re even letting me be leader, because I''m stronger than them.

    If I work really hard maybe I can help them get really strong, they might even be able to become spirit beasts. That would be awesome. A super strong pack of spirit beasts, the rulers of the forest, kings of the mountain.

    They could help me in my search for mother. Plus they fed me while I had a fever, so helping them get stronger is a good way to repay them. I nod to myself; yes that''s what I''ll do.

    I spin around to look back into the cave. The wolves are lying down, enjoying the cool shade. I begin to gesture and growl to convey what I want them to do. The gist of which is something like ''become stronger, spirit beasts, sense self, find energy''.

    They seem to understand me, and sit up, closing their eyes. After a few minutes some of them look at me in defeat. I tell them to keep trying. Their patience runs out after a few hours. None of them could even sense their second energy.

    Why not? Hmm, they probably don''t have enough second energy to sense. Muu, what should I do? Even if they train physically, without infusing energy into your body it won''t ever get strong, energy is needed even for physical growth.

    Wait... Mother said that eating spirit beast will help me grow, because their meat has a lot of second energy. Eating them increases the energy in your pool, and infuses it into your body naturally.

    Maybe if the wolves eat lots of spirit beasts their energy pool will grow and it will help their physical growth until they can use second energy to do so themselves! Genius, this will be perfect. Hunting strong enemies makes you stronger, and eating them does too. Hahaha, we will rule the forest!

    I tell the wolves my new plan, ''hunt spirit beast, eat, and gain strength''. They look at me like duh. I clarify, ''become spirit beast''. They like the idea, but they are reluctant considering their strength.

    They say the weak usually stay weak, and they know that most spirit beasts are stronger than them. Looking at each other, they try to decide whether or not they should. In a huff, I stomp my foot to regain their attention. I ask about the weakest spirit beast in the area.

    It turns out they are large rabbits with a single horn. This is ridiculous. They''re afraid of rabbits, their natural prey? The wolves sense my chagrin, and look at each other sheepishly, which is ironic for wolves. They''re not very smart are they?

    *Sigh* I tell them to bring me to the rabbits. I''ll have to fight them myself and then teach them to fight. The wolves bring me up the mountain until it levels out. The mountain has some rings of flat land around it, and the farther up you go the stronger the spirit beast get.

    No spirit beasts live below this first ring or within five miles of the base of the mountain, they stay within the jungle. On a side note, the forest around the mountain lives in a temperate weather and is very spacious. As normal animals the wolves live around the base of the mountain, for safety.

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    This ring of the mountain begins as a wide field. The rabbits can be found in the short grass, and they are far enough apart that the others won''t notice our hunting.

    The rabbits themselves are a little bigger than half my size and their horns are 6 inches long. They''re just wandering around placidly eating grass though. This should be easy. I have the wolves climb up a boulder which is conveniently placed to see the surrounding area.

    They''ll watch me as I fight. Confidently, I swagger up to a rabbit. I''ll need to fight on all fours for the wolves to be able to copy my fighting. I growl, and the rabbit notices me immediately.

    The rabbit keeps turning to follow me as I circle. I get ready to pounce on it, but unexpectedly it charges at me first! I throw myself out of the path of its charge, it almost skewered me!

    The rabbit was much more aggressive than I thought it would be. I wasn''t surprised by the speed though; I could sense that they were pretty strong. Mother already taught me how to protect myself on both four legs and two. She would let me fight her too; she went easy on me though.

    That''s why I''m confident. As soon as the rabbit passes me I spin around and pounce on it. I dig my sharp fingernails into its sides and bite its neck from behind. It starts bucking and kicking, which is no joke. Getting kicked by it seriously hurts. I cycle my second energy to heal and reinforce my body.

    Taking it from the side might have been a better idea... I keep my hold on its throat until it stops moving. Before letting go completely I check to see if it''s really dead. It is. I carry its carcass back to the wolves and we share its meat. Definitely more delicious than normal animals.

    The wolves dig into it like they''re starving; I guess it''s their first time eating spirit beast meat. Now that they''ve gotten a taste of it the wolves are much more eager to fight. I make them watch me hunt a few more times before I let them hunt.

    Attacking the side of the rabbit is much less dangerous, but takes better timing. I have the wolves hunt in pairs. One will taunt the rabbit while the other lays in ambush. By the end of the day we manage to hunt eight more rabbits. I had to watch the wolves in case they messed up, and it''s a good thing I did.

    Only one wolf didn''t get kicked, and two got poked by a horn. There were quite a few close calls which I had to save them from. We ate the rabbits on the Boulder and then head to the river. We don''t want the smell of blood in our cave.

    After we''ve washed, we head back to the cave. *Yawn* we¡¯ve done a good days work. It takes a few hours to get to and from the rabbit plains. It''s good for speed and endurance training.

    The wolves will keep practicing their team work for two week or until each team can hunt ten rabbits a day, and then we''ll start hunting individually. Our goal will be fifteen rabbits each daily. After that we can start hunting stronger monsters. *Yawn* I''m good at planning. With a sleep smile I fall asleep surrounded by the wolves'' warmth.

 Ch.3 We get stronger

    Goal achieved~! We finally reached the coveted fifteen rabbits a day. It took longer than expected, almost three months, but the result is great. It''s even easy now, no one gets hurt anymore. The lightest colored wolf has even managed to catch 23 rabbits in a day, by herself. My score is 38 rabbits in a day, I''m still the strongest. It''s weird though, when I first met the wolves their fur was almost black, but it''s been getting lighter. I wonder why. Maybe it''s a sign of strength? Either way I''m doing a good job as the leader. My pack is well feed and definitely getting stronger. At this rate I''ll definitely be able to find my mom. I really miss her.

    Focus, I need to focus. The wolves have gotten strong enough for us to move on to bigger prey. A little farther into this ring a sparse forest starts. As we hunted the rabbits I kept smelling deer coming from that area. I''m sure we are strong enough to hunt some, and it''s a good opportunity to work on our team work. The wolves have told me about their hunts for normal deer. If we hunt them it should improve the wolves intelligence and speed. They''ll have to change tactics for unexpected actions from the deer. Yup, this is a good plan.

    I lead my pack into the forest. There is a clearing where the deer often rest at, that''s where we''ll find our prey. We approach from downwind, so the deer won''t notice us. Once the deer are in sight we freeze. There''s a lot of deer. I count them, there are at least fifty deer. Why didn''t I notice that when we were coming here? I''m confident in our ability to hunt deer. Judging by their strength, we might even be able to take on three deer at a time...but fifty deer is to much. Unlike normal deer, if we attack the whole herd would stampede towards us. Uuu, this won''t work. Dejected, I lead the wolves back to the rabbits again. We''ll hunt down a deer tomorrow. I leave the wolves as they hunt, and explore the deer forest. I''ll look for more places where the deer gather so if this spot still doesn''t work tomorrow we''ll have other places to hunt... Failure is depressing. I need to do better, as a leader and a child. Don''t worry mother I''ll find you, just wait for me to get strong.

    .....

    Yes, there''s only one deer here today! I give the orders to the wolves. Two wolves will go out and taunt the deer and then lead it to the others who are laying in the bushes for an ambush. I climb a tree and sit on a branch overhanging the path they will lead the deer to. When the deer comes by I will leap onto its back from above. It should be more safe then jumping on the rabbits. Instead of chasing the deer here they are going to be chased this way. Being a spirit beast they should be very aggressive. I nod at the two fastest wolves and they head towards the deer. The deer spots them as soon as they are out in the open. The wolves and the deer spend a few seconds staring at each other. Then one of the wolves growls and the other turns around and swings its butt and tail from side to side. Mother taught me that, she would sometimes do that during our practice fights. I would always get really annoyed an charge her. The deer has the same response as I would. The two wolves comes running back here. The one who shook his butt is yelping a lot, but not in pain or fear, it''s like he''s...laughing? Wah, I got distracted. I quickly jump on the deer that''s running past me. I land on its rump and almost fell. The yelping wolf looks back and sees me, he starts yelping louder. As I claw my way up the deers behind the other wolves attack from the side. I grab the deer''s head and pull it upwards so that it can''t see where it''s going. One of the wolves, who are harassing the deer''s sides, takes this opportunity to bite the deer''s neck and hold tight. The deer slowly stops it''s struggles. It''s legs buckle and collapse underneath it. We win, and got away with only bruises. Time to take our reward.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.  The deer is even tastier than the rabbit. Its bigger then the rabbits, and normal deer, that means more to eat. It''s green skin is really sweet. I wonder why it''s green though. Hmm, mother says that you are what you eat, which is why if you eat the strong you''ll be strong. Does that mean the deer has been eating a strong green thing? Deer usually eat grass, does that mean that there is grass with second energy? That would be spirit grass, right? But I don''t want to eat grass, deer eat plants other than grass too, so that means it''s spirit plants. Okay, I''ll keep an eye out for them.

    .....

    We hunt the rest of the day, and manage to catch another deer. I don''t manage to find anything like a spirit plant. When we get back to the den I check the two strongest wolves distinguishing markings. They are the lightest colored wolf and the laughing wolf. She has a light colored blaze on her forehead, and he has darker colored fur lining the dies of his ears and paws. It odd that they are the strongest in the pack, because they are also the two youngest. Actually, that applies to the rest of the pack. The oldest is at the age of the peak of their strength, but the younger wolves are getting stronger faster then he is. Does that mean that the younger you are when you start training the stronger you''ll get? Wah, I need to train even harder. I should make use of my youth. Okay, new goal. We''ll aim to hunt ten deer a day as a pack. Then when we can do that, we''ll split into three groups and aim for five deer a day per group. Eventually, everyone will be strong enough to hunt three deer a day, by themselves. I will make the most of my youth. I sit down to train my second energy. I''ve made a habit of practicing it before sleeping. That way I''ll still have it while I''m hunting. My pool is bigger by a fourth of when I fell. Mother will be proud of my hard work. Secure in the knowledge that I''m doing my best, I sink into the warm embrace of sleep. Cozy.

 Ch.4 Im king of the ring

    It stinks in here. This is the perfect opportunity to test out using my second mana for multiple things. I''ll use it to clean out our new cave.

    .....

    It took us five months to be able to hunt the deer to satisfaction. Together they can take on a herd of twenty deer, and individually the wolves can hunt three deer at a time. By the time they managed that I was able to defeat a boar, which is the next strongest spirit beast. The problem with hunting boar is that their skin is super thick and tough. The wolves couldn''t cut through it. It''s a good thing that my training had started to show results. The wolves had started to, just barely, sense their own second energy, so I started teaching them how to use it. Light and Laughs, that''s how I refer to the two strongest now, picked it up very quick and started hunting the boars with me. The other wolves were slower at learning. Now they can sharpen their claws, reinforce their bodies, and harden their tails. It''s very useful. Those were the things my mother first taught me, except that I have nails not claws. I can control my energy well enough that I can throw up a shield with it, and I''ve started adding elements to it. It mainly just changes the color and other little things. It''s not that useful yet, but it will be great eventually.

    It took five months until we could easily hunt the boars. They are big and slow. The only real problems are the strength of their charge and their tough skin. We mange to cut threw those problems quickly. The only reason we took that long was because the wolves needed to be taught how to use their second energy. The wolves strength is in their agility. If you can''t catch them you can''t hurt them, and their good at migrating damage. The next opponent were bears. They took us only a month. There aren''t very many bears in any given area, but we hunted down all we found. Including the lord of this ring. It had bright yellowish brown fur and was half a size bigger than normal bears. I beat it down with only Light and Laughs helping me. The bear is smelly, but has strong flavor. I leave most of it to the wolves.

    It''s cave is really ideal. Its wide and spacious, a river is just a few minutes'' walk away with edible plants growing in and around it, and the clearing is surrounded by different fruit trees. Moss grows on the walls inside and glow gently at night. It''s even better than the wolves cave, so we''re moving in. The only problem is it stinks of the bear. I grab some tree branches and have the wolves use them to sweep out the bears poop and the bones of its prey. Bringing dead bodies into your home is really gross. For my part I give my second energy wind element, the one I''m best with, and force the smell of the bear lingering in the air out, fresh air takes its place. Pure energy is easier, but elements don''t take as much. The amount isn''t a problem for me though so I just use what''s most convenient. Now the cave is all clean. It''s dark out so we go to sleep. I''m getting stronger, just wait for me mother.

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    Now that we''ve conquered this ring we need to train our control of second energy. The next ring has monsters. I know because I checked it out. Although they aren''t all stronger than the spirit beasts in this ring they all have some amount of intelligence and use weapons. My mother has shown me weapons before, but she didn''t let me hold them. She says they let the bipedals do more damage. I''m a bipedal to, but she said that I''m likely to hurt myself with them, and so won''t teach me more about them until I''m older... All the wolves can use their second energy to some degree, but they''re sloppy and waste a lot of it. I''m better then them and only small amounts escape me, but I can improve. I have the wolves try to bring it out of their bodies and it looks like steam is floating out of all of them. Hehe, it''s silly. Speaking of looks, all the wolves are grayish white now, and there fur is starting to develop a silver hue. They won''t be spirit beast until they are completely silvery white. Colors are a sign of second energy. The rabbits had red horns, the deer were green skinned, and the bears had yellow faces. My plans always work. Focus, I always get distracted. For my training I''m making shapes out of my energy, and trying not to let any escape. We practice until noon because stomaches start growling. We need to hunt. We head to the deer area. We catch and share five deer for lunch. I gather up some fruit to eat too, but the wolves aren''t interested in them. I eat them by myself... After eating we go to the rabbit fields, I got a training idea. I''m going to gather up a lot of rabbits and have them surround us. The goal is to dodge all the attacks...and not get in each other''s way while doing so. It''s harder than it sounds. The rabbits hit everyone a few times, but there are no injures. We reinforced our bodies so that it wasn''t dangerous. The only thing bruised from this exercise was pride. We start toward our cave early. He didn''t see us, but a strange old bipedal is coming toward the mountain. I was halfway down to the base, picking fruit when I saw him. I had left the wolves training without me after the first hour. I can tell that he is much stronger then us. Even if we work together we have no hope of beating him. I ran back to my pack, and we headed back to the cave. I don''t won''t to get involved with him. It''s getting late anyway. We catch a boar to eat and then go to sleep in the cave. A full stomache gives me a warm sleepy feeling. The wolves curl up around me and we all drift asleep.

    .....

    The sound of rocks skittering wakes my pack and I. There isn''t anything that lives in this ring that would come near our cave. I stand up and creep toward the entrance with my pack following behind me. When I see what is this there I''m annoyed. That old guy really did come here. He''s sitting in front of my cave, and even has a small fire going. Why!? What''s he even here for. Geh, he''s looking this way!

 Ch.5 I dont understand

    Author''s note: Sorry for the delay

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    I knew, as soon as I saw him, this old guy would be annoying. Why did he have to find me. Is this Fate''s fault? Mother says Fate makes things happen, and that she''s a b-. My mother always looks at me and stops talking before she finishes the word, but I can tell it''s an insult that means she''s annoying. Like this old guy. I focus on the old guy again. He has stood up and is slowly walking this way. The wolves are growling and getting ready to fight, but I know that isn''t a good idea. I raise my hand and turn my palm down, the wolves lay down as I asked. Their fur is still bristling and a growl is ready in their throats. The old man seems surprised that they listened to me. I take a few steps forward, putting myself between him and my pack. I glare at him, waiting for him to state his intentions. Wait...what? I can''t understand him. He''s using one of those spoken languages. Mother told me about those, but hasn''t taught me any yet. He''s just droning on. I just stare at him with a confused look: my ears are laid back, my eyebrows are raised, my hands are on my hips, my mouth is slightly open, and my head is cocked to the side. He takes a few minutes to notice that I have no idea what he is saying, bipedals are kind of dumb aren''t they. He tries speaking slower, and when that doesn''t work he looks dumbfounded. It''s a silly look. *yawn* Well, he doesn''t seem hostile and since we can''t communicate I might as well go back to sleep. I turn around, swishing my tail, and signal the wolves to follow me. Laughs looks back at the old man, as we leave, and starts snickering. We all curl up together and go back to sleep.

    .....

    Geh, the old man is still here. When I woke up he was waiting for me outside the cave. The wolves have no idea what to do about him, neither do I. He tries talking to me again, and this time I look at him like he''s an idiot. He probably is one, since it''s obvious I didn''t understand him yesterday. I''ve decided that I should just ignore him. I take the wolves back to the training we were doing yesterday with the rabbits. The old guy follows us and watches as we train. We head to the deer area for lunch, and he still tries to follow. I growl to make him stop, and he does. I smile and cheerfully head into the forest, tail waving. Once all the wolves have a deer I have them bring it back to eat by the old guy. I''m doing this because he wanted to follow, but let us hunt alone. He isn''t hostile, but I don''t want to anger him, just to be safe. When he see us he''s surprised, but smiles. I made the right choice. As we go back to the cave he walks beside me, talking the whole time. I listen because I need to learn the language, so that I can tell him to get lost. When we reach the cave the wolves and train our second energy. The old guy uuwoah, and seems surprised and impressed. He starts talking at me even more, until I glare at him. He settles down and seems apologeti. He watches us as we train.

    .....

    The old guy follows us around for a week before he leaves. I still have no idea what he wanted. He watched me more then the wolves, and continued talking to me. Judging from his tone he was asking me a lot of questions. That old guy doesn''t know when to quite. At least he''s gone. I thought.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.  After he left we started training in the second ring. Our first opponents were gross, green bipedals, they smelt disgusting. They were weak, but they showed me how weapons are used.  Weapons extend your reach and add damage from their hardness or sharpness. I can see how they are useful.

    There were slimy glob things before them, but they were really weird. I didn''t like touching them at all. They also tried to eat you if you touch, it burns. We know that because Laughs shoved his face in one of them. He grabbed the ball in the middle of it and pulled it out as the pain drove him off. Light grabbed Laughs and threw him a nearby river, that helped with the burning. When the ball came out of it the glob collapsed and disappeared. I liked the ball and it was really sweet, none of the wolves liked it though so I ate it by myself. We decided that the globs weren''t worth fighting. The second monsters we fought looked like the green bipedals got a little bigger. They were smarter and used their weapons better. The wolves and I really had to work together. After that were even bigger, ugly, green bipedals. They were smart than the first ones, but dumber than the second ones. It was like fighting boar again. All of this took three months, one month for each group. They smelt horrible, so we killed all of them.

    .....

    A few days after we finished killing all of the biggest green bipedals the old man came back. I had hoped that he was gone forever, but I thought that wouldn''t be what happens. He keeps talking to me. This time he has a stick and a book with blank pages. My mother had a lot of books, and I know what they are, but I don''t know how to read. She said she''d teach me after I learned spoken languages. The old guy uses the stick to make marks on the paper. He shows me them and I look at him funny. What are they supposed to be? He looks disappointed. I makes a thinking pose for a bit and then looks like he has an idea. He scribbles something else in the book and picks a flower. He shows me the markings and the flower together. Are those markings suppose to look like the flower? He must have seen understanding on my face, because he starts scribbling again. This time it''s suppose to be a wolve. He seems relieved that I understand. He puts the book in the bag on his back. He shows the flower again.

    "******"

    I he shoves the flower at me and says it a few more times. So I repeat the sound he made. He gets excited and points at a wolf.

    "****"

    I think I know what he''s doing. He''s trying to teach me spoken language. I start repeating what he says, trying to remember what the sounds mean. This is fun. I tell the wolves to train by themselves for the day and stay with the old guy trying to remember what he says. He''s happy and so am I. I still think he''s annoying though.

 Ch.6 Ill come

    The old man continued to visit us. He''d come back every few months. I still think he''s annoying, but at least he''s helpful. Once I could understand him well enough for basic communication he told me about new ways to train the wolves and I. They worked very well. With his guidance my energy pool has doubled, and all the wolves are a silvery white color.

    I lot of time has passed since my fall. Before I meet the old man I was going to try and conquer the whole mountain to train my strength so that I could search for mother, but I''ve realized that it would take to long to do. I can''t keep mother waiting. So I need a teacher. The old man is my only choice. I''d chose someone else if I could. He is annoying. I was seven years old by the second time the old man came around, and I''m now ten. The wolves and I have reached the fifth ring out of ten on the mountain. I really hate asking him, but I''ve decided to given and ask the old guy to formally teach me.

    .....

    "Really, you want me to formally become your teacher? You always rejected the idea when I brought it up."

    "I know, but at this rate I''ll never be strong enough to find my mother. I hate to admit it old man, but you''re very strong, you can fight evenly with the monsters and ''magic beasts'' in the seventh ring. Plus you have very good training techniques."

    I still dislike the words he uses for second energy and spirit beasts. He refers to them as mana and magic beasts. The use of ''mana'' is called magic, and since spirit beasts use magic bipedals call them magic beasts. Both spirit beasts and mythical beasts use second energy, how do they distinguish them? Besides, even the word mana sounds stupid, how did they even come up with it? No wonder mother never used spoken language.

    "That''s because teaching is part of my job. I run a school for training children in the use of magic and or weapons, but mainly magic. Mine is the best, and is independent from all countries. Actually, I''d love to have you as a student, but the school only starts teaching children when they are at least fifteen years old."

    "Why does age matter?"

    "Most children can only really start to use magic when they are eight years old. My academy is for those already capable of using magic proficiently. In big cities there is generally at least one basic magic academy, and others might be taught by a personal tutor."

    "So what? I can already perform magic, and I''m very good at it. You''ve already told me that old man."

    "Yes, you have a huge mana pool for someone your age, and your control is amazing. Plus you can do it all without chanting. I''m willing to take you with me it''s just that putting you in school as a student would be the best thing to do... How about this, you come back with me to civilization and live at my house. I''ll have a friend of mine teach you the basics about weapons and I''ll teach you the basics of normal magic."

    "Old man, that''s exactly what I was asking you to do."

    "That''s not the only thing you''re going to do. I''ll also have you work as an adventurer and volunteer at the city''s orphanage. When you''re finally fifteen years old you''ll join my academy."

    "I have no idea what those things are, old man."

    "Adventures take requests from the guild to do things like helping out around town, collecting materials, and hunting monster and magic beasts. An orphanage is a place that takes care of children who have no family."

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings."That doesn''t sound too bad. I''ll come with you under those conditions. I''ll go tell the wolves it''s time to leave the mountain."

    "Taking a pack of magic beasts into a city is not a good idea. You will have to leave them here."

    That''s!?! I''m not okay with that. My ears stand straight up and then lay back as I shift from surprise to distress. Leaving them would mean I''m a terrible leader, but going with the old man is the fastest way to become stronger! I''d be a terrible child if I don''t do everything I can to find my mother faster! Uuu, what should I do? I-I- I don''t know~! *hic* The wolves *hic* are like *sniffle* family *hic* to *hic* me~. Uuu, *hic* b-but I have to find my *hic* mother. My tail curls around my leg as I cry. The old man is shocked that I started crying. He tries to comfort me, but he doesn''t know what''s wrong. I take my responsibilities as a leader very seriously, but mother is just as important. What *hic* should I *hic* do~!?

    I still haven''t calmed down by the time the wolves return. They sense my distress as soon as they see me and rush forward to try and comfort me. One of them goes inside the cave to get Light and Laughs. Two months ago Light gave birth to Laughs'' puppies. There are three puppies in the litter, and they come out of the cave with their parents. Surrounded by the wolves, it takes me a few more minutes to calm down enough to explain to them what''s wrong. They consider for a moment and then Light walks up and hits me on the head. She wants me to go with the old man. Laughs rests his head on my shoulder from behind and agrees with her. I look at the other wolves and they all agree with her. I''m shocked, but then she mentions my mother. They all know how important mother is to me. It''s just... I don''t want to leave the wolves alone, I don''t want to lose my *hic* family. Light notices that I''m starting to panic again and pushes two of her puppies towards me, a girl and a boy. I look at her, asking why. She wants me to take them with me. Light says that she will keep one and raise it as the future pack leader, I''ll keep the other two with me when I leave. I pick up and cuddle the puppies, and ask her if she''d really be okay with it. She licks my cheek and tells me it is. I wipe my eyes and stand up. I promise the wolves that I will visit at leads twice a year. I would try to come more, but Light said no. I turn to the old man. He''s completely confused by what exactly happened, but he could tell that I had reached a decision.

    "Old man, I''m taking these two pups with me."

    "It''s better than the whole pack... Okay you can bring them, but be careful. People get intimidated by magic beasts, even if they are tame."

    "Yes~."

    "We''ll leave right now, so say goodbye Chaise."

    I nod and turn to the wolves to say goodbye. I hug them and then leave with the old man. I didn''t cry, because if I did Light would hit me again and Laughs would start cracking up.

    Don''t worry mother, I''m getting stronger and I will find you.

    The puppies are warm and I cuddle them as I follow the old man. I wonder if warmth is a sign family.

 Ch. 7 So this is civilization

    It takes us four days to reach what the old man says is the closest "town". I''ve been asking what things are called and what certain words mean. Towns are places where a large groups of bipedals live. The old man told me that this one is big for a town, but that it can''t even compare to a city. Cities are, apparently, huge towns. We walked down the mountain, through the jungle, and across a field. We stop outside the town''s gate. There is a lot of people with boxes pulled by horses. They are all entering through the gate. It''s kind of noisy and smelly.

    "Get ready."

    Get ready for what? We stand in line to enter the town. It''s our turn to enter the town now. The guard just waves us through. Is it because we don''t have any boxes? All the people with boxes got stopped and had their boxes checked. Ugh, this place smells bad and is noisy. We start moving farther into the town and it just gets worse. The sound is giving me a terrible headache. I can''t take it. I shift to using my oval ears. As soon as I do my headache begins to fade away. There''s nothing I can do about the smell though... The old man is giving me a stupid look.

    "What did you just do, where did your ears go?"

    "They''re right here, can''t you see, old man."

    I shift my hair out of the way so that he can better see my oval ears.

    "But you had cat ears before. How did you change from cat ears to human ears?"

    "Because I can, why else?"

    "So you really aren''t a beastman? I had guessed as much, but then what are you... I wonder, is he really a half-beast? He might just a have special abilities. Hmm..."

    "Even if these ears are less sensitive, I can still hear you old man. What are beastmen and half-beasts?"

    "Beastmen are one of the six humanoid races. They either look like humanoid animals, or look like humans with animal ears and tails. A half-beast is the offspring of one of the humanoid races and a magic beast, but only high ranked beasts on level with a dragon can be the parent of one, they need to have a humanoid form to...mate."

    "In that case I am a-hmff?"

    "Shh!! Don''t say anything else about this until we are alone, okay?"

    I nod to let him know I''ll be silent, and to get his smelly hand off my face. The old man was making a shocked face and was acting nervous. Why? He was the one who asked. Oh well. The old man leads me through the town. There are so many people here! I''ve watched bipedals before, but I''ve never seen so many in one place! The old man leads me to a building called an inn. It seems we''re going to live here for a day, weird. They built their house for other to live in it, isn''t that silly? We go up the stairs and into a room. The old man spreads his mana, I still dislike that word, in a dome around us.

    "Okay, back to the previous conversation: you are a half-beast? Do you even know what that means for you?"

    "Yes, by your explanation, I am a half-beast. Mother is a magic beast. She would often switch between her humanoid form and her normal form. It means my mother is super stong."

    Ah, I bit my tongue, I still do that sometimes when using spoken language.

    "You clearly don''t understand. Half-beasts are often treated like magic beasts. With their lineage they will always be very strong. People will try to catch and sell them like high ranked magic beasts. Especially if they are young, because it is easier to train them when they aren''t strong yet. Half-beasts are rare so most people don''t even know about them. They will just think you are a beastman. You have to be careful not to tell people you are a half-beast unless you are absolutely sure they will not tell anyone. Okay?"

    "Yeah, okay. I understand, but then why are you helping me?"

    "I don''t approve of slavery. Especially not of children. Besides I''m much more interested on the traits of half-beasts. I want to know how well you can use magic, and what special abilities you have. I''m a scholar at heart you know. Plus, when you''ve grown up it''s better for me if you view me positively. You might even help me out one day."

    So he''s like the normal animals huh? They know I''m not interested in hurting them unless I''m absolutely desperate, and they help me I because I will probably return the favor.

    "That makes sense. I don''t like the idea of being in your debt old man, but since you have been helping me if you ever need help I will return the favor."

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there."Ho ho, it''s nice to have some conformation."

    "Yeah yeah, anyway, what are we going to do next old man? We''re not staying in this town, right?"

    "Yep, tomorrow we''ll take a carriage to the city my school is in. It will be a three day trip. That aside, don''t you want to explore the town a bit? This is your first time in one."

    "No way old man! It''s loud, smelly, and crowded out their."

    "You''ll have to get use to it eventually."

    " I will, but that doesn''t mean I have to do it right now!"

    "Okay, but if you''re not going then use your time to take a bath. We''re staying in a nicer inn so they do have one."

    "Really? Yay, I love baths. Where is it old man? I''ll Wash these pups with me."

    "Wait, your mother is a cat right? So should you hate baths like cats do? Building on that point, cats also hate dogs so why would you even want to stay with wolves?"

    "Mother loves baths, why would she hate them? They make you clean. And although dogs aren''t always so great, they make wonderful, loyal subordinates. Now show me to the baths old man! Come on let''s go."

    I stand bouncing in the doorway, with the two puppies in my arms. The old man is still thinking about what I said. I can hear him murmuring to himself.

    "Well most big cats do like water, and they love to be clean. Asfore dogs, that makes sense for a prideful cat to..."

    "Old man hurry up let''s go!"

    "Okay okay, I''m coming."

    .....

    Sitting in the carriage, I remember the bath yesterday. Warm water feels so good, and that soap stuff made me so clean. I decide that that was the best bath ever. I hope all baths are like that. The carriage rocks and wakes the two puppies in my arms.

    "You should name those two. People will want to know what to call them, and it would be more convenient for identifying them. It''s a common practice."

    "That makes sense. It is important for children to be given names, but I don''t really know any names in the spoken language. Could you tell me some strong ones."

    The old man nods and starts listing off names. I take a closer look at the puppies as he does. They look like their parents, the only differences are the colorings. The puppies fur is full silver, with the girl''s being a little whiter. She has a blaze like her mother that fades from pink at the edges to a lighter shade. He shares his father''s markings in a dark blue, his fur is and will be noticeably darker than his sister''s. The old man has stopped listing names and is waiting for me to chose. I look the puppies in the eyes and tell them their new names.

    "The girl will be Shiva and the boy will be Asura. When I visit the other wolves I''ll name their brother Wind. Thanks for helping me old man."

    The puppy that stayed with the other wolves had the markings of both parents in green. I think the name will suit him.

    "I''m glad I could help. Do you mind letting I hold Shiva and Asura for a minute or two, as thanks? None of the wolves would ever let me touch them, and their fur looks really soft."

    I look at the puppies and they stare back. I motion for them to go over to the old man. The little girl gets up first and walks over with her brother tottering after her.

    "Wow, they''re as soft as they look."

    The old man starts petting them and brushing their fur. I watch as they enjoy it. Suddenly the old man reaches over and starts petting me too! I swat his hand away and glare at him. I''m neither a puppy nor a kitten, why would I want him to pet me. The old man just starts laughing at my expression. The little boy bobs his head, shoulders going up and down. Where have I seen that before. Never mind. The old guy is still laugh, so I stalk away waving my tail, and climb out the window to sit on top of the carriage. I can still hear him from out here.

 Ch.8 In the city

    So this is the city that the old man is so proud of huh. I have to admit that it is much nicer than the town before it. The roads are stone and there is a proper sewage system, is what the old man says. Even though it''s at least ten times the size of the town we entered before it still smells much better. The noise is more evenly distributed too, so I can use my top ears and let them get used to a lot if sound. The old man told me the reason it was so noisy in the town is because it was it''s market day. That means more people than usual were packed into the marketplace, which we walked through the middle of. Stupid old man.

    The carriage ride here was nice. I like the idea of letting someone else do the walking for me. The only problem with that is the loss of exercise. The old man would only stop the carriage twice a day! That isn''t nearly enough time to train my body. Instead of training physically, I spent the time practicing controlling my secon- I mean my mana.

    We move towards a huge building and yard surrounded by a gated fence. We stop at the gate. Why do we always have to stop at gates?

    "This is the academy. The best in our world. My pride and joy. Many come from far and wide simply to bask in its glory, or to try their hand at achieving the honor of studying here."

    "Old man, you need to get a life."

    "I have one, right here."

    I stay silent and look at him in disdain

    "Well, I won''t take you there for now. I showed it to you simply so you would know what it looks like. My house is in the forest behind the academy. We''ll head over there now."

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.   We walk to his house. There is a clear path to it and it sits in the center of a clearing. It''s made of wood, has two stories, and is light blue and white. The old man puts his hand beside the door and uses his mana, but I''m not sure what he''s doing exactly. The door swings open and he ushers me inside. When I enter I discover something shocking.

    "Old man, your house doesn''t smell bad at all!"

    "Did you expect it to smell awful?"

    "Yes!"

    "Why!?"

    "Because you live here."

    "I don''t smell that bad do I?"

    "Old man you smell really weird. I don''t even know what to think about it."

    He stops to ponder on those words. As we were talking we moved to the sofa to the side in the room and sat down. He opens his mouth to speak again but is interrupted when the door is busted in.

    "Old man I heard you were back!"

    "We came to visit."

    "Why did you break my door!?!"

    A young man and women stand in the doorway. Hmm, does this mean that his name really is old man?

 Ch.9 The previous victims

    So as far as I can tell his name isn''t old man, but everyone calls him that. The two people who crashed through the the door know the old man. The woman has long brown hair and purple eyes, she''s wearing a purple shirt that''s sides splits at the waist and continue to the knee, she has black pants on underneath it and short black boots. The man has messy, dark, green hair and eyes to match it. He''s wearing simple brown pants and boots, with leather armor that''s reinforced with metal. He starts patting the old man on the back and the woman gives him a hug. Then they start scolding him about something. I stop paying attention to them and look at the two puppies on my lap. They''re very smart for puppies and can understand what I''m conveying to them. I ask them how they''re doing and what they think of our new home. The Shiva responds first by wagging her tail and gives a quiet, affectionate growl. Asurasimply thumps his tail in agreement. I smile once I know they are happy. I''ve been worried that they might miss their parents, but they don''t seem to mind. These two are very strong aren''t they.

    Ah, it looks like they finally noticed me.

    "Old man have you been kidnapping children again!?"

    "He''s up to his old habits again."

    "Nonsense! I never kidnapped children!"

    "So you''ve kidnapped people who aren''t kids?"

    "I wouldn''t call it kidnapping. It''s always been for interrogation, and they are always bad people!"

    The woman continues to argue with the old man. The young man turns to me and introduces himself.

    "Hi, sorry for not noticing you. The old man has been going awol lately so we came to visit him to mess with him about it. We weren''t expecting to see someone else here and you were so quiet. That''s why we didn''t notice you right away. I''m Garet and the woman over there is Shela. What''s your name?"

    "Chaise, and don''t worry about missing me. I like to try and mess with the old man too."

    "In that case want to help me do so?"

    This is going to be fun. I nod excitedly.

    "Good just follow my lead. Old man I can''t believe you''d pull this poor child into your schemes! Aren''t there enough victims of what you''ve done already!? Let the poor child be!"

    He pulls me close to him with one arm on my back as if he were protecting and comforting me. I hug him and hold on to his clothes, giving a pitiful sniffle and a look like I''ve been betrayed. The puppies, who I left on the floor, look between everyone confused. Shiva continues to sit to the side, but Asura toddles over, stands on his back legs, and wraps his paws around my leg. He''s copying me and Garet.

    "Wait what are you talking about?"

    "Forcing him to leave his family just because you see potential for power in him, how could you? He''s not even old enough to be trained in you ''precious'' academy! You snatch children from their homes and train them to be weapons!"

    "... I always have the consent of both the parent and the child, and I''m not training them to be weapons. I teach them to wield weapons. In fact, Chaise asked me to train him."

    I stare at the old man like he''s wronged me and sniffle again. I press closer to Garet and he picks me up. He whispers in my ear.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation."He''s not getting flustered what should we do?"

    "Don''t ask me I was following your lead!"

    Okay, we weren''t actually whispering, just acting like we were. It annoyed the old man more than the accusations. I think I can see a vein. Hmm, teasing people is fun.

    " *sigh* I guess he''s too use to that one to work."

    Garet puts me back on the ground. He looks me in the eye and shakes my hand. We nod to each other.

    "If you two are done with your bro-ment and attempts to tease the old man, I''d like to introduce myself."

    "Oh, sorry I already introduced you."

    "Do we need to have another talk?"

    Her smile is scary. I''m feeling intimidated. I hide behind the old man, he looks scared too. Garet is hiding his shivering and cold sweats well, but I can smell his fear. I bet she can too.

    "I only told him your name!"

    "Fine I''ll forgive you, for now."

    She turns to me and smiles sweetly. It makes her even scarier. I sink farther behind the old man, suppressing my trembling. The puppies hide behind me. She looks a little surprised, but...pleased? Crouching down to look me in the eye, she speaks in a gentle, coaxing voice.

    "Hi sweetie, my name is Shela. What''s yours?"

    I feel a shiver go down my spine. Why is she so intimidating? She isn''t as strong as the old man and she''s on par with Garet. But she''s so scary.

    "H-hi. I''m chaise."

    "Chaise, that''s a good name. Don''t worry about Garet''s teasing. Despite what anyone says the old man is a good teacher, he trained the two of us. Speaking of pairs, who are these little cuties down here?"

    "Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn''t of taught her. I released a monster on the world."

    "They''re names are Shiva and Asura. They''re part of my family."

    I gather up the two in my arms before she can grab them. They look at me gratefully. They''re shivering too. She pets me on the head instead of them, paying special attention to my ears. My tail curls around one of my legs. Garet comes to my rescue.

    "Shela we have to go now. We were already pushing our schedule by dropping in. If we wait any longer we''ll be late for the delegate meeting."

    " *sigh* Fine. It was nice meeting you and your family Chaise~."

    She turns to leave and walks out the door. I thank Garet for his help with my eyes. Saying anything would get us both in trouble. Waiting awhile, I no longer can here them shouting at each other. I turn to the old man and we speak at the same time.

    "I won''t be like her right?"

    "Please don''t turn out like her."

 Ch. 10 Shopping starts

    Author''s note: I am so sorry about the delays. I have excuses, but I won''t make you hear them, instead I''ll tell you a schedule. I will post at least seven chapters a week. My goal is higher than that, but you can be sure that I''ll post at very least seven chapters.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "So, old man, when are we going to start my training?"

    "Hmm? Oh, we can''t start anytime you like. I just thought you would want sometime to settle down first. I haven''t even shown you your room."

    "So I have my own little den? Can Shiva and Asura stay in it with me?"

    "Of course, I would let it be any other way they''re his responsibility. Come on, I''ll take you too it now."

    I follow the old man up the stairs and through one of the three doors. The room is green and has lots of windows. Now that I think about it the inn''s room looked like regular wood, but the room down stairs was blue! How are they changing the color of wood!? The old man speaks before I do and I forget my question.

    "This was one of my two guest rooms, but from now on it will be your bedroom. There is a bed, a chest, and a desk with a chair. Today we''ll go shopping for other things you''d like to have in here."

    "What else do I need?"

    "Err. Hmm, nothing else is really necessary right now, but most people like to add things to make a room feel more like their own."

    "... We could get more beds for Shiva and Asura."

    "How about we just get them some big pillows. It will feel the same and take up less room. Let''s see what else do you need? Clothing, pen and paper, shoes, a brush, and a wand. That sounds about right."

    "Old man what''s a wand?"

    "People use it to help focus and strengthen their magic."

    "That''s lazy."

    "Yes, but it''s better to have one just in case you need. Like if you come across something stronger than you; every little bit counts."

    "Okay. Lead the way old man."

    "Are you going to take those two with you?"

    "Of course. I''m going to take them everywhere I go."

    "We should buy them some collars then. To let people know they are tame."

    "Do I need to wear one?"

    "No...but you can. It would match theirs and it would probably look stylish on you."

    I can tell the old man is trying to suppress his laughter, but his words are also sincere...I''ll be forgiving and ignore it for now."

    "Ok, here we are: Couper Smith''s Armouries.

    The old man chuckled as he said the name. He laughs at everything doesn''t he.

    "Why are we here?"

    "To buy some weapons for you to train with."

    We walk into the store. The man at the counter has Orange-brown hair and sleepy eyes. He is a little short compared to Garet, and Shila.

    "What''s up Niel?"

    "I''ve come to order some weapons."

    "Are they for that little lion boy besides you?"

    "Yes, he has a lot of potential for weapons and magic, so I''ve decided to train him."

    "At this age you''re already saying that about him? That''s some talent. I better get on his good side."

    He gives me a lazy wink as he says that. ...Good side? I don''t think either side of me is better than the other. I twist around to check. The two adults watch me as I do so.

    "Better keep it literal Couper, he doesn''t understand figures of speech yet."

    "Where did you find him, the middle of the woods?

    "Yes."

    "Yes."

    The old man and I say at the same time. Couper is taken aback for a moment, before he chuckles.

    "You must be quite the survivor, huh kid?"

    "Yes"

    I wave my tail proudly. Couper continues to speak to me.

    "So what kind of weapon do you want?"

    "He doesn''t actually know anything about weapons. I was planning on teaching him how to use a few different ones to see what he likes best."

    Stolen novel; please report."Hmm, so, if I''m not mistaken, you''ll want a sword, a spear, a pair of daggers, a pair of gauntlets, and a bow, plus some light armor right?"

    "Spot on as usual. How soon do you think you can make them?"

    "Three days tops. You know my prices."

    He claps his hands and rubs them together, the sleepy look gone from his face.

    "I better get to work then. It''s been nice meeting you..."

    "Chaise."

    "Chaise."

    I glare at the old man when he manages to say my name first. Couper has already walked away. He lazily waves a hand in goodbye as he stands in the doorway to another room. The old man starts walking again and I follow him.

    "Now where are we going?"

    "Are you going to ask that every time? No, don''t answer that, of course you will. We are going to Button Tailors, I don''t understand her naming sense, to buy you some new clothes. We should probably buy the collars there too."

    We walk for half an hour before we arrive.

    "Welcome to Button Tailors, how may I help you?"

    A woman with two ponytails of messy, brown hair and green eyes peeks out from under the counter. She frowns slightly at...Niel... Nope I can''t call him that, old man suits him much better. Her expression brightens when she sees me.

    "...Niel... Who I is this adorable child."

    She''s practically purring her words, except for when she called the old man''s name. I guess she has a hard time with it too.

    "He''s Chaise, my new pupil. I would say student, but he is only ten and so isn''t old enough to enter the academy. He needs a new set of clothing. And don''t you dare try to give him a dress, Linsley."

    "Old man what''s a dress?"

    "It''s girl clothing. Shela was wearing one, remember?"

    "Yes, my mother wears those too. Why shouldn''t I wear one. Why do girls have different clothing?"

    "That...would take to long to explain. Did your mother ever have you wear a dress?"

    "No"

    "The reason she didn''t dress you in them is because she didn''t want you wearing such girly clothing. Does that make sense."

    "I guess."

    I don''t like the old man using my mother to explain something, but mother did never have me wear a dress, so he''s probably right. That doesn''t mean I have to like it though.

    The woman looked disappointed when he told her not to give me a dress, but she quickly recovered. She took out paper and a pen.

    "So what exactly did you want for him?"

    "He needs three sets of casual clothes, a training outfit, adventuring gear, a cloak, and some shoes. Oh, right, we also need three collars. Two are for the little wolf pups he''s holding and one for himself."

    Linsley gasped in delight when she saw the puppies.

    "What are their names sweetie?"

    "Shiva and Asura. The girl is Shiva and the boy is Asura."

    "Those are good names. It''s so cute that you''ll be wearing matching collars! As for the other clothing..."

    She begins mumbling to herself. She''s drooling a little. Are all humanoid women this way? Linsley isn''t even stronger than me and I still feel like she''s looking at me like prey... No, it''s probably just because they know the old man.

    "Linsley, I''d appreciate it if you would make the clothes with some room for growth. Also, could you make two huge pillows for the wolves to sleep on? They would have to be big enough to accommodate their adult size."

    "Yeah yeah, should be easy..."

    She waves off the old man''s question, writing it down so she won''t forget. She mumbles distractedly to herself, no longer paying attention to her surroundings. The old man and I use it as a chance to escape.

    "Old man is everyone you know this weird?"

    "For the most part, yes. I know some normal people too, but most of my acquaintances are quite eccentric."

 Ch.11 Shopping ends

    Author''s note: Sorry, I''m currently sick, but I will give you chapters

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    "So, old man, are all women like those two?"

    "No, most women aren''t like those two, at least about children. Shela acts like that because she really loves cute things, but the feeling isn''t mutual. I think she scares them with her enthusiasm. Linsley... There''s really no excuse for her. I''m not sure if it''s any better, but she doesn''t just do this to children. There are many middle aged men and women who feel harassed by her in the making of their clothing. She''s actually just excited by the ideas she''s getting for clothing, but it''s still very uncomfortable. The reason she doesn''t treat me like that is because, apparently, I don''t inspire her."

    "That makes sense."

    "I''m not sure if you meant the explanation or if you''re agreeing with Linsley."

    ". . ."

    We''ve stopped in front of one of the open, wooden stands. This one is cooking chicken on sticks. The smell of the meat tickles my nose. I look up at the old man with a hopeful face.

    "Yes, we''re to eat. It''s about lunch time so I thought we''d grab something quick. Excuse me sir, could we get ten satays?"

    "That would be two silvers."

    The old man hands the man two circles of silver and we wait a few minutes for the chicken to finish cooking. The old man hands me eight of the chicken sticks. I look at him with sparkling eyes.

    "I figured you could eat quite a bit. You should feed Shiva and Asura though, they can share a stick."

    I nod enthusiastic and we dig into the food. It''s not as good as the meat from magic beasts, but it''s still delicious.

    .....

    After our meal we continue shopping. We buy the brush we needed from a random stall we walked by. They were selling beauty care objects, is what the old man told me. He tried to explain why such things were needed, but, besides brushes, I couldn''t understand why any of it would be necessary. He mentioned that such things are mainly used by girls and pricks like it was an excuse. A prick is a rude, arrogant, pompous, jerk, and most of them don''t have any real redeeming qualities, is how the old man explains it. We wander awhile, looking at things people were selling, and the old man would explain what they are for. My head hurts. Apparently we will do this at least once a month. The old man thinks it''s a good way to teach me more about the world and "common sense". I hate it, but I have to agree. It does seem like a good idea. Three hours had past since we started the lesson and now we''re finally moving on. We walk into a quiet store filled with books. An older man, not as old as the old man, is sitting behind the counter, reading quietly. He looks up when we stand in front of him.

    "Pardon me for interrupting your reading, but we would like some help finding what we want to buy. We need a sheaf of paper, a ballpoint pen, and some children''s books if you have them."

    The older man puts down his book and pulls the paper and pen out from under the counter. Then he walks around the store, picking up three books before heading back to his seat behind the counter. He puts the books on the counter.

    "Five silvers, please."

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon."Yes, of course."

    The old man...Niel...puts the coins on the counter and picks up the stuff. The older man sits back down in his chair and begins to read again. We walk out the door and head back to the old man''s house.

    "After all the eccentrics, Jacobs was like a breath of fresh air. Don''t you agree, Chaise? Oh and by breath of fresh air I meant it was refreshing."

    "Yes, I liked the quiet in that store. Everywhere else we went was so noisy, but his place was very peaceful. I like him."

    "Yes, as long as you''re not disturbing his peace too much he''s very easy to get along with."

    We are back at the house now. The old man fiddles with the door a bit before opening it. I go upstairs and put the puppies on my bed. They fell asleep during the walk back to the house. Then I go downstairs and wait as the old man cooks dinner. After dinner, and dessert, I follow the old man and sit on the couch next to the old man. *Yawn* My stomach is full and it''s giving me a warm feeling.

    "Chaise, I''ve more or less figured out your schedule for the month. Would you like to hear it?"

    I nod. I''m feeling a bit sleepy right now. Being surrounded by noisy people is tiring. A day and night of hunting is less tiring than today was.

    "Okay. Before we start the lessons for the day, we''ll eat breakfast and go for a run.The first lesson of the day we''ll start on teaching you a bit more about the six races and the history of our world as we know it. Then we''ll work on your reading and writing. After that we''ll have lunch. Maybe I can teach you a little bit of cooking. I know you can eat raw meat with no problems, but it might be fun."

    The old man is speaking in a soft, soothing voice. It''s making me even sleepier.

    "Next we''ll work on magic theory. You might even be able to teach me something during those lessons. The next two hours of your day will be free time for the first week, so during that time you can do whatever you want. After the first week. We''ll take two hours for your physical and weapon training. Then you''ll work on your control and use of magic for an hour or two. Afterwards we''ll have dinner."

    My head has begun to nod as I resist sleep. The old man uses this as an opportunity to pet my head and ears. Everyone we meet tried to pet my ears. I''m too sleepy to even glare at him. It''s taking all of my concentration to listen to his words.

    "After dinner, and dessert, is the free time you''ll always have. It will be up to you when you''ll go to sleep. That''s what a full day of lessons will be like. At least twice a week I''ll let you skip the morning lessons to go out and play. That''s what kids your age should generally be doing, but you''ve set a goal to live among people you don''t understand so that you can become stronger and find your mother. For the first few months you''ll volunteer at the orphanage on the last day of the week. Once I think you''re ready, I''ll have you sign up at the adventurers'' guild and then you''ll take jobs on the last day of the week and go to the orphanage on the fourth day. I will not be teaching you actual magic though. You''ll have to wait until you enter the academy for that. Even though I''ll be teaching you a lot, the academy will still be good for you Chaise. You''ll meet people there who''ll inspire you to be better... Hmm, you better head to bed now. It looks like if you don''t go you''ll fall asleep on your way to it."

    I nod and trudge up the stairs to the bed. When I lay down the puppies wake up a little, just enough for them to cuddle up next to me, and we all fall asleep...

 Ch.12 First lesson

    Author''s note: Please tell me if I should write the whole lecture or skip to the necessary part of it. It''s not really important enough to make a thread for it. It''s mainly here to set up the material he learns in the lessons.

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    I wake up yawning. The sun is sitting on the horizon, just past dawn''s breaking point. The puppies feel me stirring and wake up too. I barely remember what the old man told me last night. Who knew that being among bipedals would be so tiring. Animals aren''t nearly as bad as bipedals. Hmm, Garet and Jacobs were okay. Garet is funny and Jacobs was quiet. I''m not sure what to think of Couper though. Shela and Linsley were scary, but maybe I just need to get use to them. Hmm, yeah, living here until I can find mother won''t be too bad.

    I nod to myself and scoop up the puppies. I really need to go to the bathroom and they probably do to. I open the window and jump out of it. Once I land I walk into the forest a bit and do my business. The puppies do theirs. Once we''re all done a pick up the puppies and walk back to the house. ...I can''t climb back into my room if I''m going to carry the puppies... I''ll just have to go throught the front door. ...it won''t open. The old man isn''t awake yet, so he can''t open it for me...

    Oh well, I''ll just wait until he wakes up. I decide to play with the puppies until then. We play tag, and to make it more fair I''m on all fours but can only use my hands to move. Haha, this is fun. The puppies can''t catch me. Ah, they''ve teamed up and are coming at me from both sides. Hahaha, you can''t catch me.

    .....

    The old man woke up and let us back into the house. He tells me to get washed up in the bathroom, so me and the puppies take a bath while he makes breakfast. It''s eggs and bacon. Bacon is almost as good as magic beast meat. Mmm, as always meat is best! Except...that dessert stuff was good. As good if not better than meat. It wouldn''t make a good meal, but it is delicious. I finish eating the food in front of me. The old man put a plate on the floor for the puppies. They don''t get cooked bacon, instead they just get a slab of some other meat, and a cooked egg.

    "Chaise are you ready for your lessons? Do you need me to retell you of what your schedule is?"

    "No I remember."

    "Good. In that case I''ll begin the lesson. As you know their are six races considered to be ''people''. They are: humans, fey, dwarfs, beast men, merfolk, and demons. There are sub races for each one. Half breeds aren''t counted as sub races. The most common type for each race, or sub race, isn''t referred to as a sub race they just use the name of the whole race.

    Humans sub races are extremely rare, the only known example was called a high human. There use to be more of them, but they died out. No one knows why. It''s actually a rather interesting field of research. It''s believed that ancient dungeons were made by them. Generally humans are pretty average in their abilities. They are a jack of all trades if you will. They have surprising potential for learning, but most of the population is rather weak compared to the average of all the other races. They are the most war inclined race.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The fey have sub races within sub races. The most common sub race are the elves. Their sub races are rare and generally stay in villages together. They are: high elves, dark elves, moon elves, blood elves, and shoe elves. Of them only dark elves are ever really seen, their population is about half of the common elves'', which is already fairly small. Moon elves randomly appear among common elves, a latent bloodline. Blood elves are comparable to the monster vampires. Shoe elves are about as big as the fingernail on your pinkie. Elves live fairly long lives. They age at 1.5 times our rate until they reach the human equivalent of twenty years old

    The next sub for the fey is the fairies they are rare because they only live halfway in this world. They basically live in a separate world connected to ours. They are free to come and leave as they please, but every once in awhile they are forced into our world for a night. Their sub races are pixies, brownies, and royalty. Pixies are jerks, brownies love playing tricks, and the royalty are human sized or bigger. All of the fairies besides royalty are about between one and two inches long. No one knows how long they live, expect them.-"

    "Old man how long is this going to take?"

    "A long time. I''m trying to be thorough, but this is just a summary. I''ll tell you this until you can repeat it back to me. When you can do that we''ll move on the the specifics of each race and sub race."

    I frown with my mouth open, my ears are flat, and I have a stupid look on my face.

    "I know that it''s annoying to listen to this much pure information, but some people devote their lives to learning more about each sub race. You''re lucky, most people don''t get to learn much about this."

    "So in other words it''s unnecessary?"

    "You don''t even know what''s considered common sense. We have to start with these because you know next to nothing about the most common races, so shut up and listen. You don''t know where you''ll have to go to find your mother so this will be useful to you. How about this, after I think you''ve learned enough about the races and history I''ll start teaching you about the different types of animals, monsters, and magic beast, plus geography. If you know enough about those things you''ll be able to better guess where your mother is. The world is large after all."

    "Okay, I''ll listen.

 Ch.13 A visitor

    Author''s note: I made a drawing for the cover picture of the story, but I can''t figure out how to size it so I can use it. TT^TT

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    "Where was I?"

    "You were summing up the lesson."

    "Oh, yes, right. The last sub race of the fey is the elementals. There are many debates as to whether or not they should be counted as such, but I count them.

    The merfolk keep to themselves and are sometimes considered to be the aquatic revision of beastmen, both races disagree with that.

    Beastmen look like across between humans and animals, and some act like that too. There are many different tribes of beastmen, which one they belong to is based on which type of animal they share the characteristics of. The common type generally have the ears and tail of an animal. The sub race looks like an animal with a human shape. They live in deep wilderness and are much more attached to tribal life then the common variety. Beastmen love competing in strength, it''s like a gentle version of the law of the jungle. The summoned tend to expect humans discriminate against and enslave beastmen, but I don''t know why.

    The last of the six races, although many humans loath to admit it are the diviom or as they are now called demons. They are on average as strong as the elves. There two types, because there are way too many sub races, one that looks like humans with horns, wings, are similar things, and ones that look like monsters. The human like ones are very similar to beastmen if you think about it. They are on average stronger than humans so they''re strongest tend to be stronger than ours.

    The human race thinks of them as evil. They were called the diviom because they were almost always divided. Only the king that would be born every 300 years could unite them. They use to get along with all the races fairly well, even though they are warlike, but humans ruined that. A long time ago some kingdoms joined together and decided that they are actually monsters, demon was originally a term for a type of monster that looks quite similar to them, and claimed something about the land being rightfully theirs. Long story short humans started a war and held a grudge when they lost. The diviom are a lot like crass elves how like to fight, although most elves don''t like them exactly for that reason. Dwarves treat some of them like potential drinking buddies. Beastmen, especially the full beast types like to fight with them for fun, they get along. Merfolk like them the best of all the races, they don''t like humans too. Pixies are also pretty fond of them. All the races, besides the sides involved, originally took a neutral stance to the war, but since a lot of them did business with humans they began to side with them."

    "Old man, you''re human too."

    "Yeah, but I know that all the races have a lot of jerks. I welcome anyone with potential to be a student at my school, as long as they don''t cause trouble."

    "Then there are demons at the academy?"

    "Maybe, I make a point of not checking the race of my students, but it is a bit hard for them to come here. We are surrounded by human countries, so for fear of discrimination the diviom that come here have to hide their identity. The two races are in a state of active war."

    "Humans are pretty stupid."

    "Yes, unfortunately a lot of them are."

    "Well, their war means nothing to me. I think that all the races are basically the same so I won''t discriminate. After all, all of you are just as bad."

    "Err, good boy, good boy."

    The old man awkwardly petted my head. I smacked his hand away.

    "Chaise we''ve been sitting here awhile, why don''t you run outside for stretch while I get the next lesson ready."

    I nod and run out the door. The puppies are following at my heels.  It was so boring to sit still and listen to him lecture. We run around the house and weave through the trees, at least I do. The puppies are trying to catch me so they charge straight ahead or split up so one runs the opposite way around the house. The old man calls my name and I head in. As I go through the door I hear the sound of footsteps and I look behind me to check. There''s a little girl walking towards the house just starting to show from behind the crest of the paths slope. I shrug and go inside, at the pace she''s walking she probably won''t get here until half an hour has past. I return to my seat in the eating room. The old man has brought the books, paper, ink, and pen that he bought yesterday to the table. I peek in the books and am surprised to find it full of pictures with few lines of squiggles. The old man takes the book and shows me the cover while pointing at the squiggles.

    "These are letters. Letters represent sounds, each one meaning something different. When put together they make words and sentences. This reads ''The Sword of the Wandering Knight''."

    He took a piece of paper and wrote a list of letters. Then he made me repeat after him each letter and all the sounds they represent. I was just about to start practicing writing the letters when there was a knocking sound coming from the door.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation."Excuse me?"

    The old man got up and went to open the door. I trailed behind him with the puppies trailing behind me. It was the little girl I saw early. Hmm, maybe I should have told the old man when I saw her coming. Oh well. She has light green hair and light purple eyes. She seems very timid.

    "Lavender what are you doing here?"

    "Miss Ramount asked me to deliver these to you."

    She shifted the basket she is holding to show the plants inside.

    "Right I gave an herb gathering quest to the guild. Alright, the reward was a silver, right? Here you go."

    "Actually, I was wondering if I could get some magic lessons instead this time. Can I?"

    "Hoho, you don''t need to trade you reward for that. I''d be happy to teach you. You just had to ask. The academy doesn''t have classes this time of year for a total of three months. There is still two months until opening ceremony. I''m willing to give you lessons during that time. You don''t mind right Chaise?"

    "No, I don''t mind."

    "Ah, I forgot to introduce you to each other. Chaise this is Lavender. Lavender this is Chaise."

    He didn''t introduce me to other people. Hmm, the only reason I know that word is because of Garet.

    "Nice to meet you Chaise."

    "Nice to meet you."

    "This is your first time meeting a child your age, right Chaise?"

    I nod. I look curiously at the girl when I realize he''s right. She tries to hide behind her basket, her face is red. Is she angry? She doesn''t smell or stand like she''s angry though. She must be embarrassed. I wonder why~ I continue to watch her.

    "I was planning on teaching Chaise about magic after lunch. Why don''t you stay and eat with us? Afterwards you can join the lesson. It would be killing two birds with one stone."

    "Are you sure? I''d love to!"

    "Come on in. I''ll get started on cooking. You know your letters right? Could you help Chaise practice his writing? It will give you two something to do while you wait."

    "Sure!"

    I think she''s too excited. We move to the table and I go back to work. While I was writing she noticed the puppies and stared at them longingly. She probably wants to pet them. The old man tells us to clear the table. We bring the stuff I was using to my room and put them on the desk in there. When we get back to the table we all sit down and start eating. Lavender thanks the old man for the meal.

    As we''re eating I realize something. I decide to ask to make sure.

    "You''re not human are you?"

    She drops her fork stunned. The old man looks up from his food and raises an eyebrow at me. She looks down at her food with a red face. Then she stares at me indignantly. I wonder why?

    "That''s right, she is a half-elf. How did you figure out she isn''t fully human? Her ears aren''t showing, her hair is in the way."

    "She smells a bit different then humans do. The way she moves is different too."

    "Hmm, interesting. That does make sense. Lavender don''t worry he really doesn''t care about the difference in races. Nor will he discriminate against half-breeds."

    "Really? You won''t be mean to me because I don''t belong to any race?"

    "You''re a humanoid aren''t you. There all basically the same race right? I don''t even understand what your talking about."

    "I just finished teaching you that they aren''t the same race Chaise! *sigh* Some people treat half-breeds poorly."

    "That''s stupid."

    "Yup."

    Me and the old man go back to eating. She looks embarrassed again. Bipedals are weird.

 Ch.14 Magic lesson

    Author''s note: The magic types are stereotypical, so I won''t explain them.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    Once we had all finished eating the old man ran up stairs to get a clear stone ball, while Lavender and I washed the dishes we ate on. I did not enjoy washing them. Lavender tried to show me how to wash the dishes but I wasn''t very good at it. I ended up with my head getting drenched with water and neither of us know how it happened. The old man showed up immediately afterwards and started to laugh at me... I feel like he''s the reason I got drenched, but I''m not sure how. We all sit down at the table to begin the lesson.

    "To start, Lavender how about you explain what you know about magic? Then afterwards Chaise will give his explanation."

    "Yes sir. Magic is the use of mana to create a change in the world. It is generally temporary because to maintain a spell a constant supply of mana needed. There are multiple types of magic. Attributed, summoning, taming, enchanting, and elemental are the main types. Fire, water, wind, earth, light, shadow, lightning, ice, dark, neutral, and nature are the different attributes for attributed. Umm, oh! And to activate magic we chant to control mana to cast spells. Umm...that''s all I know."

    "Don''t worry that was pretty good. Chaise it''s your turn to say what you know about it."

    "Okay. It''s the use of mana. To use it first you have to practice moving your mana around your body. The next step is to be able to bring it outside your body while still controlling it and not letting it dissipate. Once you can do that, then you can add elements into the mana. To make it do something you have to understand what it is you''re trying to do, at least well enough to explain it to someone else. "

    The old man is staring at me fascinated and excited. Lavender is looking back and forth between the two of us confused."

    "Umm, Chaise I don''t think that is how it works. You didn''t even include chanting in your explanation..."

    "I don''t understand why you would need to chant. I''ve never done it."

    "Don''t pretend. It''s rare that even super powerful mages can perform chantless. You''re even younger than I am how could you do what great mages can''t."

    She started scolding me. It''s not my fault bipedals aren''t good at controlling their second energy!

    "My mother taught me how to use magic, so I''m doing the way she taught me."

    "Can she do it then? She might not actually understand how to use magic. Where is your proof? I don''t believe it!"

    My fur and hair is bristling. My ears are flattened and my tail is lashing from side to side. I begin to hiss under my breath. She is insulting my mother!

    "Woah! Calm down Chaise, calm down. She did mean to be insulting! She isn''t trying insulting your mother. She''s from the orphanage and has to help take care of the younger children, so she is use to scolding others for lying. She is use to little kids exaggerating things to the point of it being a lie. From most people''s perspective it is an unbelievable thing. It''s okay, just calm down, please. Just relax~~"

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.  Hmm, I''m not okay with it, but in respect to the old man I try to relax. I stop hissing and my fur and lies back down. My eyes are narrowed and cold, and my ears are half flattened. I''m not okay with it.

    "That''s better, I guess. Thank you Chaise. Lavender, his upbringing was a bit special so be careful with your words okay? He doesn''t need to be scolded like the little kids, alright? Plus I''ve actually seen him using magic chantless. I didn''t know his method though. It actually makes sense if you think about it. Also, you might want to-."

    He tilts his head at me quickly. She was standing in shock from when he confirmed what I said. She becomes flustered and turns toward me.

    "S-sorry. I didn''t mean to insult you or your mother. I didn''t think you were telling the truth. What you said was really unbelievable though. Anyone would have reacted the same I think."

    I flick my ears and look away from her. It''s her problem that she didn''t believe me. I look at the old man and make an expression asking him to continue the lesson. He does, and continues as if the previous outburst didn''t happen.

    " *sigh* Fine. So you were almost right about the types and attributes, Lavender, but you left out a few things. There are also mind and slave types of magic, they are both fairly similar to each other and taming magic. The attributes you missed were time and space, but they''re both very rare compared to any other type. The reason I asked you both to explain what magic is is because their are many different ways people define magic, and often times they won''t agree with other definitions of it. I think of it as a phenomenon that brings about changes in the world for the use of mana. What mana is is unsure. It''s a much more debated point than the definition of magic. Chaise, I''d like to hear your insight on it later okay?"

    "Okay."

    "So, what specifically do you two want to know about magic?"

    "Umm, how do you train to use it?"

    "First you have to feel your mana. While you''re conscious of it you then chant the spell you want to use. The spell will then activate. Draining your mana pool by use will make it bigger. It will help you concentrate on your mana and control your magic if you use a wand while casting. Do you have any questions Chaise?"

    "Yes I do. I understand attributed magic, but what exactly are the other types? I didn''t know that you could do things other than attributes."

    "That makes sense. Only six races use them. I don''t think magic beasts even can use them. Except for mind magic, but they generally use it like an attribute. I''ll start with elemental magic. It can only be used through the help of elementals, which is part of the reason it''s in debate if they are part of the fey race or not...

 Ch.15 Why more lectures?

    "Did I explain it well enough for now Chaise? I''ll teach you the details of each one in our future lessons okay?"

    "Yes, I''m fine with that. I''ll probably need you to tell me these basics again though."

    "I was planning to. Now I bet you too have been wondering what this stone is...wait where did it go?"

    "Shiva and Asura have been playing with it in the floor the whole time old man."

    "How did they get it? I put it on the table."

    "I got bored with playing with it so I gave it to them."

    ". . ."

    "Umm, sir? Isn''t it a tool for testing mana capacity?"

    "Yes, it is. *sigh* She stole my thunder... To use it just put your hand on the crystal. It will glow, the color and intensity depends on how much mana you have. They weakest color is white, then blue, it follows the color wheel so purple is the strongest color. Lavender would you like to try first?"

    "Yes please!"

    She eagerly puts both hands on the ball and stares at it expectantly. It doesn''t keep her waiting long the ball begins to glow, light fills it by a third. Eventually the light adopts a blue tinge. She takes her hand off of the stone. It keeps the light for a minute before fading.

    "That''s pretty good. Most children your age only reach mid white level, if they have potential to work as a mage. You are above average and could probably become an accomplished mage if you work at it. It might even be enough to join the academy if you train well. I''d say you probably have a mana pool of about 350. If you got a guild card you''d be able to get an exact measurement from it, but they won''t give you one until you''re at least C-ranked. I''d give you one, but I''m only allowed to give it to students. Chaise, it''s your turn."

    I drop a hand on to it, and immediately take it back and leap away! *hiss* my fur is standing on end. I glare at the ball.

    "Chaise what''s wrong?"

    "That was gross! It felt like it was creeping under my skin, reaching towards my mana pool!"

    "Really? I don''t think anyone has ever had that reaction before. Now that I think about it, animals and magic beasts hate these stones. Is it because they feel the same thing you just did? Interesting... Oh well, just bear with it, okay Chaise? I need to know your mana capacity."

    *sigh* The old man is serious about this. I guess it''s important? I hesitantly touch the orb again. *shivers* It just feels completely wrong. The light has changed color so I take my hand of it as quickly as possible. The light is filling the orb and has taken on a green tinge.

    "This is very impressive Chaise. Having this much mana at your age is considered being a top quality genius. You probably have a mana pool of about 700. It makes sense with your lineage. As long as you train at all entering the academy will be a breeze for you. I expected as much though."

    Lavender is staring at me with her mouth open. She looks silly. She then rushes over and hugs me, she holds my hands at starts jumping up and down, saying how great that is and that she''s happy for me. She has way too much energy.

    .....

    Eventually Lavender calms down. The old man then teaches us the chants for some of the most basic spells in attribute magic. Apparently there are different tiers for the attributes. Fire, water, wind, and earth make up the lowest tier so that''s what he taught us. Afterwards Lavender left. She forgot her basket so she had to come back for it though. It was my free time next, the old man said as long as I practice my magic like I usually do, I can do whatever I want for the rest of the day. So I explored the forest with the pups. We found a cold spring with a stream and we played in the water until dinner. After dinner I practiced my control of secon- of mana. *sigh* I don''t like calling it that I want to call it my second energy, but I don''t know the spoken words to say it with. It''s only the first day and I''ve begun to realise just how much I am going to have to learn. I made the right choice, and this is the fastest way to grow strong enough to find mother. I miss her. Once I used all of my second energy I crawl into bed with the puppies. Yeah, their warmth helps...

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    I''m following the old man to get my weapons. It''s been three days already so they should be ready. Lavender came again yesterday for magic lessons. The old man was teaching me about attributed magic, it will be awhile before we can move on from it. Couper is sleeping at the counter, using his arms as pillows. The old man looks at me and puts a figure to his lips.

    " shh~ Let''s not wake him."

    The old man goes behind the counter and grabs a box. It has a few letters on it, one of them is a C! The old man puts a small bag of coins underneath Couper''s hands. Then we walk back to the house. I''m still not use to being in the city, all the noise and smells give me a slight headache. We get back to the house. The door has been kicked in.

    "Why, just why? It wasn''t even locked!"

    I can smell him~ Gareth is here. When we go inside we see him sitting on the couch, eating cookies. He raises a hand in welcome.

    "Hey, finally back I see. You didn''t think we''d meet again so soon, did you Chaise?"

    "I asked him to be your teacher for your weapon and physical training. I''m hopeless with weapons. He is a knight so he is used to training others, and mainly uses physical fighting instead of pure magic."

    "Yup, I''m the best in the area. Besides that monster of an instructor who works at the academy *shivers* their training is almost torture..."

    "Okay, I was wondering if you''d teach me old man. I was concerned about it because you aren''t that strong physically."

    "I never told you that."

    "I can sense it."

    "That will be useful in fighting. That is a coveted skill that all fighters need to learn. You''re already getting ahead of the pack, aren''t you Chaise!"

    "If you''re hunting with a pack it''s stupid to run ahead of everyone else, it makes you a target Garet."

    "Nice! You already know some tactics. Why don''t we go outside and get started? It will take awhile to introduce you to the weapons."

    "More lectures? The old man is giving me enough of those."

    We''ve started walking outside. Garet is carrying the box of weapons. We go to the large square area behind the house. There''s no grass here, the square area only has hard, light colored, dirt. Garet lays all the weapons on a rolled out cloth. He points at one of them.

    "This is a sword..."

    He names all of the weapons and how they are generally used. Garet is being very serious.

    "We''ll start your training with the sword. Every three days we''ll switch weapons so that you can get a feel for all of them. On those days 3/4 of our lesson together will be with weapons. Every fourth day we''ll devout completely to physical training. Once you figure out which ones you absolutely won''t use well stop training with them. Let''s start. Hold the sword with both hands. Spread your feet apart..."

    Garet started correcting my stance. He doesn''t stop until he feels satisfied with it. Then he would make me relax and start from the beginning. Eventually he let me start swinging the sword, stepping forward as I do so. I keep doing this until it''s dinner time. After dinner Garet leaves, he lives in the city. I can respect him for being so serious about my training, I''m grateful for it. I''m grateful to the old man too, but that doesn''t mean I have to act respectful towards him.

    As I go to bed I remember what the old man said. Tomorrow is the last day of the week. Hmm, I wonder what this ''orphanage'' is like.

 Ch.16 The orphanage

    I''m dressed in a set of the casual clothing we bought from Linsley, a grey shirt and black pants. We picked them up when we went to get the weapons. The old man and I are walking on the path to town. The old man is lecturing again, he''s always giving lectures.

    "Remember Chaise you must call her Miss Ramount, she is very strict about manners. You are there to help so do what she tells you. I''ll leave immediately, because she doesn''t like me. She thinks I treat children like research and raise them to be weapons. I don''t, but she doesn''t believe me. Once I leave you''re on your own. If someone starts fondling your ears and you don''t want them to move away, don''t smack their hand, if that doesn''t work gently move their hand away and tell them to stop because you don''t like it. Don''t injure anyone. Most of the children won''t try to insult you, but the ones who do are just trying to prove that they are tough. Just ignore those ones because what they want is attention. Don''t injure anyone.-"

    "Old man why are so certain I''ll injure someone? They are neither food nor a threat so why would I? Some people just don''t know who they can and can''t pick a fight with. All I''ll need to do to teach them a lesson is hold them to the ground until they submit."

    "Don''t do that either. Please just tell an adult, they''re the ones in charge of teaching and taking care of these children. Don''t do it yourself."

    "What if the problem is an adult?"

    "Tell a different adult about it. Also don''t use magic while helping out."

    "Okay old man."

    .....

    We''ve arrived at the orphanage. It''s a big house with two floors. It''s very wide. Behind the house is a yard with a garden that takes up half the space. Their are children running around playing with each other. Some of them are screaming, but not with fear...why? I don''t understand it. Ah, one of them fell on their face. And~ they''ve started crying. Oh, Lavender has come out and is comforting that child. I turn my attention back to the door we are walking towards. I can''t see behind the house anymore. We stop at the door and the old man starts knocking on it.

    "Just a monument~! Artemis could you get the door? "

    The thumping sound of running starts. A child dressed in black and white opens the door.

    "Hi, how may we help you?"

    "Hello child. Chaise here will be volunteering here once a week from now on. We''ve come for him to get started helping out."

    The girl looks at me curiously. She has blonde hair and silver-blue eyes. Her expression turns to shock briefly before she nods to herself seriously and stares into the distance. She turns back to us like it never happened. She''s weird. Another lady walks up to the door. She has pale green hair and blue eyes.

    "Come in, come in. You must be Chaise. I''m Miss Ramount. It''s wonderful that someone your age would devote their time to helping others like this. We are always in need of more help running this place. Neil I hope you''ve been treating this child well."

    "Don''t worry I let him be a child. I don''t just lecture him all day. One of the main reasons I''m have him volunteering here is so that he gets to know children his own age. Chaise remember what I told you earlier."

    "Okay."

    The old man turns and leaves. It looks more like he''s fleeing. I look at Miss Ramount expectantly.

    "Hmm, what should we start with? *clap* I know! How about you help Artemis here. She was helping out with cleaning. Would that be okay?"

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere."Yes, but I''d need her to teach me how to."

    "Wonderful! I''ll do get you an apron."

    She goes into another room. I sit on the nearby couch to wait. Artemis sits next to me. She''s being fidgety.

    "Hi, so your name is Chaise? I''m Artemis, nice to meet you."

    "Nice to meet you."

    She looks down at her feet, she seems hesitant about something. She looks away from me, like she''s staring into the distance. She holds a fist near her face and looks regretful. I think she''s strange even for a bipedal. But she is pretty funny to watch. Her head whips around and she looks at me startled.

    "What?"

    "You just laughed. What''s funny?"

    Really? I did? I didn''t notice, oh well.

    "Your behavior is. It''s weird even for a human. Although... You don''t quite smell human. You do smell human but not like other ones. Does that mean you''re a high human?"

    Now she''s all flustered. She''s waving her hands back and forth in front of her and going waa waa. *hahaha* She''s really funny. Her reaction and expression are really exaggerated. It''s fun to watch.

    "N-n-no I-I''m not!...How did you know!?"

    "Like I said, you smell different. It''s actually an improvement compared to other humans."

    I lean in closer to smell it better. She smells like places with high sec- mana concentrations. It reminds me of the area my mother liked to take me in the spring... Oh Miss Ramount is almost back. I get off the couch and move to meet her. She''s carrying a white piece of cloth, that must be an apron. It''s similar to the white clothing Artemis is wearing, but her''s is rounder and frillier.

    "Here you go Chaise. Artemis knows what to do so listen to what she says okay? I need to go buy some things, so I''ll be gone until lunch."

    "Okay."

    I turn back to Artemis, ready to start. She''s curled up face down on the couch. Her ears peek out of her hair, they vaguely resemble a feathered wing, and re bright red.

    "The character did do those kind of things, but-but *mumble mumble* my heart isn''t ready! *mumble mumble* magic academy! *mumble* ..."

    She''s weird. I wait for her to come back to her senses. I could probably shake her awake but this is fun to watch.

    .....

    It took her awhile to stop mumbling to herself. She sat back up and acted like nothing happened, except for the fact that her face was still a bit red. We started cleaning around the house. Apparently all the kids were outside playing or in town helping people to earn some money to spend. As we cleaned Artemis kept staring at my ears, she looked like she really wanted to touch them. Some of the kids I saw outside had animal ears too, so I don''t understand why she specifically wanted to touch mine. She would move past me a try to touch my ears secretly. I would casually dodge her hand and look at her face out of the corner of my eye. She always made a devastated expression and then hold a fist near her face with an expression saying she won''t give up. I don''t think she could tell I was dodging her on purpose. Hmhm, she''s so weird.

 Ch.17 Acting my age

    Miss Ramount came back a little past noon. She went into the kitchen and, thirty minutes later, called everyone to lunch. Before I went in she pulled me aside.

    "Chaise I think you''ve helped out enough already, take the rest of the day to play with the other children. You won''t be able to talk to them during lunch, because they eat with a  single minded devotion. After lunch you should introduce yourself to the other children and get to know them better. Okay?"

    "Yes Miss Ramount."

    "You''re a good child."

    She was right about the way they eat. I don''t think they''d notice if a predator came in and started eating them. I''m always aware of my surroundings. I have been since something tried to eat me while I was eating when I was three. It got away with my prey. Once everyone finished eating they started staring at me. Some of the smaller children hide behind other people. Well, Miss Ramount said to introduce myself so...

    "Hi, I''m Chaise."

    I twitch my ears and wave my tail a little to see if that helps. It does. They start crowding around me introducing themselves and asking questions. They are a mixture of different races: humans, elves, a dwarf, and beastmen. There is twenty three of them total. The younger children gently touch my tail, they''re trying to do it without my noticing. Why are people always so fascinated with my ears and tail. One of the children touching me is a beastman, he has his own set so why does he want to pet me!? I try to answer the various question I''m being asked while moving my tail to dodge the hands reaching for it. Seriously the rabbit boy is the most persistent, no one likes getting their tail grabbed, he should know better!

    "I lived with a wolf pack for the last five years now I... My mother is alive I just have to find her... I never knew my dad... Got lost... Yes, I can... I hunt... Please stop trying to pet my tail it freaks me out... I don''t know you well enough that''s why!...I agree cookies are delicious...two wolf pups, they''re called Shiva and Asura...."

    Apparently my tail and ears look softer than theirs so they want to touch it. It''s very rude and intrusive to pet someone who isn''t family, is what my mother told me and I very much agree with her.

    "Hey, I think you''re a liar. There''s no way you lived with wolves they would eat you. I bet you can''t actually use magic either. You''re just trying to impress everyone. Tell the truth you liar!..."

    Wow, the old man was right, an idiot that can''t judge strength really did appear. I stare at him for a bit, he has spiky red hair and orange eyes and he''s probably about my age just short. He gets embarrassed from my staring and starts yelling even louder. *pftt* This kid is hilarious. Ohh? He wants to fight me? He''s even started charging at me. I side step him and bonk him on the head with my fist. I didn''t hit him hard enough to injure him, not even hard enough to bruise, but it did hurt. He rolls around on the ground for awhile and then sits up with his legs crossed. He pouts angrily and holds a hand to his head where I hit him. Lavender starts scolding him for picking a fight.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.   Eventually we all go outside. We''re going to play hide and seek, they explained to me how to play. Lavender was chosen to be it so she has to wait half a minute before she begins her search. I climb up onto the ledge over a window and just below the roof. The shadow of the roof makes it harder to see me from a distance and the ledge blocks the sight of anyone below me. I watch as one by one everyone is found and join in the search for others. *Hmhmhm* they can''t find me~. Eventually they give up and say I win. I climb back down and stand proudly as they clamor about my hiding spot. Since I was the last to be found I''m now the seeker. As much as I like hiding, I''d rather be the predator than the prey. I move silently and swiftly, I can hear where everyone is hiding. I sneak up one the people hiding and put a hand on their mouth to keep them quiet. I tell them where the closest people are hiding and have them do the same thing I just did. It''s really funny to see everyone''s surprised faces whenever they''re found, and their happy faces when they''re told to sneak up on someone else. Every one is found quickly, and when it''s down to one person hiding I gather up everyone else and lead them behind the last person. We all give a shout and they jump straight into the air. Everyone collapses into a fit of laughter, even the one we scared, who just happened to be that redhead from earlier. We start up a new round, this time I''m not allowed to climb up the house. Artemis brought it up and everyone else agreed. Oh well, that won''t make it any easier to find me.

    .....

    It''s dark out now and the little kids have fallen asleep on top of me. They wanted to hear about my hunting experiences and the wolves I lived with. I miss them, but it hasn''t been half a year so I can''t visit them. I miss my mother too. It''s very warm with these kids sleeping next to me, it''s similar to the wolf pack. The warmth is *yawn*  making me sleepy... Miss Ramount comes and gently shakes me. The old man is here to pick me up. As I leave I see her and the older kids picking up the younger children and carrying them up stairs. There are two adults, a man and a woman, who I didn''t see early, helping carry them. I walk with the old man and carry the puppies. The old man brought them with him. I rub my face against theirs and they lick me. Once we get back to the house the old man says goodnight and goes to his room, not the one uses for sleeping, it''s his research room. I go up stairs and collapse in bed with the wolves next to me. They have their own pillows for sleeping now, but they are still too small so they sleep with me instead. Once my head hits my pillow I fall asleep instantly...

 Side story: A nightmare

    I''m in the meadow we love to come to in the spring. The trees are in full bloom. The pink petals of the trees are brushed by the wind. Some are swept away by it. They dance as they fall. I chase after the falling petals, spinning as I try to catch them. I''m playing by myself, no one else is here. I wonder where she... I spin and run around the circle of the clearing. As i spin again I see a smudge of amber across my vision. Ahh! Its mother!

    I''m so happy to see her! I''ve missed her so much! I haven''t seen her since... I run towards my mother. She picks me up in her arms and I give her a hug. I try to tell her how happy I am to see her, but she just smiles vaguely. She seems distant,  she isn''t really listening, she isn''t even looking at me. I try to look into her eyes, but I can''t.

    She drops me on the ground and begins to walk away. I want to chase after her, but I''m shocked and can''t move. She gets farther and farther away from me. I call out to her, but she doesn''t hear me.

    I try again to run after her, but I trip and fall. I''m falling. The ground has disappeared and mother is nowhere in sight. I''m falling into the darkness.

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    "Mother!"

    I sit straight up. My heart is pounding in my chest. I wildly look around. I''m- I''m in my bedroom. I-it *hic* was a-a dream? But? *hic* I-I want to*hic* be with*hic* mother. Where i-is *hic* she! I want my mother! I completely dissolve into tears. The sobs racking my body make it so I can barely breath. Shiva and Asura have begun to howl. My crying upset them. I hear the pounding sound of running feet. Neil bursts into the room.

    "Whats going on!? Whats wrong? Chaise, whats wrong?"

    I try to answer, but I just can''t. Speaking is beyond me and this point. All I manage to do is stutter.

    "M-mo-mother~!"

    My tears take me again, I completely lose it.

    "Did you have a nightmare? Poor thing. There there, its okay, its okay. Shh shh shh~ There there, its okay Chaise. It was just a bad dream. Everything is okay. Your mother is fine. Your fine..."

    Neil hugs me and begins to stroke my head. I usually hate people petting me, but right now I''m Just too upset. I find it comforting. Neil stays with me until I''ve cried myself back to sleep. I know it was just a bad dream, but...I''m scared... No, my mother is okay and I will find her. But for now, I still miss her...

 Ch.18 Registering

    "Register at the guild?"

    "Yup, you''ve already gotten a feel for which weapons you like right? Two lessons for each and you already understand the basics well enough. You were already a pretty good at fighting when we started. You''re stronger than those idiots that pickup a weapon for the first time once they become an adventurer. It''s not like they send newbies on hard missions. I think it''s time to tell the old man you''re ready to start ''adventuring''."

    "If you think so Garet. I was always ready, I''ve just been waiting for you two to give the okay."

    "I have to say I agree, but it''s better to be safe than sorry right? On a side note, are you sure you want to keep learning about all the weapons. If you were to concentrate completely you would be able to master it."

    "But I am focusing. I''m practicing with the daggers and hand to hand combat every day five days a week. The other ones I''m only going to practice one or two days a week. And they help me learn more about the two I chose."

    "I know. It''s actually pretty impressive what you''re doing, but are you sure you can handle it? Going through such rigorous training isn''t always good for the body. Besides isn''t two of those days your off days? You''re suppose to use those to rest your body and mind."

    "You know my lineage. I can easily handle the training, my base is better than most because my mother has raised me to be stronger since I was born."

    "That doesn''t sound like a good thing. It can stunt a child''s growth if they exercise too much you know."

    "I''m different. Unlike bipedal children I first started walking when I was three months old. Human babies walk at the earliest of nine months right? I'' mart of a race that has fairly limitless growth. Humans can to, but they don''t live long enough. My mother is three hundred years old and she is still very young. She''s going to live longer than elves do. I''ll probably live longer than an elf does too. My race is based of of an animal that grows quickly at birth and lives a long time. My body''s ability, not its age, is growing as fast as that type of animal does. I have the potential of humans, longevity better than an elf''s, and the epidemic growth of a young animal.NThis is the best time for my training. My mother taught me all of that Garet."

    "I know, but does that mean I can''t worry about you. You''re still a kid Chaise. It''s my responsibility as an adult and as your friend to make sure you''ll be okay. Hmpf hmpf, cheeky kid, don''t question my methods."

    "Both you and the old man has told me to question your methods."

    "I regret nothing."

    Garet starts laughing and breaks into a run. I chase after him. Finally, after a month, I''ve gotten approval to start as an adventurer. The kids at the orphanage told me more about adventurers and it''s sounds like a lot of fun. We run into the house, the door is currently removed from its hinges so that Garet can''t kick it in. We burst into the old man''s study. Garet clicks his tongue in dissatisfaction when he sees the door is open. The old man looks down at Garet arrogantly and then changes back to his normal expression.

    "I assume you''ve come to tell me that you think Chaise is ready to start adventuring?"

    "Yup, so what do you say old man?"

    "Chaise you''ve figured out how to use those basic spells I taught you right?"

    "Yeah, I can use them, but I still don''t understand how they work. Besides my style is much stronger and more efficient, why can''t I just do it my way?"

    "People would take too much notice of you if you did. It would end up attracting the wrong type of attention. That aside, if you can use the basic spells I taught you then that means you''ll be able to heal yourself if you get injured... Okay I think it will be alright if you join the guild. I''d take you there myself, but that might cause too much of a ruckus. Garet, would you mind taking him to sign up?"

    "Of course I''ll take him. I was planning to go even if you didn''t ask me to. We''ll head off immediately. Let''s go Chaise!"

    "Yay!"

    Me and Garet sprint out the door. We race to see who''ll get to town first. Garet won, he taunts me about it as we walk. He likes to tease me while we''re training too. I don''t really mind though, mother''s taunts were much more annoying than his are. When we step into the guild''s building, it''s not all that wide but it is three stories tall, the smell and sound forces me to fold my ears and hold my nose. The old man has told me that I''m not aloud to ever switch ears, because people would notice if they''re different. I have to pretend to be a beastman. Half of the room on the first floor is being used as a restaurant. The rest of the first floor is for registering things, (new adventurers, job requests, accepting jobs, turning fulfilled jobs, etc.), at a counter. The second floor is where people go to look at the different tasks. The third floor is only for the people managing the guild. We walk up to one of the counters and talk to the...person sitting behind it. I can''t tell what gender they are!

    "Hey Jul, taking time off from working as an adventurer again?"

    "Yeah, fighting so much gets stressful you know. Although I''m not sure this desk job is any better. So what are you here for Garet? You haven''t taken any jobs and I don''t see any request forms in you hands."

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    "I''m here to help this little guy register."

    Garet pushes me forward. I''m still trying to figure out if they are a boy or a girl.

    "Hello, I''m Jul. What''s your name?"

    "I''m Chaise. Umm... I''m sorry but are you a girl or a boy? I can''t tell."

    Jul''s expression freezes and Garet looks at me with a mixture of horror and pity.

    "I am a guy."

    Jul speaks through his teeth with a forced smile. I can tell he''s very upset, but I don''t know why. Will it help if I explain why I couldn''t tell?

    "Oh, okay. I can usually tell by scent, but you don''t really smell like either. You actually smell a bit like water, and that barely has any scent either."

    Jul seems taken aback. He also looked shocked when I said he smells like water. Garet is confused by something, and didn''t notice Jul''s expression.

    "Wait, so you tell gender by scent? Do you not tell people apart by sight?"

    "Yup. Bipedals a look to similar, I can''t tell them apart by just sight yet. I remember people based of of their scent, coloring, and voice."

    " *pfft* That''s pretty funny Chaise. Sorry Jul, but at least he wasn''t confused based on your appearance right?"

    "Yeah, sorry I got mad at you Chaise. I''m just tired of people thinking I''m a girl based off of my face. So you''re signing up as an adventurer right? You just need to fill this sheet out."

    Garet grabs the paper and pencil Jul was holding out to me. I''m still not able to read and write very well. But I can recognize most of the letter now. Garet talks to Jul as he writes.

    "Jul would you mind helping him out whenever he selects a quest? He can''t read yet so he need someone to help him. He is strong enough for hunting and fighting quests, but he needs to stay around the city. He''s learned the basics for some weapons and he is an experienced hunter. He can also use the most basic spells for fire, water, earth, wind, and healing."

    "Okay, in that case his first quest can be to hunt some slimes and maybe a mini boar."

    "He''s stronger than that Jul, you could start him off with goblins and I think he''d manage."

    "What are goblins?"

    "They''re ugly green monsters that look like child size humanoids."

    "Those things? They''re gross, but the slightly bigger things they stay with are more annoying. The giant green ones were the grossest. They are also the hardest to defeat. I barely beat them by together with the wolves, and we could only do that because they''re so stupid."

    Garet and Jul look at each other shocked.

    "Ogres?"

    "Those would be ogres right?"

    "He''s not bragging is he?"

    "No he has no idea what would be considered impressive."

    ". . ."

    ". . ."

    "Let''s just send him to hunt the slimes and boar okay?"

    "Yeah, anything else would attention grabbing."

    ". . ."

    "Okay Chaise the only thing left to do is make you your card. Do you know how to do this?"

    "Yup"

    "Good"

    Jul reaches under the counter and grabs a rectangular piece of metal and a purple, slightly transparent, rock. He puts the card in an indentation in the rock. The old man told me about these cards. They give a value to your basic qualities like strength, health, and mana. It can also show race, but you kind hide any information on it with a thought if you don''t want it seen. Most people only leave their name and adventurer rank showing. Apparently summoned beings can see a transparent blue square that shows even their abilities, but no one knows how. Everyone else just has to settle with the cards. Instead of using the needle Jul tries to hand me, I use my fingernail to cut my hand enough for a drop of blood to escape. It lands on the card. The rock and card start to glow bright white.

 Ch.19 Its weak

    Author''s note: oONekoGami has started proofreading for the story. Hurray for grammar.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Jul looks away from the light, turning his back to it. I pick up the card. It''s now bonded to me and can show my current ''status''.

    <table><tbody><tr><td>Name</td><td>Chaise</td><td>Race</td><td>Half-Beast</td></tr><tr><td>Gender</td><td>Male</td><td>Health</td><td>302</td></tr><tr><td>Age</td><td>10</td><td>Magic Pool</td><td>850</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''></td></tr><tr><td>Strength</td><td>47</td><td>Endurance</td><td>58</td></tr><tr><td>Intelligence</td><td>23</td><td>Flexibility</td><td>61</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''></td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Rank</td><td colspan=''2''>E</td></tr></tbody></table>

    Why does it have exact measurements? How does it even decide them? I quickly make it so that it won''t show my race.

    "Hey Chaise, can I see your stats? It will show me just how much training you can handle."

    "Sure."

    ". . .Wow I expected it to be impressive and you really didn''t let me down. Your intelligence isn''t at the genius level, you''re still very smart for your age, but everything else is better than any prodigy I''ve seen. You were definitely right when you said you''ll be able to handle the training. You should hide everything besides your name and rank Chaise. Everything else is unnecessary and will grab attention. Knowing this, your rank will soon start grabbing attention too, but it''s still better to hide what exactly you can do."

    Garet hands the card back to me and I do what he said. Then I put the card in one of my pockets. I''ve got to make sure I don''t lose this... Jul turns back around. He has a paper with words on it in his hand. He gives it to me.

    "This is the job you''re going to do. Bring back the core of ten slimes and the body of a mini boar. It would be best if you use magic to defeat the slimes, otherwise it would take a long time. Can you do that?"

    "Slimes are those weird, gross, blobs that hurt if you put your hand in them right?"

    "Uhh, yeah, but most people know not to do that. The reason it hurts because they are slowly eating you..."

    "I can do it, but where should I go to find them?"

    "Do you know where the city gate is? All you have to do is leave through the gates and head straight forward until you see a meadow, to the right of the road, with a small lake and a forest next to it. You should be able to find both of them there. Don''t go into the forest, there are goblins deeper in there. For you to seem even semi-normal you can''t start hunting goblins for at least a week."

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Yeah, do not fight the goblins until you''re told you can. It''s not about strength. I''ll wait for you here while you do the job Chaise."

    "Okay, I''ll be quick."

    I bolt towards the meadow Jul told me about. As I run I think about what they said. Why are they making such a big fuss about goblins? From what I remember about them, the only reason they can survive is because they''re always in groups of at least three, and even then they''re not that hard to beat. Are people really so weak that they are considered a danger?

    I''ve arrived at the meadow. There are the slimes! I use the fire spell the old man taught me to destroy everything but their cores. After I show Jul the cores can I eat them? They''re pretty tasty... I''ll hunt extras just in case. I end up hunting forty slimes and three mini boars. The mini boars really are just little boars, they only reach to my waist. Those other boars I fought were much stronger too. These are only dangerous if you are just beginning to learn to fight. Although, they are a harder to hit since they''re so small.

    I didn''t end up fighting any goblins. Garet and Jul told me not to, and they''re not actually all that fun to hunt. I walk back to the guild while popping slime cores in my mouth. By the time I get to the guild three hours have past since I left. It was an hour round trip. I walk inside the guild and go to Garet and Jul. They''re at the counter playing with pieces of paper.

    "Full house, I win. Oh! Garet look Chaise is back."

    "Chaise? What''s up? You took longer than I thought. And what are you eating?"

    *swallows* "Slime cores. They taste really good so I hunted some extras so I could eat them. I also hunted two extra boars so that I could feed Shiva and Asura magic beast meat, even if it''s weak it should still be good for their growth."

    "Slime cores can''t be eaten by themselves, it gives people severe diarrhea and has no benefits. They''re usually just mixed with other things to make minor mana restoration pills."

    "But they taste really good."

    They haven''t done anything like that to me. Nothing happened last time I ate them either. Mmm, I''m going to keep eating them. Mother always told me that I should eat anything that tastes good and that I''m not absolutely certain is poisonous.

    "Give up Jul, he doesn''t look like he''s willing to listen. He''ll learn his lesson on his own."

    "Okay, do you have enough slime cores to turn in?"

    "Yup. Here you go."

    I give him ten cores and a mini boar. He gives me back two silver coins in exchange. I''ll put them in the chest when I get home. Garet and I thank Jul and leave. Garet goes to his own home and I go to the orphanage. I have nothing else to do today so I''ll go play with everyone until dark.

 Ch.20 Routine changes then stays the same

    My surroundings have been changing lately. The Academy has finished recruiting students and the school year has started. It''s actually been three weeks since it started.

    My lessons have been advancing, but now sometimes different people are teaching me, because the old man has things he has to take care of for the academy. Only the old man ever teaches me about the races and history so I only learn about those things for two days a week.

    Jul has started teaching me about what''s considered common sense. It''s sometimes at odds with what everyone else tries to teach me...

    Garet is still my weapon and physical trainer. Shela has taken over my magic studies for now, she started teaching me more about enchanting. Because of her lessons, I began to wonder if I could infuse my food with mana.

    It didn''t work. The food exploded in my face and knocked me over in my chair. As I laid on my back stunned Shiva and Asura ate my dinner off of my face. I lost interest in enchanting so she stopped teaching me about it and switched back to attributed magic.

    As it turns out the old man was right about her. She can still be scary sometimes, but only towards people she feels are acting like a complete idiot. Which means Garet most of the time...

    Anyway, because I have less lessons now, I''m spending more time adventuring. I''ll reach D rank by the end of the month. I bet that by the time I''ll be old enough to join the academy, I''ll have reached at least B rank.

    People have taken to calling me Amber Cat as a nickname. Apparently it''s common for talented adventures to be given a nickname. Artemis was the one who first started calling me Amber Cat, and it caught on.

    Speaking of Artemis, she no longer lives at the orphanage. She and three other kids were ''adopted.'' They moved away to live with their new families.

    The influx of people, who came to the academy during the registering period, lead to the kids being noticed and adopted. I haven''t known them long enough to consider them family, but I still miss them. Except for redhead, he was annoying. Miss Ranmount made a huge cake to celebrate their adoptions. That I enjoyed, but everything else was horrible.

    Why do I always end up separating from the people I know? Is my search for... No, I''ve thought about this already. I''m sticking with my choice.

    The old man has tried to tell me about philosophy, but I''m not too fond of it. I''ve decided to live in the moment and look towards my goal. It seems the goal of an orphanage is to give kids a new home, and they think the best way they can get them is through adoption.

    I smiled as they left with their new families. It seemed to comfort them. It actually made it easier for me to see them go. Maybe I should smile no matter what happens... I''ll figure it out.

    On the positive side, Lavender has started adventuring too. She started at F rank since she has no fighting ability. She mainly does gathering jobs and uses her magic to protect herself. It''ll be awhile before she reaches the next rank. She''s better than me at enchanting though. I know because Shela has started teaching her about it even though I''m not still learning about it.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The rabbit boy, clover- or was it Henry?-, also has a talent for magic. He''s best at mind magic. I don''t know when he started to learn, but Lavender told me about it when he started messing with the heads of some bullies. I also learned that he''s actually my age, I thought for sure that he was younger than me. He''s just short.

    .....

    I''m currently fighting right now. As part of my lessons on common sense, Jul has sent me to hunt a goblin village together with six D rank adventurers. Two of them had a problem with me at first. The bear like one and stick guy didn''t think that I''m strong enough to fight such a large group of goblins.

    The bear, Regius who is their group''s leader, was just concerned for me. The stick, uhh I don''t remember his actual name, was being stuck up. I showed both of them I good I am at fighting by beating up Stick. Jul approved of my reaction.

    Apparently it''s normal for adventurers to fight over disagreements, but he also said I should never be the one to start the fight. I can provoke people, but can not make the first move. The whole group was fine with me afterwards. I''m a better fighter than any of them. Garet would beat me up if I started getting cocky about it though. Goblins are weak, but there were over thirty of them so it would have been tough to beat them by myself without injury.

    I can see the benefit to working with a team. As we finish off the last goblin, I decide that I''ll start training and adventuring with Shiva and Asura. They''ll be my permanent teammates, and maybe we''ll work with other people every once in awhile too.

    "Hey guys, do you mind if we work together again? I think it''s good experience, and I need to better understand group tactics."

    "I''m fine with it. Someone who''s as strong as you working with us would be a great help. I think I speak for the group when I say we''d be happy to have you along whenever you like."

    """"Agreed!"""""

    "Thanks! I appreciate it."

    I rub against them to show my thanks. They laugh and pat my head, they weren''t petting me so I was okay with it. Stick muttered something about ''a stupid animal''...

    It''s fun to fight together with these guys. New friends to replace those who left. It''ll keep life more interesting. I definitely need that. I recently realized that I''m going to spend five years doing basically the same thing. It is fun, but not very interesting. Will school life be any better?

 Side story: Neils POV

    Author''s note: I put up a poll on the previous chapter. Please vote on it.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    I really just can''t help myself. *haah~* Helping those with potential grow, getting involved with things that seem interesting, it doesn''t make for a peaceful life.

    The people around me are all a handful. Being the headmaster for an ''academy'' let''s me do both without getting dragged into the trouble those things usually bring. The down side is dealing with nobles. Ugh...awful, prideful, little-!

    It makes me rub the bridge of my nose in irritation just thinking about them. So, to make sure at least some of my students fit my criteria, I will randomly go and search for talent among the average people. They''re rare, but they also tend to be much more interesting.

    Recently I found a little cat-boy, living among a pack of wolves, on a ringed mountain. The kid is definitely interesting. He uses a different method of magic, which doesn''t involve chanting, and is trying to teach normal wolves how to too. And he''s succeeding. Also, he looks a lot like a beastman, but I think he might actually be a half-beast... I''ve been visiting him every month, whenever I can. But...

    *crash* "Old man you better not be planning on leaving again!"

    My door! Every single time!

    "Garet, what will it take to make you stop breaking my doors!?"

    Like always, he ignores it. Also like always, Shela starts telling me off.

    "Some of the teachers and the student council have complained about the fact that you keep disappearing Neil. At least more than usual. They are coming to us to complain because we were taught by you personally. Their complaints are interrupting my research! So stop disappearing, at least without telling anyone! Or there will be consequences."

    "Sorry, sorry. But that doesn''t explain why Garet is here. And how did you know I was about to leave?"

    "It was a chance to annoy you. I had to take it."

    "You don''t have any work that has to be finished right away."

    *sigh* "I''ve recently found someone interesting, who has a lot of potential. But! He doesn''t understand any spoken languages. He''s currently about eight years old so, if he''s going to attend the academy, I need to teach him... And visit him often to gain his trust."

    "So you found another interesting kid huh? Is he at least worth it?"

    "Definitely. He has the potential of a top prodigy. Plus, his lack of knowledge about society means he''s a blank sheet just waiting to be filled with knowledge!"

    "Okay, but at least limit the amount of times you go and tell someone when you''re going to leave. If I hear another complaint about it I''ll go with Garet to your house and have him break every door in it. We both know he''s more than willing."

    Garet was silent the hold time, he just stood there looking amused. I didn''t miss the mischievous light in his eyes when Shela made her threat. *sigh* What did I do to deserve this?

    Once the two of them left I open my window and start flying to the ringed mountain.

    .....

    There he is. Chaise. I know his name because that''s literally the only word he knew how to say. He gestured at himself as he said it, several times, so I''m probably right.

    He is strange in so many ways. To start with: his appearance. He has black hair and amber fur on his ears and tail. Beastmen generally have fur that matches their hair color. His eyes are almond shape, unslanted, and amber colored, which would be normal, but he has slitted pupils that reflect light in the dark the same way an animal''s would.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.Only draconian beastmen ever have that trait. What can have those traits are half-beasts. If he was a beastman then he would most likely be a lion tribe, but they have mane like hair and his isn''t like that. He''s going to be handsome when he grows up, which is also a trait of half-beasts. I don''t know why, but it''s a definite trend.

    The fact that he is alive is also strange. Ringed mountains are notoriously more dangerous the farther in and up you go. He''s living in the first ring, in a red grizzly''s den with his wolves. Generally a group of at least three D rank adventurers would work together to take one down safely. He was able to hunt it with normal wolves. A good D rank adventure could beat a group of normal wolves by themselves, easily.

    He has been training the wolves, and their bodies have been changing.These wolves fur is just lightening and they have no markings, but I think they''ve been using neutral attribute magic. They''re starting to look like silverlight wolves. Based on the colored markings of a silverlight wolf, you can see which attribute of attributed magic they can use.

    There are so many things I can learn from this boy. The only problem is that whenever I come here he looks at me annoyed. I''ll gain his trust.

    .....

    "No, old man, I''m telling you they are genetically different. Magic beasts are different from animals because of their leaking mana, it changes and strengthens their bodies. A magic beast''s offspring is almost always a magic beast. The only difference is when the offspring becomes a potential mythical beast. My mother taught me this. She''s a mythical beast herself, she should know!"

    "Then what about monsters? They are neither magic beasts nor these ''mythical beasts'' you speak of."

    "I don''t know. My mom once told me that she thinks they might not actually be natural."

    "What do you mean?"

    "They''re a lot like summons. The only difference is that they actually are born into the world. Its super hard for them to become stronger than what the average is for their race."

    "But it''s possible?"

    "Maybe. I''m just repeating what my mother taught me, but she is probably right."

    "Hmm, well what about..."

    It''s been two years since the boy has moved in with me. Sometimes we touch a subject where I can pick his brain for new information. The things his mother taught him have always proven true. He does get confused sometimes about what she said, but nonetheless it is good information.

    Chaise hasn''t been that hard to deal with. He just needs to be taught and given something to do. My experience with little kids is that they''re pesky and disobedient, but his mother must have taught him to be better behaved.

    One thing that might cause trouble is that he''s very popular. He made friends with everyone in the orphanage and the adventurers in town like him too, neither of those are the problem though.

    His charisma has a lot of girls blushing as he walks by, and he doesn''t notice it. He rubs his face against the faces of people he can reach when he''s particularly happy with something that happened, it''s a display of affection that cats often show.

    I''ve tried to teach him not to, but since he learned that behavior from his mother he won''t listen to me. Jul got him to shift his behavior towards guys into high fives, shoulder bumps, and pats on the back, but he could only do it with all the male adventures helping him. The female adventurers think his behavior is very cute and innocent so they refused to help.

    He once licked Miss Ramount on the cheek when she did something really nice for him. He only does that when he''s feeling super grateful or affectionate towards someone. He nuzzles and licks the cheeks of Shiva and Asura, so we know it really is an innocent gesture, but that doesn''t make it okay.

    The only reason no trouble has come about from his behavior is because all the girls who know him have agreed not to try and one up each other in their relationships with him. He''s basically an idol at this point and it''s only going to get worse once he joins the academy. *sigh*

 Ch.21 Just a day left

    *sigh* I toss away the sword I''m holding and it falls into the chest I keep it in with a klang. I really don''t like the sword. It''s so wishy washy, either choose to fight up close or fight at a distance.

    They''re good for mid range, but that just isn''t my style. If I''m going to use a weapon a pair of daggers is enough. I do use a bow and arrows for hunting though, when I want to be lazy. I walk inside to take a bath. The sweat from my workout feels gross, and I''d much prefer to be clean.

    Shiva and Asura are out hunting for their dinner. Three years after we moved in with the old man they were finally as big as a normal wolf and could hunt by themselves. Now they''re four feet tall and can use magic. They only learned how to use magic in the past month, but they''ve been training their mana pool since they were two years old. They have as much mana as a normal mage. It''s nothing compared to mine though.

    Their personalities are just like their parents. Asura is a jokester who''s almost never serious. Sometimes I think I chose too serious a name for him, so I''ve taken to calling him Asu for short, whenever he annoys me.

    His sister also has a playful side, but she''s also very serious and often tries to keep her brother in line. She does like to tease though. Sometimes I think they understand human culture better than I do.

    We''ve visited the pack twice a year, so we know their brother well too. He''s almost always dead serious. He does not take his responsibilities to the pack lightly. He is the acting leader of the pack so it is a good thing, but it would be better if he let himself mess around from time to time. Even Light and Laughs worry about it.

    I sink into the warm bath water and think. Finally I''m old enough to attend the academy, and the testing starts tomorrow. Once I join the academy I''ll have to move into the dorms like everybody else, and I''ll stop getting these private lessons.

    Doesn''t matter. The old man refused to teach me magic that are more than intermediate level before I join the academy. He''s holding out on me so that I''ll have to pay attention to the academy lessons. I have been developing my own style of magic so I do know how to use magic equal to advanced level, but I need to learn everything I can.

    To further develop my style of magic I have to study all kinds of things related to ''science'', which is a very underdeveloped field of research. I also had to study anatomy so that I can better heal with magic, and nature, so that I get an instinctive feel for my spells. My physical training has been making use of my potential. I''m already very strong physically, to the point that some might call me a monster. That part of the academy will be a breeze for me.

    Apparently even the pure magic type students will still have to train their bodies. I''ve come to understand what most mages, and nobles, are like regarding that so it makes me laugh just to think about it. A toothy grin is the best I can suppress my amusement to.

    What I''m looking forward to the most are the students at the academy. This city is mainly humans and those that were raised among humans. My lessons about the various races took three years to finish, and I''m still learning about their various histories. I would hate it if what I learned about the different cultures went to waste. Besides it will make the school like a melting pot of interesting.

    I already know some people who will stir up attention in the academy. Clover, the glasses wearing rabbit boy from the orphanage has grown up to be a genius in magic and literature. Somehow he got hooked on books and the main reason he wants to go to the academy is to raid the library. He''s become quite cold in personality, and surprisingly tall. He''s taller than me, and quite the heartbreaker.

    Girls that see him reading quietly often become smitten with him, so he gets annoyed with them easily. He does not spare their feelings when that happens. What''s really weird is that they come to me for comfort. I guess it''s because I''m friendly and I know Clover?

    Oh well, whatever.

    Some of the other kids from the orphanage, although not geniuses in weapons nor magic, have the talent needed to join the academy so I''ll know plenty of people there. The old man told me that the royalty from some human kingdoms, an elf kingdom, and the dwarfs, are all the same age as me so they''re joining at the same time. Nobility breed themselves to have talented children so we should be able to expect at least one or two true geniuses from them.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    If that doesn''t stir things up I don''t know what will. Hmmm, I''ve picked up the old man''s bad habit of wanting to watch interesting things. Or maybe this curiosity is because I''m a cat. Either way this will be fun.

    Mmm, all clean. I get out of the bath and dump out the water. I head up stairs in clean clothes with a towel on my wet head. It''s dusk, and so, time for my mana training. Even if the test is tomorrow, that doesn''t mean I should slack off today.

    Knowing the old man, he''ll have me act as a mediator between the common folk and the nobles. Oh well, the nobles'' expressions will be amusing enough to offset the annoyance of dealing with people like them.

    The downside to the academy is one, dealing with arrogant people who can''t back up their bragging; two, more people trying to pretend to be my friend because I''m strong and seem friendly; and three, less time for adventuring. I''m only ten jobs away from reaching A rank, but school won''t be giving me enough time to reach it for awhile.

    I flop backwards and land spread eagle on my bed. Shiva and Asura are now too big to share my bed, so they sleep on the pillows we got them when they were little. They still fit, unlike their first collars. We got a new matching set when they grew out of the old ones.

    Mmm, I''ve reached the point in my training where I can think about other things while practicing my control of mana. I used to think I was so good at controlling it, but over the years I''ve realized just how much there is to go. I''ve actually started refining my mana, concentrating it.

    My mana pool doesn''t change literal size, but it packs a bigger punch and less is needed when it''s purer. I didn''t even know that there were different levels of mana purity until the old man suggested I clean my mana. Humans generally can''t do it since they don''t have fine enough control, but the races who can better control their mana have purer mana and can use less to maintain their spells.

    I grin when I remember first showing the old man a mana stream, and how he couldn''t make one himself for four years. And when he finally figured it out, it only lasted five seconds. Hahahahaha! Ahh, I remember the face he made when he noticed that the mana was dispersing. These years have been good to me. I''ve learned so much. And things are about to get even better. I pull out my adventurer card and look at it.

    <table><tbody><tr><td>Name</td><td>Chaise</td><td>Race</td><td>Half-Beast</td></tr><tr><td>Gender</td><td>Male</td><td>Health</td><td>2498</td></tr><tr><td>Age</td><td>15</td><td>Magic Pool</td><td>7856</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''></td></tr><tr><td>Strength</td><td>432</td><td>Endurance</td><td>590</td></tr><tr><td>Intelligence</td><td>123</td><td>Flexibility</td><td>406</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''></td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Rank</td><td colspan=''2''>B</td></tr></tbody></table>

    I hope to at least triple this by the time I leave school.

 Ch.22 Testing

    I wake up and yawn. Mmm, today is the start of the testing week. I get up and dress myself, waking up Shiva and Asura in the process. They came in sometime after I fell asleep. They know how to open doors. When I''m done getting ready we head out for town. We get breakfast at the various food stands. Food and equipment are what I mainly spend the money I earn on.

    The school gates will open two hour, so we have plenty of time to get there. I head toward the orphanage next. Everyone has planned on going together. Nine kids from the orphanage have the ability needed to join the academy. Of them, Clover and Lavender are the strongest. Lavender is even a C ranked adventurer. She hasn''t been able to go very far from the city, so it''s very impressive she got to that rank.

    Everyone, but Clover, is openly excited about the start of testing. He''s excited too, he''s just not open about it.

    "I''ve heard that some of the classes are ranked, and that you need a certain level of strength before you can take them."

    "Really? What are the ranks?"

    "Oh, I know this one. The ranks are just like those of an adventurer. There are different categories that the rankings are applied to. To even join the school you have to be at least C ranked in one of them. At other schools that would be among the talented, but if that''s the best you''ve got you''ll be part of the weakest people at this school."

    "What are the categories?"

    "Ah, the old man taught me that. Mages are judged by four things: mana capacity, their control of spells, the level of magic they can use, and their ingenuity. Mana capacity has its own ranking system, the color from touching a judgement stone divides them. Ingenuity doesn''t actually get ranked though. It can only be observed.

    Your rank as a Mage is the average between the other three. Apparently every student will receive an ID card that will show their ranks as mage. If you already have an adventurer''s card then they will add the ranks to that."

    "What rank are you Chaise?"

    "As a mage? I don''t know. We''ll all find out our ranks after we pass."

    "Can we find out what rank your wolves are at as mages? I know that there''s another set of rankings for magic beasts, but they act a lot like people."

    "Shiva, and Asura are both as smart as you are. In fact, sometimes I think they have a better grasp on human culture than I do..."

    "Even Asura..."

    "Especially him. He''s actually smarter than Shiva."

    We all look at the wolves, except for Lavender and Clover who are having their own conversation. Shiva shrugs a swaggers ahead of us. Asura unsteadily stands on his hind legs and pats the stupefied kid on the shoulder. Then he falls back down and catches up to his sister while snickering.

    "I feel like I lost by asking about it..."

    .....

    There''s a huge crowd at the gate when we arrive. Once the gate is opened we split into two groups. Clover and I go together to the right, while Lavender and the rest of the kids head to the left. The reason being the sign posted on the gate.

    It says: competent go left, geniuses go right. The old man set up a nice trap here. If someone gets too arrogant, which nobles often will, they will be driven off to the competent line. Also, this way, the monsters get some rest before being on display. We reach the area where some adults are sitting at a table next to a barrier. Shela is in the group and she gets up to meet us. We both greet her.

    "Hey Shela! You''re one of the examiners?"

    "Miss Shela."

    "Hmm, I thought you two would come this way.

    Lavender is too modest, she could pass if she came this way. She wouldn''t be part of the SS class group, but she''ll still pass as an A class. She''s going to be sent this way once she tries to take the normal test.

    Ah, yes Chaise, I am one of the examiners. I''m familiar with what Neil considers to be genius level. Neil has already given you two the okay, but the other teachers still want to see what you can do. Not because they don''t trust his judgment though; they just want to see a good show. Are you willing to perform?"

    "I''m in. It''ll give me a chance to show my unique style of magic. What about you Clover?"

    "Who''s my target?"

    "Hmhmhm, Chaise how about you go first. Afterwards Clover can choose his victim."

    "Sure, but what did you mean about SS class?"

    "Students are grouped by class in the school. Your class is what ranking we think you''ll achieve. We don''t tell anyone their actual rank until they graduate."

    We walk over to the group of judges. They seem impressed just by looking at us. They are also interested in Shiva and Asura, who are behind me, but no one says anything about them.

    "The headmaster has informed us about you two. Chaise are you going to display your different style of magic? It''s been in debate whether or not it should be one of the official types of magic, but since only Shela, Garet, and the headmaster have seen it we''ve been at an impasse."

    "Hahaha, I have to use it. The old man refused to teach me advance level spells outside of the academy. I had to make some of my own."

    I move inside the barrier. It always leaves a bigger impression when it''s personal, so I know that Clover will most likely show me up. That means I just have to make this memorable.

    I start cycling my mana throughout my body. Then I pull out about half of my mana and make it forms streams flowing around me. I can hear my audience stirring, hushed voices murmuring about my lack of chants and attribute. The mana around me begins to take the shape of a giant cat crouching behind me, it''s eyes become amber colored and it begins to pace around the barrier, tail swaying as it walks. It stops in front of my audience. I grin mischievously.

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    Shela and Clover recognize my expression and begin to back away. The other adults stare fascinated with the figure made of mana. The cat lazily raises a paw and playfully swipes at the barrier. The barrier shatters and disappears. Everyone is shocked. They shouldn''t be though. The barrier wasn''t being actively maintained. It was just a magic tool. Plenty of advanced level spells could break it, but I made it look easy.

    "You don''t disappoint. No chants and it doesn''t fall into official types of magic. Is your spell a physical manifestation of mana? Oh, and you don''t need to maintain it any more, we pretty much understand what it can do."

    I nod and relax. The spell ends and the mana returns to me. This is the real benefit of my style.

    "Did-did you just suck in the mana!?!"

    """That''s impossible!"""

    "Yup, that''s what''s so special about my style of magic. Once use the magic, as long as it is still under my control, I can reuse the mana. I actually lost about two thirds of the mana it took to make the manifestation, but the better control I have over my mana the less I will lose. Eventually my spells might become self perpetual."

    "Th-the headmaster was right! You definitely will be at very least an SS ranked mage. You definitely pass."

    "Thanks~"

    I saunter over to the group. Clover moves in front of everybody. It''s his turn to impress. This should be fun.

    "If I may have your attention."

    The adults, besides Shela, were still chatting about me. They quiet down when they notice he''s ready to start.

    "You are Haruki right? No last name?"

    Clover is actually his nickname. Only Miss Ramount, Shela, Lavender, Jun, and I call him that. Some of the other kids from the orphanage use to call him that, but now they don''t really feel close enough to call him by it. That and he glared at anyone, besides Miss Ramount- no one glares at her-, until either they stopped or he gave up.

    "Yes. It is my turn now and I am most adept at mind magic. See if you can guess who is under my influence."

    He looks down for a few seconds with his eyes closed. He is casting his spell soundlessly, not saying anything but mouthing the words. This way we won''t know what kind of spell it is. His head snaps up, a smirk on his face.

    "So it begins."

    The adults and I look around confused. No one seems to be acting strangely. I look at Clover, but he''s just standing there, confident and self assure. What is his game...

    I look around again. That''s it. I smile lazily at Clover to let him know I''ve figured it out. He nods and makes a small gesture of concession, but then makes a cocky expression asking what I can do about it. In response I cover myself in mana and use it to stop his from affecting me. The illusion for me stops and I''m free.

    "Haruki, where did Chaise run of to. Is he the one you used mind magic on?"

    "Yes and no."

    Clover stops his spell and everyone else looks at him in shock. They can tell when a spell ends. Clover pushes up his glasses proudly.

    ""All of us were affected?""

    "Was that the spell ''Mind Field''? That is an advanced ranked spell! Including Chaise, there are seven of us. That spell should only work on four people."

    "Yes it was ''Mind Field''. Currently, I am able to use it on ten people at a time. Chaise, what was the give away? I want to make whatever it is less obvious."

    "The sun was on the wrong side of the sky and I had no shadow."

    "Thank you."

    The teachers start talking to each other about how impressive it is that Clover could use the spell on seven people and that I could escape the spell.

    "Haruki, you are definitely at least S class. Whether or not you are SS class depends on how much mana you have. As long as you have as you''ve reached even green you''ll pass. Chaise with your style of magic we don''t need to test the of size of your mana pool, but it is tradition."

    One of the teacher pulls out a judgment stone and puts it on the table. I put a hand on it and smile.

    "I don''t mind."

    I still find the stones disgusting, but I''ve gotten use to using them. The light fills the ball 3/4 full. Then the light changes to orange. The adults nod and sigh jealously. It seems I match up what they''d expect from a genius. I move aside, and Clover touches it next. The light fills the ball 1/5 and changes to the same color I got.

    "You pass Haruki. That''s more than enough mana to join the SS class. The prospects for you two''s futures make me jealous. You are outstanding geniuses. We''ll be lucky if anyone else this year comes anywhere close to your talent. Although with all the royals coming in there is hope for that."

    Some nobles are starting to come this way for testing, so the teachers decide to send us to get our rooms in the dorms. We sign the papers that confirm that we are now SS class students. The ID cards will be received after the opening ceremony at the end of the week, but we can already move into the dorms. I wave goodbye, and Clover and I head towards the dorms. Shiva and Asura are still following me of course.

 Ch.23 Dorms

    I lead our little group to the dorms. About a month ago, Garet gave me a map of the academy, which I''ve memorized. I know where most the places are, but I still plan on exploring the academy''s grounds.

    "Chaise."

    I turn and look at Clover. He has one eyebrow raised and a hand out to receive something. I roll my eyes and take out the map from one of the bags Shiva is carrying. I hand the map to him and he begins to study it. He just can''t stand it if I have useful information and don''t share it. This one time I brought some snacks, from this store I like, to the orphanage. When he tasted it he grabbed me by the collar and asked ''where'', as soon as I told him he stormed out the door and went to the store to buy some sweets for himself. Now he knows just about every inch of the city. I know most of the city too, but I did it out of curiosity and following him, and I don''t know nearly as much about it as he does.

    Oh, we''ve arrived at the boy''s dorm. There are two dorms, one for boys and one for girls, they are on opposite sides of the main building. We push through the wood doors, which are enchanted with defense oriented spells, and find a reception area that''s a bit similar to the one at the guild. A large man is sitting at a counter to our right. He looks bored, but he brightens a bit when he notices us.

    "Hahaha, finally some students! You two are the first to come. Although, the speech about the rules for testing meant that no one should have arrived yet. And there''s only two of you, did you not come with a group?"

    We slide the papers that show what class we passed as on to the counter.

    "Nah, someone gave me a map of the academy, the one he is currently reading, so after we passed we didn''t need anyone to guide us here."

    He picks them up and examines them. He rereads it after raising his eyebrows. When he finishes, he gives a hearty laugh and grins at us.

    "I didn''t think we''d get any SS class students so soon."

    He leans sideways and rummages around under the counter. When he comes back up he has two sets of keys attached to wooden circles with numbers on them. He sets them on the counter and pushes one towards me and the other towards Clover.

    These are the keys your rooms. Unlike the other students who will have a roommate, SS class students get a whole room for themselves. The privilege for talent. There are a few rules for the dorms, they are: No damaging the building, do not use offensive magic on other students or teachers, no loud noises after sundown, and don''t break into anyone else''s rooms unless I say you can. There are a few other rules, but they aren''t as import. They are written in the plack on the wall."

    Clover leans in to read all the rules. I pick up the key to my room and my confirmation paper. Clover will be fine on his own.

    "Are my wolves allowed to live with me?"

    "Most pets, including magic beasts live in the stables, but if you want they can live with you in your room. As long as they follow the rules. They''re tame right?"

    I tug on my collar with a finger and wink at the dorm supervisor.

    "As much as I am."

    I can hear him chuckle as I walk away. My room is number 526, that should be on the third floor since first years are put the third floor. I keep an eye on the door numbers as I go. I finally stop in an area where the doors are spread out much further than the others, the walls almost form a circle here. I find my room at the back of the circle slightly to the right, compared to the hallway. I unlock the door and the wolves push past me to enter the room first. The first thing the all three of the us do is start smelling the room. It''s the thing to do when you''re in a new environment. Oddly enough this room doesn''t smell like anyone yet. That means it will start to smell like us very soon. The room is much wider than my one at the old man¡¯s house. My room actually has three separate parts inside of it: a livingroom, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Its a lot like a small house. I take my bags off of the wolves.

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    "Asura, you should go get your and your sister''s pillows. Shiva would you mind helping me get my stuff organized?"

    They both nod. Asura runs out the door and Shiva opens a bag and starts moving the books inside to a shelf in the room. I start putting my clothing in the wardrobe...

    .....

    Once we got everything organized we went to Clover''s room. I knock on his door and when he opened it I dragged the chest full of his books through it. It was the only thing Asura was carrying, and it was still a heavier burden than what Shiva had.

    "Thanks."

    Clover will not want us to help organize so we leave and go downstairs. I''m going to chat with the supervisor while I wait for the other people from the orphanage. Shiva decided to take a nap in the room instead, so it''s just me and Asura if I don''t include the supervisor.

    .....

    The supervisor''s name is Chris, and he is an alumni. Apparently a lot of alumni choose to stay and work at the school, it comes with a lot of perks. Chris started working here after he retired from adventuring. He has a bad leg so he can no longer keep up with the adventurer lifestyle.

    The first group of kids have now arrived. It''s been an hour and a half since I arrived. They swagger in without noticing me, I''m sitting on one of the couches across from the counter. I can tell that they''re nobles from their clothes and pompous attitudes. They''re very proud to be the ''first'' group of students to arrive.

    The teacher who is with them leaves immediately. They all put their papers on the table. Most of them are C class, but one of them is a B. The one with the highest nose, and class, steps forward and addresses Chris.

    "Excuse me. We are ready to receive the keys to our lodging now. As the first students to arrive are we allowed to choose our rooms?"

    "No, everyone will be assigned rooms based on their class. Besides you''re not the first students to arrive."

    "Yes we are. We are literally the first group. The second one will not come for at least fifteen minutes!"

    Chris gives them a condescending grin and points at me. Then he ducks under the counter to get their keys. The prissy leader finally notices me and looks enraged. The people behind him are the same.

    "How did you get here first!? Did you forge your papers?"

    "No, I just went to the genius test."

    "I''ve heard about that test. Only true geniuses and monsters can pass it. You are bluffing."

    I grin maliciously and pull out my paper. I wave it in front of the noble brats'' faces. It''s fun to mess with arrogant nobles. Every once in awhile one would show up at the old man''s door and demanded that he take their child as his personal disciple. He literally tossed them out of the town using a wind based spell. It was hilarious. The face these nobles are making are almost as funny as the other''s was.

    """""""S-sorry for bothering you!!!"""""""

    They all answered in unison and turn to look at Chris, who now has their keys and is giving me a thumbs up, which I return. The nobles are so eager to get away from me that none of them notice that they each have a same room as someone else in the group.

    .....

    It takes five hours for my friends to arrive. They tell me that the girls also passed and that Lavender was sent to take the genius test. We spend the rest of the day monkeying around in the lounge, which is in the room next to the reception area. We go to town shortly to get something to eat, the academy kitchens will not be serving until after the opening ceremony. When the day finally ends, Shiva and Asura leave to hunt, while I practice my magic and go to sleep.

 Ch.24 Watching

    There are six more days until testing is over and I just realized that I have nothing to do. Sure I can practice my magic and weaponcraft, but I do that everyday. It isn''t good as a time filler. I could visit the orphanage or shop, but I don''t need to buy anything and visiting the orphanage will fill one day at best. I can''t even go on any jobs at the guild because students need to get permission to take jobs, and until I get my student ID I can''t be given permission!

    "Chaise, you could just watch the tests."

    "! That''s a good idea Clover. I''ll tell the others."

    I get off the couch and go to the lounge where everyone else is. I was lazing around, and chatting nonverbally with the wolves, in Clover''s room while he reads. I''m sure the reason he gave me the suggestion was because he wanted to read without seeing me twitching in his peripheral vision. Shiva doesn''t come with me, she''s reading too.

    """""Hey Chaise~"""""

    My friends are scattered on the couches in the lounge. They''ve draped themselves across them in funny poses. It''s good to see that I''m not the only one who is bored.

    "Hey. Clover chased me out of his room with an suggestion. We can watch as people are tested. It will give us something to do and we''ll know more about the other students. What do you think."

    "We literally have nothing else to do, so it''s the best idea ever."

    "At least by default."

    "I''m in!"

    "Let''s go. We could even watch the testing for the geniuses!"

    "I was planning on watching the normal students. There will be less going on for the genius testing... Hey Asura, can I bribe you with a share of my dinner to go watch the genius line and, whenever someone actually takes the test, come and get us? You''ll get to watch as arrogant people are told to go to the competent line. Do we have a deal?"

    Asura sits on his haunches and shakes my hand with his paw. After giving a firm nod he runs out the door to the genius testing. I don''t understand why he likes to make human gestures. His body isn''t suited for them so it''s pretty hard for him to do them. Oh well.

    .....

    Watching the testing is more interesting than anything else we have to do, but it''s pretty repetitive. The testing is done in stages. First you have to pass the C class test, if you pass that you can take the B class test. The A class test is given in the other line so if you pass the B class then you''ll be sent to take the genius test.

    The funniest part of this is watching the expressions everyone is making. Smiles of triumph or congratulations. Frowns of concentration. The sympathy for those who fail and the shock of nobles not up to par. The smiles are the best, but it can be funny to see the rage of those who fail. I feel sorry when it makes them just sad, but rage comes from arrogance.

    Sometimes the people who have passed come and chat with us before they are taken to the dorms. Oftentimes they are out of breath from the thrill of passing. Girls especially are flushed from it. Sometimes we''re ask what rank we got. My friends say their ranks, two B''s and three C''s, but I just wink, hold a finger to my mouth, and playfully say Se~cr~et~.

    It always makes them more curious, but no matter what I refuse to tell them. They''ll find out eventually, but I''d prefer to get to know them better before they do. I know how people are. If I told them immediately they would start acting differently. This way I''ll know what they''re like normally.

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    .....

    Over the week, we see a lot of interesting people. I got to see people from the most common races. No merfolk came, but there was a fairy. She was following someone who became a student. My friends couldn''t see her though. I enjoyed seeing creative ways to use magic. One creative use was making themselves get seem weaker.

    Two people, who seem like they came together, used light and shadow attributes to change the color of light the judgement stone showed. They changed it to mid green, when they both should have gotten full yellow. As a result they were put in B class. Other people pulled tricks too, if they made their rank look higher they would be punished, but otherwise all the tricksters were allowed to pass.

    Most applicants used attributed magic for the tests. Enchanters were the next most common, taming magic is after that, then mind, elemental, and summoning last. There were no slave magic users, it''s considered ''distasteful''.

    We watched from a distance as people took the genius test too. Someone who passed as an S class seems vaguely familiar to me, something about the red hair? I feel like I don''t really want to know who it is though.

    Five people passed as SS class. Three of them are humans and two of them are elves. All of the are royalty. It seems to pass as an SS class you have to either use an advanced level spell that''s modified to be stronger or an original spell on the same level, plus a mana requirement of at least 3/4 full yellow light from the judgment stone.

    Two humans and an elf got about the same as Clover, the other two got full yellow light. It seems that I have the most mana in the SS class. There was someone who achieved B class and has full orange light, but he couldn''t figure out how to use mid level spells so he couldn''t pass as A class. I don''t have the most mana in the school, I do have the second most though.

    The elves are twins, a boy and a girl. They both have silver hair and dark blue eyes. Two of the humans are also siblings, but they don''t look like each other. It''s even hard to tell they''re related by the way they act, they completely ignored each other. The only reason I know they''re siblings is because they have the same last name, all the royals loudly announced their name and kingdom.

    The boy has light blonde hair and blue eyes while the girl has dark blue hair and black eyes. The last human is a guy who has brown hair and grey eyes. In order their names were Ferris and Sevi Garden-glade, Adalric and Melody Frostburn, and Jacob Valtenious. They all have more names, but I only remembered the first and last names of all of them.

    The elves both used nature attribute spells. Ferris'' was the one who reached an orange light.The Adalric used light and fire attribute. He got a yellow light, the other two humans had orange. Melody used an interesting combination of fire and water magic, a steam dragon. Jacob used summoning magic. He summoned a, slightly ephemeral, white tiger as tall as he is and a small black cat with two tails. The teachers seemed impressed.

    I wonder who is the strongest out of all the SS class. I''m confident, but so are they.

 Ch.25 The opening ceremony

    Author''s note: Sorry, this chapter is a little shorter than usual.

    <hr />

    "Wow, the old man can actually give off an aura of dignity."

    The opening ceremony is in progress. The old man just walked up to the podium. Unlike usual, he actually seems dignified. All of the SS students are waiting backstage, we will be called to come forward near the end of the old man''s speech. Adalric seems bothered by my comment, everyone but Clover is.

    "Chaise he is a very respected man. An SS ranked mage who is the headmaster of the best academy. He is also our elder as mages, so we should be respectful towards him."

    "When you''ve seen his expression whenever Garet smashes through his door, you would never be able to sense any dignity."

    "See? Clover knows what I mean."

    "Cat, you are being noisy. Shut up."

    "Hahaha, Sis I don''t think he needs lessons on manners from you."

    "Shut up, you''re noisy too..."

    The twins have joined the conversation. For whatever reason Sevi has started referring to me as cat. She tries to act arrogantly, but she''s always glancing at her brother, so it can be hard to take her seriously. She''s probably just trying to act spoiled to get her brother''s attention. He''s laid back and always laughs, often chatting with girls, she isn''t one of them though. He''s different than me though, the way he''s laid back and playful is in the sense of never being serious.

    Adalric behaves as a perfect gentleman. He tries to scold others with an air of patience and kindness when he feels that they aren''t ''being very nice''. Melody is graceful and polite, even more so than Lavender. She gives off a motherly vibe. Jacob is stoic, in a way completely different from Clover. Sometimes I catch him staring at my or Clovers ears, like he''s trying to make up his mind about something. Otherwise he mainly feels like he''s tired of something. He is very patient with people, but you can tell he''s not interested in paying attention to them.

    Basically, besides Jacob, all of them feel off. Like they''re hiding something or lying. False, false is the word that I am looking for. Like most animals do, I also can tell a person''s real personality.

    I can already tell how well I''ll get along with them. I won''t seek Jacob out, but only because he wouldn''t appreciate it. I''m willing to hangout with him. I won''t seek Ferris out either because our friendship would end up being very shallow, I still wouldn''t mind hanging out with him every once in awhile; although I get the feeling he will seek me out.

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    Whenever our paths cross, it will be funny to watch Sevi''s acting. She''s actually pretty good at playing her self-made image, I doubt very many people can tell. I will not actively avoid Adalric, but he rubs me the wrong way. I can see right through his act. He seems to think everyone is an idiot and that his pretending is for their benefit. He seriously needs to get rid of that additude.

    "These are the geniuses who made it to the SS class this year."

    Oh, looks like we''re up. I lead the line as we march out on stage. I give a big lazy wave, Clover nods to the audience and adjusts his glasses, Melody smiles politely and flutters her fingers at the crowd, Adalric gives a small wave with a friendly laugh, Ferris winks and blows kisses, Sevi harrumphs and raises her nose, and Jacob touches two fingers to his forehead in an informal salute.

    "Take a close look at these seven. They are the strongest. They stand at the top of all of this years students, but that doesn''t mean they have to stay there. If you think that you have what it takes you can challenge them, or anyone in a class above yours, to try and advance into that class. If you can manage to defeat someone you will swap places with them, and they will fall to your former class and have to work their way back up. That goes for the SS class too.

    This is hope for those labeled weak and pressure for the ones considered strong. I''d wish good luck to all of you, but you''ll need to make that on your own."

    Ahahahahahaha! Old man you sure love trying to mess with us. Everyone besides Clover and I was shocked into changing their expressions. Even Adalric''s face cramped when he heard the announcement. It''s not without reason though, there has never been such a system before this year. I like it though. It will force us to keep growing stronger if we want to remain on the top.

    There was quite the stir in the audience. Normal students were worried about the possibility fighting and dropping from their class. The most arrogant nobles were ''looking forward to besting the royals'' not putting Clover and I in their eyes. The ones who are simply ambitious or jealous looked at Clover and I because we seemed weaker compared to the well know royals. And last were the strength seekers, who saw all of us as a challenge they would enjoy.

    I can already tell that the first week will be a flood of challengers crashing down on us. I don''t know about the other, but I''m happy to be getting this extra practice in.

 Ch.26 Theyre really only scuffles

    I''ve got my student card now. The SS class got their cards first. It reminds me of my adventurer card. I also have permission to take jobs from the guild, but only through the academy. The dorm supervisors are in charge of what jobs we can take as adventurers and when we can take them. I can get a big job once a month at most. It will be quite a few months until I reach A rank.

    We have the rest of the day to do whatever we want, classes don''t start until tomorrow.

    I expected this, but it is a little much. As I step outside fifty people challenge me to a class battle.

    "Really guys? I''m flattered. We should probably fight at the practice area though. Come on, let''s go."

    They seem surprised from my happy tone. Did they think I would cower? The easiest way to go about this should be starting with the strongest and working my way down from there, but if I start from the bottom each person would be more satisfied and no one would run before I can fight them. Which is better?

    I turn to look at my challengers. They are spread across the practice field.

    "So, should I start with the lowest class or the highest? I''ll let you guys decide."

    They start to murmur to each other, trying to decide. Oh? It looks like the A class has decided. No S class students challenged me so they are the strongest in this group. I can tell what group people are in from watching the testing. I figured out how strong the people from each class generally are.

    "The lower classes will fight first."

    *chuckle* "Alright then, make a line."

    It seems that they''d rather take the safe route. Letting me tire from the sheer number of fights while they learn how I fight. Not a bad plan. That is, if I didn''t train my body too.

    My first opponent has stepped forward to meet me. They are very nervous.

    "C CLASS, HENRY DALESON. I AM BEST AT ATTRIBUTED MAGIC OF EARTH. MY STRONGEST SPELL IS EARTH''S EMBRACE. NICE TO MEET YOU."

    "Haha, no need to yell I can hear you."

    His face turns red at that, in embarrassment not rage. I reach out and shake his hand.

    "I''m Chaise, SS class. I am best at a nonofficial type of magic, but I''ll be fighting with attributed magic instead. I mainly use the fire, wind, and, to a lesser extent, shadow and neutral attributes. By the way, you probably shouldn''t announce what your strongest attack before a fight."

    "Ah! Yes, sorry."

    "It''s fine. Whenever you''re ready."

    "Okay! O solid ground which hides great strength, float in air and change to eight, pierce this foe that shows such hate, Stone Lances!"

    He waves a wand while he casts. Eight lances tear themselves from the ground. This is the intermediate version of the beginner level spell earth arrows. Not bad. As he fires, I counter with a movement spell.

    "Wind step"

    I casually jump and the wind pushes me forward, I land behind Henry. The lance all converge on my previous position.

    "Nice aim."

    "Wha-!?"

    "Gale force"

    As he turns toward me I cast a spell. It sends him five feet back and holds him to the ground. The only damage this spell can do is from the knockback. Both of my spells are considered from the lower end of middle level. I don''t plan on using anything stronger than top intermediate spells for these fights.

    "Do you surrender?"

    "Hah, yeah."

    He knows when to give up. I reach out and help him up. He seems like a nice kid, just over eager.

    "You''re not even using a wand and you can cast with only the names. I knew you were better the moment I realized that. Which I only had time to do once I was on the ground. I never had a chance did I?"

    "Maybe, but I''ll tell you what, stick around to watch me beat the A class challengers. They won''t do much better than you. It''ll be fun."

    "Okay. Thanks for the fight."

    "No problem. Okay, who''s my next challenger?"

    .....

    "I am. We are allowed to use weapons, yes?"

    After defeating the C class students, nineteen of them, I then moved on to the B class. This girl is the last of the eight B class I get to fight. Even though I started with the weakest class so many people withdrew their challenge. After this is just four A ranks.

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    A girl has stepped up. She has black eyes and hair, which piled up on her head. A red length of fabric decorates her hair, matching her belt, on which is a sword.

    "Wands are weapons aren''t they?"

    She pulls out her sword and snorts.

    "Hardly. O noble flame you flicker and die, I need more power for me to fight, clad my body in fire so hot, I refuse to let this battle be for naught, Burning Soul!"

    She charges me with her sword already arcing down, covered, like she is, in flames. Every single opponent I''ve fought shouts their spell. Well, at least she is the first one to use a weapon. It''s not like magic is the only thing the academy teaches.

    "Your sword form isn''t bad, but you should focus more. Also, your swings are a bit wide."

    I''m dodging her sword by spinning around her. It''s not the most efficient way I know to dodge, but it''s fun.

    "Flame Tyrant"

    I clad myself in flames with a spell at the same level as her''s, the only difference is that it does nothing to strengthen my body. I move in closer to her, close enough to be out of her sword''s range, and hit her on the temple with the edge of my hand. The dizziness from the hit causes her to black out for a moment. Her flames go out, I also release mine, and I catch her before she hits the ground. Her eyes flutter open and her expression changes to confusion then shock. She becomes flustered and starts looking around. She tries to stand by herself, but can''t ,because she''s still dizzy, and leans on me. The guys in the glare at me for some reason.

    "H-how!? I had a weapon and was covered in flames. How did you hit me without getting hurt at all!"

    The crowd realizes what she says is true and start trying to guess how I did it. I help miss challenger to stand. She wobbles, but stays upright.

    "Easy, the flames cancelled each other out. They were the same heat so neither of us would be burned from it, and with two fires there wasn''t enough air for either of them to burn properly so they both weakened. Next challenger please~."

    Miss challenger, she never introduced herself, moves to the side. She has a red face and she is clenching her fist. Now she nods to herself. It seems she''s come to a decision. It''s probably that she''ll challenge me again once she stronger.

    I turn my attention to my next opponent.

    "Kael Mitchell, A class, water attributed. Wicked sea, my fickle mistress, I call you to now come, your rage is what I need, pour your power unto me, Raging Temptress."

    Finally someone who didn''t shout! Too bad I still heard him. This is an intermediate spell, shouldn''t he be able to do better?

    I could avoid this, but he''s smirking at me because fire can put out water. He''s still underestimating me isn''t he? I think it will be fun to do this simply through overpowering him. Unlike the weaker ranks, I don''t have to worry about crushing his self esteem. Besides, I''m bored.

    "Flame Tyrant"

    The people in the audience start questioning and laughing at me for trying to fight water with fire. I begin to pour mana into easing the temperature of my fire. My opponent''s storm of water begins to boil. The water that comes near me turns to steam. It scalds him and he forgets about his spell, dropping it. He falls on his bottom and stares at me in shock. A little pain and the inexperienced will be distracted. I dial back the heat and stand over him.

    "Do you give up?"

    He grits his teeth and looks away.

    "...yes, I give up."

    "Mm kay."

    I release my spell.

    "Next"

    .....

    After beating the A class students, I spent the day wandering around the academy with Shiva and Asura, trying to get a sense for it myself instead of relying on the map. No one else challenged me today. No one else was challenged by so many students. Clover had the most of the others at twenty two, a mix of C to A like me. Adalric and Jacob were each challenged by an S class student, both challengers were easily put down. The other three weren''t challenged at all.

    I regret crushing the A class students like I did. I was being arrogant and underestimating them, and even though nothing happened my attitude is still a problem. I vented my annoyance with them in battle, which is something I shouldn''t do. I only feel sorry for venting though, they underestimated me until the final man, they had the beating coming.

    I''ll be better about respecting my opponents in battle next time.

 Ch.27 But I know this

    Author''s note: I am so sorry for the delay. My family never tells me when and what were doing and I''m not old enough to refuse to come so my schedule can be hectic. I didn''t even get the chance to post this already edited ch. Please forgive me.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally! Classes start today. I get dressed in the uniform male students have to wear: white shirt, black jacket, and grey pants. Instead of the fancy shirt the uniform came with I''m wearing a white t-shirt. The jackets SS students have, have gold colored cuffs to distinguish us. I tuck my student ID into the front pocket of my jacket. The wolves have decided to join me for class. My classes are: The History of Magicians,The Study of Magic Beasts and Monsters, PE, Geography of Our World, and Theory of Magic: SS.

    Between my fourth and fifth classes I decided to have a self study period instead of another class. History, PE, and Theory of Magic are mandatory, the only difference is what theory class you''re in. Halfway thru the year it''s we are given another chance to choose our classes. What classes are available to you depend on your class you rank at, and what classes you have completed. My classes start at seven am. I eat lunch during the noon lunch hour.

    I walk to the cafeteria and eat breakfast with Lavender and the other kids from the orphanage. Clover already ate and is reading in the library. I say bye to the other kids and go to my first lesson of the day with Lavender, who is in the same class. We sit towards the back of the room.

    "Okay students, It''s time for History! I know you may think your predecessors are worthless, but I don''t care if you do, okay? Good. Now as far as we can tell, high humans were the first race to learn how to use magic. Yes, there are races that are born knowing magic before them, but they didn''t have to learn, did they? . . ."

    *sigh* I''m disappointed, this was the first thing the old man taught me. I sit through the class, but I don''t learn anything new. The teacher comes up to me after class.

    "Chaise, is it? You looked eager before the class started, but you seemed to deflate soon after. Is something wrong?"

    "The old man already taught me about the subject. I''m worried that I''m going to learn nothing new."

    "By old man you mean...the headmaster? Yes, I know more on about history than he does, but I won''t get much of a chance to prove it in this class, the other students don''t know as much as you do. Tell you what, on the days where I''ll be teaching something particularly interesting I''ll tell you, and on the other days I''ll quiz you to see if you'' do already learned what I''ll be teaching for the day. If you pass you can skip the class for the day. This way they''ll be no wasted time. This policy will go for everyone. I''ll announce it to the class tomorrow."

    "Thank you sir."

    "No problem, I just prefer for time spent to be useful."

    I like this teacher. I hope that all of my teachers are like this.

    "Chaise, I''ve got to go. My theory class on enchanting is going to start soon."

    "Sure Lavender, see you at PE. Sir, is it alright if my wolves come to class without me?"

    "If they come to learn and are well behaved? Of course they can. I let the students come to class didn''t I?"

    "Haha, thanks."

    I need to rush to my next class. I started learning hands on about this topic as an adventurer, knowing more about danger is always a good thing.

    <hr />

    Yeah, this class will be good for me. The teacher was excited when she spotted Shiva and Asura trailing behind me. Even more so once she new they weren''t tame. She''s a bit of an eccentric. I think Asura made some kind of deal with her when I wasn''t looking...

    It''s now time for PE. I find Lavender and a few other orphanage kids and stand with them. I finally get to meet the ''monster'' that even Garet is scared of.

    Danger! I jump away from where I am, but a giant hand catches me by my jacket and hoists me into the air. My hair and fur are completely puffed and my ears can''t lie any closer to my skull. I twist my body and wrap my legs around my attacker''s arm, sharpen my nails and dig them into the arm trying to tear it as much as possible, and bite the hand holding me as hard as possible, whipping my head back and forth. I force my mana form a pulsing dome around me, just big enough to surround me, fluctuating between different attributes to try and do more damage. Finally I''m released. I roll and leap away, turning in the air so that I am facing my attacker. I land in all fours, crouching to get ready to use my momentum to launch myself at the enemy. My eyes are wide and my pupil is only a slit. My breath comes out as a slow hiss.

    "Whoa boy! Settle down. I was just going to make an example of why mages need to train their bodies. Clearly you already understand huh? Dang, you even made me bleed."

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    This- Is this the teacher? He freaked me out. I barely even realized he was there before he grabbed me. He came up through the ground. I noticed a slight tremor and then the ground started to break. I didn''t even hurt him that much. He might not even need any stitches for the wounds I gave him. *sigh* I run a hand through my hair, close my eyes, and force myself to relax. The other kids are completely confused right now. The teacher raises the arm I wounded so that the surrounding students can see it.

    "You all should take a page from this kids book! If you weaklings took the attacks he just made you would be cut down to the bone, even they would take damage too. It''s possible his bite would tear of your limb once he starts to whip his head back and forth. Since you are the strongest mage here I thought it would shock you and the other students when I beat you without even sweating, making them more willing to train their bodies. But dang kid, I didn''t expect you to be so physically strong. I could tell that you''ve trained, but not to this extent! I''m impressed! You have great reflexes and instincts."

    "T.h.a.n.k.s."

    "Hahaha, relax. I ain''t gonna hurt you...now. I was never going to injure you... too badly."

    "Chaise are you okay!?"

    Lavender comes running over, my other friends are shaken from their stupor and follow her shortly.

    "Don''t worry, I''m fine, just tense."

    "That was cool."

    "What was that spell you used? I haven''t even heard of anything like it!"

    Now the crowd begins to stir. The teacher claps his hands to get their attention.

    "We need to move on with the lesson! I need you kids to divide into two groups! Ones that have trained their bodies go stand by the SS kid. The rest of you stand to my right. Oy! I can tell who has trained their bodies, go to the other group...Good, the clueless group gets to come with me. I''ll focus on you lot for this first lesson. We''re going on a little jog. The rest of you are to train by yourselfs, SS kid is in charge. Well? What are you waiting for?! GO! HAHAHAHA"

    Everyone leaps into action when he yells. The students he''s taking burst into a sprint and he starts chasing them. He is strange. Seriously strange.

    <hr />

    "Chaise, could you help me with my form?"

    The teacher has been gone for forty five minutes now. I feel sorry for those poor kids he''s chasing.

    "Sure, but I''m not all that great with a sword Lavender. And you have it down pretty well."

    "You''re still better than me Chaise."

    I slide my hands across her arms, adjusting them slightly to fix her posture. She''s pretty good and only needs minute adjustments, so I''m not sure why she always asks me to help her. I have her crouch a little lower and turn a bit more at an angle. I move her figures in her grip slightly.

    "That should do it. Does that help?"

    "Yes~, thank you Chaise."

    She''s practically beaming. I didn''t even help that much though? Oh well. I turn back to continue my training with my daggers when some other girls with swords come over.

    "Excuse me, Chaise? Could you help us with our forms too?"

    "Hmm? Sure, but I may not be able to help depending on what style you use. Besides there are better swordsman than me here right?"

    "Oh none of us use anything fancy. We are just using the basic style taught to nobles. We wanted to ask you because you seem very approachable."

    "Okay, I should be able to help you then. Those styles aren''t too hard."

    So it''s because I act friendly. I help them just like I helped Lavender. I also tell them a few tips on how to imagine right form, while I fix they''re posture.

    """Thanks for the help~"""

    Once I finish helping them they thank me and leave giggling.

    The surrounding guys are glaring at me. This isn''t the first time I''ve been glared at like this. It seems to have something to do with girls, but I haven''t figured out what yet. I asked Clover before and he looked at me like I''m an idiot and then he left. When I asked Lavender she simply said "It''s nothing, don''t worry about it". I''ll figure it out eventually.

 Ch.28 Lunch

    When the teacher finally came back, he was carrying the students who had passed out during their run, which was all of them. I think that Garet was right to call him a monster. Although his training will probably be good for me. I''ll eventually start having fun in this class, but I pity the other students. The teacher drops the students, and they hit the ground with a large thump. I''m not the only one that cringes at the sound.

    "That should be enough for today! You guys can take care of the sleepers. Tomorrow it will be your turn. HAHAHAHAHA!"

    He''s definitely a monster.

    Everyone shoulders at least one person, I carry five. We take them to the infirmary, they were expecting us. Apparently this is a normal occurrence. I''m a little worried for tomorrow. Oh well, It''s lunchtime. I go to the cafeteria with Lavender and Shiva. I don''t know where Asura is, he disappeared when the PE teacher chased after the runners. Sometimes I just can''t understand what Asura is doing... It''s probably best if I don''t.

    The cafeteria is full of people. We get in line to wait for our food, and some of the people offer to let us go before them. I thank them, but refuse. It''s bad to take favors you don''t need, for multiple reasons. Once we get our food, we manage to find an empty table and sit down.

    "Mmm, this food looks better than the old man''s, which isn''t actually that hard to do, but it might even be better than Miss Ramount''s cooking, which would be an accomplishment."

    "I thinks so too Chaise. Although I agree with you, it''s probably not fair to criticize Mr.Neil''s cooking, after all you can barely cook too."

    "Yeah, but he''s been the one teaching me. Mmm! I was right~ It must be because so many nobles come here. They demand high quality for their living conditions."

    "Wow, this food is really good!"

    My ears twitch when I notice that a group of people are walking over here.

    "Well speak of the devil."

    "Hmm? Oh."

    Lavender looks around when I say that. When she spots the group coming towards us she grimaces slightly. Shiva doesn''t respond because she noticed them right after I did. They stop right behind me, a final clack of their leaders shoes sound when they stop. It''s pretty obvious that he''s practicing making that sound. It''s funny because he''s not the first person I''ve meet that has done so.

    "Are you...Chaise, is it? I have come to make you an offer to join me. I am the second prince of Belairgia, and am likely to become the king. I have noticed your strength as an SS class student, and would like you to work for me...If you agree, once we''ve graduated I will officially hire you as a mage of my kingdom, maybe you can even become the royal mage...have anything you want... as for the reason... You have great potential and would become a major asset to the kingdom..."

    I continue eating as he talks, not looking at him at all. As he speaks he moves to the other side of the table so that I¡¯m facing him. He really just doesn¡¯t know when to stop talking. Why do I have to deal with these kinds of people?

    ¡°. . . So are you willing to accept?¡±

    I pause in my eating and look up, with my spoon by my mouth.

    ¡°No¡±

    I promptly put the spoon in mouth and look back at my food. I glance up at¡­ What was his name? Any way, he seems to be shocked and hasn¡¯t fully processed my words. As he speaks next his face slowly turns from white to red.

    ¡°...Excuse me? You said...no? Wh-WHY NOT! I¡¯ve offered you anything you want, you are a commoner. You should be in awe that royalty, such as I, would go so far as to even speak to you, let alone with respect and an offering!¡±

    He rants for awhile. This can only end one way.

    "Sorry, but I don''t care. Why should I care about silly human politics? I''m not one of your citizens and you are not a danger to me, so I don''t even need to show you any respect. Especially since I am part of the SSclass, while you are an A class student. My position here is higher than yours. You may leave."

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    I say it with a smile on my face and laughter in my voice. I gesture with my spoon for him to go. After spewing a few threats he finally leaves. It''s tiring to act like that, how do the nobles manage to behave that way all the time?

    "Hahaha, I can''t believe that actually worked for you."

    Some one else has arrived at the table. This one is?... He looks like a little kid. He''s only half as tall as I am, and has brown hair and eyes. This is the Dwarf prince isn''t it?

    "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

    "Not at all. Lavender?"

    "Please do."

    "Thank you!"

    He sets down his tray and starts eating. Once he finishes his mashed potatoes, he wipes his mouth and starts talking to me.

    "The nobility here are unnecessarily arrogant aren''t they? They don''t have any real reason to be so proud of themselves."

    I set down my fork, I was about to start eating my cake, and looked at him.

    "Is it different for dwarfs?"

    "Yeah, they''re super proud of themselves, but they can back it up. For dwarf nobility if you aren''t talented, someone else will get your position. That applies even more so to skilled artisans, that''s why dwarfs are renowned as blacksmiths. The heavy competition sets fire to your bones, and you can''t help but want to be the best. The willingness to admit a loss, but stubbornness in refusing to admit defeat, it''s the best!"

    "So you enjoy the new rule for classes?"

    "Yeah, I''m already S class, so I''m not interested in becoming SS class, but the people challenging me really keeps me on my toes."

    "Excuse me you''re an enchanter right?"

    "Mmhhmm, since I have a talent for magic I decided to practice something that will make my creations even better. ...Sorry, I didn''t catch your name...I never introduced myself did I? Sorry about that. I''m Joule Goffe, son of the current dwarven king. More importantly, I am a blacksmith and an enchanter, nice to meet cha."

    "Nice to meet you, I''m Lavender."

    "Chaise, pleased to meet you."

    "Go back a bit in the conversation, how did you know I was an enchanter, and why did you ask?"

    "I watched you take the tests for admittance. The reason I brought it up is because Lavender is taking classes in enchanting."

    "Really! Yay, comrade."

    He grabs Lavender''s hands with sparkly eyes. He begins a torrent of words. At first Lavender is taken aback, but gradually she warms up to the conversation and matches his enthusiasm. The subject is enchanting of course.

    I listen for while, then watch them as I finish eating. Eventually I leave. I can''t follow the conversation. Even Shiva is lost by it. They seem to be enjoying themselves, so I don''t want to disturb them. I wave goodbye and head to my next class. I think I can count Joule as a friend from now on.

 Ch.29 A science teacher

    Author''s notes: I apologize, like a lot of people, exams came to get in my way. I did have sometime to a  least think a bit about the stories... during the middle of my tests...

    <hr />

    Geography is annoying to learn. I didn''t realize that they would start teaching about the location of kingdoms first. The teacher said she won''t teach us about the more dangerous areas until we we finish all the kingdoms. I''ll probably have to take this next year too if I want to know enough to find my mother.

    It''s my free period now. I''ll go to the library and research plants and science. I''m going to try and remember what kind of plants I saw when I still lived with my mother. We lived in three different places, dependent on the weather and season.

    Hmm... Upon arriving here, I think I should just try to memorize the layout. This library is huge. It has three floors open to everyone and a forth, smaller floor with limited access. I guess I''ll ask the lady at the counter about it first.

    "Excuse me, would you mind teaching me about the layout of the library?"

    "Hmm? The... layout? Now why would you want to know about that? If you need books on a certain subject I could just tell you where they are."

    "Thank you, but I will probably be coming here often, and I would hate to bother you every time I need something."

    "Hmhmhm, you are the second student this year to ask me to teach them the library''s layout. I would be happy to."

    "Was the first a rabbit beastman called Clover? Ahh, sorry his name is actually Haruki."

    "Hmhmhm, yes it was him. As he put it, it was for the sake of efficiency."

    We both say efficiency at the same time, and then laugh together. Clover is the same as always. Sharp tongued and awkward at being helpful. He''s polite enough at first, but the guy doesn''t hold back on his words. Oh well, it seems like Miss... What was her name? This is becoming a habit. The librarian seems to understand Clover well enough.

    "I''m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Chaise, it''s a pleasure to meet you."

    "Oh! I forgot as well. I am Clementine Garine, it''s a pleasure to meet you as well."

    .....

    "Hmm, I''ll have to augment this knowledge with experience huh?"

    "Yes. You were quite patient in listening though. Haruki started interrupting me once he had some idea of the system."

    "He must have been pretty impatient in his eagerness to read. Rather than magic, the main reason he wanted to join the academy is because he wanted to raid this library."

    "Hmhmhm, it''s nice to have students that are so eager to read."

    I smile in response. I tap on the counter and move to leave.

    "Well thank you for the help Clementine. I''ll be on the south side of the second floor."

    "Science? Good luck, you''re going to need it."

    My chat with Clementine took an hour so I only have about half an hour before my next class. I only have enough time to find books about science, not read them. When I turn the corner I see someone I saw before. It''s the black haired kid who used shadow magic to lower his score for the entrance exam. This smell... is he a high human? That''s pretty rare. Artemis is the only other high human I''ve ever met.

    He''s deeply engrossed, such a strange word, in the book he''s reading. He hasn''t even noticed me yet. I''d rather not disturb him, so I''ll introduce myself next time I see him.

    "Confused"

    Hmm? What is he confused about? I peer over his shoulder. The book he is reading is about unarmed fighting techniques. I point at one of the pictures, the one I think he was referring to.

    "You have to use their monument as the force and your own body as the fulcrum. It will be like making someone trip using your whole body. Your arms are just directing their momentum."

    "Shock! How did he know."

    "Because I have fighting experience?"

    "Not that. I''m mute. How can you understand me. Can he read minds!?"

    "...No. I can''t read minds, but I can understand unspoken language. It''s very obvious what you''re saying. I''m actually surprised to meet someone else who uses it though."

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    "Unspoken language? Is that a thing? Well people can often guess what I''m thinking about, but [][][] is the only one who''s ever been able to hold a conversation with me."

    "If that was a name I have no idea who you''re referring to. Names don''t work well unless both parties know the person. And yes it is a thing, you''re using it."

    He can use unspoken language even if he has no idea what it is? That''s weird. Hmm, who was he referring to.

    "Was the person you mentioned the white haired demon you were with at the exams?"

    *DOGAN~*

    He fell over in his chair. He is completely shocked.

    "How does he know!?!"

    "Wasn''t it obvious?"

    "No!! Most people thinks he is a beastman! Sigh. Whatever. You don''t seem to care that he is a demon though."

    I shrug at that and smile while rolling my eyes.

    "Why should I care. Hatred for the demons, or diviom as they are actually called, is a human thing. It''s not like anyone from that race did anything to me. And even if they did, I would only hate the individual. Isn''t that common sense? Wait, no it isn''t. Jul told me that logic doesn''t equal common sense, but common sense is is used as logic?..."

    I stop to think about it again. Learning common sense was always hard for me to do. Sometimes I would end up arguing for hours about it with Jul...

    Oh, the high human has recovered.

    "By the way, my name is Chaise. Nice to meet you."

    He seems a little surprised at my introduction.

    He vaguely responds "Chase what matters...", but that was probably supposed to be a thought. He ducks under the table and digs around in his bag, before pulling out a notebook and pen.

    He writes out: Likewise. My name is Nathan. My friend we mention before is called Kin, and yes he is a demon.

    He frowns and then continues to write: Please don''t tell anyone else though. People are jerks.

    I nod, I can agree with that. I should get back to what I was originally doing. I start scanning the shelves. Nathan watches me curiously. He''s even projecting an aura of curiosity.

    "If you''re wondering what kind of books I''m looking for, I''m trying to find books about science. Have you happened to see any?"

    I turn back to look at him. He''s making a face that screams shock. He scratches his head sheepishly.

    He quickly writes down his words: I know a lot about science. I''m surprised that it''s actually a known about by someone else though. Everyone else I''ve met had no idea what it is. This world is very underdeveloped in that aspect.

    "This world? Are you from some other world?"

    He bites his lip and writes down his next response: Yeah... For whatever reason, I feel like I can trust you. Plus I''ve been itching to tell someone else about it. Besides Kin of course, he already knows. I''m actually a hero summoned from another world. The so called Slave Hero of Annalia.

    "That must suck. Is it common in your world to be summoned?"

    He rolls his eyes: No, it isn''t. The only time the idea even comes up is in works of fiction. In my original world magic doesn''t even exist. At least that I know of. The summoning was basically like being kidnapped for me. Plus slavery and de-aging. All in all, sucking is an apt description of it, although a bit of an understatement.

    <hr />

    As a bit of a side note: I came up with Nathan''s story before Chaise ever existed in my mind, I just haven''t written it. I don''t plan on writing it either, at least until I finish this story. Some you can look forward to hopefully.

 Ch.30 Inevitable

    Nathan has agreed to teach me what he knows about science. We''ve decided to meet up three times a week to talk about it. He''s a great guy.

    After saying goodbye, I head to my next class: Theory of Magic SS. Shiva and Asura catch up to me as I walk. They want to be there for this first class. I wonder how this is going to turn out. I''ve only talked to the other SS students, besides Clover, at the opening ceremony.

    I walk inside and find that everyone else is already here. Clover is towards the back, reading. Ferris is sitting near the door and talking to Sevi, who is standing next to him.

    "Hey guys. You beat me here. No one has taken the window seat? Lucky~"

    I move towards the open desk I spotted. Jacobs is sitting in the middle of the room playing with a two tailed cat he summoned. Both Melody and Aldaric are talking to someone, who I assume is the teacher since I can''t see them.

    "Hey Chaise~ What''s up."

    Ferris is the first one to greet me. Sevi tries to make a point of ignoring me, Jacob looks up and gives a little wave before looking at the cat again, and Clover glances at me and nods in greeting. Melody and Aldaric finally notice me and turn around.

    "Hello Chaise is nice to see you again."

    "Chaise! You''re finally here. I forgot to say this before, but I hope we get along. Oh! Look who came to visit our class."

    The two of them move out of the way, so I can now see who they were talking to.

    "Geh. It''s you old man? Don''t tell me you''re our teacher?"

    "This class will have a different teacher every day, so the answer to that question is sometimes. Today is just for you seven to get to know each other, so I''m more of a guide or mediator. Besides I''ve taught you for five years, why would it matter if I still taught you Chaise?"

    "I feel that if I see you on a regular basis you''ll drag me into annoying things for the school."

    "Nonsense. Why would you think that?"

    "Because you did it to Shela and Garet when they attended the academy."

    The old man looks away guiltily when I say that.

    "You are not including me in your schemes are you?"

    Clover looks up for his book to give the old man a death glare. He does not want to get involved in troublesome things. Personally, I don''t mind getting involved if it''s fun, but the old man is just trying to push some of his duties on us.

    "Don''t worry Haruki, everyone else has agreed to manage certain things. You just have to take care of any problems with the library, okay? You would do it anyway right?"

    "Fair enough."

    "And Chaise, would you at least take care of anything that happens in front of you?"

    "I''m fine with that, but if it ends up involving politics then it''s not my job."

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "Thanks. Well, that''s all that needed to be done. You kids can do anything you want, as long as you stay together as a group. Next class will be the start of your actual lessons, so use today to get to know each other better. Hohoho."

    He really did come for the sole purpose of dumping his responsibilities on us. Oh well. At least I didn''t get stuck with paperwork nor definite responsibilities. Hmm, something doesn''t fit. I guess I''ll go ask.

    "Hey Jacob, I''d like to ask you a question, if you don''t mind."

    "Sure Chaise. What is it?"

    "From what I can tell, you are tired of having so many responsibilities. So what kind of job did you accept from the old man?"

    "I get to deal with any animal related problems."

    "Ahh, that makes sense. Thanks."

    "Sure thing."

    He must really like animals. That would explain why he was staring at mine and Clover''s ears. He''s from Valiantian right? That country isn''t very friendly to beastmen in general, so he probably hasn''t seen an actual beastman before, and therefore is trying to make up his mind about them.

    *clap* "Okay everyone, let''s get to know each other better."

    Adalric is trying to take charge of the group? Clover raises an eyebrow at me. I shrug in response. I don''t mind what Adalric is doing, someone had to. As long as he doesn''t think he''s actually the boss, then I won''t mind. Clover doesn''t seem think the same though.

    "We all already know each other''s names and home countries so what else is there to discuss."

    "Sis really wants to get to know everyone better huh~"

    "N-not at all! Shut up brother!"

    "Hmm~ If you say so. Personally I think that we should see who''s the strongest. That''s what everyone wants to know right~? We might as well cut to the chase."

    Hmm, I didn''t expect Ferris to be bring up that up so quickly and blunt. He''s even letting a faint bloodthirstiness to tint his gaze. This is at least more genuine than before.

    I want to fight too. Fighting strong opponents can be fun. I learned that from being an adventurer. It even helps in understanding people better. I think it''s different for the royalty though, because as soon as Ferris said that, they became hostile.

    It probably is because of political reasons, like the honor of their country or something, that they''re acting like this. They all feel like they have to be the strongest. Even among the siblings. Sevi probably just wants to get her brother to get him to pay more attention to her, but Melody is completely hostile towards Adalric. I may not fully understand, but siblings aren''t supposed to hate each other that much right? Being raised as a noble twists people, doesn''t it? Oh well. Even if that wasn''t the case we''d still fight to see who is the strongest. When a group of people said to be the strongest in their age group are put together it''s inevitable right?"

 Ch.31

    Author''s note: I am so sorry about how long it''s been, my life is a comedy skit, things get in my way. This chapter is a little short, but at least it''s here right. Right? By the way, it''s not edited yet. I feel sheepish.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    "It would be foolish to start fighting in this room, but your highnesses have realized this already, I''m sure. So I suggest a move to one of the practice fields."

    Clover just called them out didn''t he? He gets up to do just as he said. I''m right behind him, but everyone else takes a moment before they follow.

    Now at the field, everyone is getting ready to fight. Adalric and Jacob both have classic long swords, Ferris and Sevi are using scimitars, and Melody is wielding a staff.

    "Clover, you''re the only one here that doesn''t use a weapon. I told you that you should train with one."

    He adjusts his glasses annoyed.

    "I don''t need one. More importantly, how are we going to determine the strongest?"

    "Through fighting?"

    "Battle royal? Round robin? We are obviously fighting, but what style of fighting are we going to use?"

    I didn''t think of that. The others hadn''t either. Round robin makes the most sense, but compatibility is important, so the luck of the draw would matter a lot. A battle royal would make people team up, so that isn''t good for individual strength. Individual fights for every matching would take too long, but they sound like the most fun. Hmm...

    "It will be round robin of course. It''s the fairest way to decide."

    Adalric really like to take charge. If he''s like this all year it''s going to get annoying.

    "There are seven of us, round robin only works with an even number."

    "That just means that one person will fight one less battle. We can draw lots to decide who fights whom and which one of us gets to skip a battle. After all, luck is a type of strength."

    I bet it''s Clover who''ll get to skip a fight, he''s always super lucky, I don''t know why. Surprisingly, Sevi is the one who provides some paper and a pen to make the lots. Clover wrote down the pairings. This is how it ended up:

    Melody vs Sevi

    Chaise vs Ferris

    Clover vs Jacob

    Adalric vs no one

    It''s a bad matchup for Clover, that surprises me. I''m not actually sure who will win that battle. Adalric got lucky instead I guess. Hmmm, so I get to fight Ferris first? That''s not too bad, at least it''s not Clover or Sevi, I''ve defeated Clover several times and Sevi is too unstable to really put up a good fight.

    Melody and Sevi move into the marked area of the field, the rest of us stay where we are.

    "I''ll be the referee~"

    Everyone looks at me in surprise for a moment before nodding. They can already tell that I am the least partial of the group and we need a ref. They give a polite combat bow to each other before getting into their stances. Sevi settles into a crouch with her sword turned edge up. Melody stands ramrod straight, her staff held out firmly in front of her. These two are way to tense in their stances and their combat will suffer for that, but now isn''t the time to tell them that, is it. They both look at me and nod before returning their attention to each other.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident."Ready~? Begin!"

    Sevi charges forward with her sword jut out in front of her, chanting to shape the mana building on the ground she passes. Melody starts chanting too, but stays where she is. Melody''s magic is completed first, two separate serpents of fire and water respectively appear beside her and strike out at Sevi. Sevi jumps and flips around the fire and slides under and past the water.

    That was amateurish for both of them. Those snakes only moved in a straight path, of course they''re going to be dodged. Sevi''s movements are hesitant and exaggerated, she wasn''t ready for anything to change in her surroundings and could have easily been taken out if anything did change. She didn''t even stick the landing to her flips, I saw a wobble.

    I see Ferris smirk at Adalric, who''s face flickers to cold indifference before controls it and is back to his expected look of ''warm concern''. Clover and Jacob are just normally watching the fight.

    Three steps out of weapon range from Melody, Sevi''s magic bursts into action, literally. Large vines burst out of the ground and attack Melody in partner with Sevi''s swordplay. Melody suddenly spins her staff and begins to wield it defensively, smashing it into the vines to change their trajectory and block Sevi''s sword. A few vines lash her put none do real damage. Sevi knows it and becomes angry that she isn''t landing any real hits, I doubt Ferris''s appreciative whistle helped her temper. She fights more fiercely, rage giving her strength and speed, but stealing her strategy. Melody is hard pressed and nervous because she is failing to block more and more attacks. She is beginning to panic, but she has the advantage. Her spell hasn''t ended, her serpents are coming back. The two serpents went far on their first charge and Melody is distracted, so it took them a few minutes to get back. The two serpents between two twine together and form a smaller, weaker version of the the steam dragon Melody displayed for the entry test. It hits Sevi full in the back and she screams falling to the floor, her vines crumble around her.

    I decide to make the call before anything else can happen.

    "Battle end! Melody wins!"

    Melody relaxes and the peanut gallery come forward and stand next me. Then Adalric and Ferris pass me and crouch next to Sevi to check on her. I look behind me and signal Shiva and Asura to come over here, they were having an epic training battle against each other which no one else noticed. Shiva was fighting defensively while Asura attacked. It was a much better fight than Melody and Sevi''s. I gesture for them to go to Sevi, I called them over so that they could take her to the infirmary.

    "We should take her to the infirmary, her back is badly burnt."

    Adalric states the obvious. Ferris is mildly concerned for his sister, but notice the wolves and, instead of saying anything, helps them pick her up.

    "Is she going to be alright Ferris?"

    I didn''t really get a close look at the burns.

    "Yeah, my sister will be fine...

    He shakes his head, let''s out a breath, and his attitude clears up.

    "We should get back to the fights. You and I are up next right?"

 Ch.32

    Author''s note: I am so sorry that this has taken me so long! I keep getting inspiration for the stories I''m not actually writing yet instead of this one. I am abjectly apologetic.

    _____________________________________

    Wait a second.

    "I''m fighting so who will be the referee?"

    "I will be the referee-"

    "Nah, I don''t trust you Adalric. Miss Melody~ would like to ref for us?"

    I blink when I hear that. Wow, Ferris really doesn''t like Adalric. Adalrics face fell into a look of poison before he regained control of it, changing into a look of mild hurt. He took offense, but to be fair Ferris is probably doing it to slight him.

    "I''m sorry, but I''m a bit tired. I would prefer to take this time to rest if you don''t mind."

    "Aww~ Oh well. Chaise~ who do you think should ref?"

    "Not Clover, he wants to see me lose,-"

    "Of course"

    No mercy, Clover is never far when I fail at something. Like that time I climbed a tree to get an apple and fell on my head. He''s still laughing at me for that.

    "-so Jacob would you mind being our referee?"

    He looks up and silently nods. We take are places out on the field. Ferris crouches like his sister, but turns his sword edge out away from himself, sword parallel to his side. I stand the way I always do when I''m preparing to fight a person.

    "Aren''t you going to take a stance, or even use some weapons?"

    Ferris says this lightly, but he is a little peeved at my behavior.

    Instead of settling into a stance, like most people do, I casually stand slightly sideways, hands down at my sides. I don''t think Ferris can even see the daggers I''m holding. The reason for this is so that my stance can''t be used to tell how I will act or react. It tends to anger people though, they think I''m snubbing them.

    "I do have my weapons."

    I flick my wrists to bring my daggers farther into my hands and show him them.

    "Besides this is my stance."

    "Oh, sorry for my assumption."

    I shrug to show I don''t mind and then glance at Jacob, Ferris does too.

    "Contestants ready? Fight."

    "Fleet feet, Accelerate"

    As soon as the fight starts Ferris short chants a neutral attributed body enhancement spell.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author."Gale force"

    I use the spell to launch myself forward. Ducking, I dodge Ferris''s slash and continue the tumble to try and strike Ferris with my heels. He turns so that my blow passes him, moving to slash diagonally upwards at me while I regain my balance. I turn on my hands and flip over him and his sword. An exchange of slashes, stabs, and ripostes of minor spells begin and lasts for a time. I breath the words fire and shadow in a silent cast. A puff of flames appears around us before quickly dispersing and a shadow moves through it in front of Ferris. I was making a distraction. My daggers cross paths in an attempt to attack his back where I had slide to while he watched the shadow. Though not deep they draw blood. He stumbles a step forward, muttering what sounds like a curse under his breath. No. I was wrong. He cast a spell. Vines wrap around my ankles and he whips around with a slash aimed at my midriff. I bend back at a ninety degree angle, cutting the vines with my daggers as I lean back. I turned the momentum from moving like that into a kick. My toes connect with his chin, lifting him inches into the air. I pivot on my grounded foot and bring my heel back down crashing into him in an axe kick. I then jump off of one foot and twist into a flying roundhouse kick. The blows stun him and leave him lying on the ground. I place a knee on his stomach and cross my arms to plant my daggers on either side of his neck.

    "Winner Chaise!"

    We neither of us move for a moment. I catch my breath quickly while Ferris takes a bit longer. Our fight had lasted a good five minutes.

    I get up and dust of my pants. Offering my hand, Ferris accepts and I help him up.

    "Good fight."

    We both say and shake hands. We now respect each other more for it.

    I let out a laugh and grin. I love having spars like this. It lets you learn so much about people. Ferris is much more straightforward than he usually acts. I think we can really get along.

    I do a few stretches to cool down and then thank Jacob for refereeing for us.

    "Okay! That was fun~, and it''s time for the next fight! Clover, Jacob, it''s your turn now."