After the previous conversation, Cal continued to engage in a small chat with Seraphix. Much of their discussion revolved around the workings of the world, the intricacies of noble society, and how societal structures functioned.

  For Cal, it was surprising. From his understanding, beasts were inherently corrupted creatures.

  But Seraphix was different.

  Using his bloodline ability, 'Eyes of Discerning', Cal could tell that Seraphix harbored no 'Concealed' intentions. When Seraphix asked questions, it was out of genuine curiosity. Even his concern for Sophia was sincere, though it came across as too blunt.

  "So, how far have you gone with Sophia?" Seraphix asked.

  'Nothing! We’ve done nothing!' Cal screamed internally, but outwardly, he maintained his composure.

  "I’m not interested in that sort of thing," he replied tersely, "at least not until we’re... married."

  Cal wasn’t lying. He truly preferred to avoid those types of retionships. It stemmed from his firm conviction: 'I will not become an animal.'

  Another aspect of Seraphix that caught Cal’s attention was his humility.

  Typically, beasts—even those of a four-stroke—were insufferably arrogant. Yet Seraphix, at the pinnacle of their hierarchy, treated Cal as an equal.

  Seraphix even offered assistance, provided Cal could offer something of equal value in return.

  However, as their conversation continued, Cal grew increasingly uneasy—his discomfort stemming not from Seraphix but from someone sitting nearby.

  The figure had been tailing them ever since they entered a tea shop in the market district.

  From his 'Eyes of Discerning', Cal could tell the individual was cloaked in a high-level illusion spell, though its intricacy prevented him from peering deeper.

  Out of caution, Cal had maintained a sound-concealing barrier during his conversation with Seraphix. But now, the stranger’s proximity kept shrinking.

  What started as a distant observation from across the street had now escated—the figure was seated at the table beside them.

  Suddenly, Seraphix gnced at the figure.

  "Cal," he said, "do you think we should greet her?"

  'Right, Seraphix must have noticed it too… wait,' "Greet her?" Cal unconsciously blurted out his thoughts.

  "Yes, it’s Shira."

  ***

  Sophia and Cal, still in their disguises, sat at a quaint tea table in the small garden of a modest house. Seraphix lounged zily on the tabletop, his tail flicking idly in the afternoon breeze.

  They were visiting Shira’s house, which was located in the most desote part of Ztogorye: the slums.

  Among those present, Sophia appeared the brightest. Her eyes scanned the table, focusing on someone—or perhaps something—serving tea.

  It wasn’t a person but a brown bear.

  With care, the bear poured tea into their cups before preparing a basket filled with cookies.

  Throughout the process, Sophia watched the bear intently, focusing specifically on its fur.

  Moments ter, Shira emerged from her house carrying a rge, weathered book, which she carefully pced on the table.

  “Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Shira said, smiling warmly.

  “It’s no trouble. Thank you for hosting us,” Sophia replied with equal warmth.

  “You could've sent a formal letter. There was no need to tail—” Cal began, but Shira interrupted him smoothly.

  “Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin a small lesson with the Grand Tamer herself,” she announced, cpping her hands.

  “We don’t need it,” Cal interjected, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

  “Don’t be so dismissive. Sophia may one day become like me. Wouldn’t it be better to guide her early on?” Shira countered with a pointed look.

  Cal’s frown deepened, and his gaze hardened with disgust.

  “She is not your apprentice, nor will she ever come remotely close to being like 'you'.”

  The atmosphere shifted abruptly. Shira leaned closer to Cal, her smile sharp.

  “Listen,” she said in a low voice. “I may not be able to kill you, but there are other ways to make your life difficult.”

  Cal noticed the garden and house shifting subtly around them. Hidden gazes seemed to emerge from every corner. Yet his expression remained calm.

  “Even if not now,” Cal said coldly, “you know I’ll surpass you one day.”

  Shira’s face darkened momentarily. She understood the weight of his words.

  Cal's potential was unmatched among his generation, surpassing that of the Grand title holder she had known at his age.

  Shira exhaled sharply and then shifted her focus to Sophia.

  “Sophia,” Shira began, her tone strained. “You said you wanted to come here, right? Please control your bo—”

  But Shira stopped mid-sentence when she realized Sophia was no longer seated. Looking around, she saw Sophia lying atop the bear, Seraphix perched zily on her back.

  Shira frowned and sent a telepathic message to the bear.

  'Don't you dare touch her, or else..'

  The bear flinched and gently set Sophia down.

  Sophia then walked back to her seat.

  Shira’s tone turned stern as she addressed Sophia.

  “This is your first lesson: never interact with beasts. Don’t speak to them, don’t listen if they speak to you, and if they approach, step back. Above all, never touch one.”

  Sophia’s expression shifted, guilt washing over her as she grasped Shira's intention.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Shira sighed but softened slightly.

  “At least now I know how much you still have to learn.”

  ***

  Sophia sat slumped at the table, her head resting on her arms. She had just finished the brief lesson on beasts, and it had left her mentally drained. Yet, she couldn’t deny its value.

  Despite her noble schooling, Sophia now realized how much she still didn’t know about beasts—especially the dangers they presented and the deceptions they were capable of.

  “Anyway,” Shira said, closing the book with a decisive thud, “that’s all for today. Do you have any questions?”

  Sophia hesitated for a moment before voicing something she had been pondering.

  “I do. Miss Shira, what’s the difference between beasts and animals?”

  Like beasts, animals also possessed power comparable to one another. To Sophia, however, they were simply creatures with control over mana. She struggled to see any meaningful difference between them.

  Shira grew silent, her gaze contemptive before responding.

  “Have you ever seen how a beast dies?”

  “No...” Sophia replied, puzzled by the question.

  Shira raised her hand, conjuring a small pointy red rod from thin air.

  Using it, Shira etched a complex pattern onto the table.

  Once finished, the rod vanished, leaving the inscription behind.

  Shira pced a cookie in the center and began chanting softly.

  A squirrel-like creature appeared, taking the pce of the cookie.

  “This is a beast,” Shira said simply. “Right now, it looks like an ordinary animal. But...” With a flick of her fingers, a sharp, spear-like red rod materialized beneath the creature, impaling it violently.

  Blood spttered across the table, even reaching Sophia’s face. Horrified, she shut her eyes and turned away.

  Cal’s expression twisted with disapproval. “Was that really necessary?” he muttered.

  “Sophia, look,” Shira urged calmly.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” Sophia quavered, still trembling.

  “No, look—it’s fine now.”

  Sophia hesitated but slowly opened her eyes.

  To her surprise, the squirrel had vanished, leaving the table pristine except for the etched symbol.

  “Even though animals wield power on par with beasts, they are fundamentally different,” Shira expined. “Beasts aren’t native to this world. They’re entities that should never exist here. When they die, they leave no trace, as if this world refuses to handle their remains. That’s the difference.”

  ***

  Sophia sat comfortably, chatting with Shira about beasts while Cal occasionally interrupted with sharp remarks directed at Shira.

  The tension between the two didn’t bother Sophia in the slightest—she was used to it. Growing up, Shira and Cal had always been at odds, their bickering resembling sibling squabbles.

  Sophia found this atmosphere far preferable to the stifling silence of the Kovalevska Mansion.

  Without realizing it, the night began to fall. Sophia felt an ache settle in her chest as the thought of leaving crossed her mind.

  "Now then, can I see your beast contract pattern?" Shira asked abruptly.

  "Okay," Sophia replied, offering her hand.

  As Shira touched it, a sudden wave of drowsiness overcame Sophia. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she fell asleep.

  ***

  Cal, sensing something was off, quickly tried to grab Sophia and flee. Before he could, however, a blow from the side sent him flying.

  He smmed into the barrier surrounding the garden.

  Shaking off the impact, Cal slowly rose to his feet. His illusion faded, revealing his glowing golden slit eyes in the dim afternoon light.

  "Shira..." he whispered, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

  He quickly assessed his condition and surroundings. His shoulder was dislocated from the sudden attack, but he was otherwise unharmed. The garden was filled with watchful gazes, but none made a move.

  Then, a brown bear stepped forward—the one that had struck him.

  From the initial strike, Cal immediately recognized that he was outmatched. The bear's speed exceeded his heightened senses, and its punch was powerful enough to break through his barriers and even injure him.

  Cal took a deep breath to steady himself.

  Focusing his mana into his legs, he surged toward the bear with inhuman speed.

  The bear, already anticipating his move, closed the gap quickly, unching a punch toward Cal’s face. Just as the bear’s fist neared him, Cal stomped the ground with immense force, cracking the ground beneath him.

  The bear lost its footing, giving Cal a brief window to spring off its body, propelling himself with high speed.

  However, the bear quickly regained its bance, grabbing Cal’s leg with enough force to break it and pull him back. As Cal was reeled in, the bear readied another blow.

  Using the momentum, Cal revealed an intricately designed mana gun he had been hiding and aimed it at its head.

  Cal fired.

  The explosion obliterated the bear's head.

  Blood, meat, and bone spttered in all directions, but the bear's punch didn't stop.

  "What?!" Cal excimed, having not anticipated this.

  Headless, it continued its punch, hammering Cal into the ground.

  Intense pain coursed through him as his spine snapped from the impact. But the bear didn’t stop; the punches kept coming, each blow draining his strength until he felt himself weakening.

  ***

  Cal's battered body was pinned to the ground by a headless bear.

  On a nearby tea table, Sophia y unconscious, her outstretched hand sshed open to reveal raw veins and exposed muscle, etched with intricate patterns.

  Shira leaned over her, meticulously working on the arm with focus, conducting a strange operation.

  Seraphix y curled up nearby, sleeping peacefully within the confines of a sound-concealing barrier. Shira occasionally cast guarded gnces in his direction, her expression tense.

  "What are you doing to her?!" Cal roared, struggling under the bear.

  "Can you not yell? I’m trying to concentrate," Shira replied sharply.

  The bear then struck Cal with a powerful punch to the head, smming it into the ground. The relentless blows continued, shaking the earth beneath them.

  "Enough already! You're making the ground tremble!" Shira snapped in irritation.

  The bear flinched, halting its assault.

  After some time, Shira sighed with relief. "It’s done."

  Suddenly, an explosive sound shattered the silence. Then, without warning, a mana gun was pressed firmly against the side of Shira's head.

  A sharp crack rang out, but the shot dissipated before it could reach her head.

  Shira waved her hand, dispersing the smoke to reveal Cal standing before her, bloodied and wounded, already clutching Sophia in his arms.

  Shifting her gaze to the side, she spotted her tamed beast—the headless bear—dragging itself, its legs gruesomely severed.

  "What did you do to her?!" Cal demanded, his voice furious.

  "Why should I answer someone who cks basic manners?" Shira shot back.

  In response, Cal raised the gun to the small bird perched on his hand, its body trembling.

  Shira’s expression darkened.

  All around them, creatures emerged from the shadows—some familiar, others bizarre and monstrous—each staring at Cal with murderous intent.

  "Don’t you dare," Shira hissed.

  Cal's voice was steady, despite his condition.

  "Just so you know, this mana gun is powered by a Triclinic Mana Stone. Don’t you think it would be interesting if it exploded in this garden?"

  The threat hung heavily in the air as Shira studied him intently.

  Finally, she relented, "This is so annoying."

  After a moment of silence, Shira gathered her thoughts and began to speak.

  "You know that beast tamers can use the abilities of their contracted beasts, right?"

  "So what?" Cal growled.

  "That’s not the whole story. It takes time for a beast tamer to accommodate a beast’s abilities. And most of the time, they fail, and the process leaves permanent damage on their body and mind."

  Cal's face shifted in horror.

  Shira continued, her tone ft.

  "I was simply accelerating Sophia’s accommodation of the Nine-Stroke Beast’s abilities. We’ll soon find out if she’s able to handle it."

  "What... happens if she fails?" Cal asked, his voice shaky.

  Shira’s lips curved into a humorless smile.

  "When I was able to partly accommodate Mathilda’s abilities, I lost most of my lifespan. So, for a Nine-Stroke Beast?" She paused, her eyes locking with his.

  "Isn't death the bare minimum?"