After leaving their rented apartment, Athtar took a close look around the kingdom: streets crowded with people, buildings with a style that seemed slightly ahead of its time, and a very high population density.
The most striking feature of this kingdom was their emblem, raised high in nearly every elevated area—a symbol of their freedom and independence.
Unlike the Kingdom of Kayvan, which was founded 500 years ago with the birth of its founder, the Kingdom of Seya was established only 200 years ago. Having separated from another kingdom, they achieved independence through a bloody struggle, but it was an independence that brought peace to this land.
Undoubtedly, it was no less magnificent than the Kingdom of Kayvan where he had lived, but compared to that kingdom, Athtar strangely felt as though the people of this kingdom were very different.
After walking through the streets, Athtar asked Margaret where the arena was, saying he wanted to see how strong the fighters in the Kingdom of Seia were. Margaret seemed happy that Athtar had asked first—a rare occurrence, since he usually remained coldly silent most of the time and only asked about important matters.
Margaret took him to a famous arena after asking around here and there, and after they found seats in a good spot, Athtar watched the fight that was now underway.
"Are we so powerful because Her Majesty's bloodline runs through the four families? Is that why our kingdom is the strongest on the continent?" Athtar hadn't believed the difference in magical power between the kingdoms' people would be so overwhelming, especially since, when Margaret explained to him just how powerful the four families were and how unfair they were to the rest of the world, Athtar now truly understood what she meant.
The battle was now taking place between a large, muscular girl and a spear-wielding fighter; the fight was somewhat even because both were focusing on the element in which they excelled.
Even Athtar, who was only 8 years old, could control all six elements at his age, which made him feel a little strange. That was why he had this feeling. The people of this kingdom usually used only one element—or, more accurately, one element represented their highest affinity. This was in contrast to the founder of the Kingdom of Kayvan, who was said to have possessed equal affinity for all elements, making her a master at using every element without exception.
"Why don't they use the other element with the second-highest affinity for them?"
Athtar looked at Margaret and asked innocently, causing Margaret to turn to him with a smile. "Why do you think they're capable of using more than one element? Do you realize how rare it is for someone to be able to control even two elements?"
Athtar's eyes narrowed slightly, as if hearing this was strange to him. He asked again coldly, "But isn't that normal? My mother was weak and sick, and she controlled all six elements with ease…"
Margaret chuckled slightly as she placed her finger on Athtar's nose. He felt repelled by her gesture and recoiled, a hint of anger on his face. "That means your mother, compared to others, is very strong, you know?" Margaret said with a smile. "
Athtar didn't respond to Margaret and went back to watching the fight, where the muscular girl finally managed to break her spear by using her special ability to harden her body through earth elemental control, then smashing the weapon with brute force without stopping her momentum. She punched her opponent in the face, sending him flying all the way to the arena wall, where he lost consciousness.
When the fight ended, Athtar got up and decided to leave. Margaret didn't ask him about it, because she realized he might now be looking at others differently.
"Just because someone uses only one element doesn't necessarily mean they're weak. You're not looking at this objectively, are you?"
Athtar didn't answer her, but perhaps his silence gave her the answer she was looking for. Margaret sighed, then said quietly as she walked beside him, "You need to get to know the world better."
...
The two of them entered the Adventurers' Guild headquarters. Athtar looked around with interest; there were several reception desks, and tables in the middle of the hall where various types of adventurers were seated. Margaret paid no attention to the scene; she was used to it, but Athtar felt as if he were seeing a whole new world. The people around him seemed incredibly strong, completely different from the two he'd seen in the arena—as if this was where the real action took place.
Athtar followed Margaret until they reached the reception desk, where missions were accepted. Margaret didn't linger around much because she was in a hurry to take the mission before anyone else, and luckily, no one else had stepped forward for the mission—or succeeded in it yet.
Athtar watched the girl arguing with the receptionist. After some back-and-forth, Margaret turned toward Athtar with a somewhat triumphant look. Athtar didn't understand why, but Margaret said calmly, "All right then, we've got the job. It looks like that monster is still out there, so there's a chance we can catch it."
Athtar understood why Margaret was happy, but he just gave her a slight nod and they both left the place.
The reason Margaret hadn't obtained an adventurer's license for Athtar was simply because he was too young; the minimum age requirement was 10 years old, meaning Athtar needed two more years before he could get his own adventurer's license.
On the way out of the kingdom, they both walked silently through the forest, and Margaret began to explain the type of beast they were going to hunt after Athtar asked about it.
"What we're looking for is a wolf-type beast. At first, it was just an ordinary animal, but it gained a source of mana, so its constitution changed from that of a mere animal to one that senses and controls mana—and that's what's called a beast."
"Can beasts that use mana become stronger than they were at first?" "
"It's rare, but some lucky beasts that live long enough can even begin to evolve into a different species. But that's never happened before—or at least, it hasn't been recorded on this continent."
Athtar was about to ask something else when Margaret stopped him with a wave of her hand.
Athtar stopped walking as he watched Margaret, a serious expression on her face. Then he heard a growl that sent a chill down his spine.
Then there was another strange sound, and before Athtar could process what was happening, he found himself being carried in Margaret's arms as she stood in a different spot. What followed was an explosion like a bomb, followed by a ringing in Athtar's ears.
Athtar turned toward the source of the sound after Margaret set him down on the ground and saw a huge gaping hole where they had been standing. Then a massive, furry creature, about the size of a camel or a rhinoceros, appeared before them—a wolf with white fur and red eyes.
"Humans… bastards… "
Athtar was surprised to hear human words coming from the wolf's mouth. At that moment, Margaret said to him, looking at him with a smile:
"Don't worry, Athtar… I'm here… "
Athtar slowly shook his head, and Margaret calmly stepped forward toward the wolf. Athtar noticed that Margaret's facial expressions—which were usually sweet, silly, or ridiculous—had shifted to absolute calm and focus.
Margaret drew the two short swords she always carried with her, then gripped both blades in a fighting stance, pointing both weapons at the wolf, which didn't seem to care about the swords in Margaret's hands.
Athtar instinctively took a few steps back, and then, as he tried to focus on the fight, all he could make out were the sounds of metal clashing against metal and flashes of light here and there from the great speed at which both Margaret and the wolf were moving.
Moments later, the sounds of the clashes stopped, and Margaret appeared before Athtar. Her face bore a few scars, and her waist and pants had several tears that revealed her beautiful figure, but blood was flowing from every scar.
Unfortunately, no matter how powerful humans in this world might be, and no matter what magical abilities they used to enhance themselves, they were still only human. Once injured, they could bleed to death; if struck in the heart or head, it was the end—even healing abilities could not reverse death.
Margaret was breathing deeply; she sighed slightly, then a white light began to slowly envelop her body. Athtar knew she had just used light magic for healing. It was well known that the element of light was used for healing, unlike the element of darkness, whose characteristic was destruction or erasure.
When Margaret's wounds closed, she breathed a sigh of relief. She did not take her focus off the wolf, and the wolf, too, used the time they had stopped fighting to heal itself.
Margaret moved forward slowly, preparing to attack, and the white-furred wolf growled menacingly, showing no sign of backing down either. In an instant, Margaret stomped her foot on the ground, gained momentum, and reached the wolf, attacking him in the eye.
The wolf couldn't react in time, and the sword sliced through his eye. Margaret appeared behind the wolf, a fountain of blood gushing from its head.
It happened in the blink of an eye; to Attatar, who was watching the fight, it seemed as though Margaret had vanished and reappeared behind the wolf, and the wolf began to bleed—the whole thing took no more than a second.
Margaret turned toward the wolf, giving it no time to recover, and attacked it, but the wolf moved its paw and struck Margaret with its claws, causing a deep gash across her abdomen and chest.
Margaret winced and tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't let out a single scream. She continued to attack the wolf relentlessly. After what seemed like a fireworks display to Athtar, Margaret stopped striking, and the wolf's body finally fell to the ground.
"Margaret!… "
When he saw how badly Margaret was hurt, Athtar rushed over to her immediately to check on her. The girl, who looked no older than eighteen, sat on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Are... you crying?"
Athtar noticed the tears in her eyes and was a little surprised. Why would someone as strong as her—someone who could even defeat a terrifying beast like that huge wolf—be crying?
Margaret's cheeks flushed slightly as she wiped the tears from her eyes, feeling embarrassed to show her vulnerability in front of Athtar.
"Of course… didn't you see how scary it was? My whole body is shaking. I feel pain and fear—how could I not cry?" "
She said in a slightly weak voice, looking down so her eyes wouldn't meet Athtar's.
"Yes… that's natural… it's natural for someone to cry when they feel fear or pain,"
Athtar said as he sat beside her, gently taking her hand. It seemed as though the words he spoke comforted him more than they comforted her.
Margaret smiled as she replied to Athtar, "Look at you acting so mature for your age. You're such a mischievous child."
...
After resting for a while, Margaret healed herself a little and changed out of the clothes that had been completely torn during the previous battle. As the two of them were returning to the Kingdom of Seia, Athtar asked her something that had been on his mind.
"If you're… afraid of fighting, why are you fighting? Why are you chasing scary monsters?"
"Because that's what I've dreamed of my whole life. I've always wanted to explore this world and see the different creatures in it…" "
Margaret looked pensive as she gazed ahead, as if old memories were flooding back to her in that moment. Athtar, however, remained silent, but he took Margaret's hand.