Astonishing

About two hours later, their crew arrived at a forest in the south of Claymore town.

It was called the 'Magical Beasts Forest'.

This name was given by the people of Claymore Town due to the fact that this forest housed many magical beasts. Some of the magical beasts are as powerful as one-star mages, while some are able to fight two-star mages.

This was the same forest where 'Maxwell' was attacked by a beast when he and some of his guards came here. The guards in Garfield Manor are usually novice mages, so there was no chance for any of them to escape when encountering a one-star beast or higher.

However, this time is different as he is with Emily, who is a two-star mage, and there are many knights too.

Normally, one can only be called a knight if he is a one-star mage. However, not every one-star mage is a knight. Because becoming a knight requires passing a standard test administered by the Mage Association.

It is only after one passes this test that they gain the title of knight. Similarly, if you want to have another title such as baron, Viscount, and more, you would have to pass the test given by the Mage Association. However, the one thing to note is that the Mage Association can make you a novel until you reach baron rank. To gain nobility titles such as Viscount and more, you would need to be appointed by the royal family.

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"Emily, How are you going to show me your magic here? Need we come here to the forest for that purpose?" Max asked Emily when they arrived in the forest.

"Yeah, we needed to. Here you can see me and these knights in action when we encounter any beast. Moreover, it seems that the number of beasts has increased by quite a lot in the past few years, so many merchant caravans that travel near the forest to go to other towns and cities are being attacked by them. So, our manor has received requests to resolve this situation. Therefore, we can conveniently help reduce their number a little." Emily explained.

"Oh! That's the case." After listening to her explanation, he understood. There was also a saying on earth regarding this. 'If you want to learn something, the best way is to experience it personally.'

However, he also understood that Emily brought him here for another reason. It was to let him see that these beasts weren't invincible and could be defeated by humans. She must have thought that he would develop a phobia of beasts because he was almost killed by one.

Max smiled wryly, thinking about this. He was also touched by her care, even though she didn't show it. However, did she really think that he would be afraid of beasts because he had been attacked once, or maybe two in this case?

Although he was killed by an animal before reincarnating in this world, he wasn't so weak-hearted to be afraid like that.

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He diverted his attention and focused on feeling Lilly's slim and smooth waist. He put his head on her right shoulder and inhaled her feminine scent. He became horny as a result, and his 'Little Brother,' who was anything but small, began to rise and eventually poked Lilly in the back.

Lilly shuddered slightly but did nothing, continuing to ride the horse.

Max controlled himself and didn't do anything more as there was Emily and others here.

After traveling for a while, they finally encountered a beast. It was a red-striped black tiger, standing three meters tall and very bulky. It looked utterly ferocious, but none of their crew, including Lilly, was scared.

Max was surprised. He could understand why Emily and the Knights weren't scared of seeing such a ferocious beast, but what about Lilly? Why wasn't she scared? He knew that she was a normal maid who hadn't even ventured outside the manor more than a few times.

"Woah! It's a red-striped black tiger. Its strength is comparable to a one-star mage." A knight exclaimed.

"Be careful. It's not an easy foe. It can fight two or three one-star mages with its full strength."

"Yeah, but it is a very good opportunity to show off our strength in front of young Miss."

The knights were excited to fight and show their strength to Emily in hopes of becoming her lackeys. If a two-star mage such as her took them under her wing, their strength would improve very quickly.

"Quiet!" Emily raised her hand and shouted as she eyed the black tiger.

Following her shout, everyone stopped talking and focused their attention on her.

Emily turned to Max and said, "Now these knights are going to fight this tiger. Watch carefully."

"Three of you can go and kill it." Emily ordered, pointing at the tiger. Following her words, the three knights drew their swords and chanted some spells.

Emily, why are they drawing out their weapons? Can't they simply use their magic to kill it?" Max asked her, bewildered.

Emily looked at Max as if she were looking at an idiot. She then explained, "It is not easy for low-level mages to use their mana to cast some powerful spells. That's why they need a medium to cast those spells. These swords are enchanted with magic and can be used as a means to better control their mana and cast spells properly. Without these enchanted items, low-leveled mages such as them can use their magic to do only household chores."

"And why is this so?" Max asked again. His curiosity piqued.

Emily explained calmly, "It's because low-level mages don't have a mana core, and all the mana they have is mostly unrefined, which makes it very hard to control. If you were to use any powerful spell, the mana would backfire and injure you. This medium helps control that berserk mana so that you can use it slightly more freely."

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

As she finished her explanation, the fight between the black tiger and the knights started. Max and Emily focused on the fight. The black tiger was moving very fast and would strike with its claws when it got the chance. When cornered, it would open its mouth and fire a black beam of mana that was very destructive.

The knights, on the other hand, were chanting some spells and using their mana to cover their swords as they attacked the tiger, leaving shallow wounds on its thick hide.

Some were slashing from a distance, and mana blades would shoot out from their swords, while some were firing mana arrows. Their attacks could be seen with the naked eye. It was just like the movies.

'Fascinating! This is awesome. This is really a magical world.' Max is ecstatic. 'Can they fly too with magic?' Max wondered.