...and finding out... or maybe not...

The truth was Melinda was going back only because it was getting dark, and detecting the monsters became way harder than it should be.

That honestly was pissing her off a lot more than every other little inconvenience put together.

She had access to an area that normally would be open late in the story, considering the level of monster spawning there, but she still couldn't get anywhere close to level 5 in a single day.

Back in her old world, when she played any game, that would have been completely unacceptable for her standards.

So Melinda was hurrying over to the spot she climbed previously, making sure to approach slowly to ensure that her timing was right.

She made sure to stay very inconspicuous on her way out and was relatively certain that none of the patrolling guards spotted her grand escape, so she had confidence that she could return in a similar style...

"...!"

But as she was approaching the suspiciously dark walls, she froze as her eyes met two glowing dots…

Dots that looked eerily similar to the eyes of a large feline perched on the mansion's walls, waiting for its prey.

"...ffffffffffffffffhuck….!"

Melinda froze in place and couldn't stop a sigh of defeat escaping her mouth…

She knew that she was seen.

Discovered, even.

Actually, the gold-haired girl had no doubt that even in the surrounding darkness, she had been spotted long before she herself noticed the pair of eyes.

It was just the courtesy of the owner of said pair of eyes, allowing her to come back at her own pace.

Because she knew exactly who that person was.

The glowing dots disappeared for a moment as their owner blinked, and the next moment, they dropped down - well, the entire person jumped down the walls.

"..."

Melinda breathed out and lowered her head in defeat, stepping forward and moving toward the approaching eyes.

"Young miss."

The owner of the glowing eyes, much shorter than the hooded girl, bowed his head and greeted her first as she was at a disadvantage of not being able to see in the dark.

"Commander Beo."

Melinda nodded back with a heavy sigh.

The person who came out to meet her was none other than the guard commander of the Fenrioette house, Beo, a long-time friend of Duke Bryinhild and a halfling born with one of the strongest animal-based abilities, and a royal-type ability at that. King Beast.

Although in the game, enlisting the help of a duke was impossible, Beo could assist the party during Lazurii's route and a couple of bonus sidequests so Melinda had quite a good understanding of his abilities.

...she also hoped that he wouldn't get involved in her little adventure...

"Did you tell the duke?"

Melinda took a deep breath and asked, barely able to perceive the silhouette of the stylish halfling.

"He would come looking for you himself if I did, young miss."

Beo pointed out in an intrigued voice.

"Young Miss, do you mind entertaining this old man with an explanation? I was fully convinced that you and the duke came to a mutual understanding of how your training should proceed. Did you change your mind, or was the said deal pushed onto you in spite of your will, hence giving you the moral right not to honor it?"

It really sounded as if Beo was curious about the situation and didn't have some hidden objective, which in turn made Melinda start considering an interesting approach based on her knowledge about his character in the game.

"The duke wants me to increase my level in the safe environment, which is appreciated, but I believe that testing my limits by training my reflexes and practical skills is equally as important."

"..."

She explained and kept her focus on Beo's eyes as he tilted his head to the side while keenly observing her face.

"Although... I have failed to perform any adequate training on my own… Oh, I did gain a level, but my performance was pathetic and far below my expectations."

Melinda added, making sure not to blink and, if she had to, to blink slowly.

"...reflexes, you say…"

Beo glanced to the side while murmuring before looking back up at Melinda.

"...young Miss, with me mediating between you and your father, there is a way for the two of you to meet halfway…"

"There is…?"

The guard commander said, acting a bit coy, as if trying to not show that he is interested but he obviously was so in turn the noble girl made herself sound curious but oblivious enough to not appear as if she was the one leading the conversation.

"I know about the plan to capture monsters and leave the finishing hit to you. That can be left as it is. But in addition to that, I could train you. We can sharpen your reflexes with my training methods, and with the aid of my ability, you can get used to the pressure of monsters' bloodlust without being in danger… You will feel as if your are in danger though… Are you willing to try out such an approach?"

"..."

The stylish halfling asked, but the girl did not answer outright, giving it some serious thought despite it still not being the ideal choice for her.

Well, it appeared to be the optimal one she had at that moment, though...

"That does sound like the best of both approaches. Thank you for your input. I would be grateful if you pitched that idea to the duke, Commander Beo."

"It would be my pleasure, young Miss."

After a moment, Melinda smiled at the guard commander, a bit amused that he had yet to start wondering why the duke himself wasn't the first person to propose at least a similar idea.

After all, the duke knew Beo's abilities the best as they had traveled together in their youth.

Melinda had no doubt that Beo would figure it out even before speaking to the duke, but she also knew that once the stylish halfling promised something, he would do everything in his power to keep his word.

Still…

Melinda's gamer side wished she could see a rare scene of Beo realizing that Brynhild simply didn't want his daughter to actually accomplish control of her power - at least not in time for her to still be able to apply to the Jade Academy~