Zestier II

|Arthur|

I roused from my sleep, kicking the sheet off me before getting up and rubbing my eyes. Looking to the side, I saw a blushing Alistair assaulted by a laughing Tessia.

"G' morning Art! Help me wake up Al now!" Tess said before giving me a radiant smile.

"Come on sleepyhead! You need to meet grandpa soon! H-hey! Don't go back to sleep!" She bounced up and down, still straddled on top of Al.

Did she not know how indecent this may look to others? Haa...the innocence of youth.

However, I could see that Al was just too embarrassed to get up. Hell, I didn't blame him. That was the typical reaction to seeing a cute girl like Tess jump on top of you to wake you up.

"I-I-I am getting up Tess! Could you please get off me!?" Al said in a stuttering voice in a desperate attempt to get Tess off him.

"Tess, let Al get up," I said to help the poor kid. She pouted at my statement before slowly getting off Al.

Damn it, she looked so cute with her pouting face.

"Hehe~ Art, your hair looks funny. Hey hey, is it true that you two are going to be staying here for a while? Grandpa told me this morning! I'm so happy! You're really staying, right? Right?" Tess exclaimed with a wide smile pasted on her cute face.

How the hell was she so energetic this early in the morning?

Trying to tame my bed hair, I responded, "We'll know for sure after my trip with Elder Virion, but most likely, it seems I'll be bothering you for a bit longer, Princess."

She stabbed my side with her finger, "Not Princess! Tess! T. E. S. S.! I'm going to get upset if you don't treat me better."

"Al, get up now!" she demanded before turning her attention back to the poor four-year-old. However, he refused to get up, staying glued to his bed.

Suddenly, Tess jumped back on his bed and began pulling his sheet away. A sudden realisation hit me about why Al didn't get up yet.

"No Tess don't take his sheet away he is—" I said but was interrupted when Tess managed to successfully yank the sheet from Al.

She let out a scream as her ears turned crimson. Covering her eyes using her hands, she bolted away from the room.

I turned towards Al and found my worst nightmare come true. He had taken off his top while sleeping, revealing his upper body.

A small but well-defined six-pack was visible and my eyes widened in shock.

'What kind of physique does this guy have?' I thought as Al turned his accusing gaze towards me. He then quickly ran to the bathroom to get a bath, using wind mana to boost his speed.

After he finished, I also took a shower.

As the two of us made our way down the flight of curved stairs, Al still refusing to communicate with me, a butler opened the front door for me and I spotted a small carriage with Grandpa Virion and Tess inside.

"Father! It is not appropriate for a human and a half-elf to be residing within this kingdom!"

"Alduin is right, Elder Virion. Although saving Tessia is something I will forever be grateful for, having the two of them stay here goes against all traditions."

I heard The King and Queen talking to Grandpa Virion as he lazily leaned back inside the carriage.

"BAH! Screw traditions! I've taken a liking to those brats and so has Tessia, haven't you child," he snorted.

"G-grandpa! It's not like that! Al is just..." her voice trailed off at the end, face glowing.

'Does she really like Al?' I wondered after seeing her reaction.

"Hahaha! Anyways! They are going to be under my direct guidance from now on so make sure to let everyone know that they are not to be trifled with!"

"F-father . . . "

"ENOUGH! This is not up for discussion! Oh brats! You're here! Come! We should hurry!" His expression changed into a smile immediately after seeing me.

I nodded and hopped into the carriage alongside Al, avoiding the frowns that the King and Queen were giving us.

The carriage came to a gentle halt before the driver opened our carriage door to inform us of our arrival.

"Hey Tess, we're here," Al whispered, gently nudging her.

"Mmm..." She eventually stirred awake and we get out of the carriage, arriving at what could only be considered a dainty hut.

"Hey, you old witch! Come out!" Grandpa Virion suddenly yelled while knocking on the door.

Suddenly the door flew open to reveal a hunched elderly lady with grey hair that seemed like it was struck by lightning and wrinkled eyes that were strangely a mixture of multiple colours, all blending together. Dressed in a simple brown robe, she peered down at me with a studying eye.

"Took you long enough to get here!" she scowled.

"Hahaha! Arthur, Alistair! Let me introduce you to Rinia Darcassan. She's a very special deviant amongst us elves," Grandpa Virion announces.

"It's good seeing you again, Virion. Charming as always, little Tessia," she smiled, patting Tess's head.

Looking at me, she stuck out her hand. "We finally meet young Arthur, young Alistair. I am Rinia. A Diviner."

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|Arthur's Perspective|

I woke up from an immense pain covering my body. Cold sweat had already covered my body as the feeling of my body burning intensifies.

"AARGH!" I clutched my body tight, trying to endure when Alistair comes near me and places both his hands on my sternum, where my mana core is located and started to emit his mana into me.

Slowly, the pain subsided and I was left panting, my clothes drenched in sweat.

"T-thank you," I managed to wheeze out, keeping the burning question of how he was able to help me to myself.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Grandpa Virion ran inside. He was shocked when he saw how Alistair had managed to stop my pain.

"H-how?" he asked in a daze. Alistair looked at him in seriousness before going and whispering something.

Grandpa's ears sprang up and his eyes widened in pure shock after what Alistair told him. After Alistair was done, Grandpa robotically nodded his head before turning towards me, "It's a bit early, but let's start training now."

Looking out the window, I noticed that the sun had yet to even rise. I probably wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again so I nodded and follow him out into the courtyard.

"Arthur, you aren't in your optimal condition which is why your spar with Alistair is going to be postponed. The two of you will spar after you have assimilated with your beast will."

Sitting cross-legged, he took a long look at me before explaining, "Until now, you've been purifying your mana core and manipulating your mana using your mana channels. While, for normal mages, this method is sufficient, for beast tamers, we can't rely on this approach. Instead, we do something called assimilation."

I sat down facing him. My face must've tipped him off that I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Haha! Don't worry, you'll know soon enough. What it essentially is, is integrating the mana from your core directly into your body's bones and muscles, hence the method, assimilation. Unfortunately, throughout the period of assimilating, your mana core won't develop at all, but that isn't the point of this. Once the mana from your new core is absorbed throughout your body, you'll be able to start utilising whatever power your beast's will had."

"Slowly release the mana out of your core and don't be tempted to use your mana channels. Instead, let it seep out into your body and slowly have all of your muscles and bones absorb the mana. This will take time and effort, but throughout this process, your mana core should reject your body less and less," Virion instructed. "There isn't much I can help you with for the first part of your training however Alistair most definitely can. But even he won't make the process go much faster, so you'll have to do the real work."

Training continued with me meditating, dispersing the mana out of my core and into my body while Alistair helped me guide it. I had gotten the hang of it after a few days but I realized how long of a journey this would be. Directing my mana to form a core when I was an infant took a couple of years but this was doing the exact opposite except with more mana and an extra step further of assimilating the mana directly into the muscles and bones.

I didn't leave the castle during this time because I wouldn't know when my body would act up again. I was grateful to Grandpa Virion for sticking by me throughout this time. Unfortunately for Tess, this left her very little time to play with both Al and me as he was also helping me a lot.

'He still went out alone with her though,' I thought while resting in my room, my body aching from being imbued with mana.

After several weeks of assimilation, my body acted up less frequently and I was allowed to go out into the city. So after promising Tess that I'd go touring around the city of Zestier, I went to sleep.

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|Arthur's Perspective|

Waiting outside our room was an adorably dressed Tess. She was wearing a white sleeveless sundress and a white sheer cardigan over it. The light pink coloured sun hat she wore over her head was decorated with a pale flower, giving her a very fresh and doll-like appearance.

"Took you long enough! Hurry, let's hurry!" She grabbed Al and my hand, half dragging me as I fought my aching body to keep up with her pace.

Seeing the city once again didn't distil the amazement I had when I first arrived at Zestier. As we got off the carriage and start walking, we took time to visit the numerous stalls and stores that the city had to offer. While the two of us were met with a lot of stares at the fact that a human child is holding hands with their kingdom's only princess, it was a feeling I was used to since my previous life so it didn't bother me. What bothered me, however, was that, while most of these gazes only held curiosity, some stares were filled with blatant hostility.

Coming out of the armour shop, I had just moved out of the way for someone when an elven child bumps my shoulder.

"Hmph! Well if these aren't the human brats that Elder Virion has taken under. I've heard all about you. Gross, I got human germs on my clothes," he snidely remarked, a look of disgust pasted on his face.

'Alistair had a disguise artifact he got from Grandpa to hide his half-elf ears,' I thought while scanning the kid in front of me.

It is fairly obvious by the clothes of this child, who couldn't be much older than Tess, and the attendants, along with the group of friends following behind him, that he was a noble.

After spending so much time with Tess and Al, I had almost forgotten how immature children were. I couldn't help but think that, whether they were an elf or a human, spoiled nobles always seemed to act as if they'd been taught out of the same manual.

He then turned to face Tess, his face transforming into a well-practised smile as he offered her his hand. "Princess, it is below your level to be with these human brats. Allow me to escort you around." He urged, expecting Tess to receive his hand.

Not even looking in his direction, Tess linked her arm with Al's and coldly retorted, "Art, Al, let's go. There is a bug in that direction and I don't want to accidentally step on it with my new shoes."

As I was pulled away, I glanced back, shooting the noble kid a look of pity, which seemed to infuriate him even more.

"Hold it brat! I'm not done with you!" He shouted, running up to me and gripping my shoulder.

"I heard you're pretty talented for a human mage. Around here, I happen to be a pretty well known genius myself. My mana core has already reached red stage and aside from water manipulation, my mother said that I'll soon even be able to manipulate plants!"

I responded with my most sincere, yet blatantly sarcastic expression of surprise and worship. "Oh my word! Princess Tessia! It seems we are in the presence of pure genius here. I am not worthy!"

Tess let out a giggle, not even bothering to hide her amusement.

"I'll be sure to give you proper respect Lord Genius of the Elves. So if you'll excuse us..."

As I started leading the two of them away, a handkerchief flew past us, landing on the ground.

Turning back, I see the noble brat's face, red as a tomato, glaring at me as the attendants and friends all let out quiet gasps.

"How dare you initiate a duel with the disciple of Elder Virion. You may be of noble blood, Feyrith, but you should still know your place! Take it back," Tessia ordered, her eyes narrowed in a glare.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but my father has taught me never to let my pride be stomped. Arthur, ready yourself for a duel or retreat with your tail between your legs knowing that your actions reflect your mentor as well. The choice is yours." Feyrith puffed his chest, withdrawing a wand from under his cape.

Some of the people nearby had overheard and had already started to gather around us. Tessia looked uncertain about all of this, but just nodded her head and took a few steps away from us.

I didn't want to cause a scene since I was a visitor, but after weeks of stifling meditation, my body was eager for the chance to fight.

"Princess, please do the honour of initiating the duel," the noble brat said as he began polishing his black wand with his sleeve.

I could see Tess rolling her eyes as she took another step back. "Let the duel commence."

While my mana core was still in the early stages of dark red, I could feel mana strengthening every fibre of muscle I flexed as I dashed towards Feyrith.

It was over in a second. He was too cocky and didn't even take the necessary precautions to find out whether I was an augmenter or conjurer and by the time I was at arm's length, he hadn't even begun his chant.

As my palm sank into his gut, all he managed to let out was a sharp breath of air being forced out of his lungs before flying back tumbling on the floor. I was glad that I had used my palm because as soon as my hand made contact, I felt a sturdy chainmail underneath his clothes.

Feyrith's attendants' and friends' eyes grew wide as Al quickly ran to me and pulled me away.

Later, Tessia explained to me that, in a duel, there were certain unsaid customs. One of these customs was to let the challenger make the first move. The other was that informal duels between nobles were only a demonstration of magic, not actual fighting. This got a good laugh out of Gramps when he found out, saying that the duels between nobles were utter foolishness and a completely inaccurate way to measure someone's magical prowess.

All in all, what Feyrith had meant when he initiated the duel was to simply take turns showing off each other's respective magic talent.

It was disappointing to realise that the look of shock from everyone around us wasn't from my fighting prowess, but from the fact that I ignored the customs of the duel.

Since then, Al and I chose to stay in the manor most of the days keeping ourselves out of trouble, as we lived a rigorous lifestyle that followed consisted of meditating with Grandpa Virion in the morning, spending a little time with Tessia in the afternoon and training by myself at night. During this time, I sent messages to my parents every once in a while to let them know I was still alive and that I miss them dearly.

Meanwhile, both Tess and Al got much closer together. I still remember the day Grandpa Virion caught the two of them sleeping on the same bed and let out a thunderous laugh.

However, he still stationed more guards to prevent Tess from infiltrating our room. Even I got implicated.

"Arthur," Grandpa said as he grabbed my shoulder, "Keep an eye out for Al, don't let him go too far."

I half-heatedly nodded so that he would let me go.

"Good!" he said before walking away.

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|Virion's Perspective|

Both those brats, both Alistair and Arthur were monsters who would completely transform Dicathen. Arthur's beast will be far more powerful than even an SS-class beast's and his experience with his sword was terrifying.

However, Alistair scared me more. His mana absorption was ridiculous, and so were his eyes. The amount of information he was getting and processing, before moving to counterattack was just not abnormal, it shouldn't be possible.

However, he could do it. His swordsmanship was still lacking if you were to compare him to seasoned veterans and Arthur, but he was far above any kid his age could dream of reaching.

Another abnormal thing was his physique. It was too strong for an elven or human body.

My thoughts tuned out as I focused on the spar between the two brats. Arthur charged, using wind at the base of his feet to increase his speed. His wooden sword glistened dangerously as he tried to attack Alistair from a sharp angle.

However, Alistair easily moved his blade to block the attack. Releasing fire magic, he combusted explosions underneath his feet masterfully to accelerate faster than Arthur, allowing him to zip past his guard and land a crucial hit.

However, Arthur activated his lightning deviancy, zapping Alistair temporarily and stopping him from taking the opportunity to end the duel.

Suddenly, I felt different mana particles move in the air as vines emerged from the ground, engulfing Arthur.

Surprised, he conjured bright, orange flames to counter the powerful plant deviant magic but while he dealt with this, Alistair took the chance to get behind him and finish the duel.

"It's my victory, Arthur," Alistair proclaimed before breathing heavily.

"Brat, when did you acquire the ability to wield plant magic?" I demanded, striding closer to where the two of them stood.

"Just now, Grandpa," the young one responded, his voice tinged with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "I attempted to tap into my water magic, but somehow, I found myself conjuring vines instead."

An epiphany struck me like a bolt of lightning. The realization dawned upon me with crystal clarity. "If he, as a half-elf, possesses the power of plant magic, then his father must hail from an exceptionally pure elven lineage!"

I couldn't contain my excitement as I took a step closer, my eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Al, my boy, this is the moment you've been waiting for!" I exclaimed with fervor, my voice resonating with enthusiasm.