TBATE-More than a will

Chapter 5

Arthur POV:

I just stared at him, dumbfounded.

What was this old bat saying?

"What? You can't be serious, right?" I managed to blurt out.

He just tilted his head in response, "Why not?"

"F-for one thing! I'm a human! Is it even allowed to have humans in this kingdom? Also, I need to make sure my family is okay and tell them I'm still alive," I refuted.

At this, the grandpa went silent as he pondered a little bit before speaking again.

"Living here isn't a problem as long as you're under my name. As for your parents... Brat, is it an absolute necessity to meet them in person?"

It was my turn to ponder this time.

"I mean, I guess it isn't strictly a necessity for me to meet my parents in person. Although I miss them, the most important thing is finding out how they're doing and letting them know that I'm fine if they are as well," I answered.

"Then come with me tomorrow morning; be outside the manor by six in the morning, sharp."

Before he turned to leave, I stopped him, "Wait! I don't get why you want me as your disciple. Also, you sound awfully hurried. Isn't it possible for me to go back home and spend a bit of time with my parents before coming back here to train under you?"

"I want you to be my disciple because I see your potential. Kid. An uncountable number of people have asked me to take them in as their disciple, from rich to poor, from young to old. But do you know how many I've taken in so far? None! These new generation brats bore me. Just because some of the wealthy noble brat's parents thought their kid was special, they thought they were qualified to ask me to be their mentor"

I just furrowed my brows, not knowing where Tessia's grandpa is going with this.

"... You're different. I know you have exceptional talent in mana manipulation and only God knows how but you possess better technique than even I, but that isn't the reason why I decided on teaching you. Brat...I need to ask you. How are you a beast tamer?" Any sort of amusement that had been on his face previously was all but gone as his sharp facial feature emitted a deathly gaze.

"beast tamer? What are you talking about?" I was really confused. Although it was getting well into the night and the elder had already sent Tessia in to sleep, it didn't seem like this conversation was going to end soon.

"Let's go back inside and talk," he said, leading me to a living room with couches and a roaring fireplace.

He started to explain to me all four elements and their higher forms.

"Okay. I get the differences between the three races, but what does that have to do with me being a beast tamer? What does that even mean anyway?"

"I'm getting to that brat!" he barked.

"Mana beasts are different from the three humanoid races because each species have their own special characteristics. Listing all of them would be endless so I'll give you a simple example. Mages, adventurers or not, are classified: E, D, C, B, A, AA, S, SS class. This classification is the same for mana beasts as well. Take the sonic hawk. They are B Class beasts that possess incredible speed while in flight. They all have to affinity for wind and sound. These attributes are innate in their mana cores. Regardless of their affinity, if these mana cores are taken out and given to a human or elf mage that specialize in the wind element, their training will go by much faster than just cultivating mana from their surroundings but that's it."

I impatiently waited as elder Virion gulped down a glass of water before continuing.

"...However! When a mana beast reaches A class or higher, they have the ability to pass on their 'will', or ability to be more precise, to one person. I called you a beast tamer earlier because you have a mana beast's will in your mana core and from my estimation, not just any will but an S class mana beast's will if not an SS class will. I'm only able to sense this because I'm a beast tamer as well, although the beast's will that I tamed was an AA class beast, the shadow panther."