Chapter 103 - 101: Beast Taming Skill, Level Zero Trick

Chapter 103: Chapter 101: Beast Taming Skill, Level Zero Trick

Roy had guessed how Miria wanted to thank him.

But he hadn’t expected Miria to be in such a hurry.

They hadn’t been back at Snow Fox Castle for long before Miria had her "gift" of gratitude ready for him.

Looking at Miria fast asleep on the bed, Roy, who had originally planned to continue his Cultivation of the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method, changed his mind.

Although Miria’s thank-you came sooner than he’d expected, he didn’t mind accepting her "gift" right away.

As a psychologically and physically healthy man, he made the choice that most men would.

Without any hesitation, he immediately left Chaos Square and returned to his guest room.

Miria didn’t notice his return at all, still lost in her dreams.

Back in the guest room, Roy went to the bedside and sat down. He gently poked Miria’s fair, oval face, which was smooth and youthful.

Miria didn’t wake up immediately. She frowned slightly, groggily raised her right hand, and scratched her cheek.

Seeing this, Roy smiled and shook his head. He reached out his right hand again and pinched her high, delicate nose.

This time, Miria woke up quickly. She opened her drowsy eyes and looked at Roy, their gazes meeting.

A few seconds passed before she was fully awake.

She looked surprised at first, then her pretty face flushed crimson as she asked Roy, "Where did you go?"

"I went outside to find a place to cultivate my Breathing Technique."

Roy replied calmly.

’Cultivating his Breathing Technique?’

Miria was taken aback for a moment by his answer.

Then, a thought flashed through her mind.

’Is this why he’s so strong?’

Miria normally spent a lot of time cultivating her Breathing Technique as well.

But like Tony, as a Lord, she also had to spend a significant amount of time managing her domain’s affairs.

Besides, even when she didn’t have to manage her domain, she would never continue to cultivate her Breathing Technique in the dead of night.

After studying Roy for a moment, Miria’s face flushed red. She said shyly, "Um... I was afraid you weren’t used to sleeping alone, so I..."

Before she could finish, Roy cut her off with a smile. "So you decided to come and warm my bed yourself?"

"N-no... not to warm your bed... It’s just to thank you for your help."

Miria lowered her head shyly and spoke in a small voice.

Roy didn’t tease her further. He stood up and said slowly, "As for your gratitude, I’m very satisfied."

The moment he finished speaking, he took off his black Hunter’s Clothing.

Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of a card game unsuitable for children.

...

「More than an hour later.」

Miria rested her head on Roy’s chest, tracing circles on his skin with her index finger. "I heard that you and Countess Catherine are very close," she said softly. "She even made a special trip to Ice Wolf Castle to find you before."

"My relationship with her is quite good," Roy replied. "Pretty much the same as my relationship with you right now."

He had assumed Miria was being so forward because she had plenty of experience playing cards.

As it turned out, he’d been overthinking things.

She might have been forward, but that was a different matter entirely.

Miria, like Catherine, was a complete novice with no experience playing cards.

After confirming this, he silently changed his plans.

’If Miria had prior experience playing cards, I would have treated this thank-you from her as just a casual game between two consenting adults.’

’In other words, even after accepting her gift, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.’

’But now, things hadn’t turned out as I expected.’

’Or perhaps, it just shows there’s a very old-fashioned side to my personality.’

’Taking a woman’s innocence and then just walking away as if nothing happened... I can’t bring myself to do something like that.’

’Other nobles might not see anything wrong with it, but I won’t.’

After hearing Roy’s answer, Miria propped herself up and quickly asked, "She slept with you, too?"

"Yes," Roy replied.

Although she had guessed as much, Miria still felt a pang of jealousy.

After a few seconds of serious thought, she looked at Roy earnestly and said, "I have another gift for you."

"What gift?" Roy asked at once, seeing her expression turn serious.

Miria answered without hesitation. "A Wizard’s Magic!"

"I’m going to teach you the Wizard Magic that the Elvin Clan has mastered."

’What?’

Roy stared at Miria in surprise.

He had assumed the other gift Miria mentioned would be a Breathing Technique or Secret Techniques.

He never would have expected it to be a Wizard’s Magic.

"What kind of Magic is it?" Roy asked, not wasting any time.

"A Level Zero Trick: Beast Taming Skill!"

Then, Miria began to explain the Beast Taming Skill to Roy in detail.

The Beast Taming Skill, as its name suggested, was a form of Magic used to control non-human creatures like wild animals and Extraordinary Creatures.

Since the Beast Taming Skill mastered by the Elvin Clan was only a Level Zero Trick, it couldn’t be used to control Extraordinary Creatures on par with an Official Wizard.

According to Miria, an ancestor of the Elvin Clan had once used the Beast Taming Skill to tame a Flaming Griffin, a beast equivalent in power to a Bronze Great Knight.

That was the Elvin Clan’s finest hour.

Unfortunately, as soon as that ancestor died, the tamed Flaming Griffin abandoned the Elvin Clan.

Otherwise, with the Flaming Griffin at their side, the Elvin Clan would at the very least be a Count Clan today.

When Miria finished her explanation of the Beast Taming Skill, Roy frowned. "Are you sure you want to teach me the Beast Taming Skill? It’s the Elvin Clan’s greatest trump card, worth far more than the Snow Fox Breathing Technique."

"The Beast Taming Skill is certainly valuable, but in the hands of the Elvin Clan, it can’t be used to its full potential."

"In other words, you could count the number of people in the Elvin Clan who have managed to learn the Beast Taming Skill on one hand."

"It’s been several hundred years since our ancestor first acquired the Beast Taming Skill."

"In all that time, fewer than five people have actually managed to learn it."

"My father wanted to learn it, too. He even gave up cultivating his Breathing Technique."

"He never managed to master it, right up until the day he was killed."

Of course, Miria knew how valuable the Beast Taming Skill was.

But that was all contingent on someone actually being able to learn it.

Otherwise, the Beast Taming Skill was no different from one of those Perfect Level Bloodline Breathing Techniques—a collector’s item that couldn’t actually be cultivated.

Roy thought for a moment before asking Miria, "That Three-headed Dog cub your father acquired back then... it’s locked up in the castle’s cellar, isn’t it?"

"How did you know it’s in a secret room underground?" Miria asked, confused.

"When I first came to the castle looking for you, I faintly heard a strange bark coming from underground," Roy replied.

Hearing his answer, Miria began to explain. "Six years ago, before Garrett and his men came to the castle disguised as Wandering Knights, Father had a bad feeling. He had me and Elena take the Three-headed Dog cub and leave early through a secret passage."

"I didn’t dare let anyone else know the Three-headed Dog cub was still alive. So when the main keep was being rebuilt, I had a secret chamber built beneath it to raise the cub."

"Six years have passed. It’s grown much larger, and its temper has become increasingly violent."

"We had no choice. Elena and I could only lock it in a specially-made cage and reinforce the secret chamber’s soundproofing."

"It seems that’s no longer enough to completely block out the sound."

...