With a light tap of her toe on the ground, Grace moved like a graceful butterfly, tracing a beautiful arc through the air and landing smoothly on the platform.
Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her face like a crescent moon, and her eyes like shimmering water. Coupled with her tall and elegant figure, Grace captured the attention of all the boys in the venue as soon as she appeared.
Following Daniel’s gaze, Charles noticed Grace on the stage in her blue attire. Her beauty, along with her cool and noble demeanor, made all the girls in the venue pale in comparison. In his memory, only the beautiful serpent-woman could rival her.
“She’s a third-tier Beast Master already? If she didn’t rely on a miracle drug to boost her abilities, this girl’s talent would be terrifyingly strong!” Charles was slightly surprised as he glanced at Grace’s information panel, then quickly looked away. He wasn’t about to swoon over her like the other boys around him.
After all, he had seen her haughty side beneath her beautiful exterior on that afternoon in his freshman year, and he felt no affection for Grace whatsoever.
Everyone was talking about it—after a two-month trial in the Ferocious Beast Mountains, this once-in-a-century prodigy from Lsengard had reached an astonishing level of prowess.
Amid this buzz, Charles, who was voraciously devouring a table full of delicacies, stood out rather conspicuously…
Atop the platform, Grace immediately noticed Charles, who was isolated by the crowd, and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. Well aware of her own stunning beauty and charisma, she was annoyed by Charles’s appearance, as if he were starving to death.
She slowly extended her right hand, her sleeve sliding down to reveal her pale, slender wrist, and three golden hexagram arrays appeared in front of her.
“A third-tier Beast Master! How is this possible?!” The venue’s host screamed, the microphone dropping from her hand in shock.
Not just her, everyone at the banquet who witnessed this was stunned, their eyes incredulously fixed on the beautiful girl on the stage.
At just 18 years old, becoming a third-tier Beast Master was unheard of—not just in Lsengard but in the entire history of Vendantia Province.
A laser quickly scanned Grace’s three mystical beasts, and the host, picking up the microphone from the floor, trembled as she tried to suppress her excitement:
“Azure Butterfly, Gold quality, Level 20!”
“Wind Chime Bird, Gold quality, Level 20!”
“Crystal Spring Sword, Gold quality, Level 20!”
Gasps of awe resonated throughout the venue as these details were displayed on the projection screen.
An 18-year-old third-tier Beast Master with such extraordinary talent was rare even in Genosha, a truly phenomenal existence.
Previously, many prominent families, captivated by Grace’s beauty, had pondered proposing an alliance through marriage. However, upon witnessing her talent, nearly all abandoned the idea, realizing their own heirs were no match for her.
“Ha ha, congratulations to the Mayor! Congratulations to the Mayor’s daughter for topping this year’s trials! Not only is Grace beautiful, but her Beast Mastery talent is also astonishing. Whoever manages to have Grace as a daughter-in-law is truly blessed by the ages!”
Prominent families flocked to Mayor Matthew, offering toasts and compliments, hoping to use this opportunity to forge a closer relationship with the Mayor. freёwebnoѵel.com
Everyone was witnessing the emergence of a prodigious Beast Master in Lsengard. With Grace’s talent, her admission into Aredale Academy was all but assured, and with royal connections soon to be established, the Garcia family would likely hold significant sway throughout Vendantia Province.
From a quieter spot towards the back of the venue, Aurora sighed despondently as she watched the crowd’s adoration for the stunning girl: Why could someone be so beautiful, born into the mayor’s family, and also possess such extraordinary Beast Mastery talent?
In the spotlight, Grace moved like a regal swan, lightly stepping down from the central stage and walking towards the back of the venue, under the gaze of all present.
Many hoped that this noble princess would pause near them, and several young heirs of prominent families wished for an opportunity to converse with the mayor’s daughter.
However, Grace ignored everyone and walked straight past the VIP seats, continuing towards the back until she stood in a nearly secluded area.
“Charles, I thought you were eaten by a ferocious beast. Surprising to see you’re still alive.”
“I hope you haven’t forgotten our bet. If you concede now, maybe I’ll consider letting you off easy.”
Her voice chimed like a bell.
Grace had already become the center of attention at the venue, and her words instantly sparked a flurry of whispers around her. Seeing Grace approach Charles, many young men speculated about the ‘bet’ she mentioned.
Facing the beautiful girl before him, Charles couldn’t help but feel amused.
When he transferred to Lsengard High, not only did he top the citywide joint exams, but he also surpassed Grace, the perennial top student, by 50 points. Charles couldn’t understand why a single exam would leave such a lasting impression.
Seeing Grace as just a teenager, Charles didn’t feel the need to argue with her. He responded coolly, “Miss Garcia, if you came all this way just to say that, then you can leave now. I’m not interested in child’s play promises.”
Taken aback by Charles’s blunt dismissal, Grace’s pale face turned a shade of livid. Accustomed to being the center of attention at the mayor’s residence and among the nobility, she was not used to being treated this way.
Grace crossed her arms in front of her chest, her snow-white chin lifted in an arrogant curve: “If you want to break the bet, you could kneel down and beg me right now. Perhaps I might just let you off if I’m in a good mood.”
The delicate earrings on the young girl’s ears jingled crisply as she spoke, lending a touch of fragility to her demeanor.
“Could you move aside, please? It’s my turn,” Charles said, rising from his seat with a forced smile. His impression of the girl had plummeted to an all-time low, and he just wanted to complete his test and slip away.
“You…” Despite the three years that had passed, Charles’s face still wore that same dispassionate expression, infuriating Grace enough to stamp her foot.
Ignored again.
Her pampered upbringing came to the fore in that moment, and without any regard for noble etiquette, Grace glared at Charles and said pointedly, “Charles, if you are a man, accept my challenge at the enrollment ceremony! I’ll show you the gap between us. The offspring of lowly peasants will always remain just that!”
With these words, the previously quiet venue fell into a stunned silence.
Everyone stared at the boy who paused, not finding anything amiss with Grace’s remarks. Instead, they felt a thrill hearing them from her. The looks they gave Charles were now tinged with mockery.
Beast Mastery is a profession deeply concerned with lineage, and among the hundreds of Beast Masters at the banquet, nearly all had noble titles going back three generations.
And there was Charles, a poor boy from the countryside, whose parents were mere peasants running a long-haul trucking business. His equal ranking with Grace on the trial leaderboard was an affront to them all.
“So, it’s because of this…” Charles’s face twitched slightly, growing somewhat distorted with realization. He finally understood why he had always been unpopular at school, why Robert had chosen him as a target for bullying, and why he had so few friends throughout high school.
Why just one exam had made Grace resent him for three years.
Having lived two lives, Charles had a more composed nature than most youths, but he had his sore spots. Grace’s words were a harsh insult to him and his parents.
His parents were missing, their fate unknown, whether alive or dead. Grace’s words tore open the wounds in Charles’s heart and cruelly salted them.
The blood within him surged uncontrollably like that of a wild beast.
“Clack!”
A vast surge of elemental energy erupted from Charles, shattering the nearby tables and chairs into fragments with its force.
Charles spun around and stomped the ground, launching towards Grace like an arrow released from its bow. His hand clutched the Ice and Fire Supreme Spear, gleaming coldly, while pale flames burned in his eyes.
“Ah…” Startled by Charles’s lightning-fast assault, Grace sensed the chilling intent to kill. She couldn’t summon her mystical beast in time and instead conjured a wind shield in front of her using her wind energy.
Clang—!!!
Just as the spear’s tip was about to pierce Grace, a cyan longsword intercepted it. Sparks flew as the spear clashed against the sword.
Although the sword hadn’t completely blocked his attack, it diverted the direction of his strike. The Supreme Spear struck a nearby seat, shattering it and leaving a half-meter deep crater in the marble floor.
Everyone thought they were merely sparring, but Charles’s strike had been without restraint!
The audience was stunned by the terrifying destructive power.
The one who had protected Grace was none other than Lsengard’s mayor, Grace’s father Matthew. When Charles looked at him, several lines of information appeared before his eyes:
[Name:] Matthew
[Age:] 42
[Height:] 185 cm
[Beast Master Level:] Fourth-tier
At that moment, Sly approached Charles, his face grim as he roared, “You little brat, think you can run wild here?”
Surveying the gathering Lsengard defense squad, Charles looked indifferently at Grace and her father. He tightly held a cyan jade slip in his hand, ready to activate the remnants of Joshua within it should he sense a life-threatening danger.
Charles sneered, “The mayor’s daughter is right. I, Charles, am just a peasant’s son and clearly don’t belong at this banquet.”
Hearing this, Matthew’s face turned livid, and he shot Grace a fierce look before bowing slightly to Charles, “My daughter spoke out of turn. It reflects poorly on my parenting. Please forgive us, Charles.”
One of the three great families of Lsengard, the Draven family head Kevin, also approached. Seeing the shocked Grace, he sensed a perfect opportunity to curry favor with the mayor.
Kevin approached Charles and pulled out a shimmering gold card, “Brother Charles, here’s a bank card with 500 silver coins, consider it an apology from my niece, and please accept it as compensation for our misstep!”
500 silver coins!
Upon hearing Kevin’s generous offer, the eyes of everyone at the banquet widened in disbelief. True to the stature of one of the three great families of Lsengard, such a lavish gesture—this sum could sustain a thousand peasant families in Lsengard for a year!
With this money, Charles’s parents wouldn’t have to toil away at long-haul deliveries anymore, would they?