The invention of the internet greatly contributed to the creation of the term “global village.”
As long as there is internet access, one can communicate and accomplish various tasks anywhere in the world.
However, this has also brought about side effects, primarily anonymity.
Anonymity is like a double-edged sword, with its effects clearly evident.
For example, malicious comnts have led to celebrity deaths, and illegal websites, such as those for gambling, have increased.
In that sense, I feel fortunate that there is no internet here.
If there were, I’d probably be subjected to all sorts of insults.
In reality, the internet represents cultural advancent, so its absence doesn’t hold much significance.
Even so, I don’t want to see my fans fighting among themselves, let alone causing harm to innocent bystanders.
I even considered changing the direction of the story, but I quickly dismissed the idea.
If I made changes, people would likely criticize that too.
For now, staying quiet seems the best option, though I still have a powerful weapon left: the “hiatus threat” that proved useful before.
If I claim that watching fans argue hampers my ability to write, they’ll quiet down on their own.
And if I dramatically say my heart aches too much and take responsibility for the chaos, it might cause a different kind of uproar.
Thankfully, such things haven’t happened yet.
There was news of adventurers causing trouble, but it was resolved quickly.
They’ve started to restrain themselves, albeit slowly, and the demon worshipper suppression continues despite delays.
“Phew…”
Amidst all this, my daily routine remained unchanged.
After an intense training session with my father, I was utterly drained.
Considering my confidence in my stamina, the fact that I was exhausted shows how tough the training was.
Initially, the goal was just to handle myself, but my father’s ambitions grew stronger over ti.
He says that while I lack innate talent like Dave or Nicole, my focus and stamina more than make up for it.
That said, it also ans I need to expend just as much stamina.
Swoosh.
As I lay on the bed resting, sothing softly tickled my face.
It felt like a large brush brushing over my face.
I wrinkled my nose and opened my eyes to see a swaying tail above my head.
I knew who it belonged to.
“Leona?”
“Hehe.”
When I turned my head and called her na, Leona mischievously smiled, revealing her white teeth.
Lying on the bed, she wagged her tail playfully.
I ruffled her fluffy brown hair, and Leona purred contentedly in response.
“Wasn’t it boring to wait?”
Leona was here because I had sothing to discuss with her.
But training had taken longer than expected, so she had to wait.
At my apologetic question, she smiled brightly, her golden eyes curving like crescent moons.
“It wasn’t too boring, thanks to that little one.”
I knew who she was referring to.
Following her gaze, I managed to lift my head and look at a spot in the room.
Ariel was seated upright on a soft sofa, reading a book, while across from her, Mari sat in a chair doing the sa.
Ariel would ask Mari any questions she had, and Mari would explain—an educational process.
“Mom, Mom.”
“Yes? Do you have a question?”
“Yes. What does ‘gaze’ an?”
“It ans to stare or look intently.
Similar words include ‘observe,’ ‘watch,’ ‘glare,’ and ‘glimpse.’”
“Oh, I see.
But why are there so many similar words?
Isn’t one enough?”
“They’re used in different contexts.”
Just like that.
I watched Ariel being calmly taught and smiled warmly.
As Leona said, Ariel’s talents were anything but ordinary.
She rembered everything she saw and heard, and even her basic physical abilities were exceptional.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she started using magic soon.
My father was also keeping a close eye on her talents, and I could foresee what kind of future awaited her.
‘I just need to make sure she doesn’t go astray.’
With her abundant talent, my role is to guide her so she doesn’t deviate from the right path.
Watching Ariel quietly reading, I turned my gaze back to Leona, who was staring at with bright eyes.
It felt like having a giant cat watching over .
Stroke, stroke.
“Purr, purr.”
When I stroked her head, she purred happily.
Lately, Leona’s affection and playful deanor seed to have increased.
Apparently, she said I slled nice—not like lilacs or peaches, just a good scent.
It might be the effect of the “pure blessing” I received from Hirt.
Given that beastfolk have sharp senses and instincts, it’s likely.
After stroking her hair for a while, I slowly got up from the bed.
If I stayed lying down, I’d probably fall asleep.
“Why not rest a bit more?”
When I got up, Leona looked disappointed and tried to persuade , wagging her tail as if asking for more attention.
I chuckled at her reaction but shook my head.
I already felt bad for making her wait, so I couldn’t keep her waiting any longer.
Besides, while I was tired, it wasn’t to the point of collapsing.
At tis like this, I was proud of my sturdy stamina.
“No, I’m fine.
I have things to do.
I’ll pet you more later.”
“You’ll brush my hair too, right?”
“Of course.”
“Okay then.
Oof!”
Using only her core strength, Leona lifted her upper body without using her arms.
Truly a feat showcasing the exceptional physical abilities of beastfolk.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but briefly wonder about her behavior during intimate monts.
What kind of side would she show?
For reference, it’s just that the mating season cos after two weeks, which makes think this way; it’s definitely not because I’m a pervert.
Strictly speaking, it’s like overlapping Adelia’s stamina with Cecily’s bad temper, so it was predicted to be a tough night in many ways.
“Our Ariel. Were you studying hard?”
“Huh? Ah! Dad!”
Soon after, I headed to the seat prepared in advance and called Ariel.
Ariel flashed a bright smile at my call, tossed aside her book, and ran towards .
Then she hugged tightly.
Unlike last ti, there was no accident where she misjudged her strength and slamd her head into my groin.
I softly stroked her hair and turned my gaze to Mari, who was looking at Ariel with a helpless expression.
It was understandable since anyone watching might think we were eting after days of separation.
For reference, training lasted about three hours.
“Our Ariel is such a spoiled child. Did you miss Dad that much?”
“Yes! I missed you, Dad.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s sit down for now.”
Ariel was one thing, but I had a separate reason for calling Leona.
Holding Ariel in my arms, I headed next to Mari.
Leona then took a seat across from us, ready to converse.
Naturally, Ariel sat on my lap.
“Ouch, ouch. Could you stop pulling my ear?”
“Then can I bite it?”
“No way! It hurts when you bite!”
Surprisingly, she wasn’t hugging but clinging to Leona.
Or perhaps it was better described as hanging on.
She seed quite fascinated by the animal ears and tail unique to the beastkin.
Her gaze was fixated on Leona’s twitching ears and swaying tail.
Though Mari imdiately called out to Ariel, Leona reassured her it was fine.
Leona even said Ariel’s overflowing natural energy made this arrangent much more comfortable for her.
“So, you wanted to learn about sorcery?”
Leona brought up the topic while Ariel sat quietly on her lap, fiddling with her tail.
I nodded at her question.
The reason I called Leona and Mari was none other than sorcery.
The powers used by demon worshippers are neither magic nor divine power but sorcery.
And beastkin primarily use sorcery rather than magic.
Leona, being of mixed blood yet the child of a major tribe leader, possessed extensive knowledge of sorcery.
Lastly, Mari, as my officially announced fiancée, was a potential target for demon worshippers.
It was essential for her to learn about this for protection.
“Yes. It was dangerous because of the sorcery used by a demon worshipper. Thankfully, Ariel handled it well, but you never know.
What if, in Ariel’s absence, another sorcery threatens again?”
“She resolved it? What kind of sorcery was it?”
I explained everything that happened back then, though I clarified it was largely speculative.
Since then, I’ve been reading books about sorcery, but unfortunately, I found very little.
Strangely, most records have been lost.
Even Arwen’s search turned up almost nothing.
I don’t know why it was lost, but for now, the only reliable source is oral tradition.
“I see. Possession, huh… Normally, possession is done by spirits or evil beings who couldn’t let go of their grudges. This is unusual.”
“You don’t know about it?”
“Not exactly. It’s just fascinating. It’s rare for the target of sorcery to be the caster themselves.
And that person was probably very talented in sorcery. But more importantly…”
Leona trailed off and shifted her gaze to Ariel, still preoccupied with playing with Leona’s tail.
“So she purified the soul by consuming it… Given that she’s a child of Hirt, it’s not impossible. Nature, even when polluted, has a self-purifying ability.”
“Is Ariel affected in any way?”
“If she was, there would’ve been symptoms by now.”
That was a relief.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
I had been worried sothing might happen to Ariel, but it seed unfounded.
Now, the only remaining task was preparing counterasures.
Magic wasn’t an issue since there were skilled mages around, but sorcery was another matter.
Wasn’t there a similar incident before?
An assassin infiltrated the academy’s security magic and ambushed .
It’s suspected that the assassin’s bypassing of the security magic was also due to sorcery.
“Do you know what sorcery is, in general?”
“Of course.”
“Then do you know what fundantal force is needed to use sorcery?”
“Isn’t it mana?”
Mana is the source and energy of this world.
Divine power, being a gift from gods, is a separate matter.
With mana, one can strengthen their body, and with mana, one can cast spells.
In my past life, it held a position similar to electricity.
So I assud sorcery also required mana.
“Not entirely wrong. Offerings used in rituals often contain high concentrations of mana.
Even the human sacrifices perford by demon worshippers are essentially offerings of mana.
But the offering itself isn’t the main focus.”
“Then what is it? Faith?”
“Similar, but not quite. It’s belief itself.”
The answer sounded suspiciously like sothing out of a cult.
Faith is belief in a deity, but Leona’s explanation was too abstract.
Belief.
This term was deceptively simple to define.
Seeing my confused expression, Leona chuckled knowingly.
Sorcery seed like a rather intricate concept.
“I think I understand what you’re imagining. And yes, you’re not entirely wrong. That’s why sorcery is often seen as akin to gambling.”
“It’s too abstract to grasp. So does soone with deep faith have talent in sorcery?”
“No. In sorcery, belief refers to the conviction that one’s actions will succeed.
Faith, on the other hand, requires the existence of a deity to sustain it.”
Ah, sothing like the placebo effect, or “the universe will grant your earnest wishes”?
I tilted my head, half-understanding her explanation.
Mari seed equally puzzled, blinking in confusion.
Seeing our difficulty, Leona scratched her cheek and gave a simple example.
“Let give you an example. Look at this. See the little sprout on this cute one’s head? You see it?”
“Yes.”
“Can you pull it out?”
“No.”
The sprout on Ariel’s head couldn’t be removed.
We knew this after many attempts by various people.
Whenever soone pulled too hard, Ariel would cry out in pain, so they’d stop.
Trying to cut it felt too scary, so no one dared.
So now, it’s treated like hair embedded deep into her scalp.
When and how this sprout will grow remains a mystery, but it’s assud it’ll grow with ti.
“Now, imagine this. Here’s an unremovable sprout. But with sorcery, the belief is that you can remove it.”
“By offering sacrifices?”
“Exactly. Then, you simply pull as usual, and…”
Leona playfully grabbed Ariel’s sprout and pulled upward. Presumably to demonstrate her point.
Pop!
With an adorably small sound, the sprout ca off.
The stem snapped cleanly, not at the root.
Mari, Leona, and I froze in shock, staring blankly at the sproutless Ariel.
The atmosphere turned eerily quiet, and no one dared to speak.
Ariel, however, seed utterly unbothered by the loss of her sprout and simply blinked at us.
Swooosh!
Breaking the silence, another sprout sprouted from Ariel’s head as if nothing had happened.
A fresh, vibrant sprout swayed gently, completely unbothered.
Leona, seeing this, made a sour face before hurriedly speaking up, her nervousness betrayed by the sweat on her brow.
“Ta-da! See? It ca off cleanly, didn’t it?”
How did she even do that?
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