After bringing the mana origins of the goblins back to the Guild Master, who was shocked that I was “competent enough to kill some goblins,” we made our way back to the dojo. As we entered I was still fuming about Guild Master Frost’s comments.

“Oi, I can’t stand that woman looking down at me…”

“Yeah…”

Marie’s eyes were slightly downcast as she mumbled a reply. It seemed like every since we went to fight those goblins she’s been in a poor mood.

“You alright, Marie?”

“Sorry, it’s just… I wasn’t any help at all. I’m sorry for being useless…”

I stopped our stride and placed my hand on her shoulder to reassure her. “Marie, you need to give yourself more of a chance. Tell you what, we’ll talk to Master Craven about what he sees in you. Maybe that’ll help put things in perspective.”

“O-Okay…”

She was still gloomy but I had hope that Master Craven would boost her confidence a bit. If we could just get more details about what he thinks then we’ll have a better idea of what she can do.

After my pep talk we met up with Master Craven in one of the back rooms he’s been training me in. Once I gave him the rundown of how the hunting request went he nodded his head with a “Hmm, of course” as if everything was coming together for him.

“It seems now it’s time for your real training.”

“Wait, real training?! Don’t tell me all this stuff was a waste of time?!”

Oi, old man, what the hell are you saying? Was all that meditation pointless? And now he’s laughing! Oi!

“Excuse my poor phrasing. Everything up until now was simply a test. I had to be sure my initial thoughts were correct.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re an Abnormality of the World, yes?”

I felt my inside self tense up a bit. Wait, does this mean he’s picked up on me being undead? As quickly as the thought entered my brain I discarded it. According to Henry, Marie’s father, Abnormalities of the World could be found in many races including humans. Hell, those Old Heroes I’ve heard so much about were apparently just like me.

“So I’ve been told. But, what exactly was the ‘test?’”

“Accomplishing what you’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time is simply unheard of. The mana control, and being able to not only see one’s mana origin but also trace the magical energy through the body is something that takes a normal human decades to master. What I’ve been teaching you is not something I teach trainees.”

“I see.”

On the outside, I’m cool as a cucumber, but inside I’m freaking out. Oi, doesn’t this confirm I’m amazing?! Ah, just thinking that if I was normal I would have to meditate every day for decades causes me great anxiety. Luckily I’m an Abnormality of the World!

“Forgive me if what I’ve done seems deceitful but I had to be sure.”

I can’t help but feel like he could’ve just asked me, but then again who’s to say I wouldn’t lie about it. I can only imagine that there are dozens of people pretending to be Abnormalities for profit or gain. While I would love to continue to hear how awesome I am I realized I had almost forgotten to ask about Marie.

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“I understand. If I may ask, in your letter of recommendation to Guild Master Frost, you mentioned Marie having ‘potential.’ Her and I were hoping to gain some clarity on what you meant.”

“Of course.” Master Craven turned to Marie with a warm smile. “The aura that surrounds you tells me you have a strong affinity for alchemic tools. It is difficult to say for sure but I sense you have incredible abilities that even you are unaware of.”

Marie’s eyes perked up a bit but slowly returned to their downwards trajectory. “I’m happy to hear you say that Master Craven, but whenever I use alchemic tools I end up accidentally destroying them. I’m afraid you may be mistaken.”

Master Craven shook his head. “I may not know the extent of your abilities but there is no mistake that you have potential.” He then thought for a moment. “Tomorrow, I would like you two to take on another hunting request. This time I want Marie to be the one to finish the job.”

“Ehh?!”

“And this time I would like you to take full advantage of the guild’s stockroom. As for you, Szandor, I want you to watch her. Watch the flow of her mana and help her control her output.”

“Yes, Master Craven.”

“O-okay…”

So the student becomes a teacher! Marie still seems reluctant but I have every bit of confidence in her. Especially if Master Craven does as well. I’ll have to make sure I can be the best sensei I can be!

With that, the evening was drawing to a close so Master Craven saw us both out. However, blocking our parth at the entrance was one individual. Not just any individual but one of the three knights from back when we first arrived outside the city gates. The Knights of the Old Order.

Once again, the knight in gold armor zeroed in on me.

“So it was you!” She clicked her tongue in disgust. “Damn guards letting anyone in for some measly gold.”

Based on her surprise she wasn’t expecting to see me. At least she wasn’t here to arrest me, but what exactly did she mean by “it was you?” Then again, now she knows I am here she could still very well arrest me.

“Is there a problem, Commander Stormglass?”

Master Craven stepped forth before the knight. Oi, first the guild master, now a Knight of the Old Order! Does this old man know everyone? I feel like I should count myself lucky.

“Frost told me about a suspicious individual you’ve taken under your wing. Their description sounded far too familiar. I had to come and see myself.”

“You two have met before?”

Master Craven turned to me with a concerned look so I ended up explaining to him how we met outside the gates and how due to an explosion we were able to get out of the situation. I even had to admit to him that we bribed our way into the city.

“I see. I expected as much.” He then turned to the knight known as Commander Stormglass. “Forgive myself boldness, Commander, but I would like to ask you to look the other way this time. After all, now that he is a fully licensed hunter he is essentially a registered citizen.”

The knight stood in silence, probably contemplating what Master Craven had just said before letting out a heavy sigh. “I shouldn’t look away. After all, who’s to say he doesn’t have some kind of connection to the ritualistic murders.”

“You and I both know he arrived at this city long after the murders started.”

Looking away in a huff the knight seemed dissatisfied with what he had said but at the same time she couldn’t exactly refute it. Before long she turned around and began to make her way out of the dojo.

“I’ll look away this one time, Craven, but if your little pet project proves to be a problem I’ll cut him down myself.”

As the murderous words left her mouth the knight in golden armor disappeared into the night.

“My apologies Master Craven. You always seem to have to go out of your way for me.”

“It’s quite alright, Szandor. You’re a special case after all.”

Speaking of which… “Why didn’t you tell her about what I am? That I’m an Abnormality of the World?”

“It’s doubtful she would’ve believed me, and if she did it may prove difficult for you. Someone like you is very rare. If the kingdom knows of your existence they may want to take advantage of your power.”

“I see.”

Ah, so he’s looking out for me? That makes sense. I hadn’t even thought about someone using me like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Erdmont Kingdom saw me as some kind replacement for their “Old Heroes.”

Come to think of it, isn’t that what the Knights of the Old Order were for? I could tell that Commander Stormglass was powerful. Especially the sword she carried at her side. The magical energy radiating from it was nearly blinding. I could only imagine it was some kind of alchemic tool with tremendous power. Of course, would that really stop them from wanting more power?

After a long day Marie and I said our goodbyes as we left the dojo to meet back up with Joseph at the inn.