Chapter 129: Tamer Mahji

Isolde led Ben back to the carriage, dismissing the servant attendants to go deliver all they had purchased to the mansion.

Only two of Isolde’s guards accompanied them as they rode in the Carriage to a set destination: Isolde’s favorite location in Tellon.

Ben was starting to learn that guards acted as more of a status symbol in this world, engaging in things that were too low a standard for their masters to be involved in. Whereas in his former world, guards actually stood to protect their masters since they were stronger—

But in this one, most masters he’s met were leagues stronger than their guards, yet they carry them along everywhere. Only one person Ben had come across was actually weaker than the guards that accompanied him—

And now that he thought about it—the same was probably true for every other young master from noble backgrounds. Thinking about the person that challenged him at the auction house, Ben Dover really hoped he would never have to come across the person again. He disliked dealing with exhausting matters that served no benefit to him whatsoever.

The carriage ride was short, Ben engaging in teasing rapport with Isolde, who was now acting like her usual poised self now that they were out in public, but the joy present on her face at having Ben with her as company as she went to her favorite place in Tellon could barely be hidden.

They soon arrived at a place designed like a typical horse race track, though lacking in the usual modern amenities or aesthetic he was familiar with from his own world. The loud sounds of beasts screeching reached them from the outside, hooves meeting ground in vibrations and the uproar of a full crowd.

They were greeted respectfully by a portly man whom Isolde introduced as the owner of the beast race Arena. That the owner would personally come out to greet Isolde says just how important a figure she was.

The man escorted them both to a private viewing area, but this one was open roof with just a secure enclosure that served as the rim to view from. Isolde told Ben that this viewing area was always personally reserved for her. And it seemed like the perfect spot, as Ben could perfectly enjoy all the action below.

The sport was quite straightforward, really. The beast race arena in Tellon was the only place in the dutchy were Tamer mahji’s could come flaunt their power. Tamer mahji’s are rare, but in the Wolfe duchy, there were around one hundred and fifty of them, and this number was just a speculation.

Considering knights of different realms in the duchy were in the thousands, this number was incredibly small.

In the beast race Arena today, a total of thirteen Tamer mahji’ would be putting the improvements of their magic beast to the test in a race. And in particular, only beasts specialized in swiftness are admitted. Under the control of the mahji’s themselves, they position their beasts in their own booths at the ready, and when the fire is lit, the booths are opened, and it becomes a race to see whose beast is fastest.

The Tamer mahjis who participate get a cut from the bets placed by the hundreds of people who have come to watch and bet on who the winner would be, and should their own beast win or take second or third place, they also get a corresponding reward.

Most importantly, it was less about the money to these Mahji’s, but the opportunities that come with overpowering their fellow mahji’s, and earning recognition as the Mahji knight with the fastest beast in the entire duchy. And a lot of benefits came with such a title.

Some repeatedly secure this title for themselves, and others work their way up, train their mahji beasts, or form bonds with new ones in order to beat their fellow Tamer mahji’s. The crowd was currently screaming the name of one of the regulars, whose beast has gone undefeated for two consecutive races already.

Every race has its division, and today’s division is for the master’s category. The stronger the tamer mahji, the fewer there are; that’s why there are as many as thirteen master realm Tamer knights present in the arena today.

There was also the Apprentice division, the warrior division, as well as the highest division that Tellon could host, which was the noble knight realm division. Anything higher than that happens in the Grand Duchy and the imperial capital.

The stronger the division, the fewer the Tamers. As for the highest division in Tellon, which was the noble knight realm division, there was an undisputed beast mahji sovereign in all of Tellon, and that was the gorgeous beauty seated next to Ben and conversing with him.

It explains why everyone around here treats Isolde like the queen. She was an incredibly powerful Tamer mahji who had unlimited potential. Ben wasn’t even sure he could safely incapacitate Isolde if they were to fight.

Fighting a tamer mahji isn’t just fighting one strong knight; you would also be fighting their tamed monsters as well. And depending on the talent of the tamer mahji, as well as the quality of their soul, their bonded beasts might be at the same level of realm strength as they are or even stronger.

Though all tamer mahji’s are rare and special, there was always a level and literal chasms to the difference in their strengths. A perfect example was the monster seated next to Ben, who’s clearly in the noble knight realm, but there are rumors that she possesses a magic beast that was at the black knight level.

She possesses others as well, most probably at the same noble realm level as she was. Because of her talent. And the quality of the magical beast she’s able to bond with is determined by the quality of her soul. This is why soul resonance is important to Tamer Mahji, as the quality of the soul determines what species of beast they resonate with and can form bonds with. And the quality of the beast determines how fast they grow in the realm and what their limits are.