Chapter 130: Warmest Of Welcomes

Tamer mahji’s are especially unique because, with every advancement in realm, they gain the opportunity to bond with a new magic beast. Essentially, their soul gains more room.

This is why mahji’s are regarded as mutated versions of knights with peculiar and powerful abilities. And for tamer mahji’s, their bonded magic beast is always with them wherever they are—

Securely resting in their beast soul space, it could be summoned whenever the tamer wanted. This soul space not only serves as a container but also as an oasis for the magic beast, where they can grow faster and heal faster. Their growth is heavily influenced by their master’s talent and soul quality.

The convention for most powerful beast tamers is to secure a beast at every junction in realm growth that can assist in battle across every terrain. This was why Isolde was heavily motivated to secure the night eagle because she lacked an avian beast that would help in a terrain that required flight.

It’s not like avian beasts are all that scarce; it’s just that finding one that resonated with the quality of her soul was very difficult. Luckily, Ben came around and secured a deal with Goldtooth.

When Isolde finally bonded with the night eagle, that would make that magic beast the weakest in her collection, as it was only at the master realm. But that wouldn’t remain so for long and would, of course, join the rank of the others at the noble level.

The first round of the competition was almost over when Ben and Isolde arrived, so they only managed to enjoy the last part. The magic beasts raced in batches of seven and six, respectively, and for every batch, they got to race three times, and then the final round. There were breaks in between until the winner was decided.

People were rejoicing as they made the right bets, while others were crying into their hands for making the wrong bets. Ben and Isolde enjoyed refreshments as they observed the second and final round of the competition, discussing who would come out on top, and Isolde won four out of the four guesses they made.

This day, the returning champion of the master division was overthrown by an underdog, which caused hundreds of people who had placed losing bets to sob sorrowfully. What was interesting was that Isolde had predicted the outcome perfectly. She was simply too attuned to magic beasts.

Considering most of these tamer mahji’s are from affluent backgrounds or independently wealthy themselves, losing money meant little to them; it was the honor that counted, and you could see the dejection on the faces of those who performed well below average.

Isolde thoroughly enjoyed the event, as she loved magic beasts so much, and Ben was as spirited as her since he had never seen such things in his life. By the time the event was done, the owner of the arena came with gifts to see Isolde off, humbly suggesting that she grace them with her presence at the next noble division magic beast race.

Isolde wasn’t just a Noble Knight realm Tamer mahji; she was also the daughter of a Marquis. Probably the highest-ranked noble who had come to watch the magic beast race. She wasn’t just powerful; even her background was incredible. Her moniker, white widow, even causes fear in most people. Her appearance in these arena races was mostly just for her own amusement and to challenge herself.

There are powerful forces who observe these arenas to scout, as well as nobles or organizations. These prospects might be interesting to other tamer mahji’s who seek to advance further, but someone like Isolde Silverwinter already has all she needs. She turns offers down as she pleases. The Grand Duchy and the imperial capital were a much bigger stage.

After exchanging some words of pleasantries with both Isolde and Ben, they both entered the carriage and departed. Ben noted that the man treated him with incredible care, probably due to the fact that he mentioned that Isolde had never brought a guest along to any of her visits to the arena in the last two or so years.

The ride back to the mansion was fun, with Ben and Isolde indulging in one another inside the carriage. Ben told her that he had to return to the Wolfe estate to take care of some things that couldn’t be postponed, and after spending almost the whole day with her, Isolde was more inclined to let him have some space.

They said goodbye with deep kisses and smooching inside the carriage, using their body to express themselves. Ben insisted that he came down at her mansion when Isolde suggested she drove him to the Wolfe estate up on the hill. That would probably have caused problems Ben wasn’t ready to address.

Isolde also mentioned to Ben that he should be careful, saying she felt a presence shadowing their every move ever since yesterday, and the presence was centered on him. Ben, who had also sensed this presence, accepted her warning but refused the bodyguards she tried to insist he go with. Isolde was convinced after some back-and-forth, since no one would dare act out against the Duchess’s Apprentice Healer for fear of repercussions.

It was late afternoon now, and Ben said goodbye to Isolde with a promise to come visit again soon. She suggested they share messages through carrier pigeons, but he kicked against it and promised he would come see her soon. Isolde looked very unsatisfied with the arrangement, but after giving her a deep smooching and some foreplay inside the carriage, she was finally convinced.

Ben began his walk back through the bustling streets of Tellon, a pep in his step and a smile on his face as he began his return to the estate after such huge gains. Before long, he had climbed up the hill that led to the estate and was soon upon the massive gate in front.

The guards recognized him instantly, even if he was wearing different clothes than the ones he had on when he left. The guard who had addressed him when he first left looked at Ben with relief on his face for some reason.

Ben passed through and was met with familiar faces that caused him to smile.

"What are my girls doing here?"

He asked the twins, whose eyes were wide in both shock and relief, shimmering with tears as they ran into his arms, giving him the warmest of welcomes.