"Your Majesty, considering the nature of his abilities and the rapid progress he's made, I believe it's undeniable that the Hero's talent lies in physical combat and we should focus his training in that direction."
The Commander concluded with a confident note but then,
"It amazes me to see how good you have become in moulding the facts and presenting them in such a manner, in front of His Highness no less."
Once again, Elira spoke up, garnering the attention of the room. The Court Mage stared at the Commander and,
"Just now, you mentioned an ability the Hero uses to surround himself with flames,
In what world does this ability look physical combat-oriented to you?
Because it forms a defensive layer that stops the enemies from getting close?
By that logic, even casting a simple Fireball that would injure the enemy would become a combat-oriented skill, no?
Having exceptional leadership abilities that would eventually corner the enemies, or having an ability to quickly bond with the Magic Beasts would help the Hero defeat his foes, are we supposed to consider all that physical combat-related skills and let you train all of us?
Are you acting foolish on purpose or do you simply not understand the difference between Combat and Physical Combat?"
Elira questioned and this time, Arlan had no answers.
He just stared at his sister and his sister stared back, only Arlan could see that subtle but annoying smirk on her face as her eyes shined playfully.
'Take that, sucker!'
That's what the look on Elira's face was saying.
"Yo-"
Arlan tried to retort but then,
"Silence."
The King commanded.
He then stared at the Court Mage and,
"So you disagree with Commander Arlan's claims."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Elira nodded confidently.
"What is your opinion then?"
"My opinion remains the same,
His Talent is definitely related to magic.
He is already a Second Circle Mage, his Mana Reserves are much higher than any other Second Circle Mage I have seen, even surpassing most Third Circle Mages.
His casting speed, mana regeneration speed, and understanding of magic, everything is far more developed than the mages who have studied magic for years.
He requires one look to understand and cast a spell, the number of spells he has learned in these weeks cannot even be counted with two hands, oftentimes, he even alters the spell on his own, something a normal Second Circle Mage doesn't even think of.
Not to mention I believe he would soon be becoming a Third Circle Mage."
Elira listed everything and just like her brother, she pressed on,
"In two weeks, Your Majesty.
The Hero achieved all these in two weeks, how can his talent possibly lie in any other field but Magic?"
Elira questioned and once again, the King found himself in a difficult situation.
This was just like the first meeting all over again.
With a hopeful look on his face, the King faced Therian, the Marshal, however, shook his head again.
"Again, Your Majesty, I apologize for disappointing you, but I still cannot be certain. I have sent the Hero to Estwyn Town today, once he returns, I will be able to give a much more definite assessment."
The King nodded before he turned to the last instructor, but,
"The Hero's Wyvern still refuses to leave the Sanctuary.
I suggested forming a bond with another Magic Beast, but he seems quite close to his Bond, I still remember how the Hero glared at me that day."
Lyric chuckled, she didn't seem offended by the Hero's gaze, rather, she was happy.
In a world where people often see beasts as tools to rise in ranks,
The Hero loved his Bond more than himself and Lyric appreciated that.
She didn't care about everything the people in this room said, she didn't care what these people thought of the Hero,
In her heart, she knew that the Hero was going to become an excellent Beast Tamer.
Seeing her smile, the rest of the instructors, especially Arlan and Elira, glared at her.
'Tsk.'
Elira snorted in her head.
Arlan was the same.
Here they were fighting for the right to train the Hero, but then there were these two, Marshal Therian and Master Tamer Lyric, completely unbothered just because they knew that, talented or not, in the end, the Hero would be trained under them.
After all, the Hero wasn't just meant to fight—he was destined to lead armies and defend Nerathis. Leadership and strategy lectures were non-negotiable.
As for the Beast Taming?
That wasn't even up for debate.
It didn't matter whether he became a Warrior or a Mage, he would need to become a Beast Tamer anyways.
That was simply how the World of Nerathis worked.
Honestly, the purpose of this meeting was always to decide whether Kael would become a Warrior or a Mage, other lectures were always essential.
This was also the reason Deren, Arlan, and Elira were the ones who were the most active during the discussion.
"It has been two weeks, has he still not resolved this issue yet?"
The King questioned with a grave look on his face.
Choosing between the path of the Warrior or a Mage was one thing, but for the Hero to not be able to control his Bond and let it do what he wanted,
This was indeed an issue.
A much more pressing issue than a simple choice between the two paths.
"His love for Bond is to-"
"That isn't an excuse. The battlefield doesn't care about such matters. He is wasting precious time and I cannot allow that."
The King spoke with a strict look on his face.
"The Hero should still be resting in his room, does Your Majesty wish to send someone and bring him?"
The Marshal questioned, even he could see how this could become a big issue.
Beast Taming lectures were the most important of all, after all, the Hero needed to learn how to fight together with Bonds.
A Bond that does not leave the Sanctuary in others' presence was a worthless resource.
"Forget it."
The King shook his hand.
"The boy must have a lot on his mind right now, disturbing him at this moment would be unwise."
His gaze then turned to Therian, his tone firm and resolute.
"However, see to it that I am informed the moment he returns. I will meet with him without delay."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Therian bowed his head.
"Your Majesty…"
Arlan called in a weak voice.
Alden turned towards him and seeing the look on his Commander's face, he quickly understood what he wanted. Alden then stared at Elira, who looked at him with a similar expression on her face,
Clearly, the two of them were looking forward to his decision the most, he however, shook his head again.
"Since it still cannot be decided whether the Hero is suited to be a Warrior or a Mage, I shall await the results of Marshal Therian's assessment before making any judgment."
Yes, he decided to postpone the matter again.