"Yeah. It's probably the guy who spread rumors about me."

At that, I furrowed my brows. If that's the case, it's no ordinary matter.

"Should we intercept?"

Now that we're inside Menosorpo, we could launch a preemptive attack. However, Quinie shook her head.

"No, let's stay put, she'll come to us eventually."

"...But that's dangerous."

To my words, Quinie shook her head again.

Quinie's gaze, as she did so, had no trace of tension. If anything, she looked annoyed.

"Yeah, it might be better for you to meet her, too."

With that, Quinie walked away from the warehouse.

What does she mean, it might be better to meet?

As I walked beside Quinie, she stared off into the distance, towards the direction someone had been caught in Menosorpo.

Following her gaze, I saw someone really was up in a tree.

But the reality of how high the tree was didn't hit me until I saw it. Wow, how did she get up there? Is she a mage capable of levitation magic on par with Elodie's?

"...She'll come down on their own."

"Excuse me?"

Right then, as if in response to Quinie's words.

The person sitting in the tree sprang up. Is she really coming? Instinctively, I tensed and clenched my fists.

But then.

Rustle, rustle.

From that high branch, the figure was.

Carefully making her way down from one branch to the next.

"..."

"..."

When the silence seemed to stretch on, she was about halfway down the tree.

"It's taking a while."

"Indeed."

Finally, the figure who had cautiously made her way down seemed to forget all about it and charged towards us at a terrifying speed.

...She were running on all fours.

"Hey! Quinie!"

With a leap, the figure cleared the mansion's wall and reached us in no time.

"Who's the dark one beside you!"

It was a girl with cat ears and a tail.

"...Beastkin."

Never thought I'd encounter beastkin in this world.

In the game 'Etius', which borrows from various myths, beastkin are quite common. The 'Minotaur' from Greek mythology isn't much different.

However, beastkin are very few compared to humans. Simply put, they aren't numerous enough to be called a 'race'. Most are either hybrids with humans or descendants of 'legends'.

As a result, beastkin sightings in Etius become a hot topic among gamers, unlike in other games where they're more common.

Even then, most beastkin aren't as people fantasize. Some have horse heads, horse legs, or hooves for hands. If hostile, they're no different from monsters, but if they have intelligence and don't attack people, they're recognized as 'beastkin' in Etius.

Beastkin are that much of a coveted element in the game.

"Frondier, there's something I need to tell you."

While the beastkin was earnestly arguing, Quinie instead addressed me.

"What is it?"

"If you call her a 'cat,' she gets really mad. Even though her ears and tail look like those of a cat, she actually has the blood of a white tiger."

"A white tiger, huh? Sounds dangerous when she's angry."

"No, I didn't say she's dangerous. Just letting you know."

...Huh?

I didn't quite understand, but in the meantime, Quinie spoke to the beastkin.

"Kora, why did you follow us here?"

"I asked first! Who's that dark one?"

Im not that dark.

The truly dark one would be Quinie, with everything from her hair to her fan and clothes being pitch-black.

Kora straightened up as if on high alert upon seeing me, her tail sticking straight up, indicating she was very angry.

"Wow, you really do look like a cat..."

Ah. I said it without thinking.

At that moment, Kora's eyes sparkled. With a strange cry of "Kraang!" she thrust her hand forward.

And then she shouted at me.

"Flame Spell!"

What?

Surprised, I drew my short sword. If 'Flame Spell' is equivalent to the 'Storm Spell' used by Elodie, then...

A beastkin with the blood of a white tiger using magic comparable to 'Storm Spell'? She's no ordinary person,

Puff-

A small flame popped out in front of Kora's hand and fluttered.

That flame flew towards me like a petal.

It seemed like it would fly away with even a breath of wind, but it managed to reach me.

"......"

Wondering what to do, I decided to cut it down forcefully, just in case touching it caused a massive explosion.

And nothing happened.

"......"

I tensed up for a moment, thinking it might be a delayed explosion.

Still, nothing happened.

"Ugh..."

Kora, standing in front of me, clenched her fists and trembled.

Wondering if I should do something,

"......Aaah?"

I pretended to be hurt.

"Hey! Shut up! Are you mocking me? Shut up! Hey! You jerk!"

So what if I am.

Why is she the one shooting it and then acting like she's the victim?

Sigh, Quinie sighed.

"Kora, I told you. If you use the wrong incantation, the magic won't work properly."

"It wasn't wrong! I was trying to use the Flame Spell! I thought it would work."

...A Flame Spell that she tries to use without chanting or proper spellwork.

Quinie, seemingly embarrassed, bowed her head and then said,

"Frondier, let me introduce you."

"Hey! Quinie! Answer my question first! Who is that?"

Quinie ignored Kora's question and continued speaking to me.

"She has the bloodline of a white tiger, but her strength and agility are incredibly high, showing she has the qualities of a warrior from birth."

That must be the case. Considering she can't use magic, it means she climbed such a high tree with her bare hands.

And I could guess what Quinie was about to say next.

"A magic-user wannabe who wants to use magic so, so, so badly, that's Kora."