“Five World Class Beast Tamers…”Rhys leaned back in his chair as he considered what Grace had just told him.“That’s quite a number.”Grace nodded.“It is.”“Normally, whenever someone shows the potential to become a World Class Beast Tamer, the royal family will do everything it can to bring that person into the royal bloodline.”“The easiest way is marriage.”“If the Beast Tamer is a man, they’ll marry him to a princess.”“If it’s a woman, they’ll arrange a marriage with one of the princes.”She smiled faintly.“Once that happens, they can legally grant that person the title and authority of a Duke or Duchess.”She folded her hands together.“That’s one of the reasons my position has always been so dominant.”“I’ve earned the support of two World Class Beast Tamers.”“None of the other candidates can compare.”Her expression gradually became more serious.“Of course…”“Once I lose my succession rights…”“My father will most likely recall Duke Carmichael.”“He serves the kingdom fir

“So…”Rhys stood up from his chair.“Let’s put politics aside and get back to the reason we’re here.”Grace blinked.“Have you heard everything you wanted to know?”“Don’t you have any more questions?”Rhys nodded.“For now, I know enough.”He stretched his shoulders.“The rest can wait until after the mission.”“We have plenty of time to talk later.”“But if we keep sitting here…”“We’re only wasting daylight.”Grace smiled and nodded.“Alright.”She stood up as well.“In that case…”“Should we head to the mayor’s office now?”She glanced toward the window.“We arrived this morning.”“It’s already been several hours.”She rubbed her throat with a small laugh.“And after talking this much…”“My throat is getting sore.”“Maybe we should grab something to eat first.”“Then visit the mayor.”Rhys nodded.“Sounds good.”“Although…”He raised a finger.“There’s one thing we need to do before meeting him.”Grace tilted her head.“One more thing?”A second later, realization flashed across h

“If you do a good job…” Rhys looked around at the children gathered inside the hut. “Not only will you keep that pouch…” He pointed at the injured girl kneeling on the floor. “I’ll heal her too.” The room fell silent. “…Huh?” The fear on the children’s faces slowly gave way to confusion. Even the girl everyone called Big Sister looked stunned. For a few seconds, none of them spoke. It sounded too good to be true. No noble. No wealthy merchant. No powerful Beast Tamer. No one would ever make an offer like that to a group of slum children. One of the twins suddenly gasped. He hurried forward before dropping to both knees. “Please…” His voice trembled. “If you can really heal my sister…” “I’ll do anything.” “Anything you ask.” “Please save her.” The other children quickly followed him. One after another, they knelt beside him without hesitation. Rhys quietly watched the scene. He hadn’t expected this. He could tell the injured girl was important to them, but he