"Shishou, can I ask a question?"
Asher sat on the ground, supporting himself with his hands behind him. The panting sounds from just now had lessened considerably.
"Ask away. As your Shishou, I will naturally answer any doubts my disciple has," Scáthach said casually, planting the two spears in her hand into the ground.
"I want to know, why did you keep me here back then?" Asher turned his head to look at Scáthach beside him.
Scáthach was wearing that purple tight-fitting suit, which perfectly outlined her curvaceous and fiery figure. Through the thin purple fabric, parts of her beautiful skin could be seen.
Asher's gaze lingered for a moment on Scáthach's full and alluring legs, then quickly shifted away. He silently recited in his heart: Calm down! This is Scáthach, the queen of the Land of Shadows, don't think too much! If Shishou finds out, I'll definitely be severely punished.
Scáthach didn't seem to notice Asher's little thoughts. She lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze somewhat dim, as if Asher's question had caused her to fall into brief thought.
Then, she gently shook her head and sighed.
"I just thought you had talent, so I kept you here. There's no other reason."
"And also..." she turned her head, her red eyes fixed on Asher, "...I thought you were very special."
"That sentence sounds like I'm some kind of chosen one, but in fact, I'm just an ordinary person," Asher shook his head helplessly.
"Don't be too self-deprecating. If even you are an ordinary person, then there are no ordinary people in this world," Scáthach said. "Although your stamina is completely useless."
As she said this, she gently pushed Asher.
Asher fell uncontrollably onto the grass. When he opened his eyes, he saw Scáthach looking down at him, a faint smile on her face.
"But your magical talent is undeniable, so how about having a little more confidence?"
Asher sat up again, a dejected expression on his face. "But everyone else can also use the Rune magic I know. There's no difference at all."
Almost all of Scáthach's disciples knew Rune magic. He was just one of them. What he knew, others also knew, and everyone else's physical abilities were far above his.
"Shishou probably only took me in back then because I was still a child, right?" Asher looked at Scáthach sitting beside him as he finished speaking.
Scáthach suddenly laughed, as if muttering to herself, "Is that so? So you've always thought that way?"
"In that case, it's my dereliction of duty."
As Scáthach said this, she placed a hand on Asher's head and pressed it onto her lap. The soft touch through the fabric made close contact with his face, and he could almost smell a faint fragrance.
"Shi...shou?" Asher desperately tried to turn his head, until Scáthach said in a commanding tone, "Don't move, just listen to me."
Only then did Asher stop moving. When Scáthach released his head, he turned his head and finally saw Scáthach's face and the faint smile on it.
The forest seemed particularly eerie at dusk. A crow perched on a certain big tree, its gaze seemingly watching everything here.
"Listen carefully, Asher."
Scáthach's fingers gently stroked Asher's cheek.
"You possess a Mastery of magic that no one else in this world can compare to. There's no doubt about that. You can be more confident," she said in a calm yet confident voice. "Believe me, no one in this world can be compared to you in terms of magical talent. That's why I took you in."
"It's just that you're still too young. You're only fifteen years old. You still need some time to hone yourself," Scáthach continued. "I will help you. This is the duty of a Shishou."
"I really don't have any talent," Asher said helplessly.
He was really just an ordinary person. The reason Scáthach thought he had talent was just because of a secret.
He couldn't tell this secret.
"Okay, although I don't believe in myself... I believe what Shishou says. I will work hard," Asher had no choice but to say.
"Flattering me like this won't get you any benefits, Asher," Scáthach frowned. "I didn't expect you to become the kind of glib and incompetent person."
"I'm not lying, Shishou," Asher stared into Scáthach's eyes and said seriously. "I know your strength, and I have kept your teachings over the past five years in my heart. So I also believe your judgment."
"If you think I possess extremely high magical talent, then I will also believe in myself."
Not only did he believe in Scáthach, but also in that person's teachings.
Looking into Asher's eyes, Scáthach was slightly taken aback, and then she looked away.
She could see that Asher was not lying.
Without a doubt, he truly believed in her, his Shishou.
"It's good that you can think this way, but an excellent warrior still needs to have their own confidence."
Looking at the helpless expression on Scáthach's face, Asher suddenly thought of something and looked at Scáthach curiously. "By the way, Shishou, can I ask one more thing?"
This was a question that had troubled him for a very, very long time, but he had never found an opportunity to ask—after all, the previous training sessions were all about getting beaten up. Such a warm atmosphere was a first.
"What is it? In my capacity as your Shishou, I will answer any question you have, Asher," Scáthach ruffled Asher's soft hair, making his already slightly messy hair even more disheveled.
"I've always found it very strange. How long did it take to hone yourself to this level of proficiency where martial arts and magic coexist so perfectly?" Asher asked.
Scáthach's fingers paused slightly.
"In other words, what I want to say is, how old are you this year, Shishou?"
"What?"
"I said, how old exactly are you now, Shishou?"
"What did you just ask?" Her eyes narrowed slightly, but a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"I said—" Asher abruptly stopped the words he was about to say.
He suddenly had a premonition that if he repeated the question just now, something absolutely terrible would happen to him!
So, Asher silently chose to be quiet. "It's nothing. That question just now was too rude. I'm sorry, Shishou."
Sure enough, even Shishou was very sensitive when faced with this kind of question, huh?
Asher silently noted this in his heart to prevent accidentally stepping into a minefield again next time.
"It's alright, I don't really care," Scáthach said. "After all, a person's age isn't important. What matters is their physical fitness and the degree of aging of their organs."
"Yes, Shishou is right," Asher echoed.
"Alright, have you rested enough? It's time to get up."
Hearing Scáthach's urging, Asher supported himself with his hands and climbed off Scáthach's lap. The disappearance of the contact between his cheek and her soft thigh made him feel a little disappointed.
"Shishou, aren't you leaving yet?" After getting up, Asher picked up the spear in his hand and quickly noticed that Scáthach was still standing in the same place.
"Where to?" Scáthach looked at Asher in confusion. "Training isn't over yet."
Asher was stunned. "But it's already dusk. Isn't this usually the time training ends?"
"Who told you that now is the usual time?" Scáthach gripped the two spears in her hand. "Pick up your weapon, Asher. The real training is about to begin!"
After saying that, she rushed forward without giving Asher a chance to react.
"As expected, you still care about your age a lot, don't you, Shishou?!"
Asher's miserable cry echoed through the forest, and the crow in the woods shrieked and flew into the air.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter