Mating season.
Each beast race has its own unique mating season. For instance, Maya’s people come into heat every spring.
However, not every beast race experiences intense heat during mating season or needs intercourse to satisfy their cravings.
The Felian clan is different. As lion beast people, their mating season hits hard in mid-autumn and lasts throughout the entire winter. During this time, they are constantly in heat.
The Felian clan’s heat was excruciatingly intense, driving them to seek out satisfaction or engage in intercourse to control their overwhelming urges. For Trill, however, the situation was more complicated. She didn’t have a regular partner to fulfill her needs. She had certain “standards” that a man needed to meet before she would allow him to copulate with her, according to Yr. Essentially, she had her own criteria for choosing a partner. It seems that “standards” exist in this world too.
The reason for Trill’s constant absences from class was quite clear once Yr mentioned, “She’s been up to something weird in her bedroom and making strange noises.” It didn’t take much to figure out what was happening. During her heat, she would skip class to handle her intense cravings on her own.
Why was she so rebellious, though? I vaguely recalled her having conflicts with her father, or maybe it was someone else significant in her life. Her rebellious streak hinted at a possible resistance to an arranged marriage or similar expectations. I could understand why she’d act out—if I were in her shoes, I’d be fighting back too.
Or maybe I was overthinking things? No matter her reasons for being rebellious, one undeniable fact was that Trill was in heat.
Yr also told me that Trill was working as an adventurer. As the name suggests, adventurers venture into dangerous territories, slaying monsters and exploring labyrinths or dungeons. Trill was using this role to find a mate. She’d organized a tournament for male adventurers, where they would compete for her attention. After a champion was crowned, she would face him in combat. If she won, it meant he didn’t meet her “standards.” If he won, she would become his prize. It was a very beast-person way of handling things.
With her breathtaking beauty and her hourglass figure, it was no wonder that so many were eager to prove themselves.
There were reasons why Trill was always the winner. As a beast woman from the Felian Clan, she came from the strongest of the Beastkin clans. The Felian were known for their speed, agility, and raw power. They were the kings of the jungle, the most formidable Beastkin clan that no one dared to mess with. In her tournaments, she’d insisted that no skills were allowed. Any adventurer who could defeat her under this condition would earn her as their prize. Given her Felian strength and the restriction against using skills, it was nearly impossible for anyone to even come close to defeating her.
In truth, Trill could have easily ascended to the gold class if she chose to. If not for her frequent absences, she would have been there long ago.
Even so, I was a bit surprised she was working as an adventurer. It seemed to fit her, though, so I wasn’t complaining. Perhaps I should try my luck at one of her tournaments?
As I pondered this, the bell rang, signaling the start of our physical examination. The first period was… swordsmanship.
***
The students would be graded on their swordsmanship based on three criteria: footwork, stance, and the grace of their swings and attacks. Our scores would be averaged across these categories, and then multiplied by one hundred to get our final grade. There was no failing mark per se, but if your grades were too low, you’d drop a rank.
“Well, I guess just averaging them all should be fine,” I muttered to myself as I watched others demonstrate their swordsmanship to the professors and instructors.
“What did you say?” Titania’s voice, sweet and curious, cut through the air as she flashed a radiant smile, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she leaned in closer, her charm almost palpable.
“Nothing,” I answered. “Just feeling a bit nervous, that’s all.”
“You? Nervous? Come on, Leon, you’ll be fine!” Titania teased, her smile lighting up the area around us as she playfully jabbed my shoulder with her elbow. Those nearby couldn’t help but click their tongues and mutter under their breaths, saying things like, “Why did she choose that loser?” and “It should have been me, not him.”
Suddenly, the air was filled with excited squeals and gasps from the crowd around the stage where the students were showcasing their swordsmanship. I immediately knew why. Johanne had just stepped onto the stage. He was a strikingly handsome young man with white hair, and he was widely regarded as the strongest swordsman in the academy, second to none. Being the son of the Sword Saint, it was practically guaranteed that he would be the successor. His skill, Limit Breaker, allowed him to surpass his body’s natural limits, making it an insanely overpowered ability.
Now, there he was, ready to show off his sword skills to everyone.
“Begin!” commanded one of the evaluators.
Johanne immediately adopted a flawless, almost impeccable fighting stance. I couldn’t spot a single flaw. To my eyes, it was the most perfect stance imaginable, leaving no openings for an attack. Then, he began his footwork. Each movement was executed with precision, as if his feet were gliding effortlessly across the stage. Finally, he started swinging his sword. The blade cut through the air so cleanly that not even a whisper of sound could be heard. There was absolute silence—no noise at all. That was how perfect it was.
However, something went wrong. Johanne suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his lower abdomen as if he was in intense pain.
“Kuh… Why now?!” he muttered through gritted teeth, his face contorted with discomfort. It was clear that whatever was happening to him wasn’t the first time. I couldn’t help but wonder—what the hell was going on with him?
