Capítulo 167: Work tour (1)
"That would be great. Lead the way."
Despite this whole thing being an empty farce I still need to accept her offer. Navi is going to be with us at all times one way or another so I might as well let the girls have someone else to talk to.
First, we visit the gym area. To my knowledge, this is the largest area of the company that is accessible to customers. And currently, there seems to be a spectacle happening in the boxing ring.
Valeria and Edward are having a staring contest. The atmosphere seems tense and neither one is backing down.
"What's got them all worked up?"
"Nothing really. Both were just having a grumpy morning and then they got at each other's throats. They've been keeping this up for the entire morning and likely it will have to get worse before it will get better."
"Worse in what way?"
Cassidy is very interested and her eyes are sparkling as she looks at the two figures that are exuding raw power.
"For now they are still being civil. I suspect that they'll soon try to actually rip out each other's throats. I'll let them fight for a while before putting an end to this."
Hearing that two powerful people she believes to be adventurers will fight makes Cassidy giddy with joy.
"They'll fight! I wonder who is stronger!"
Right when she hears Cassidy say that, Valeria breaks eye contact with Edward and turns toward us.
"I'm obviously the stronger one my little cutie. Do you truly believe an old man could be my opponent? I'm much more dependable."
Valeria is trying to flirt with my daughter!
Edward refuses to take Valeria's comment lying down and stabs towards her exposed back with a dagger that appears in his hand out of nowhere. And from what I can tell that isn't some kind of trick dagger with a retractable blade. It's as real and deadly as weapons get.
Valeria bends her body in a fluid motion to evade the dagger. Her speed of movement is far superior to Edward's as her speed stat is leagues above his.
He follows up with a series of stabs that she keeps evading by bending her body in various ways.
Now, I'm no expert in combat but my particular skill set allows me to judge people's abilities rather well. And unless Edward has some godlike skill that eludes my senses while giving him immense power this stalemate shouldn't be persisting.
Valeria surpasses all his stats by at least one fold. She should be wiping the floor with him so badly that he won't be walking for weeks and yet all she does is dodge his attacks over and over with such exaggerated movements.
Unless...
She's putting on a show, isn't she? And all that to impress my girls. I want to go back home and hide my girls in the basement but knowing Valeria that wouldn't stop her. Anything you can do for me there Navi?
<How old are those two?>
They are sixteen years old this year.
<If Valeria so much as makes a move on them I will put her in her place. I have very little tolerance when minors are involved. Last time...>
I don't want to hear it. Just make sure to keep her in check.
<I'll make sure to tell her that they are off-limits. Though you should prepare for her to attempt to still get close to the girls. Her reaction is unusually strong.>
By reaction you mean lust?
<No. So far I have seen three distinct types of reactions that sometimes overlap. Lust, craving for blood, and a thing I believe are feelings or something like love. I have never seen the last type this strong.>
Is that supposed to be a good thing?
<Yes. Usually, she loses complete control of herself when she goes into a blood frenzy. She nearly killed Jade a while back because she couldn't hold back. However, one time I saw her end a frenzy by herself without drinking her victim's blood. She also had a rather strong reaction of the last type with that lady. When I asked how she had done it she answered that she didn't want the lady to hate her.>
Is this supposed to make me feel better?
<Look at it this way. Your daughters just received a chance to learn from a true master in the art of seduction and are now under the protection of a jealous vampire. No chance are they going to bring home a boyfriend.>
That's actually good. But I'm still worried.
<I think you should worry more about the present than the future. Your daughter's chin is about to hit the floor.>
My attention snaps back to reality. Valeria is still toying with Edward and indeed Cassidy is about to reach the floor with her chin.
"How is she so fast!"
"Valeria is a level 200 blood mage with a flair for martial arts. She doubles as an assassin."
Navi, how did you come up with all this crap?
<We can't tell people the truth. I mean, oh, she's a vampire but that's totally normal. Everyone here got an assigned class we can tell people who ask though they rarely do.>
"She's a blood mage? That's an advanced class, isn't it?"
"Classes like this are referred to as specialized classes since she is technically still a mage with no real advancement."
"For a mage to be so good at physical combat... I want to be just like her!"
I want to heavily object but Cassidy seems adamant on the matter. Can't Cassidy just get a peaceful job so that I don't need to worry? Like a sports instructor, she always liked running.
<Careful when trying to guide your children's career. Often they end up right where you least want them to precisely because you tried to interfere.>
You had kids?
<Valeria was enough for me to experience the full pain of being a mother. Trying to keep her in bounds was and is one of the most stressful things in my life.>
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