"Thank you for the purchase sir, I hope you enjoy it!"

Walking back into the shop, Charles can be seen ringing up a customer who appears to have purchased a set of beautifully bound books. A tall and handsome young man, Wendy recognized him as a regular customer who could often be seen with a cup of tea reading in the back corner of the shop. One of the few people who tend to frequent this establishment, at least from what she observed, he stands out thanks to his well dressed appearance and a pair of bright red pointed shoes. The young man thanks Charles, and upon noticing the girls he gives a slight smile before leaving the store.

As he smiled, his bright purple eyes seemed to shine a little, if only for a moment. A chill ran down Wendys spine, and she quickly turned away from his gaze, almost instinctively, unable to keep it for long. She could feel her heart beating faster and her breathing became a bit sharper. Something about him felt… odd, but she wasn't exactly sure what it could be. 

'I'm probably still tired from earlier… It's probably nothing', she thought to herself.

"And how was today's lesson? Educational, I hope." Charles turns to the girls, happy as ever with his jolly demeanor.

"It was very frustrating, sir."

"Hahaha, Sable must have put you through the ringer in my absence, huh?"

Charlie chuckles to himself, his large figure jiggling along with him, before he eventually turns his attention to Alice. Seeing how beat up she was he immediately stopped laughing, becoming a bit more serious.

"And who might you be dear? A friend of Wendy's I assume?"

Alice immediately stands at attention, arms glued to her side. "Yes sir. 1st star Alice Knightstar of the -"

Charles puts his hand up, making Alice immediately stop what she was saying.

"There's no need to be so formal with me, miss Knightstar. Please, relax. You're safe from all the strict and orderly nonsense in my store."

Alice exhales heavily from her nose, almost as if she was holding her breath and loosens up a bit. Charles softens his tone a little.

"Are you ok miss Knightstar? I hope my daughter didn't rough you up too badly."

He gives a slight glance at Sable before turning his attention back to her.

"I wasn't even aware we were having another guest today, otherwise I'd have prepared you a snack."

"I'm alright sir, thank you for your concern. It was a bit rough, but not more so than my usual lessons."

"So long as you are all ok, that's all that matters. You're both welcome to freshen up upstairs, and clean the dirt off your faces. As for the bruises, come see me before you all leave and I'll take care of it for you. Can't have you going home injured now."

Charles gives Alice a warm smile and she nods her head in acknowledgement.

"Thank you sir."

Sable nudges Alice from behind, gesturing her towards the curtains that lead toward the backyard they just came from.

"Come on, I'll show you where it's at."

As the two girls leave, Wendy approaches the counter.

"Did you not want to wash up Wendy?"

"Actually sir, I wanted to ask you something."

Charles straightens up, providing his full attention to her with a bit of a puzzled look on his face.

"I can tell you both had a rough time today. What's troubling you?"

"It's not about the lesson, I actually wanted to ask you about your Owlbear."

"Oh that old thing? What about it?"

"Sable told us that you had a bit of trouble fighting it, so I was curious about what that was like because something similar happened to Alice and I not long ago."

"Well let's see. This happened a very long time ago, so I don't remember all the details of the actual fight. From what I can recall, I happened to overhear some knights talk about an elusive creature that had begun making trouble for everyone several months prior to me setting up shop. So, being a young and reckless mage who wanted to make a name for himself in the community, I set out to find the creature. I don't remember how I found it, or if it found me, but I was seen by a passing knight dragging myself out of the forest several hours later before eventually collapsing. Were it not for the knights who were still searching for the beast, I might have lost my life that day. I woke up a few days later in the home of my future wife, who had taken me in as she was one of the few mages in town who specialized in healing magic at the time."

"Woah, I didn't know it was that bad."

"Yes, it was. If you weren't aware, Owlbears are not only foreign to this region, but also have a reputation for being one of the most feared predators in the wild, save for the titans who once roamed the lands. On top of that, they are also naturally resistant to most forms of physical damage due to their immense size and strength. So taking one down is no easy feat."

"That's scary to think about… But what makes it majestic?"

"Well, it is a rare and beautiful creature, is it not? So, once it got stuffed it felt fitting to change the name of my shop from The Marvelous Mage to The Majestic Owl."

"Hmmm… I suppose that is a better name."

"Now, enough about the Owlbear. Tell me about what happened with you and Alice."

"Oh, right! Well, the same day I got Wilfort from Lady Elea, she told Alice and I to go play while she talked with my aunt Aurelia. And while we were following Miranda into the forest, we were attacked by a few thunder boars." 

"Oh, that doesn't sound good. What happened?"

"Well, Alice took down the small one after it knocked me down. She smacked it real good with her staff. But then its mother came charging out of the bushes."

"Well, the adults do tend to be territorial, and very aggressive. You might have stumbled upon its den."

"Maybe. But the weirdest thing happened… Everything around me seemed to slow down when I saw it come out of the bushes charging towards Alice. It felt like my body was moving on its own, and I felt a surge of mana flow through me all at once when I shot it out of the air."

"..."

Charles stood there, stroking his chin, deep in thought.

"Did something like that happen to you when you fought the Owlbear? Is that something that happens to mages?"

"... I can't exactly say that's something most mages are capable of doing, slowing down their surroundings. It's possible it could have just been adrenaline. Now I can say with certainty that it is a common thing among everyone. In certain situations where someone's life may depend on it, people are capable of amazing feats and can instinctually react in times of need. Similar to how people who seem weak could accomplish feats of great strength temporarily to save someone, or stop someone from getting hurt, I believe you experienced something similar. And, being a sorcerer, you are of course capable of greater things most mages may find difficult. So it's possible that, mixed with adrenaline, made it seem like everything began to slow down around you."

"I guess that makes sense…"

"Was there anything else you needed?"

Wendy makes her way toward the back

"Nope, that was it. Thank you sir!"

"Oh, and Wendy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do let me know if that happens again."

"Okay!"

Wendy leaves the room, leaving Charles alone to his thoughts. He takes his seat behind the counter, mulling over the conversation in his head. 

'I wonder…'