At this point, all he could do was sigh disheartedly while rubbing the back of his neck while responding, "well If it isn't the Stephan King girl?"

With the attitude in his voice along with the strange nickname annoying her, she closes her book then starts to glare at him while snapping, "though betty doesn't know what that means, I can only assume by the tone of your voice that it must be an insult I suppose."

To her annoyance, he simply looked back at her with as innocent of a smile as humanly possible while responding, "no….."

Though the conversation had just started, Beatrice already had enough of it with her sighing in annoyance and as she rubbed her temples, she says, "I do not understand why you feel the need to be so annoying."

Amused by her response and thinking of another cheeky comeback but unfortunately for him, she adds, "especially to someone who's true powers you seem to be quite unaware of."

A bit caught off guard and with her vailed threat causes a feeling of unease to quickly build within him as he asks, "is that a threat?"

With a sly grin, she replies, "you can take it that way, though the most important thing for you to know is that in this library, Betty can do whatever she wishes and that includes taking whatever she wants I suppose."

With her words only causing his unease to worsen, for some strange reason, he feels the need to ask, "and what exactly do you want to take from me?"

To his surprise, she starts to look at him with a smug look while replying, "and why exactly should Betty tell you?"

A bit caught off guard by the response, he couldn't help but look back at her with a raised eyebrow while replying, "because you're the one that keep bringing it up?"

Though he made a fair point, she continued to look back at him smugly while responding, "that is true, however Betty has no need to tell you. Especially since you do not even have a clue as to what you hold within you I suppose."

With the confusion he felt only growing and becoming a bit annoyed by her riddles, Burchard could only sigh in annoyance, but before he could respond, she tells him, "Though telling you would make things easier I suppose."

With that, she gets up from her chair and walks up to a still confused Burchard while asking, "I assume you know what magic is and how to use it?"

While nodding, he replies, "yeah, what about it?"

Though she got the answer she was expecting, she still felt the need to tell him, "my my, Betty is quite surprised that a dimwit such as yourself would actually know anything about such a complex topic I suppose."

Annoyed to be insulted once more, he couldn't help but glare at her while asking, "are you actually gonna tell me anything? Or are you just using this as an excuse to insult me?"

While still grinning, she replies, "I could simply tell you, however it would be much more enjoyable for me to get you back for the rude comments you have made to me."

A bit caught off guard to hear this, all he could really do was sigh in annoyance and while rubbing his temples, he responds, "of course it would be."

Seeing how annoyed he had gotten causes a look of satisfaction to cross her face while saying, "oh I'm sorry? Is Betty annoying you?"

With her words only adding to his annoyance, he slowly looks up and when he sees her smug look, he simply sighs then asks in a defeated tone, "so what about magic?"

While continuing to sport her satisfied grin, she casually holds up her hand while saying, "ah right…."

A bit confused as to what she was doing, he quickly gets his answer when he sees a strange crystal covered in purple flames manifest and starts to hover directly above her palm. A bit worried by the threatening aura that the crystal seemed to emanate, he slowly takes a step back while Beatrice continues, "like you already know, magic is something that some beings can use, however….

In one swift motion, she closes her fist which causes the crystal to disintegrate and while lowering her hand, she tells him, "Only those with a large enough mana reserve are capable of using one of the six elements. If you do not have the mana required, then you are unable to use magic. Normally if a being has enough mana reserves and a proper enough ability to replenish it, that being is capable of using magic. However, I have come across an exception to this rule I suppose."

Surprised by all this new information, Burchard couldn't help but focus on the last part while asking, "what's the exception?"

To his confusion, she starts to sport a profoundly serious look and to his surprise, she starts pointing at him while replying, "that would be you I suppose."

Caught off guard to hear this, all he was really able to do was ask, "what about me?"

While continuing to sport her serious expression, Beatrice's arm drops to her side as she replies, "for some strange reason, you have a vast reservoir of mana which can be easily replenished which should allow you to use some of the most powerful magic in the land."

Shocked to hear this, Burchard couldn't help but look at his open palm in awe while muttering, "the most powerful magic?"

"However…."

Unfortunately for him, he gets taken out of this short lived power fantasy by Beatrice who continues, "you are unable to actually use magic?"

Surprised and a bit confused to hear this, he looks up from his hand and to her while asking, "what do you mean I can't use magic?"

Without delay she replies, "for unknown reasons you are unable to actually use magic. When I first met you, I could sense that there was some unknown force within you that stops you from using magic, it is as if someone had turned off your ability to use magic I suppose."

With this new information more or less slamming into him like a brick wall, all he could really do was stand there and attempts to process this new information, until finally his head drops in despair while muttering, "so I'm basically useless then…."

Though she quite enjoyed seeing him standing there defeated and wanted to let him sulk is his own misery, another thought comes to mind with her telling him, "that is not entirely true I suppose."

Caught off guard to hear this, and with a feeling of hope once again building within him, he slowly looks up and with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, he watches as she continues, "due to the over abundance of mana within you with no way of naturally depleting it, you most likely experience side effects from the excess mana within you."

Again, he was confused to hear this but with a thought coming to mind, he thinks to himself, "side effects? Was that why time slowed when I was concentrating? I wonder what other…."

Before he could finish his thought, he gets startled out of it by the sight of Beatrice who was now standing directly in front of him and looking up at him with a piercing gaze. Before he could ask what she was doing, she tells him, "and there is another thing you are capable of doing I suppose."

Caught off guard and feeling a bit nervous, he asked her, "and what might that be?"

With her piercing gaze remaining unchanged, she replies , "it's quite simple really…."

For some strange reason, she extends her hand out to him while continuing, "you can give it to me."

Surprised and a bit caught off guard by this strangely familiar phrase, he couldn't help but look back at her with a raised eyebrow while asking, "so you want me to give you my mana?"

She simply nods in response and while continuing to hold out her hand, she replies, "you are correct."

He then asks, "so you need my permission to take my mana?"

Though she was slightly annoyed by his redundant question, she simply replies, "you are correct I suppose."

Though he got the answers to his questions, this only causes a new one to pop in his head with him asking, "hang on, but if you're so powerful then why do you need my permission to take my mana?"

Finally at her whits end with his questions, Beatrice snaps back, "normally Betty can take mana from others with ease, but an unfortunate turn of events has happened I suppose."

The annoyance in her expression grows sourer as she continues, "after forcibly taking Subarus mana, ms Emilia was quite mad at Betty and has stated that if I ever forcibly take someone's mana again, she will do a truly vile thing?"

Hearing that Emilia could do something considered vile piques his curiosity enough to ask, "and what would that be?"

With a tear forming in her eye and the sound of her choking back tears now echoing through the infinite library, Burchard becomes a bit concerned as to what she would say until she finally tells him in a whimper, "if I do it again…. Then she won't let Betty play with Bubby I suppose!"

The room falls silent, save for Beatrice continuing to choke back her tears while Burchard simply looks blankly back at her. This goes on for a few more moments until it was finally broken by Burchard who asks in a confused tone, "is that it?"

Caught of guard by this, Beatrice seems to forget all about the sadness she felt since she starts to glare at him while snapping, "what do you mean 'is that it'? I never get to see bubby when miss Emilia is away which is most unpleasant, but to know that he where within the walls of this very manor and still not being allowed to play with him would be a terrible fate I suppose!"

Again, all Burchard could really do at this point was stare blankly back at her while thinking, "who the hell's bubby?"

With Beatrice's glare only growing in magnitude by the minute, he tries his best to deescalate the situation by responding, "yeah, that does sound terrible."

Though she continued to glare at him, it starts to ease with her saying, "I'm glad that little brain of yours could understand the magnitude of the situation I suppose."

A bit annoyed to be insulted, Burchard decides to simply ignore it for now while asking, "just so my little brain understands the situation, you aren't allowed to take my mana without my permission?"

She swiftly nods at him while replying, "you are correct."

Though this did make sense to him, he still needed to think to himself, "so I have something she wants but she can't just take it from me?"

With an idea coming to mind, he couldn't help but look back at her with an innocent grin while asking, "but what if I don't want to give you my mana?"

Thrown off by this, Beatrice could only look at him wide eyed while asking, "why on earth would you not want to give Betty your mana? You have no use for it otherwise!"

Unfazed, he casually turns to walk towards the door while replying, "but it's still mine, which means I don't have to give you it if I don't want to…. Unless…."

He slowly looks back at a still shocked looking Beatrice while continuing, "we make a trade."

Caught off guard by this, Beatrice starts to look at him suspiciously while asking, "what do you mean?"

He turns to face her completely while replying, "it's quite simple really so you should understand…."

Though she wanted to kill him for his insult, knowing that this would cause Emilia to definitely never let her see bubby again made her stay silent while he continues, "we make a trade. I'll give you my mana for something of equal value in return."

She continued to glare at him but realizing that there were no other alternative causes her head to drop while sighing in defeat then tells him, "That would work I suppose."

Hearing this causes him to smile gleefully while responding, "great! So what would be something of equal to value for my mana?"

With a hand on her chin, Beatrice thinks out loud while saying, "something of equal value?"

Seeming to think of something, her head springs up while saying, "I know just the thing I suppose."

Burchard watches curiously as she walks over to the bookshelf and after looking for a moment, pulls one of them out. She walks back to and holds the book up to him while saying, "this should be a fair trade i suppose."

Confused by the book in his hand, he looks at the front cover which he can't read with curiosity while asking, "and how might this be a fair trade?"

Hearing this causes Beatrice to roll her eyes then replies sarcastically, "even a simple-minded fool like yourself will know when you open it."

Though he was annoyed by this, he once again ignores her insult and instead opens the book, but as he does, he becomes confused at what he sees which causes him to ask himself, "what the?"

He couldn't help but stare at the open book with confusion for a moment until finally, he slowly reaches into it and pulls out a strange ornate looking dagger that has a gold hilt which is decorated with a few gems. He continues to admire the unique dagger in his hand though with a thought coming to mind, he looks past it and at Beatrice while asking, "so you think a regular old knife is enough of a trade for my mana?"

After putting down the book, he reaches behind his back and pulls out a combat knife while continuing, "and I already have a knife."

Annoyed by the question, Beatrice glares back at him while snapping, "how could you say such a thing! That 'regular old knife' as you call it has been enchanted with magic I suppose!"

Surprised to hear this, Burchard puts away his combat knife then looks back at the knife with intrigue while asking, "enchanted with magic? What kind?"

Though this was a reasonable question, she continued to glare at him but was able to calmly reply, "it is a magic nullification enchantment. To put it into terms that even a small brained dimwit like yourself would understand, if you were to stab someone with it then they would be unable to use any type of magic I suppose."

Again, he was surprised to hear this, though it does give him an idea as he thinks to himself, "nullify magic? That would be useful."

After studying it for another moment, he starts to grin while tucking the knife behind his ceramic plate and tells her, "Yeah, I think that's a fair trade."

Hearing this causes Beatrice to sigh in relief then looks at him with determination while saying, "excellent."

She takes a step-in front of him and reaches out to him while continuing, "now I shall be taking the mana you owe me I suppose."

Caught off guard by her sudden movement, he couldn't help but take a step back while saying, "hang on!"

Angered by this, she snaps, "it is to late to back out of our agreement so hand over the mana!"

While still feeling hesitant by the whole thing, he asks, "I'm fine with giving you my mana but I don't understand how this whole thing works so can you please explain it to me first?"

Though she continued to be angry, she did consider his request understandable. She couldn't help but sigh in annoyance then replies, "very well."

She takes in a deep breathe then with a look of determination, she tells him, "It's quite simple really, I merely need to touch you which will allow me to absorb your mana. Aside from a warm sensation, there are no other negative effects I suppose."

With her explanation easing the concern he felt, he starts to smile at her while holding out his hand and telling her, "Alright then, take what you need."

Without hesitation, she reaches out and takes his hand while saying, "this should only take a moment."

Like she had told him, his hand started to feel warm, though what catches him by surprise was the strange feeling of exhaustion that was quickly taking him over. Before he could figure out what was happening, Beatrice lets go of his hand and proceeds to tell him, "See? That wasn't so bad I suppose."

All he could do at this point was look back at her with heavy eyes while muttering, "what did you…."

Without warning, his legs give out and he falls to his knees but is just barely able to reach out and catch himself. Now on his hands and knees, he is forced to look at the tile floor and with his vision starting to blur, he was just barely able to ask, "what…. Did you do to me?"

With only Beatrices feet being visible in his peripheral, and no energy to look up at her, he was forced to simply listen to her tell him in a smug tone, "oh silly me, I forgot to tell you that draining ones mana would also drains one energy as a whole I suppose."

Though he couldn't see her, he could practically feel her looking down at him with a cheeky grin but with his arms starting to shake under the weight of his own body and his vision going dark, all he was really able to do was simply respond, "for fuck…. sakes….."