46 The first mission

"Don't expect too much. The F-ranked missions are anything than exciting." Maria said to the eager youth with a pitying expression.

"I see what you mean..." John commented as he shook his head with a smile. He had just read the contents of the requests and couldn't help than be surprised. There were not many missions they could take, but they were all eye-catching.

"A request to clean the public toilet, a sending to gather some dragon flowers... Do you need to be an adventurer to do these jobs?" Vladimir muttered stupefied.

"Look, Vladimir! The cute cat in the painting is lost. We must find it!" Helena also remarked innocently.

"Maybe we should check the D-rank missions."

"You shouldn't!" the one who answered to John's suggestion wasn't anyone from the group, but the female elf who had been listening to their discussion silently.

"It's a taboo to start immediately from tasks of higher ranks. Not to mention that every beginner should do these jobs at least once in his life." Maria, who already had some experience as an adventurer, explained.

"Miss Maria is right. These missions will help you be toughened up, as well as adapt to the life of an adventurer. You can also accumulate experience for the future. Being able to recognize the herbs in the forests can help you have a steady income every time you go on a mission. Many of them have healing attributes, so they might become handy when you are in danger. These chores are nothing compared to the hardships you'll face as you raise your rank. You don't have to be reckless. Unlike others, you aren't desperate to make a profit from this business. Your job is to graduate from the Academy." the elf continued after Maria.

John understood what they meant, but he and Vladimir were special. First of all, they weren't truly beginners in this profession. Their foster father was an S-ranked adventurer, after all. They also had a reason for registering in the guild. They couldn't afford to waste their time in fruitless and time-consuming jobs that would delay them from ranking up. He was about to thank them and refuse their advice, but his brother's statement caught him off guard.

"Let's do it this way then."

"What? Why?" the brown-haired youth expressed his doubt. He knew that Vladimir should have been more impatient than him. Their purpose of learning more about the demons had to do with his brother's goal, after all.

"I know what you mean to say, John. It's alright." the boy replied as his eyes turned to Helena in secret.

'Is he afraid that she will fall behind? It's true that although Helena is a prodigy, she lacks experience. However, I didn't expect that Vladimir would prioritize his girlfriend over his revenge. I wonder if he has realized it. I don't know if this is a good thing or not.'

"Alright. Let's choose the request for gathering the dragon flowers. I suspect that since these missions are to train new members, we'll find these plants in the forest inside the Academy."

"Let's create a party then. Will you arrange it, Bianca?" the black-haired girl asked the female elf upon hearing John's suggestion.

"Sure. Remember that when you rank up, you can act without the company of your upperclasswoman. Please, be patient." Bianca said with a smile, but her unexpected attack caught Maria off guard.

"Are you saying that I am annoying, Bianca? Is this how you talk to your dear friend that comes to fraternize you when you are bored? You have hurt my heart!"

"I am sorry! Please shut up!" Bianca, fed up from the exaggerated answer of her friend, shouted and ran toward a small room.

"She went to validate that we took the request. We don't have to wait. Let's go!" the black-haired girl said and proceeded to leave.

"Shouldn't we wait and say goodbye to her?" Helena asked with some hesitation.

"I realized that we haven't introduced to each other yet. My name is Maria de Woodman. I was the commander of the two boys here during our return to the Capital. Don't be afraid that I'll steal your boyfriend. I like plain guys, after all." as she said that she winked at John while carrying a wide smile. Both John and Helena flushed, but for different reasons.

"I am not plain..."

"Steal my boyfriend..."

Upon hearing their answer, Maria burst out laughing, taking a little time to calm down. When she finally relaxed, she started talking again.

"You see, Bianca isn't a girl that cares about formalities. She has probably already considered that we would leave. Don't worry."

"I see... I mean, I understand. My name is Helena Greene. You said that your surname is Woodman. Do you happen to be related to that Woodman House?" Helena asked fearfully. Since Maria was a noble, she had difficulties talking to her.

"We are students from the same academy, so we are equals. Please, talk to me unreservedly, or I'll be angry. As for your question, I am indeed the second daughter of the Woodman House. If anyone tries to bully you, ask for my help. I'll scare them to death."

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The orange-haired girl felt relieved upon hearing the words of Maria. She wanted to open her mouth again, but Vladimir didn't give her the chance to do so.

"Come on! Hurry! Let's finish with this task today."

******

"It sure is nostalgic..." the brown-haired youth muttered as he put another bunch of flowers inside a wooden basket.

"You were always good at this!" Vladimir complained when he saw that his brother had long finished his task and kept on gathering more dragon flowers.

"If I didn't know it's impossible, I would swear you know the forest better than me..." Maria also commented astonished.

"I can't find anything. I can't! Vladimir, help me!" Helena shouted in tears.

Seeing his brother trying to appease her, John let out accidentally a small laugh from his mouth. Realizing that Helena was looking at him with tears in her eyes, he felt a little guilty.

"Listen, Helena. I am sure that among us, you are the one who can find the most dragon flowers. Don't be stupid like my brother. The dragon flowers are cactus-like plants that conserve water. As a water magician, it should be easy for you to find them. Try to focus."

"Oh? That's a good idea. However, how you discover them so quickly?" Maria said as she looked at the boy with suspicion.

"I am just smart enough to know how to search for them." John didn't lie when he said that. He was accustomed to the characteristics of herbs and plants since he used many of them as poisons. Naturally, he was proficient in finding them.

"I don't like using magic in things like these. Wasting mana inside a forest can become fatal."

'Well, he isn't wrong...' the brown-haired youth thought upon hearing the comment of his brother. He looked at the sky and saw that the sun had started to set.

"Let's call it a day. We have already finished the job, after all. We can come here tomorrow so that Helena becomes used to it."

"Shall we return to the Guild then?"

"I am sorry, but I have a job to do. We can go tomorrow after the morning classes. Will you be free tomorrow, miss Maria?"

"Don't worry. Third years don't have classes. We are currently training for the Tournament of Five Swords."

The Tournament of Five Swords was a contest of Martial Arts in which only students from the five most powerful countries in Andromeda could participate. Maria was the daughter of the Legendary Sword Duke, so she had to answer the expectations of her country by reaching at least the top ten.

"It sounds tough..." John said with sympathy.

"Well... the third prince will participate this year. I can't imagine that guy losing to anyone." the black-haired girl said with a sigh. Her father wanted to marry her to the prince, but she didn't have a good impression of him. He was talented, but an arrogant and overbearing guy. She decided to follow princess Adriana to escape from his influence. Unfortunately, she couldn't foresee the destruction of the Order of Red Rose. It wasn't easy for her to avoid him anymore, especially now that she wasn't a commander anymore.

"Is he that strong?" Vladimir asked with the excitement he was feeling appearing on his face.

'Shit!' Maria immediately thought upon seeing his expression.