Part 1

Roughly four hours after our meeting in the lab, me, Lucas and Legis had finally reached the border of the “blackened hills”. The hill itself was rather short but it instead spread largely around the land. On the side of the hill a pine forest grew luxuriantly thanks to the hill being close to a river and the existence of the “black earth stones”, vastly known for their use in alchemy as some sort of booster. Or so Legis said.

“Let’s leave the horses here-” Said Lucas who took command of this expedition “-we’ll go in by foot”

Leaving the horses tied to a wooden pole closeby, we begin setting foot into the woods. The air was damp, filled with a musky smell that freed my nose and filled my lungs with vitality. It’s not like this world’s air is polluted so there’s clean air basically everywhere, but this one. This one was a step ahead of the rest.

[Is this the effect of the black earth stones?]

During our four hours trip, Legis profusely spoke about those stones. He told us everything, even the smallest details that didn’t concern us. How to find them, why are they so rare, what’s their effect if mixed with various potions, how the level of purity affects the end product...Yet one thing remained uncertain. Legis told us he needed those stones as a booster for a potion of his invention that he’s been working on for quite a while. I tried to question him about the potion itself since it was my first time hearing about potions. Unfortunately he didn't give me any clear answer, be it the so-called secrecy of the inventor or some sort of good charm, he changed topics whenever they got close to potions.

“Oh now that I remember-” Said Legis out of the blue, finally breaking the silence that was our constant companion for the past half an hour “- I heard some troubling rumors about the north side of this forest. I’d suggest we stay clear of *cough* that side”

“What kind of rumor was it?” Asked Lucas in front of the line.

“I heard that a nasty monster made that part of the forest it’s home. Mhh, I can’t seem to remember it’s name, I don’t have a good memory!”

“Do you remember what tier it was?” I asked from the back of the line.

“Mhhh if I recall correctly It should be a silver rank...I think”

“I don’t trust rumors that much but, just to make sure, let’s stay away from that side” Declared Lucas with a commanding tone worthy of a general. Being the one leading a quest was kind of getting to his head, but he at least seemed to have fun.

The gathering proceeded smoothly. In the next couple of hours we walked around places where trees and moss were more abundant and dug out the rocks underneath their roots. We kept finding and digging stones virtually undisturbed if not for some small monsters and some curious animals that came looking at us from a distance. When the reddish pouch dangling from Legis' side was finally filled with shiny black and grey stones the size of a kid's fist, we were able to call it a day and backtrack to leave the forest.

On our way back we stopped by a small river to rest a bit and have some fast lunch. Well, the one who needed rest the most was Legis. He wasn’t even walking straight anymore. Apparently not only he had no talent for fights but also for anything physically related. We were basically forced to make a pause if we didn’t want to carry him on our shoulders.

As I was halfway through my beef sandwich, a noise of wood cracking coming from our back made me raise my guard instantly. It was mostly an instinctive reflex. In that exact moment I slightly spread my mana, in case the noise was from a roaming monster able to sense mana, in the direction of the noise. Looking around I found that I wasn’t the only one being attentive. Lucas had dropped his sandwich and was now standing perfectly still with his eyes closed, probably trying to heighten his sense of hearing. At that moment, the mana I previously spread on the ground picked up something.

“Lucas, we got company” I said while keeping my voice low.

“Yeah, I heard footsteps. Can you tell how many are they?”

“Mhh no. I’d say roughly fifteen, maybe twenty. I can’t be more precise than that”

“Shit! With those numbers it doesn't look like they are here to pick up mushrooms!”

“Don’t jump on the sword! They could be here to kill the supposed monster that lives on the north side...let’s wait and see how it plays out, ok?” I patted my brother’s stiff shoulder of the arm that was already grabbing the hilt of his sword.

“Mhh, what’s the matter?-” Asked the clueless Legis with his mouth half full of sandwich “- You both look soo stiff, something’s wrong?”

“Don’t ask questions and follow our orders. Let us do the talking, you stay behind us. Some people are approaching us. We don’t know who they are or what they want but if things get bad...run”

Legis nodded, shutting his mouth and hiding behind us, close enough for us to intervene if things turn bad but far enough to give us some space for movements. Lucas had his hand firmly gripped on the hilt of his sword while I moved the wand from the bag on my back to the internal side of my sleeve, near the wrist. The noises of broken wood and footsteps increased until various figures started appearing from within the shadows casted by the trees. Some troublesome individuals were mixed in the group: a couple of sturdy-looking guys in full plate armor, two more guys in the backline equipped with bows and one hooded figure holding a long wand. The rest looked to be about the average adventurer, the one you find drinking the day away in a tavern. Yet something was off, the stiffness and rhythmicity of their movement was not something commonly seen in adventurers, especially groups this large. It felt more like soldiers.

“Ohh a pleasure seeing fellow adventurers around these parts!-” Said one of the adventurer looking-like people of the group “- Would you mind sharing some space? My men are becoming thirsty after walking for soo long in search of the nasty monster residing these parts!”

“Oh so a subjugation mission! I heard those are very dangerous, I hope luck will be on your side! You and your men can take over the place, we were just about to leave anyway” I replied, faking the most gullible smile I could think of.

“Ahh but what’s the rush? Come on! We are all adventurers here, why don’t you guys keep us company? We’ve got plenty of food!”

Continued the man after putting his hairy hand on my shoulder. I looked to my right and met with Lucas’ eyes, bobbing my head slightly in a little nod. He slowly started moving his feet in position, ready to strike at the given moment.

“Your offer is very kind, usually adventurers are more the selfish type. But now I wonder...did Gallher really commision a monster subjugation, or was it more about humans?”

Glaring at the now pale man profusely sweating in front of me, I finished my sentence. His hold on my shoulder weakened as gasps of surprise rose from the crowd behind him.

[Seems like they didn’t expect us to know. This might make things easier...they might be unprepared! Still...those numbers are scary!]

A strong sound of hands clapping came from behind the last line of the troupe. As the sound approached, the people in front of it moved to the side, making it possible for the one making that sound to come forth.

“Oh my, we have a smart boy here!-” Siad a feminine voice “- I didn’t expect you to know that already. *sigh* What a shame, and here I went through the trouble of preparing the scene for you “unfortunate” departure from our prestigious academy”

“Oohh at last I can finally thank you!” I said with a scherning tone.

“Uh?”

“Long green hair styled in two twin drills. You must be the person that sent some adventurers our way to “kindly” gift us their belongings. You see, by selling them we actually made some good money so I suppose that thanks are in need!-” The unpleasantness on her face became too much for her to hide it behind a fake smile. As my amusement increased, her face started turning into a grimace full of anger “- But I wonder, is Gallher going to come face me in person or is he going to send every single lap dog like you he has at his disposal? Beating a bitch is no fun at all!”

With my last remark her anger exploded in a fury. Her face was now of a livid red colour with the veins on her temples swollen. The red lipstick she was wearing was rapidly coming undone by her frenetic biting of her lips.

“YOU FUCKING PEASENT! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A BITCH?!”

“Oh my, did I perhaps make you angry? I’m sorry for my lack of touch, you see I’m just a peasant...I simply thought that you were already aware of your condition. My deepest apologies” I concluded bowing as my brother and Legis, for some reason, did the same but couldn’t contain their laughter.

“JUST-JUST FUCKING KILL THEM ALL!”

Part 2

- LARISSE HIGORA’S POV-

It all happened because of him. Because a mere commoner, a peasant, was able to beat the adventurers I sent. A couple of days after the incident in the “moonlight woods”, I was summoned, alongside with the other members, to Gallher residence...with haste.

I was the last one to come. Everyone was already waiting for me in the conference room, sitting on their chairs at that round white table. The moment I entered I felt the cold gazes of the people on me but no words were spoken, not even breaths could be heard. Were they judging me?No, there was no need to judge someone who’s verdict had already been delivered.I only realized that later.

“Oh, Higora-san. You were just the person I was waiting for! Come, sit!” Said Gallher, extending his hand towards the empty spot that was my usual chair.

“I heard you were the first one to make a move on Bluescale. Tell me, how did it go?”

His tone was not that of someone who’s curious, rather it was that of someone who wants to shame. With the faint sense of a scheming smirk on his lips she smiled at me as he finished his words.

[I’m fucked...he already knows!]

“Well yes, I tried to attack him by engaging some adventurers…”

“And?”

“...and they failed”

“Oh my, failed you say?”

“...”

“I asked you a question!” WIth his fists hitting the table his voice raised into an angry shout.

“Y-yes t-they failed and got beat up as a result...b-bu-but I made sure that your name was never mentioned, mine neither, so there’s no way that peasant could track us even if they interrogated the adventurers!”

“Why are you saying this? That is the bare minimum!....Ugh, have you at least seen him fight?”

“N-no. I thought that six adventurers were enough to handle him but I miscalculated and he was with his brother soo…”

“So you’re assuming that his brother, that Lucas Bluescale, another one towards the end of the rankings, was the one who handled six adventurers?”

“I-I think so”

“Then what about the adventurer that was attacked by magic? Is this Lucas a high enough tier to make that much damage?”

“No sir-” Answered Charles. That blonde book-worm who’s only worth is being the son of a high ranking noble and the ability to use high tier buff magic “- I looked up the people around Bluescale, just in case, and it turns out that his brother is now studying in the basic tier course”

“Heard that Higora? It couldn’t have been him. Hahaha what else could you expect from a lowly peasant?!...Now the question still remains Higora, who was the one who inflicted that injury?”

His tone was frightening, menacing. I knew I had to choose my words carefully, my future would depend on them. I looked to my left in search of help from the one who accompanied me that night. But Danthe wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation, nonetheless to my silent plea. He was leisurely playing with a golden coin, tossing it in the air only to catch it as soon as it was about to hit the table. I was on my own.

“I-I-I believe that someone else w-was inside the forest! Yes, it must have been someone else! A-an injury like that could never be inflicted by a peasant! Right?” I looked around, desperately looking for the approval of the people around me. A slight laughter rose up from the table and Gallher’s tense and angry expression softened a little.

[I’m saved! Thank the gods I’m saved!]

“Wrong” Said a voice coming from my left.

“Mh? You’ve got something to say Hannes?” Asked an annoyed Gallher.

“That night we made sure to check that the only ones entering the woods were the Bluescales. So no, it’s impossible that someone else was there with them”

My world crumbled. The looks turned towards me, this time angry. It wasn’t my intention to lie, it just...came out. I was only trying to save myself, lying was nothing but an impulse, and those hypocrites sitting at the table doing nothing were now ready to deem me as worthless.

“WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT ?! I was the only one who made a move, the only one who took action while all of you stood there doing nothing but postponing! I should be praised, NOT JUDGED LIKE THAT BY YOU!”

“But I do believe I have the right to judge you. Besides, I’m the one who created this group, am I not, Higora?”

Silence fell in the room. The gazes of the other members still upon me but none dared to meet the gaze of our leader. I had no idea of what would happen to those who failed. Being kicked out? Being shamed? Become an enemy of the Gallher house? I could only phatom my fate as I waited for him to deliver his words.

“Let me ask you this, Higora. Why weren’t you in there with the adventurers making sure that the job was well done?”

My eyes widened as panic replaced the blood pumped by my heart.

[Why wasn’t I there?]

“Funny how the same question could be asked to you too Delvin” The sound of a coin hitting the robust wooden table accompanied the taunt of his words.

“What was that, Hannes?” The veins on Gallher’s face were swollen. It was always like this whenever Danthe opened his mouth.

“I simply saying that you’re a bit of an asshole if you are going to scold her for not doing the job with her own hands while you’re the first one who shrugged the issue onto someone else”

“Another word from you and-”

“And what?-” interrupted him a now pissed Danthe “- And what? You’re gonna send those pathetic excuses of a mage against me? Or are you coming yourself? No wait, that’s not something a stuck-up son of a duke would do, right? You have nothing to threaten me with, plus this meeting is boring. I’ll be at my usual tavern if you’re looking for me!”

His words were delivered while walking directly out of the room, with disrespect and nonchalance as if a prince was talking to a baron. It amazed me how much confidence Danthe had to incur in Galler’s anger having only his own strength as a backing. But a fool is still a fool. I saw it for myself, even before the lessons started, how fearsome Gallher could be. If you’re an enemy that he can’t beat on the battlefield then politics will become his battlefield. The son of a viscount was foolish enough to anger him. After not more than a week, his parents forced him to go back home. If rumors are correct, Gallher’s father pulled some strings in order to have that viscount’s son exiled, if he didn’t leave school that is. I feared that the same fate was awaiting me.

“How annoying! Fuuuu, at least now we can talk civilly. Soo back on the topic at hand...would you mind telling me why you didn’t go personally?”

“I-I didn’t think that my input w-was needed against a peasant...I was wrong...I’m ashamed”

“Mhhh-” A moment of silence that seemed infinite followed that sound. The whole room was waiting. Waiting for Gallher to speak, to choose my fate in the group or...to get rid of me.

“-Well, I suppose you shouldn't be ashamed to have misjudged a peasant. You’ve done nothing wrong by deeming him worthless and incapable. It simply turns out that he has some sort of trick, I believe. That said, the fact that you failed still remains nonetheless, and you clearly know how I don’t like failures. But don’t worry, I won’t kick you out or anything...not for the time being at the very least...You’ll have one, and only one, chance to redeem yourself. Do whatever you can with whatever means possible, I don’t care how you do it, but this time you’ll have to get rid of him. Oh, and no help from the other members. You understand what it means to fail, right Higora?”

“Y-Y-Yes Gallher-sama I-I-I do understand perfectly!”

“Good, now leave. You are forbidden to take part in our meetings until you complete your task!”

“I-I’ll see that it’ll be done to perfection!”

“Yes, that is in your interest”

[Damn you Bluescale! I’ll have your fucking head I swear it!]

Part 3

I spent the next weeks gathering whatever information on him possible. School grades, masters, acquaintances, family, relationships, abilities...everything I could find on him. Yet every single one of my lackeys only said “He looks just like the average commoner”.

“Average a pair of fucking bull’s balls! That guy’s not average at all! He must have some sort of trick, an ace up his sleeve. For the love of the Gods, he’s just a fucking peasant! GET BACK TO WORK! And don’t come back until you find something useful!”

“Miss, it is unbecoming for a woman of the Higora family to talk in such a way. I understand your anger but-”

“If you understand my anger then shut the fuck up!”

“Yes miss”

I kept repeating myself that there must have been something that could be used against him. Yet nothing ever came up. Even at the academy he was never alone and he never accepted a duel. At a certain point I thought about sending Floyd his way. I knew for a fact that the little Gallher’s dog would have done anything to please us nobles. I don’t know what kind of sick upbringing he had but it was disgusting to see him getting off by receiving the slightest sign of approval from one of us. One word from me would have been enough for him to point a sword at Bluescale’s neck. But, would Gallher count it a real completion of the task?

As I was struggling in my room, looking for a way to get out of this rocky situation, a loud sound of feet stomping could be heard approaching my place. Moments later, my butler came inside my room followed by a bearded man. Shabby clothes covered by a rather expensive armor and two short swords dangling from his waist told me that the man was an adventurer.

“Miss, there is a gentlemen here who claims to know a way to strike the Bluescales”

My eyes brightened.

“Good news finally! Speak. Speak! And tell me this idea of yours!”

“Y-yes ma’am! I noticed that the Bluescale brothers have a habit of picking only simple and rather fast quests, usually those that pay relatively good. They come to the guild on Saturday and pick one or two missions that they complete on the weekend”

“Go on”

“I also noticed that a guy from your school comes every now and then to put up various escort quests. The level of those quests is soo low that every adventurer's rank is able to take them. If you were to time it right, you could steal the quest from the notice board and have someone wait for them to pick a quest and have them choose the escort quest. I-if I listened correctly to their conversations, I heard that the older one is a sucker for girls. M-maybe using one to convince him to pick it would work”

“So basically you are just proposing to lure them out in a known place and set a trap?”

“Yes miss. I-if you need men to set up an ambush me and my men are more than welcome to help...of course for the right price”

“Yes yes, I know how your kind thinks. Very well then so be it! I’ll cover you in coins if you are able to have them accept the quest. And be sure to bring every single man you can. I know better than being careless...Report to me once you’ve done your task”

“I-if I may permit, may I ask about the payme-”

“I said I’ll cover you in coins, isn’t that enough? Go at once and don’t show your face until you bring me good results...I can always find other methods or adventurers..be advised”

“Yes miss! I’ll be sure to do an outstanding job!”

[Finally! Finally I can take my revenge on that buffon! It’s all his fault! All his fault! He should have just let himself get beaten by those adventurers the first time...now he’ll pay with his life. And I’ll be sure to be there as he exhales his last breath!]

“HAHAHAHA” A creepy and hysterical laugh sprung from within my stomach that even I didn’t know I was capable of doing. My revenge was finally nearing. I had a plan and people who would make it real. This time I was going to be there and make sure the job was done, even if I myself had to dirty my hands. Gallher was going to be king of the academy, and that little Bluescale peasant was not going to interfere with my plans of being the queen.

- RAPHAEL BLUESCALE’S POV -

In a moment, as the green haired girl commanded, all the people forming the crowd of adventurers and such started surrounding us, bearing their swords and bows at us. The mana around us started changing. A barrier started forming around the zone. The only barriers worth using on a batte of this scale were either a debuff barrier or one that’s used to keep people inside it. The latter seemed more probable since to cast a debuff barrier one had to be at least an adept tier specifically in utility magic, and by the looks of it, that mage had only enough mana to be called a strong practitioner.

“Astar-san, are you able to overwrite a barrier?” I asked in a whisper.

“O-Overwrite?! That’s only something a high mage could do!”

“Yeah, figures. Listen, we are now trapped in a barrier that probably has the function of keeping us inside, furthermore, if that mage is smart, the barrier also has the ability to let some “chosen” to leave it. You understand what it means right?”

“Yeah-” Answered Lucas “-It means we are stuck here fighting while they can recover!”

“Unfortunately yes...that is if we don’t cast another barrier outside the first with the same principles as that”

“That’s risky, that would mean that no one can escape”

“I know. Astar-san, you said that utility is your speciality. Can you cast one like that?”

“I actually *cough* studied a similar type of barrier in course but I never tried it...I guess I can try but I’ll need to focus everything on it to maintain it”

“Yeah, you do just that. Let us handle the rest!”

“Raph are you sure? I mean, isn't running the better option here?”

“I don’t- Stone wall- think that’s an option we have. Even if we break the barrier Astar-san can’t run, he almost passed out while walking, imagine him running away from trained adventures!”

“...So fighting our way out of this is the only way uh?”

“Seems like it...What? The mighty Lucas Bluescale is getting cold feet?”

“HAHA fuck no! Break this wall down brother! Let’s show those bitches what it means to go against us Bluescale!”

“The show’s all your brother...but I’ll have that green bitch as my opponent!”

“Suit yourself!” Lucas screamed as his sword clashed with an adventurer’s one only to punch him right on the chin.

I took out my sword and kept myself close to the chanting mage behind me. As expected they weren’t that smart. If I were in their place, as soon as the mage started chanting I would have ganged up on him. Who knows what a mage might be ready to cast? But well, their mistakes are our cards for victory.Two guys approached me, one carrying an axe and the other a heavy long sword.

I started the fight in the worst possible way. I couldn’t use magic. Not because it was blocked or something else but because I chose to do so specifically. If I wanted my magic to be as effective as possible then I needed to keep it hidden until the barrier was completed. That said, the inconspicuous boost magic was more than allowed.

[Medium strength boost, medium speed boost, medium defence boost]

As mana started to permeate my skin, muscles, bones and tendons, the two attackers started to make their move. The long sword guy brought his hands by his side, readying for a lateral swing of that big chunk of metal while the axe carrying guy started to run towards my left side, clearly trying to flank me in case I either parried or dodged the first attack.

“You two don’t even count as warmup!” I said with a devious smirk on my face.

“The fuck you said you little runt?!-” Screamed the big guy on my left as his face showed clear signs of rage.

[Bingo!]

“No you idiot that’s a-” Screamed the sword guy as he started his swing while the other almost reached me with a crazed spree.

“-I’ll have you know, little shit, I am Osvald from Kam-*phuuaa*”

The big guy stopped in his tracks as I dashed forward and placed one hell of a strong punch right in the center of his abdomen. He started to fold in two, lowering his shoulder looking to comfort the burning pain in his stomach. My sword was ready. With the fastest movement I could possibly do, I thrusted my sword all the way inside his right shoulder, making the shiny metal tip break out from right under his shoulder blade. Screams of pain mixed with puke and drool started gushing out of his wide open mouth. The now in motion swing of the other guy was approaching our position. From my point of view it looked like it was the sword conducting the man, not vice versa.

I rapidly extracted my sword and kicked the creaming guy towards the other. In order not to cut in half his companion, the sword guy lowered his arms making the sword hit the ground and losing balance in the backslash. The two fell flat on the ground one on top of the other.

My right ear capted a sound, something fending the air. I instinctively backed away with a jump, just in time to dodge two arrows aimed at my head and torso.

“Looks like I’m the center of attention...I’m honored. But wouldn’t it be funnier for you to come play too, green hair bitch?” My sword pointed at the direction of the archers where, hiding behind them, was my taunt’s target.

“Sorry but I think I enjoy watching you bleed way more!” Said in response the still hidden girl with a hysterical laugh.

“Ohhh I get it, you’re not confident in your skills. But you don’t have to worry...your turn will come too to taste my sword...as soon as I finish greeting you little pawns”

I dashed to the side, dodging the vertical swing of a short sword aimed at my shoulder. Returning the swing with a diagonal one, the tip of my blade was able to cut through the outer layer of the skin and muscles that sit right in front of the ribcage of a sturdy looking man. He was poorly equipped as he wore no armor and his sword looked rather dull and battered. Another round of screams rose from the field, composing a chorus as it added it’s tones to the screams generated from my brother’s opponents.

The two more guys that walked forward to attack me slightly backed off as they saw their friend rendered unable to fight in one single clean hit. But it was only a moment before they received orders delivered with a loud scream from one of the armor clad adventurers. When they started running one again it was already too late. I had just felt Legis’ barrier solidifying and taking place.

“LUCAS, MANA IN THE EYES!” I screamed as hard as I could so that even with the chaos of blades clashing and men screaming he would hear me.

“GOT IT!” Was the response I received right before another scream was added to the ongoing chaos.

“Stray mist!” I shouted as I spreaded out my mana all around the field.

A thick light grey mist rapidly generated, covering all that was visible. It’s borders were the barrier’s borders and soon the whole place became a sea of mist. A sea impossible to navigate if not for those who were able to manipulate mana. By delivering mana to one’s eyes, one could nullify or decrease the effects of such mist. Of course that goes for the caster too.

“BRING DOWN THE BARRIER! NOW!” Screamed the clueless girl, struggling to see one centimeter away from her nose.

“It’s useless miss, someone placed another barrier outside ours! Nothing would change even if I took it down!”

“WHAT?! When did it happe-”

“Soo-” I interrupted the shouting girl as she was about to hit the mage “-don’t you think surrendering is a good move now...Miss?”

“What?! Surrender!? HAHAHA don’t get full of yourself you shitty peasant! You and your brother injured what? Four? Maybe five of my men? I still got twenty of those, good luck getting out of here! You actually did us a favour by locking yourself in this barrier!” The hysteria in her words was so palpable that I had a hard time keeping myself from laughing.

“Poor dumb girl. There is one thing you didn’t understand.-” I said, gradually lowering my voice “-It is you who are locked here with me”

As I delivered those words, the mage standing next to her fell on the ground with blood flowing out from the back of his knees, right where the tendons are. I cut them in half. The mage wasn’t gonna be moving for the rest of the fight...if he was lucky. The finishing touch was a hit from the hilt of my sword in the back of his exposed head.

The girl screamed as a high school girl would do in a haunted house during a festival, then fell on her knees as the face of the now knocked out mage stood right in front of her.

“The real fun starts now!” I said as I dashed away from the girl who had just wet herself, looking for my next target.