Chapter 31: Right question

In one room, the group of students stood in front of Professor Miller.

“They did a good job. I congratulate you,” Professor Miller said with a smile and, looking at the group, he commented. “Payment for cleaning this dungeon will be sent to your bank account.”

“Payments?” Nicole asked with sparkling eyes.

“As any expedition, you have earned a payment, but remember you will be reduced by the costs of the cleaning equipment,” Professor Miller replied, and with a smile, seeing them stunned, he left.

“My first payment...” Nicole muttered with an excited smile.

The entire group couldn’t help but smile as they listened to her.

It was certainly exciting to receive the reward for their hard work... Aurora could understand their excitement.

“We’re finally done with our first job,” Leslie muttered in exhaustion.

They were now at the Hero Academy, and even though they had a few hours’ drive to Mexico City, where the Cosmos Portals were located, they had ended up exhausted.

Being in a time of stress, fighting, and facing enemies... It was hard.

“I didn’t expect a Rank B dungeon to be so... Troublesome,” Clémentine said with a strange expression.

“Well, this dungeon wasn’t cleared in a month, so it was normal for there to be several B-Rank creatures in it,” Aurora explained calmly and added. “In cases like these where dungeons aren’t cleared, it’s normal for an A-Rank to go with the group in case of concern. That or increase the number of participants.”

If Alice wasn’t in her group, Aurora was sure it would have been difficult to clear her.

She was a fighter and, at the moment, lacked skills with area effects; Clementine was strong, but if they had depended on her, they would surely have failed when she was exhausted.

“By the way... Can I upload the video to my social network?” Leslie asked with a shy expression, and seeing the group looking at her, she explained. “My battle armor recorded the entire battle, and on social media, I commented on what I was going to do and wanted to post it.”

“Oh, you also have to post it on the academy’s social network,” Clémentine said with an amused smile.

“Yes, yes... The heroine’s section! Alice will surely get a lot of votes!” Nicole declared, nodding solemnly as she looked at Alice.

“...” Alice stopped her hand with chips near her mouth as the group suddenly glared at her.

Aurora was sure her friend didn’t know what they were talking about, and she wasn’t aware that she had a fan club and was ranked as the top heroine among the incoming students.

Beauty, talent, strength, and an attitude that only food mattered to her was what made her a target for admiration.

After all, Alice had never gotten cocky about her talent, and although she was lazy in some classes, it wasn’t as if she wasn’t smart.

Aurora was pleased that Alice was so recognized and admired; after all, she needed a face for her group, and Alice was perfect for attracting students she wanted to hire, or at least teach.

As for whether she was overshadowed? Aurora never cared.

She preferred to be in the shadows, where no one paid any interest in her actions and where she just had to do what she preferred with no one bothering her.

After uploading the videos to the academy’s social network and other social networks, the group said goodbye.

On the way out of the academy, Aurora and Alice ran into Erica and Andrés.

Both individuals asked her questions about the entire process, and after answering honestly, the duo took a cab to the mansion.

As they traveled, their holographic watches vibrated as the bank account notification popped up.

“129,000 thousand dollars... Oh, that’s pretty low,” Alice commented as she saw the transaction number of her bank account.

The cab driver waggled his eyebrows in disbelief at hearing those words, but Aurora added. “Well, you ripped most of the creatures apart, and the total value had to be divided into five, so I think it’s okay.”

They had earned over half a million dollars in total, although it was enough to indulge in various treats, for the adventurers, it was an average figure without much profit.

Leslie had used grenades and spent a lot of bullets that could affect beasts that had strong defenses against standard weapons.

Aurora didn’t know the value very well, but she was sure she had spent over fifty thousand dollars on ammunition alone.

But that was fine because of the level of attack they carried out.

Clementine and Alice, who were the main attacking forces, tore their enemies apart without holding back.

The spiders were hunted for their internal organs, and the alchemists required it to make all kinds of potions, so the few materials they could get from the spiders were surely severely damaged, losing their value completely.

Alchemists were too strict a profession that only bought materials in perfect condition, so it was normal that they could not sell what was damaged.

“What do you suppose the others will think?” Alice asked curiously.

They risked their lives for a hundred thousand dollars... That was the truth behind the payment, and for that reason, Professor Miller paid them even though the students were protected, and the academy took care of everything else.

“I don’t know... Maybe they don’t feel anything. Leslie and Clémentine come from a family of billionaires, and as for Nicole... She’s probably happy,” Aurora answered, and seeing Alice’s gaze on her, she explained. “The group seems to want to become heroes, and they’re not here for the money.”

Aurora had paid enough attention to her to find out about their background, and what she could see up to this point was that their desire to be heroes was sincere.

Alice gave a half-hearted nod.

The cab quickly moved through the city, and after a few minutes, they arrived at the mansion.

Aurora made the payment for the ride and only sighed as she saw dozens of tourists in front of the mansion’s entrance taking pictures.

“Again, these guys here...” Alice muttered, shaking her head.

“Just leave them alone; for them, this place is full of mystery,” Aurora commented, and ignoring the tourists and the guides giving stories about the mysterious mansion, they walked inside.

Aurora ignored the exclamations of surprise from the tourists behind her back and sighed again.

On the internet, the owners were not as mysterious as the tour guides wanted to make them out to be.

It was just her parents who had stayed for some time here and were revealed on the internet.

Although it was perhaps not a lie about it being the first building, the reality was that the multinational Cosmos created this island, and at the time, they sold many buildings.

Even so, Aurora did nothing with the tour guides who brought people here.

They didn’t bother her and only added mystery behind the mansion to make it look more attractive.

With those thoughts, Aurora entered her mansion, and the first thing she did was take a bath.

No matter how unique the cleaning items were, a comfortable and relaxing bath was the best thing to do after a hard day’s work.

When she went downstairs to the living room, she found Alice with her black hair wet as she ate chips and watched the news.

Aurora sat down next to her.

“What do you want for dinner?” Aurora asked, as usual.

“How about...”

Alice was about to speak when Aurora’s watch vibrated, and she, with an apologetic smile, had to answer as she noticed it was her coworker.

“Liam, what’s wrong?” Aurora asked, trying to keep Alice, whose gaze had turned slightly cold, from appearing on the screen.

“Boss, we’ve received a new job,” Liam said, and noticing that Alice was about to speak, rejecting him on the spot, he added. “It’s from Director Vincent. I thought you might be interested.”

Aurora was surprised, and Alice looked at him curiously.

“Pass me the information,” Aurora ordered, interested and intrigued.

Liam immediately obeyed, and the next moment, all the mission information was on her holographic watch.

It was a protection and, if possible, capture mission... A standard mission for a group of mercenaries, only this mission came from a powerful Grand Archmage of SS Rank.

Their protection target was not Director Vincent but the students.

The report detailed the problems the director was having with the recent attack and infiltration, all because of a grimoire he purchased.

In both cases, his preparations failed, and that is why he was now seeking help from the mercenary group.

Director Vincent was sure that another attack would happen, but this time he wanted to capture the attackers and, if possible, the mastermind, but his principal goal for the group was the protection of the students.

“I guess he had no choice but to hire us...” Alice commented and, after eating some chips, muttered. “You seem to have ruined several of his plans.”

Aurora’s lips quivered.

Was it for that reason that when that old man infiltrated the academy, there wasn’t a grimoire but an ordinary magic book?

The only reason that came to Aurora’s mind was that Director Vincent wanted to follow him and see who it was delivered to.

“What do you want to do?” Aurora asked her friend and co-worker.

On this mission Director, Vincent had given her access to watch all the fighting that would happen as a student helping the sophomores protect the others.

There was also a rather juicy monetary payment, but that was the least of it.

“Do you want to weigh in on these matters?” Alice returned the question.

No... That was Aurora’s answer.

She had no intentions of meddling in matters such as these, still...

“Serving as a protective backup for the students is worth it,” Aurora murmured with a determined expression.

Although Urfin and his security guards protected them when they were in Greece, the truth was that these cultists were dangerous.

They were humans who were insane, and in their insanity, they were willing to not hold back in order to survive.

Just by simply attacking the city of Athens, which was the place where foreigners from another world who in themselves were strong, let their foolish madness show.

“Then let’s accept, but let’s make a counteroffer,” Alice replied with a soft nod, and seeing her friend look at her, she asked. “Didn’t you want to take some heroes to help us? Why don’t you ask Director Vincent for payment to give us higher priority at Real Practice time?”

Aurora nodded.

Watching the students struggle and then, with the privileges of the group, send out some invitations that have higher priority than the other invitations... It was a good idea.

—Your group is already included in the list of possible mercenary groups to join.

Her system informed her, the reality, and Aurora logged into the mercenary account within the mercenary guild application.

And just as the system said, they listed her group as one of the choices.

Not that she had a good relationship with the Director, but sometimes she had accepted some individuals for internships for a few months.

Some came from the Hero Academy or other academies or schools... Helping a promising rookie was something she usually did.

“If we have higher priority, I’ll be able to send invitations to those students I’m interested in,” Aurora murmured, nodding quite motivated.

Was it an excuse to accept a mission that would protect students, or was it the truth?

Aurora didn’t care and just sent the answer to Director Vincent.

It didn’t take long for Director Vincent’s acceptance to come through.

This wasn’t much of a concession, for although her invitation would take priority when it came, the students had the choice when it came to deciding to go or not.

“Perfect. I’ll go train,” Aurora replied, rather excited to have work again, and seeing that Alice was looking at her with a forlorn puppy dog expression, she added. “We’ll order some food to celebrate our first student success.”

Alice shook her head at Aurora’s amused tone, leading to her having to hold in her laughter, and walked out into the courtyard.

Without needing to command her system, she was teleported to the empty, boundless white place.

This small boundless white dimension with its own rules would surely fascinate space wizards.

Aurora looked around for her elderly master, but froze when she saw someone else present.

“Oh, this is your apprentice...” a tall old woman muttered.

She was almost two meters tall, and Aurora had to raise her head to look at her, but the most striking thing was that, despite her hair being grayish-white, she was in admirable shape.

A well-sculpted physique, straight back, and the appearance of an imposing fighter capable of shattering mountains with her fists.

That’s what Aurora saw, and the truth was that looking at such a tall woman with a muscular physique would give anyone that feeling.

“This is my acquaintance. Never mind her name, just call her old woman, and this old woman will take care of your training to make you a fighter,” said her elderly master, and then looked at Aurora sharply as he tapped the sheath of his katana.

It was clear he was asking her, his reward.

“Master, I will see to it that I bring your gift as soon as possible,” Aurora replied, and then approached the old woman and bowed formally. “Your apprentice pays her respects.”

The old woman was stunned, and when she saw the old man raise his eyebrows at Aurora’s quick ‘betrayal,’ the old woman couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Yes, apparently she’s smarter than you, you old fogey,” declared the old woman, wiping away her tears and slowly regaining her composure she said. “You’re a smart young lady, so I’ll give you a chance.”

With an erect posture that showed her intent to fight, the old woman looked at Aurora and, with a serious tone, declared. “If you want me to teach you, face me with everything you have... If I think you have what it takes, I will be your master.”

Aurora nodded at those solemn words.

Her old master was bought with items that caught his interest, and now if she wanted to win this old woman’s approval, she had to play by her rules.

“I understand,” Aurora replied and got into a battle stance while reinforcing her body with magical energy, but...

“Do you want to face me as a fighter? Is your desire to improve so low?” the old woman asked with a serious tone, and seeing that Aurora was stunned, the old woman ordered. “Use your sword and show me what that old man taught you.”

Aurora opened and closed her mouth, but when she saw the old woman’s solemn expression, she nodded with a solemn expression.

******

The old woman watched as the young woman lay on the ground with her sword still in her hand.

She was clutching her sword tightly, and although there was a slight tremor, that was nothing compared to her expression.

It was a serious expression, understanding that the sword in her hand was a weapon... A lethal weapon, but that very expression did not match her aura and surroundings.

Instead of the desire to use her sword, it seemed more like a duty and obligation with too many responsibilities on her.

The young woman was a skilled swordsman, but once she lost her target, she just looked like a mindless, monotonous machine.

“That’s enough.,” ordered the old man in a serious tone, and the old woman raised her hands and took distance.

Aurora, upon hearing her master’s voice, dropped to the ground, exhausted and in pain, but her first move was to put her sword away, as if she found it hard to hold it in her hands.

“So what do you think?” the old man asked with a serious tone.

He touched the handle of his sword, slightly annoyed, not at his apprentice’s performance but at the attitude she had taken while fighting.

The old woman could tell the elder’s emotions; even so, she was not bothered.

“She is quite skilled and talented... As your apprentice, she does not disappoint,” the old woman commented and noticed how Aurora stood up after being revitalized by a white aura.

Her expression as she carried her sword differed from her current one.

She now had an expression of jubilation and joy, very different from the expression full of seriousness from before... The change was so significant that everyone could see it.

“Sure, she’s a better swordsman than she is a fighter,” the old man declared proudly.

“Shut up. You don’t know anything.” The old woman quickly interrupted, and they both looked at each other intending to fight.

Clashes between fighters and swordsmen were common to the point that both represented the rivalry between the two professions.

“Now I understand why she took so long to arrive...” Aurora muttered from afar.

The old woman let out a cheerful laugh upon hearing her.

The truth could be seen that way; leaving the two of them together in one place was asking for trouble.

“I will accept you as my student...” the old woman said and, with a smile, introduced herself. “My name is Latfigar, but you can call me master or elder; it’s all the same.”

Aurora immediately smiled cheerfully at those words, but the old woman didn’t pay much interest to her and circled around Aurora, looking at her calmly.

“I’ve already seen your confrontations, and you have no talent... Well, the talent of geniuses to grasp things instantly, however, you are skilled,” Latfigar stated with a with disinterested tone.

The seated elder agreed.

Someone talented wouldn’t be stuck in one rank for several years; that was Aurora’s big difference from other individuals... And the problem was that as a swordsman, she was talented, so she would always be compared to that.

Still...

“You have a great flaw. A flaw that prevents you from manifesting your combat aura, a flaw that makes your movements mechanical and stiff... You lack naturalness,” Latfigar stated, and giving her a moment to let Aurora think it over for herself, she specified. “The naturalness of your mind and body is important.”

Aurora frowned, trying to catch those words, but the old woman, like a fighter, was direct.

“What is your reason for fighting?” the old woman asked, and noticing that Aurora immediately froze, she pointed out. “Once you find your reason for fighting, you will realize what I mean.”

Seeing that he had nothing to say, Aurora withdrew, exhausted but with a thoughtful expression.

“Why did you tell her so easily?” The old man asked with a serious tone.

Latfigar shrugged and replied. “You have seen Aurora yourself. She is extremely skilled, but at decisive moments she freezes, and her movements become mechanical.”

“Her mind is unstable, and that is why for a long time she could not manifest her combat aura when her skills and physical body already exceed a mere B-Rank,” the old woman commented, and looking at the old man beside her, she added. “She is skilled and just needs the right question to lead her to the right answer... Instead of being stuck in her past, she needs to face it.”

Pausing for a moment and looking at the old man tapping the sheath of his katana, she continued.

“You have wanted time to heal her wounds, but I am different... As a fighter, she has to face her problems head-on,” said the old woman, and with a serious expression, she stated. “This is the time to face it.”

The time to move on.