The next day, Gale and Ronda got up from bed and had breakfast together. Lidia was sent back to her apartment during the night after a few rounds, leaving the two to spend a blissful night with each other.
"Hmm fourth-rank dishes, not bad."
Ronda nodded as she ate her food. She wasn't too impressed; she was eating the same dishes and even fifth-rank dishes occasionally.
"You're an expensive girl to maintain if fourth-rank dishes are only 'not bad' for you."
"Don't be cheap, money is meant to be used anyway. It's better to spend it and become stronger as soon as possible."
"I wonder if your father feels the same way."
They talked and flirted during their meal until it was time to go and report their mission's results to the magus who sent them on it. As they entered the meeting room in the Square Building, they found out that the reporting already started since they came late. They slept in after yesterday's intense activities.
"Why are you two late?"
The magus raised his eyebrow as he looked at them. It wasn't a secret those two were supposed to hate each other, yet they did their mission together and got along so well that they even arrived today with each other.
"We slept in after the tough journey. We couldn't sleep properly out in the open."
Gale explained and the magus nodded.
"It means you're too inexperienced. You need to spend more nights in one of our three training grounds and get used to sleeping wherever you are."
"Yes, Professor. Thank you for your advice."
The reports continued and Alessa announced everyone's kill count when it was their turn to speak. As expected, Gale and Ronda won first place while the advanced mages team won second.
"You can ask for your reward now, or wait for when you face a wall in your magic and want a specific potion to pass it. Which is it?"
Gale and Ronda both chose to keep it for later. Gale didn't even know what potions existed, while Ronda didn't need one now.
"I heard that you could kill an advanced mage but chose to let him go. Why?"
The magus questioned them when they finished telling him about their part in the mission.
"We were heavily wounded and exhausted a lot of mana before, so we weren't confident enough we could take him out."
Ronda explained her reasoning. It sounded like it made sense, but it didn't; the other mage was more wounded than them, spent more mana than them, and their difficulty in dealing with him originally rose from the other 11 mages who were supporting him, not because of his individual strength.
"Whatever, you can go."
The magus snorted and sent them away. He knew she lied, but there was nothing he could do about it. He agreed with their thought process; they would gain nothing from killing that man except for being more tired and wounded. They weren't soldiers and there was no incentive to chase that man.
"Let's take his advice and go to the forest together. I'm really inexperienced in camping outside in dangerous zones and having you with me would be reassuring."
After they left, Gale asked Ronda to accompany him to the forest for a hunting session. His charm worked like it nearly always did when he was talking to Ronda. She was slowly becoming more and more trusting toward him. She already developed feelings as well.
"Hmm, okay. But when we're back you must break up with Valentina, I've waited long enough."
"Sure. I heard there were fifth and sixth-rank beasts in the forest, and some of them are elite beasts. Is it true?"
"It is. It's dangerous there even for us, so you will have to keep your vigilance high."
"Well, how about bringing Lidia along? She could be a great bodyguard and a meat shield in case we need her to be one."
"Do you still have fantasies about her? You should give them up, I'm not the sharing type."
"She really would be a good companion since she is an advanced mage, that's all I meant."
"All right, fine."
She sent a message to Lidia and the two waited for her to arrive at the entrance to the forest. When she arrived, the three registered their names in the guards' booth and entered the forest.
"Generally, the forest's shape is close to a circle divided into 3 rings. The outer ring, the inner ring, and the core ring. Normally there are only beasts in the fourth stage or lower in the outer ring. As for the inner ring, it has some beasts in the fifth stage while the core ring has beasts in the sixth stage. By the way, there aren't any elite beasts in the outer ring usually."
"Why is the Core Area called a ring?"
Gale asked Ronda who was explaining to him the layout of the forest.
"Because it is a ring, it's not the center of the forest. In the center of the forest, there's a huge magic circle from before our era. I heard that the five academies and the other golden forces are located where they are because of the magic circles around them."
"What does this magic circle do?"
"I'm not sure about the details, but it should increase fertility and make the beasts grow faster. This way they don't go extinct, and we can use those places for our training. It was probably used to train the younger generation of the force who placed this circle."
The three entered the forest and marched straight to the inner circle. The beast density was much higher there, and they could face stronger beasts.
---------
"Gale, Ronda, and Lidia went to the forest together. I'm following them secretly."
Alice listened to her subordinate's voice coming out of her watch and frowned.
'What is this boy thinking? And how did he manage to appease Ronda to the point they act like lovers?'
- "No need, I will go there myself."
She was curious and decided to follow them herself and find out what the trio was up to.
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