Zavier soon realized why she was smiling so broadly. To get an orchid collection, you needed at least a C-level team, but he didn't have a government-approved badge for his team.
The girl had one and purposefully held it out in front of his face to show it off.
Zavier had no choice but to accept her as a member of his team.
He was not prepared for the work while she was a talented healer. He would not have chosen her as a partner under any other circumstances.
"Can you tell me your name?" he finally asked.
"Hansa," she said.
"You can call me Captain."
"Interesting."
Zavier recognized her as a seventeen-year-old girl with jet black hair twisted back into two ponytails.
She was slim, but she carried herself confidently.
Zavier felt bad about choosing Hansa for the task, but she'd been performing well so far and the assignment wasn't too demanding. He would be wasting a lot of time if he chose someone else.
But it wasn't that difficult.
Hansa changed into a tight fighting suit and shorts, along with a belt holding a dagger, some rope, herbs, and other odds and ends she might use to conduct basic medical methods.
While Hansa was a skilled healer, she wasn't the best combatant. At least, that's what Zavier thought. He didn't have time to inquire about it. But she was still his teammate, and he had to maintain a professional demeanor. Aside from that, Hansa was the only one who had volunteered to assist him, and he couldn't afford to disappoint someone who had worked so hard for a better life. He needed to show his worth to his comrades.
When night fell, the two followed the map to a woodland.
Zavier stood there calmly waiting for Hansa to finish putting on her gear while she finished arranging her guns and equipment. When everything was complete, Hansa took the light from her belt and lit the wick.
"Don't you really need a weapon?" She was perplexed.
"I am the most powerful weapon," Zavier stated as he took her lantern without hesitation.
He felt a sense of familiarity when he stared into Hansa's eyes. The feeling then gone as quickly as it had appeared.
'A mysterious man indeed.' Hansa grumbled to herself.
They started strolling down the road and into the woods. They came across a little creek that fed into the river. Zavier paused to listen when he heard rustling coming from upstream.
He knelt near to the stream and listened. As he stood up and took a few steps forward, the sound became louder. He could hear voices from beneath the water. There was then quiet. He stepped into the little pool after a few moments of waiting.
Hansa trailed close behind.
"Won't your mask make it difficult to see in the middle of the night?"
"Why aren't the rest of your members speaking?"
"How old are you?"
"What is your line of work? Combat? Or assistance?"
Hansa was as inquisitive as a child.
She had already asked about a dozen questions by the time they were halfway up the next hill, which seemed quite steep considering that it was the start of their journey. Zavier was surprised that she had managed such a climb, especially given her age and lack of fitness.
Hansa became aware that the light in front of her had vanished.
"What's the matter?"
"hushhh!"
"There are wolves ahead," Zavier said quietly. He pointed ahead to an unseen stretch of blackness.
Hansa found this mysterious man even more interesting, so he asked, "Are you a perception mage?"
"You can make that assumption."
They then chose a more convoluted pathway over the easier-to-crawl main path.
In truth, Zavier's Time-space Eye wasn't quite ready to see that far, thanks to the painstaking exploration his other three clones had done around them beforehand.
When Zavier arrived at a hillside, he indicated that it was the ideal location for camping. He then took a tent from the system's storage space.
"Wow!" Hansa et out a gasp, "Have you got a space ring? Or some other form of space spell?"
"You didn't bring a tent?" Zavier had been immune to similar questions from her.
Hansa stated solemnly, "When you go on a mission, you should be prepared for the possibility of an accident. Bringing a tent would add to the weight, something I don't want to do."
"This is quite unusual. You're not a weak mage by any means, but why haven't you applied for a C rank team badge yet?"
"What is your reason for looking for Lanling grass? Do you enjoy potion as much as I do?"
"I like potion the best since it helps me level up."
"I'm really adept at repairing wounds. If you get harmed, please notify me and I will heal you."
"..."
As she spoke, Zavier had begun to pitch his tent. Hansa burrowed in like a rabbit as soon as he finished.
"I wouldn't mind staying in a tent with you," said what appeared to be the owner's voice from inside the tent.
When Zavier climbed into the tent, he laughed hopelessly and shook his head, torn between annoyance and the want to laugh.
Hansa appeared to be uneasy. Even though she attempted to appear as competent as possible in situations like this one, Zavier could sense humiliation in the air.
She crouched in a tent corner, squirmed, and said, seemingly inadvertently, "Where have the rest of your team gone? Do they not sleep?"
"They'll keep the night watch, and you'll be able to sleep all night." Zavier sat down with the intention of sleeping.
"Do you sleep without removing your mask? Will you have a difficult time?"
The rambling inquiries returned.
"I noticed that your squad members all have the same physique type. Do you use this criterion to screen your members?"
"Do you have any erotic fantasies about me in this case? Are you sure you're not going to hurt me?"
"I'll sleep if you don't plan on doing anything!"
"Will your team members fail to perform their duties? Will we be in jeopardy? Are you concerned about that? "
...
The girl's voice soon vanished at one moment.
Zavier was a little confused. Then he turned around and found the girl hiding in the corner had fallen asleep like a kid.
He smiled before falling asleep as well.
---------------------------------------------------------
The two awoke early the next morning and resumed their journey. According to the map, they still had half a day until they could locate Lanling grass. They were walking in a forest as their feet crunched on the ground.
As they approached the jungle, the sky darkened. The trees kept the wind at bay. They could hear birds singing in the distance.
"It's really lovely," Hansa said.
"Yes," Zavier said dreamily. Nature's beauty never failed to soothe him.
She was startled as a bird soared overhead. She jumped backward, almost falling over. Her heart was racing and she was looking at Zavier as if she expected him to violate her.
"...You can now unwind, Hansa. If I'm here, you have nothing to worry about."
Hansa's face flushed. She crept behind Zavier.
They walked until the afternoon. Except for the occasional animal noise, there were no other signs of life.
Then, all of a sudden, Zavier's expression clouded. His body tensed.
"What's the matter?" Hansa inquired.
"There's someone ahead."
"Who?"
"Unkind individuals."
It turned out that one of his clones had just seen two people fighting in front of him through the time-space eye. The conflict appeared to be reaching its finish based on the surrounding traces and mana in the bodies of both sides of the battle.
A white bone spike appeared from the earth and pierced one's feet. The other took advantage of the situation and used his sword to finish off the wounded one.
Zavier saw the masked man in black's expertise, which immediately made him rigid.
The masked man had attacked Valarie and him in order to obtain the box containing the giant-faced monster. He couldn't be mistaken, because that man's abilities and mana were one-of-a-kind.
He thought for a moment before deciding to fight.
"Shall we go around again?" Hansa inquired, slightly concerned. She wasn't very good at fighting and was terrified of getting into a fight with other hunters.
"Don't be concerned! I'm not going to allow you get hurt." He stroked her head, then arranged for one of the clones to stay with her while the other two clones and the three hiding in the shadows surrounded the unknown masked guy.
Hansa reddened once again, then exclaimed, "If you are harmed, remember to tell me, and I will heal you."
Zavier looked around and waved his hand.
————————————————————————————
Fred was completely exhausted.
He moaned as he deftly slashed another man's skull off "Oh, no! The information provided by the employer is clearly incorrect this time. This person's strength is clearly more than the paper stated."
His actions abruptly ceased after inserting the still-dripping head into the box. Then, almost humorously, he said to the air surrounding him, "You should know, my friend, that sneaking up on an experienced hunter is not a good idea. Especially if your hidden abilities aren't at the master level."
Zavier then emerged from his hiding place, surrounded by his five clones.
He was not startled to learn that he had been detected. He would have been more startled if he had been able to sneak up on them so casually.
"Five C-ranks and one B-rank. I would never talk to you like way if it were normal. Are you aiming for my current condition, in which my strength and mana are going to run out? I have to applaud your ingenuity." Fred said it nonchalantly, but in actuality, he was wary.
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