"In that case, we'll head to the forest and eliminate the bandits." Lees smiled, assuring the baron.
"Yeah. Do your best. May lady luck bless you with her presence." Titus nodded.
Lees then led his group toward the forest. Little did they know, there was a pair of eyes observing them from afar.
It didn't take too long for the message to arrive.
In the cave within the hill, a man was sitting on his bone chair. He had long, black hair and a muscular body. Due to the torch illuminating the cave, the temperature within the cave was much warmer, causing him to not use any tops.
After looking at the message, Davei said, "Three people from the Duxia Academy are coming to this place. It seems they're pretty bold. One of them is older, so I believe this guy is a second-year student. They should have strength similar to mine. That's why they're confident."
"Boss. We should kill that person and the other guy and keep the girl! Hahahaha!"
"We should ambush them and make them pay for underestimating us."
"Can they even reach here?"
"They should be able to reach here. The baron has been scouting the area, so they should have found this place."
Davei looked concerned. It felt like things weren't so simple.
However, the former vice captain of the barony, Pavel, stood up and said out loud, "Boss. Just let me do it. My strength has improved a lot. If I have four people accompany me so that two people can pinch each supporter, we will be able to win.
"Besides, I know this forest the most. We can ambush them and deal with them easily!"
Davei squinted his eyes. The bandit group, especially him, had helped Pavel a lot. It was easy to see that Pavel was trying to take advantage of this to express his gratitude.
By killing them, there was no more reason for him to suspect Pavel. After all, Pavel had truly become a wanted person from both the academy and the barony.
"Just let me bring these four guys and a hundred men to shower them with arrows. And I can deal with them. I will ambush them in an area not far, but not too close to the aliens. This way, they can't escape. And if it's not necessary, I won't utilize the aliens."
Davei crossed his arms. After considering a few things, he nodded his head. "Alright. I will give you that chance."
"Thank you! I won't disappoint you!" Pavel's expression brightened.
He looked so eager to earn their trust.
Davei looked at his subordinates leaving the cave while bringing their respective equipment. He couldn't help but squint their eyes, thinking something was missing.
'The baron should have known that we have a lot of summoners. So, why would they send only three people? Is it because Pavel is a double agent? Or is it because he is confident that these three people are enough to deal with us? If the three people come from the number one academy, we would have retreated immediately, but there's a sharp drop in quality between the Frexia Academy and other academies.'
Davei pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering if he was just overthinking the situation.
Meanwhile, Lees and the others had entered the forest, steadily making their way toward the hideout.
Nathan and Serafina entered the forest a bit later and used their fastest speed to avoid all eyes.
On the way, Serafina couldn't help but ask, "Nathan. Are you worried about this mission or something? I saw you frowning when Eliot told the baron that everything was going to be alright."
"Ah, that…" Nathan looked away.
"Now that I think about it, you have been giving out plans, but you have never said they will work according to your calculation. You've been worrying about Selena and the others during the mission… I mean, it's not bad, but it's like you're doing it more than necessary."
Nathan shrugged. "I can give out a plan, but no one can assure that everything is going to be alright. If all of a sudden, there's a continent falling from the sky and destroying the world, no one can really say it for sure.
"If you're going to say everything is going to be alright, then you have to keep your promise. That's why all I can do is continue to worry, think about what the enemies will probably do, and just do my best."
Sera tilted her head in confusion. "I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong, but this is the first time you say it without any confidence at all. Am I lucky to see this weak side of yours?"
Nathan chuckled. "I have been weak this whole time. I just love to act tough."
"You? Weak?" Sera dropped her jaw as if she had just heard something unbelievable.
"Yeah. I'm weak. In fact, I'm afraid the day where I consider myself strong will come one day."
"!!!" Sera was startled. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing it wrong. After all, it felt like her teacher was the one in front of her instead of Nathan.
Sera couldn't help but recall the words that the Pope said back then. "There is nothing more enjoyable than knowing you are weak. After all, being weak doesn't mean a flaw. It just means you know there's room for improvement.
"Once you become strong, that's the end of your path. You won't be able to see the path to become even stronger. You asked me why I was never angry, even when people scorned me, right? It is enjoyable to know that there's still something I can still overcome.
"Ask anyone who has reached the top, they will give you the same answer. We are just waiting to see if there will be a person in the future who can make us think we're weak."
After recalling that answer, Sera fell silent. It was no wonder why Nathan was able to improve a lot in such a short period.
Their mindset was already different.
A smile soon appeared on her face. "I see. So that's how it is."