Two days later after Nico protected Medeia from the monster, he had become more comfortable with his ability.
Lucian thought he was ready to protect the entire village, so he encouraged him, "This is your chance to make amends of your past mistakes, and don't worry, I won't let you accidentally destroy the village."
Nico had seen Lucian's ability, so he didn't question him anymore. The villagers gathered around Nico, hoping that he really could protect the village, which was under the monsters' threat.
Nico took a deep breath before he raised his hands. A golden light shot across the sky, forming a large dorme that enveloped the entire village.
"Nico, you did it!" Sister Jeanne immediately hugged him.
Other hunters cheered and praised him for protecting the village at such a young age.
[Congratulations! You have completed a mission: Fortify the Village's Border]
[Item Reward: Fire Crossbow (Grade-A) — Effect: 60% chance to burn the enemy, range max. 300m, consumed 15 MP per shot]
Finally, she completed her mission after two weeks!
That was the longest mission that she ever had because she had to rely on a child.
The conclusion was no more children in the mission.
[New Mission: Gather Medical Herbs Supply]
Medical herbs supply?
After the system mentioned it, Medeia realized that the village had no medicine other than relying on Sister Jeanne. But what if Sister Jeanne couldn't heal them?
The hunter had to go to the forest twice a week, once a week after the crops grew. Other than Naomi, they could not heal their own wounds and could not meet with Sister Jeanne.
If they were seriously injured, the only way to survive was to use medicinal herbs. However, Medeia guessed the villagers had never properly learned about those things.
No wonder so many hunters had died before she came.
The only person who seemed to know much about the medicinal herbs was Lucian.
Medeia widened her smile as she realized she could use that mission to travel alone with Lucian.
Oh, she would kill someone to spend the time alone with a hotty.
While everyone was busy praising Nico, Medeia pulled Lucian out of the crowd. "Lucian, would you like to go out with me?"
Lucian was silent for a moment. He seemed like he was struck by lightning in the middle of the day. "You asked me on a date?"
Medeia blinked her eyes several times, and a wave of embarrassment swept across her face. Because of her wrong choice of words, they were in an awkward situation.
She cleared her throat, trying her best to hide her embarrassment. "I plan to look for medicinal plants. Since you know a lot about them, I want to ask you to accompany me to find them."
Maybe it was only Medeia imagination, but Lucian seemed disappointed a little bit. "Oh, I'm sorry ... I thought you meant something else." he continued, "and yes, I can accompany you to find medicinal herbs, but actually, It's not an ideal place for you to go."
Medeia felt intrigued. "Why?"
Lucian explained, "Most of the medicinal herbs are grown in the red zone forest, so it will be a long and dangerous journey."
Medeia ignored the rest of the sentences and focused on the words 'a long journey'.
Did he mean a long journey with a handsome man?!
Medeia would definitely sign for it!
"Well, I can't help it. I have to overcome the obstacles before I get the prize, right?" Medeia continued, "Besides, if we can grow the medicinal herbs in the village, we'll have good investments in the future."
The system said the remaining population of the world was 20 millions and Lucian also told her about other habitable places, so someday, they could trade the medicinal herbs with something more useful to those desperate people.
"When do you want to leave?" asked Lucian.
Medeia was a little surprised that Lucian had no objections to her. Others would usually tell her not to do something dangerous or simply forbid her to go because she was a weakling.
However, Lucian just straight up followed her decision after warning her of the danger. He didn't question her or make any comment about how a weakling shouldn't wander into such a dangerous place.
Or maybe he didn't object to Medeia's decision because he was confident he could protect her without fail.
And there was nothing hotter than a man who believed in himself.
"How about four days from now?" Medeia said, "I have to make sure the village has enough water supply before I leave."
Lucian smiled. "Four days later, then."
For three days, Medeia summoned water by using up all of her MP. Because of the level-up, her current MP could summon 7,000 liters of water per day, so the villagers had to build new water compartments to save the water.
Before she left on the next day, she had provided 21,000 liters of water for the village.
"Miss Medeia, are you sure about this?" Sister Jeanne helped her pack food in her backpack. She felt worried because she heard Medeia would go into the red zone forest. "I can heal all of the villagers without herbs."
Medeia, "But what if someday you die?"
Her sentences sounded depressing, but it was the truth. They couldn't expect Sister Jeanne to live forever, so they had to find another way to heal their illness.
"Please, just be careful." Sister Jeanne had no other words to object to her. "The children will be waiting for you, Miss Medeia."
Medeia smiled and carried her backpack. "I will come home."
The children gathered around her as she tried to leave. Nico clung to her coat as if to ask her not to leave the village.
"Miss Medeia, what should I do if I lose control again when you and Lucian are not around?" asked Nico. His voice trembled.
Medeia patted his head. "Then, everyone will die."
Nico rounded his eyes, terrifying by her words. "That's ... that—"
"I'm kidding." Medeia sighed because that boy couldn't handle a little bit of a joke. "Don't worry. Lucian said you're his outstanding student, so you'll be fine."
Actually, he was Lucian's one and only student, but it would help Nico find his confidence.
After saying goodbye to Sister Jeanne and the children, Medeia met Lucian at the village's gate. He was standing there with Bear, then waved at her as soon as they exchanged glances.
"Have you brought all the things you need?" asked Lucian.
Medeia laughed softly. "Yes, Sister Jeanne also packed a lot of food for us. That's why the bag is heavy."
"She's really a kind soul." Lucian took over her bag and letting Bear carried it. "Do you have a compass? Mine was broke when I accidentally step on it."
Medeia nodded. "I have a good one."
[Do you want to take the Mystic Compass from the Inventory? (YES/NO)]
Medeia chose 'Yes' and then put her hands behind her back. When the compass fell onto her hand, she showed it to Lucian. "I'm good with compasses, so let me use it. Just tell me where we're going?"
"We'll head to Vermillion Forest. I guess we'll get there in four days by walking." Lucian thought for a moment and tried to look into the right direction. "If I'm not mistaken, the forest is to the west."
[Activate Mystic Compass]
[Location locked: Vermillion Forest]
The compass needle spun around several times, before it stop. Like Lucian said, the needle showed the direction to the west.
Good thing Medeia didn't let Lucian see the compass, or he might think it was broken.
"Don't worry. I know you're good with direction," said Medeia.