Wildness and Masks

Lange arrived, bringing with him a new task commission.

The unexpected recommendation from the village had surprisingly elevated their adventurer group's rating to two stars.

This increase in available tasks likely had something to do with the rescued girls as well.

"Young master, here's the task commission for this time..." Lange handed over the commission and then sat beside Ogre, directly across from Foucault.

This was the seat Ogre had reserved for him.

"Ogre, do you want to take a look?" Foucault asked, lifting his head after flipping through the commission, while Ogre was still browsing today's Dandelion Daily.

Ogre put down the complimentary newspaper from the restaurant and extended his hand, "Let me take a look."

After all, there was nothing else to do while waiting for the meal.

"Find a slime that has mimicked a giant dragon... Clear out the demon beasts near the village of Dirk to the west... Investigate the incident of the Demon Swamp Crocodile attacking people... Investigate the disappearance of an adventurer group..."

After Thrandic was severely injured and their numbers reduced, the range of tasks they accepted had broadened significantly.

As Ogre flipped through these tasks, he sensed a certain level of difficulty.

'What kind of ridiculous commissions are these...'

Ogre handed the commission back, suggesting calmly, "Let's drop a few of them and take it step by step. Investigation tasks are mostly for detectives. When it comes to these general tasks, we can't compete with them in efficiency. Combat is where we excel."

Lange and Foucault were momentarily taken aback by this, and then Foucault took the commission back, "Alright, maybe we were being a bit too naive."

"If you want to advance quickly, material collection tasks are actually a good choice. Although the rating might not increase much, some can be completed conveniently while undertaking demon beast clearing tasks," Ogre suggested.

He could tell that the young master in front of him wasn't keen on taking shortcuts.

In the past, Ogre would have internally mocked—if you're going to take shortcuts, why make such a fuss about it?

But not anymore. He realized that Foucault might not simply want to take shortcuts to get into Serris Academy.

'Perhaps he wants to prove himself...' Ogre suddenly thought of Foucault's uncle.

It's possible that his uncle also intended to test Foucault's abilities.

In such a noble family system, they probably wouldn't really care if their offspring cheated or not, but they would definitely care about their true abilities.

A family can have wastrels, but its leader must be capable.

'Without me, it might actually serve as a test of his abilities...' Ogre realized that he seemed to have become a 'cheating' tool for Foucault.

Normally, Foucault and Lange's adventurer group, regardless of the number of members, should be centered around Foucault, testing his decision-making and leadership skills.

But with Ogre's involvement, this process seemed to have been skewed...

Ogre could guarantee that among the apprentices here, no one was more suited to the Demon Beast Forest than he was.

"You're right, Ogre. Let's reorganize the commissions later," Foucault nodded in agreement after some thought, not realizing that he was beginning to value Ogre's opinion more and more.

But that was normal, after all, Ogre was someone who could single-handedly take down two Professionals.

Honestly, Foucault felt that even if he didn't suppress his advancement and became a Professional Mage, he probably wouldn't be a match for Ogre.

Ogre's performance in that state was simply too overwhelming.

Is this really the strength an apprentice should have?

And where did that lightning power come from?

With continued interaction, in Foucault's eyes, Ogre's secrets not only didn't decrease but seemed to multiply.

However, he wasn't foolish enough to ask directly. Everyone has their own secrets, and if Ogre didn't want to share, he wouldn't pry.

"I'm just offering some advice," Ogre said, tapping the table with his fingers and looking seriously at Foucault, "Foucault, you must remember, you are the captain, you are the leader. The one who can truly make decisions here will always be you, and only you."

Since he had decided to help Foucault become a true adventurer, some things needed to be made clear.

"No, no, no, I prefer to see you as a friend," Foucault quickly waved his hand, "It's rare to make a few friends, I don't want to bring that family stuff into it."

"Why are you being so polite now? You weren't like this before," Lange teased, patting Ogre on the shoulder.

"Friends, huh..."

Normally, if someone patted Ogre on the shoulder, he would quickly become alert and even retaliate.

But now, Ogre didn't react much.

He took a sip of his unfinished drink and then relaxed, smiling, "I guess I was being too sensitive..."

Flowers will bloom again, but youth never returns.

Among young people, there's no need to overthink things.

Being overly cautious—makes one seem like an old stick in the mud...

Living too cautiously, sometimes Ogre even forgot he was just a little over sixteen.

'Friends, huh... Maybe I can try interacting differently...'

"Come on, let's eat first, I'm starving," Lange withdrew his hand and started devouring the lobster that had just been served.

Other dishes were also brought to the table one after another.

Foucault pushed a plate with a steak towards Ogre, "I remember you like steak, give it a try. The beef here tastes much better than that tavern we visited before."

During their first gathering, Ogre had ordered steak.

"Thank you," Ogre didn't expect Foucault to remember such a small detail.

"No need to thank me," Foucault smiled.

"Yeah, no need to be polite with the young master. You weren't polite before, were you, Ogre? We've fought together, why so reserved now?" Lange nudged Ogre with his elbow and laughed heartily as if he had seen something amusing.

As people get to know each other, some drop their masks, while others just change theirs...

"Alright, then I won't be polite. Let's have a fight later to fulfill your wish," Ogre retorted without hesitation.

This stopped Lange's laughter.

Recalling the harsh words he had said when they first met, Lange's face visibly froze, "I was just talking..."

"Hahaha, alright, Ogre, have some salad and butter dressing. Eating it plain isn't as fun..." Seeing this, Foucault couldn't help but laugh.

Sometimes laughter is contagious.

"Not just talking," Ogre said, cutting into the steak and deciding to eat it plain—he recently didn't have a taste for sweet things.

"Thran promised to teach you martial skills. Since he's not here, as his senior, I should fulfill that promise," Ogre added, "Don't worry, no charge."

Speaking of martial skills, Lange recalled some memories.

Before meeting Ogre and Thrandic, Lange always thought martial arts were just flashy nonsense—better to train the body and Battle Qi. Once he could learn combat skills, wouldn't releasing Battle Qi be more effective?

But after several encounters and witnessing Ogre's solo battle against a Professional Goblin, Lange's impression of martial arts changed significantly.

"Then it's a deal, you can't hold back."

"It's a deal."