"By sword and shield, By fire and ice, By strength and courage, We shall atone for sins. Through the darkest of nights. The most accursed of lands. Wherever evil might be, we shall fight. Grant us forgiveness, grant us salvation, so that we may bask in the Goddess's light. Let the stars shine over us, so that we might bring silence to the unholy."

- Litany Of Empowerment, First Verse Of The Oath Of Silence

The two groups saluted each other. Five saints meeting up with six adventurers, a strange enough occurrence. Her current project that required Aoi's help on the homefront instead of being present herself. It was a calm enough that Eva didn't suspect things would go too awry. On her side, she brought Suzuki's first squadron to trial the concept of independent operations trying to resolve issues beyond controlled environments. The squadron was composed of Suzuki herself, Emi, Ayumi, Miyuki and Riku; two sword wielders, two mages, and an archer. A range heavy group but they were also perhaps the most technically proficient in their roles if not necessarily the most skilled amongst their class. The other side were the members of The Dragon Wagon, an oddly named but no arguably more proficient group.

They weren't Eva's main concern currently, however.

"Didn't think they'd need someone to watch over us." Eva declared to her companion.

He just snorted.

"You find ways to bend the rules. The old man will find his own ways." The minotaur replied.

Sir Taurox was here on an unofficial assignment. The disgraced templar blademaster currently on loan from the Arterian rangers, a last minute addition to the mission under Orator Vitellus's orders. Though the priest had allowed her to hand-wave Inquisitorial oversight away for now, he clearly still wanted some form of insurance.

At least it's someone I'm mostly comfortable with.

"How annoying." Eva huffed.

"Quite so." He agreed readily.

As a skilled blademaster and someone who had once instructed Sophie, Eva felt appreciative enough that he was the one Vitellus had sent instead of someone else. In her opinion, he couldn't be that bad if Sophie was willing to be around him for long. Eva smiled, hope she's doing fine.

"But alas, duty calls."

"Indeed it does." The minotaur chuckled.

Whatever else they might've spoken about came to a halt as the introductions seemed to have finished. The two parties were now turning towards them. One seeking instructions, the other confirmation. She even caught the Dragon Wagon waving at her companion, with Taurox even waving back.

"You know them?" Eva asked with an arched brow, unable to hold back her own curiosity.

"Only once." He tried to whisper as best an almost eight feet tall minotaur that towered over her could, "Did an escort job with them for a trade caravan alongside your maid Sophie and her crew when they first travelled here."

"Oh…" Eva murmured, "I think I remember Sophie telling me about it. Aryana got kidnapped back then, right? A few of you stayed behind to mount a rescue, and… ah! And you stayed behind to finish off the rest while the two moved on." She exclaimed at the sudden resurgence of memories.

"Aye. Another terrible affair. Kept me occupied for a while." He grumbled.

The minotaur then motioned for her to address the crowd, his message clear. It was time to change the topic. She nodded.

"Glad to see everyone's in good spirits!" Eva yelled at the crowd.

A mumbled murmur of agreement reached her ears.

"Good to see you too, Lady Rosengart." Ryo responded, "You catch them up yet?" He asked before cheekily shooting Suzuki a playful wink.

The class president rolled her eyes but didn't rise to the bait. To reward her calm response, Jun took up the mantle and gently bopped her party member on the head. Earning herself an appreciative chuckle from the refined girl.

"They have the most of it. But perhaps you could give them a briefing on what exactly today's mission will entail?" Eva hid an amused smile.

"Hai-hai!" Ryo chirped merrily.

He deftly spun around to address the gathered saints, his movements showing a level of control akin to that of an acrobats. Eva hummed thoughtfully to herself. She recognised not the movement itself but the way he carried it out. For Sophie had begun doing much the same, her movements more firm, more decisive. Yet somehow still poised and fully in control. I wonder what trouble she's up to now?

"Suzuki-san. Everyone. You know the basics of the operation, to clear out some pests on a farm, sound simple enough. And it is." Ryo chuckled to himself.

Suzuki and Riku rolled their eyes. The others simply treating this like a class and listening intently, Miyuki's hand even hovering over her pockets, likely where a notebook and pencil might be.

"But it'll be something done in two phases." Ryo held up his hand, "First, a farmstead on the northern outskirts, they had a commission about some howler monkeys having set up a nest nearby. The monkeys have to go."

A few mumbles of acknowledgement.

"The next one however, a little more tricky. Another nearby farm got another request, this time, a den of weevils and potentially more. They have already made some preparations in anticipation of our arrival, but the job still belongs to us."

"Two missions?" Suzuki queried.

"That's right. Both simple, and should be doable within a day, maybe even before the sun even starts setting." He confirmed her question, "I have been assured by Lady Rosengart that you are up to the task, and I believe it, being your classmate." He winked.

"It has been a while, Ryo, Jun." Ayumi noted from next to Suzuki.

"Quite." Ryo beamed, "We went on different paths, but I'd say we're pretty happy where we are." He looked towards his comrade.

Jun smiled and silently bobbed her head.

"But we know we can handle it." He gestured towards his party, "The question is, are you guys prepared to handle these more mundane foes on your. Lady Rosengart has-"

"You can just call me Eva, Ryo." Eva interrupted.

"Just wanted to keep it formal." He snickered.

She chuckled herself and waved for him to go on.

"Lady Eva, your sensei. Has made it clear to me that she wants to see how you guys handle things without our intervention whatsoever. So think of this like another course at the Academy, and that this is like the introductory quiz or something of the sort. We're here to help, but only if you struggle. Is that clear to everyone?"

Less jovial and more serious nods were returned this time.

"Good. Then if there aren't any questions, we'll be heading to Abbot farms to wipe out some monkeys." He clapped his hands together and declared.

From the saints, she could catch a hint of trepidation and excitement. She smiled. Guess they're just as happy to be away from constant supervision as I am. Heh.

Howler monkeys, much to their namesake, howled aggressively at any who dared intrude upon their territory. What Eva didn't know and neither did the saints, was that they also aggressively flung their feces as weapons.Thankfully, the copse of trees where they set up their den wasn't too hard to locate. Past that, a few small hills separated those trees from the greater Arterian forest system as a whole.

The operation begun and concluded without much fanfare save for two points. After the farmhands led them towards the monkey den, one of the saintesses steeped on something loud and cause a torrent of turds to be flung at her. With luck and some deftness, Emi managed to block the barrage and shelter behind her now shit covered shield, though she herself remained almost wholly unscathed. The party responded in kind with a combination of Riku's arrows and Miyuki's magicks to take out those located on higher ground. With Emi pinned, that left offensive duties to Ayumi and Suzuki. The former finally able to let loose some of her conjuration magick, ironically summoning a possessed spirit howler monkey to war against its still living brethren. Eva didn't know about the efficacy of ghost shit as a weapon, but she didn't really want to find out either.

The other moment of disaster was when they were about to torch the den. Suzuki had moved a little too far forward and triggered the last line of defense. Being the class president and an all round protective person, she quickly thrust Ayumi into cover behind Emi. Unfortunately for her, when the party emerged from clearing out the last of the monkeys, Eva saw only a shell of the former class president covered in howler excrements. Even Ryo broke his cheery demeanor and looked sorry for a moment. Only a moment though, for the adventurers, likely used to such sights, burst out into small chuckles, much to the saintess's dismay.

Only after a thoroughly intensive cleansing with alongside the help of Dragon Wagon's mage Chemia did the whole group reconvene for a debrief. Rejoining them, Eva found Taurox trying to not let out a grin break his stoic facade. The minotaur caught sight of her and motioned towards the others.

"... I don't mean to be rude, Suzuki. I'm saying this with utmost sincerity. This is what you're missing inside the… more traditional methods of schooling. We watched you guys, good tactics, good movements, responses. Very noble too." Ryo chuckled at Suzuki, earning himself a small glare, "But…" He wagged a finger, "The things that matter too, out in the field and on your own. Synergy. Chemia mostly focuses on wards and light offensive magic, but she also knows basic things like cleanse or manipulating water droplets. Things vital for warriors in particular."

"Personal morale and group morale decay a lot faster than you might realize. By the time you're demoralized and annoyed, your combat cohesion will also decrease." Taurox interjected, his deep bestial voice instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Ryo mimed tipping a hat to cede the impromptu lesson to him.

"Now, I understand the mission might've felt a little pointless so far. But the reason your instructor has deemed it necessary is precisely because when travelling on your own, there is much more to be considered than in a strictly controlled environment. Even now, there are a few variables that we're holding back. That's why Lady Rosengart here proposed this in the first place." Taurox pointed at her.

"Heheh, thanks." Eva bowed a little, "But Suzuki, everyone. For now, good job. As they said, this program will continue to increase in independence until myself and Ryo are confident you can handle commissions and quests on your own. Got it?"

"Hai!" Suzuki answered for the squadron.

"Ryo, the next commission?" Eva pressed on.

"Right. Where this one was a bunch of monkeys intruding where they shouldn't be. The next one is just pest control. With an… well, you'll see. Umm… ni, san, shi… yeah you have enough numbers that I'm confident you guys will be fine. We'll now be going to umm, Rafn farmsteads, near the cliffside of the outskirts. Any questions?"

A sea of shaking heads responded.

"Good. Get refreshed, snack a little, if you can stomach it. Trust me, emptier belly the better. Then we'll move out." Ryo instructed both the saints and his party.

For a moment, Eva understood why he was leader of his own party. Ignoring the fact that he was also an outlander, he was easy enough to work with but willing to take charge. It still probably helps a lot that he is an outlander though.

So the group reformed itself and advanced to their next objective. Ryo and Jun taking the time to get the others more acquainted with the countryside as well as having their ranger, Muriel, helped with pointing out some useful herbs or flowers for the saints.

Torran, the Dragon Wagon's shieldbearer, gave advice to Emi. The saintess looking utterly lost but trying to nod along. Just like in some of the training we do, heh. At least she's trying.

The walk was perhaps most beneficial to Miyuki, the former shrine maiden diligently utilizing her notebook to hastily scribble down everything as they walked. Riku and Ayumi half chatted and half listened, whilst Suzuki diligently questioned and queried where she could to get more information.

Even Taurox would occasionally chime in with advice, a moment for those that knew him to glean a little bit more information on refining techniques. A time to learn for those that didn't know him as well.

The Rafn farmsteads were a little less grand than the Abbot farms, but still, to someone like Eva who barely spent time in farmlands, it looked pretty expansive nonetheless. Waiting by a fenced gate was a young women and her husband, presumably the owners of the farm, alongside two redcloaks. Huh, guess this is more serious if they're here. Next to them however, Eva noted something odd. A wagon full of some strange looking fruit.

"Ho-hoh!" Ryo waved to the gathered group.

One of the guards nodded, and the farmer looked immensely relieved at their arrival.

The saints meanwhile, cautiously examined their surroundings. Miyuki even casting suspicious glances at the wagon of fruit. She looked to Eva, who could only reply with a shrug.

"Good to see you guys, Dragon Wagon, do I have that right?" A redcloak called out.

"That's us. A training run with some rooks, in case you're wondering." Ryo chirped back.

"Hah. Helluva job for a trainee." The guard snickered, "Good luck, eh. And those two?" He turned to his colleague.

"What's the matter?" Eva asked out of genuine concern.

"Ah, we weren't told about instructors." The other redcloak answered before casting a glance at Taurox, the more strikingly notable out of the two of them.

"That's us. Is there a problem?" Eva asked once more.

"Ah, we didn't prepare enough... ah, you'll smell." He chuckled.

Smell? It doesn't sound serious, at least.

"Mister and Misses Rafn?" Ryo adopted a more serious expression and held out a small piece of paper.

The farmers nodded.

"As the fine guardsmen informed my colleagues, we're helping a bunch of up-and-comers into the scene, if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course not." Mister Rafn answered, a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Excellent. Would you mind ahh, explaining the problem in your fields and how to deal with them?" Ryo tried not to snigger.

"Hah! No problem." The young man snickered, "Dear, do you mind informing them. I'll get the kewjie ready."

"Of course." Misses Rafn replied.

The young woman looked a little uncertain, but with some gentle nudging from Ryo and Jun, she found herself in front of the curious crowd of saints.

"Ahem. Ah, um, hi. Thanks for coming to help. I'm Miss Rafn but you can also just call me Sarka. Uhh, our fields have a bit of a weevil problem, about the size of a relatively large rock." She held up her arms.

More like the size of a chair, damn.

"So not really a problem, because they tend to only try to nip you. Though their uhh, shell or carapace is a bit tougher, so hit it extra hard." Sarka nervously chuckled.

"So clear them all out? That's our job?" Suzuki asked, casting a hesitant glance over at the tall crops.

"Yes! Exactly that. However, to make it easier for you to hunt them, we've prepared a bunch of kewjie fruit that can easily act as bait to draw them to you. Try not to damage the crops too much, and with any luck, it'll all be over soon." Sarka continued.

"So set the traps and pounce?"

"Not quite. They'll come to you easy enough. We're taking advantage of their love of the fruit and…ack… no time like the present." Sarka winced.

Just then, the first hint of the kewjie fruit hit the rest of them.

The Dragon Wagon, experienced adventurers, stood far enough away to only grimace. The saints, having stood close to listen in, all immediately started gagging or wincing as their eyes began watering. Agonized coughs and groans quickly followed until one of the redcloaks, his face now covered with a mask of sorts, quickly distributed one to everyone, Sarka having pulled one out from her own pouches, breathed a sigh of relief under the mask. The ones given to the saints were rudimentary, but they were better than nothing.

Taurox and Eva were halfway between safety and hell. The minotaur wincing slightly in discomfort. Eva feeling the effects more potently and covering her nose before hacking out a few coughs in a vain attempt to dispel the pungent aroma that had begun settling in her nostrils and mouth.

"Christ." She unwittingly swore. So that's why the guard was worried.

"Kewjie. A classic, if… unfortunately olfactory focused method. Common, effective. But unfortunately quite… ahem, long lasting." The minotaur grimaced, his hand now covering his nose.

Between the labored gasps of the saints who had been granted temporary relief and the seriousness of how the farmers and Ryo began distributing the fruits, Eva found a strange sense of amusement at the sight. It really felt more like a true adventurers mission than the excursions by the church. There was just something so much more pleasantly unpleasant about everything.

"Ugh. It's like durian but ten times worse." Ayumi snarled under her mask.

"Hey. I quite like durian. This is just… bleh." Miyuku interjected.

"Enough. Focus. So what needs to be done?" Suzuki regained control before the saints could descend into disharmony.

"Split into two teams. One of three, one of two. Advance from opposite ends. One person carrying the fruit, the other or others ready to fight. The weevils are big fuckers, so don't panic. Pop a strike in near underside of its head and it should go down easy." Ryo mimed cutting off his own head, "Since the field's quite big, myself and Jun will be patrolling along the right most edges for the sake of time. You guys sweep through the left and middle, got it?"

"Got it!" Suzuki eagerly declared.

"Good. Figure out the details yourselves. The thing to remember is, keep calm. You're moving forward, but the smell of the fruit attracts them too. So expect weevils at all angles and don't panic."

"Hai!" Suzuki saluted before turning on her heels, "First squadron! Form up!"

The saints gathered together, Eva watching the display with interest. Satisfied that his message was understood, Ryo dipped his head before marching over to Jun who had the unfortunate task of prepping the last of the fruit.

"Emi, Riku, Miyuki, you guys are one team. Ayumi, you're with me." She instructed.

The saints fell into position and Eva immediately understood her division. Sword and shield would protect the ranger and the shrine maiden, while Suzuki herself will defend the other mage. A natural delineation of tasks. Watching them advance into the fields with purpose, she now had less worries about the potential success of this operation.

"Tactically sound bunch." Taurox commented.

"Yeah." Eva fought off a cough, "Now to make them more independent. Heh."

"Mmm, a noble goal."

"I just hope the church doesn't end up trying to rope in Ryo's lot. They're independent for a reason."

"Doubt it. He's pretty headstrong from what I've seen. Kept butting horns err, heads with Sophie's ranger friend. Annalise, I believe."

"Oh? What about?"

"Convoy security and measures or something of the sort."

"Right, what happened to Aryana and all that."

"Aye. But they did get ambushed further down the path. He knows his stuff, even if he's a bit dismissive of other things that are important. Worked out, I suppose. Sophie and Aryana took a different way. I stayed behind to clear the caves of orcs and goblins."

"More of the greenskins, eh?"

"An unfortunate recurrence this year."

It is what it is, Eva wanted to shrug and say. But then she paused, a curious thought slowly taking shape. The words 'this year' scratching itself onto the forefront of her thoughts. A lightbulb slowly flickering to life.

She slowly recalled the first saint expedition to clear out the goblin den that led to a far larger cavern of the creature. How she had even fought two orcs there with help from a more honorable one standing up to his kin. Then there was the whole mess with the Kolonia, and now Taurox mentioned a kidnapping and clearing. Eva frowned.

"Sir Taurox…" She hesitated to ask, her mind combing over the new theory.

"Hmm?"

"Aryana… Aryana was kidnapped and taken to a cave, wasn't she?"

"Mmhmm? Why?" The minotaur grunted. Despite his nonchalant reaction, she could see his muscles tense a little.

"Where the orcs there too?"

"Aye." The minotaur affirmed and paused, "Do you suspect…"

"Maybe. But it does seem to be an awful coincidence. Goblins and orcs, kidnapping travellers and villagers. Then a mine of this atrocity?!" She exclaimed, "And I remember why the names of the farmstead seemed so familiar. Sophie told me about Abbot farmstead and her first adventure there, fighting weevils with the same damned fruit." She gestured angrily at the kewjie, "But what if the weevils moved here, because the howlers took over the edge of the farmstead where they usually roam? Did it… do we know if there's a cave or wildlife lair nearby that might've been disturbed or interrupted?" She rambled.

The minotaur's beady eyes now focused on her intently, unmoving, but not doubting, merely listening.

"And the caves and the mine. What if they were trying to connect them? Cross borders and all that. And there's more disturbances of the environment that led to a cascade of putting creatures that aren't usually interferences closer to the city outskirts?"

"That's a lot of 'what if's', Lady Rosengart." He warned.

"I know. I know. That's why it sounds crazy to me too. But caves, kidnapping, breeding slaves, and the greenskins. It's all a little too similar. I also remember one of the orcs, now a researcher under my employ, he said his tribe had been poisoned and misled. What if…"

The minotaur raised a finger to stop her.

"The name of this researcher?" He simply asked.

"Grorok." She answered.

"Noted. Certainly there are a lot of holes to poke in your theory. But the violent reaction against Sophie and her company the other month did seem unusual. We must be discreet, Lady Rosengart. Continue mentoring the saints, I will investigate more thoroughly." He stated matter-of-factly.

"But-"

"You're a prominent child. A noble. The eyes will be on you more than me. And I have earned the trust of a few rangers who might help too. They I believe, truly desire the best for Arteria. For our role is a thankless task."

"What?" Eva let out an incredulously scoff, placing her hands on her hips, "I just… do nothing?"

"No. You prepare as best you can. Caution Sophie and her friends. I investigate."

Hearing the gusto, she couldn't help chuckling a little.

"What?" His turn to be curious.

"Nothing." She shook her head and snickered, "Just disappointed that Sophie might be a little more than right about the possibility of a damned conspiracy. More than she even knows."

"Huh. What makes you say that?" He snorted.

"The fact that you agreed to help so easily. You, a former blademaster, templar, member of the church. Means you already believed it in the first place."

He did not reply, though she swore she caught an approving glint flashing from his beady eyes.

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