Chapter 59

"Are you really going to take this quest?" the receptionist asked with doubtful eyes.

"Umu, it's his first quest after all," I confidently replied.

The quest I took was C in rank. It's a rare quest, asking for the defeat of a mountain troll living in a village near Root. Of course, I'm not actually the one who will be tackling it. I chose it for Fin.

As an adventurer, Fin is a total beginner. Even so, he has experience in combat against bandits and monsters. He's already quite the veteran in his own right. A goblin slaying quest would not be fitting for him at all.

"Can't you just defeat it yourself, Eria?"

I expected that question to come. However, for an adventurer of my level, it would be unproductive of me to deal with it myself. Additionally, as someone who can easily defeat a dragon, it would just be a waste of my time.

"Well, you see, I'll be using it as a test for him," I said, glancing at Fin.

"Please, allow me to take this chance to prove myself to my master," Fin injercected himself in the conversation, bowing just a little to convince the receptionist.

"I see. If that's the case, then we'll be making an exception for you," she sighed in defeat.

"Thank you! I'll make sure I succeed!" Fin said as he deepened his bow.

Since this is Fin's first job as an adventurer, he shouldn't be allowed to take a quest of such difficulty. However, with my support, an exception will be made for him. The two of us will be in a temporary party, so it's only reasonable for him to be allowed to take it.

We'll only be exploiting the rules for a bit, we're not exactly breaking it.

"Then, we'll leave right away."

"Yes, Eria-sama."

The two of us have already done our preparations, so we should be ready to go immediately.

With his hands holding tight on his staff, Fin looked pretty excited. On the other hand, I acted as indifferent as always. This kind of adventure is the norm for me after all, so I don't feel much excitement or anticipation anymore. In truth, I would rather prefer to travel on foot to see some new sceneries than to defeat the same kind of monsters over and over again.

"But to defeat a mountain troll... That's a big leap..." Fin quietly whisper.

"Don't worry, it's only a bit stronger than orcs, so it should be easy to take down," I said, raising the pressure on Fin even higher.

"B-But I heard they regenerate, and that they're strong against magic."

"Don't you think it's more challenging that way?"

"Well... As you say, it will indeed be more challenging that way..."

Since Fin will be leaving soon, I decided to have him challenge a quest from the guild that'll serve as a final test for him, to see just how much stronger he'd become since I started training him. As Fin was already aware, this quest isn't just a simple substitute for the goblin slaying quest he should've taken as a rookie adventurer instead. That's why he's so eager to beat it, and so afraid to fail.

"I'll be there with you anyway, so you don't have to worry about getting hurt. Well, at least not too much."

If he starts struggling, I can always just take it in my own hands and kill the enemy myself. That would destroy the point of us taking the quest in the first place, but I think it will still serve as a learning experience for him—even if he was defeated.

"Here..." I said, taking an item out of my pocket and handing it over to Fin.

Thinking about it, I should've given it to him a bit more earlier than this...

"This is? A magic ring?"

"That's right, but it's a rare one that creates a shield when you get attacked."

"A shield?"

"Umu, it can conjure a shield that can protect you from any kind of attack. However, keep in mind that it can only be activated once every 24 hours, and you'll still have to recharge it with mana."

Once recharged, it will glow a green hue. As it is now, it's already showing that color. It's ready to be activated.

It's an incredible item for backline mages. Not only does it increase their magic output, but it also gives them a shield that can't be penetrated. It's better than any equipment Fin has right now.

I'm giving it him so he can take another chance if he ever gets hit by a deadly attack once. It's also a reassurance, so his body somehow won't get smashed to the point that I will not be able to heal him anymore. It might be too much, but as I consider him as my proper student now, I just couldn't help but get a little overprotective.

"Isn't this a really important item, Eria-sama?"

"It is, so take care of it."

"Y-Yes... I'll protect it with all my might...!"

"Huh? What are you even saying? I'm giving it to you, so please take care of it. Otherwise, you can do anything you want with it."

"Giving it... To me...?"

It doesn't seem he realized I was giving it to him. Did he think I was merely lending it to him? And what did he mean by saying he'll protect it? It's supposed to protect him...

As usual, it seems that the thought of accepting something from me was baffling to him. Even more so when it's clearly an item of higher quality. Don't tell me, he's going to refuse it...?

"Of course, you better accept it. I've given an item or two to everyone I deemed as a deciple. You don't want to be left out now, don't you?" I teased.

"Gulp... I-If that's the case... Then I'll take it...!" with a nervous glance at the ring, he reluctantly gave in.

"Now you can proudly say that you're my disciple!"

"Yes! Thank you very much, Eria-sama! Umm... I promise I won't let you down!"