Noel and Anna were riding horse side by side, going to their first mission which was aligned with their final destination.
The soil was muddy and there were even some puddles in their path.
"The rain was quite big yesterday." Noel furrowed his eyebrows, recalling Shale's lesson.
"Indeed." Anna nodded. "The worst will be the winter, the season after this. The temperature is going to drop even further."
"Yeah. In just one month." Noel agreed and thought for a moment. "I guess we have to walk through the snow to reach our new post."
"Yes. The problem is… Since we're going to the Demon Relief Squad, the jobs will become harsher."
"Indeed. I still remember that we start the training right after the winter ends. So, we have never faced this problem. I guess it's going to be troublesome soon. There will be many people dying as well."
"It's a problem for all kingdoms. It's sad but we can't unsee it. There are even worse villages where they have to sell their children just to keep them fed." She sighed.
"Well, it's impossible to take care of everyone in a winter." Noel scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, we can discuss the problem later after we arrive at the Demon Relief Squad. For now, let's focus on our missions."
"If we take a look at these missions, they're all subjugation missions. With our strength, I'm going to limit the time we will take to finish the mission." Noel had calculated the time they had to take to subjugate all these monsters. So, he raised three fingers. "Three days. We will meet here after three days to continue finishing the rest of the missions.
"Then, we'll go straight to the place where the Body Strengthening Liquid is. This way, we should be able to finish everything before winter comes."
"I agree with your schedule. Though, the moment we return there, we'll just spend our Contribution Points and graduate, right?"
"Yes. That's the plan. With an extra of one and a half months before the normal graduation, we can spend half a month to prepare and go to our new post. Then, use a month or so to create a scheme to kill me. After all, this will be perfect for when I come to the Demon Relief Squad."
"It's good enough." Anna nodded.
"Now that we have fixed our course, let's speed up, shall we?" Noel smirked.
"Of course." Anna gently tapped the horse as it started running.
It didn't take too long for them to arrive at the junction where they had to part.
"The left is Hugel Plain. It's your place to subjugate a herd of Leopard Demons that have been hunting all animals, making the hunters having no animal to hunt. If it continues, the hunter won't be able to prepare for the winter. Even worse, they're nomads tribe, so it's going to be hell if they can't get something to eat." Noel explained her mission.
"Meanwhile, yours is Lontera Mountain. There seems to be a new king in that jungle and due to the sudden change, it causes a lot of problems to the villages near the mountain. You are going to subjugate it."
Noel and Anna smiled, confirming each other's mission. They seemed to know what each other wanted to say as they turned around and started going to their own direction.
"See you in three days."
The two went separate ways.
Noel rode the horse to the village at the foot of the mountain, which was supposed to be the one requesting their help.
The village didn't seem to be that big. He could only see fifteen houses in the village.
"Mhm? It seems that the village population is about fifty people. Normally, the village that will request the Demon Banner Army's help is bigger than this. It seems that the village is flourishing…" Noel muttered while trying to see the location.
However, the more he climbed, the more he realized why the village seemed to be flourishing. There was a huge farm field next to them. He even saw farmers leisurely sitting on the side as if they didn't need to take care of the field.
When they noticed him, they were waving their hands as if greeting him.
Noel furrowed his eyebrows and jumped off his horse as he walked the last fifty meters to feel the living atmosphere in this village.
Surprisingly, there was a middle-aged man who suddenly came out upon noticing him. He raised his hand to stop him while asking, "Who are you? What's the purpose of you visiting our village?"
Noel took out the badge and introduced himself. "My name is Noel. I have come upon the request to the Demon Banner Army."
"Demon Banner Army?!" The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment before saying, "Let me confirm it first. Do you mind waiting here?"
"Sure. I'll wait." Noel nodded while looking around, wondering the secret of the village. Surprisingly, he could see multiple layers of field in this place.
"Hmm? The terraced fields… It's not natural. It's like they're trying to use the slope of the mountain to create this terrace. But why?" Noel narrowed his eyes.
Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in his ears. "Because by using the slope and creating a terrace , it allows us to form a good irrigation system. Not only that, but we can create a farm in a sloped fields. There are other benefits as well."
Noel turned around to find the woman who explained everything to him. The woman had long brown hair and wore big round glasses. She looked like she was in her mid twenties, but despite her young age, she looked mature and knowledgeable.
"Are you the village chief?" Noel asked dumbfoundedly. He wasn't shocked by her beauty, he was just surprised that the village chief would be someone this young.
However, the brown-haired woman shook her head gently. "No. But I'm the one requesting your help, Sir Knight. Please come with me. I'll be explaining the problem to you."
Noel didn't know at this time that he would be shocked by the knowledge of the woman he had just met.