Raine and Helen were waiting for Erica and Leonora to finish their preparations.

"Damn... they're taking forever..." Raine muttered with a hint of frustration.

Helen responded in a sad voice, "Raine, it's only been six minutes..."

Raine quickly changed his tone. "I know, I know. We just have to wait, right? I understand that women take their time to get ready."

He was used to it since many of his former colleagues and classmates were women, and he also had senior and junior disciples back at the guild.

"You must never show such an attitude. Be more patient, like Erica," Helen advised.

Raine agreed. She was right... Unlike his hectic life back in the royal capital, he had plenty of time now.

"Alright," he said, deciding to change his mindset. He waited for the two, gently stroking Helen as they stood there. Soon enough, Erica and Leonora returned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Erica apologized.

"We couldn't find it easily because we never use it," Leonora added.

Their outfits hadn't changed, but they were holding long staffs adorned with decorations.

"Oh, staffs, huh?" Raine noted.

After all, alchemists were also considered mages, so they carried staffs. However, the staffs they held were brand new, and it was clear they had never been used before.

"Better than nothing, right?" Leonora said.

"I've never even touched a sword or a spear," Erica admitted.

Well, it was understandable since they did desk work, but they didn't look strong at all. In reality, they probably weren't.

"Don't you two dare go ahead of me," Raine instructed.

"Yes, sir," they both replied in unison.

"You're so reliable, like a prince," Leonora teased.

"Well... being called a prince is a bit much," Raine thought.

"Alright, let's go," he said, getting ready to move.

"Yeah!" the two replied enthusiastically.

They went down to the first floor and exited the branch office.

"Which way is the forest?" Raine asked.

"It's through the east gate, so that way," Erica said, pointing to the left.

They walked in the direction she pointed, and soon, they saw a tall wall with a large gate.

"Is that it?" Raine asked.

"Yes, that's the east gate. After we pass through there, we'll reach the forest soon," Erica confirmed.

"Have you been there before?" Raine inquired.

"I went there during training when I was a student. Of course, we had escorts," Erica explained.

That made sense. They would likely have soldiers or hired adventurers with them.

They continued walking and approached the gate.

"Hold up a moment," a guard called out as they were about to pass through.

"What is it?" Raine asked.

"Uh, no... it's just..." the guard hesitated, looking at Raine, then stared intently at Erica. After that, he glanced at Leonora from her pointed hat down to her feet.

Raine felt uneasy about the way the guard was scrutinizing them.

"Is there something wrong with them?" Raine asked.

"It's not polite to stare at a woman's body like that," he thought to himself.

"Are you all from the Alchemists' Guild?" the guard asked.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Yes, all three of us are alchemists from the Leet branch," Helen answered.

"I see... Are you heading into the forest? Dressed like that?" the guard questioned, sounding skeptical.

Hearing that, Raine looked at Erica and Leonora. They were in their usual attire, without any armor. In fact, Leonora was even wearing sandals. No wonder the guard was hesitant.

"We're not going deep into the forest; just gathering materials near the entrance. I hold a Level 5 Mage qualification, so we'll be fine," Erica said, showing a silver necklace with an owl engraving, a national mage qualification.

"I see... In that case, you should be fine, but please don't overdo it. Mages are a national treasure," the guard advised.

"I understand. Let's go," Erica replied, and they moved forward.

"Alright!" Leonora chimed in.

They passed through the gate and headed toward the forest in the distance.

"Did we do something wrong?" Erica asked, concerned.

"We're not dressed for the forest," Raine observed.

"Especially me, I suppose," Leonora said.

The guard seemed more focused on Leonora than Erica. Well, Leonora was short and wearing sandals. It was natural for him to be concerned.

"Nothing we can do about it. Let's gather the materials quickly and head back," Raine said, trying to maintain focus.

They walked further until they reached the edge of the forest and stopped.

"Just to make sure, you know how to identify mana herbs, right?" Raine asked.

There isn't a specific plant called a mana herb. Plants that contain mana are collectively referred to as mana herbs. Thus, it's hard to identify them unless you're a mage.

"We learned in class, so we're good," Erica answered confidently.

"Yeah, we know enough," Leonora added.

If you have a Level 10 qualification, you should know.

"Alright, then. You two start gathering. I'll keep watch," Raine instructed.

"Got it," Erica nodded.

"Please do," Leonora agreed.

They entered the forest and started gathering materials near the entrance. Erica and Leonora crouched down, examining the plants as they searched for mana herbs.

"Is this it? Uh, let's not damage the roots..." Erica muttered.

"This is harder than I thought..." Leonora complained.

They must not be used to this. Well, Raine hadn't done this since his training at the magic academy either.

"Just do it quickly. This is just an E-rank request, so even if the quality drops a bit, it's fine. I'll extract the mana later. Focus on speed; I don't want to come back here multiple times," Raine advised.

"Understood," Erica replied.

"Got it," Leonora said.

The two began collecting mana herbs a bit more hastily.

"Doesn't it look like I'm just a lazy guy making women and children do all the work while I stand here doing nothing?" Raine mused aloud.

"I'm sorry, but it really does..." Helen responded.

He knew it...

"Don't worry about that and focus on keeping watch. Like I've said many times, I can't run away if a monster appears; I can only cover 50 meters in 15 seconds," Raine explained.

"Oh, I'm at 12 seconds," Helen added.

Wow, that's slow... Leonora, in her sandals, is probably even slower, Raine thought.

"I know, I know," he acknowledged.

"I'll keep watch too," Helen offered.

Helen and Raine kept an eye on the surroundings while Erica and Leonora continued to collect mana herbs, placing them in their bags.

"My back hurts..." Leonora complained.

"My arms are sore..." Erica added.

The two of them started complaining.

"Don't say that. It makes me feel guilty for just standing here," Raine said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Raine, please choose your words more carefully," Helen scolded gently.

"Uh... keep it up," Raine encouraged, though he struggled to find better words.

"I guess we've married a domineering husband," Leonora joked.

"We just have to endure it," Erica said, playing along.

They started joking around...

"If you marry me, you'll end up regretting it. Probably get a stomach ulcer from all the stress... Hm?" Raine said, suddenly sensing something.

Something caught his attention, and he looked deeper into the forest.

"What is it, dear?" Helen asked.

"Did something happen?" Erica inquired.

Raine motioned for them to be quiet and tried to sense the mana.

"There's something here..." he whispered.

"What?" Leonora asked nervously.

"Eek!" Erica exclaimed.

The two quickly stood up and moved behind Raine.

"Helen, it's an orc," Raine said.

An orc... a giant, bipedal pig, he thought.

"Raine, please take care of it," Helen requested.

"If you lose, we're all dead, so please..." Erica pleaded.

No pressure... Raine thought wryly.

As he shielded the two, a massive orc over two meters tall emerged from between the trees and stopped about ten meters away. The orc sniffed the air and looked directly at them, clearly locked on. Behind him, the two grabbed his clothes. It was a bit annoying, but since they wouldn't be able to dodge effectively anyway, it didn't matter. Moving recklessly would get them killed.

"Raine, finish it in one shot," Helen urged.

"I know," Raine replied.

As soon as Helen spoke, the orc charged at them.

"Take this!" Raine shouted.

He pulled out a magic gun from his spatial storage and aimed at the orc's leg, firing. A white beam of light shot out from the barrel, instantly piercing the orc's leg. The orc lost its balance but continued to charge.

"Aerial Drive," Raine cast.

He then targeted the now slower orc and used wind magic. A whirlwind erupted from the ground, slicing the orc apart. The result was a gruesome scene of an orc with its limbs severed.

"That's terrifying!" Helen exclaimed.

And disgusting! Raine thought.

"But you were the one who did it, Raine," Helen reminded him.

"I've never used it on a person, let alone a monster," Raine explained.

"That's true," Helen agreed.

I had no idea it was that powerful... Raine thought.

"Wait, Raine, aren't you a Level 5 Mage?" Erica asked, puzzled.

"I am, but

this is my first real fight," Raine admitted.

He rarely ever left the town, after all.

"Wait, really? You should've told us that earlier. This was much more dangerous than we thought. We should've asked the branch manager, a former soldier, to accompany us," Erica said, slightly panicking.

Huh? Raine thought.

"It'll be fine. Just finish collecting the rest of the mana herbs quickly," Raine reassured.

"Alright," Erica nodded.

"Let's get this done," Leonora agreed.

With Erica and Leonora returning to gather herbs, Helen and Raine resumed their watch.

"Phew..." Raine sighed.

Come to think of it, we could have asked the branch manager for help, he thought. I never considered relying on someone else...