That same day, Leonor and the others left the Aschwin Mansion for the city guild office. Edmund watched them leave through the glass wall of his study, while Sebastian remained there beside him.

"Do you think Sera might take them monster hunting today?" Edmund asked.

"The adventurer registration process is fairly quick, especially with Sera’s status being well known throughout every guild office in the Archie territory."

"There’s a chance... they immediately took a hunting mission this time," Sebastian replied.

Edmund let out a sigh as he watched Leonor and the others leave the Aschwin Mansion. Even though Sera had gone with them, Edmund still felt worried, especially since this was their first time hunting monsters.

Considering their low party and adventurer ranks, Edmund was sure Sera would not bring Party Diva into a dungeon.

"Go tell the guards to prepare my horse. You should also go to the guild office and investigate what mission they took and where," Edmund said as he turned around.

"Are we going to watch over them?"

"Yes. I still don’t trust that witch. We’ll go check on their situation from a distance," Edmund explained.

"I understand, Lord Edmund."

Sebastian walked out of Edmund’s study. He informed the guards about Edmund’s orders, then headed to the guild office to investigate further.

Edmund arrived at the front yard and waited for information from Sebastian. He was already wearing a complete set of light armor, along with a cloak and an iron sword at his waist.

After waiting for half an hour, the mansion gates opened and Sebastian returned carrying news. He turned his head and realized Edmund was waiting for him in the small pavilion at the front garden.

"I’ve gotten information about them."

"They’ve already registered and are currently carrying out this mission," Sebastian said.

He handed a cream-colored piece of paper to Edmund. Edmund accepted it and carefully read through it, starting from the mission rank, target, objective, and incident description.

"E-Rank mission. The target is a slime pack, monsters below level 5. The objective is to collect 10 low-grade monster cores and 5 slime skins."

Not bad. The lowest hunting missions are E-Rank, and the monsters are obviously slimes.

"What do you think, Lord Edmund?" Sebastian asked.

"Slimes are the weakest monsters, and they appear in large numbers. The nearest location from Archester is the northern forest outside the city," Edmund replied as he placed the mission paper on the table.

He finished the wine in his glass and stood up straight, walking toward Sebastian. No matter what, he had already prepared himself to watch over them.

The best option for him was to go there and see how Party Diva had progressed. Edmund hoped they had learned a lot from their previous mistakes.

"Have they already left?"

"They left an hour ago."

"Alright," Edmund said as he walked past Sebastian. "Let’s go."

Sebastian nodded obediently. The two of them rode away from the Aschwin Mansion, galloping through the city streets toward the northern gate.

Several city residents noticed Edmund and Sebastian leaving. Smiles appeared on their faces as they raised their hands, greeting them warmly.

Edmund returned their greetings with a faint smile before focusing again on riding his horse and gripping the reins tightly.

They passed through the city gates, and the guards lowered their heads respectfully as Edmund rode through.

Several people watched them curiously after Edmund and Sebastian sped away on horseback.

Along the journey, Edmund encountered several people dressed in casual adventurer outfits. Some walked in groups, while others traveled alone. Their direction was toward the city, their tired faces covered in sweat.

It was a simple sign that they had completed guild missions and were preparing to exchange their objectives for mission rewards.

"Lord Edmund. The forest is right ahead of us."

Edmund focused his gaze and narrowed his eyes sharply. Faintly, he could sense the vibration of mana energy coming from inside the forest. Low-rank adventurers might not notice it, but Edmund could.

His high level made all five of his senses extremely sensitive. He could feel that power even before entering the forest.

"Denise! Keep attacking and lure the slimes closer!" Natalya shouted.

"Prepare your magic again, Leonor. Destroy them with the AoE magic power I taught you," Sera replied.

Their shouting voices could clearly be heard when Edmund and Sebastian entered the forest. Edmund tied his horse and stepped inside, activating stealth.

From another side, the two crouched down and watched Leonor and her friends in Party Diva fighting seriously.

Their formation had changed into something more common. Denise and Nicole stood at the front, Helena in the center, and Leonor together with Aya in the back.

It was a standard formation designed to keep the situation safe. Helena would not get injured or threatened by enemies.

Denise and Nicole continued attacking. Denise swung her sword and released blue slash attacks, while Nicole threw sharp daggers that pierced the slime bodies.

"Fall back!" Leonor ordered.

Denise and Nicole obeyed. From the tip of Leonor’s magic staff, a massive fireball shot powerfully forward.

An explosion erupted along with a powerful gust of wind, killing many slime monsters in a single attack.

Aya acted last, not to attack, but to use her beast summon to gather monster cores and slime skins.

"They’re much better now, right?" Sebastian whispered.

"I have to admit... this kind of cooperative formation suits them much better," Edmund muttered quietly.

"Looks like there’s nothing to worry about from them anymore," Sebastian said.

While they were resting and gathering monster cores, a fire lion monster suddenly emerged from the forest and let out a loud roar that rang painfully in everyone’s ears.

Leonor and the others immediately panicked. Leonor instantly summoned a massive fireball and launched it toward the fire lion.

Leonor’s fireball exploded, but it was not enough to kill it. Leonor looked panicked and stepped backward. Sera came forward, along with the other instructors.

The five instructors stood there holding their weapons, shielding Leonor and her friends behind them.

"We’re retreating now," Sera ordered.

ROAARR!

The fire lion’s roar summoned more lions from the forest. A total of five fire lions appeared, and one of them had a flaming crown above its head.

Edmund was startled. He never expected level 30 monsters like fire lions to appear in the northern forest outside the city. Normally, they only appeared in forests surrounding dungeons.

Sera narrowed her eyes as she realized how dangerous the situation had become. The five fire lions surrounded them from every direction, causing Leonor and the others to panic.

"We have to help them, Lord Edmund!" Sebastian declared as he stood up and prepared to move.

Edmund stretched out his arm and stopped Sebastian from acting. Edmund’s reaction clearly confused him.

"Why, Lord Edmund?" Sebastian asked.

"Wait. I feel like something strange is behind the appearance of these fire lions."

"Don’t act recklessly. Go to the other side of the forest and find out what caused this," Edmund explained.

"I understand!"