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I showed up an hour or so early, so Eleanora took me to meet someone I assumed was the headmaster of the academy, though I wasn't sure.

"Eleanora, who might this be? Don't tell me you've been hiding the fact that you have three children, and would like this one to be a part of this expedition. I'm busy enough as it is, as we are two escorts short. You did say that you have two in mind... don't tell me this girl is one of them" (Headmaster)

"Well, she is. She's a C rank adventurer wh-" (Eleanora)

"B rank, actually. I went up a month ago. I guess I forgot to tell you..." (Nene)

"B rank!? At this age? You can't be o-" (Headmaster)

"Older than 13 or 14, well, I'm not even 13, actually. It's a long story, but suffice to say, I've been an adventurer for seven years and am more than able to protect people from a few Wyverns, should it come to that" (Nene)

"Eleanora, please, don't tell me this girl is the one you've picked out... she-" (Headmaster)

"She's the one who won the tournament. That should be enough as a qualification" (Eleanora)

With that, I went to meet my charges with the headmaster, while Eleanora went to pick up Yuna or something. When we got to the room where a group of children were waiting, three of them males and two of them females, they all looked up, then had one of three reactions. Two of the boys groaned, the third laughed, as did one of the girls, but the last one had her jaw drop, then, when she noticed the reactions of her fellow students, she started to smile in a way that made me understand that she was thinking something along the lines of "I know something they don't know, and I want to wait for the right time to tell them" before she covered up her smile with both of her hands.

"Students, meet Nene. She's going to be the adventurer guarding you on this trip" (Headmaster)

"I know I look young, and to be fair, I am, but I'm a B rank adventurer nonetheless. I hope not to have to prove myself, as that would mean that something went very wrong on our trip, but I will do everything in my power to make sure that you all make it home in one piece. I can use some really strong healing magic, so it's not the end of the world if you get stabbed by a Goblin, but I will deduct points whenever I have to use it on you or the horses... unless I have to do so because something like a Wyvern, Tiger Wolf, or an Orc showed up. However, in that case, I would step in to defeat it, as I don't think you could handle more than two or three Goblins in total. Any questions? Yes, you with the blue hair. Actually, first off, what are your names? I would like to know so that I don't have to call all of you as 'you' or something like that" (Nene)

The boy who laughed, with short blonde hair and a spear on his back, was a 14 year old named Ivan. The 15 year old boy with blue hair was Donnel, or Don for short. He didn't have any weapons, so I figured he was a mage. The third boy was Oscar, a 16 year old with long red hair and a large sword on his back. The girl who laughed, an 18 year old with long silvery hair that matched the blade of the sword she was in the middle of polishing, was Olivia, while the girl who seemed to recognize me was the 15 year old Nino, sporting a head of shoulder length green hair and somewhat boyish looks, and she was holding a bow at her side. She also seemed to be an elf, based on her long ears. Ivan had a pair of cat ears and a tail as well, just like me, though his were matched his blonde hair, just as mine matched my purple hair.

"OK, now that the introductions are over, Don? I think you had a question?" (Nene)

"Yeah. What weapon do you use, and why do you think you are stronger than we are, despite the fact that you are probably younger than any of us? Actually, how old are you?" (Don)

When he said that, I opened up my cloak to reveal the scales it hid, which I had made an ordinary purple for this job. No gold border, just a solid purple color.

"I'm a frontline mage, in other words, I can take whatever role I need to take to get the job done. That might mean that I'm not as good as someone who specializes in a given role if you need that specific role filled in your party, however, I am able to work well on my own because of it. I think I'm stronger than you because I doubt that any of you could beat a Dragon like the one whose scales I'm clad in. I have beaten several Dragons, most on my own, so if you can't do the same, I think that would imply that you are weaker than I am. Also, yes, I am younger than all of you. I'm almost 13 right now. I know what you are thinking, but I am an adventurer, and the story is a long one that I'd rather not have to explain... it's a rather private one" (Nene)

"Fair enough. Well, I'm not going to ask for someone else, but I hope that you aren't making yourself seem stronger than you are. If you did... Well, you'll be digging your own grave, I guess" (Oscar)

"Oscar, I-" (Headmaster)

"Just a moment, please. Professor Schoerg, come with me for a moment, if you would?" (Nene)

I brought him out of the room, then continued.

"I would like to test them on this part. If they don't trust my strength, they will be less likely to charge into danger without thinking, and they will be more likely to ignore the fact that they are being watched and thus not treat it like a test. That way, I'll be able to see how they'd act if I wasn't there" (Nene)

"Ah, I see... that's pretty clever. OK, I'll let things play out without doing anything" (Headmaster)

We returned to the classroom, and went back to our earlier discussion.

"So, you think that I'll be no help at all? Think that if you wish to do so, but only time will tell if I'm bluffing or truly strong. Until then, why don't we get going?" (Nene)

"Sure, why not? I don't want to have you be the reason we got back after the other groups" (Oscar)

"Oscar and Ivan have a bit of a wager with some of the other boys about whose group will get back first, you see. It's pretty foolish, if you ask me. We're all leaving at different times, and going different places" (Nino)

"Ah, I see. Hey, Nino? Can I talk with you for a moment?" (Nene)

"Sure, what is it?" (Nino)

"You figured out who I am, didn't you? I thank you for not telling the others... as much as I hate to say this, I'd like them to think of me as little more than another bit of baggage than someone stronger than their teachers. It'll make them act more like they would if there wasn't anyone watching them and grading their actions" (Nene)

"I see... that's a good idea. So, I guess I shouldn't tell them at all?" (Nino)

"Well, not until the last day of the way back, at least. I'd like to see their faces when they learn who I am, but I'd like to have it not affect their performance" (Nene)

"Fair enough. Until then, should I-" (Nino)

"Act however you would act if you didn't recognize me" (Nene)

"OK, I will. Come on, we're getting left behind" (Nino)

With that, we left. We were the second to last group to leave, based on the one cart that was still there when we did. I guess it's a smaller group, as we're taking two carts. Probably Yuna's group, but I wasn't sure. The first day (well, the rest of it) was uneventful, and we set up camp, with the boys taking the first watch while the girls (not including me) took the second. Of course, I didn't actually sleep, and I had some of my summons watching too, though they were ordered not to interfere and just tell me if they saw something stronger than a few Goblins. The night passed uneventfully as well, but as we were packing up to leave in the morning, I noticed a single Wolf in the forest near us. I used detection magic, and found that there was a pack of about a dozen hiding in the trees. I decided to wait and see. If they all attacked, I'd thin the pack with some magic and let the students handle one or two. If they didn't attack, I'd leave them be. The students didn't notice them, and I mentally took off a few points for that. The Wolves didn't attack, however, so I waited a few minutes after they were in the distance before I spoke.

"OK, did any of you notice any monsters up until now? No? This morning, there were about a dozen Wolves near our camp. If they had attacked, you could have been hurt quite badly. Were any of you even trying to find monsters using any means besides sight? Were you paying attention at any time when you weren't on watch? Leaving it up to your group is fine, but if you don't have anything else to do, keep an eye and an ear out for them. The more people -" (Nene)

"Oh, shut up. How do we know there really were any? If we couldn't find them despite my sense of smell and Nino's hearing, how would you have found them from inside of the cart while you were busy chatting with Olivia? You're just full of crap, you know that?" (Ivan)

"Fine, have it your way. If you don't want to trust me when I say there were any, I'll avoid telling you of anything else that shows up unless it's a B ranked threat or higher" (Nene)

Mental note to self: two more points off of Ivan's score for disrespect to me and for ignoring what he's told. A few more hours passed, and a trio of Goblins showed up in the road ahead of us. I took the reins as the others fought them. Olivia, Ivan, and Oscar each held off one Goblin as Nino shot them with her bow and Don cast simple magic when he had a chance. After ten or fifteen minutes, Olivia killed her Goblin, and moved to help Oscar, who was starting to struggle with his. Soon after, they moved to help Ivan, but Oscar chopped Ivan's spear in half by mistake. Fortunately, that happened at the exact time that Nino shot it in the eye, so they didn't get hurt because of it. However, Ivan was now unarmed, so he wouldn't be much help on the rest of the trip's fights... well, he wouldn't have been, but...

"Ivan, take this. Be glad I have a hobby of making things like spears and arrows when I'm bored. I have a lot of trouble sleeping, though I don't need much. That's why I spent part of last night making this thing, and some arrows. Grab the spearhead, and I'll attach it. Meanwhile, can the rest of you collect Nino's arrows? Even if they're broken, the heads can be used. A blunt arrowhead is still better than no arrow at all, right?" (Nene)

I didn't actually make that one last night, I just had a wooden spear shaft sitting in my Hoard. Fortunately, I am able to make them, so I could do so if needed, or if they asked to watch me do so. Same for the arrows... I only had three arrow shafts without arrowheads, but I made more on the rest of the trip. About three hours later, I finished enough shafts to make up for the ones Nino had lost, and so I went back to talking with her. An hour after that, I noticed a pair of Orcs ahead of us, around the bend in the road. I suggested that we stop for lunch, and had Lapis kill the two Orcs and store their bodies in my Hoard as we did so. I mean, I didn't want to get busted this early in the trip.

"Hey, Nene? What's that you're holding? It's not a knife, but you were using it to carve the wood..." (Olivia)

"It's a scale from a Dragon. The edges are sharp, and it won't bend, break, or lose its edge as easily as a normal knife would. I got it from a friend, and used some magic to shape it into a knife-like shape that I could use. I mean, I have a mithril knife... several, actually, but if this is sharper and more durable, why would I use a mithril knife?" (Nene)

"Oh... where's this friend now? What are they like?" (Olivia)

"Oh, she's around these parts. She doesn't like strangers, but if you'd like, I could see if I could have her meet up with us on the last few days. She won't help out in your trip, but she is nice to have around" (Nene)

"How would you go about getting her to meet up with us? Do you have some way to speak with her?" (Olivia)

"Well, yes, I do. See these red and green stones? Each one connects to one that one friend of mine or another has. The red ones are used for emergencies, like a Dragon attack, while the green ones are for just talking when we're able to and bored or something. Let's see... these two connect to ones that Shia's little sister has, these to an adventurer named Douglas that was, at one point, my disciple and is currently my only friend from back home. He and I are from the same place, which got destroyed less than a year ago, leaving us as some of the only survivors. I have plenty more of these stones, given to a lot of people, including some guildmasters, adventurers, and the people who work at my shop, among others" (Nene)

"Your shop? I thought you're an adventurer?" (Olivia)

"Yes, I am, but I do have a shop I manage in Crimonia. Next time you visit Crimonia, you should eat at my shop. I even have a library for anyone to read at, if they pay to do so. They're called the Dragon's Roost, by the way. I ha- hold on, someone is having an emergency... Yes? What... Oh dear... uh... just a moment..." (Nene)

"What is it?" (Olivia)

"Well... I'll be right back. Douglas's friend just got gutted by a Wyvern, and there aren't any healers who can help. I have to go. Don't worry, I'll be back in less than five minutes. {Gate}" (Nene)

"Wha- GATE?! That's..." (Olivia)

I moved to Douglas's side, leaving behind Olivia, who was surprised at my using {Gate}. I healed his friend, killed the Wyvern, and used {Gate} to return to the students. Sadly, they had kept going without noticing that I'd left, and so I ran after them for a few minutes before I caught up. I could have done so in a few seconds, had I not kept myself at a speed that a human could reach.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I didn't notice that you fell off or something. Looks like you really aren't all that you said you were. You couldn't even keep yourself on this cart!" (Oscar)

"Now hol-" (Olivia)

"I didn't fall off, I just had to empty my bladder. I knew that there wasn't anything threatening around, and that I could catch up, so I didn't feel a need to slow you down. You did say that I shouldn't do so, right?" (Nene)

After I gave Don a smile filled with an evil iciness, I spoke to Olivia in a whisper that only she could hear.

"Look, I'd rather let them ignore and belittle me than have them be overly-conscious of me. That way, they can show me how they'd act if I wasn't here. If you're wondering how I can use {Gate}, it's just something that came naturally to me. Some people have trouble visualizing it, just like some have trouble visualizing a strong flame or a strong wall of earth. It's just talent" (Nene)

"Fine... I still don't like it. It's just wrong that they make fun of you for saving someone's life" (Olivia)

"I mean, they're going to get some points off for that, that's for sure" (Nino)

"That they are..." (Nene, with a somewhat evil smile)

The rest of the day was, again, uneventful, but after we'd made camp, Nino noticed a pair of Goblins, and alerted the rest of the group. They killed them, but Oscar took a nasty hit to the arm from a Goblin's club, which I healed. Sadly...

"Well, it looks like you are good for something besides making arrows and spears. Thanks, I guess" (Oscar)

Well, that's another several points off. Looks like he's going to get the worst grade of the group, if this keeps up. I also noticed that the Goblins were not the only monsters lurking in the dark. There was only one, with a faint presence, but I wanted to see if they would notice it. They did, and I got ready to act if needed. When the thing came into the circle of firelight (made brighter by a bit of magic I used) they found that it was a bunch of bones and armor, holding a greatsword in one hand and a tower shield in the other.

"Oh, it's a Skeleton. That armor and equipment means that it's probably... a Skeleton Warrior, or a Bone Knight... My spear can't do anything, nor can Nino's bow. Looks like the rest of you are up! This thing is only a bit harder than a Goblin, so you three should be able to beat it, though the equipment is a problem. That might make it a bit harder than I thought, but..." (Ivan)

Olivia and Oscar moved in while Don started chanting his spell. However, when the Skeleton raised its sword overhead, Oscar moved into a position to block it, so I cast a spell to shift him to the side. When I did so, the Skeleton's sword came crashing down where he had been a second before, raising a cloud of dust and earth as it hit and got stuck inside the ground.

"Wha- What was that..." (Olivia)

"Why did you do that? I didn't need your help, I was going to block it!" (Oscar)

"I did that BECAUSE you were going to block that thing's sword. That's no Skeleton. That's a Death Knight. Leave this to me" (Nene)

"We can handle this! You stay out of our wa-" (Oscar)

"LISTEN TO ME. If that thing's sword were to hit a Wyvern, the Wyvern would die. That thing can break a mithril sword like you could break a twig. It's immune to most magic, and so it's an S ranked threat, like a Dragon. You face that thing, you die. Understand? I'm here to stop you from doing exactly that" (Nene)

"Then what can you do to that thing? You're just a child! Even if you were telling the truth about your rank, you're only a B rank, and you're a mage!" (Oscar)

"You'll see. I'm going to engage it with blunt attacks from its blind spots, and use my speed to dodge it" (Nene)

I pushed him behind me as the Death Knight, which had pulled its sword free as we talked, charged at us, and I grabbed the arm of an Orichalcum Golem from my Hoard, using it as a shield. It broke, but it served its purpose. I used magic to move the students further away from us, and moved behind the Death Knight, landing a punch into its back. It spun around, sweeping its sword in an arc as it did so. I bent over backwards, then kicked its other arm as I finished my backflip. Because of that, it lost its balance, and I used that opening to shove my claws into its sword arm, sending cracks through the bone. It then slammed its shield into my side, and I flew a few meters before I hit a wall made from my earth magic. I then pushed off of the wall and sank my claws into the shield, pushing it to the side as I punched its skull. It then swung its sword down at me, and I blocked it with my forearm, my scales holding out without a problem, though I did get pushed back. The kids screamed at that, just as they had when I got hit by its shield.

"Don't worry! I'm fine! Look at its sword arm!" (Nene)

Its sword arm, which had had cracks running through it, now was on the verge of shattering after the shock of its sword getting stopped in the space of a millimeter. That was something that I exploited by flicking the bone, causing it to explode in a burst of bone fragments. With it no longer having a sword, I focused more on offense and less on defense, eventually bringing it down. As soon as I did so, a magic stone dropped from its skull, and I gathered that, the bone fragments, its weapons, and the Orichalcum Golem's arm, before I returned to the kids.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That?" (Don)

"That, my friend, was the fight between something that shouldn't be here and someone who is a little bit sore after taking two of that thing's attacks. That shield bash HURT, and that sword could have killed an Elder Dragon, I think. Maybe even an Ancient Dragon... That was no ordinary Death Knight... It was a summon, and a strong one at that. It's something that Astra would have lost to, no doubt about it. I can only think of one person besides myself who could have beaten it, and he would have needed to sacrifice a few others to buy the time to do cast the spell that'd do so" (Nene)

"How do you know that Astra would have lost? Astra never loses!" (Oscar)

"You know, Astra did lose in the tournament. She didn't even make it to round six of eleven. She lost t- no... way... Ahh... SHIT..." (Don)

"What? What's wrong? Is there another one of those things?" (Oscar)

"No, there's just a boy who put two and two together, that's all" (Nene)

"What's that supposed to mean?" (Oscar)

"Hey, Ivan? What was the name and other features of the one who beat Astra in the tournament?" (Nene)

"Uh... it was a D ranked beastkin girl, twelve years old, purple h... oh... my... GOD. Her name was Nene... she didn't just beat Astra, she won the tournament while putting a major handicap on herself every round. She beat Astra by shattering her sword with her bare hand... well, her Dragonscale gauntlet, I guess, she beat others while blindfolded, or with her hands and feet tied together, or without using magic or touching the ground after the round began, or using her foe's specialty. She had the ability to use high level magic of several kinds, some kind of storage magic, and some summons, though we only saw one, a Blue Dragon named Lapis" (Ivan)

"Actually, Lapis is a Gold-bordered Blue Dragon. As you put together, I'm Nene, the one who beat Astra and won the tournament a few months back. I'm also here to tell you that you did quite well at this, if you ignore the remarks towards me and missing the Wolves at the start. However, we aren't even half done with this trip. Get some rest. I'll take the watch for the whole night, you need to sleep. You've fought a tough battle, and had a Death Knight walk into your camp. Besides, I won't be getting any sleep, I have to think about why that thing was here, and why it was so much stronger than it had any right to be... It's gotta be a summon, but to make something strong, they'd need to offer up a body with a similar amount of power... and something that strong would take a body like that of an Elder Dragon or something... In addition, it can't have been under the control of the summoner, as it's stronger than the bonds that might tie it... The only ways it could be controlled were with some forbidden magic that uses the caster's life force, if the summoner is already stronger than the summon, like I am with my Dragons, or if it was serving the summoner of its own free will, but as it's an undead, it wouldn't do that... not unless there was an Elder Lich in command... no, even then... Demon King or Overlord... Nah, it's gotta be free. That kind of forbidden magic was lost to the ages, and that wouldn't be able to control it for more than a day at most. Having it out here would mean that it wasn't for any purpose that would make sense... if the summoner was stronger than it, they wouldn't need to have that thing, they'd just destroy the capital on their own if that was their goal, same for if it was a Demon King or an Overlord..." (Nene)

"OK, you are starting to creep me out... either explain it in a way we can understand, or be quiet and let us sleep..." (Don)

I didn't pay attention to the rest of what he was saying, as I noticed another presence. I looked towards it, and spoke.

"Whoever you are, either come out or go away. I'm assuming that you are the necromancer who created that Death Knight, but I have other things I've been tasked to do, so if you go away, I won't hunt you down, unless you cause problems for other people. If you show yourself, I'll also be inclined to let you go, though I would like to talk with you if I could" (Nene)

A short and bald old man covered by some red robes emerged from the forest while chuckling. However, he was also covered in the scent of death and decay, a stench strong enough to make my eyes water.

"Well done... you did well to spot me. I shouldn't have had any detectable presence, be it sight, sound, or scent. You are not only the best I know at finding that which doesn't want to be found, but also one of the best at killing what shouldn't be able to be killed. Still, I wonder how you'd fare against my Skeletal Dragons... They'd need one to be far stronger than an Ancient Dragon to beat, as they can't be hurt by magic, and possess incredible toughness and regenerative properties" (Old man)

"They can't be hurt by most magic, but... {All-Consuming Flames} could deal with them" (Nene)

I made a small flame appear on my fingertip, before I tossed it at a fallen tree, which burnt to nothing in under a second. The man's face twisted into a mix of a grimace and a broad smile, before settling back to his usual expressionless mask.

"Of course, I wouldn't need to use magic to beat a mere Skeletal Dragon... You forget that that Death Knight has... had... a stronger defence against physical attacks than a Skeletal Dragon does. Hell, my summons could squash those overgrown bone lizards as easily as you could squash a fly... Oh right, where are my manners? My name is Nene, B ranked adventurer and Godslayer. What might your name be? Also, how could you control that Death Knight? Even an Elder Lich couldn't do that if it tried" (Nene)

"My name is of no importance... I am a mere footsoldier in my great master's army. Soon, the whole continent will be under the control of his legions of undead... and now that I've told you this, you'll have to die" (Old man)

"Fine... be that way. Mind if we take our fight elsewhere? I'd rather not have to protect these kids, it'd put a major cramp in my style... Ah, just kidding. If I left them, you'd kill them with some more ordinary undead, right? Well, you'd try. They've got a few Dragons protecting them, and I'll take care of your other monsters in no time flat... so, why don't we go somewhere else?" (Nene)

"Sure, why not? I've got plenty of time, and this could be interesting" (Old man)

We moved to the other side of the road, and I got ready for whatever he might throw at me.

"Come to me, Union of Bones!" (Old man)

"Ahh... I see, you have a Union of Bones... that could be a tricky foe... well, if it wasn't for the fact that I'm going to shatter it. See, they have plenty of health, and their bones are hard and resist magic, but... They can't handle my punches. I was going easy on the Death Knight, as I didn't want to destroy it to the point of not being able to have the guild confirm it. A Union of Bones, on the other hand... That'll be something I can destroy as much as I'd like to, as its core doesn't exist in this plane until it dies" (Nene)

"You talk big, but you had trouble with the Death Knight... That's an A ranked threat normally, but I made it stronger, to the point it became an S+ ranked threat. A Union of Bones, on the other hand, starts out at S rank, and I've put more time into this one than I did that Death Knight" (Old man)

"Whatever... Try not to cry when I beat that thing" (Nene)

I ran forward, stepped in with the full force of a God Dragon, raising a plume of dust, and landed a full-powered punch on its ribcage. Sure enough, the whole thing blew up, bone fragments going everywhere, and a magic stone several times the size of my head fell into my outstretched hand.

"Im... possible... I don't get this! What's going on?!" (Old man)

"Nothing much. I just punched it, that's all. It was weak, and I'm strong. By the way... what did you say your boss's name was? I feel like going and putting a stop to his plans, as he dared to send a flunky to interrupt me and blow my cover when I was hoping to have a chance to relax on an ea- oh, he's gone... He must have some method of teleportation... I thought that that was something that nobody on this continent knew of, besides from myths and, more recently, my being able to do so..." (Nene)

I returned to the camp, where I found a few dozen Skeletons' worth of scattered bones being watched over by a few miniature Dragons and five wide-eyed children, who I told to get to sleep.