Before he got back to the dorms, Wyne saw Mil approaching him with the senior Liz. But besides those two, there was also Koxa and the girl who offered to be a servant with them.
"Hey!" Mil waved her hand wildly when she saw Wyne approaching them. "I ran into these two as well. They planned on heading to the market too so figured we might as well bring them with us."
Wyne nodded, not really caring about who came with them. He was still thinking about the display he put on in the mission hall. More so about if he had attracted enough attention to himself.
'Was that enough for a show of force? He said he was the 2nd son but I'm not sure if his brother is a student here. If he is, then I can probably get some points out of him. But if he's not, that display was still enough to put me on the radar of several seniors. As long as a few of them want to put me in my place, I can make plenty of points off of them.'
Wyne had no plans of laying low during his time at the academy. He just wanted to reveal his cards at the right moment.
While Wyne was thinking of his next steps while the others were talking around him. It was when he heard his name that he came out of his trance.
"Wyne. We have grown up very close with one another so we are like siblings. We even did ranger training together and our mothers are close. What about you two?" Mil was keeping the conversation going. That was her specialty and Wyne's biggest weakness. Although he was good at short conversations or ones revolving around something he wanted, he was terrible when it came to conversations that seemed meaningless.
"As you heard during class, my name is Koxa Andretsi. My father is a duke of the Empire but since women can't inherit nobility titles of the same rank, I am planning to earn the rank myself. I am a mid-tier black mage and have low-tier talent in red magic," Koxa explained her goals since Mil had explained her own which Wyne figured she had most likely made up
"Oh, wow. I am also the daughter of a duchess, though my mother could be a grand duchess if she felt like it. The Naliah Kingdom doesn't place too much emphasis on rank but rather personal strength."
"Sounds like an interesting place. And they don't have many skilled mages?" Koxa inquired
"Nope," Liz answered in Mil's stead. "Beastmen have bloodline abilities similar to magic but most are aura users. Still, they don't lose out to any magic kingdom the same size as them. In fact, they can fight several kingdoms at once which they have done in the past."
"She's right. When it comes to warfare, beastmen are second to none," Liz bragged
"Interesting," was all Koxa could say in response. She wasn't sure how powerful other beastmen were but she knew that if they had abilities like Mil and Wyne, they were certainly people that could not be underestimated. Mil had told them about how they had already completed 3 missions in less than 24 hours.
'If they can do that without magic, I can't imagine what an entire nation of beastmen with magic would be like. Maybe even the empire wouldn't be able to stop them.'
While Koxa was in her head, Wyne turned his attention to the other girl with them. His stare was so strong that she could feel him looking at her without even turning her face so she spoke up.
"My name is Lina. I don't come from a noble family," she spoke softly. "I have mid-tier talent in black magic but nothing else. I am interested in studying potion making though."
"Oh, wow. I could never do that. It sounds like cooking which I hate," Mil complained
"It is definitely similar," Lina admitted. "I can make a few low-tier potions that help with illnesses and fatigue but feel like I am making soup half of the time. Just that this soup explodes if you mess up too badly instead of being burnt."
"You can already create some low-tier potions?" Koxa asked, not expecting Lina to be so skilled. Potion creation may not require mana but it was still something very difficult. "Have you taken the proficiency test?"
Lina nodded her head but felt ashamed.
"I tried to but I was unable to pass. I've had limited ingredients that I can practice with so I can only make so few potions."
Wyne felt like he had hit the jackpot. Potions were important to all mages, aura masters, and civilians. They could provide plenty of beneficial effects or be used as poison. And he had managed to find a potential potion master with talent but who had no financial backer.
"Do the classes provide extra materials, Senior Liz?" Wyne asked her
"Uh-uh. There are some missions that request potions and some people offer the materials but besides those, it is up to the potion master to get everything themselves. Some students have even wound up losing points because they made potions where the ingredients cost more than what the mission paid out," Liz decided to give them all a warning. "Be careful of missions from fellow students. They are just as likely to scam you as they are to overpay you."
"Students can assign missions?" Koxa didn't know that this was possible
"Of course. Some hire bodyguards to help them go gather materials, some ask for help with class assignments, and some need help on breaks. It is also the safest way to do these exchanges since the contractor has to pay the points as a deposit and can't scam their fellow students, though 5% goes to the receptionist who accepts the request."
Lina heard that she could hire some bodyguards and felt both intrigued and disappointed.
'That is the only way I can find some materials on my own and save on the cost. But senior students would be too expensive while peers are more likely to be overpowered by the superior grade beasts,' Lina already knew what type of position she was in. 'Not everyone can be these two and hunt superior-grade creatures on their own.'
"I see," Wyne could see more of the scope of the mission hall. "Lina, me and Mil are heading into the forest to complete some missions over the next few days so we were planning to have you accompany us. Although you are supposed to be my servant, we can split the non-mission materials with you with 80% of the materials or value going to us and 20% going to you if give us 30% of the potions you make us."
"Yes!" Lina did not hesitate for a moment. She turned to Wyne for the first time during their walk and looked at him directly. "And I don't need any of the profit for extra materials. As long as I can get materials for a few low-tier potions, that is fine with me."
"Nice!" Mil clapped her hands. "We have ourselves a little cutie to come with us. Now I won't have to deal with only this guy. He's handsome but you get tired of his face after a while."
Wyne ignored her and focused on Lina.
"Since you have agreed, I will hold you to it but know that we are beastmen and have done ranger training. We move faster than most so Mil will probably have to carry you until we reach our hunting grounds," Wyne already knew that the girl was going to slow them down but it didn't matter. He needed to get his hands on this potion master.
"Do you guys mind if I come with you?" Koxa asked. "I have to complete 3 missions and am willing to offer 3 low-tier grimoires of Blue Magic in exchange for assistance," Koxa pretended to look at Wyne but her eyes were focused on Liz, hoping to catch on if this was around the correct price for a low-tier grimoire. But to her disappointment, the senior simply winked at her and didn't make any other expression.
'Damn! Is everyone in this school so smart?' Koxa was used to being the smartest person in the room but after only a day, she realized that the school of Black Magic, or at least those that would succeed in the school, were all people just like her or even more intelligent. But instead of being frustrated, a smile subconsciously appeared on her face.
"We can head over after eating lunch for the next few days and spend the daytime hunting," Wyne agreed to the request.
'And that makes 2 of them.'