Ten minutes later, Noa arrived at the Vice Principal’s office.

“Vice Principal, you wanted to see me.”

“Noa, close the door gently, then come over to the desk.”

Outside the academy, Noa would directly call Claudia “Aunt.”
But within the academy, out of courtesy and respect, she always addressed her by title.

Claudia acknowledged her and then asked:

“You know about Cold Mist Forest, right?”

Noa thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. After the war with Atos ended, the Diplomatic Guild shared many of their experiences searching for divine relics back then. The relics of Mevis, the God of Wisdom, were found in Cold Mist Forest. What’s wrong, Vice Principal?” Noa asked after a brief pause.

“Someone sent word that Metis’s gauntlet was stolen, and its whereabouts are unknown.”

Claudia said, “I’ve already had Samantha issue a mission brief. The goal is to recover the gauntlet and return it to the Cold Mist Forest.”

Hearing that a divine relic had been stolen, Noa was startled.

“Was it someone from the Void?”

Claudia shook her head.

“I’m not sure. But I don’t think so. The Void Gate is currently suppressed by the combined power of multiple deities. It wouldn’t be so easy to breach in such a short time. So it’s more likely someone else. But no matter what, with a divine relic stolen, the academy cannot stand by and do nothing. Even though Cold Mist Forest is not within dragon territory, this matter involves a Primordial Deity. The academy is one of the few parties who know the truth, and we also possess the capability to act. Naturally, we must intervene.”

Noa pondered this quietly for a moment.

“Then… Samantha mentioned earlier that you had a special task for me?”

“Yes,” Claudia said.

“Very few people know about matters involving divine relics. Among the current Adult Dragon Division trainees, only you and my daughter are aware of the full details. So I want you to serve as the team leader for this mission. On the condition that information about the relic is kept confidential, you will lead the team and complete the task.”

Hearing that Claudia wanted a newcomer like her to be team leader, Noa froze for a moment.

“Th-this… is that really okay, Vice Principal? I’ve mostly been doing low-difficulty missions lately to build up points. I’m worried.”

“Your ability and experience are evident to all,” Claudia interrupted calmly.

“The reason we didn’t continue assigning you high-difficulty missions after the rescue operation was because Leon specifically told me that you didn’t want to become the focus of public discussion. That’s why we let you follow the same process as other new trainees for now—accumulating points and going through the standard progression.”

As she spoke, Claudia walked around the desk and stopped in front of Noa.

“But this mission is special. I need someone who understands the truth behind divine relics and also has the capability to carry it out. And that person is undoubtedly you, Noa.”

Faced with such trust, even Noa—who had seen her share of grand scenes—found it hard to remain calm.

Suppressing the excitement in her chest, she said seriously:

“Alright. I’ll do my best to complete this mission.”

Claudia smiled, then lifted a hand and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Noa’s ear, a hint of fondness in the gesture.

“I believe in you, Noa.”

After a brief silence, Noa added,

“Oh, right, Vice Principal. I have a request.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’d like Helena to participate in this mission as well.”

Claudia raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because she’s one of the few students who specializes in healing magic,” Noa explained.

“No matter how difficult a combat mission is, having a dedicated healer on the team is always a form of insurance. And as you said earlier, Helena knows the inside story of the divine relics just like I do. With her by my side, the mission may go more smoothly.”

Noa’s reasoning was sound.

Claudia chuckled softly and nodded.

“No problem. Leaving my daughter in your hands puts me at ease.”

Noa smiled modestly.

“It goes both ways. Helena and I look out for each other. I’ll head back and prepare now.”

“Alright. One more thing—about you serving as team leader for this mission. I’ve already informed the briefing officer. He’ll announce it after summarizing the mission details. So you won’t need to explain it to the team yourself. That way, you won’t feel awkward or uncomfortable.”

Claudia had thought this through carefully. She truly was attentive to Noa’s feelings.

Noa thanked her, then turned and left the office.

When she returned to the Adult Dragon Division training base, she arrived just in time to see Samantha organizing the mission briefing.

The trainees gathering for the assignment were mostly unfamiliar faces.

Compared to those already ranked near the top, these were clearly students eager to earn more points and climb the rankings.

Among the unfamiliar faces, however, there was one familiar figure...

Tucker.

And Tucker seemed to notice Noa as well.

When he saw her, a flash of surprise crossed his face.

He clearly hadn’t expected a newcomer like her to sign up for an A-rank mission.

After briefly meeting Tucker’s gaze, Noa immediately moved to the back of the group.

“Alright. The mission summary is complete. Does anyone have any questions?” Samantha asked.

Missions involving searching for or recovering lost items for other factions were nothing unusual for the Adult Dragon Division.

As such, the group tacitly remained silent.

Everyone, that is—except Tucker.

“Samantha, I have a question,” Tucker said in a low voice.

“Go ahead.”

“She?”

Tucker raised his arm and pointed toward Noa at the back of the group.

“Why is she allowed to participate in an A-rank mission?”

The ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ other trainees followed his gesture and turned to look at Noa.

“Hey, never seen her before. A newcomer?”

“Haven’t you heard? When Yuna’s team got trapped in Magic Moon Forest, it was this batch of newcomers who went to rescue them.”

“Uh… so what’s special about this cool, stubborn-looking girl among the newcomers?”

“Are you the new one? How are you this out of the loop?”

“She’s not just ‘cool.’ She took down that mutated Phantom Shadow Demon by herself and saved an entire group of new trainees.”

“Wow, that strong?”

“Enough,” Samantha said, clapping her hands to cut off the discussion.

She then looked at Tucker.

“Noa’s participation in this mission was specially approved by Vice Principal Claudia.”

“Specially approved?” Tucker seized on the phrase.

“I’ve long heard that the Silver Dragon royal couple are very close with the Vice Principal. Looks like the rumors are true.”

A nearby trainee lightly nudged Tucker’s arm.

“Hey, watch your tone.”

Tucker snorted and shot Noa a sideways glance.

The implication was obvious: that Noa was relying on her parents’ relationship with the Vice Principal to get special treatment and pad her achievements.

In other words—elite background, superficial merit.

“Tucker,” Samantha said coldly, “there’s a saying called ‘speak plainly instead of beating around the bush.’”

“And you,” she continued, “weren’t you also specially recruited into the Adult Dragon Division?”

The voice came from the back of the group.

Everyone turned.

Noa stood there with her hands in her pockets, staring straight ahead, her expression clearly saying don’t mess with me.

“By your logic,” she said calmly, “does that mean your parents are also close friends with the Vice Principal?”

Noa, who had grown up doted on by her family and surrounded by constant affection, was never going to lose a verbal exchange.

Tucker froze, then retorted sharply:

“I was specially recruited because I have ability.”

“Ability, and you still got taken out by a Phantom Shadow Demon in one move.”

“You!”

Tucker had wanted to use his seniority in the Adult Dragon Division—and Noa’s background—to put the newcomer in her place.

He hadn’t expected her tongue to be this sharp.

Unable to gain the upper hand verbally, Tucker turned back to Samantha.

“I admit she has some skill. But her practical experience still doesn’t compare to veteran members like us. Can you guarantee she’ll obey the team leader’s commands throughout the mission?”

Samantha nodded without hesitation.

“No problem. I guarantee it.”

Tucker frowned. “That easy? What if she relies on her ability and refuses to follow orders?”

“That won’t happen,” Samantha replied.

“Heh… we’ll see,” Tucker sneered.

“If you don’t give me some concrete proof, I won’t believe it.”

Samantha raised an eyebrow.

“Concrete proof? Fine. Then here it is! Noa is the team leader for this mission. Is that sufficient?”