Inside a spacious yet somewhat dilapidated office, furnished only with old wooden furniture, a shelf of books, and a small pile of documents, a young man and a white-haired old man around the age of sixty sat face to face.
"I'm Erold, Greyfen Town's mayor. Nice to meet you, young wizard," greeted the mayor with a slight bow, which Hal unhesitatingly returned. "You… look younger than I expected. How old are you again?"
"I just turned eighteen, sir," Hal responded honestly.
Erold fell silent, then decided to confront the young man with his thoughts:
"I'm… gonna be honest. I didn't expect the academy to send us a new recruit. Are you sure you're up to the task, young wizard?"
Mana doesn't awaken in one's body until one turns eighteen, so the young man before him could only be someone from the same generation as the youngsters who had left Greyfen Town a few weeks ago.
Hal naturally understood the mayor's worries.
"Yes, Mayor Erold. The academy tested my capabilities before sending me. The mission was assigned under my name after I passed their assessment."
The old town leader fell silent once more, now gazing at Hal with renewed interest.
If what the young wizard said was true, then he could be looking at one of the most talented wizards, not only of this year's batch but possibly in the academy's history.
It wasn't easy—almost impossible, even—to be recognized as combat-capable by the academy after less than two weeks of training.
Mayor Erold then chuckled, unexpectedly and heartily.
"I see, I see… Pardon my rudeness, young wizard. As you know, my town is in quite a bind, and those monsters have been disrupting the peace for nearly three weeks now. While there haven't been any casualties yet, many have sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe. I hope you don't take offense.
Also… can I take a photo with you?"
Hal was momentarily dumbfounded by the request.
Why the hell would the mayor want to take a photo with a nobody like him?
Unfortunately, it had something to do with a senior's foresight—something Hal wouldn't be able to understand just yet.
At least not for a few more years… or perhaps even decades.
In any case, it was a strange but harmless request, so he didn't hesitate and let the mayor capture the odd moment with his Manatech Orb of Memories, posing with an awkward thumbs-up and a wide, forced smile.
"Now then, let's discuss business. As we've stated, you must help us drive the Housesprites away for good. I know it's a tricky request, but there have been times when we managed to chase them out of town, only for them to keep coming back... Please, young wizard, help us rid this town of them permanently."
This time, it was Hal who fell silent.
He hadn't expected the mission to be this difficult.
He thought he would only need to drive them out once and that's that, mission over.
Hal didn't expect the possibility of the arcane monsters' rather strange persistence.
Basically, he had to find the root of the problem before he could drive them out for good.
But what could he do?
The moment he accepted the request, their peace became his responsibility, so Hal could only nod despite not knowing how to accomplish the main objective.
'Oh well, killing a few of them should be a good way to start…'
"I see. I'll certainly help you to the best of my abilities…"
Hal and Erold spoke a bit more about the current state of the town and how they were barely holding on.
The Housesprites, oddly enough, would retreat whenever they chose, perhaps unwilling to risk losing even a single one of their kind, and so were playing the long game.
In any case, the arcane monsters' motives weren't entirely clear.
Hal would have to investigate on his own.
A few minutes later, the two exited the mayor's office and made their way to the frontlines, allowing the young novice wizard to see the situation for himself.
Hal frowned the moment they arrived.
The men were armed with nothing but pitchforks, shovels, and sharpened wood, using barrel and pot covers as makeshift shields.
Weariness and exhaustion were etched into their faces.
'Hmm… it wouldn't be wise to bring these guys with me,' Hal mused, believing he would only be putting the tired residents in danger if he did so.
According to the mayor, there were twelve Mischievous Housesprites on the other, messier side of town, each having taken a house for themselves.
He could take advantage of their separation, picking off a few before retreating if necessary.
After a brief assessment of the situation, Hal spoke to Erold again:
"Mayor, just make sure this side of town remains secure. I'll do what I can to improve things."
With the old town leader's confirmation, Hal stepped into one of the protected buildings and summoned his Spirit Sparrow, sending the tiny creature out the window toward the side of town under the sprites' control.
The town's defenders noticed the bird with faintly glowing eyes, allowing them to relax a bit.
The young wizard has finally made his move…
This time, the Spirit Sparrow didn't fly too high, as Hal wanted to confirm the position of all twelve, even if it meant the small creature might be destroyed.
It was an unavoidable risk of actual combat.
After about three minutes of flight, the sparrow's eyes finally spotted a faintly glowing creature that resembled a fairy, though much larger, hovering at nearly four feet tall.
It had a humanoid shape, indigo skin clothed in leaves, and two pairs of wings that resembled those of a dragonfly.
"Mischievous Housesprite…" Hal muttered with closed eyes.
For the next fifteen minutes, he continued carefully scouting the area, confirming which houses the arcane monsters were occupying.
It soon became easier for Hal to locate them, as each house they had taken over shared a very distinctive trait.
All of them were extremely messy.
Appliances, decorations, utensils…everything was scattered throughout the house as if the interior had been struck by a hurricane.
Soon, Hal had located all twelve, marking the end of his reconnaissance.
He perched the sparrow on a safe branch and dismissed it, then grabbed his sack bag.
It was time for his first true battle as a novice wizard.