To say the Hunter's school is shocked to see them is an understatement. Only one of them is of school age, plus it is the middle of a semester. But the young one is naturally Mythic, so she must have just turned five years old or activated her system, the minimum qualification to begin training at the school. Species that powerful get special consideration since they can easily keep up with students that are a half year more advanced than them.
"A Mythic Dragon, and a Crusader? As impressive as that is, I'm not sure we have space at the moment. The Shrine Guardian species Youkai guarding the gate greets them in a grumpy voice. Like the first ones they met, his is rather short and stout, with exaggerated facial features, but this one has the sense of timelessness to his aura that often happens with the very old.
"Lie," DeeDee says quietly.
"What was that young girl?" He says, insulted at being called out.
"Sorry, the system informed me, and I just read it out loud. I'm not used to keeping things inside," she informs him much more happily than the situation calls for.
"Ah, yes, you can't lie to a Crusader, I forgot that extends to evasion and bargaining." The Shrine Guardian sighs, rubbing his large ear with one hand.
"How much is Tuition? I will take care of her fees." Cain informs the head teacher, who gives him a satisfied look now that he knows they aren't going to push for the Mythic Dragon to be a scholarship student like so many high-ranking species do.
"Fifty gold coins a year. That covers lodging, tuition, food, and excursions as well as all necessary medical treatments." The teacher informs him, pulling out a contract for education.
"She belongs to the Quest Hall, so I'm not sure how long she will need to be trained for, but here is one year's tuition. After that, she can decide what to do going forward." Cain smiles while the Shrine Guardian pulls out a little wicker offering basket to collect the coins. It seems to count them for him because he doesn't so much as glance at the coins before putting them away again and passing Cain the contract.
It's pretty straightforward, so Cain signs it and passes it back.
"Now DeeDee, you be good and learn as fast as you can. I'm sure you're eager to level up and show everyone your amazing talents though aren't you?" Lilly says, giving the little Crusader a hug, causing the dragon's shimmering hair to flutter in the wind.
"I feel like that was more of a good deed than a punishment," Lilly says as the Shrine Guardian leads DeeDee away.
"If you do it right, it can be both." the other Bog Witch tells her with a wink, and she casts a shadow arrow at him, making him laugh and dodge.
"Let's head back to my place and we can find out if you are going to work tomorrow or if you're spending a few centuries as my pet cat before you can repay that debt," Cain says, turning to walk to the city gates.
"Wait, you're not going to finish the quest here?" Lilly asks, chasing after him so she doesn't end up increasing the average distance and taking an additional penalty.
"Do you think it would be wise to cause that much of a commotion here? The last time I advanced I went into my full ten-meter tall natural form and the aura of an Ancient hit the area at full force." Cain tells her, glad that the little Crusader is gone so he can have fun scaring the Bog Witch.
"You have a point. Let's go somewhere more private. Like the middle of the woods, or maybe the moon or something." Lilly agrees, not eager to find out what the aura of an Ancient feels like, since they're reputed to be terrifying.
Once they reach the gates Cain calls for a pair of Mythic Divine Fire Dragons outside and the crowd in line starts screaming in panic, thinking they're under attack.
"That never gets old," Vala smirks, walking to the dragon and hopping up on its back.
"A little show of force goes a long way to keeping people in line." Cain agrees quietly, so only Lilly can hear him.
That makes sense to her, dangerous people mostly prey on the weak. They aren't looking for a challenge or a duel to prove themselves, they want rewards. Knowing that the group has something that powerful available at a moment's notice should keep almost anyone from daring to bother them.
The flight seems much shorter this time, with the two Bog Witches flirting. Now that he has had a chance, it seems that the three decades he spent growing flowers to meet the challenge weren't entirely wasted, and his bride-to-be might actually be almost ready for marriage now. The only part that is really holding them back now is the power imbalance. She has spent her years as an underling at the Quest Hall while he became a powerful hunter. He was also born Awakened, while she was not, giving him an innate head start on the skill growth.
Lilly is very proud of her job and doesn't want to feel like a kept woman, despite the fact that he easily could keep her in luxury for millennia without much issue or having to work. Listening to them talk, it seems that the Mythic Bog Witches are very long-lived, and he has been making plans accordingly. Lilly is clearly flattered, but she is being stubborn for reasons best known only to her.
They arrive back at the farmhouse to see that the Echoes are just finishing up the growth of a new set of peach trees, using nature magic to accelerate multiple years worth of growth to a single day so that they can try out the fruits right away.
The fruits are visibly glowing with faint yellow light, looking otherworldly as they mature before the eyes of a dozen spectators. They have a few other guests today, who chose to wait instead of heading home when they found out that Cain was gone for the day.
"All that's left is the taste test. We checked them for poisons and curses already." Victor the echo informs Cain, plucking a peach from the tree.
Cain looks it over carefully, checking it for damage, and making sure that the quality is Mythic even after it is plucked from the tree. Low-quality fruit from a high-status tree was a problem with one of the previous batches that they created. Everything looks good, so he hands it to Lilly.
"Eat this, it will help with your advancement," Cain instructs and she obediently takes a bite.
Her face puckers up instantly, but she still swallows the bite of peach without complaint before washing her mouth out with wine. Her whole body begins glowing and Cain sees that she has received very powerful healing and mana regeneration effects from the one bite.
"Still a bit sour. Mix it with honey and water and try again." The echo says eagerly, and hands over a juice pitcher.
Mixing the juice is easy, and even watered down it still glows just as brightly. The whole peach was juiced and placed in the jug, which was sweetened and filled with water while the echoes planted the seed into a fresh section of the farm and began casting spells on it.
"How about now?" Cain asks, and Lilly pours a shot glass sized portion into a potion bottle and hands it to Xxictix, who downs it without question. The effect is the same, but the duration is much shorter than taking an actual mouthful of the fruit.
"Duration varies with dosage," Cain informs the echoes who give him a thumbs up.
"Excellent, thank you for your help." He congratulates the two who bow politely before wondering why they're thanking him. After all, they weren't injured or low on mana in the first place.
"How is that supposed to help me Awaken?" Lilly asks, wondering if she missed something.
"Oh, the juice is just juice. I require everyone who wants a modification to volunteer for an experiment first." Cain answers, walking towards the barn while the Bog Witch gives him a glare that promises him great pain in the future when she isn't obligated to the Flesh Crafter.
