I Said Make My Abilities Average! (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 71

Chapter 71:

The Elf Escort 

After taking two days off, the Crimson Vow decided it was about time that they search for their next job. 

“All these jobs look boring,” complained Reina, the tedium plain on her face, but her response by now was the norm. Tedious jobs were a hunter’s bread and butter. A profession where people who were otherwise halfwits could rise in the ranks was by nature not a glamorous one. 

The four of them gazed at the job board, their brows knit. 

“Oh, this one—” 

Pauline’s eyes stopped on one posting, though it was not the contents of the job but the pay that interested her. 

Accompaniment wanted for a woodland investigation. Duties include guarding two scholars, as well as transporting luggage and harvested materials. 

It was a trip of three days, two nights, and the payment was an exorbitant eight half-gold each. This rivaled what you might expect to earn guarding a small-scale merchant caravan on a route that was teeming with bandits. 

Reina took a long, hard look at the posting that Pauline had indicated. 

C-rank or higher requested, eight to ten individuals in total. At least three among this number must be female. 

“Does the fact that they’re requesting women mean that they’re planning something weird?” asked Mile. 

“No, dummy, it’s the opposite!” Reina corrected. “They’re asking for a party with women so that nothing weird does happen. In other words, the clients are probably female.” 

“Ah…” 

“But there can’t be a lot of parties that fit the bill around here. Most parties with eight or more members are B or A-rank, aren’t they? They wouldn’t be out here in a middle of nowhere town like this.” 

“Seriously, just how thick are you?! They wrote, ‘in total,’ didn’t they?! They intend for two parties to take this job together. There’s some leeway in the total number so the parties have more freedom in choosing who to team up with!” 

“Ah…” 

Mile was normally pretty swift on the uptake when it came to this sort of thing, but she was a bit off her game today. 

“If we take this job, then it doesn’t really matter who the other party is. We’ve already got the female portion covered, and if we’re looking for four to six more people, that would include most parties around.” 

Of course, Pauline was correct. Parties of three or more women were rare, so if the Crimson Vow did not take the job, the team would have to be composed of something like a party with two women in it, and another with one, which severely limited the pool of suitable candidates. If the first party to sign on had only one female member, then the second would be required to have at least two, and the chances of meeting the minimum requirements for the job were drastically lowered. 

“Should we do it?” 

“I guess so. There aren’t any other good jobs. I don’t really feel like taking on any more long-term guard duties while we’re here, but if this one wraps up in three days, and it’s not transport but investigation, which is in line with our objective to learn about each place we go to. It doesn’t seem too bad.” 

Pauline and Reina both seemed to be on board, and of course, Mavis and Mile had no objections. 

Just after the Crimson Vow had accepted the job and left the guildhall behind them… 

“Got it!” 

“Aah! Damn it, you guys! That was supposed to be us!” 

“Early bird gets the worm!” 

“No, hand it over! That one’s ours!” 

There was a desperate scramble for the job posting, which was still being affixed to the board. It was a safe, easy, and well-paying job that parties of all men could now accept—and they got to spend three days with four beautiful and abundantly talented female hunters on top of that. Since all the hunters remembered only too well the good fortune of the Devils and the Fellowship, a squabble was the natural outcome of the circumstances at hand. 

*** 

“We are your clients, Aetelou and Sharalir. We are researchers at the Academy. On this trip, we plan to explore a region that humans have barely penetrated. You are going to be our guards, and we request that you transport our food, equipment, and anything that we gather.” 

Aetelou and Sharalir appeared to be in their early twenties. They had a prim and tidy appearance…and both women’s ears came to slight, tapered points. 

“V-Vulcans!” 

Reina smacked Mile across the back of the head. “They’re obviously elves! ‘Vulcans’ are those ‘logical people’ that pop up in your weird stories, aren’t they? Stop confusing fantasy with reality!!!” 

“We would like for you to help us gather materials, as well. Anything that you find that is not of use to us, you are welcome to keep, if you think it may be of value. Think of this as an incentive to search to the best of your abilities.” Their employers were very frank, but open communication was always welcome. “That said, transporting our findings is part of your job, so we would like you to prioritize the items that we are after. Let’s say that our things should be about eighty percent of what you carry, and yours about twenty? The things you take home with you will probably need to be limited to lightweight, compact, and valuable items, such as rare medicinal herbs. 

“Also, should you find anything else that proves valuable to our research, we would like you to hand it over to us—for additional pay, of course. The things that are valuable to us likely would not fetch a high price in town, so we can’t pay you a lot for them, but I believe what we can give you will still exceed the general going rate. Technically speaking, this isn’t something that we should have to pay you for, but, well, please think of it as a special reward.” 

These were truly rather favorable conditions. Typically, on expeditions such as these, hired guards were required to hand over everything they collected. The two elves, who lived in the capital and had traveled out to this frontier region for their research, seemed fairly generous. Afterwards, the Crimson Vow and the other party introduced themselves. From the elves’ perspective, Mile and Reina appeared to be about forty or fifty years old, while Mavis and Pauline looked to be a few hundred at least, so the party’s youthful appearance did not worry them. They did appear to be amused at Mile’s self-designation as a “magic knight” but dismissed it as only an affectation. 

The other party was a typical all-male team, with three swordsmen, one archer, and one mage. With them, the guard team came to nine in total. 

Even though they were in another country, upon hearing of another group of elven researchers living in a human town, when so few elves lived amongst humans to begin with, the Crimson Vow immediately thought of a certain name. 

“Elven researchers—just like Dr. Clairia?” Mavis muttered to herself. 

“Clairia!!!” 

Oh, so they’re acquaintances, the Crimson Vow thought, until— 

“Clairia! That filthy greenhorn heretic!!!” 

The elves flew into a sudden rage. 

Apparently, they did indeed know one another…and they were not on good terms. 

After a short while, the pair finally calmed down and explained. 

“That woman is a total amateur, but she flaunts her knowledge and uses it to obtain patronage. She lures nobles and merchants into the palm of her hand with information that literally anyone could pick up after a few decades of living in the forest. We work honestly and tirelessly at our research, aiming to be lecturers, or even associate professors, but that piece of trash just bypassed the whole process, using her adjunct researcher position to get anything she wants. She already has money and influence, but all she ever does in her ‘research’ is butter up the higher-ups with her infantile behavior!!!” 

Since they were operating in an entirely different country, it was not as though Clairia had stolen their success out from under them, but her actions were apparently inexcusable all the same. 

And then… 

“She’s an adult, but she still clings to her father without an ounce of humility! We would love to be so close with our fathers, but we act our age and hold back from that kind of fawning!! Then there she is, acting like a spoiled little brat, and even getting other elves to permit—nay, praise this behavior, calling her a ‘good sweet girl, who always thinks of her father’! Seriously, what’s with that?! It’s absolutely absurd!!!” 

Evidently, they had stepped on a land mine. 

*** 

“We’re the Blue Meteors, C-rank. Nice to meet’cha.” 

The other party who had accepted the job alongside them were a perfectly normal party of five men, all in their twenties. After they had finished meeting with their employers, the Blue Meteors invited the Crimson Vow to a meal in order to compare notes before the job. The Crimson Vow dutifully accepted. This was an important part of working alongside a party you were not familiar with, as it was hard to trust a partner whose strengths and skills you did not know. 

Plus, the Meteors had said that they would treat them, which meant that the Crimson Vow really had not the slightest reason to refuse. 

“Like I said before, we’ve got three swordsmen—including yours truly—as well as an archer and a mage, one each. I’m the leader—I use a greatsword, and I’m a vanguard-slash-tank fighter. Callack uses a rapier, and Rattle uses a shortsword.” 

The sword that Graf, the party leader, wielded was a large one or two-handed blade, comparable to what Earthlings might refer to as a bastard sword or a claymore. Normally, it would be wielded two-handed, but certain opponents might warrant the use of a shield, in which case it could be used with one hand. Of course, such a thing required an uncommon amount of physical strength. 

Then there was a rapier, which one could use to vex an enemy with quick jabs, and the shortsword, which was plain, but reliable and sturdy. The Meteors didn’t have anyone who wielded a spear, so they were strapped for melee weapons with reach, but presumably made do. 

“Then we have Kesbard, the archer-slash-dagger-wielder, and Malawenn, our mage. Malawenn is mostly a combat type, but it seems like your Pauline is a support type, so I hope you’ll be able to back all of us up.” 

Hearing this, Pauline nodded; she was indeed a support type. Her hot magic and boiling magic made it easy to forget that support and healing were supposed to be her specialty… 

“On our end we have myself, Mavis, the leader. My strength and stamina still aren’t the best, but I’m confident in my speed and technique. Then we have Reina, whose specialty is combat and fire magic, as well as Pauline, who specializes in healing magic… Though those are their specialties, that doesn’t mean that either of them is unskilled in or incapable of other types of magic as well, so both of them should be able to help out in a pinch. Then, over here, we have…Mile. She calls herself a ‘magic knight,’ which means she uses both magic and swords, but, well, I would most simply classify her as…a Mile.” 

The heck does that mean? The faces of the Blue Meteors wore perplexed expressions, and Mile herself looked less than pleased. 

Reina and Pauline, however, merely nodded. 

They went on to have a more in-depth discussion, but as the meal progressed, the Meteors’ smiles turned into grimaces as they saw the empty plates piling up. Reina and Mile would never pass up the opportunity to take advantage of a situation like this one. Unfortunately, the Meteors had taken them to a slightly more expensive place in order to show the girls a good time, so the damage to their purses was quite severe. 

Each dish ranged from around one-and-a-half to two silver a plate, but their bill was already in the dozens each for Reina and for Mile. While Mavis was not as big an eater as either of her fellow party members, she was still tall for a woman, and very active, which made for a very healthy appetite. Meanwhile, Pauline, when faced with free food, was wont to stuff herself until she nearly puked—and had an unerring eye for the priciest items. 

Their collective bill was already more than 80 silver—in other words, eight half-gold. That was the amount of one man’s pay for their entire upcoming job. 

One by one, the Meteors fell silent. The main reason they had taken this job, besides the fact that it paid well for the low level of danger, was that they would get to work alongside the Crimson Vow. In exchange for achieving that goal, eight half-gold was really a trifle. 

So they tried to tell themselves. 

And yet, they were shouting deep inside, You all really eat too much! 

*** 

“Okay, let’s head out!” 

First thing in the morning two days later, the wagon began to roll at Aetelou’s order. The cart and its driver were both a rental, hired on to carry them the half-day’s journey to the entrance of the forest and to return around noon two days later to meet them. On the ride, they talked of the investigation and the samples they would take until they arrived at the entrance of the forest around late morning. 

“Okay. Carry the stuff,” the Blue Meteors turned to Mile, demanding the moment they arrived. They clambered down from the wagon without even stopping to help unload the cart. 

“Huh?” 

“You’ve got storage magic, don’t you? We’ll leave the luggage and the samples to you. Hm? What’s that face for? You’re gonna carry everything that we hunt too, aren’t you?” 

At the prior group discussion, they had only introduced themselves and discussed combat strategies. Mile’s storage magic had never been mentioned, but it wasn’t as though she kept it a secret, either, and word got around quickly. There was neither a hunter nor a Guild employee in town who was not well aware of it. It wasn’t strange that the Meteors knew about it despite not having been told directly. 

The issue was how the Meteors had spoken. Their tone had been incredibly matter of fact, without a hint of gratitude or so much as a “please.” 

The reason so many guards had been requested was not only for the sake of protecting the researchers but also to aid in the gathering and transportation of their findings. This had been explained to them when they first met with the clients. And yet, the Meteors seemed to have decided that they were going to leave all of the transport work to Mile’s storage, while they spent their time not on menial gathering but on hunting, the spoils of which they would have Mile carry, too. 

“Excuse me? What are you all saying? Carrying our luggage is part of your job, but if you expect these young ladies to carry your luggage as well, then that’s another thing entirely. What in the blazes are you thinking?!” 

The two researchers, who had now disembarked from the wagon, fumed at the Meteors, while the Crimson Vow looked on dumbfounded. 

“Huh? That girl’s got a crazy amount of storage magic—it’s fine to leave all the carrying to her,” Graf said calmly, apparently utterly unaware of the real problem here. 

This time, Aetelou was the one to appear shocked. “It doesn’t matter how much she can hold,” she said. “Whenever she puts something in, it takes that much more sustained magical and spiritual energy to maintain it! I might understand if we were in town, where it’s safe, but you want to impose that much of a pointless burden on someone out here in the middle of these dangerous woods?! Don’t tell me that you took this job with the intention of having a girl carry everything for you?! Not carrying your share of our luggage is a breach of your contract. If you’re going to violate the terms, we will void your employment at once.” 

“Wh…?” 

The two elves had heard nothing from the Crimson Vow at the initial meetup, so this was the first that they were hearing of Mile’s storage magic. Regardless, they were not about to let the Meteors, who appeared to have known about it already, take advantage of this. There were many elves who excelled at magic far beyond most human mages, so even this pair, who could not use storage magic, were aware of its difficulties and drawbacks…even if they were not aware that such things did not actually apply to Mile. 

The Blue Meteors had seemed like honest men at their first meeting, but perhaps they were now showing their true colors, waiting until they had gotten all the way out to the job site to start making demands of the Crimson Vow. If the Crimson Vow were to quit now, it would be a breach of contract and a failed job, and they would have to pay a penalty, leaving them little choice but to put up with their fellow hunters. 

Yet their employers were now declaring that it was the Meteors who would be in violation of contract and who would be treated as having failed the job! 

“Grngh…” Graf grumbled, his carefully laid plans in tatters. 

Apparently, the Meteors had not actually invited the Crimson Vow out for the sake of making a good impression, but simply so that they could take advantage of them later. It might have been different if this were the royal capital, but there was no chance of a young, talented party of rookies in the midst of a journey choosing to settle down in a remote border city like Mafan. As such, the Meteors probably thought that they could milk the Crimson Vow for all they were worth while they could, with no thought to consideration, politeness, or the general maintenance of good will. 

The bulk of the Crimson Vow’s earnings and glory had been shared with the members of the Devils and the Fellowship on their two previous jobs, and yet the girls still smiled kindly upon those parties. It was all too likely, thought the Meteors, that they were a group of softhearted fools who would do exactly as their seniors told them. 

From the Blue Meteors’ perspective, the Crimson Vow themselves had never actually refused to do as they said. Their employers had merely intervened before they could do anything. 

That was what they believed. 

Incidentally, there was a saying in certain circles: 

“He who believes…will have the rug pulled out from under him.” 

They unloaded the wagon together, and the driver headed back into town. He would be back at the same spot to meet them two days later. 

The group began making preparations to eat. It would be midday soon, and though it was a bit early, it was better to eat now rather than delve into the dangerous woods and then pause for a meal. Also, none of them were foolish enough to eat a big breakfast before a several-hour cart ride, which would leave their backsides sore and their guts jostled. 

Riding along a road from a provincial town out into the forest, which was not maintained to the standards of a main thoroughfare, could be exhausting. Part of the purpose of their stopping to eat was to regain their stamina, and so there was no reason to rush. There was plenty of time to build a fire and make a proper meal rather than just nibbling on preserved rations. 

Of course, “proper” had a fairly loose meaning when you were dining in the rough. For those accustomed to working in the wilds, even a simple meal of soup made from hot water, soup base, and dried vegetables, along with bread and meat warmed by flame, was fairly luxurious. Since a wagon would not be accompanying them throughout their travels, the hunters’ employers did not have the ability to provide meals for their hired help. After all, it would be ridiculous to hire even more hunters just to carry food for them. As a result, there were many contracts for this sort of job that specified that hunters must provide for themselves in terms of food. 

Thankfully, there were plenty of mages to go around, including their employers, so there was no worry about securing hot water. The two elves were able to provide soup for everyone. For the rest of their meal, the elves and each of the parties broke up into their own groups. 

“Miss Aetelou, Miss Sharalir, would you care for another?” 

Mile had produced a simple stove and frying pan from storage, along with pre-processed blocks of orc meat. When she offered the pair a plate of roast orc sandwiches garnished with pickles that she had whipped up, the two gladly accepted. Just like Dr. Clairia, the fact that they were elves did not automatically mean that they were vegetarian. Indeed, they were healthy, red-blooded carnivores. 

“This is delicious!” exclaimed Aetelou. 

“What is this spice you added?” asked Sharalir. “You managed to cut down the fat, so you can really taste the savory orc meat. And the bread, after it’s absorbed all the juices—it’s moist on the tongue and brushes gently against the gums…” 

“Are you some kind of food writer?!” Mile exclaimed. 

“Hey, gimme a big chunk o’ that meat,” said one of the Meteors. 

“I’ll take two!” said another. 

“Me too!” 

“I’ll have three!” 

“Just one’s good for me. But make it extra meaty!” 

The Crimson Vow were lost for words. 

“Huh?” 

“Why are you putting away your stove and saucepan?” 

“Huh? What?” 

Pauline turned to the frantic Meteors and mercilessly declared, “I believe it was decided that each party would take care of their own meal prep, wasn’t it? We all heard that at the initial meeting.” 

“Uh…” 

The Meteors were stunned. Sure enough, that had indeed been part of the contract. And of course, the Meteors had brought their own food: hardtack, jerky, and dried fruit—the three basic food groups for hunters on the go. However, this was something they had packed away for a worst-case scenario. There was more than a zero percent chance that their storage-magic-user would be killed or carried off by monsters, after all. 

And that storage girl should have had plenty of food on her for them to enjoy—and at worst, they could always hunt something along the way. Surely, she would be willing to share at a low cost, or perhaps even for free. 

Of course, these assumptions were based on what they had heard from the local soldiers and merchants. The Crimson Vow did not go out of their way to hide Mile’s storage magic, and most folks, once sufficiently liquored up, deemed it appropriate to discuss at least that much. The Meteors, likewise, had assumed that since the Crimson Vow did not hide Mile’s skill, it was not a problem if the Meteors knew about it. 

“How much?” 

If all they wanted was a few half-silver, the Meteors would pay it. So thought Graf. However… 

“No, well, I mean—our trip has just started, so we need to economize and make sure that we don’t run out of ingredients for ourselves… Please go ahead and eat the food that you brought for yourselves. You shouldn’t be thinking about stealing other parties’ provisions,” said Mile, her refusal swift and direct. 

“Honestly, just how much were you hoping to rely on those girls?” asked Aetelou, looking at the Blue Meteors with contempt. 

“What unbelievable creatures you are!” added Sharalir. 

The two elves were not aware of the true capacity of Mile’s storage and thought the Meteors were trying to steal away the finite amount of food that the girls had prepared for themselves—an unforgivable sin. As for themselves, Aetelou and Sharalir had had only one serving each and assumed that the girls had merely happened to cook a bit too much and were sharing their leftovers, which meant that their partaking was not a problem. If it should happen that the girls ran low on their stores because of their generosity, the elves were more than willing to share their own supplies. Even if food became a concern, they could still go a few days on water alone without much discomfort. Elves had slower metabolisms than humans, and since this pair was no exception to the general rule of elven magical proficiency, water was not a worry. Even if they lost all of their food supplies, they could survive for a week without trouble. 

“Seriously? Wait, do you all just hate us?” asked Graf. 

The Crimson Vow and the elves were silent. 

The Meteors appeared to be truly stunned. Reina, equally surprised, asked, “Do you all really not understand why someone might hate you, when you talk to people like this?! It would be way weirder for someone not to hate you with the way you’ve been acting!” 

The other five women nodded emphatically. 

“B-but we treated you! You all stuffed your faces on our dime, didn’t you?!” 

Mavis quickly brushed Graf’s gripe aside. “Weren’t you the ones who extended the invitation to take us out?” 

“But given how much you ate at that dinner, you should at least share a little of your food now! In exchange, we’ll even give you some of the rations that we brought!” 

“The exchange rates for food in the forest aren’t the same as they are in town. Out here, we’re using the outdoor rate, which is essentially 100-to-1,” said Mile, summarily dismissing Callack’s offer. 

“Of course, we are all allies here,” said Pauline with a grin, “So we’ll provide you with as much water as you need. So, Mr. Malawenn, you can reserve your magic for battle. That’s a special service, just for you all.” 

“Though you did underestimate and belittle us, I suppose it’s not like you’re traitors or criminals. You just tried to take us for fools because we’re a group of newbies. So, we’ll still uphold our duties as a joint force. We’ll support you in battle, provide healing, and complete all of the functions of our job diligently… But don’t expect us to do anything out of the kindness of our hearts!” said Reina, landing the finishing blow. 

“What?! C’mon! What we’ve done isn’t any different from how the Devils’ Paradise and the Fellowship of Flame treated you guys. You let them take your glory, your spoils, and your pay—and you let them eat your food, didn’t you? That’s what the soldiers and the merchants said.” 

“That’s right. But those men treated us as equals! They would have used their own bodies to shield us if they had to. Plus, they took that very first job of chasing back the monsters just out of concern for our safety, even when it wasn’t worth the pay. Do you really think that the five of you, who came gunning right for Mile’s storage and tried to catch a free ride on our coattails, deserve the same treatment as those other men? Ha!” 

It was a full-frontal verbal attack. The men collapsed in despair. 

“Of course,” Pauline continued, “It seems there are some loose-lipped soldiers and merchants back in Mafan. When we get back into town, hm… Say, Graf, won’t you tell me the names of those men who decided to go blabbing to you?” 

She was terrifying. The eerie smile upon her face sent a shudder down their spines. 

However, even they still had their pride as hunters. 

“Sorry, can’t reveal our sources!” 

“Ohoho…” 

“Ohoho…” 

“Ohoho…” 

“Ohohoho! Ohohohohohoho!” 

“You’re creepy! And what the hell was with that last laugh?!” 

*** 

The two elves and nine hunters proceeded into the forest. 

“We are now reaching the boundaries of the area where humans typically tread,” Aetelou explained. 

The guards nodded silently. The fact that this land was “untrodden” did not mean that it was uncharted territory or that it was home to dangerous monsters. It merely meant that no one came here because it was not worthwhile for anyone to do so. That was all. 

Coming all the way out into the remote depths of a forest did not guarantee finding valuable prey or rare herbs—not any more so than the edges of the forest might provide, anyway. Plus, lugging your spoils back out took an exceptional amount of time and effort. Hunting on the outskirts was simply much more efficient. 

The elves’ aim on this venture was to study plants that were of “scholarly value,” research mineral distribution, and track local monster breeding rates. While the items they valued might be very important to the scholars, nothing they collected would be particularly profitable in terms of market value. This being the case, the Blue Meteors tried to leave all of the gathering work to the Crimson Vow, while they busied themselves with hunting beasts that would provide meat, horns, tusks, claws, and hides that would fetch a good price…all while ensuring their clients’ safety, of course. They weren’t that rotten, after all. 

Even so, their initial hope of getting to use Mile’s storage as much as they liked was now nothing more than a pipe dream. 

“Now then, we would like to begin our investigation,” said Aetelou. 

The two lines of guards halted their steady procession and spread out beside her, walking more slowly now as they examined the plants on the ground. All of them stood up straight, not bending at the waist. If they spent the entire investigation hunched over, their bodies would not thank them. 

They had already been shown sketches of the plants the elves were after, along with an explanation of what they were for. As for monsters and animals, all they needed to do was record that they had encountered them. Until a little while ago, the Blue Meteors had naturally taken the lead, but now they were spread out, so everyone had to concentrate on pushing away the tall grasses and tree branches that were right in front of them. Combining that with keeping one’s eyes to the ground was quite difficult, so their speed took a nosedive. 

That said, there were no roads in a remote place like this, and their aim was investigation, not getting somewhere by a certain time. It was fine to proceed as slowly and carefully as necessary to make sure they did not miss a thing. 

“Reina, two meters ahead at one o’ clock!” 

“Oh, there it is! Miss Aetelou, over here!” 

They couldn’t just pluck up anything that they found willy-nilly. Their gathering was pointless if the scholars could not record where the plants were growing, the amount of sun they were getting, what other plants grew beside them, and every other little detail. Even deciding whether to pick them at all or simply to leave them be was its own judgment call—one that, naturally, had to be left up to their employers. 

“Pauline, 1.5 meters ahead at 1:30!” 

“I see them. Miss Sharalir, they’re here!” 

“Mavis, 2.3 meters ahead at twelve o’ clock!” 

“Objective number three spotted!” 

One after another the Crimson Vow uncovered the target plants, Mile giving coordinate directions based on the clockface directional method that they had established. 

“This is amazing. Normally, we would probably have missed more than half of these, but at this rate we might find all of them,” said Aetelou. “We’ll have to readjust our margins for compensation here.” 

Sharalir nodded in agreement. 

At Aetelou’s words, Graf of the Blue Meteors exploded. “Are you serious?! This is weird, isn’t it?! If they were all off looking separately, I’d get it, like, okay, they have good eyes, or like, they’re just really good at searching. But how can Mile stand all off by herself and find all of the plants and direct them to them?! Sure, yeah, maybe she has great eyesight, but she can’t see through grass or trees!” 

The two elves completely ignored him—as did the Crimson Vow. 

“Say something already!” Graf shouted at the members of the Crimson Vow. He was already fed up with watching them find things one after another while the Meteors found nothing. However, before the Crimson Vow could react, Aetelou replied, “I thought the rule was that hunters were not supposed to make inquiries into others’ skills and abilities?” 

“Er…” 

There was no written record anywhere of such a rule, but most every hunter around had a tacit understanding of it. Breaking this rule was as good as declaring, “I’m gonna take advantage of you to line my pockets,” under which circumstances, the offender should not be surprised to have a sword drawn on them. Having had this pointed out to them, the Blue Meteors could not say another word. 

Overhearing the whole exchange, the Crimson Vow could merely shrug. 

Hm… 

After a short while, Mile realized something. 

“Umm, Miss Aetelou. I’ve just realized something about our number two objective, the Lieelen grasses.” 

Naturally, Mile was searching for the target plants using her surveillance magic, a skill that had become more and more advanced since the first time she had used it. The very first version had been a voice guidance system that made Mile feel like she was talking to a car GPS. A scant few seconds later, she had upgraded to the second generation, the PPI (Plan Position Indicator) scope system. In this system, she utilized a 360-degree revolving grid radar screen, the likes of which you often see in war movies or anime. 

What Mile was now using was her third-generation surveillance magic, which oscillated in all directions from the center of the screen in order to detect its targets—rather like an active sonar system. It would analyze the targets and mark them with an arrow, circle, or triangle. These statistics were integrated with her normal vision, projected directly onto her retinas. 

Of course, this system had been further customized for the current job. All their objectives were highlighted with a red blinking light. Plants, animals, and minerals… 

“Oh? What is it?” 

Lieelen grass, which was used in specialized magic potions, did not grow properly under human cultivation. It wilted and died, and even if it survived, turned out scant in medicinal properties. It was an herb that drove many a researcher to tears—as a specialized ingredient, it was never required in large quantities, so not much research had been conducted on it. However, when the occasion was called for, it was usually impossible to get a hold of or terribly expensive. Thanks to Mile’s help, they had so far found five whole stalks, which Aetelou and Sharalir collected with gusto. 

That said, it was an herb that many researchers had tried to grow. It was unthinkable that this little girl, who was a complete layperson in terms of medicinal sciences, could have uncovered new information about the plant simply by finding a few specimens. Even so, it would be kind of any employer to listen to what she had to say without belittling her, particularly when it was a young female hunter who was taking this kind of initiative in aiding them. It was good for motivation, if nothing else, Aetelou believed. 

“There’s always a tafina tree nearby wherever the lieelen grass is growing,” said Mile. 

While this was true, it was also something the elves already knew. However, it showed promise for Mile that she could hit upon that pattern in such a short amount of time, thought the researchers, smiles spreading across their faces. 

“There’s four-eye grass growing nearby and copper in the soil, right?” 

“Wh…?” 

The pair was speechless. 

Many methods for cultivating lieelen grass had been attempted up until now—planting it near tafina trees, testing various soils and fertilizers, even applying a variety of medicinal and growth-enhancing magics. But had anyone tried the combination of growing it alongside other plants and placing ores with specific metallic components nearby? 

No. Neither of the pair had even heard of such a thing. Someone might have tried growing it with other plants or in dirt fortified with crushed minerals, but they had never tried that specific combination—or at least, the elves had not heard of anyone doing so to any particular effect. 

“Wh-what makes you think that?” Aetelou asked, trembling slightly. 

It was easy to see the tafina trees and the four-eye grass, but if there was copper ore around, it would be hidden by dirt, or moss, or grass. And even if there was some visible ore in Mile’s line of sight, it was unlikely that any amateur would be able to tell that there was copper in it just by looking. Indeed, the most common copper ores around were only around 0.5% copper in composition. 

And yet, Mile matter-of-factly replied, “Huh? Well, that’s what my search magic indicates.” 

“What?!” the pair shouted. 

They, along with the five Blue Meteors, who had already been approaching to see why everyone had stopped, were stunned into silence. The kind of search magic they were aware of was nowhere near this precise. No one outside of the Crimson Vow had ever heard of such a thing. 

“B-by ‘search magic,’ you mean…” 

“She means search magic.” 

“Please don’t inquire into a hunter’s skills and abilities.” 

There was no telling what Mile might say if the explanation was left up to her, and so Reina and Pauline stepped in to take the lead. There was nothing else that Aetelou and Sharalir could say. They would never divulge the results of their research if someone who they had just met demanded it. There was no reason for a hunter to go blabbing about their abilities, which were their livelihood and their lifeline, to anyone who passed by. 

There was a brief silence, and then— 

“Um, so the way that I use this search magic is…” 

Squeeze! 

“What are you running your mouth off about?! Did you listen to a word that Pauline and I said?!” asked Reina, pinching both of Mile’s cheeks. 

As far as Mile was concerned, this matter of the search magic was neither her livelihood nor her lifeline. It was not a combat skill, and it was useful for everyone, so it wasn’t something worth hiding. Or so Mile thought. To everyone else, it was obvious that it would be a very big deal if such a thing ever became public knowledge. Both for Mile and for the world at large… 

“Mile, try having some common sense now and then!” 

“Mile, don’t you think it’ll be bad for other hunters if rumors start getting around that hunters are so dumb that they’ll give away all their secret techniques and knowledge if you just ask?’” 

“Ah…” 

Apparently, Pauline’s more concrete explanation made a stronger impression on Mile than Mavis’s abstract one. 

The two elves, having missed their chance to hear the secret of Mile’s search magic, continued to stare at her with determined eyes… 

*** 

“There’s some lieelen grass!” 

After harvesting a number of other varieties of plants, Mile once again came upon some lieelen grass. As Aetelou and Sharalir investigated the area, sure enough they found there was a large tafina tree growing nearby and four-eye grass alongside. 

“And copper ore?” asked Aetelou. 

“Right there,” said Mile, pointing to a nearby rock. 

The elves were silent. They might have been researchers, but their area of expertise was botany, not mineral science. It was impossible for them to judge at a glance whether or not what Mile said was true. 

“Would you like to take it with you?” asked Mile. 

“Y-yes! If you would…” 

Having received the affirmative, Mile tucked it away into her inventory… the rock, that is. 

“Huh?” the pair asked. 

“Huh?” Mile replied. 

“Huhh?” the elves echoed. 

“Huhhhhh?” 

Aetelou had thought Mile was asking if they ought to harvest the grass. Mile, however, had been asking whether they wished to take the rock home to confirm if it had copper in it. The part of the rock that had been protruding from the ground was about two or three cubic meters, but when Mile stored it away, it left a huge hole in the soil. Apparently, the bulk of the rock had been buried beneath the ground. 

Both the elves and the Blue Meteors were stunned in silence. 

The other three members of the Vow could only look on, resigned. 

If what she says is true, and proximity to tafina trees, four-eye grass, and copper ore is really the key to cultivating lieelen grass…the research and experiments, the trials to verify results, and the presentations and paper-writing could take years, but if it is true and we can succeed in coming up with a formula for cultivation…we might be promoted to the rank of lecturers or associate professors—or even full professors! What a splendid chance! What good fortune! thought one of the researchers. 

But… The other elf was focused on something else entirely. 

Compared to the secret of Mile’s search magic and her absurd amount of storage space, I just can’t care about lieelen grass at all!!! 

As it turned out, the two elves were not so different from Dr. Clairia. 

“Would you mind if I do some hunting for a bit?” asked Mile. 

“Hm? W-well, I suppose it’s been long enough that we might take a break,” said Aetelou. 

“I don’t need a break. You all can keep on with your investigation.” 

With that, Mile disappeared in the direction of ten o’clock. Not a few minutes had passed before she returned. She was empty-handed, but no one around thought this peculiar. Nor were they shocked at the speed with which she had returned. 

Storage magic, huh? And that search magic… 

Already, they had become accustomed to the creature known as Mile. 

That was all there was to it. 

*** 

“Miss Aetelou, Miss Sharalir, feel free to join us!” 

Later, when they made camp, the two elves joined the Crimson Vow alongside the simple stove they had set up at Mile’s invitation. 

“I caught this while we were working, so the two of you have a right to this meal!” 

The pair accepted Mile’s explanation and gladly partook. Mavis roughly chopped up the deer meat that Mile took out from storage, while Pauline grilled the pieces one after another. 

“This is delicious!” the pair cried. 

For many Americans, venison is considered more of a luxury than beef. It was the same in this world, where the only ones who could afford to eat deer, boar, and beef on a regular basis were the very wealthy. The only thing that the common folk got to eat on a daily basis was cheap monster meat. Other meats, particularly venison, were something they might enjoy only on very special occasions. 

The fact that the Crimson Vow were so accustomed to eating venison was only because of Mile. If they had been normal hunters, even if they were able to hunt deer, they would have had to sell anything they caught, unable to sample anything aside from the parts that couldn’t be transported and the internal organs, which were normally consumed on site. 

Meanwhile, five pairs of eyes looked on jealously. 

“Those poor lads seem rather strapped for food. Perhaps you might give them a little bit of this as well?” asked Aetelou, unable to bear the hungry stares from the Blue Meteors. 

“This is meat that we hunted while on contract with you, so we will do whatever our employers wish. You can call it a special favor from yourselves to your employees, so that should be fine,” said Mile. 

“Oh, thank God!” 

“Th-thank you…” 

Apparently, the Meteors had come to at least understand where they stood in the pecking order. 

“Alakazam!” 

Fwump! 

At the behest of Mile’s peculiar spell, a large tent appeared, and silence fell around the camp. 

Yep. That seemed about right. The two elves and five members of the Meteors looked on with utterly weary expressions. 

“Um. The two of you are welcome to share our tent as well.” 

For their own security, the elves had specified that three or more women be amongst the guards. If the Crimson Vow took the tent and made their two female employers sleep outside with five men, who did not seem particularly trustworthy in the first place, they could not say that they were fulfilling their expected duty. 

The elves pulled up the entry flap and looked inside. 

“Beds…” started one. 

“A trunk…” the other trailed. 

“And a table and chairs!” they said together. 

They didn’t want to think about it anymore. 

*** 

Breakfast was a simple affair of hardtack and dried meat, though the soup they had alongside it was not made of foul-tasting “soup base,” but a proper broth, with vegetables and scraps of meat. This alone made it luxurious as far as a hunter’s breakfast went. Mornings were normally hectic with everyone preparing to move out, and there was no time to sit around waiting for water to boil. Thankfully, the Crimson Vow had three mages who could use utility magic, allowing them this luxury. 

Afterwards, they quickly cleaned up their sleeping area and resumed the investigation. Like the day before, their employers took copious notes, investigated the target specimens that they found, took some specimens with them, and left some as they were. Just as midday was rolling around… 

“Stop! Everyone please get over here quickly!” Mile called out in a low but harried voice. 

The other three members of the Crimson Vow were already nearby, but at her words, the researchers and the Blue Meteors rushed to Mile’s side. Taking her lead, they tried to make as little noise as possible. 

“There are seventeen orcs approaching at high speed! They already know that we’re here. I’m sorry I didn’t notice them sooner. I had my search magic tuned to gathering, so my enemy detection range was shortened!” 

Despite Mile’s desperate apology, just having enough advance warning to guard themselves against this surprise attack was an immense help…or so most people with common sense would realize. 

“This is bad,” said Graf, “There’s too many of them! If we can’t get the drop on them, then we can only take on about four or five at once. We’d have no problem taking them down if they came at us one at a time, but since they’re in a group, we won’t be able to provide cover for you all while also guarding our clients! Reina and Pauline, you hold down the fort with our clients, and you two front liners, protect the clients and the mages! Focus on using your magic to break the enemies up into groups and try and make it so that we only have to face five or less at once! Try to keep ’em distracted, and don’t try to hit ’em too hard! If you’ve got some leeway, weaken them with area attacks. If you’ve any more, pick ’em off with simple spells!” 

It was a sound strategy to make the safety of their clients the top priority, and the safety of the mages their second. Besides, it would be easier to protect both groups if they were all in the same place. Though there were hunters who would prioritize their own safety in a situation like this one, Graf was at least honest enough to put the job and their clients first. As leader of the C-ranked Blue Meteors, he was the obvious choice for their collective commander both in terms of overall experience and party numbers. The Crimson Vow had already accepted this without protest, judging by their manner during prior discussions, but now, seeing Graf actually take the initiative, the Crimson Vow’s eyes grew wide. 

“Defensive maneuvers…” 

Mile, in her own world as usual, seemed to be deeply moved by something or other. 

“Well, orcs are really no big deal,” Reina said casually. “We can rush in there and take ’em out, just like—” 

“No,” Mavis interrupted. “We have to follow the directions of our commander. We took this job together, as two parties, and Graf is our leader. Unlike his previous behavior, these directions are actually quite sound. Inviting chaos by acting of our own accord is of no benefit to us. We all learned that you should always move as you are directed, did we not?” 

“Er…” 

She was right. Reina, as the member of the Crimson Vow with the most experience as a hunter, was in no position to deny this. 

Of course, neither Reina nor Mavis intended to follow Graf’s commands as far as never leaving their position even if the Blue Meteors were in danger. Neither did Mile nor Pauline. They would utilize everyone’s strengths to the best of their abilities under Graf’s direction, but if their employers or their fellow guards were in danger, they would switch into autonomous mode. 

“They’re here!” 

Just as Mile shouted this warning, a horde of orcs began to appear from between the trees. Perhaps because they weren’t particularly smart, or perhaps because they did not think that any special measures were required against a group of humans, over half or whom were weak and skinny “females,” they were all traveling at slightly different speeds and emerged in a staggered fashion, rather than en masse. This gave the Blue Meteors an advantage. 

“Earth Needle!” 

“Ice Needle!” 

Both Reina and Pauline launched needle-type attacks, the incantations already completed within their heads. The names of the two attacks were similar, but the first was made of hardened earth, and the second of ice—magic from two completely different sources. The two area attacks arced over the orcs at the head of the group and fell upon the ones behind them. 

Needle attacks were never powerful spells of the one-hit-kill variety, but as the orcs tried to shield their faces from the magic raining down upon them, they stopped in their tracks, opening up more of a gap between themselves and the vanguard—just as the Blue Meteors had requested. 

“Earth Nail!” 

Malawenn, the Meteors’ mage, fired an earth spell at the head group. 

Attacks like these fell behind needle attacks in terms of number of shots and area of effect but won out in terms of damage. That said, this spell was, likewise, not enough to fell an arc in a single blow. Still, further disrupting the monsters’ advance was a great help to the frontline fighters. 

After Kesbard fired off his bow on the midline, he drew his dagger and joined in with the front line. Unlike the archer of the Servants of the Goddess, he did not toss his bow away but slung it onto his back. (It was possible that he felt that there was far too high a likelihood of the weapon getting trampled in these conditions.) 

The Blue Meteors’ front line was able to safely engage the three orcs of the first wave, who had been injured before even entering the battle. However, the second wave arrived before they had finished dealing with the first. Just when it seemed that they might actually be in danger… 

“Earth Javelin!” 

“Icicle Lance!” 

Two attack spells pierced two of the orcs right through. 

Given both the distance of the mages, and the proximity of the Blue Meteors to the orcs, using area spells was probably out of the question for fear of friendly fire. However, Reina and Pauline were not the ones who’d fired these concentrated attacks. 

After all, there were far more accomplished mages among elves than humans, so there was no reason that their employers should not take part in combat. 

“Mile, can I leave this to you?” Mavis asked, turning to Mile. 

Mavis knew it was safe to leave the defense of Reina, Pauline, and the two magic-wielding elves in the capable hands of Mile, who could use both a sword, wield magic, and erect a sturdy barrier. She thought it would be best for her to go help the Blue Meteors. If there was a chance of her wrapping up a fight by rushing in a blaze of glory, Mavis wasn’t about to hold back. Plus, while the Meteors were by no means weak, there were so many orcs that providing magical support from a distance would be more difficult as the battle grew more hectic. 

“Of course! I’ll put up a barrier if anything happens, so no worries!” 

Mile had not put up a barrier so far, to allow the others to keep firing attack spells, but she could call up protective spells in an instant if necessary. She could see that the Meteors needed backup and waved Mavis on without a second thought. 

“I’m here to help!” 

“Ah, thanks!” 

Mavis joining the Meteors’ fight was in violation of the positions that Graf had assigned, but battle was a fluid thing, and the mages still had plenty of defenders. Judging by the demonstration she had put on at the Guild warehouse, the Blue Meteors assumed that she had enough battle skill to tip the scales back in their favor. 

Mavis was not one to defy such an expectation. 

“True Godspeed Blade!” 

Her blade slashed through one orc after the next. 

Sh-she’s strong! The five Meteors looked at each other in shock. 

The attack spells and the efforts of the Meteors had already thinned out their foes. After all, the creatures were not ogres, but orcs, which were vastly inferior. Not so long ago, Mavis had faced down ogres—or, in truth, a swarm of something like hyper ogres—and finished without a scratch. She could take on twenty, even thirty orcs without breaking a sweat. 

A few of the orcs broke off and headed toward the mages and their clients, but with Mile there, there was no reason to worry. Reina was sure to be in a sour mood if she didn’t get at least one moment in the spotlight, so she might even ward them off with a magical attack herself, denying Mile a chance to shine. 

There was no need for Mavis to use her Micros against so few enemies. Her True Godspeed Blade, which focused her spiritual energy, was more than enough. It had been a while since she’d really gotten to flex her muscles, and as she waded into the fray, she got caught up in the moment. Mile and the others were confident that Mavis could never be overtaken by some regular old orcs, and so, they focused their attention on the few monsters who were headed their way. 

But then… 

“Gwah!” 

Mavis took a blow from an orc that halted her in her tracks. 

Perhaps she had gotten careless, or perhaps she had been struck from a blind spot, but the attack that connected with her right flank was certain to have broken ribs. It was impossible to tell whether or not the broken ribs had punctured her internal organs, but regardless, Mavis had stopped moving, and in a free-for-all melee, standing still on the battlefield meant certain death. 

You always strike the weakest link first. This was the cardinal rule of battle, which even a creature as unintelligent as an orc knew. Before Mile and the others even realized that anything unusual had happened, several orcs swung around and focused their attacks right on Mavis. 

I’m gonna die! 

Mavis reflexively used her “spiritual” power to strengthen her body, but it was not enough. Images of all that she had achieved in life began to flash before her eyes at blinding speed. 

There were conversations with her parents. Times that she imitated her three older brothers as they practiced with their swords. The day that she watched her brother’s promotion ceremony, the day that he became a knight and she swore that one day she would follow in his footsteps. 

And then, there were her three companions, who she met at the Hunters’ Prep School. 

To think that she was going to be killed by the likes of orcs here, her life drawing to a close with her dreams unfulfilled, her debts to her parents unpaid, her allies abandoned. All because she had underestimated her enemies. Because she had grown overconfident in her own power, even though it was only thanks to the Micros and her special swords that she had been able to become as strong as she was. 

Father, Mother, Brothers, and everyone else… I’m sorry. 

Ka-shnk! 

Bang! Ka-thmp! Crack! Shunk! 

The terrible sounds of crushed meat, broken bones, and the tearing of flesh surrounded Mavis. 

“Huh?” 

Mavis was dumbfounded as she saw a figure appear between herself and the orcs. It was Rattle, the swordsman, his shortsword plunged into the gut of one orc even as he took an attack from another. Then, she saw Graf, facing an orc head-on, swinging his greatsword at full power. There was Callack, his rapier piercing the base of another orc’s skull. There was Kesbard, swinging his dagger with gusto and slashing through an orc’s windpipe. And finally, there was Malawenn, just finishing up a spell and letting an attack fly. 

Everyone had turned on the orcs that were bearing down on Mavis, opening themselves up to attack from the previous opponents on whom they had turned their backs. Pain was nothing more than an indicator from the body that something was wrong. Combatants in the heat of battle had no need for such notifications, which did nothing more than slow them down. 

“Graaaaaaah!” 

“Don’t mess with us!” 

“You pieces of crap!!!” 

Rattle’s posture was awkward as he tried to position himself between the orcs and Mavis. He was far too close to the orcs, leaving him unable to swing his sword. So, after drawing the blade out of the orc’s body, he instead bludgeoned its eye with the hilt and then forced the blade across its neck. It might have been a sword made for crushing and chopping, lacking the keen edge of a Japanese-type katana, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t slice an orc’s throat. 

The others swung their swords in turn, and the orcs surrounding Mavis fell or were pushed back. 

“Mile!” 

“On it!” 

Mile rushed to Mavis’s side at top speed. 

“Earth Javelin!” 

“Ice Spear!” 

Reina and Pauline released the spells they had been holding, eliminating the orcs in front of Mile. The monsters would be of little impediment to her, but it was best to avoid any obstacles when she had a sword that needed swinging—no matter how minor those obstacles might be. 

“Ice Needle!” 

“Ice Arrow!” 

Aetelou and Sharalir let two more attacks fly. 

Certain that the orcs ahead were out of the way, Pauline followed Mile. With Mile already on the way, what they needed was not Reina with her attack magic skill, but Pauline, with her healing. Reina, with her immense attack power, stayed behind to defend their clients. There probably wouldn’t be any orcs left to come running the elves’ way, but they had to be prepared. Their clients’ lives depended on it. 

“Damn it! This is disgraceful. No, stop—that doesn’t matter! If anything were to happen to the Blue Meteors for my sake…” 

For now, a gap had opened up between Mavis and the orcs. Not letting this chance slip through her fingers, Mavis drew three capsules from her pocket and flipped open the lids, downing them all in one gulp. 

“Please, just let me not feel pain! I can get healed afterward. I’m begging you, Micros!!!” 

Now back on her feet, Mavis thrust herself between the Blue Meteors, who were desperately beating back the orcs, and swung her blade with a mighty effort. 

“EX True Godspeed Blade!” 

Slash! 

Shunk! 

Bwoosh! 

“Huh? You can move?” 

“You aren’t hurt?” 

Wshh! 

Bash! 

Thunk! 

“Sh-she’s really strong…” the men muttered, shaken to see Mavis’s ultimate technique at such close range. Shaken or no, the members of the Blue Meteors never stopped moving. They weren’t amateurs, after all. 

The orcs had already been cut down greatly in number, and now thanks to Mavis’s onslaught, only a few remained, all of which had already taken a fair amount of damage. The Blue Meteors took the opportunity to attack. 

“Mavis, I’m here to help! Er…” 

By the time Mile plunged in, her sword swinging, not a single orc remained standing. 

“Guh…” 

Suddenly, one of the Blue Meteors collapsed to the ground. 

It was Rattle, who had taken several blows from the orcs when he wedged himself in front of Mavis to shield her. Hyped up on adrenaline or something of that nature, he had been able to continue fighting, but no matter how good his armor, taking several hits from an orc was quite different from being struck by a human. Now that the battle was over and he sensed that the danger was through, his body relaxed, and a wave of pain overwhelmed him. 

“Oy, Rattle! You okay?! Man, Mavis! You were acting like you were seriously hurt, but apparently you still had it in you to be jumping around like that? It’s because of you that Rattle—” 

As Graf, who was slightly injured himself, expressed his displeasure, Mavis hung her head in shame. Until… 

“Uh-hurf! Gu-huh!” 

She began violently vomiting blood and collapsed. 

“What?!” 

“Mavis!” 

Mile rushed to Mavis’s side and began waving her right hand over Mavis’s body—scanning Mavis’s condition with the help of the nanomachines, holding in her mind the image of some kind of medical tricorder. 

“You’ve got three splintered ribs, and your broken ribs are piercing your lungs. Your right arm is broken, the ligaments are torn, you’ve snapped your Achilles tendon, and you have numerous other fractures… How many did you drink?!” Mile screamed. 

“Guhf… Th-three…” 

For the moment, Mile pushed her rage aside. She could deal with that later. 

Pauline had now caught up, and Reina, certain that all of the orcs were dealt with, followed with their clients in tow. 

“Pauline, get Rattle! He looks like he’s really hurt—it’s not just broken bones. Look out for internal injuries and intracranial bleeding. Reina, Miss Aetelou, Miss Sharalir, please do what you can to heal the others!” 

“R-right away!” 

“On it!” 

Mile would deal with Mavis, who was most gravely injured. Pauline would take care of Rattle, the next-worst injured. The others had only taken scrapes and body blows, so they probably only had a fracture or two at worst, which meant that normal healing magic would be more than enough to aid them. Mile and Pauline could double-check all the patients afterwards, just in case. It was normal for elves to have some facility with healing magic, so whoever got stuck with Reina was probably the least fortunate…though even she was a more skilled healer than the average person. 

“I-I’m sorry. I was really rude. Please ignore me,” said Graf, his face flushing as he thought of the horrible things he had just said to Mavis, who had pushed herself in battle to the point of serious injury. What he did not know was that the bulk of her injuries were actually not from the orc attack but an aftereffect of imbibing so many Micros. 

“Set the bones back in their original places, rejoin the fragments, mend the tendons, repair the nerves and blood vessels, restore the muscle, augment self-recovery strength, eliminate chances of infection…” 

Behind Mile, who was incanting her spell, Pauline recited a similar spell over Rattle. Meanwhile, Reina, Aetelou, and Sharalir were performing the normal incantations of the healing magic in this world. 

“No way!” 

“How did you mend them so quickly and so cleanly?” 

Aetelou and Sharalir were stunned to see Mile and Pauline’s healing abilities. 

“Please stop looking around! Focus on the healing you’re doing!” Graf and Callack wept, prompting Aetelou and Sharalir to quickly return to their patients. 

*** 

“What in the world were you thinking?!” 

Mavis knelt on the ground as Mile grilled her. 

“I-I’m sorry. I underestimated the orcs and let my guard down…” 

“That’s not what I’m talking about! Why did you drink three?! I told you that you should only take one, maybe two if you absolutely had to, and then to be extra careful… Did you completely forget all of my warnings?!” 

There was no way that Mavis could have forgotten. Not after the hours of lecturing she had gone through after the battle with the elder dragons… 

“B-but, if anything had happened to the Meteors because of me—” 

Mavis had no idea that Mile’s healing powers went as far as regenerating missing limbs. Faced with the possibility of the Blue Meteors not just dying but taking career-ending injuries because of her, she’d had to do everything she could to end the battle. Despite knowing how good at healing Mile and Pauline were, she didn’t want to leave anything to chance. 

Mile knew what it was like to be overly empathetic. She was the type of person who would rather lose 1,000 yen herself than make someone else lose 100 yen because of her—the type who would get to a meeting place an hour ahead of time rather than make someone else wait even a few minutes for her arrival. 

And yet— 

“B-but I told you no more than two! With three, your nervous system might break down from the shock, and there’s a chance that you could really die! Not a small chance, either!” 

Mavis had already heard this speech the first time that Mile gave her the Micros. She had heard it again and again—she had heard it so often that it made her sick, in fact. 

The Blue Meteors’ lives were irreplaceable. Though she apologized desperately to Mile, there was not an iota of fear, distress, or regret upon Mavis’s face. If this ever happened again, she would do the exact same thing she’d done today. 

Such was the way of a knight, and particularly of the young knight hopeful by the name of Mavis von Austien. 

Understanding this, Mile could only shrug. All told, if she’d been in Mavis’s place, she would have made the same call. Once she came to that realization, there was nothing left for her to say. 

But the fact remained that a medicine she had concocted might have been responsible for the death of a friend. Maybe I was wrong… 

She was beginning to regret ever giving Mavis the Micros, but she could not take them back now. Mavis had been troubled by the difference in power between herself and Reina and Pauline. She’d felt inferior to them because of the leaps and bounds they had made as mages due to the cheat code that was Mile’s power leveling. For Mile to take the Micros away from her now, after it had meant so much to her… 

Plus, it was true that without those Micros, one of the Blue Meteors might have died. Mavis had used the item that was provided to her in case of an emergency, in an emergency situation. Could Mile really criticize her for that? 

So this really is all my fault… 

Overhearing the exchange between the two girls, the Blue Meteors looked uneasy. They had never considered that Mavis would be so desperate to try and save them that she would use a magical medicine that endangered her own life. Furthermore, they could scarcely begin to fathom what the cost of such a magical medicine might be. 

If Mavis had not rushed back in to help them when she had, they might have died or taken serious injury. On top of coming to their aid, she had taken that precious, dangerous medicine, pushing her body to the limits while risking injuries that would normally leave her paralyzed—all to save their lives. 

And after all she had done for them, they had lobbed ungrateful, scathing words at her… 

The five Meteors clutched their skulls, moaning in self-hatred, shame, and guilt. 

The two elves, meanwhile, stood frozen stiff. First that bizarre search magic, then that absurd storage magic capacity, and now a magical medicine that could strengthen the body? 

Reina and Pauline, meanwhile, sat leisurely upon a rock and waited for everyone else to calm down. 

*** 

“I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry!” 

The Blue Meteors, starting with Graf, all bowed their heads in gratitude to Mavis. 

Mavis, likewise, was bowing her own head, her face full of gratitude and shame. 

As far as Mavis was concerned, the Blue Meteors were her saviors. They had gotten hurt because they had prioritized saving her over their own safety after she jumped so recklessly into the fray. She had gotten cocky and let her guard down, and they had saved her—especially Rattle, who had shielded her with his own body. 

Both sides felt utterly indebted to each other, and the exchange of gratitude dragged on. 

“Give it a rest already!” Reina cried. “We took this job together, so we’re all allies here—obviously we would all try to help each other out!” 

Finally, the two groups settled down. 

“Mile, please put those orcs in storage. There won’t be any extermination reward for hunting them all the way out here, but we should be able to get a good price for their meat and other materials, which will make for a decent haul. Oh, and put the Meteors’ in there with them.” 

“Okay!” 

At Reina’s direction, Mile lugged the orc corpses into storage (or rather, her inventory), one after the other. 

“Huh? A-are you sure?” asked Graf, surprised. 

“We fought together to protect our employers, and you shielded Mavis with your own bodies, didn’t you? I’m not some spoiled baby who’s going to keep being cranky after you showed us some sincerity!” Reina harrumphed, but it was obvious she was trying to hide her embarrassment. Apparently, she had been quite moved by the way the Meteors had protected Mavis but couldn’t form the words to properly express this. 

“Haha, well, thanks. It’s a big help,” said Graf with a wry smile, seeming to sense her awkwardness. 

If they care that much and are brave enough to risk their own lives to protect another party, then why were they so rude when we started out? They aren’t bad people, and they aren’t unskilled, so you’d think that they would be able to behave themselves better. They probably aren’t too popular with the ladies, Pauline, Mavis, and Mile thought to themselves. 

There were many useless and stupid men in this world. Plenty of people had attractive exteriors but were rotten on the inside—and the Blue Meteors seemed to be the exact opposite. They would just have to wait until a girl who saw past their abrasive exteriors and recognized how good they were came along… 

With this thought, Pauline, Mavis, and Mile all realized something. 

We just assumed that they’re all single, but for all we know, some of them might have girlfriends or even be married men. But if we ask them about it, they might think that we’re interested, and that would be annoying… Ugh, we need to know, but we can’t ask them! 

As the three languished in their curiosity, Reina looked on, puzzled. 

“S-say, Mile?” 

“Yes?” Mile replied, cocking her head at the sudden question from Aetelou. 

“When this job is over, would you consider working for us full-time? Ah, I mean, along with your three companions, of course. You could help us in our research or come along on our investigations…” 

When Mile took a closer look, she noticed a peculiar gleam in Aetelou’s eyes. As she hesitated a moment at the unexpected question, Pauline cut in from beside her. “Does that mean you want Mile to help you with your research? Or that you want to research her?” 

“Er…” 

The two elves were lost for words. 

“I knew it!” said Pauline, pressing on. “I’m sure you have high hopes of using her for her ridiculous storage magic or want to try to make her spill the secrets of her other skills, but she’s had more than her fill of that already. If she wanted money or fame, Mile could have both—and yet here she is, working as a hunter. Please consider that. Besides, do you really think that you two are the first to make her such an offer?” 

“Er…” they both stammered. 

And yet, just as Pauline thought they were starting to get it… 

“B-but, you’re all acquaintances of Clairia’s, aren’t you?! There’s no way she would ever let such a juicy research subject slip out from under her nose! I’m sure that she tried to sink her teeth into you! And I’m certain that we could get much better research results than that little—” 

“That’s right! Rather than frittering her time away like that little fiend who only pretends to be a serious scholar, it would be much better if Mile were in our hands!” 

“Hey now, hey now, hey now!!!” 

Not only the Crimson Vow, but the Blue Meteors, leapt in to object to this dangerous turn of phrase. 

“I-I mean, in our hands purely for research purposes, of course,” the elf explained. 

There was only silence in reply. 

“Mile has no interest in any such thing!” Pauline denied them once more, but the pair were not ready to back down. 

“We weren’t asking you—we were asking Mile! Mile, come and live with us! We could even teach you a bit of elven magic! Special, secret elven magic that no human knows. If you would teach us some things, then I’m sure the elders would permit us to share at least a little. We might even be able to invite you back to our elven village as a privileged friend!” 

“Nn…” 

For Mile, this was quite the tantalizing offer. Elven magic was one thing, but a special invitation to an elven village? 

“Nn. Nnh. Nnnnnnhhh…” 

Got her! the elves thought, grinning triumphantly, but then Mile finally managed to wring out her reply. 

“…Y-you’ll have to go through my manager!” 

“Manager???” 

The entire group was dumbfounded by this unfamiliar term. 

“Wouldn’t it be better to discuss this over dinner?” asked Graf. “Let’s stay focused on our investigation while it’s still light out. That battle with the orcs ate up a lot of our time.” 

“Ah…” 

The Crimson Vow and the elves could not help but agree. 

“Graf, you’d be much more popular with the girls if you always acted like this,” Mile said without thinking. 

“Shut up! That’s none of your concern!” raged Graf. 

Judging by his response, there was no way that he wasn’t single. 

*** 

“This is good!” 

Mile let herself get a bit carried away preparing the last dinner they would share during the course of this expedition. Breakfast the following day was sure to be another simple affair, as would lunch, which they would eat while waiting for the wagon to arrive at the outskirts of the forest. She also wanted to thank the Blue Meteors for protecting Mavis the way they had. Granted, as long as no one actually died, Mile’s magic could probably have healed even the gravest of injuries. But the trauma of being that badly pummeled by several orcs might have affected Mavis’s ability to continue on as a hunter. 

Frankly speaking, no matter how strong Mavis was, she was still a slender girl with a noblewoman’s pampered upbringing. Her armor was simple leather, the type that favored movement over protection, with only partial coverage of the most vital areas; her skull was completely exposed. In short, the Blue Meteors had literally saved Mavis’s life. By extension, they were the saviors of all the Crimson Vow. As such—and partially in apology for treating them so cruelly on the first day of their journey—Mile put her all into treating them to a lavish feast. 

“What is this?! It’s so tender and toothsome, and this flavor…” 

“It’s rock lizard fried in hot vegetable oil.” 

“This stew has such a sharp flavor…” 

“Eheheh, I used slightly more expensive seasonings than you’d find in most restaurants. I don’t use these very often. Pauline complains.” 

“I’ve never seen a dish like this…” 

“It’s tomato chicken rice, wrapped in an omelet. It’s a specialty of my hometown, my pièce de résistance!” 

“This soup is so good…” 

“That’s just a normal, hearty minestrone.” 

The two elves sat by, silently eating their meals as the Meteors lavished Mile with compliment after compliment. But then… 

“Mile, are you sure you wouldn’t like to come and work as our housekeeper?” 

“Who the heck would want to do that?!?!” 

“But seriously, are you saying that we could’ve eaten like this yesterday, too? We really messed up!” said Rattle. 

“No, this is a special occasion—it’s so I could give my thanks to you all! Normally, we might just have orc steak and vegetable soup, or boar meat with ginger and wild mushroom soup, or something like that. And then maybe one vegetable side… We only make this many dishes when we’re celebrating or when I’m trying out new recipes,” Mile replied. 

“Ah, that reminds me—” she added, suddenly recalling something. “Please don’t ask any questions about the medicine that Mavis used. I’ve been worried that you might, so…” 

At her words, the Blue Meteors smiled wryly. 

“Everyone knows it’s taboo to ask about a hunter’s skills or abilities,” replied Callack, the rapier-wielder. “I’m sure you’ve kept that medicine concealed precisely so it doesn’t get out into the world. Besides, there’s no way you can use something like that without having a dedicated healer around, right? Judging by the condition Mavis was in after using it, and the godly healing skills you and Pauline have, it’s clearly not something a normal hunter could ever handle. If any of us tried it, we’d probably self-destruct on the first go, wouldn’t we? We’re not stupid enough to try to get our hands on that.” 

“Well, that’s a veteran hunter for you.” Mile nodded approvingly. “Seems like you understand perfectly.” She’d been worried that the Blue Meteors might be overly interested in the Micros and had been coming up with explanations to put them off, but blessedly, one of them had beaten her to the punch. 

Honestly, they’re a lot more reasonable than I thought they were. So why did they say such unfortunate things before? It’s such a waste. They’re perfectly fine fellows, but they’ll never catch a girl’s eye if they keep acting that way. 

That one point still had Mile well and truly frustrated. 

“So Mile—about signing on with us…” 

“Will you forget about it already?!” 

Even Mile had begun to reach her limits in the face of the elves’ persistence. 

*** 

Breakfast was a quick meal of reheated leftover soup from the previous night, along with hardtack and fruit. Of course, even the addition of the hot soup and fresh fruit added an element of luxury. Malawenn, the one mage among the Blue Meteors, didn’t have all that much magical power and couldn’t afford to waste any on prepping hot beverages before they’d even set out. The Crimson Vow, with three mages overflowing with magic, was an abnormality. That was all there was to say. 

“All right! It’s time to head back. When we get to the rendezvous point, we can have a quick lunch while we wait for the wagon. We’ll be traveling a bit off the main path, so please don’t forget to keep gathering and investigating your surroundings along the way. Let’s go!” 

Following Aetelou’s directions, the group proceeded. 

About one hour had elapsed since they set out when Mile announced what seemed like her umpteenth discovery. 

“Oh, Miss Sharalir! Special A-rank targets—a whole patch of them!” 

“What?!” 

Both Sharalir and Aetelou shouted in surprise. 

Special A-rank targets. These were the research items that the elves had indicated as ones that should be reported with utmost priority if discovered and absolutely should not be touched. In other words, they were extraordinarily rare. 

“I-It’s true… Phipholcia plants, a wh-whole field of them…” 

“No way!” 

These plants were nothing like Mile had ever seen before. Perhaps because they had just happened to stumble upon them when they were in bloom, they were covered in beautiful pale pink flowers. However, their true value lay in their medicinal qualities. 

“I-I-If we harvest all of these and bring them back with us, we could make so much money…” 

“What are you saying, you idiot?! Sure, we could earn a few bucks—or we could have the Academy come out, stake a claim on this place, and cultivate phipholcia plants here. If we play our cards right, we might even get to be in charge of the cultivation! Combine that with our success in discovering this location, and we could both become associate professors, at the very least! If we report our findings here, the Academy can take control of the area at once and establish a road from the edge of the forest to this spot. We could establish a residential facility for cultivators and their guards, and start developing this place…” 

Both of the elves suddenly fell silent. 

“These aren’t candidates for gathering. Let’s keep moving.” 

Sharalir and Aetelou began walking, suddenly very serious. 

“What?!” 

The whole group, save for the two elves, raised their voices in shock. What happened to the fervent interest of just moments ago? 

“Didn’t you hear me? If we report this place, they’ll lay a road through here and erect a bunch of buildings,” said Sharalir. 

“In other words, they’ll cut down the trees and trample the plants. And these beautiful, wild phipholcia flowers will become just another specimen in their garden plots.” 

There was a collective sigh of acknowledgement. 

“As part of the terms of this job, I am swearing all of you to secrecy. You are not to breathe a word of the location of these phipholcia flowers. If any of you break this vow, you will be reported to the Guild post-haste.” 

All of the hunters nodded emphatically. If their clients were willing to throw away a chance at their coveted professorships for the sake of protecting these wildflowers and their habitat, then they had no choice but to obey. Even humans would be saddened to see this lush field spoiled. It wasn’t a stretch of the imagination to think that the elves might be feeling the same way. 

Plus, the day that the Guild found out they had broken a vow of secrecy, it would be all over for them. 

Nothing had happened. No one had discovered anything. 

There was nothing to report. 

“You’re all idiots,” Pauline muttered venomously under her breath, but her expression was not truly an unhappy one. 

“Kesbard, five meters ahead at 1:30! Callack, seven meters ahead at eleven o’ clock!” 

“This is rather convenient.” 

“Mile are you sure you don’t want a short-term contract with us?” 

This time, Mile issued her directions to the Blue Meteors as well. Though they did not wish to spoil the environment by ripping up every single thing they came across, their clients began indulging themselves a bit now that they were aware of Mile’s storage capacity, ordering the harvest of anything and everything it was safe to take. They might claim that their primary goals were knowledge and academic renown, but they couldn’t quite ignore money that was lying right on the ground before them. Nor could they give up so easily on the gem that was Mile… 

“Honestly, though, are your expeditions always this dangerous?” Mile asked suddenly, finally voicing the question that had been on her mind. Even accompanied by hired guards, they were still young…for elves, anyway. If these two women kept traveling to such dangerous places, they would probably die sooner rather than later, long life spans or not. 

“Mm, well, we usually go to places where our races—elves, humans, and dwarves, that is—rarely tread, so we have no way of knowing the area, or accurately judging the degree of danger,” Aetelou explained. “We don’t normally encounter more than ten or so goblins or orcs at once, so if we hire about ten guards, it’s not all that dangerous. We can use attack and support magic ourselves, after all. I suppose if the monsters send out a hunting party of ten, and they all get wiped out, they might think to send a greater number the next time… Hm, that is a bit troubling. I guess we’ll have to hire even more guards next time.” 

“I see,” Mile said. 

Then Graf spoke. “That was my fault.” 

“What?” the two elves asked. 

“I made a miscalculation in my commands. With the forces we had, we should have been able to handle even that many orcs without serious injury. My first mistake was putting only my party on the front lines and relegating the Crimson Vow to staying behind to protect our clients. Because of that, our frontline forces were insufficient, and once we entered the melee, we lost any hope of magical support. Honestly speaking, and given that our clients could use attack magic, I should have appointed only Pauline, who excels at both healing and support, and Mile, who can use a sword and cover close-range defense, to guard our clients while Mavis and Reina joined up on the front lines. Reina could fire off precision shots while Malawenn devoted himself to support.” 

Graf had clearly thought this through at length, as he continued, “I didn’t account for our clients in combat because I regarded them merely as individuals to be protected. I slipped up again with Mavis. Even though I saw her skills for myself back at the Guild, I thought that they were merely a bit of showmanship from a young maiden, and that a real battle would be too dangerous for her, so I hesitated to have her come up front. I’m sorry.” 

“What?!” 

The members of the Crimson Vow let out a cry of shock. 

“Wh-wh-whaaat happened to you?! Did you eat something weird?” cried Reina rudely. 

“The only thing I’ve eaten since last night is the food you gave me!” Graf retorted. But really, one could not blame Reina for her surprise. After how he’d behaved on the first day, she could have never imagined such self-awareness from him. 

Come to think of it, she thought, the old guy back at the game exchange counter at our home branch called it. He used to say that even though male hunters often look down on women, or try to push odd jobs off on them, that’s just their immature way of flirting. When it really comes down to it, they’ll put their lives on the line to protect those same ladies… 

Graf said it was a lapse in judgment. He’s probably the sort who believes you invite ruin if you put female soldiers on the front lines, because the male soldiers will act recklessly to protect them. In our battle against the orcs, he tried to make his own team take on too much, prioritizing our safety above theirs, which left the Meteors with too many orcs to take on… 

On their last two missions, the Devils’ Paradise and the Fellowship of Flame had both been pressured to accompany them by the receptionist, which probably also meant that they were the best parties in town for the job—judging not only by their skills, but by their manners and conviction. (At least, if you put aside the Devils’ motivations and preferences.) The Blue Meteors, meanwhile, were a garden-variety example of a C-rank party from a provincial town. They were skilled, driven, and a little bit crafty. 

The Crimson Vow had been mostly paired with especially skilled parties in the past. There was a lot for them to learn from working with completely average hunters. They realized now that, no matter how weak your opponents, there were numerous variables that could change the tides of combat. And they realized how difficult it was to give commands to another party whose abilities you did not know. 

We’ve got a long way to go,thought Pauline, Mile, and Mavis, their hearts filled with humility. 

Deep down, even Mavis had truly believed that that the Crimson Vow was already as strong as a B-rank party. All they had to do was to finish out the requisite amount of time as C-ranks and fulfill their other requirements, and they would be promoted, easy-peasy. However, even if they could surpass B-rank in momentary bursts of offensive ability, they were still far from being B-rank hunters in terms of experience and ability to strategize. 

Considering this, even Reina fell deep into serious thought. 

*** 

“We offer you our deepest gratitude for all that you did for us. Without the selfless actions of Sir Rattle in particular, I may not have made it home alive. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” 

Unlike Reina, who was too shy to properly give her thanks, Mavis, an aspiring knight, could offer honest words of praise and gratitude to another without any affectation. Mile was equally sincere, while Pauline could utter honeyed words without batting an eye, her philosophy being “Flattery doesn’t cost a thing.” 

Once they arrived at the rendezvous point for the wagon, the group dug into a simple lunch of sandwiches that Mile had taken from her storage, accompanied by fruit and soup that had been prepared with a tiny fireball. Incidentally, Aetelou and Sharalir, having seen that it was Reina and not Mile who had produced the fireball, could only look on with blank faces, a kind of hollow laughter bubbling up from deep in their chests. 

After the meal, Mavis once again expressed her sincere thanks to the Blue Meteors. 

“No, really—you saved us from a bad situation, too. Our own poor judgment put us in danger. The crisis that arose as a result is our fault, and it’s only natural that we should protect you girls,” said Graf humbly. 

“If word got out that we let the girls who were traveling with us get hurt, it would cause us major problems down the road,” added Rattle. 

Hearing this put the Crimson Vow in good spirits, and Mile and Pauline chimed in with compliments of their own. 

“No, seriously, you were amazing! Most men would never be able to throw themselves in front of an orc’s blade to protect a lady!” 

“It’s enough to make a girl fall in love at first sight!” 

“Mile! Pauline! Hold it!” 

They had overdone it. Or rather, they were having a bit of fun at Mavis’s expense. Perhaps encouraged by their words, the Meteors shared a collective wink. 

Then, as leader and representative of the party, Graf launched into a short speech. “We know that the Crimson Vow is currently in the midst of a journey and that eventually you’ll be returning to your home country. So how about this: why don’t we, the Blue Meteors, travel along with you for the rest of your trip? We’re all completely free, with no offspring at home or parents to look after, so we could settle down in your home country when all is said and done.” 

“After all, you really don’t have enough frontline power. With us along, your balance would be better, and the party would be more secure.” 

“That’s a great idea!” Rattle and Kesbard immediately offered their fervent support for Graf’s proposal. 

And then came the obvious, immediate reply: 

“No, thank you!” 

“B-but why? You all were just showering us with praise. What went wrong?!” 

A triumphant look spread across Mile’s face as she offered up a famous turn of phrase: “In the end, you were all just shooting stars. No matter how brightly you shone, you were destined to fall…” 

“What the heck are you saying?!?!” the Blue Meteors shouted and then hung their heads, heartbroken.