Chapter 41

"Strong enemies..."

"Ugh, this is so unfair!"

"I don't think we can defeat them..."

"Should we retreat?"

　The novice C-rank party 'Red Oath' was struggling.

　Their opponents were a group of kobolds, numbering around twenty.

　They were not particularly strong monsters. However...

"Kyu~n..."

"Kuun, kuu~n..."

　They were cute. So cute...

(Kobolds are supposed to mean ugly fairies or evil spirits on Earth! Why are they so cute here?)

　Indeed, the monsters called 'kobolds' in this world were about the size of a human child, with heads resembling dogs and the cuteness of puppies. However...

Bang!

"This!"

　They had a strong instinct to attack, as befitting monsters. Even though they weren't particularly strong, that was from the perspective of C-rank hunters like Myle. For the village children and women, they were dangerous even one-on-one, and if surrounded by a group, even adult men or a small group wouldn't stand a chance. That's why they had taken the job to destroy the kobold settlement near the village...

"It's no good! This isn't a regular request, it's a normal one!

　If we retreat now, it means we've failed the mission! We'll have to pay a penalty, and the name of 'Red Oath' will be tarnished!"

　Indeed, to prevent hunters from taking on requests beyond their capabilities and failing, or a party taking on too many jobs at once and failing to complete them, a penalty of about 10% to 30% of the request reward is imposed for uncompleted jobs. The amount varies depending on the job, with less urgent tasks like culling monsters being cheaper, while those with tight deadlines or where failure would cause damage to the client can have penalties exceeding 30%. While the penalty for this job isn't particularly high due to the low reward, the pressure on the hunters is significant if they think about the villagers being attacked during the delay.

　And if they can't win, it's understandable, but if the reason for failure is 'couldn't kill them because they were cute,' how would they explain it to the parents of a child killed by a kobold? All four of them understood this well.

"We're doing this! We're C-rank hunters, this isn't a game, it's our job!

　And lives are at stake!"

　Reina's words made Mavis, Pauline, and Myle tighten their resolve.

　Yes, this was an important mission involving human lives, and not just their own, but those of many villagers and travelers as well.

"Let the hellfire blaze! Burn them to the bone!"

　This was not in the middle of the forest, but on a rocky area along the road. Reina, who hadn't used her fire magic in a while, cast her familiar original spell.

　This was a hunting mission, and even though the kobold skins could be sold, no one was eager to skin them. Burning them would be fine.

　Reina's fire magic hit the area where the kobolds were clustered, and Pauline used a Fire Wall to block their escape route, while Mavis slashed at them with her sword. Myle used a slingshot to snipe at the kobolds trying to flee. After the initial spell, the kobolds, reduced in number and slowed by burns, were quickly whittled down by the four hunters.

"Let's have a debriefing now..."

　As usual, the discussion started with Reina leading it, but this time it was held in the inn's dining room while they ate dinner. The table was already set with food.

"First, everyone, what about today's battle? The second half was fine, but in the first half, you hesitated because the kobolds were cute. Is that acceptable? Are you taking our job lightly?"

　Reina's words made Mavis and Pauline look down awkwardly, poking at their food.

"But, the one who was most flustered was Rei..."

"Be quiet!"

　Reina, with a slightly red face, slammed her hand on the table, cutting off Myle's words.

"Anyway, I think our 'Red Oath' is quite capable.

　But the problem is our mental state.

　Well, we're still young and new, so it's understandable to some extent, but I think we're a bit too soft and lack seriousness..."

(Mm, Reina is actually thinking things through...)

　Myle was impressed. This was indeed something he had also thought about.

　Myle himself, due to his original personality and naivety, had a somewhat lax attitude, thinking that if something went wrong, he could always give it his all. He was aware of this to some extent and tried not to let it show.

　However, Mavis and Pauline, unlike Reina, had almost no practical experience as hunters. Their experience was limited to F-rank jobs during breaks at the training school and outdoor practice.

　Living off the income from hunting and risking their lives to earn money—such a serious and determined attitude was not visible in them.

　True, thanks to Myle, they were more combat-capable than average new C-rank hunters, but such advantages were insignificant compared to the knowledge and experience of veteran C-rank hunters.

　The battle with 'Mithril's Roar' wasn't a serious fight, and it wasn't even a match. It was just a "test," and they probably didn't even realize they were in a fight.

　They were holding back and paying attention to ensure the new hunters could pass the test. It just happened to work out that way.

　If they were serious, there would have been plenty of opportunities for the new hunters to counterattack even in that state.

"So, I've been thinking. How about we fight a strong enemy once, without holding back?"

"“E...”"

　Surprised, the three listened as Reina explained.

"If we keep taking only D-rank or lower C-rank jobs, it's too easy for us. That's why everyone is getting complacent. If we keep this up, someone will die or get seriously injured due to carelessness."

"“...”"

　Mavis and Pauline were silent. Myle had already decided and was just observing.

"I'm not saying we should always do reckless things. If we did, we wouldn't have enough lives to spare.

　Let's do one job where we can barely survive unscathed, understand our limits, and then choose jobs that match our capabilities.

　I think, for regular jobs, we should aim for tasks that are about 70% of our maximum capacity, where we can barely survive unscathed."

"Alright, I'll do it!"

"I agree."

　After some thought, Mavis agreed first, followed by Pauline nodding.

　It seemed they also felt the current situation was unsatisfying.

"Then, tomorrow we'll carefully consider the jobs available at the guild and prepare accordingly.

　We'll start the actual job the day after tomorrow or later."

"Understood."

"Got it."

　The two responded to Reina's instructions.

"Hey, I haven't made my decision yet..."

"You'll agree anyway."

"Well, yeah..."

"Then it's fine."

"Hmm..."

　Myle felt a bit uneasy.

"If we raise the level of the jobs we take, our income will increase significantly. Then we can move to a better inn with a bath! We can't call ourselves established until we graduate from cheap inns. Cheap inns, after all, are..."

"Stop calling it a cheap inn! This inn isn't cheap, we're just giving you a discount!"

　From the reception counter, Renny's loud voice echoed.

　This was the same inn where Myle stayed for six days when he first came to the capital, before being able to stay at the training school dormitory.

"First of all, it was you ladies who begged for a discount because you had no money after graduating from school and until your income stabilized! So, we gave you a month's stay in a four-person room for three gold coins, regardless of whether you were on a job or not! We even considered the advertising effect of having young women as regulars..."

"“““We're sorry!!”””"

　Renny, the innkeeper's daughter, was only ten but already had the presence of a seasoned innkeeper.

　After that, the four members of 'Red Oath' helped with the inn's business by wandering around the first floor and talking to other guests when they had nothing to do. After all, it was Renny who had convinced the innkeepers to give them a discount by mentioning the "advertising effect." Whether future female hunters could get discounts at this inn, and whether such services could be extended to other inns, depended on their actions.

"Um, big brother, can I sit here with you?"

　Myle, holding a tray of food, approached a male guest's table with a red face and trembling.

"Miss, you don't have to go that far..."

　Renny was speechless, and Mavis, Reina, and Pauline turned pale, realizing they would have to do the same.