The day after they decided to take on a high-difficulty job, the four of them, including Maile, were at the Hunter Guild by mid-morning.
They avoided the early morning rush, as the jobs they were taking on would start the day after tomorrow, and they didn't want to be in the busy hours.
Moreover, seeing the young 'Red Oath' trying to take on a high-difficulty job, many hunters would likely try to stop them, which would be troublesome. Even if it was out of good intentions, they didn't want to be lectured about something they had already decided on.
"……There's nothing good here……"
Reina scanned the request board with a grim expression.
This time, they had to push themselves a bit, so they needed to choose a job that wouldn't cause trouble for the client or others if they failed. They couldn't take on a job where a failure by the 'Red Oath' could lead to someone's death or a significant financial loss.
"Orcs are too easy, Rock Golems require more people, Wyverns are too far away, and Gumo and worms are just creepy…"
It might seem like they were being picky, but with their lives and futures on the line, it was only natural to be cautious. Meavis, Pauline, and Maile also looked at the request board with serious expressions.
"Oh, this one…"
At Maile's words, everyone's eyes turned to the request he was pointing at:
"Rock Lizard Material Collection. 15 silver coins per lizard, up to 5. Payment may be reduced based on the condition of the materials."
Rock lizards are edible, but their livers are highly valued as medicine. From the request, it seemed that the main purpose was for meat, but the livers would likely be used as ingredients for high-end dishes or sold to apothecaries.
There was a reason why this request caught Maile's eye.
First, rock lizards aren't particularly strong. They are surprisingly fast despite their appearance, have hard scales and strong strength, and can attack with their powerful tails, but two to three C-rank hunters should be able to handle them.
However, the problem was their habitat.
Rock lizards don't have rock bodies like Rock Golems. They simply live in rocky areas. …Rocky areas where rock snakes, Rock Golems, and sometimes Iron Golems and other tougher monsters appear.
"Rock lizards… The reward is pretty good…"
While saying this, Reina wasn't entirely enthusiastic. To avoid damaging the materials, she couldn't use her fire magic, which she was good at, and fire magic isn't very effective against golem-type monsters.
Additionally, it would take at least two days one way to reach the rock lizards' habitat, so they would need at least four to five days, and possibly more.
However, there were many advantages.
First, because the hunting ground was far and dangerous, the reward was good relative to the difficulty of the prey. If they could hunt three, they could cover a month's worth of food and lodging. Of course, this reward included the difficulty of transporting the rock lizards, which are heavy, bulky, and spoil quickly, but with Maile's storage magic, it wasn't a problem for the 'Red Oath'.
Moreover, there was plenty of time, and the penalty for not completing the job was only two silver coins. The limit was five, but they likely judged that one at a time was the most they could manage due to the danger of the hunting ground and the difficulty of transportation.
Also, since the strong monsters they would encounter weren't the target of the job, they could retreat at any time after hunting at least one rock lizard, which was very convenient.
"High freedom and low risk. What do you think?"
"I have no objections."
"Neither do I."
"Me neither!"
Maile quickly added his agreement after Meavis and Pauline to avoid being overlooked.
"Alright, let's go with this! 'Red Oath,' let's give it our all!"
"“Yes!”"
"Perhaps you should reconsider…"
As expected, the guild receptionist tried to stop them.
"I know you fought well against 'Mithril's Roar.' However, that's different from this. As a guild employee, I can't just let young people take on reckless jobs and risk their lives…"
(Oh, 'fought well' and not 'won'… So that's how they see it…)
Maile understood that the mock battle in the test was evaluated that way.
"I know that! This isn't forever, just this time. We'll run if it gets dangerous, so it's fine! This is a trial that our 'Red Oath' must overcome!"
"But…"
The receptionist could only warn and advise; she didn't have the authority to reject a C-rank hunter's job application. If the applicants insisted and met the conditions, she had to accept it. Unless there was a problem and the guild master had to be consulted.
"“Please!”"
With the voices of Meavis, Pauline, and Maile, the receptionist reluctantly processed their application.
"Please, if it gets dangerous, run immediately…"
"We know! We value our lives and aren't foolish enough to get seriously injured for pride!"
The four of them left the guild, watched by the worried eyes of the receptionist, guild staff, and other hunters.
"Let's get our equipment ready now. Sleeping gear, cooking utensils, food, rain gear, hygiene items, and other necessities. We'll be using these for a while, so we need to get good quality items."
The 'Red Oath,' with three mages, could omit many items like water, flint, and medicine, which was a significant advantage over parties without mages. Moreover, with Maile's storage magic, they could travel with almost nothing. It was almost unfair.
Meavis and Pauline nodded at Reina's words, but Maile said:
"Ah, I'm fine. I've camped a few times, so I have all the necessary equipment…"
"Where did you put it… Could it be…"
"Ah, yes, in my storage…"
"“““…””"
The three of them looked as if they had given up on everything.
"Come on, you too! You need to teach Meavis and Pauline what they need and discuss what the party should buy together!"
"Ah…"
Of course, it wasn't just about having your own equipment.
They were a 'party' of four.
Maile, who hadn't realized this, felt a bit down.
Seeing Maile's head down, Reina patted it and said:
"Come on, let's go!"
"Y-Yes!"
After visiting second-hand shops, general stores, and dried goods shops, they bought mantles, pots, dishes, preserved foods, and small items, and returned to their inn.
They informed the innkeeper that they would be absent for five to six days and asked for a packed lunch for the next morning, then went up to their room on the second floor.
Naturally, they didn't feel like serving other guests today, thinking about the next day.
"Tomorrow, we'll eat as soon as breakfast is ready and leave as early as possible. Get a good night's rest tonight."
Reina said this, but she was the most restless and couldn't fall asleep easily. It was still early, around 9 PM.
In the end, Maile told one of his 'Japanese Fable' series, "The Crying Red Ogre," and Reina, who was dozing off, was genuinely angry: "What kind of story do you tell before going on a monster hunt!"
The next morning, the four of them, the 'Red Oath,' left the inn after finishing their meal and using the restroom. They were almost empty-handed, with only their weapons, armor, and small leather water bottles outside of Maile's storage magic.
However, the lunch was actually in an item box that didn't degrade over time, not in the storage magic.
"Really convenient, isn't it…"
Reina said this, but she was worried about getting too used to this convenience.
The destination, the habitat of the rock lizards, was a two-day walk.
Normally, a two-day walk is based on the speed of an adult male. While Maile and Meavis could keep up, Reina and Pauline would take longer, but the storage magic helped.
An adult male carrying weapons, armor, water, food, and other necessities would be slower than an adult female carrying only weapons and armor, especially if the female was a hunter. Even though rear guards had less stamina than front guards, their weapons were lighter, so they weren't much slower.
Thus, the 'Red Oath' party, starting early in the morning, planned to camp for one night and reach the base of the rocky area by the next evening.
After camping, they would spend a day hunting, camp again, and leave the next morning to return.
If they could finish the hunt in one day, it would be a four to five-day trip, and if it took longer, they would add one to two more days. They didn't bring much food, but they could forage locally, and having mages meant no water worries.
Moreover, while the others thought they had brought little food, Maile's item box was full of food.
Around noon, after a long break and lunch, the 'Red Oath' party, including Maile, was walking down the road when they suddenly noticed two wagons following them from behind.
Normally, wagons are faster than walking, so even if Maile and the others were a bit faster, the wagons should have passed them. However, the wagons were maintaining a constant distance behind them.
When the 'Red Oath' party took a break, the wagons stopped and took a break. When they started moving again, the wagons followed.
"…Parasites, huh…"
Reina said this with a grim expression.
"What are parasites?"
Reina explained to the clueless Maile:
"Oh, they don't teach that in school.
Parasites are merchants who, to save money on hiring guards, attach themselves to caravans or hunters going in the same direction to get free protection.
If there are hunters or large caravans nearby, the chances of being attacked are greatly reduced, and if they are attacked, most hunters or caravan guards will help rather than abandon them. It's bad form and they are fellow merchants.
However, if this happens, small guard jobs decrease, and hunters lose business. Hunters who have to risk their lives to protect people who didn't pay for it are at a disadvantage."
Clearly, the four young women were new, but they were hunters. They were at least D-rank, and from their appearance, they had two front guards and two mages. They could handle a few orcs and would make a few bandits think twice about attacking. Bandits don't take risks that could result in significant losses to their group.
In other words, the benefits outweighed the slight disadvantage of a slower pace.
"Parasites…
What do we do?"
"There's nothing we can do. If we complain, they can just say, 'We're just going in the same direction.'"
"True…"
Maile understood Reina's explanation.
Indeed, while it was a disadvantage to hunters as a whole, they weren't directly affected. Yet.