Euan finished his explanation, pressing down on his heart, which was beating like a rapid bell, and smoothing out his proud, slightly singed and curled golden hair.
Apparently, a few nobles who had seen Mavis's graduation exam had contacted her father at the family estate.
The Austin family, who had been growing anxious because Mavis, whom they had finally located, had not responded to any of the letters sent via the Hunter's Guild, had decided to send someone. Euan, the third son, was chosen because his squad had just returned from a long journey and it was easy for him to take a leave.
"I will definitely bring Mavis back. If I don't... "
"If you don't?"
"I'll be killed by Father and my brothers!"
"Ah... "
"Anyway, I absolutely won't go back!"
"No way! I have to bring you back! Besides, being a hunter... No, never mind..."
Euan, glared at by Reina, trailed off. It was a bit pitiful for a knight.
Mavis, perhaps because she was talking to her brother, spoke in a more feminine tone than usual, which felt a bit strange and even a bit odd to Mile and the others.
"What if you get injured and have a scar left behind!"
"Pauline will heal it, so it's not a problem."
"What if you're attacked by bandits..."
"Recently, I took down about forty of them. Actually, they weren't bandits but soldiers..."
"Eh..."
Euan froze.
He hadn't mentioned that there were other parties involved, but he hadn't lied.
"Could it be that you're the ones who captured the imperial soldiers, which has been the talk of the town recently..."
"Do you know about that?"
Euan remembered.
The story of the 'Amros Unconventional Warfare' that he had heard when his squad returned from a training expedition. And the story of the four girls who stood out in that conflict.
The 'Flame Bullet' who could unleash powerful fire magic that could penetrate defensive magic, the 'Healing Maiden' who could use healing magic, and the 'Little Devil' who used cruel magic. Could it be...
Thinking this, he looked at them again...
The red-haired girl who seemed to enjoy burning things, or rather, the girl who had just been burned.
The silver-haired angel who seemed to be able to heal and had a somewhat absent-minded look.
And the woman with a large chest who seemed to have a dark side. The Austin family had a rule: "Be careful of women with large chests."
So, is the 'Godspeed Sword' Mavis? Mavis, huh...
Yes, the information that 'Red Oath' had been active had leaked to the royal palace and the military. It had come from the captives, who had not been silenced.
This was bad.
Euan was anxious.
If even a quarter of the rumors were true, he couldn't take on these four girls at the same time. Unlike his brothers, Euan could only handle 4-5 soldiers at once. Four girls who could defeat several times their number of soldiers without a scratch. There was no way he could win. Euan judged this objectively, without underestimating them based on their gender or age.
No, he had no intention of hurting Mavis or her companions, but the option of using force with restraint was not completely off the table. However, that option was now off the table.
"Mavis, just show your face! Just let Father and the others see you and reassure them!"
"And then, you won't let me leave the house, right?"
Euan glared at Pauline, who pointed this out.
(Damn woman! That's why women with large chests are... )
Euan clicked his tongue in his chest.
The discussion continued, but it only led to a deadlock. When Mile and the others were asked to help with the bath, the conversation for the day was called off.
Euan insisted on taking a two-person room at the inn and sleeping with Mavis, but of course, this was rejected.
When Mavis tried to go to the bath, Euan tried to follow, but everyone pulled him away. The bath had no windows except for a small one near the ceiling and was located in a corner of the courtyard, making it impossible to peek. However, Euan's attempt to enter the bath with Mavis was unexpected, and everyone was taken aback.
No, Euan defended himself, saying that in his family, it was only until he was 13, but Mavis quickly denied this.
"Until 13?"
"Is something wrong?"
"......"
The next morning, when Mile and the others went to have breakfast, Euan was nowhere to be found.
They didn't think much of it, assuming he had already eaten or would eat later.
However, when Euan still hadn't shown up as they were about to head to the guild, they became a bit suspicious. Lennie informed them.
"Oh, he left early this morning."
"......"
Given his attitude, they had expected him to come along for the day's work, but this was a letdown.
So, the four of them decided to leave early before he could return.
"There's nothing good here..."
The guild's request board didn't have many good requests.
There were a fair number, but the conditions didn't match. Some were D-rank or lower, some were B-rank or higher, some had poor rewards, and some required long trips...
With Euan around, they hesitated to take on long-term requests. On the other hand, taking D-rank jobs felt a bit embarrassing.
"Well, let's go for regular requests and material gathering..."
They arrived at a hunting ground suitable for C-rank hunters.
Orcs and ogres also appeared here, so E-rank or lower hunters didn't come. Occasionally, D-rank hunters would come, but usually, it was C-rank or newly promoted B-rank hunters.
Mile, upon arriving at the hunting ground, immediately used a detection spell. In the city, using a detection spell all the time was annoying because there were too many targets, and even if he could exclude humans, there was no point in detecting non-human things in the city. So, he usually didn't use it.
Even in the hunting ground, Mile didn't tell the other party members about the targets he detected. If they relied too much on Mile, they wouldn't be able to do anything when the party disbanded or Mile was on a separate mission. So, Mile decided to use his unique abilities to support the party only for storing materials and in truly dangerous situations.
"......Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing... "
Reina, noticing Mile's puzzled look, asked, but Mile brushed it off.
(There's a human reaction nearby... but there's no sound or voice?)
He was a bit puzzled, but this was a hunting ground. It wasn't strange for other hunters to be around. They might be resting quietly or sneaking up on prey.
Actually, it would be strange to make noise during hunting.
Thinking this, Mile, like the others, searched for prey with his eyes. The detection spell was still on, but he used it only for safety, not to make hunting easier, except in extreme cases.
(They're following me...)
Mile had noticed that the human reaction he detected earlier was following him at a constant distance. One was a bit closer, and four others were following behind. This clearly looked like a pattern of "following without being noticed." This was definitely bad. Mile signaled the others to gather around.
"What's wrong?"
"We're being followed..."
Mile whispered to Reina, who had approached while walking.
"Five people have been following us for a while now. They're at equal intervals, right behind us."
"Hmm? Then, let's find a good spot."
Mavis and Pauline also nodded silently.
A few minutes later.
Five men appeared in front of Mile and the others, who were backed against a large tree that several adults could encircle by holding hands. Reina and Pauline were near the tree, with Mile and Mavis in front.
The men, seeing Mile and the others resting in a place where they couldn't escape, thought it was a perfect opportunity. Of course, Mile and the others had positioned themselves against the tree to avoid being surrounded and attacked from behind.
"Hey? What's this? Do you have something to do with us?"
Pauline, with a thin smile, spoke in a slightly frightened and confused voice to the men approaching.
...She was acting.
"Hehehe, just thought we'd have a little fun with you..."
The leader-like man said with a lecherous grin.
"Don't hate us. We're just following a request. It's just a job.
Hehe, we're diligent and serious, aren't we?"
"...Request?"
Reina, noticing the man's thin smile turning into a lecherous grin, looked puzzled.
"Right. A request from your family. 'Ruin the girls and make it impossible for them to continue as hunters.' If they can't continue as hunters, they'll give up and return to their family, apparently. What a great family, huh, hahaha!"
"......"
Mile and the others were shocked by his words.
"Alright, don't touch the biggest girl. Don't hurt her. You can do whatever you want to the others!"
"......"
Mavis froze at the leader's words.
"No... No way... It can't be..."
Mavis's face was pale.
Her proud noble family.
Her father, who valued the honor of a knight above all. Her brothers.
It was unbelievable. No, she didn't want to believe it...
Mile quickly supported Mavis, who staggered.
The man continued.
"Alright, pick any girl except the brown-haired one with the biggest chest!"