Since then, 16 years... Reina celebrated her birthday.
Now, Reina is 16 years old.
Due to the birthdays, Mavis is 17, Reina is 16, Pauline is 15, and Mile is 13. Mavis's birthday is coming up soon. Mile is the only one who is still a minor.
However, in this country, where there are no specific age limits for voting or drinking, whether someone is 15 or not is not a big issue.
There are some differences in employment and legal matters, and parental responsibility, but here, whether someone is 10 or not is a more significant indicator. This age is when commoner children start working full-time jobs rather than just earning pocket money.
Most of them, except for hunters, are still apprentices or low-paid laborers...
(Marcella and the others are already in third grade... I wonder if Cagiss and everyone else are doing well...)
To Mile, Marcella and the others were treated worse than cats.
(I'm already 13... Since my birthday is early, everyone else is probably still 12.
At 13, in Japan, you'd be in second year of junior high...
When I think of second year of junior high, I think of the term 'chuuni disease.' A term I never had to deal with.
I remember, it's about claiming to have dragon-like power, immense magic, or invisible mysterious entities that only you can see, or memories of a past life... ...)
Mile collapsed onto the floor.
"There have been a lot of strange requests lately..."
In front of the guild's request board, Reina muttered.
On the board, in addition to the usual material gathering, monster hunting, and escort requests, there were several investigation-related requests.
Investigating the situation of monsters in the mountains.
Investigating the cause of monsters from deep in the forest appearing near villages and towns.
And searching for a missing party. Rescue, investigation of the cause, and recovery of belongings, with additional rewards.
There were also several other investigation requests, and requests to cull or hunt monsters that were appearing in towns at a higher rank than usual, concentrated in one town.
"Is it the town of Helmort? It sounds familiar..."
"We went there to catch a wyvern before!"
"Oh, the strange bird Robles!"
Mavis whispered behind Mile, who had slapped her hand on her forehead after Reina pointed it out.
"No, wyverns are not birds..."
"I've been feeling a bit bored lately, doing only normal jobs..."
At Reina's words, which sounded familiar, Mavis and Pauline hurriedly looked around.
Fortunately, it seemed that no other hunters had heard.
Indeed, Mavis and Pauline also felt that way.
However, in the middle of the Hunter's Guild, where many people struggle to make ends meet, saying "I've been feeling a bit bored doing only normal jobs" was not well-received. It was a problematic statement that could lead to trouble with other hunters.
Not everyone in the guild has top-tier mages or swordsmen, or storage with infinite capacity. Few can earn much from normal material gathering or hunting requests.
Reina quickly realized this and looked uncomfortable.
"Anyway, unpopular requests that have been sent from the regions to the capital without any takers. Handling these is a great contribution to the guild!"
Reina quickly corrected herself.
Yes, if phrased this way, it wouldn't cause any problems.
Parties that take on unprofitable requests that no one else wants are beneficial to both other hunters and the guild, and it also maintains the reputation of the capital branch.
However, to be honest, accepting boring requests to earn a living is unsatisfying for the young. Middle-aged hunters with families can accept jobs as a means to earn a living, but young people are often captivated by the desire to "do big jobs" and "make a name for themselves."
Reina, who aims for B-rank, and Mavis, who dreams of being recruited as a knight after reaching A-rank, are particularly inclined this way among the four members of 'Red Oath.'
Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. It's just that Mile and Pauline don't have such ambitions, and as young hunters, Reina and Mavis are not particularly ambitious...
"Which one should we take?"
Mile pointed to one of the request sheets as Reina pondered.
"Reina, this one..."
'A Great Deal Request Set. If you accept all the requests from the town of Helmort, there is no penalty for failure or incomplete tasks. You can complete tasks as you can, and rewards will be paid based on your results.'
"What is this! I've never seen such a casual request!"
"...Does this mean there are no takers? And that implies high risk and a high probability of failure, right?"
"Right, and it's also to deploy multiple parties at once."
Mavis nodded at Pauline's words.
"Is this the one Reira mentioned before?"
"Ah, the 'Red Request.' The color of flowing blood, and the red of 'red ink'... But!"
"Let's take this 'Red Request'!"
The receptionist Reira, hearing their voices, shrugged with a resigned look.
Mile felt something unpleasant about the name 'Great Deal Request Set.'
(I wonder if it comes with potatoes...)
"There you are again..."
Six days later.
The 'Red Oath' team returned to the town of Helmort and visited the guild master who had given them information about the wyvern.
"Well, I know your capabilities from last time. If you feel it's too dangerous, you can cut the investigation short and return, but... well, you've already accepted the request in the capital."
The guild master said this with a resigned look.
"Well, you helped us last time with the wyvern. The lord has come to respect the hunters' abilities, and his attitude towards the guild has improved. I'm grateful for that.
So, let me give you a brief overview. For the details of individual requests, ask the receptionist on the first floor.
First, the behavior of monsters in the forests and mountains has been strange lately. Monsters that should be easy to find are nowhere to be seen, and monsters that shouldn't be in those areas are appearing... Several parties have suffered as a result. Those who haven't returned are probably..."
"Are they the parties we're supposed to search for?"
Shaking his head at Mavis's question, the guild master said:
"No, if a hunter gets injured or dies while on a job or gathering materials, it's their own responsibility. It's a problem of taking on jobs beyond their capabilities. The guild won't spend money to search for them. Well, sometimes family or close friends will pay for a search...
This search is a guild-led investigation team. It includes veteran hunters familiar with the forest and monsters, two scholars, and a female guild staff member who accompanied them."
The guild staff member could use some basic magic, which is helpful for a survey team that includes non-hunters. Such people often have a lot of demands, and having someone who can use magic helps to mitigate this.
And if the staff member is a young woman, there's no reason for the male party members to refuse her accompaniment. Not at all.
After hearing the investigation team's plans, the items to be investigated, and the types of monsters to cull if possible, they only needed to get maps and materials from the receptionist on the first floor and confirm the details.
As the four were about to leave the guild master's office, he called out to them.
"About the guild staff member accompanying the investigation team..."
The four stopped and turned around, and the guild master continued:
"...She's my daughter. Please take care of her!"
The guild master bowed, and the four gave him a thumbs up.
"Your request..."
"We will hear it and accept it!"
Mavis's words were followed by the chorus of the 'Red Oath' team.
Of course, this was one of several rehearsed lines they had prepared for such occasions.
In this country, like in Japan or the English-speaking world, a thumbs up has a positive connotation. However, in some countries, it can be an insulting gesture, so caution is needed. It could be interpreted as waving a white flag at the Buff Clan.
Leaving the guild master, who continued to bow, behind, the four members of 'Red Oath' left the room.