Chapter 51

: Joint duties

Everyone, thank you for accepting this quest, even with the bad conditions this time
(Merchant)
Early in the morning of the next day, the meeting of the merchants and all escort hunters was done at the central square.
There are six carriages in this group. There were each one man and each merchant was four. The merchants seem to be on good terms with each other and the purpose is to introduce the escort hunters. The escort don’t need to be intimate with the merchant, but the escorts need to grasp other hunter’s ability, feats, etc. for collaboration and allocating roles. If we plan ahead, we can raise the safety for the next nine days.

Because some people were absent when I explain the detail last time so I will briefly explain about this request again.
(Merchant)
So other than Rena-sam, other parties is also having people absent.
As Mile’s thinking, the client continued talking.

This time we are heading to Amuros with 4 days trip, 4 days for the back trip and you will have 1 free day when we stay over there.
And, as you have noticed, this time the compensation amount is 1.5 times compared to ordinary escort request. You may already hear it from my colleagues, but there’re a big bandits group active in that direction.

At that moment, the merchant leader of this group, the client, looks around at everyone in the escort hunters, but no one is surprised. we also explained to Rena last night.

And the story is not limited to that. This merchant group isn’t going for profit purpose but for people who are in trouble because of the decline in the number of merchants travel to Amuros. And we are picking mainly
not so expensive but absolutely necessary
tools for that purpose. And even our purpose are to deliver those important items, but in reality, there is one important mission, and that is …
(Merchant)
Again, the client who looks around the escorts before continue.

It is the annihilation of thieves
  (Merchant)
Yes, that was the true purpose of this merchant, as heard from the client yesterday.

It takes a long time for the lords and the country to move, and waiting for it will completely stop the trade with Amuros. So for that reason, you will move with our merchant group and prepare for the thieves’s attack. If they don’t attack, we will just trade with Amuros like normal. And if we get attacked, it will fight for the purpose of annihilation of enemies, not escape.
While unconfirmed, thieves are expected to have more than 20 people. And I think that with total of 12 hunters: 1 B rank and 11 C ranks including mage, you can handle them.
For this purpose, I am aware that the rewards aren’t enough. However, we could not prepare any more than that. Please forgive us.
And also, there is no need to protect our merchants in battle. We will hold a sword to protect the carriage ourself. Because we have position advantage, we will be able to push back thieves that trying to climb to the loading platform, and there aren’t many people trying to cilmb the platform while escorts are still fighting with them. If you defeat them, you can come to help us later.
So, please concentrate solely on the annihilation of enemies. Even if we are taken hostage, you can ignore us. Even if we surrender, we will just be killed later anyway.
Are there any questions?

Escort Hunters were mocking at the last word of the client.

… Why would you do that?
(Hunter A)
The one has a question are from three people party, three young people aged about twenty years old.

Why, you ask?
Well, if I must say, then because to us merchants, Amuros is a good customer from the past …
 (Merchant)

… Stupid! That’s just foolishness!
  (Hunter E)
This time is a hunter from another party of five, three men around 30 years old and two girls. The man seems to be the leader are laughing while being hit by a girl.

Well, what are you thinking when received such a request?
  (Hunter E)

But It’s already decided
(Hunter D)

You are a big idiot!
(Hunter E)
Three other member are watching with a wry smile. Apparently, it seems to be usual in their party.
After laughing for a while, that leader looks at other hunters and started talking.

Well, for now, let introduce ourself. I am of this 『Dragon Breath』 party’s leader, Bart (バート), a rank B swordsman. There’s no other rank B in this joint parties. So, I’d like to be a leader of the entire escort plan and the battle command, are there any objections?
(Bart)
As everyone seemed to have no objection, he nodded, and Bart continued talking.

Our members are: swordsman Karam (カラム), spearman Fagas (ファーガス), knife user Vera (ヴェラ) and magician Jeanne (ジニー). Jeanne is good at battle magic but don’t expect her to cast healing.
(Bart)
And then, the three of 20 years old males party introduce themself.

『Flame Wolf』’s party leader Brett (ブレット), I’m the same with Chuck (チャック) is swordsman and Darryl (ダリル) is a spearman.
(Brett)

Huh…!?
(many people)
A lot people have unexpectedly leaked their inner voices.
No matter how you look at them, the party balance is too bad.
If the party is B rank, they may have a lot of members, but the appropriate number for F to C ranked party is around 5 to 7 people.
If party only have 4 people, you should aim for low level monsters and it will be no problem with the party balance.
If there are 8 or more people, you should devide the additional member in two parties. Party are dangerous if the number of people is too small. And with party with too many members, it will be harder to co-op with each other and distribute the money rewards. Unless we have joint quest like this time, the number should be keep at 5 to 7.
And regardless of the number of people, what’s the most important is the balance.
Four people party should have two swordsmen, one archer and one magician. There’s no party with four swordsmen. It was too unbalanced.
And right now, before our eyes,『Flame Wolf』party were too unbalanced. Moreover, there are only three people.

No… I understand about the number of people and the balance! Until a couple of months ago, we still have archer and magician, two girls!
(Brett)

So both of them are…?
(Bart)
At that moment, Mile and other see the change in Brett’s face and understand, but it is already late.

They were transferred to a four people party that have a cool guy.
And after that, they came back the other day and told us to party again, but I refused.
We do not have the mind to take pregnant women to the fighting place and we don’t intend to raise children of other men.


I… I see
(Bart)
And then everyone become silence, and it’s Maevis-san who break the silence.
Bart + Maevis + Mile + Rena + Pauline

I… I’m the 『Red Oath』’s leader, Maevis, I’m a swordsman. This is the magician Rena and Pauline, and the magic swordsman Mile
(Maevis)

Magic Swordsman?
(Flame wolf members)
Three member of『Flame Wolf』raised question.
Apparently, the members of『Dragon Breath』are watching the graduation test, so they don’t surprise like『Flame Wolf』.
Didn’t they wonder why the client accept children like that in this kind of quest ?
The client must watch the graduation test. Otherwise, he would have refused. Even so, he still hesitated to accept this request with 『Red Oath』’s member other than Maevis.

Ah, that’s right, I can use a lot of magic, I’m also good with sword, and you don’t have to worry about water!
(Mile)
『Flame Wolf』’s members are still have a worry face, meanwhile the members of 『Dragon Breath』 were wry smiling thinking like 
you don’t have to worry, they are even stronger than you


Rena is an attack magician, Pauline is good at healing and support magic, she can also use attack magic
(Maevis)

What? Because they are only young girls, I thought that we need to protect them, but it seems they can be helpful for us.
(Brett)
『Flame Wolf』’s leader Brett don’t know the strengh of『Red Oath』make such remark.
Maevis just makes a bitter smile.
Then, after the information exchange about magic and roles, it time to depart.
All the escort Hunters also ride on carriages. Unlike knight, hunter don’t have horse to ride, and hunters also need to to keep stamina prepare for thieves attack.
They ride on four of the six carriages, three members of『Dragon Breath』ride on the top carriage, the other two ride on the second carriage. Three people of『Flame Wolf』ride on the last carriage. And four members of『Red Oath』were on the fourth carriage.
This is a position to deal with attack from any direction.
Those who are in front of and behind are the farthest position. If one side is attack, they can’t rush to other side so soon to help soon.
It probably was Bart’s concern to arrange the girls together in the safest central part, the place that easiest for both front and behind come to help. The『Red Oath』 was placed there. It is a man’s instinct to consider the girls before mature in a safe place, even though in the mind they know the 『Red Oath』 is probably stronger than 『Flame Wolf』 or maybe even stronger than them.
Three people of 『Flame Wolf』even only twenty years old but they are also adult men so they never complaining about it.
On the first day, the merchant group are still close to the kingdom’s capital, neither thieves nor demons appear. And they were safely set the camp at night.
The merchant laid a blanket and rolls in a narrow gap of his carriage and goes to bed. Even if it is narrow, it is far better than sleeping outside.
Outside, the cook is laid with a blanket, sleeping next to each other. Some escort hunters are sleeping under the carriage or under a big tree to avoid the rain.
However, The『Red Oath』 is…

Hey, what is it …?
(Brett)

Well, it’s just a normal tent, cushion and blanket …
(Mile)

Where were you loading, such a thing!
(Brett)
It is not unreasonable for young people of 『Flame Wolf』 to wonder. The carriage is tightly loaded with a goods, only the merchant can sleep inside and everyone else are sleeping outside. They could not afford to have a lot of personal items.
And after finishing the preparation for the bed, it’s finally time for dinner.
Although the client prepares meal while traveling, there was not much choice when saying that it is light, bulky and inexpensive because they can only bring preserved food.
Yes, it is the familiar hard bread and dried meats, soup are simple cook the dried kuzu vegetables with hot water. The quantity is far from good.
Mile is living a poor life, so get whatever she can get is fine. But this time, Mile store everyone’s hard bread and a dried meat to the item box. And Mile take out two horn rabbits on both hands.
And then Mile prepare them with a kitchen knife came out of nowhere. After that Meavis roast the meat with a bonfire raised by Rena. The tasty smell gradually spread to the surrounding.

Do you want to eat with us, too?
(Mile)
To the invitation of Mile, the escort hunters who were watching the situation from a long distance are coming.
By the way, when Maevis-san cooked, I started to use knives instead of daggers because I felt as if I could hear sobbing from somewhere when I used a dagger for cooking.
Horn rabbit meats exhausted very fast as everyone keeps eating, and then Mile took out a part of burnt rock lizard and orc meat from the item box.

What, Storage?
(FW and DB’s members)
This time, not only 『Flame Wolf』 but also 『Dragon Breath』 were surprised. This skill didn’t show in the graduation test so they don’t know. And also the number of people can use storage were small.
All the merchants came up, whether they were on the side to serve meals and the merchants who did not come to receive meats could not stand patience as they saw it.

Have the storage! How nice …
(Mechants)
All Merchants are looking at Mile, seem to be envious. Certainly, for merchants it would be a longing ability.

Would you also like some meat …?
(Mile)
Other merchants finally get the meat, and everyone began to eat meat one after another.

This time, I used magic to gather particles of smell so that monsters won’t come

After I told that, everyone can feel secure.
And I also provide a hot shower service.
Women of 『Dragon Breath』, Vera and Jeanny are very happy.
And Bert muttered that word which many people have already told us before.

It’s handy and convenient, you guys …