The crackle of the campfire echoed through the night, the sound drifting into the tent where Rei rested.
Only the moon and the firelight illuminated the camp. A few adventurers huddled around the flames, keeping a vigilant watch on the surrounding darkness.
It was deep into the night. Dinner was long over, and everyone except the sentries had retired to the tents assigned to their respective parties.
Inside Rei’s tent, the three members of the Axe of the Thunder God were fast asleep. Even in slumber, they kept their weapons within reach, ready to respond to a threat at a moment’s notice.
Normally, Rei would have preferred to sleep alone, but Bobbs had insisted he share a tent with the A-rank party as a precaution.
(So, they aren't coming after all.)
There was a reason Rei had wanted to be on his own. Ever since he had accepted this subjugation quest, he had felt a persistent, greedy gaze fixed upon him—the gaze of the Stars of the Night, a four-person party. He had intended to use himself as bait to lure them out. He didn’t particularly enjoy such tedious tactics, but considering the risk of being stabbed in the back while fighting orcs, he had wanted to deal with them sooner rather than later.
Ultimately, it seemed they had decided that they couldn't make a move against him with the Axe of the Thunder God nearby and Set sleeping just outside the tent. The night was passing without incident.
Furthermore, Rei had been exempted from watch duty entirely. Though he had been scheduled for a shift, Bobbs had bypassed the rotation with a single executive order.
"Boss, it’s no good," whispered Murgas. He was crouched by the entrance of the tent assigned to the Stars of the Night, peering toward Rei’s distant shelter. He kept his voice low to avoid waking the sleeping adventurers in the nearby tents. "The rookie is sharing with the Axe of the Thunder God, and that gryphon is practically glued to them. Trying to slip in under the cover of darkness is a bad idea."
Even with the firelight, the distance was too great for a normal person to see clearly, but Murgas was the party's scout and possessed exceptional night vision. He could clearly see the tent where Rei slept and the massive form of Set lying right beside it.
"Tch. Fine. We’ll call off the raid for tonight," Ceryl muttered peevishly before flopping down inside the tent. In any other season, she would have needed blankets to keep from catching a cold, but in the heat of summer, such things were unnecessary.
"Good grief, I didn't expect Bobbs to trust a gryphon that much. And those other idiots... I can't believe they’re all so willing to sleep with a monster like that in their midst."
Bobbs had been entrusted with the command of the Orc Subjugation Force, but Ceryl viewed him as nothing more than a tactical leader. She didn't believe his authority extended to their conduct during the journey to the orc settlement. When they had first decided on the campsite, she had protested, claiming she didn't want to sleep near a gryphon even if it was tamed.
However, her fellow adventurers hadn't sided with her. They had listened to the explanation of Set’s keen senses and witnessed the gryphon single-handedly slaughter a pack of fang wolves. Seeing Set purr and act spoiled toward Rei, they had judged that the creature wouldn't harm them as long as it was with its master. More importantly, they realized that having Set nearby was better than any sentry; his senses would detect an approaching enemy long before a human could.
In the end, everyone took turns on watch duty anyway, using Bobbs's hourglass to signal the rotation.
Because the Stars of the Night had acted so differently from the others, their behavior had raised red flags for Bobbs, Rei, and the Axe of the Thunder God. Under the guise of accommodating their "fear" of the gryphon, they had been relegated to the tent site furthest from Rei.
"Boss, what's the plan then?" Suni asked.
Ceryl answered with her eyes closed. "We can't touch him with the gryphon and the Axe of the Thunder God hovering over him. For now, just sleep and save your strength. The real show starts tomorrow night, when we launch the surprise attack on the settlement. It’s a shame... if we’d snatched the Item Box today, we could have made off with all the expedition's supplies, too."
Ceryl recalled the scene from that evening. Watching that rookie brat pull camping supplies out of thin air, one after another, had reinforced the true value of an Item Box. It had stirred her greed to a fever pitch.
As she lay there, Ceryl drifted off to sleep, imagining a life of luxury in the Royal Capital just a few weeks away.
She failed to notice Al, lying beside her, lightly furrowing his brow.
The next morning, the tents were already packed away into the Misty Ring. All that remained of the campsite were the charred circles where the fires had burned. Breakfast was a quick affair of hardtack and dried meat provided by the guild.
Rei, however, had enjoyed a fresh sandwich from the lunch box the Landlady of the Dusk Wheat Inn had prepared for him, which he had kept preserved inside his Misty Ring. As for Set, the gryphon had flown off briefly to hunt and eat his own breakfast.
Rei wasn't sure what had happened to the magic stones from Set's prey, but since no Announcement Message had played in his mind, he assumed the monsters the gryphon had eaten weren't of a particularly high rank.
Once the preparations were complete, Bobbs addressed the assembled force.
"Listen up. Like I said yesterday, we should reach the vicinity of the orc settlement shortly after noon. Once we arrive, everyone is to rest and recover their strength until midnight. I don't want anyone—especially the ones who were on watch last night—going into this sleep-deprived. At midnight, we strike. As you know, orcs are capable of organized behavior. They’ll likely have sentries, so we take them out first. We’ll surround the settlement by party units before launching the assault to ensure none of them escape. Material harvesting and proof of subjugation collection will wait until tomorrow morning after the settlement is wiped out. Questions?"
"If we take down a Rare Species or a High-ranking Species, we get to keep the rights to it, yeah?" one adventurer asked.
"Of course," Bobbs replied.
"What about weapons or treasures the orcs might have?"
"Whoever finds it, keeps it."
Bobbs continued to answer several more minor questions. While listening to the exchange, Rei considered his own options.
(With my magic, I could probably incinerate the entire settlement in one go. Should I mention that? No... if I do, the orcs will be turned to ash, and I won't get any magic stones. It’s more profitable to participate in the raid with the others.)
He spent a few seconds weighing the options: hogging all the glory by burning the village to the ground versus prioritizing magic stones by fighting alongside the other parties. He chose the latter without hesitation.
If he chose the former, he would certainly get all the credit, but he would also be robbing the other adventurers of their chance to earn merit. Considering the risk of drawing their resentment—and the fact that he needed those magic stones—the second option was far superior. Merit could be earned elsewhere, but the stones from Rare Species or High-ranking Species orcs might only be available here.
"Right, no more questions? Then board the carriages. We’re moving out!"
At Bobbs's command, the adventurers climbed into their respective vehicles. Rei noticed several of them offering words of thanks to Set as they passed. Even though the gryphon had only stayed near Rei’s tent, spending the night together seemed to have fostered a sense of trust among the group.
"Rei-kun, let's get going," Min said.
Behind her stood Elk, wearing a wide grin, and Rhodos, who was directing his usual disgruntled glare at Rei.
"Right. The more rest we get at the destination, the better," Rei replied. He gave Set’s head a light pat before climbing into the carriage.
As they had the day before, the Axe of the Thunder God, Rei, and Bobbs shared a carriage pulled by warhorses.
A while after they started moving, Rei spent some time listening to Elk and Min give advice on skinning monsters and navigating labyrinths. Eventually, Bobbs interrupted the light conversation.
"Rei. Elk, Min—listen. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but there’s a party in this force with motives other than hunting orcs."
"Yeah," Elk said firmly. "That Stars of the Night lot, right?"
Rei nodded in agreement. The four-person party had been anything but subtle. He had noticed the leader—that middle-aged woman—watching him with eyes clouded by blatant greed. He had felt it since the meeting at the guild, and it had only become more obvious since they left the city.
At first, he’d wondered if she was after his body. After all, the form the Zephyle Clan had crafted for him was quite handsome. But Ceryl’s eyes never lingered on his face; they were always fixed on the Misty Ring on his right arm.
"So you did notice. There’s no doubt about it—they’re after that Item Box of yours," Bobbs said.
"Probably," Rei replied. "Either they think I’m oblivious, or they just don't care, but they’ve been staring at my arm the whole time."
If Rei had been a normal G-rank adventurer, he might have missed the predatory gaze of a C-rank veteran like Ceryl. Fortunately—or unfortunately—Rei was anything but average.
"Hmph. I thought I felt someone staring," Rhodos grunted, looking at the bracelet on Rei’s arm. "That’s what happens when you carry something you can't handle. Why the hell does a G-ranker like you have such a rare magic item anyway?"
"I used to live in the mountains with my master," Rei explained, repeating the story he’d given Ranga. "When my training was finished, he told me to go out and see the world, then teleported me to the Forest of Magic with Set. He gave me a few magic items as a parting gift. This Misty Ring, my Death Scythe... and a few other things."
"The Forest of Magic?" Rhodos looked stunned, his usual disdain fading into disbelief. "You were teleported there?"
"Yeah. It was a bit of a shock to see a Water Bear right in front of me the second I landed."
"A Water Bear..." Rhodos muttered, his gaze on Rei shifting significantly.
"Anyway, putting the Forest of Magic aside for a second," Elk said, his expression serious. "Rei, watch your back with the Stars of the Night. They’re likely planning to ambush you and take that ring."
"I figured as much," Rei said. "That’s probably why they tried to get Set moved away from the tents last night. They likely wanted to strike while I was asleep. Of course, that didn't work, and since I was in a tent with you three, they didn't have an opening anyway."
Min frowned, recalling their earlier conversation. "But Rei-kun, didn't you say the Misty Ring can only be used by you? Even if they stole it, it would be useless to them, wouldn't it?"
Rei let out a small, mocking laugh. "It’s a rarity among rarities. Most people don't know the specifics of how it works. I almost want to let them steal it just to see the looks on their faces when they realized they can't use it... but it’s not worth the trouble."
"Hey, don't even joke about that," Bobbs warned. "That ring is holding all our supplies. Don't take any unnecessary risks."
"I know, I know. It was just a joke. It would be a pain if they threw it away in a ditch somewhere because they couldn't get it open. I'll be careful."
"Good. Regardless, everyone needs to stay alert. Rei, Elk—keep an eye on them. I’ll be watching from my end as well. Honestly, I'm tempted to have you stay with the Axe of the Thunder God during the night raid, too."
Rei thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Our numbers are small as it is. We shouldn't leave a gap in the perimeter just to babysit me."
In truth, Rei’s main reason for declining was that he didn't want the A-rank party watching him harvest magic stones or witnessing his ring absorb them.
"If you're sure," Bobbs said, though he looked like he’d swallowed something bitter. "You have the gryphon, so you should be fine, but don't get careless."
The Orc Subjugation Force reached the vicinity of the settlement shortly before noon.