Several hours had passed since the night raid on the orc settlement concluded and the group returned to Bobbs’s location. The members of the subjugation force, Rei included, were dead to the world.
Near the carriages where the men slept, Bobbs remained awake as a sentry just in case. Beside him, Elk sat on the ground, shoveling various dishes into his mouth—food that Rei had pulled from his Misty Ring before turning in.
"Hey, Elk. You’re supposed to be on watch, so try to show a little more motivation."
Bobbs called out to Elk while scanning the surroundings from his seat on the ground.
However, Elk merely continued stuffing himself with grilled skewers, sandwiches, and steamed Fang Boar, offering an exasperated reply.
"Give me a break. You know how sharp Set’s senses are, don't you? As long as that guy is around, we don't have to worry about a surprise attack."
Following Elk’s gaze, Set was lying on the ground with its eyes closed. It was easy for both Elk and Bobbs to imagine that the creature wasn't actually sleeping, but rather monitoring the vibrations and presence of everything nearby.
"Still... I mean, are you really okay eating that much?"
Bobbs muttered in disbelief, getting back at him for his previous comment as he watched Elk, who had already packed away enough food for nearly ten people.
"I’ve been fighting all night. Once everyone wakes up, we’ve got the massive task of material stripping back at the orc settlement, don't we? Besides, we still haven't found the treasure the orcs were likely hoarding. ...Well, since it wasn't in the Orc King's residence in the center of the settlement, I’m not holding my breath."
Having finally finished his meal, Elk drained the water from his canteen and let out a long breath.
"True. ...Are you really okay without any sleep?"
"Hah! Don't lump me in with those youngsters. Why, during that Kraken subjugation I was dragged into a few years back, I fought for three days straight. Compared to that, one night is a cakewalk."
"You aren't young anymore, you know. It's about time you realized that."
"I’m not losing to the kids just yet."
Bobbs sighed at Elk's bravado and took a swig from his own canteen.
The midsummer sun was already beating down on their base, which had been established in a meadow a short distance from the orc settlement. There was no roof to block the light, and since they were exposed to direct glare, they had to hydrate frequently.
"So, 'Rampaging Elk' is still alive and well, huh?"
Rampaging Elk. That was the nickname Elk had been given back when he was still a low-rank adventurer. While the party name 'Axe of the Thunder God' was famous now, back when Elk had first registered with the guild, he had frequently caused headaches for Bobbs, who was a C-Rank adventurer at the time.
Elk grimaced at the mention of the moniker from his past that he’d rather forget. Bobbs, looking relaxed as he chatted with his old acquaintance, turned to Elk with a smirk.
"Give me a break and stop using that name already."
As a man who had grown up, married, and fathered a child, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be called 'Rampaging.'
"Well, you are certainly strong enough now. At the very least, you're stronger than an old fossil like me who retired from adventuring. It’s also true that without you, I couldn’t have justified such a reckless plan for this request. ...But, you know, if those at the top keep pushing themselves forever, the sprouts below won't have a chance to grow."
"...Are you talking about Rei?"
Since this wasn't a conversation for prying ears, Elk lowered his voice.
"Well, that’s part of it... but he’s in a league of his own. I’m talking about people like your son. Regardless, about Rei. Did you know? During the night raid, he completely wiped out the Stars of the Night when they tried to ambush him."
"Heh. He’s impressive, as expected. ...The Stars of the Night lot got what they deserved, though."
"At the very least, a guy like that being G-Rank has to be some kind of mistake. Once this request is over and we return to the guild, I intend to talk to the higher-ups immediately and recommend him for a promotion to E-Rank."
"Whoa, a 2-rank promotion all at once?"
"No, a 3-rank promotion."
"Bobbs?"
"I'm planning to have him take the rank up exam for D-Rank as soon as possible."
No matter how high the urgency of a request was, effectively jumping three ranks from a single job was unheard of. Because Elk had climbed through those ranks himself, he understood exactly how extraordinary that was.
"...Are you serious?"
Elk looked at Bobbs as if questioning his sanity.
However, Bobbs gave a small nod as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course. He's an adventurer with the skill to defeat a B-Rank Orc King. Keeping him at E or F-Rank is far too inefficient. Besides..."
He glanced over at a spot a short distance away. His eyes settled on Set, who was lying down near the carriage where Rei was sleeping.
"He's a guy who tamed a Rank A Gryphon. I honestly think it wouldn't be strange to put him at A or B-Rank eventually."
"Hey!"
At those words, even Elk began to doubt Bobbs's state of mind. However, Bobbs flashed a smirk, much like the ones Elk usually wore.
"Of course, I don't mean right away. Setting aside the matter of reaching D-Rank, becoming B or A-Rank requires a great deal of knowledge beyond just combat ability."
Once an adventurer reached B or A-Rank, which was considered first-class, it was not uncommon for them to be personally entrusted with requests from royalty and nobility. They needed to know proper etiquette, and there were times when they had to make choices that could sway the national interest.
Proper etiquette was a concept that didn't suit Elk at all, but despite appearances, he knew the bare minimum. More importantly, since Elk's wife, Min, stood at the forefront to handle all such matters, the Axe of the Thunder God functioned perfectly as an A-Rank party. However, as far as Bobbs and Elk could see, it was immediately obvious that Rei wasn't particularly good at socializing. If such a person met with royalty or nobility... being reprimanded would be the best-case scenario. If things went poorly, he might even be barred from adventuring altogether. Neither of the two men could fathom losing such a mass of potential over something so trivial.
"Besides... hey, Elk. Did you notice anything when you saw that Orc King corpse?"
"...Notice anything?"
Prompted by Bobbs, Elk recalled the image of the Orc King corpse he had seen a few hours ago. The first thing that had caught his eye was the torso that had been connected only by a sliver of skin... No, that wasn't it.
"The strike to the neck that severed the head. I can't even imagine what kind of skill it takes to produce a cut like that. At the very least, it's impossible for me."
Elk muttered as he glanced at the war axe that served as his partner, kept within arm's reach at all times.
An axe was a weapon meant for destruction, not precision. If he were told to smash the head into pulp, Elk could do it, but if he were told to slice through it as cleanly as Rei had, he would have to admit it was beyond him.
However, Bobbs shook his head slightly.
"That's not it. ...Well, I understand what you're saying. In fact, I've only seen such a sharp cut a few times in my entire life. But, what do you think he said his class was when I asked him back at the guild?"
"...No idea?"
"Magic Warrior. In other words, Rei can also use magic. But was there any wound on that Orc King corpse that looked like it was made by magic?"
When asked that, Elk was reminded of his son Rhodos's report.
Rhodos had said that the enemies who had tried to circle around behind them while they were fighting the orcs in the east of the settlement had been almost entirely wiped out. At the time, Elk had assumed they had been handled by Set's power, but when he was told that most of the orcs had been burned to death, he had to accept it was Rei's work. After all, a Gryphon didn't possess the power to manipulate fire.
Which meant...
"Hey. You mean Rei defeated the Orc King without even going all out?"
"Most likely. There's a possibility he used something like a Kamaitachi from wind magic, but... as far as I know, Rei specializes in flame magic. I suspect he hasn't shown his full strength yet. But considering Rei's skill in defeating an Orc King in that state, combined with the fact that he has a Rank A Gryphon with him, wouldn't you say it's reasonable to think he's equivalent to an A or B-Rank in terms of combat power?"
"...If that's true, then certainly."
Rei looked much smaller and slighter in build than Rhodos, but Elk judged that the strength hidden within that boy far surpassed his son's. At the same time, as he imagined the hardships his son would face in the future, having developed a sense of rivalry toward Rei... he broke into a smirk.
(Having a rival isn't a bad thing. And the higher that wall is, the more Rhodos will grow in his struggle not to lose. There's a chance he won't be able to climb over or smash through that wall... but well, he's my son, so he'll manage.)
Elk suddenly found himself feeling envious that his son had such an opponent.
"And, as you know, Elk, the Adventurer's Guild is basically always short-handed, and not just in the City of Gilm."
"...Well, yeah."
What Bobbs was saying was a simple fact. Regarding the Kraken subjugation Elk had mentioned earlier, the seaside town had sent a request for reinforcements through the guild, and the Axe of the Thunder God had been dispatched. The guild was always lacking in manpower... or more accurately, the number of high-rank adventurers was low. There were plenty of C to D-Ranks, and even more E to G-Ranks below them.
"It's fine for now. You're still active, and while I'm not as good as you, I can still stand on the front lines in an emergency. But when I think about what will happen after our generation retires, I just can't help but worry."
"Bobbs."
Elk hesitated for a moment, then slapped Bobbs on the back forcefully.
"Look, if you worry too much, your hairline is going to recede even further."
When his recent insecurity was pointed out so bluntly, Bobbs couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"The next generation has my son, Rhodos. It has Rei, too. See? There's no need to worry so much. Besides, even if they're unknown right now, there are always people with talent out there. Those low-rank adventurers will eventually see their potential bloom."
"I suppose you're right... Yeah, it would be nice if that were the case. It seems I got sentimental for no reason because I'm out in the field for the first time in a while."
"They call that overextending yourself at your age, don't they?"
"Stuff it. You aren't that much younger than me. ...Anyway, is the timing about right?"
Ending the conversation, they checked the position of the sun. Without portable clocks, they had no choice but to estimate the time based on the sun's height.
"Yeah. I’d like to let them sleep a bit longer if possible, but with this heat, we have to hurry. If we don't harvest the orcs' proof of subjugation parts and materials soon, they'll spoil. There's also the chance they'll be scavenged by animals or other monsters."
Nodding at Elk's words, Bobbs pulled a magic whistle from his pocket and blew into it with all his might. The piercing sound woke the sleeping members of the subjugation force.
Each of them put a small amount of food and water—provided by Rei—into their stomachs despite their lingering fatigue, and immediately headed toward the orc settlement.
"Rei, aren't you going to the settlement?"
Rei had been woken up first to provide the supplies stored in his Misty Ring, but after finishing that job, he turned toward the voice while attending to Set.
Standing there were Elk, who seemed to have energy to spare despite having been on watch, Min, who had recovered some of her magic power, and Rhodos, who still looked half-asleep.
There were only a few adventurers left at the camp. Normally, the two women rescued from the orc settlement last night would have been here too, but on Bobbs's orders, several other adventurers had already taken them toward the City of Gilm in a carriage to report the successful orc subjugation to the guild.
"Yeah. Since all the orcs I defeated, including the Orc King, are already stored in my Misty Ring. I plan to handle the material stripping and the proof of subjugation parts after I get back to the city."
Rhodos twitched at the mention of the Orc King, but he didn't seem inclined to say anything, perhaps because he had already heard the details from his father.
"Well, that's your choice, so it's fine. But why not do it here?"
"..."
Rei fell silent for a few seconds, but seemingly unable to withstand Elk's stare, he let out a sigh and confessed.
"I’m just not very good at material stripping. These are high-rank monsters, after all. I don't want to mess it up if I can help it, so I want to do it carefully."
"Heh heh heh. I see, I see. So even the miraculous G-Rank adventurer Rei has things he's bad at. And it’s harvesting, of all things..."
The awkward look on Rei's face as Elk chuckled vanished with his next words.
"This is a good opportunity. I'll teach you the tricks of harvesting. Come on, take them out."
"Wait, Dad?! If you spend time on Rei here, what's going to happen to our share of the rewards?!"
"You and Min can just go and handle that yourself. There aren't any enemies left anyway."
"But still!"
Min put a firm hand on Rhodos's shoulder as he tried to argue further.
"...It’s no use, Rhodos. Once Elk gets like this, there’s no stopping him. Let’s just go ourselves. Fortunately, like your father said, the orcs are all gone."
Watching Rhodos being dragged away, Elk immediately had Rei take an orc out of the Misty Ring so he could begin teaching him the finer points of material stripping.