"Well, I expect you all have a general grasp of each other’s abilities by now."
Gran announced this to the rank-up exam candidates standing before him on the training grounds.
The gathered adventurers listened to his words with varying reactions: some gave small nods, others wore confident smiles, and a few still harbored looks of frustration from their matches.
"I’ll say it again—these mock battles were strictly a means for you to understand the capabilities of those you'll be working with during the bandit subjugation. Don't obsess over the results. Now, the next order of business is deciding who will lead this temporary party..."
Gran trailed off, his eyes scanning the six faces in turn. Regardless of whether they actually wanted the position, everyone held their breath, waiting to see who would be chosen. Amidst the silence, Gran’s gaze eventually locked onto one person.
"Rei, you’re the leader."
Rei’s face registered immediate surprise. "What? Me?"
Gran nodded without a hint of hesitation. "Yeah. To be honest, I’m well aware that your combat prowess is already far beyond D-Rank. You have the strength to bring down an Orc King, after all. However, your high combat ability is balanced by the fact that you operate almost entirely as a solo adventurer. That might fly while you're E-Rank, but once you reach D-Rank and above, you’ll inevitably find yourself needing to form parties, whether they're temporary or fixed. That’s why you need to overcome your lack of interpersonal skills if you want to climb the ranks. At the very least, you need to learn to handle basic communication."
Rei was forced into silence by Gran’s rational critique. He was well aware that he wasn't exactly a social butterfly. Since the examiner had framed it as a requirement for promotion, Rei didn't have much of a choice.
"I understand," Rei conceded. "I’ll accept the role of leader."
"Good. The rest of you, take note," Gran added. "Until the bandit subjugation—the primary objective of this rank-up exam—is completed, Rei is the leader of this temporary party."
The others nodded in response, though their expressions remained a mixed bag of emotions.
"Alright, let's get into the specifics of the bandit subjugation request. As I mentioned, the bandit hideout is about two days from the City of Gilm. I’ll be the one guiding you there. Since I’m the examiner, I have to accompany you regardless. Departure is tomorrow morning. We meet in front of the main gate before the 9 o’clock bell rings. The guild is providing a carriage for transport. Any questions?"
Culotte was the first to speak up. "You said the guild provides the carriage, but what about other supplies? Specifically, food and potions?"
Gran flashed a smirk, looking impressed that she’d caught on. "The guild provides only the carriage. You are responsible for preparing whatever other supplies you deem necessary. Naturally, the quality and quantity of what you bring will be part of your evaluation, so prepare carefully."
Superbia spoke next. "Regarding this bandit gang... do we have a confirmed head-count?"
"At least twenty, according to reports."
"I see. At least twenty, then," Superbia replied, nodding as he caught the implication. Having dealt with similar wording during his own Orc subjugation experience, Rei understood immediately as well.
"At least? Why are you dwelling on that?" Arrogan asked, looking confused. Schola also tilted his head, glancing at Culotte for an explanation.
"It seems a few of you don't quite get it," Gran sighed. "Rei, here’s your first job as leader."
Prompted by the examiner, Rei let out a small sigh of his own. "When they say 'at least twenty,' it means there could be more. There might be forty, or even a hundred."
Arrogan and Schola looked visibly shaken by that revelation.
Filma spoke up to offer them some measure of comfort. "That being said, since this is a mission selected for a guild rank-up exam, it’s unlikely the numbers will be truly insurmountable."
The two men breathed visible sighs of relief, but Gran cut back in with a mischievous grin. "It’s a guild exam, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfectly safe. If you let your guard down, you’ll die. Any other questions?"
The group remained silent. Satisfied, Gran turned back to Rei.
"Rei, that’s one point deducted. As the leader of a request, you should have asked about the reward."
"...Ah. Right." Rei nodded slowly. To him, requests were primarily a way to obtain magic stones; he rarely cared about the actual pay, so the thought hadn't even crossed his mind.
"It might seem like a small detail, but failing to confirm the reward can lead to disputes with the client once the job is done. Now, if you’re taking a job directly from the guild’s request board, you don't have to worry about it as much, but once you hit D-Rank and above, you’ll occasionally receive private requests that bypass the guild. In those cases, you must never forget to confirm the reward and any specific caveats. As for this mission, because it’s a rank-up exam, the reward is set at one silver coin each."
The candidates nodded.
"Excellent. You're dismissed for the day. As I said, we depart tomorrow morning at the 9 o’clock bell, so get your gear ready and meet at the main gate. And to reiterate: Rei, you are strictly forbidden from bringing your Gryphon."
With that final instruction, the group began to disperse.
Rei let out a heavy sigh as he watched the backs of his temporary party members. He hadn't expected to be saddled with leadership, but that wasn't his biggest concern.
The real question is what to do with Set. Two days there, two days back, plus at least one day for the job—that’s five days total. And that’s assuming everything goes perfectly. Including a buffer for trouble, I should count on a week. I can't leave Set cooped up in the stables for an entire week... I need to entrust him to someone. But who...? No, wait.
The image of Mirene flashed through his mind. She was one of the few people who knew how unusual he and Set were but still treated them with genuine warmth. Furthermore, since he had implanted a Seed of Oath in her, he didn't have to worry about betrayal. Most importantly, it was plain to see that Mirene was head-over-heels for Set.
"Now I just have to hope I can find her before tomorrow," he muttered to himself, heading toward the guild.
"Lenora, I need to get in touch with Mirene of the Scorching Wind. Is there a way to reach her?"
He scanned the guild hall, but there was no sign of the Scorching Wind party. Since it was still midday, it made sense that most adventurers were out on jobs. He approached the counter and spoke to Lenora.
"Mirene-san? Her party is scheduled to return this evening after finishing a request."
"Do you know the exact time?"
"I’m afraid not... I’m sorry."
"No, don't worry about it. I was asking for the impossible. Can I leave a message for her?"
"Of course," Lenora replied, and Rei felt a wave of relief. If she’d said no, he would have had to sit in the guild and wait for hours. He had most of what he needed for a long journey stored in his Misty Ring, but it wasn't a complete inventory. He still wanted to restock and pick up a few extra conveniences.
"Hey now, Rei-kun. Are you trying to cheat on me?" Kenny, who had been listening in from beside Lenora, chimed in with a playful pout.
Rei gave her a wry smile and shook his head. "It’s nothing like that. I’m taking the rank promotion exam, and I've been told I can't take Set because he's too much of an advantage. I don't want to leave him in the inn’s stables for a week, so I was going to ask Mirene to look after him. She’s quite fond of him, after all."
"I see. Bringing that boy to a D-Rank exam would definitely be a bit much for the power balance. Understood, I'll make sure she gets the message."
"Thanks. Tell her to come to the Dusk Wheat Inn once she's back. Tell her I want to talk about Set."
"Consider it done!"
"Hmph. I feel like I'm being left out of the loop," Kenny grumbled, watching Rei with a dissatisfied look.
After finishing his dinner at the Dusk Wheat Inn, Rei was relaxing in his room when he heard a knock at the door.
"Rei, you in there? I got your message at the guild."
"Yeah, give me a second."
He pulled on his Dragon Robe, slid into his Sleipnir's Shoes, and opened the door. Mirene wasn't alone; she was accompanied by her teammates, Surnin the Mage and Ekryl the Archer.
"I heard the gist of it from Lenora," Mirene said. "You want us to watch Set-chan for a bit, right? Since this affects the whole party, we all came."
"That's fine. Come on in."
He stepped aside and invited the three of them into his room. It was a bit of a squeeze for four people in a single room, but they made do by perching on the bed, chairs, and floor.
Naturally, Mirene was the first to speak. "So, about Set-chan... are you serious about letting us watch him?" Her eyes were practically sparkling with anticipation. For a woman as enamored with Set as she was, this was a golden opportunity.
"Yeah. The examiner told me I can't take Set on the rank-up exam. It’ll be five days at the minimum, probably closer to a week. I can't stand the thought of him being stuck in a stable that whole time."
"He has a Tamed Monster's Necklace, so why not just let him roam free?" Mirene suggested. "The whole city loves Set-chan!"
"Mirene, that isn't feasible," Surnin interrupted. He was the "brain" of the Scorching Wind for a reason. "Even with a necklace, a high-rank monster like a Gryphon wandering around without its master is bound to cause trouble. People who live here might be fine, but visitors or new residents who don't know Rei and Set would panic."
"But Set-chan is so sweet..." Mirene whined.
"Surnin is right," Rei said. "That’s why I’d feel much better if someone was with him. I’m not asking you to do this for nothing, either. While I'm away on the exam, you can treat Set as a member of your party. Think of him as extra muscle for your requests. What do you say?"
Mirene’s face lit up with joy, and even Ekryl offered a small, approving smile. Mirene was just about to shout her agreement when Surnin cut in again.
"It’s not unheard of for a tamer to lend out their monster or have someone look after it. However, the master bears full responsibility for any trouble the monster causes while in another’s care. Are you making this proposal with that fully in mind?"
"I am. I trust you all, and Set is smart enough that I don't expect any real trouble."
Hearing that, Surnin looked at Mirene and gave a small nod. "Very well. Since you trust us that much, we accept. Having that Gryphon's strength on our side for requests... I certainly have no complaints about that."
With the Scorching Wind’s agreement, the plan was set. Rei would head out for the bandit subjugation while Set remained in the city with Mirene and her team.
However, when Set heard the news, he let out a low, mournful trill, his large, round eyes fixed on Rei with a heart-wrenching look of loneliness. It was enough to plant a persistent seed of guilt in the hearts of Rei and the members of the Scorching Wind alike.