After grabbing a light bite to eat at the pub, Rei stepped out of the guild only to see a crowd gathered around Seto.
This was nothing new. Or rather, while it wasn't exactly a good thing, it was certainly expected.
However, something even Rei hadn't anticipated was the sight of a female adventurer clinging to Seto's neck. He recognized her—only too well. Remembering how she had been glued to Seto just last night in front of the stables at the Dusk Wheat Inn, Rei muttered her name under his breath.
"Not you again, Mirene..."
"Sorry about that. One of our members seems to be causing you trouble."
"Ahahaha! That’s our party leader for you."
Voices called out from beside Rei as he sighed. Standing there were a middle-aged male mage and a female archer in her late teens. They were Sulnin and Ekryl, members of the Scorching Wind party led by Mirene.
"Seto hasn’t been in Gilm for a while, has it? During that time, Mirene was quite lonely. Ever since she heard you and Seto returned yesterday, she’s been in that state... I thought she’d finally calmed down after last night, though."
Sulnin let out a small sigh as he spoke, while Ekryl stood beside him with her arms crossed, nodding in agreement.
(It almost looks like an addiction... Is she really going to be fine while I'm away in the Bestia Empire?)
Rei briefly envisioned Mirene wandering the city streets muttering "Seto... Seto..." but he shook his head to dispel the thought before it could manifest into reality.
"Putting that aside, are you here for work?"
"Yes, well. Actually..."
"Ah."
Just as Sulnin began to explain, Ekryl let out a small cry. She was staring at Rei.
"Ekryl?"
"No, I was just thinking it would be great if Rei could help us out with this afternoon and tomorrow."
"Oh, I see. Now that you mention it, that’s a good idea."
The one who reacted to those words wasn't Rei, the subject of the conversation, but Mirene—who was still frolicking with Seto.
"I’m all for it!"
"Honestly... what kind of sharp ears do you have?"
Mirene shouted her approval while petting Seto, leaving Sulnin to give a wry smile.
"Well, that’s Mirene for you. So, what’s this about this afternoon and tomorrow?"
"Right. Yesterday, a Goblin settlement was discovered deep in the grove along the highway... Did you hear about that?"
Rei thought for a moment before nodding.
"Lenora and Kenny mentioned they were late finishing work yesterday because of it."
"Yes, that's the one. We wiped out the settlement yesterday, but a fair number of Goblins managed to scatter into the woods."
Sulnin sighed. His honest feeling was likely that they should have finished them all off without letting a single one escape.
"Anyway, having Goblins roaming around is a problem for Gilm. But since they're just Goblins, the guild decided to use the opportunity for combat training. They're mixing rookies who just reached Rank G into parties with some experience for a Goblin subjugation."
Ekryl took over the explanation.
Adventurers typically begin at Rank H upon registration. However, Rank H is primarily for odd jobs within the city—shopping, home repairs, or luggage transport. They aren't allowed to take requests that require leaving the city, such as subjugations. To accept those, one must prove they have the combat ability to survive the wilds and rise to Rank G.
To these new Rank G adventurers, a Goblin—something Rei or Mirene could defeat with one hand—was a formidable foe. There were also those who might hesitate to kill humanoid monsters. The guild had apparently judged that cleaning up the stragglers from the settlement would be perfect training for these rookies.
Since sending rookies alone might result in chaos or unnecessary casualties, Scorching Wind had been tapped to act as their guardians.
"We only got the word this morning, so we’re holding mock battles at the training ground this afternoon to gauge the rookies' abilities. We finished lunch early to get started... but as you can see, this happened the moment Mirene spotted Seto."
Sulnin looked toward Mirene, who was still doting on Seto as if she were a lost cause, and sighed once more.
"So, what do you think? Can you help us with the Goblin subjugation? It would be a lot easier with you and Seto there."
Ekryl asked with genuine sincerity. Rei, however, shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I have some circumstances. I can't leave the city right now."
"Oh, that’s right. You mentioned having some urgent business," Sulnin said, recalling their brief conversation from the previous night.
Rei nodded. "Exactly. However... I wouldn't mind helping with the mock battles this afternoon. I’ve got nothing but time to kill today anyway."
His original reason for visiting the guild was simply to pass the time. He had lost interest in looking for official requests, so the invitation from Sulnin and Ekryl was a godsend.
"Wait, really?"
Ekryl asked in disbelief. Given the usual cost of hiring a high-rank adventurer, her surprise was natural.
"Yeah. Like I said, I'm free. I'd actually appreciate a chance to move my body."
"...Rei-san. Just to be clear, this is a mock battle against rookies. You understand they aren't opponents you can fight seriously, right?"
Rei gave a nod to Sulnin's cautious reminder. Satisfied, the mage stepped forward to forcibly haul Mirene away from Seto so they could head to the training ground.
"Muu... there was still plenty of time. You could have let me play with Seto-chan just a little longer!"
Mirene grumbled once they reached the training ground behind the guild. She was clearly annoyed at being dragged away while she was still frolicking. There were a few other people training there, but none of the members for tomorrow's subjugation had arrived yet.
"Even so, it would be bad for our reputation if the seniors were late. Besides, look."
Sulnin pointed his staff toward the entrance, where three boys were nervously surveying the area. They all looked to be around the same age as Rei—though Rei’s appearance hadn't changed at all in the past year.
"Hmph. Well, since they're here, I guess it can't be helped."
Mirene let out a heavy sigh, then waved vigorously at the trio.
"Hey! Over here!"
The three noticed and walked quickly toward them.
"Is that them?" Rei asked.
"Yes. We wouldn't have enough hands to handle a large group, so they assigned us a number of rookies equal to our own party."
"I see. So they aren't necessarily a party yet?"
"That's what I heard. Though they might hit it off and form one because of this."
Rei looked at them with slight surprise. Their weapons—a battle axe, a spear, and a bow—covered close, mid, and long ranges perfectly.
"Sorry, did we keep you waiting?"
"See? That’s why I told you to eat faster."
"B-But... if I eat that fast, it'll get stuck in my throat!"
The one who apologized politely was the boy with the spear; the one who had urged speed was the boy with the battle axe; and the one who worried about choking was the boy with the bow.
The three bowed and exchanged greetings with Sulnin and the others before turning suspicious gazes toward Rei. Mirene immediately flashed a smile, her earlier sulking vanished—a testament to her tact as the party leader of Scorching Wind.
"He’s your opponent for today's mock battle."
At Mirene's words, the boy with the battle axe made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction as he glared at Rei.
"This weakling is going to be our opponent? Look, as a fellow rookie, let me give you some advice: you should probably train your body a bit more before trying to be an adventurer. Once we’re outside, we’re fighting monsters that are out for our lives. You should at least learn to protect yourself before you come back."
"Pfft."
Mirene stifled a laugh. Since they were rookies, it was natural they couldn't gauge a person's true strength. However, hearing someone say that to Rei, of all people, was almost too much for her to bear.
She wasn't the only one. Sulnin’s cheek was twitching as he struggled to maintain a neutral expression, and Ekryl had turned away, her shoulders shaking as she fought back laughter.
Noticing their reaction, the boy with the spear grew suspicious.
"Um... is there something wrong with him?"
He asked politely, his tone suggesting a refined upbringing. Behind him, the timid boy with the bow glanced back and forth between Mirene and the others.
"Ah... sorry, sorry. He might look like this, but he's an active adventurer. He doesn't look like much, but his skills are more than enough, so don't worry."
"What? No way."
The battle-axe boy reflexively denied it.
"Hey, stop it. That’s rude." The boy with the spear pulled his companion back and bowed. "Please forgive his disrespect. My name is Courage Nelgen."
"I-I’m Konomiru."
"...Grusso."
As they introduced themselves, Rei noticed that only Courage had a surname.
"A Surname Holder? Are you a noble?"
"Yes, well... I'm only the fourth son of a poor Viscount's house. I came to Gilm to make a name for myself as an adventurer. By the way, could you tell us your name?"
Courage spoke casually, showing no particular pride in his noble status. But just as Rei was about to answer...
"Wait! Sorry, but his name is a secret," Mirene declared.
Everyone, including Rei and Sulnin, gave her a bewildered look. Mirene ignored them. Ekryl let out a sigh as if to say, "Here she goes again," and looked away toward other adventurers training nearby, unwilling to get caught up in Mirene's antics.
"Hey, Mirene..." Rei started.
Mirene shook her head slightly, signaling him to leave it to her. She wasn't doing this purely for fun. While many monsters were terrifying to behold, some looked harmless despite their ferocity. More importantly, these three were rookies. Almost every monster they would encounter would be stronger than them. Appearances were deceiving. To teach them that, there was no better example than Rei, who didn't look like a high-rank adventurer at all.
"Since Mirene-san says so, I'll take you on. Just make sure you surrender before you get a major injury."
The boy’s tone was blunt, yet he sounded genuinely worried for Rei. His attitude reminded Rei of Bosk back in Exil, and he couldn't help but smile.
However, that smile seemed to offend Grusso. His glare intensified, and his grip on the battle axe tightened.
"Mirene-san, let me go first!" he barked.