As he looked at the face of the young man who had grabbed him……Rei met his glare with an expressionless gaze.

Perhaps annoyed by that reaction, the young man yelled at Rei in an even louder voice.

「Answer me. I asked you what you did to my mother!」

「……Let go.」

Rei spoke coldly, furrowing his brows.

That was only natural. Rei had no recollection of ever crossing paths with them.

「Just answer me. If that’s going to be your attitude, do you want me to respond in kind? ……This is your last chance. Answer me.」

「……」

Judging that further talk was useless, Rei silently grasped the wrist of the young man holding him.

Just as he was about to crush the bones in the young man’s wrist,

「Rhodes, let go. The boy truly didn’t do anything to me. I was just startled when I looked at him.」

A cane slid between the faces of Rei and the young man, Rhodes.

「But Mum! It’s not like you to back away for no reason! I’m sure this guy did something to you!」

Rhodes argued back vehemently to the woman’s words. However, she simply let out a sigh and brought her cane down against Rhodes’s head.

Thwack! When the sound of a blunt weapon striking flesh echoed through the room, the adventurers near Rei winced, imagining the pain.

「Gah~!」

As a result, Rhodes ended up crouching on the floor, clutching his head. Ignoring him, the woman lowered her head toward Rei.

「I’m sorry, boy. My son was rude to you. Please forgive him.」

「……」

As Rei returned her gaze in silence, the woman hauled Rhodes up from the floor and forced him to bow his head.

「I understand your silence. Rhodes will reflect on this and won’t be rude again. I would appreciate it if you could let the matter drop. Of course, I don’t expect you to do so for nothing. If you ever need help, the A rank party Axe of the Thunder God promises to lend you our strength.」

Rei’s brow twitched at the mention of an A rank party.

Since Rei hoped to fight more powerful monsters by raising his guild rank as quickly as possible, building a connection with an A rank party held plenty of value. With that in mind, he gave a slight nod.

「No harm was done. I’ll accept the help of your A rank party.」

Hearing Rei’s words, the woman let out a sigh of relief.

(Just now, this boy was truly about to crush Rhodes’s wrist, no mistake. And this ridiculous magic power…… We were definitely fortunate to avoid a fight with someone like him.)

Muttering to herself in thought, she spoke to Rei once more.

「I’m sorry, I still haven’t introduced myself. I’m Min, the mother of this foolish son who quarrelled with you.」

「Mum!」

Ignoring Rhodes’s protest, she turned her gaze toward the man who had been watching the three of them with interest.

「Regrettably, that is my husband, Elk. He is also the leader of Axe of the Thunder God.」

Having heard himself introduced, the man named Elk approached the three with a grin.

「Ah, it was my son’s mistake to pick a fight with you. It seems my wife already introduced me, but I’m Elk. Nice to meet you.」

With that, Elk let out a hearty laugh. Seeing how things were, Rei gave a soft sigh and spoke.

「Rei.」

「Wait, is that all? There has to be more than that, right? What’s your favourite food, or your type of girl?」

「Elk, be quiet.」

Hearing Min’s voice, Elk reluctantly fell silent. Even from this brief exchange, Rei noted to himself that Min seemed to wield the most authority in the group.

「We’ve been working as adventurers in the city of Gilm for a long time, Rei. However, I don’t recall seeing your face before. Did you arrive in the city recently?」

「That’s right. It’s only been a few days since I registered with the guild.」

The first person to react to those words was neither Min, who had spoken, nor Elk, standing behind her. It was Rhodes, who turned his suspicious gaze from Min toward Rei.

「Hah!? Do you even understand why the adventurers have gathered here!?」

「The Orc subjugation?」

Though Rei replied casually, Rhodes seemed to feel looked down upon. His face flushed bright red as he scowled at Rei.

Right at that moment, the cane in Min’s hand swung down against the back of his head again, producing a loud smack.

「Gah! Mum, don’t hit my head so hard that it makes a popping sound! That cane is a magic focus, not a club!」

「Shut up. Don’t speak without my permission while I’m talking.」

「But!」

Just as Rhodes was about to argue further, the man who had called out about the urgent request entered the room.

Judging that it was time, Min pulled her husband and son over to sit in the chairs near Rei.

「Thank you all for gathering. As for our numbers……」

With that, the man surveyed the meeting room.

「Thirty people or so.」

There were only about twenty people when Rei had first entered the meeting room, but a few more had arrived while he was speaking with Rhodes, Min, and Elk.

Having confirmed the count, he began to speak.

「I’m Hobbes, and I’m responsible for this request. As stated earlier, the general objective is to subjugate Orcs. An advance payment of five gold coins will be provided, and two platinum coins will be paid upon completion of the request. In addition, bonuses will be awarded based on your level of contribution. Furthermore, the right ears, which serve as proof of subjugation, will be purchased from mission participants at five silver coins each instead of the standard three. Does everyone understand so far?」

Everyone nodded at Hobbes’s words.

「The place where the Orcs have built their settlement is roughly a day’s journey from Gilm. There are at least fifty Orcs. ……Understood?! The minimum number is fifty. Naturally, you should assume there will be more. Furthermore, make no mistake, an Orc rare species or a higher-tier species will be leading them. Departure is set for this afternoon. Once ready, gather before the main gate. It will be an overnight journey, and we will arrive near the settlement tomorrow afternoon. We will then rest until nightfall and launch a night attack on the settlement at midnight. Are there any questions?」

At the invitation for questions, one adventurer spoke up.

「Has the presence of Orc Mages been confirmed?」

「It hasn’t been confirmed, but you should expect them.」

「How will completing this request contribute toward guild advancement?」

「Naturally, I’ll take it into account when you take a rank up test. However, that is limited to those who play an active role, not just for participating in the request.」

「Has the guild provided wagons for transport to the settlement?」

「Yeah. However, you’re welcome to bring your own if you prefer. In that case, supplies will be loaded into any spare space.」

「Are the supplies provided by the guild?」

「That’s right. However, we don’t mind if you wish to prepare your own items as well.」

「The chain of command?」

「As for command, I am in charge.」

Hobbes answered the adventurers’ questions without hesitation.

Having listened to the exchange, Rei raised his hand.

「I can help transport the supplies, but will that add to my contribution points?」

「Help transport the supplies? ……By what means?」

At Hobbes’s question, Rei displayed the Misty Ring on his right wrist.

「This Misty Ring is a type of item box. Transporting supplies won’t be a problem with it.」

As he spoke, he took a potion out of the Misty Ring and promptly stored it back inside.

「An item box…… Is that real!?」

「That’s the first time I’ve ever seen one.」

「I mean, could an ordinary person ever expect to see such an expensive magic item in their lifetime?」

The people in the meeting room seemed aware of the dispute between Rei and Claws of the Hawk, but far fewer appeared to know that an item box had been wagered in their bet.

Consequently, several of those who did know watched Rei with sharp, calculating stares.

Pretending not to notice their stares, Rei turned his attention back to Hobbes.

「……All right. If you help the guild transport supplies using your item box, you will receive credit for it.」

Hobbes then answered a few more minor questions.

「All right, are there any further questions? ……None? Then finally, please state what skills you have. Naturally, I don’t mind if you prefer to keep them confidential. We’ll start with those near the door.」

At his words, a party of four adventurers stepped forward to describe their skills to Hobbes.

While the guild needed to know the adventurers’ skills for the request, adventurers were understandably reluctant to disclose their abilities to potential future rivals. In that regard, Hobbes was considerate in allowing them to keep their capabilities private.

(In the end, I’m the only solo adventurer here.)

He muttered to himself as he observed his surroundings. Aside from Rei, everyone present belonged to a party, leaving him as the only unaccompanied adventurer in the room.

「Rei, was it? May I call you that?」

Min called out to Rei as he surveyed the room, and he nodded in response.

「If possible, would you mind showing me your item box for future reference? Of course, since you’d be showing us such a valuable item, we’ll compensate you properly later.」

「I don’t mind. The Misty Ring can’t be used by anyone other than me anyway.」

「Ah, that’s perfectly fine. Please, by all means.」

Rei slipped the bracelet off his wrist and handed it over.

「Oh, this is…… Indeed, I can certainly feel an immense magic power from it.」

Beside Min, who was admiring it, Rhodes glared at Rei with suspicion.

「Hmph, are you acting tough just because you rely on magic items instead of your own ability? If that’s all it takes, even I could…… Gah!」

Before he could finish his words, Elk brought his fist down onto his head.

「What was that for, Dad……」

「You’re sulking just because Min took an interest in someone else.」

「Dad, that’s not it at all!」

「It’s obvious to anyone watching. Honestly. ……Sorry about that, Rei. As you can see, even though he’s older than you, this guy can’t seem to part from his mother.」

At Elk’s words, Rei turned his eyes toward Min, who was eagerly examining the Misty Ring. The composure from their first meeting had vanished completely, replaced by eyes sparkling with fascination.

「Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind his mother complex.」

「Mother complex?」

「Yeah. Basically a term for a guy who’s overly attached to his mum.」

「Kahaha, I see! Well, Rhodes certainly has a mother complex.」

「Dad! You stop it too! You’re speaking so insolently to a C rank like me when you only just registered with the guild!」

With that, Elk’s fist came down on Rhodes’s head again, sending him crouching to the floor.

「Honestly, don’t get so worked up just because he hit the mark.」

「Ow, that’s not……」

While Rhodes grumbled, holding his head, Hobbes’s booming voice rang out across the meeting room.

「Next, you with the item box!」

At the call, Rei looked around to find that the number of people in the meeting room had already dwindled by half. Having finished their discussions with Hobbes, they had already begun preparing for departure.

「Ah, thank you. That was very informative.」

Receiving the Misty Ring back from Min, Rei slipped it onto his right arm and walked over to Hobbes, stepping past Rhodes, who seemed to want to say something while clutching his head.

「Your name?」

「Rei.」

「Rank?」

「G rank.」

As soon as Rei stated his rank, Hobbes frowned.

「You know the minimum requirement for this request is the ability to defeat an Orc, right?」

「Yeah. I’m only G rank because I registered with the guild a few days ago, but I have the ability to defeat a Water Bear.」

「……What?」

「If you have any doubts, you can ask the guild staff Gran. You should understand once he explains.」

「……Understood. I’ll check with Gran later. In the end, accepting the request is your own responsibility. If you lack the strength and end up dead, you have no right to complain, understand?」

Rei gave a slight nod to Hobbes’s words.

「……All right. So, what are your specialties?」

「Fire magic and close combat. Aside from that, I can also tame monsters.」

Rei plainly stated his capabilities. Listening, Hobbes took notes on the paper in his hand.

「If you use magic and close combat, can I classify you as a Magic Swordsman?」

「That works, but I’m more of a Magic Warrior than a Magic Swordsman.」

「……The difference?」

In response to Hobbes’s question, Rei drew the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring.

The shaft measured over 2m, and the blade of the Death Scythe spanned more than 1m. Seeing the massive weapon appear out of thin air, Hobbes’s eyes widened.

The few people remaining in the meeting room were dumbfounded by the scythe that had suddenly appeared.

「As you can see, my weapon isn’t really something you could call a sword.」

「……Understood. With that settled, can I count on you to transport the supplies?」

「Yeah. No problem. I want to raise my guild rank as quickly as possible.」

「Then after this, please return to the guild before noon once you are ready. I’ll need you to collect the supplies.」

Rei nodded at Hobbes’s words, lightly tapping the Misty Ring.

「By the way, may I bring my tamed monster with me?」

「Ah, that won’t be an issue at all. Extra fighting strength is always welcome. However, what I won’t tolerate is injuries to other adventurers.」

「Set is smart. As long as no one provokes him, he won’t harm anyone.」

「Right, you may go. Don’t forget to report back before noon.」

Nodding to Hobbes’s words, Rei left the meeting room directly.

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