Crackle, crackle. The sound of the burning campfire echoed through the quiet night, reaching the tent where Rei was resting.

With the moonlight and bonfires providing the only light in the area, several adventurers gathered around the campfires, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

It was late at night. Aside from those assigned to night watch, the rest of the parties had eaten dinner and were resting inside their tents.

Inside Rei’s tent, the three members of Axe of the Thunder God slept with their hands resting on their weapons, ready to react if an enemy appeared.

Rei had originally wanted to rest alone, but Hobbes had ordered him into the same tent as Axe of the Thunder God as a safety measure.

(……So, they didn’t come.)

Rei had a reason for wanting to sleep by himself. He had noticed Dark Night’s Star, a four-person party of two men and two women, casting greedy glances his way ever since the Orc subjugation quest was posted. He had hoped to use himself as bait to lure them out. While he disliked dealing with such annoyances, he wanted to resolve the issue early rather than risk being stabbed in the back while fighting the Orcs. Yet nothing had occurred throughout the night, likely because they realised they could do nothing with Set and Axe of the Thunder God right beside him.

Furthermore, although Rei had intended to take a shift on night watch, Hobbes had exempted him from watch duty as well.

 

 

Outside the tent assigned to Dark Night’s Star, Murgas peered toward the shelter where Rei and Axe of the Thunder God slept.

「Big sis, it’s useless. The rookie is sharing a tent with Axe of the Thunder God, and that Griffon is uncomfortably close by. We should have taken advantage of the darkness earlier.」

Murgas spoke in a low murmur so the adventurers sleeping nearby would not overhear.

Normally, Rei’s tent would have been difficult to make out at that distance even by firelight, but Murgas possessed sharp night vision as his party’s scout. In addition, Set lay sleeping right outside Rei’s tent.

「Tch, it can’t be helped. We’ll call off tonight’s raid.」

Seryl clicked her tongue in annoyance, slumping down inside the tent and turning over. Blankets were unnecessary in the summer heat, so there was no danger of catching a cold.

「Honestly, it was foolish of Hobbes to put so much trust in a Griffon. The other adventurers are just as bad, agreeing to sleep with a monster right next to them.」

Although Hobbes had been granted overall command of the Orc subjugation force, in the end, he was only their commander in battle. Before arriving at the settlement, his authority was not absolute…… or so Seryl believed. Because of that, when they made camp, she had objected to sleeping anywhere near the Griffon, tamed or not. However, Hobbes had explained that Set’s senses were extraordinary, and after seeing Set’s combat effectiveness against the pack of Fang Wolves, not a single adventurer backed her complaint.

Hearing the explanation and watching Set nuzzle Rei while giving a soft 「Gururu~」 cry, the adventurers concluded that the Griffon posed no danger as long as Rei was present. At the same time, they calculated that Set’s senses would prove far sharper than any careless sentry. Even so, they maintained rotating watches as a precaution.

Each time the sand in Hobbes’s hourglass ran out, another party took over the watch.

Throughout the night, Dark Night’s Star had distanced themselves from the others, refusing to go along with Rei and Hobbes. Whether out of discomfort toward Axe of the Thunder God or lingering fear of the Griffon, they had pitched their tent on the patch of ground furthest from Rei’s shelter.

「Big sis, what should we do?」

Sunyi’s anxious whisper drifted across the tent, but Seryl answered with her eyes closed.

「We can’t do anything with Axe of the Thunder God and the Griffon guarding him. Tonight we rest and sleep quietly. The real opportunity comes tomorrow night, right when we launch the surprise attack on the Orc settlement…… If we manage to steal that item box, we’ll get our hands on all the supplies prepared for this entire expedition as well.」

Seryl muttered quietly, recalling the scene from earlier that evening when they had set up camp. Seeing supplies appear one after another from the rookie’s hand had shown the true worth of an item box, stoking her greed even further.

Seryl lay back and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep while imagining a life of luxury in the Royal Capital without ever needing to work again.

She remained completely unaware of Al quietly furrowing his brow beside her.

 

 

By the following morning, the tents had all been stored back inside the Misty Ring, leaving behind only the ashes of the previous night’s campfires. After quickly finishing a breakfast of guild-issued biscuits and dried meat, the expedition completed its departure preparations.

Rei, on the other hand, had stored a lunchbox packed by the landlady of the Dusk Wheat Pavilion inside the Misty Ring, enjoying fresh sandwiches instead. Meanwhile, Set had flown off on his own to hunt and returned after eating his fill.

Although Rei had no way of knowing what magic stone Set had consumed, no announcement message appeared in his mind, leading him to conclude it was not a high-ranking monster.

Once departure preparations were complete, Hobbes addressed the assembled subjugation force.

「Listen up. As I explained yesterday, if we keep our current pace, we will reach the vicinity of the Orc settlement around noon. We will then rest until midnight so everyone can recover their strength. That goes double for those who served on night watch and are short on sleep. The surprise attack will launch just after midnight. As you all know, Orcs are monsters that operate in packs. First, we must silently eliminate their sentries. After that, each party will encircle the settlement and attack to wipe them out completely. Once all the Orcs are slain and proofs of subjugation and materials are collected, we will hold the position until morning. Any questions?」

「Do we get exclusive rights to the carcass if we defeat an Orc rare species or a higher-tier variant?」

「Of course you do.」

「What happens if we find weapons or treasure held by the Orcs?」

「In that case, whoever finds it claims ownership.」

Hobbes answered each of the minor questions raised by the adventurers.

Listening to the exchange, Rei considered how to handle his magic.

(With my magic, I could wipe out the entire settlement in one go…… But that would probably burn everything to ash. Should I do it? ……No, the Orcs would be turned into charcoal, and I wouldn’t be able to collect their magic stones. That leaves joining the attack with the other parties to get them…… I suppose?)

Giving up on the magic stones to incinerate the settlement and claim sole glory, or taking part in the coordinated assault to prioritise harvesting magic stones while sharing credit. After weighing both options for a few seconds, Rei readily chose the latter.

While the first choice guaranteed monopolising the achievement, it also meant robbing every other party of their rewards. Thinking about the pointless resentment that would cause, sharing credit while securing valuable magic stones was the superior path. Other opportunities to earn achievements would come along, but an Orc settlement was a rare chance to harvest magic stones from rare and high-ranking Orc species.

「Right, any other questions? Then split up and board the wagons just like yesterday. We are departing!」

At Hobbes’s command and signal, the adventurers climbed aboard their respective wagons.

By then, several impressed adventurers offered words of gratitude to Rei and Set. Having spent a peaceful night with the Griffon guarding the camp, their wariness had noticeably lessened.

「Rei, we should board the wagon as well.」

Min’s voice called out to Rei and Set as they watched the other adventurers get into position.

Behind her stood the rest of Axe of the Thunder God. As usual, Elk wore an easy grin while Rhodes glared at Rei in a foul mood.

「You’re right. The sooner we arrive, the longer we can rest.」

Murmuring in agreement, Rei patted Set lightly before climbing into the wagon.

Alongside Rei and Axe of the Thunder God, Hobbes boarded the vehicle as well, and the warhorses began pulling the wagons forward.

A short while after the wagons got underway, while Rei was listening to tips on harvesting materials from monsters in the labyrinth, Hobbes unexpectedly steered the conversation in a new direction.

「Rei, and Elk as well. Though I expect you have already noticed, there seems to be a party participating in this subjugation force with ulterior motives.」

「Yeah. You mean that party called Dark Night’s Star?」

Rei nodded in agreement with Elk’s words.

Dark Night’s Star was a four-person party consisting of three men and one woman. Rei had particularly noticed greedy stares coming from their female leader.

It was the same look he had felt from the moment the strategy meeting in the guild concluded, growing increasingly blatant after leaving the city.

When he first noticed those covetous eyes, he had briefly wondered if she was interested in his body. Setting aside his previous life as Saeki Reiji, the physical vessel crafted by Zephyr Zondo’s organisation was exceptionally handsome, so such interest would not have been entirely surprising.

However, the gaze from Seryl, the leader of Dark Night’s Star, had been directed neither at his face nor his body, but squarely at the Misty Ring on his right wrist.

「I see, so you noticed. Their objective is undoubtedly your item box.」

「No doubt about it. Did they think I wouldn’t notice when they were blatantly staring at my right arm?」

If Rei had been a genuine, ordinary G-rank rookie, he might have missed the covert glances of a C-rank adventurer like Seryl. Fortunately or unfortunately, Rei was anything but average.

「……I see. Looking at those suspicious glances, their target really is the item box. Damn it, all this trouble over something like that. Seriously, why does a G rank like you have such a rare magic item in the first place?」

Rhodes muttered while staring at the bracelet on Rei’s wrist. It seemed the members of Axe of the Thunder God had also picked up on the greedy stares.

「I lived deep in the mountains with the master who taught me magic, though I never learned the exact location. Once my training reached a certain stage, he used spatial magic to transport Set and me to the Forest of Monsters. Before sending me off, he gave me several magic items. Among them were this Misty Ring, my main weapon, the Death Scythe, and a few other belongings.」

Rei repeated the same cover story he had given Ranga when first entering the city of Gilm.

「……The Forest of Monsters? You were sent straight there with spatial magic?」

「Yeah. I was genuinely shocked when a Water Bear appeared right before my eyes the moment I arrived.」

「A Water Bear……」

Rhodes stared at Rei in utter disbelief, the contempt in his eyes softening considerably.

「Well, setting the Forest of Monsters aside for now. Rei, keep your guard up against Dark Night’s Star at night. Their goal is almost certainly to steal that Misty Ring, so they will probably try to ambush you or something similar.」

Rei nodded at Elk’s warning.

「I figured as much. They strongly objected to Set sleeping near the tents last night…… That was likely why. Well, their complaint was shot down by every other party anyway. Even if Set were kept away from the tent, Axe of the Thunder God is sleeping in the same shelter, so I doubt they could pull anything off.」

「Wait, can’t only you use that Misty Ring, Rei? Is there even any point in Dark Night’s Star stealing it?」

Min recalled what Rei had shared in the guild meeting room, prompting a mocking smirk from Rei.

「In the end, rare goods are still rare goods. It might actually be entertaining to let them steal it just to watch their panicked faces when they realise they can’t use it……」

「Hey, hey! The expedition supplies are in there! Don’t go pulling reckless stunts for no reason!」

「Ah, I was only joking. There’s no reason to do something so pointless. It would be a headache if they threw it away after finding out they couldn’t use it.」

「Exactly. At any rate, Axe of the Thunder God will keep watch on Dark Night’s Star during the night, so take care of yourself, Rei…… For that matter, once we launch the night attack on the settlement, can you operate together with Axe of the Thunder God?」

Rei considered Hobbes’s proposal for a few seconds before shaking his head.

「No, our total numbers are limited as it is. We can’t afford to leave gaps for the Orcs to slip through.」

While Rei framed his refusal around tactical needs, his true intention was to avoid being seen absorbing magic stones while fighting alongside Axe of the Thunder God.

「I see. Well, you should be fine fighting alongside the Griffon…… Just don’t get careless. Keep an eye out for Dark Night’s Star as well.」

It was true that their numbers were sparse for an urgent expedition. Hobbes nodded, grimacing as though he had bitten into a bitter bug.

Shortly before noon, the Orc subjugation force arrived near the settlement.

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