Day 1 of Ogre Hunting: Departure
On the early morning of the day we set out to hunt Ogres, we headed to the meeting point.
Jenna wanted to come as an escort for the Ogre hunt, but she was worried about the shop, so she stayed behind, just in case.
At the gathering place, many adventurers were starting to gather.
The quality of their equipment looked good, were they Blue-ranked adventurers?
“Huh? Who are you guys?”
“We’re the Wildcat Claws,’ here to take on this request. We appreciate your cooperation.”
“Ah, you’re the ones. So, is that young lady with you just an extra?”
“She’s not exactly an extra, but she’s our employer.”
“I see. Well, let’s go ahead with that.”
The adventurer who had been talking to us left.
He seemed rather unpleasant.
“It seems the Adventurers’ Guild doesn’t treat Blue-ranked adventurers very well.”
“Is that so?”
“Normally, in cases like this, they would have Blue-ranked adventurers as the main force, with Green-ranked adventurers for support. But this time, with us joining, it has become a Red-ranked mission, and the Green-ranked adventurers who were supposed to be in the supporting role are now participating voluntarily. There won’t be any Green-ranked adventurers to handle monster dismantling and cleanup; it’s not a comfortable situation.”
“I see.”
I sort of understood Keuko’s explanation, but it seemed like the motivation of the participants as a whole was low.
This could be a problem.
Eventually, it was time to gather, and adventurers assembled while the Adventurers’ Guild Master arrived.
I wonder what he came for?
As I watched, he began preparing a magic device for amplification.
Did he have something to say?
“Ahem, this is Sivek, the Guild Master of the Vardmoi’s Adventurers’ Guild. I’m extremely pleased that you’ve taken on this dangerous mission today.”
Sure, he says that now, but initially, he was planning to push this onto the Wildcat Claws alone.
Afterward, there were more polite greetings, but towards the end, he began saying something unbelievable.
“The Blue-ranked and Green-ranked folks, if you can prove that you’re superior adventurers compared to the Red-ranked Wildcat Claws who accepted this request, we’ll give you the reward that would have gone to them. Please do your best.”
The adventurers erupted with excitement at this declaration.
Meanwhile, we didn’t know how to react to this.
Is this even allowed?
Should we protest? While I was pondering this, Melanie-san approached us.
It seemed like she was going to explain the situation.
“I apologize. There hasn’t been any approval within the Adventurers’ Guild regarding this matter. It’s likely a decision made solely by the Guild Master and his faction.”
“Is this even allowed?”
“Of course, it’s not allowed. If such actions were allowed, we could be given excuses and turned down even when proposing higher-ranked adventurers for urgent requests.”
“You’re right. What should we do about this?”
“Unless this was a whim of the Guild Master, there should be authorization documents within the Guild. I’ll send those to the Adventurers’ Guild’s Headquarters. The Adventurers’ Guild’s Headquarters is aware of the tension between Vardmoi’s Adventurers’ Guild and the Trade Guild. They can’t afford to let the Guild Master, who is the cause of this, continue unchecked.”
“Did the Adventurers’ Guild and the Trade Guild have such a bad relationship?”
“They didn’t have a particularly good relationship to begin with. But the rift deepened significantly when you arrived and hired the Wildcat Claws. As the Guild Master, it seems he is dissatisfied with Red-ranked adventurers escorting a Green-ranked adventurer.”
Wow, it’s purely personal grudges.
What a mess.
“Anyway, regarding this matter, I will handle things within the Adventurers’ Guild. For all of you, I hope you can exterminate the monsters within your capabilities… even though I can’t really ask you for it anymore. Also, please keep this secret from the Trade Guild for now. If it becomes known that there’s no self-regulation, it could really disrupt the Guild’s operations.”
I see.
Given that the Adventurers’s Guild’s Guild Master made such a condescending move, it’s understandable that Melanie finds it difficult to ask for our cooperation.
Regardless, we’ll act on our own.
“Well, don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of the monsters ourselves.”
“I appreciate you could say that. Oh, about the magic stones, all participating adventurers are bound by contract magic, so they can’t deceive us.”
“That’s helpful. Well, it looks like it’s time for us to head out.”
“Yes, leave everything to us.”
Hmm, Melanie is really reliable.
But is it okay for her to take on so much?
Even if it doesn’t work out, we can just cut ties with the Adventurers’ Guild.