Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 94: Search Quest
The morning after Tauro gave Aeris her staff, his newly promoted E-rank team, the Black-Gold Wings—also known simply as Black-Gold—visited the guild to accept their first E-rank quest.
There was a commotion at the reception desk.
Momo, a cat-person and the girlfriend of Bob—the dog-person D-rank adventurer hailed as the village’s hero—was desperately pleading with the new receptionist.
Chloe, the branch manager, and Shiroi, the deputy branch manager, joined them. After a brief discussion, Chloe addressed the adventurers in the lobby in a grave tone.
“This is an emergency quest. An improvised team of D-rank adventurers hasn’t been heard from for three days. Your task is to search for and rescue them. Depending on what you find, it may also involve recovering their bodies.”
The lobby erupted in murmurs. At Chloe’s final words, Momo collapsed to the floor in tears.
“What quest did the team accept?”
One of the adventurers demanded more information.
“They were sent to a mountain village half a day’s journey from here to investigate and eliminate orcs that have recently appeared in the area. The team’s members are Tom, Sam, Anne, and Bob. A villager came to deliver an urgent message and happened to find Momo waiting at the village entrance. According to the message, a red smoke signal rose from the mountain the team entered.”
Adventurers used red smoke signals in emergencies. They were rarely seen because adventurers in mortal danger often died before they could release one, but the signal was a standard emergency alert recognized by Adventurers’ Guild branches everywhere.
When adventurers accepted certain quests beginning in the E-rank tier, the guild issued them a small red pouch as a protective charm. Tauro and his companions would likewise receive one when they accepted an applicable E-rank quest.
Tauro couldn’t conceal his shock at Chloe’s announcement.
Bob was a member of the missing team.
Bob had failed to return on the expected day, so Momo had probably been waiting at the village entrance in the hope of seeing her boyfriend come home. That was where the messenger from the mountain village had found her.
Perhaps Momo had sensed through some sixth sense that Bob was in danger. Cat-people were said to have sharp instincts for such things.
With Momo before him, refusing the emergency quest was never an option for Tauro.
“Everyone… I want to accept this quest.”
He turned to consult his three companions.
“Okay!”
All three agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
The four raised their hands.
“Team Black-Gold Wings will go!”
Following the young team, a B-rank team volunteered, then C-rank and D-rank teams did the same.
“Ordinarily, I would exclude the newly promoted Black-Gold Wings, but we need as many people as possible for the search, so I’m allowing you to participate. Don’t push yourselves, and rely on the nearby teams whenever necessary. Everyone, leave for the site as soon as your preparations are complete.”
Chloe gave Tauro’s team the warning directly.
“Yes!”
Tauro answered for the group, and they immediately began preparing to depart.
The Black-Gold Wings had very little preparation to do because everything they might need was already inside Tauro’s [Magic Storage].
Consequently, they reached the mountain village second, immediately after the B-rank team.
“You’re fast. We only just arrived ourselves. It seems your confidence isn’t mere bluster.”
The B-rank team’s leader praised them with an impressed look.
“Let’s get moving. According to the villagers, the red smoke rose from that mountain.”
He pointed toward a mountain overlooking the village.
“We’ll divide the search area. My team will take the area around that point, and your team will search to its left. The teams arriving later can receive their instructions from the villagers.”
The B-rank leader indicated the areas as he spoke.
Tauro and his companions nodded.
“Understood. We’ll head there immediately.”
Tauro answered for the team, nodded to his three companions, and set out for their assigned area.
They entered the mountain from the left as viewed from the village.
The trees were tall and the undergrowth dense, so visibility was poor. With Tauro’s [Presence Detection], however, an unexpected encounter was unlikely.
“Tauro, how does it look? Do you sense anything?”
Aeris called to him as he led the way.
“I can sense some animals, but nothing else right now… Wait. That silhouette is an orc. There are two of them ahead.”
Everyone tensed.
For an E-rank team, orcs were formidable opponents normally assigned as D-rank subjugation targets.
Orcs were pig-faced humanoid monsters with tusks protruding from their mouths. They were strong and reasonably intelligent. Like goblins, they wielded weapons and sometimes formed groups.
Using [True Eye] to examine the silhouettes, Tauro confirmed that both orcs carried clubs.
“Let’s avoid them. Finding Bob and the other missing adventurers is our priority.”
The four agreed and, guided by Tauro, took a detour around the orcs.