Chapter 104: The Hydra Hunt – Part 1

“Why does it have to be like this!?”

“We were the ones chosen to take part! This is ridiculous!”

““Exactly, exactly!””

The voices erupted all at once—sharp, indignant shouts from a party of adventurers composed entirely of women around twenty years old. Their angry outburst made the lone man momentarily flinch.

“That’s only because there was no other party suitable for the task,” he said calmly, though firmly. “To put it plainly, you lack the strength to fight a Hydra. It would be too dangerous.”

“Strength, huh…? You think we’re any less dubious than them!”

The woman who seemed to be the leader of the party shot a piercing glare at Shifa and the others, her eyes narrowing with challenge.

“Are you really a B-rank?” she demanded, skepticism dripping from every word.

“Without a doubt. Two B-ranks and two C-ranks,” came the cool reply.

“…Hmph.”

“And your team?”

“T-Two C-ranks and two D-ranks!”

The disparity in ability between the two parties was clear as day.

“I hope you understand. When forming a raid party, we want the strongest group possible. Lives are at stake here,” the man explained.

“Grrr…”

Unable to argue back, the woman could only gnash her teeth in frustration.

“Ugh, what a waste of time! We should have just taken a different quest from the start!”

With that parting insult, they stormed out of the room, leaving a faint scent of resentment behind.

Well, I suppose I can understand why they were upset—we did end up taking the job right out from under them…

“Please don’t worry about it. The guild will handle it properly,” he reassured us with a calm smile. “And to be honest, you’ve really saved us. This quest required every party member to be at least C-rank, so your participation is a huge relief.”

“But then… why them?”

“They couldn’t find anyone else suitable in time, so we reluctantly asked them because they were available. There’s been a shortage of adventurers lately…”

Apparently, many of the adventurers who had used this town as their base had recently moved to Arcel, drawn there by newly discovered strategies for tackling the more dangerous areas of the dungeon.

…Wait, that’s entirely our fault, isn’t it?

“So you all came from Arcel? That’s unusual,” he remarked, clearly unaware that Shifa and her companions were the reason this town’s adventurer shortage existed.

“Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Loin, a B-rank adventurer and the leader of this raid.”

He introduced himself before moving on to introduce his party members one by one.

“My party consists of four. From right to left: Matt, Baluze, and Perle. All B-ranks.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“Hello~”

Their party, composed entirely of men in their thirties, exuded an air of seasoned competence.

The other party followed suit.

“I’m Chris, a B-rank adventurer. And these three are…”

“Ragna, C-rank. Pleased to meet you.”

“Yarn, also C-rank.”

“And Balda, B-rank.”

This party had three men and one woman. The first three seemed to be in their early twenties, but Balda, the woman, was in her forties, standing out a bit in terms of age.

Shifa and her companions then introduced themselves.

“I’m Shifa, B-rank.”

“I’m Anii. C-rank.”

“Um… my name is Sarassa… also B-rank.”

“I’m Sena! C-rank?”

“Why the question mark?”

That’s when I realized all eyes were suddenly on me.

“Huh? Ah, um, I’m not an adventurer… I’m just here accompanying my sister…”

My flustered explanation was immediately met with muttered judgments from all around: “Siscon?” “Definitely a siscon.” “A severe siscon, too.”

…Great, now I’m being misunderstood!

Afterward, we went over the quest details.

The client lived in a small town about an hour away by carriage. A Hydra had taken up residence in a nearby pond, and they requested its extermination.

Hydras were gigantic serpent-like monsters, known for multiple heads and a remarkable regenerative ability.

“Each party should gather at the site by noon tomorrow. Thank you,” Loin concluded, officially ending the briefing.

“Noon tomorrow… if we leave this town around ten in the morning, that should be plenty of time.”

“So what shall we do today? Head back to Arcel?”

“Since we’re here, why not take a little time to explore the town?”

“That sounds good. Randall apparently has a few stylish spots for sightseeing… (Though I admit, the main thing I want to see is the local men’s muscles.)”

“Yay, sightseeing, sightseeing~♪”

And so, we decided to stroll around and explore the town a bit.

“Ah, I’ll head back for now. I’ll come pick you up later,” I said. Being the only guy on a sightseeing trip with a bunch of girls would be… embarrassing. I’d stick out like a sore thumb.

“Eh, come on, Onii-chan, let’s all go together~”

“Sena, he’s a guy too. He wants to see something on his own. It’s embarrassing in your hometown, but on a trip, no one knows him.”

“Wait, you’re not going?!”

…What did he just say? Why are you putting words in my mouth?!

“Where exactly?”

Shifa tilted her head, genuinely confused. You don’t need to know this, I thought desperately.

“Pfft, what are you panicking about? Do you really think you can just wander in there? I mean the weapon shop. You’re not an adventurer—it’d be embarrassing to walk in, right?”

“Ugh…”

As we bickered over this, a group approached us.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh… it’s the ones from earlier…”

The same women’s party we had indirectly bumped from the quest earlier.