Volume 14 - CH 12

We were ushered into the dining hall and tasted the food that the people of Mox Village had prepared for us.

Some of our friends still looked unconvinced, but neither the Adventurer's Guild nor the villagers had any ill intentions.

「Originally, this was a remote area surrounded by mountain passes. If the adventurer had lost contact with adventurer guild and they had been wiped out, they would not have even noticed.」

The mayor took off his costume and began to explain the origin of this mission.

「That's why the guild regularly sends adventurers to the village, and those who are promoted to the rank of B are given a special treat: a taste of the Dokidoki Thrilling! That's the idea!」

「Eh ......」

「So that blood on the floor is ......」

「Hoho, the blood on the floor is from a bird that was used in the food we served. It's not human blood.」

「Oh, that's why Meena looked so distressed.」

Seirina had also noticed that Meena was acting differently than usual. I'm sure the vampire and dog-eared Meena knew the village's intentions and condition almost from the start.

I noticed it too during the course of the game, but it would have been awkward for Meena to deceive her master and her friends.

「Well, I thought it was strange from the beginning too. Even though the second C-rank party was wiped out, the old man from the guild was like a stranger. Besides, in that situation, it would have been a matter for the Knights to come in. I'm sure you're not going to have a Sudden Death party from the start anyway, are you?」

I'm not sure if I want to name this party "Hyottoko" or "Sudden Death". That's where I should have realized it. (TLN: Hyottoko)

「Well, yes. It's a kind of gimmick. It's a gimmick!」

The village chief winked and gave a thumbs up, but Letty saw it and with a dark look on her face, she pointed the rod at the village chief and activated the magic power, about to cause a real catastrophe, so Hannah quickly took the rod away.

「I understand the purpose, but ...... won't that cause any trouble?」

Serina asked.

「Not these days. The guild doesn't want to appoint adventurers who look like they might be in trouble from the start, and even so, there have been times in the past when a young man from the village wearing a mask was cut down and the surprise party was hurriedly called off.」

「I-I see. ......」

「Well, I can understand why the village chief would be excited about it, but can we adventurers enjoy it? I think it would be better to stop the real tragedy and make it more like a mystery.」

Saki advised.

「Hmm, that's right, It's hard to clean up, so it might be better to play pranks in moderation.」

The village chief nodded, but it would be better if the direction would change.

「The prank was quite elaborate, though. I was quite confused, because I thought that the villagers would never do such a thing as destroying the vegetables in the field.」

Hannah said.

「What? Hey, did someone destroy the field?」

「No. ......」

「I'm not going to scold you, just be honest.」

「I don't know.」

「Neither do I.」

「Is that you?」

「No, no, no.」

The villagers all shake their heads.

That's weird.

「Chief, gather everyone here right now. If this is the work of monsters, then we're really in for it.」

I decided that it would be better to make things clear as soon as possible, so I gave a high-handed order.

「All right. Gather them immediately.」

「Yes, sir.」

「Uhm, Master, that was the smell of goblins.」

Meena said.

「What did you say!?」

The village chief was surprised, but this was clearly not a gimmick.

Once again, I went to the field behind the house and examined it in detail.

「The fence here has been broken down, I didn't notice. Nothing happened yesterday.」

「The lettuce hasn't changed much, and it was probably just a few minutes ago, just before we arrived. Lily, Mare, Noel, you're to guard the carriage.」

「All right! You can count on me. It's easy even for me if it's a goblin～♪」

Lily was feeling good about the trip......, well, I'm not particularly sure either, and it's better not to scare her off.

If it's really a goblin, but she can handle it.

「Maybe they're still around. I'm going to take a look around. Darling, can I borrow Meena?」

「Sure. Take Hannah with you too.」

「Yeah, okay.」

I've sent Saki, Meena, and Hannah to search the area around the village.

「Chief, does this happen often?」

I'll check it out while we wait.

「No. In this village, there is a shrine made by a famous priest with it's powerful charm. There hasn't been a goblin to destroy a field since I was born. Besides...」

「Besides?」

「The only monsters in the vicinity of this village are the "Kamadouma". I wonder where the goblins came from. ...... Mmm, this is not good! If we don't notify the guild as soon as possible, we'll be in trouble if they take up residence.」 (TLN: Kamadouma

Goblins are weak, but extremely fertile monsters. In the royal city of Erland, many adventurers have completed quests to kill them, but they have yet to become extinct.

Besides, a change in the distribution of monsters is an extremely serious matter in this world.

The appearance of a certain type of monster is what guarantees the safety of the streets and cities to some extent.　

If a Greater Demon were to randomly appear here and there, the city would be destroyed in a flash.

「We have the carriage we came in. Use it.」

「I'm sorry. Hey, go inform the inn town and the guild in Erland immediately.」

「I-I understand!」

A young villager dashes forward, tripping over his own feet.

「Wait, I'll be your escort.」

Serina offered to run, but the village chief shook his head.

「No, we can hire an escort in the inn town there. It's only a stone's throw away. They're only a few levels above us. More importantly, we have a quest! I want you guys to kill goblins.」

「What's the reward? We're A-rank adventures. It's not cheap.」

「Hey, Alec!」

Serina makes a reproachful noise, but we are adventurers, not volunteers. We are a profession, and we don't want to destroy prices and make it impossible for new adventurers to make a living.

Above all, adventuring is always dangerous. I don't want them to think that we can work for free.

If you can't afford it, you can always ask the knights of the royal castle.

「Hmm, A rank. Very well, the reward is ......one virgin girl!」

「Murghh!」

「Eehhh!?」

「――I'll give you the right to pick up a girl. But she must be an adult, unmarried woman.」

Damn, you're not bad at all, old man. It seems that he already noticed that I had locked on to the villager's daughter and was groping her.

This way, he can hire an A-rank for free.

Moreover, he seems to have noticed my lolicon status, casually stating that the girls must be adults.

So you have [Appraisal]!?

「N-no, you can't, chief. This man is such a lowlife that he would sneak into the women's locker room of the royal castle and rape a virgin before hitting on her!」

As Serina misleadingly put it, that was a force majeure in many ways.

And I didn't sneak in. I didn't hide, I walked right in.

I don't remember telling her that I was going in the locker room, but I don't know where she got that information.

「What? But you're not criminal, are you?」

「That's ...... yeah, well.」

「Then, there's no problem. But you will be paid only after you complete the job. I'll report any nibbles to the guild or the castle for a bounty, and I'll expect you to do a professional job.」

「All right, the A-rank clan "Black Cat of the Wind" has accepted.」

「Damn, that's cool, dude! You're not the least bit sorry for sneaking into the girls' locker room! You can do what we can't do! That's what inspires me! I admire you!」

「Jouga! You musn't imitate criminals like him!」

「Oh, God, save this lost lamb and wolf!」

「Is the locker room really safe for our leader?」

「Luka, don't get me wrong. That was just an unavoidable entry for the purpose of searching for the assassin.」

「Ah, the Grandsword thing.」

「I'm told there some underwear was stolen at that time?」

「It was a big mess. The assassins could have stolen it to stop the bleeding, or it could have simply gotten lost under the luggage.」

Even if it just happened to fall into my hands and I accidentally took it home with me, it's still an assassin thing.

Mumuu, Meena is looking at me with a frown, but it can't be helped, I'll just get rid of that thing.