It was a slightly later morning than usual.
Waking up, Rin leisurely stepped out of her room and headed down the stairs.
And then... she hit a wall.
’Ouch.’
Rin stopped in her tracks, her forehead bumping against sothing solid. Thinking she had walked into a wall because she wasn’t fully awake yet, she lifted her head, but there was nothing in front of her.
However, upon closer inspection, she could discover a transparent veil, nearly invisible to the eye, blocking the way.
Having experienced this several tis already, Rin identified the culprit imdiately.
’Mika! I told you not to use it inside the building!’
’Fufu....’
At the bottom of the stairs, she could see Mika sitting on a sofa in the lounge visible from a distance. She was clutching her ornate staff and wearing a smug smile toward Rin.
Ever since receiving that staff, Mika had been using magic everywhere, regardless of the ti or place.
What Mika used before was an ordinary magic staff made of wood. Since it was a material imbued with so degree of mana, it was better than just plain wood.
But now, she had acquired a top-tier magic staff, having skipped several interdiate stages.
Unable to adapt to the output of such a strong staff, her magic success rate had actually dropped for a while.
Though it was awkward at first, Mika was gradually becoming accustod to her new staff.
Because the output was imnse, her magic didn’t beco unstable even at long distances, the structure of her barriers beca much more robust, and their durability hardly decreased even when generating large-scale barriers.
With this, she felt as though she could easily block the attacks of that Golem from before.
’Seriously, you’re like a child over a single new staff.’
’What was that? If you only knew how amazing this thing is....’
’How amazing is it?’
’A re commoner wouldn’t understand.’
Rin sighed while watching her. It was a sight she always saw whenever Mika learned new magic, but this ti it was even more extre.
Rin stole a glance at the staff Mika was clutching to her chest.
Well. I suppose it’s understandable to be that happy about getting sothing like that.
Just by looking at it, it was a staff that looked like it could buy a whole house on the spot if sold.
Perhaps that’s why Mika had been clutching the staff even while sleeping lately.
’Forget it, anyway....’
Well, her interest will probably die down after a little while.
Thinking so, Rin threw herself onto the sofa.
Since they had bought a sofa much wider than the one in the main building, there was plenty of room to spare.
The new lounge was built much larger on the assumption that the rcenary group’s personnel had increased significantly and might increase further in the future.
It was the lounge of the dormitory, newly established next to the main building which had beco the rcenary group’s workspace.
In the days when there were fewer people, it didn’t matter if work, housing, rest, and studio spaces were all cramd into the main building.
But now, space for employees to work was needed, and since the living space and the movent lines of the mbers overlapped, it had beco inconvenient for everyone.
Eventually, the residential and rest areas were moved separately to the newly built dormitory next door.
Lying on the sofa of the new lounge, Rin muttered with a bored face.
’Sigh. Isn’t there so kind of commission? We’ve rested too much.’
’Didn’t we go to a dungeon not long ago?’
’That was basically just a camping trip....’
Rin tried to recall what happened in the dungeon, but most of her mories were just of sleeping in the tent. Of course, she did fight the Golem briefly at the end, but it was questionable whether that could be counted as having ’gone to a dungeon.’
While Rin and Mika were talking, the sound of the first-floor door opening rang out.
Tanya’s voice from downstairs drifted up through the stairwell.
’Ah, Captain.’
’Is everyone awake now?’
’They’re probably up.’
’Then could you all gather for a mont?’
It was Ian’s voice, having co over from the main building.
＊ ＊ ＊
The five mbers of the Rin party gathered in the eting room.
’Is sothing going on?’
’A new commission, right?’
Rin waited for Ian to speak with an expectant expression.
Although it was technically a eting, there was no reason for Ian to hold etings regarding the operation of the rcenary group with the mbers.
In other words, if it was an occasion where all the mbers had to gather, it could only be related to a commission.
They had gone on a dungeon exploration last ti, but in truth, it was a commission that was a bit too ’off’ to be called a proper exploration.
In that sense, now was the perfect ti to head out for a new commission.
’Has a commission finally co in where we can properly show our skills?’
’She went off to train and ca back a battle maniac....’
Everyone wore weary expressions seeing Rin’s eyes sparkle, but they agreed that it was ti for a new commission.
However, the news Ian brought was a commission slightly different from what everyone expected.
’It is a new commission, but it’s not the kind you all were expecting. A proposal ca from the Guild.’
’If it’s from the Guild, isn’t it a good commission?’
Tanya asked Ian with a puzzled face.
Tanya had also seen the commission list from the side a few tis, and there had never been a trivial commission included in the list sent by the Guild.
Ian set the letter he brought down on the table. It was a request from the Guild.
’A rank-up examination proposal...?’
Everyone reflexively muttered the words written there aloud.
’A rank-up?’
’For us?’
Everyone asked Ian with expressions that said they hadn’t expected this at all.
Because they had heard that to rank up to a B-rank rcenary group, it usually took several years just to build up a track record.
It wasn’t enough to simply fill a quota of commissions; naturally, one needed achievents befitting a B-rank level.
Because of that, there were many rcenary groups that stayed as C-rank indefinitely. Being C-rank was enough to earn a sufficient living.
Since moving up to B-rank or higher ant more dangerous commissions, they chose to maintain their rank as C-rank while earning a decent living.
’Wasn’t this sent to the wrong place?’
’It hasn’t been that long since we moved up to C-rank, already?’
’Calling it ’not long’... wasn’t that last year?’
’That’s why it’s not long. It usually takes several years.’
Under such circumstances, a sudden proposal for a B-rank rcenary group rank-up examination was bound to be bewildering.
’Is rank-up usually this fast?’
’The events from the last invasion were recognized as a track record.’
The report Ian wrote about the new species of monsters was officially submitted to the Guild, City Hall, and the Defense Force.
Detailed information about the new monster species discovered in the Labyrinth.
And even the developnt of a potion to counter that monster.
As those were all adopted as official monster information and counterasures, Ian’s Labyrinth exploration report was recognized as an official achievent.
The achievents treated as the greatest in this city are those related to monster invasions. Thanks to that, the record required to rank up to B-rank was filled in an instant.
After hearing Ian’s explanation, everyone understood why this had happened.
The remaining problem was that they had to undergo an examination to rank up to B-rank.
’Then.... what kind of commission is the rank-up examination, exactly?’
A commission to rank up to a B-rank rcenary group.
Surely it must be a high-difficulty commission incomparable to any commission they had done so far.
Everyone waited for Ian’s answer with tense faces.
’It’s a logistics transport.’
’Pardon?’
Rin was taken aback by the surprisingly ordinary nature of the commission, then spoke as if she understood belatedly.
’Ah! Is it a very dangerous location then?’
’It’s a commission to visit Myrsil.’
’That place... is a tourist destination, isn’t it?’
Upon hearing the destination, everyone’s expressions changed to one of even greater confusion.
It was quite a distance from here, but even so, it was a tourist spot famous enough for them to have heard rumors about it.
Being a famous tourist destination ant the path there was easy.
Since countless carriages traveled there, the roads were well-maintained, and there were naturally no monsters.
In the first place, a location couldn’t beco a famous tourist spot if it weren’t for such conditions.
No matter how good a tourist spot it was, almost no one would go there to play while risking an encounter with dangerous monsters.
A transport commission to go to that city, deliver paynt, and receive the Guild’s reserved goods to bring back to Labyrinth.
Of course, the distance was quite far. However, that was absolutely not at a difficulty level that would warrant it being a B-rank commission.
Mika asked Ian with a face full of incomprehension.
’Why on earth is this a B-rank commission?’
’Because the paynt for the goods is incredibly expensive.’
’Ah....’
Myrsil was a region famous as a tourist destination and simultaneously for cultivating Mana Herbs. Being a land rich in mana, it was famous for various herbs growing well there.
Goods grown there were quite high-priced items, but they were materials in constant demand in Labyrinth. In particular, they were items necessary for the city’s primary defense facilities, so they were occasionally purchased at the Guild level like this.
The problem was the price.
Even if the commission content itself was simple enough for anyone to do, if the amount of money to be moved beca large, it naturally beca a task that couldn’t be entrusted to just anyone.
Both in terms of safety and in terms of trust.
It’s a simple transport commission, but because the amount being moved is too much money, it’s a B-rank commission. Everyone understood that point intellectually, but they still had strange expressions.
’Is it... okay to give an examination commission for a rank-up as sothing like this?’
Wasn’t a rank-up exam supposed to be where a high-difficulty commission is given as a test, and the qualifications are evaluated based on the result?
Ian shook his head at that question.
It was a common misunderstanding.
In the first place, qualifications are sothing that must be acquired beforehand to rank up.
There was no reason to test the qualifications again by issuing a dangerous and difficult commission to soone who already t the conditions.
According to Camilla’s story, such examinations were given to ambiguous rcenary groups whose qualifications were difficult to judge.
In other words, a rcenary group whose track record had already been sufficiently proven had no reason to undergo such an examination.
’Then this commission is...?’
The hot spring city, Myrsil.
Go there, deliver the paynt, and after receiving the goods.
Additionally, use the generous stay period to rest there and co back....
In other words, it was a ’hospitality’ commission.
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