GILF Hunter

Two days had passed since the emergency mobilization meeting at the Guild.

It was a short time to prepare for an expedition, but because it was an urgent matter, there wasn’t much time to prepare anyway.

’It’s almost time.’

’Then shall we head out?’

Tanya spoke to Ian after confirming that everyone had finished their preparations for departure.

Having finished his preparations, Ian left the dormitory with his members according to the prearranged time.

’A group expedition... is it similar to that one from last time?’

’It’s probably similar.’

Since the schedule was so tight this time, Ian had been busy preparing necessary items after being contacted by the Guild representative, so he didn’t even have time to explain the matter in detail to the members.

He thought that since the travel time would take a few days, giving a detailed explanation at the campsite would be sufficient.

As a result, except for the two who had attended the meeting, the other members were only informed that it was an urgent matter and were in a state of having no detailed information about what kind of job it was.

Rin, on behalf of Ian, gave an explanation about the monster called Behemoth to the members who hadn’t been there.

’I’m telling you, it’s a monster the size of a mountain.’

’Oh, Rin. Half of what’s written in those books is exaggeration. You shouldn’t just believe it like that.’

’It’s real this time!’

She tried hard to talk about information regarding the Behemoth, but everyone seemed to think it was her usual bluffing.

A giant monster as big as a mountain. Naturally, no one believed her.

Lia didn’t particularly try to help explain to the members as she was busy with her own preparations, and Ian looked too busy to ask for help with the explanation, so Rin was the only one left feeling mistreated.

After passing through the city gates, Ian and the members walked toward the primary assembly point.

Several mercenary groups walking in the same direction were seen nearby.

The mercenary groups participating in this expedition were moving divided into several groups according to their respective scheduled times.

Since the Guild wanted to hide the fact that a monster called Behemoth had appeared, they had dispersed the mercenary groups participating in the expedition.

If that many high-ranking mercenary groups swarmed out at once, anyone would be able to notice it was an emergency situation.

Each mercenary group departed separately as if going out on different requests, and they were scheduled to merge at the assembly point.

’Somehow there are a lot of people...’

’Is there a merchant caravan or something?’

Mika, having entered the mountain path, looked around and muttered with a puzzled face.

In a place where foot traffic should have normally been thinning out, people were instead increasing.

’Don’t tell me these are all mercenary groups going out on the same mission?’

’That many people?’

As they went deeper inside, the number of people accompanying them gradually increased as mercenary groups that had merged from other paths joined in.

It was a tremendous number of mercenary groups.

It was to the point of being reminiscent of a hiking trail at a tourist attraction.

And, at the assembly point where they finally arrived, a massive crowd was gathered.

All the main members of the mercenary groups that had participated in the meeting back then, personnel in charge of supplying goods, and even personnel dispatched from the Guild.

Since all those people were gathered in one place, it was a sight that looked as if a festival were taking place.

’Are these all... people going on a single expedition?’

’Don’t tell me, really?’

’I’m telling you it’s for real!’

Excluding the time of the invasion, it was everyone’s first time seeing so many mercenary groups gathered together.

Even the members who had been doubting Rin’s words all along now thought that maybe she was right, given that there were this many people.

If this many people were gathered, the opponent could only be a truly formidable monster.

’Is everyone here? Let’s move now.’

A mercenary who was checking the numbers stepped forward and spoke.

A female mercenary named Ariel with a bow on her back and long blonde hair tied back.

She was the mercenary who had had a light argument with Freya during the meeting. In the end, this person had ended up taking the lead of this expedition.

According to the leader’s instructions, the gathered mercenaries began moving toward a deeper part of the mountain range.

The place where the Behemoth slept was a deep location quite far away.

It was a rugged place where it was difficult to take a carriage, and there were too many people to prepare for everyone to ride. Eventually, they had no choice but to move on foot.

Hearing that it was a mountain hike once again, Mika asked Ian with a tired face.

’How much further do we have to go?’

’In terms of distance, it’s about 2 to 3 days from now... but since there are many people, it’ll probably be slower.’

At least the move was easy because monsters didn’t attack.

It was a place with many monsters as it was a rugged mountain range, but because there were too many people, no monster dared to attack recklessly.

Monsters that showed themselves without knowing better were instantly cleared by mercenaries who had faces that said they were bored and that this was a good distraction.

Since the mercenaries were also chatting with relaxed faces, it didn’t feel like an expedition at all, and the atmosphere was like going out for camping.

At that time, there was a shadow quietly approaching Ian’s group from behind.

That suspicious someone approached aiming for Airi, who was at the very rear of the group.

’Excuse me...’

’Hik?! Wh-who?’

When someone approaching from behind suddenly spoke, Airi cringed in surprise.

That mercenary, who had a bow on her back, looked at Airi’s face with sparkling eyes and spoke.

’You’re Miss Airi, right? I’m a fan!’

’F-fan?’

’I was on the wall together with you back then too!’

Airi, hearing a word she had never even imagined until now, froze with a dazed face.

To think that I... have a fan?

’Th-that...’

’Could you sign this arrow for me!’

Airi took the arrow with a flustered face.

My signature...?

Since she had already taken the arrow, it was difficult to refuse by saying no now, so in the end, Airi carefully carved her name onto the arrow shaft.

’Kyaa! Thank you!’

Airi, flustered by the situation she was experiencing for the first time, had inadvertently done as the other person requested, but that became a problem.

Other archers nearby, who had watched the first person to approach easily get a signature, began to gather around Airi.

They were other fans of Airi who had just been gauging the mood until now.

’I’m a fan too! Please sign my arrow as well!’

’Hik!’

’Miss Airi, your arrows are a brand I’ve never seen before. Which arrows do you use?’

’Th-the Visker Workshop...’

’Where is that!?’

’It’s a shop I’ve never heard of!’

While everyone was looking at the arrows in Airi’s quiver, they were chatting about how the rough appearance, not decorated at all, was unusual.

...It was just a small hole-in-the-wall shop she had frequented since long ago because the price was cheap. Everyone began to seriously exchange opinions as if it were a shop of a master hidden somewhere.

Airi, who had signed all the arrows of the archers who had swarmed nearby for now, noticed that people from further away were also starting to come as the rumor began to spread.

’H-help me...!’

Airi stuck right behind Ian to hide.

It was an instinctive action, but it was surprisingly effective.

Whether it was burdensome to speak to Airi while she was with the mercenary leader, from then on, the other mercenaries only watched from a distance and could no longer speak to her.

Airi let out a sigh of relief and from then on, she never left Ian’s side and stuck close to him.

＊　＊　＊

’That place ahead looks like the campsite.’

Being a mountain, the sky began to darken early.

Before the sun had completely set, Ian’s group arrived at the campsite that the advance party had prepared in advance.

’Wow! It’s already all made.’

’Since we’re moving together, this is convenient.’

At the campsite, spots were already assigned for each mercenary group, and simple tents were already set up.

It was something that the advance party and the Guild’s work personnel who had arrived first had prepared in advance.

’Oh. What. Is your spot right next to mine?’

’Ec...’

’Why are you making such a sound?’

Rin inadvertently made such a sound upon seeing Freya come out from the tent next door.

The spot for Ian’s mercenary group was right next to the area where Rank A mercenaries were gathered.

Ian’s mercenary group was still a Rank B group, but it was in an ambiguous position where some of the members were honorary Rank A mercenaries. It seemed that after pondering over the location of the tent, they had eventually placed it right next to the Rank A mercenary group.

Having thus arrived at the campsite and while organizing her luggage in front of the tent, Airi felt a stinging gaze watching her from somewhere.

...Of course, there were many people looking at her, but among them, a particularly eerie gaze was felt.

Airi, who confirmed its source while looking around as if she hadn’t noticed, approached Ian’s side and spoke secretly.

’Ex-excuse me.... That person named Ariel keeps looking this way...’

’Don’t mind it too much. It’s probably because of our rank.’

The identity of the gaze that kept glancing toward Ian’s mercenary group was Ariel, the person in charge of this expedition.

Ian spoke to Airi in a way that suggested it wasn’t anything particularly strange.

Being an honorary Rank A seemed good if one only thought about the benefits, but if one thought about how it would look in the eyes of real Rank A mercenaries... well, there were bound to be people who didn’t like it.

’I-I guess so, right? Real Rank A mercenaries would hate it, right?’

’I wouldn’t say they hate it... well, they might not like it.’

Ariel especially watched Airi, glancing at her repeatedly.

It seemed she disliked Airi more than Ian, who had achieved many great feats so far.

Moreover... although she was hiding it thoroughly, Airi, who had been constantly mindful of that person’s appearance, had noticed.

Ariel had an arrow hidden secretly in her bosom, and was looking at Airi while occasionally taking it out and fiddling with it.

Seeing how she kept checking her surroundings while doing that, it seemed she was aiming for a time when no one else’s gaze was around.

...Is she planning to shoot me if she gets the chance!

Airi cringed and hid behind Rin.