Chapter 16

I've been assigned to a joint mission with Artemis.

If you plan to drag Rina around, you should prove that you can protect her. I’m not saying I’m overprotective. No one wants to entrust a young woman to a man of unknown character.

Most importantly, I’m aware that I myself am a strange and suspicious middle-aged man. Since I intentionally act that way, I knew that some kind of backlash would come eventually. This isn’t the first time I’ve been tested, either.

The mission to test my true abilities turned out to be a two-day forest exploration.

It involves searching for the unfortunate newbies who have gone missing in the forest and dismantling any traps that the foolish newbies have set up without permission. This is a special task at this time of year, a diligent cleanup of the mess left behind.

Most of those who go into the forest and don’t return are either dead, have become bandits, or have silently and casually returned to their hometowns. In any case, they are troublesome people.

However, we won’t be wandering around the forest aimlessly. There is a clear route set to go to and return from a designated work hut deep in the forest.

If there are no other guests, we can stay at the work hut, and the surrounding area is relatively safe. It’s important to reach the work hut before it gets completely dark.

Whether we encounter monsters or fall into traps is a matter of luck.

But from my experience, there has never been a time when nothing happened on this route.

This is a quest to test my overall abilities as a guild member.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

It was still dimly lit early in the morning.

When I went to the East Gate, the members of Artemis were already gathered there.

“Hey, not all of Artemis is here, right?”

“Of course not. This isn’t a mission that requires a large group, and we have other things to do. We also have our own responsibilities.”

“Am I the last one? There might be some unfamiliar faces, so I’ll introduce myself. I’m Mongrel, a swordsman. My rank is Bronze 3.”

The gathered members of Artemis were five in total.

The leader, Sheena, the junior, Rina, and the woman I mistook for a man, Gorilliana, were familiar, but the other two were faces I recognized but had never spoken to.

“Hi there, Mongrel. I’m Ulrika. As you can see, I’m an archer. My rank is Silver 2. We’ve seen each other at the tavern, but we’ve never had a chance to talk, right?”

Ulrika, with her light pink hair, seemed like a friendly and cheerful type.

She felt like an older sister to Rina.

“Nastasha. A water mage, Gold 1. I’m here to assess your abilities. Nothing more, nothing less.”

This woman seemed quite stern.

She had long blue hair and a sharp, unwelcoming gaze. She gave off a cold impression. I often saw her with Sheena, but I had never seen her speak much. So that’s what her voice sounds like.

“...”

This one... more like Hercules from Fate than Artemis... Gorilla, no, Gorilliana.

She was so tall that even I had to look up at her. A robust physique. She definitely... is a woman. Thank you very much.

“Hey, Gorilliana, you should at least introduce yourself. It’s the first time, after all.”

“She’s reflecting on her actions and isn’t a bad person. You don’t need to be scared.”

Pushed by Sheena and Rina, Gorilliana slowly approached me.

She was carrying a crescent blade on her back. For some reason, I was thinking about the reach of that weapon.

“Um... Gorilliana... Silver 2 swordsman... Nice to meet you...”

“A, yes... nice to meet you too.”

Her timid way of speaking, despite her appearance, was somewhat scary.

Maybe it was because my first impression of her was so bad. But with that appearance, I wouldn’t have thought she was a woman. Her voice is even more manly than mine. It’s a first impression killer.

Well, well, I’d like to clear the air this time. Yes.

I don’t want to make her an enemy... visually.

“...Sheena and I don’t need introductions, right?”

“No, no. We need to get to the work hut before it gets dark, so let’s get going.”

“Wait, are you in charge? Since there are more of us from Artemis, it would be easier if we followed our lead.”

“Yeah, no problem with that. It’s easier to follow orders. But this is to test my abilities, right? It wouldn’t hurt to see how I lead a bit.”

“Ah, I’m all for it! I usually only see how Artemis operates, so it would be nice to see how others do it.”

“Not bad. Ulrika, right? Let’s work together.”

“Sure!”

Sheena looked a bit reluctant, but since the purpose was to test my abilities, she didn’t object.

I was given the lead, and we decided to observe how things went for today.

Once we entered the forest, we followed a familiar path.

For a while from the entrance, it was a familiar forest. Animals rarely appear here.

So, for now, it felt like a field trip.

Still, we were prepared for unexpected encounters.

We formed a formation to guard against attacks from the front and back, with the order being swordsman, archer, mage, and swordsman.

In this formation, it was natural for the archers to chat more.

“So, Mongrel, you’re pretty well-off even as a solo player, huh?”

“I do missions that are usually done by a group of people. I get three times as much rest, too.”

Ulrika, who seemed to be talkative, kept initiating conversations from the back.

It’s nice and lively, but it would be great if she could be more alert to the surroundings soon.

“But I never thought of Mongrel as well-off. You always seem to buy weird things.”

“That’s rude. I only buy what I need.”

“Sure, sure.”

“For this joint mission with Artemis, I brought out my special bow.”

“What! Can Mongrel use a bow!?”

“Really? Now that you mention it, you do have something on your back... but isn’t that a weird shape?”

“Oh, want to see? I bought it cheap at the Black Mist Market.”

The march stopped for the unveiling of the new weapon. It was an inevitable delay.

Sheena, Nastasha, please don’t look so scary. You’ll understand once you see this.

“Ta-da! Bow-sword!”

Under the cloth was a cool weapon with small blades attached to the ends of the bow.

Yes, this bow-sword can be used for long-range attacks as a bow, and if the enemy gets close, it can be used like a spear with the blades attached to the bow!

“Wow... really? You spent money on this again...”

“Ha ha...”

Hmm, the reaction is a bit lukewarm. This bow is long and can shoot arrows.

But the sword part is really in the way.

“Just to be clear, Mongrel, can you use this properly?”

“Yeah, I can. I brought one arrow with me.”

“One arrow?”

“Arrows are expensive. I didn’t have the courage to buy them in bulk. I might hit that tree from here, though.”

“Short range! It’s almost like a throwing knife distance!”

“It’s fine. If I miss, I can just engage in close combat. That’s my main style.”

...The unveiling of the new weapon has made them look worried.

No, it’s not like I’ve become weaker just because I have a bow.

I’m not counting on hitting anything with the arrow this time. I’m not that confident.

But I do want to borrow some arrows and practice when I have free time.

“Alright, the forest is getting deeper. Let’s proceed with caution.”

“Sure...”

“...Hey, Rina. Is he always like this?”

“Yeah, pretty much...”

“I can hear you, you know?”

Gossip should be done when the person isn’t around.