Chapter 69

When they say that if you talk about someone, they will appear, and if you say something that might set a flag, it usually happens, but fortunately, there are no signs of war yet. Phew.

I mean, I would be in trouble if a war broke out in such a casual and ridiculous time.

If a large invasion happened after planting, what would we do about the male labor for the harvest? Even if it’s something the country does, doing such a thing would cause morale to plummet, so it almost never happens. It’s not like it will never happen, though.

In that sense, spring is a peaceful time.

The population is increasing, and I hear stories about incidents in the city, and small disputes happen frequently, but the guards take care of it.

As for outside the city, it’s becoming more and more the job of us guild members, but thanks to the transfer members and the influx of new members, the work is somehow getting done.

The expansion and improvement of the forest roads in the Baroa Forest and the expansion of the outskirts of Regal.

Both are major projects that require a lot of manpower, but with the abundance of workers now, it should be manageable.

Unemployed people don’t even have time to hang around. The city has become tough for those who don’t want to work for any reason.

“Mongrel, I need to talk to you about a mission. Can you come to the private room for a moment?”

While I was looking at a poorly drawn fish encyclopedia in the guild’s reference room, the deputy guild leader called out to me.

Jeltna, the deputy of the Regal branch. She works here in the Regal branch, replacing the guild leader who mostly operates in the noble district.

She usually looks tired, but lately, she looks even more exhausted because of the increased workload.

“About a mission? ...Hey, Jeltna, are you okay? You don’t look too good.”

“I would appreciate it if you could rise to Silver... This time, it’s related to that. We shouldn’t talk about it here, so let’s move to another room.”

“...This doesn’t sound like a good conversation.”

“Well, from our perspective, it’s a considerate offer. Just hear me out.”

It’s rare for the deputy to call me out specifically.

...I hope it’s not a troublesome matter. I can only pray.

“The matter is simple, Mongrel. First, considering your past achievements and abilities, I would like you to rise to Silver. No exam is necessary.”

“...Try to guess my reaction from this face.”

“You’ll accept it, thank you, Mongrel.”

“No, no, no. I refuse.”

Damn, I made a really unpleasant face.

“Right, you refuse to rise. That’s fine. We have our reasons, but it’s not against guild rules. You’re a bit of an oddball, though. ...However, I want you to understand the external pressure. People around you are evaluating you.”

“Ah... I’ve been saying I don’t want to rise for various reasons, but is it not enough?”

“Some guild members do think so. They say it’s strange that you can’t move up. I think so too.”

“...So, there are people who can see through my hidden abilities. Not bad, not bad.”

“No, Mongrel, you’re not hiding anything, are you? You sometimes cause trouble in front of the guild.”

For someone who has been around for a long time, it’s not surprising that I haven’t risen... It must be the new members who feel the discrepancy.

It might be those guys, like Frank from “The Sun at the End of the World.” Thinking about it, he would really say something like that.

What a pain... I just want to live a peaceful life without revealing my strength... Why can’t people leave me alone???

...No, I really do have to hide my strength. Body enhancement is fine, though...

“Anyway, I have a bit of a bad offer for you, Mongrel, who is in the middle of refusing to rise.”

“A bad offer... Isn’t it a good offer...?”

“It’s about a mission. I want to broker a bad mission for you. It’s a difficult one with minimal reward and a terrible client.”

“...”

What kind of unappealing job is this...

“It’s a request that hasn’t been posted yet and is planned to be quietly dropped. The client’s attitude and budget are terrible, and the job content is unreasonable. I keep turning it down, but they are persistent and annoying.”

“Just ban them from the guild.”

“The client is a fallen noble. He has lost his title, has no popularity, and can’t afford to pay for a proper job, but we have a bit of a situation and can’t completely ignore him.”

A fallen noble... no power, no popularity, no money. Just a troublesome ordinary person.

Still, a fallen noble is a former noble. There must be some reason we can’t ignore him. ...I could probably identify him with a bit of investigation. I don’t want to, though.

“The request is to obtain a single beautiful pelt of a Silver Wolf. The client wants a flawless pelt with no damage, and specifically, a pelt without the black stripe on the back of a Silver Wolf. By the way, the reward offered by the client is this.”

“...Is this supposed to be funny?”

There are so many things to point out that I don’t know what to say.

The amount written on the paper the deputy handed me might be the biggest joke.

“Mongrel, can you defeat a Silver Wolf alone? We know you’re strong regardless of your rank...”

“...Well, I can defeat it, but a flawless pelt is impossible. No matter how hard I try, it will be torn to shreds.”

The Silver Wolf. It’s a wolf about the size of a small bear, with a fur that shines like silver.

It prefers to act alone and is not very intelligent, often engaging in dirty and brutal hunts and battles. It is known for its vitality and aggressiveness, not backing down or fleeing even when slightly injured. In the end, the beautiful pelt is often destroyed. In fact, a flawless pelt is as rare as a request from a princess.

“...Can you defeat it? That’s impressive.”

“No, I can defeat it. But a flawless pelt is impossible for me.”

“I see...”

The deputy sipped her tea and took a breath.

...Wait? Is this leading to a termination if I don’t take this crap job?

“If you successfully complete this job... you will feel a sense of accomplishment.”

“...A sense of accomplishment...”

“After all, it’s a dangerous job where you could lose a lot of contribution points if you fail. If you bring back a tattered pelt... we would have to compensate the client, and to calm them down, we would have to significantly lower your evaluation. Your chances of rising to Silver would also diminish.”

...I see.

“Well, if that happens, as an apology for giving you such a difficult task, we would pay you a ‘fair reward for your hard work’... But your chances of rising to Silver would diminish. That’s for sure. It’s a very dangerous job, but... how about it, Mongrel? I think this job has its own challenges and a sense of accomplishment...?”

A cheap, noisy, and unreasonable fallen noble who sticks to the guild.

A guild that wants to get rid of the fallen noble quickly.

Me, who doesn’t want to rise.

...This request is a win-win-win situation!

“A sense of accomplishment... That sounds good. I want it.”

“Right? How about it, will you take it?”

“Yes. I just need to bring back the pelt, right? Even if it’s tattered...”

“Ha ha ha, what are you saying, Mongrel? I just said it has to be a flawless pelt.”

“Ha ha ha!”

Indeed, this is a bad job. But it’s not a job I hate.

It seems more interesting than dealing with small monsters. Personally, I’m happy that I can silence the fallen noble.

“Actually, we have a sighting report of a Silver Wolf. That’s why I called you. The location is a small hill near Morina Village. No livestock has been harmed, but if we don’t hurry, the Dryden branch might get the extermination request. You should move quickly.”

“Indeed, good things come to those who act quickly. The distance is a bit far, but I’ll gladly go.”

“I’ll also give you a ticket for a shared carriage ride. You probably want to get there as soon as possible, right?”

“Thanks.”

A Silver Wolf. Not bad. I always thought it was a crappy monster with bad meat and fur, but I didn’t expect to be able to make use of its crappy fur.

It doesn’t run away, so fighting it is easy and enjoyable.

“Good luck, Mongrel.”

“Leave it to me, Deputy. I’ll definitely bring back a beautiful pelt.”

“Ha ha ha.”

And so, I was assigned a slightly larger mission.

My destination is a small hill near Morina Village. I just need to cause a bit of a commotion, and it will attack me on its own. That’s the kind of monster it is.

It’s been a while since my bastard sword has been put to use...!