Chapter 40

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you."

After finishing lunch, I left the restaurant 'Kourintei'.

I had the others return to the site first, while I approached another customer who was leaving the restaurant.

"Hmm? What is it, miss?"

They were the uncles who had been talking at a nearby table earlier.

Yes, the ones who were talking about the mysterious pack of wolves attacking farms and ranches.

"Could you tell me more about what you were talking about earlier?"

"Earlier... Oh, you mean the wolves? Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I'm a bit interested."

To the puzzled uncles, I said,

"I thought maybe I could help the farmers who are having trouble."

The moment I said that, the uncles burst out laughing.

They were laughing heartily.

"Give it up, give it up! Even adventurers are having trouble with them, there's no way a girl like you can do anything!"

"Well, I admit it might be difficult for me alone, but..."

'Big Sister'

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.

The two uncles standing in front of me were surprised to see who had appeared behind me.

'The inn is boring. I want some work to do—hmm? What's going on?'

"Ah, Entia, this is perfect timing."

Entia, who had been waiting at the inn, had slipped out.

Normally, it would be troublesome for her to walk around the capital with her size, causing all sorts of commotion, but now it was perfect timing.

"This girl is my companion. If a pack of wild wolves is attacking, I thought we might be able to do something with her help."

'Hmm?'

"Who are you? Are you an adventurer?"

"Um... not exactly, but I believe in helping people in trouble as much as I can."

As I said this, the uncles grunted and looked at Entia and me.

Then,

"Alright, I'll tell you more."

They said this with a serious expression, apparently acknowledging us.

"But, you were eavesdropping on our conversation earlier, right? So, you already know everything."

"The 'black wolves' are attacking farms and ranches..."

In my mind, I pictured the wild animals that appeared in the mountains and forests around Abatos Village.

These were wild animals that had become aggressive due to the land being tainted by the evil influence of Antimishka's conquest.

...Perhaps, these aggressive wild animals had moved all the way to the capital.

"I see... I haven't seen them myself, but maybe we can do something."

"...Are you serious, miss? Are you really going to help us get rid of those wolves?"

"Getting rid of them... I'm not sure, but I have a few ideas."

The uncle grunted.

"If you're really serious, I'll put in a good word for you."

"Really? You can do that?"

"Yes, we are from a store that gets supplies from those farms and ranches."

The two uncles nodded.

I see, that's why they knew the details so well.

"I don't know how serious you are or how capable you are, but if you can help with the wolves, it would be a big help."

"Thank you. I'd like to visit tonight, if that's okay. Please let them know."

"Tonight... Well, the sooner the better, I guess..."

They were a bit taken aback by my quick action.

Come to think of it, my friends often say, "Mako makes decisions quickly."

I tend to decide quickly when shopping for clothes and accessories too.

But, I guess it's a bit of a professional habit...

In this line of work, you have to keep pushing forward with the next plan and make quick decisions.

...Not being able to move forward without doing so might be a problem.

Anyway, I got the name of the rancher and the location of the ranch from the uncle.

We parted ways, and I headed to the construction site.

'Big Sister, why are you going out of your way to do something like this? Dealing with wild dogs...'

On the way, Entia asked me.

Hmm... First, I often hear about agricultural animal damage as part of my job...

"As I said, if it's just wild animals, we might be able to handle it... Plus, having connections with farms and ranches could be useful. It might even be good for advertising the store."

'You're still as kind as ever, Big Sister.'

"Am I?"

***

That night.

After a day's work and dinner, everyone had settled down to sleep.

"...Alright, let's go, Entia."

"Okay."

I and Entia were about to sneak out of the inn together.

By the way, I hadn't told the others about this.

Everyone was exhausted from the day's work.

I didn't want to worry them, and since I had volunteered to do this, it was only right to handle it secretly.

"Everyone is tired and sleeping, so be quiet."

"Okay, okay."

We slipped through the hallway to the inn's entrance,

and then out the door.

Our destination was a ranch outside the capital.

"Alright, we need to get out of the capital first, so let's go to the gate we used yesterday—"

"Hehehe, hold it."

Then, a voice came from the darkness.

I and Entia instantly became alert, but we were taken aback by the person who appeared.

"Ram!"

"What are you trying to sneak out for?"

Ram from the Beowulf group appeared from the darkness.

I thought he had gone back to his room.

"Ram, why are you here?"

"Actually, I noticed you talking to other customers outside the restaurant earlier and was watching from a distance."

I hadn't noticed...

Ram smiled smugly and gave me a thumbs-up.

"You're going to deal with the pack of wolves attacking the ranch, right? I'll come with you."

"Ram..."

"Hehehe, hold it, you two."

Then, another voice came from the darkness.

"You... Bagoz!"

Next, Bagoz appeared.

Ram was surprised.

"It's no fun for you to go alone. Take me with you."

"Bagoz..."

"Hehehe, hey, hey, am I being left out?"

"You... Uga!"

This time, Uga appeared.

Ram and Bagoz reacted a bit over-the-top.

"You can't show off in front of us. I'm coming too."

"Uga...!"

"Sorry, but can everyone come out now? We don't have time."

"Ah, sorry, it's just the three of us."

So, the farce ended.

Ram, Bagoz, and Uga.

It seems they had overheard our conversation earlier.

"But... Are you sure? You must be tired, right?"

"Hey, hey, Mako has been working all day too, you know?"

"Besides, we've been doing farm work lately and have built up our strength. Don't underestimate us."

"Let us help. If it's good for advertising the store, we'll lend a hand."

The three of them said this with enthusiasm.

They've really become more reliable.

"...I know... Ideally, I should have brought Garai..."

"Yeah... But, you know... Garai is our main force... We have work tomorrow, so it's best to let him rest..."

"Actually, I asked Garai to let us handle this... I wanted to give Mako a chance to show her stuff."

Hmm... I thought I heard a slightly pitiful comment.

"Did you say something?"

"No, no, no! Nothing at all!"

"Let's go already!"

"Alright, thanks for your help tonight. I appreciate it."

So, the four of us and one wolf set off for the ranch.

'Really, Big Sister is one thing, but carrying three big men is a real hassle! Someone should get off!'

***

"Oh, I didn't expect you to really come..."

After leaving the capital's gate and traveling for about ten minutes, we arrived at one of the ranches we had seen along the road on our way to the capital.

We visited a house near the ranch that the uncles had directed us to, and an elderly man with glasses and a friendly demeanor came out.

He seemed to be the owner of the ranch.

It appeared that the uncles had indeed put in a good word for us.

"So, that large wolf is your familiar, is it?"

"Familiar?"

I'm not sure about the exact meaning of the term, but I guess the uncles used it to introduce us because they couldn't think of anything else.

"Ah, yes. I do some freelance adventurer work, and this is my pet... no, familiar. The three behind me are my companions."

"Hmm... You have beastfolk companions, that's rare."

I introduced myself casually, but I could tell I was being a bit suspicious.

Well, it can't be helped.

"Anyway, Mr. Owner, let's get to work. What exactly is happening?"

"Ah, yes. Let me show you..."

Urged by me, the owner led us outside the house and toward the vast ranch.

Upon closer inspection, parts of the wooden fence were broken, and there were remnants of something that looked like carcasses.

There were no livestock in sight. They were probably all back in the barns.

"One night, a pack of 'black wolves' suddenly appeared. They attack farms and ranches in the area under the cover of darkness, ravaging crops and livestock."

'There is indeed a strange smell lingering here.'

Entia sniffed the air.

"At first, we tried reinforcing the fence, but they were too numerous and strong. So, we made a request to the adventurer guild in the capital. Adventurers came to deal with the beasts, but... to no avail."

" Hmm, hmm."

If that's the case, we need to be very cautious.

We're dealing with something that even professional adventurers struggle with.

"Lower-ranked adventurers can't handle it. But, requesting higher-ranked adventurers would require a significant reward. I even considered pooling money from all the landowners in the area."

"That's quite a predicament."

"Yes..."

The owner's expression fell.

"Alright... I understand. When do the wolves usually come?"

"At midnight. When the moon is directly overhead."

So, we have a bit more time.

"Ram, Bagoz, Uga, let's get started."

I activated 'Alchemy.'

A faint light appeared, and I created 'metal products specialized for dealing with animal damage.'

"Wow, you're using magic!?"

Ignoring the astonished owner, I gave instructions to everyone.

"Alright, let's set up 'traps' around this ranch."