"Pauline-san told us earlier that the demons live on the other side of a large mountain range, at the northern end of the continent, right? There are no merchants heading that way, so we can't accept an escort request, and it would be difficult to get there on foot..." (Mile)
Saying this, Mile glanced at Pauline.
It's likely that this was the reason why Pauline had strongly opposed Mile's desire to go to the demon's village.
Mavis, who aspired to be a knight and imitated her older brothers since young, and Reina, who also lived as a peddler with her father from a young age and worked as a hunter for many years afterwards. Both of them could walk at a level above average.
...Mile? There's no need to think about it.
Yes, when it came to traveling on foot, there's no doubt that Pauline was a drag on the party.
Pauline was well aware of this, which was why she disliked getting into such a situation and tried to avoid it...
"So I got a ride from Kragon-san, who he owe me a favor, and we flew off in a flash! With this, we've completed visiting all the villages of all the races!" (Mile)
"I see!!" (Other 3)
"I see, no! You guys, how can you be so arrogant and blasphemous as to say that you want to use the Ancient Dragon-sama as a workhorse, and make such outrageous statements that will surely enrage the Ancient Dragon-sama and get you all killed!!" (Chief)
The village chief was talking fast and rattling off, and all the other leaders were nodding in agreement.
…Yes, it might seem like their senses and common sense became numb in many ways, but this was the normal reaction of society in general…
"No, the ancient dragon owes us a favor..."
"And it's a pretty big one, too."
"Well, I'm sure we could use him as a substitute for a stagecoach a few hundred times."
"Ahaha..."
And the village chief and other leaders could only opened and closed their mouths like goldfish or carp...
Since then, the village chiefs were unable to refuse Mile's proposal and reluctantly carried out the method of "Summoning an ancient dragon."
However, they were told that they would not be held responsible no matter what happened, and that if they angered the Ancient Dragon-sama, they would have to bear all the responsibility themselves...in other words, die...and they were made to write this oath on a piece of parchment.
Well, that's how feared the ancient dragons were, so summoning one for their own convenience required some resolve.
...It's not that they didn't understand how someone would feel.
Usually, that's the norm... unless Mile was around.
And while the village chief did summon him, he never told how.
"...And that's why you came..."
"HAHA, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME ANY ORDERS!" (Kragon)
"……" (All CV)
This mysterious method of summoning seemed to be capable of conveying textual information as well, and just as Mile and her party requested, the familiar Kragon arrived.
And when they saw Kragon was treated by Mile and the rest of her party like an errand boy, the village chiefs just stood there with eyes like dead fish.
...It happened all the time. Yes, it happened all the time...
"...So, I'd like you to transport me to the demon village..." (Mile)
"WITH PLEASURE!" (Kragon)
To their surprise, Kragon agreed without hesitation to Mile's_ request to act as a workhorse.
The village chiefs looked as if they had realized everything already... no, they looked as if they had given up.
"But is it really okay? I've heard that for the Ancient Dragons, unless they are doing so of their own volition, it is an incredible humiliation to carry a lesser creature on their back..." (Mile)
"WHAT? IS THAT SO?!" (Kragon)
Kragon replied with a laugh to Mile, who seemed a little worried even though she was the one who asked.
"THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE FORCED TO DO SOMETHING BY SOMEONE YOU DON'T LIKE FOR SOME REASON, OR WHEN YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ACCEPT IT AS A TRADE-OFF. IF IT'S A REQUEST FROM MILE, I'LL GLADLY ACCEPT THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPAY A GREAT BENEFACTOR!" (Kragon)
The Crimson Vow had obtained the Dragon Riding Skill!
"We did it! Next up is the airship!" (Mile)
"Ah~..." (Other 3)
Of course, Reina and the other two had been taught about the airship by Mile's story, "The Last Fantasy"...
So, she asked him to take them to the northern tip of the continent, where the demons lived, a few days later, and sent Kragon back home.
"I'LL TAKE YOU TO THE ROYAL CAPITAL," he said, but doing so would cause panic in the royal capital, so the members of the Crimson Vow prudently declined the offer...
"About the original request regarding the kidnapping group, I have already reported to the lord and the Hunter Guild that the request has been completely completed, along with words of gratitude for providing the maximum fighting force available to the humans. But is it really okay? You haven't reported on your great achievement of rescuing the children and taking down the merchant behind the crimes..." (Chief)
"Ahahaha..." (All CV)
Mile and her party laughed at the village chief's words to avoid confusion.
That was the work of the mysterious mercenary party "Crimson Blood!" and had nothing to do with Mile and the Crimson Vow.
The mysterious mercenary party "Crimson Blood!" had been doing all sorts of grey zone (dangerous) things to nobles and merchants in other countries without going through the guild.
They had repeatedly emphasized this to the village chiefs, telling them not to say strange things to the guild or the lord...
The loyal beastfolks would likely keep their promise, but they still seemed reluctant to accept the rescue of the young girls unless they showed some sort of gratitude, and they still had a lot to say.
Mile and her party thought that they had done it on their own accord, and that it was enough that they had connected them to the ancient dragon, but the beastfolks seemed to think that simply calling the ancient dragon without doing anything themselves was not enough of a thank you, and were quite persistent.
"Finally, the village chief and the others have given up, huh..."
"What kind of torture is it, having to go to such lengths to get him to give up on offering thanks or additional rewards...?" (Pauline)
"Ahaha..." (Other 2)
Pauline seemed to have a harder time mentally than the other three, since their refusal meant bending her miserly instinct to "Want to accept the money."
Still, she didn't object to the decision to decline, so she must be a good person at heart... She's just a miser.
"It's been quite a while since we finished the requested mission..."
"But it seems the villagers reported to the guild that the request was completed successfully, so it won't be considered a failure, so there's no need to worry."
That's right, if they were too slow in returning and reporting, they would be deemed a failure, and at best they would be declared missing, and at worst they would be considered dead, and they would be removed from the register and treated as expelled.
Well, in a case like this, since the client was currently on-site and it was a request involving special circumstances, maybe that if they didn't return, the village would be contacted to confirm...
Anyway, this time the village chief made a point of expressing his gratitude so that the reputation of the Crimson Vow would improve, so there's no need to worry about that.
So, the four members of the Crimson Vow headed to the royal capital with peace of mind.
At that time, despite the village chief reporting that the job he had requested had been completed, more than ten days had passed since Crimson Vow had still not returned, leading people to suspect that something had happened on their way home, and the entire Royal Capital branch of the Hunter Guild was enveloped in a somber atmosphere.
A few days later, when Mile and her party, full of energy, pushed open the door to the Royal Capital branch and loudly announced their return, they were yelled at and scolded by the guild staff and the Hunters who were present...