"Why do they have to be angry that much?!" (Reina)
"On top of that, bought a glass of ale each to the Hunters who happened to be there! Well, it was a blessing in disguise that there weren't many people there at the time..." (Pauline)
"Tahaha..." (Mile)
As they headed from the guild branch to the inn, Reina and Pauline were complaining, while Mile was smiling wryly.
"Ahaha... Well, it's true that we worried them, so it can't be helped. Besides, it just shows that they were worried about us, so I'm grateful!" (Mavis)
"No, that was just a fuss to get an excuse to collect some cheers, that's for sure! As proof of that, even though they said they were worried, no one came out to search for us!!" (Reina)
Unlike Mavis, who thought it was inevitable that he was scolded and was actually grateful for it, Reina seemed to be annoyed at being scolded unilaterally, and Pauline was cursing at the expense of being treated.
However, when the guild staff and the Hunters yelled at the Crimson Vow, they weren't angry. They were just scolding.
Scolding means that the other person has simply vented their anger on you, which is the same as being attacked. However, being scolded means that the other person has "Told you in strong words" for your sake, with the intention of "Not to repeat the bad thing."
Although they might seem like the same thing, they were completely different.
Were Reina and Pauline just pretending to be annoyed, and were they actually regretting not contacting them and causing so much worry to so many people, or were they just angry and letting their emotions got the better of them?
Mavis and Mile were beginning to understand these things somehow...
"Okay, then we'll take four days of rest and then we'll leave. Is that okay?" (Mavis)
The three of them nodded in response to Mavis's confirmation.
There was no need to think about it again, since the day that Kragon would come to pick them up in the forest near the royal capital had been decided, the departure date had been decided from the start.
The original plan was to rest for three days, but because they had allowed for some leeway in the return journey, they ended up with an extra day.
Hunters who did not plan their activities flexibly, or who did not include spare days or days off to make adjustments in preparation for unforeseen circumstances, would either lose credibility or not last long.
Timid, anxious, and nervous: that was the secret to living a long life in this world.
"Big sisters, you're too late! Do you know how worried I was?" (Lenny)
"Ahhh..." (All CV)
Once they got back to the inn, the second round began.
Whenever they went out, they told her when they'd be back, so if they went back much later than that, it's only natural that they'd be worried. Especially when it came to the young Lenny-chan...
Of course, since the Crimson Vow did not leave any luggage at the inn but moved out completely, there was no need to inform her of the planned date of return, and it was natural that the number of days required for a request could be significantly delayed.
However, in the case of Lenny-chan...
"Wouldn't that ruin our plans for supplying hot water to the baths and attracting customers?" (Lenny)
…This was it.
"Hey, why are we still staying at this inn? Surely there must be a better inn out there that would welcome us..." (Reina)
"Tahaha..." (Other 3)
The three of them answered Reina's question with wry smiles.
That's it.
"You promised not to say that..."
Something like that.
Well, whatever they said, this inn was comfortable. They were accommodating, the owner and his wife were nice people, the food was delicious, and even though it's a cheap inn, it even had a bath... although it was built by Mile.
Also, Lenny-chan worked hard and had a cute side to her... She's just a miser.
However, she was simply trying to earn a little money for the inn, and it was not something she was doing for her own selfish gain.
...She was much better than Pauline...
Furthermore, Lenny-chan's attitude was likely largely an attempt to hide her embarrassment.
……probably.
The reason why Reina and the other two readily accepted Mile's plan and decided to go to the demon's village was because they couldn't think of any other plan that would serve as a reward that wouldn't put a financial burden on the village and would give the villagers the satisfaction of having given back, but also because they thought that even if they rejected that plan this time, Mile would not give up on going to the demon's village anyway.
Furthermore, Reina and the other two know that Mile's real reason for wanting to visit various races was to "Investigate why the ancient dragons are investigating the ruins."
However, the real reason why Reina and the others didn't oppose Mile was that they wanted to listen to the occasional selfish request or greed that Mile, who was usually the type to give in to others, would occasionally ask.
Their wish was to make Mile's wish came true.
That was what Reina and the other two were thinking...
The four members of the Crimson Vow spent their four days of rest at the library, the orphanage, visiting the orphans on the riverbank, in a cafe, and counting their gold coins.
And…….
"Why are you going out so soon again?!" (Lenny)
After hearing Lenny-chan's heartbreaking cry, the four of them left the inn, declaring that they were going on a trip again.
...Without realizing that Lenny-chan had not yet heard the expected return date.
That's right, if they hadn't stated the planned return date from the beginning, no one would have complained that we were late.
It was finally Reina and the other two who noticed it.
At the Hunter Guild branch, Reina had requested a meeting with the Guild Master and had informed him that they had ended up going to the demon village with the ancient dragon.
Of course, all four of them went together and Reina said so.
Since it was Reina who said it, not Mile, it wasn't a lie that she "Ended up going." However, if Mile had said it herself, who had requested it, it would have been a lie.
The idea was that by saying it like that, people would misunderstand and think that it wasn't Reina's will, but that they had no choice but to do it because the Ancient Dragons had asked them to. It wasn't a lie at all...
The policy of the Crimson Vow was to avoid telling lies that were not particularly necessary.
…Of course, they wouldn't hesitate to lie if necessary.
If it was for the sake of justice, some evil was permissible.
That was the policy of the Crimson Vow.
They should have just kept quiet, but the reason they bothered to report it was because they thought it would be really bad for the Hunter Party to just disappear suddenly without any notice, and they didn't want the counter on their "Domestic activity obligation period" to stop if it was discovered that they had gone abroad.
Therefore, if they worded it this way, it would be taken to mean that the Crimson Vow, who knew the ancient dragon from the previous incident, had been summoned by the ancient dragon for some reason, so they all carefully considered the wording of the explanation and decided on it.
Because of this, Crimson Vow acted at the request of the ancient dragon, and was sympathized with by the other hunters and guild staff as it was something beyond human control, an act of God, an accident that was inevitable.
And just like when accepting a request that crossed the borders, the counter for the "Domestic activity obligation period" did not stop even if they went abroad.
…If they were to say something like, "We won't go if the counter stops," it would incur the wrath of the ancient dragon and the royal capital could be destroyed, so no guild employee was willing to take such a big risk for such a pointless stubbornness.
Besides, telling them that the ancient dragon was coming to pick them up was also necessary to prevent a major commotion if the ancient dragon was spotted near the royal capital.
Also, it would be too unfortunate if a tragedy like the one that happened some time ago, where a B- or A-rank party reluctantly accepted the investigation request, knowing that it might mean death....
Anyway, now they could go out with peace of mind, without having to worry about the number of days.
"Finally, following on from the humans, dwarves, elves, and beastmen, we have the demon's village! We've also included the fairies (special), so it's fully complete!!" (Mile)
Although they hadn't set foot inside the fairy's village, she had captured... and interacted with all of the villagers, so Mile seemed to have determined that the level was complete.
And even Mile, as expected, seemed to have given up on going to the Ancient Dragon Village (?) because of the drastic difference in size and the fact that there were no buildings or food that would suit her taste.
It seemed that Mile still had a shred of common sense left...
Author's Note
...
Thank you very much. (^^)/