"No results. No abnormalities. Everyone is fine. Let's continue the mission." (On the letter)
"Grrrrr..." (Morena)
The month-long stay-at-home order had finally been lifted, and Morena... the rookie hunter, Moren, had come to the Hunter Guild branch for the first time in a long while.
The curfew had been lifted, but the increased study time and reduced pocket money had not.
And in her hand was the letter she had just received from the receptionist, a letter for a "Guild Detention." ...The text was just one line.
It was a familiar sentence that she was already used to seeing, or rather, that she was "tired of seeing."
It was a fairly loud growl, but the other hunters and guild staff pretended not to see or hear it.
That's right, "If you don't touch the gods, they won't curse you." There was a similar expression to the one in Japan in this country.
Surely, this time she wouldn't try to drink alcohol that she couldn't drink.
When everyone was thinking that...
"Are you new? Would you like to join our party?"
A boy called out to Morena...Moren.
...Yes, someone called out to her...
(Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!) (Everyone's mind)
Roughly 80% of the Hunters present, as well as all the guild staff, screamed inwardly.
...In other words, people who knew the situation.
Yes, even though the majority of Hunters knew the situation, there were exceptions, of course. The stupid, the poor at detecting, the ones who just came from outside... and the rookies.
"……eh?" (Morena)
And then, frozen in surprise, Moren.
Up until now, there had been almost no one who would approach her unless she had initiated a conversation herself.
Moreover, this time it was a boy about her age. Behind him were two boys and two girls. In other words, they were a party of five rookie hunters.
"Eh, but, I'm already in the party..." (Morena)
Yes, even if only in name, "Newbie Hunter, Moren" was a party member of "Wonder Trio".
"Eh? What about the other members?" (Boy)
"Ah, they're on a long expedition right now, far away..." (Morena)
Moren honestly said that...
"Ah, I guess you got left behind because you’re a rookie… Well, it can’t be helped if you want to avoid danger. It’s a normal thing, so don’t be discouraged. So, why don't you come and practice with me until the other members get back? You won't be able to improve your skills by just waiting around, right? In the meantime, how about you hone your skills at my place and surprise your friends when they get back?" (Boy)
"Eh……" (Morena)
This unexpected offer caused Moren to start thinking fast.
…There was nothing problematic about the content of the offer. It was logical and there was nothing that was bothering her.
"Hmmmm..." (Morena)
She wanted to surprise everyone in the Wonder Trio when they returned.
She wanted to prove that she could do the job of a rookie hunter.
…And it seemed like it would be fun to work as a commoner, a simple novice hunter, alongside people his age.
"But I have other things to do, so I can only do it about one day a week now..." (Morena)
"Oh, so you're working multiple jobs... But, that's fine. We can usually just do it with just the five of us, and only when you can join us can we do it as six, so it's not a problem." (Boy)
"Eh? Well, that's fine then..." (Morena)
It looks like fun.
When she thought about it like that, the option of refusing didn't even occur to Moren...
(I did iteeeeeee~~!!) (Boy's group)
And while desperately trying to remain calm, the boys were shouting with joy in their hearts.
Up until now, the three boys and two girls had gotten along well, but to go a step further than just being "friendly" they needed to.
...Yes, "There's one girl missing."
In order to avoid ruining the atmosphere at the party, it was absolutely necessary to add one more girl.
And at that moment, they found a really cute girl who seemed to be solo.
They'd definitely call out to her right away.
Unless they had some ulterior motive, they wouldn't suddenly invite someone without checking their rank and job. No matter what, they would at least check those two things first...
Well, Moren didn't look or act like a typical vanguard worker at all.
And of course, thanks to the work of top breeders over the years, the royal family had been blessed with the blood of beautiful women with great magical talent, so Moren was blessed with more than the average person's magical talent, and because she had received a rigorous education from her private tutor...a demon tutor...she was a far superior magician to even a budding magician like a hunter.
Ba-bang!
All the Hunters who knew the situation turned towards the receptionist at once.
And the receptionists nodded.
The purpose of this was to check whether the young party that had been recruited were a "bad bunch" or not, and if there were any problems, they would subtly interrupt and shut down the conversation, but the receptionist's reply was that "it's a problem-free party," so everyone refrained from taking any action.
...The "Hunters".
"Could I also be admitted under the same conditions?" (A girl)
"Eh?" (x5)
The five people except for Moren were surprised when they were suddenly spoken to.
The one who spoke to me was a girl around their age, with a bold face and a toned body, clearly a front-guard worker.
...And beautiful.
Unlike Moren, who was pure and cute, she was a girl who is fearless, dignified, and seemed reliable.
(It's hereeeeeeee~~!!) (The group, x3)
Surprisingly, two beautiful girls in a row.
The three boys desperately tried to suppress the storm in their hearts and pretended to be calm.
...The two girls looked stunned at the unexpected reversal of the male-female ratio, and the announcement of the two beautiful girls joining the group...
Of course, there's no way that two beautiful girls would just happen to join at the same time.
The avant-garde girl was, naturally, one of the princess' hidden guards.
The male hidden guards could not stick too close to the princess, so the most promising among the knight apprentice girls...those who could use their bodies as shields to protect Her Highness the princess for a few seconds until a regular knight could arrive...were registered as hunters and had them wait at the guild branch when the princess was going out.
Of course, the female guard squad that the princess herself had founded was exempt, as their identity was known to the princess and many of the nobles.
Moreover, since the members were young ladies who had just been recruited, they were not yet skilled enough to be trusted with actual combat situations such as "reflexively using their own bodies as shields to protect the princess" or dealing with a surprise attack from the enemy. Therefore, it was only natural that they would be selected from other departments.
And so, in the unexpected event of the princess provisionally joining the party, in order to protect the princess from monsters, thieves, other vicious Hunters... and from the evil clutches of the men in the party, she unilaterally decided to join the party herself.
Now, if she used her life as a shield, she could protect Her Highness for a few seconds no matter what happens. This would buy the precious few seconds needed for the other guards to rush to the scene...
It was a self-serving decision based on that belief.
The girl didn't know yet.
Her quick judgment and decisiveness were highly praised, and considering that from now on she would have to carry out her normal duties as a member of the princess's party on days when she went out so as not to raise suspicion, while also carrying out the extremely difficult and life-risking mission of protecting the princess from enemies both inside and outside, the word apprentice was removed as an exceptional measure, and she was made a full knight.
It was a consideration from his superiors that he should be able to "die at any time without any regrets," which she wasn't sure whether to be grateful for or not.
And what it would bring to them later...
That night, the lights were kept on in a certain part of the royal palace all night, and the next day, several well-behaved young men and men in their mid-thirties registered as hunters.
And everyone passed the skip application test, the younger ones forming D rank parties and the older ones forming C rank parties.
The Hunters Guild operated across nations and was an organization completely independent from state power, even refusing orders from the royal palace if it did not agree with them.
However, it became difficult for the guild to refuse, and they found themselves in a strange situation where they had no choice but to tolerate the interference from the royal palace, even though they knew it was wrong.
As expected, even the guild master couldn't complain when it came to the princess's safety.
Thus, the Kingdom of Brandell Royal Capital branch of the Hunter Guild entered into days of turmoil...