"It's so easy, isn't it...?"
"It's so easy, you know...?"
"It's so easy, right...?"
"Haaaaahhh..." (All WT)
The three girls said that it was easy, but for some reason they let out deep sighs.
"That first journey to the East. I wonder what all that hardship was about, huh..."
"I don't even want to remember that, okay...?"
"Really, what was that all about, huh...?"
"Haaaaahhh..." (All WT)
They could carry all the personal belongings without any hassle.
Fresh ingredients. Cooking utensils. A change of clothes. A bath and toilet surrounded by rocks. A fully assembled large. A bed.
No matter how much you would hunt or gather, you could carry it easily. It wouldn't get damaged or deteriorate.
"Apologize! Apologize to all the hunters, merchants and travelers on the continent!!" (Monica)
"Now... now..." (Aureana)
Aureana tries to calm Monica down when she suddenly started barking.
"Who on earth is apologizing for what...?"
Marcella looked at it with a dumbfounded expression, with her hands on her hips.
...Yes, these were the familiar faces from Wonder Trio.
"If only Adelle-san had taught us the magic of the item box while we were at the academy... no, if only she had at least taught us the purification magic..." (Marcella)
"Marcella-sama, you promised not to say that." (Aureana)
"I did, huh… No, that’s fine. The question is, whether or not this overly comfortable and lazy journey can be called a ‘journey of training’…" (Marcella)
"Indeed……" (Aureana)
"It's difficult to say whether it can be called 'training' when there's no hardship at all..." (Monica)
Monica and Aureana were also lost in thought at Marcella's words.
They should take it lightly, but all three of them are extremely serious, so they end up overthinking things at times like this.
If Mile were here, she would just brush it off as usual with "It's fine, it's a trivial thing!" but...
After all, even though the members of the Wonder Trio were bound together by a strong friendship, it was difficult to avoid the fact that everyone had the same personality. The three of them desperately tried to pull Mile, who was swinging in a strange direction, back into the normal range, which was probably a good balance.
"...Anyway, in terms of living conditions, it's super easy mode, but in terms of improving our skills as a hunter, there's a lot to do on this 'training journey'. We can't waste time! That's what Adelle-san often said..." (Marcella)
"We don't have time! A maiden's time is short!!" (All WT)
"So, as always, we will train in close combat skills, which is what we are most lacking." (Marcella)
"Yes!" (Other 2)
Marcella and her party were fairly confident in their magical skills, but they were also well aware of their shortcomings.
The absence of frontline roles resulted in a lack of close-combat ability.
Normally, they would naturally recruit 2-3 people for frontline positions.
However, Marcella and her group had no intention of adding anyone other than Mile... and Adelle to their party.
So, what should they do...?
Yes, it would be good if they could also play the vanguard role.
But that was all.
However, just doing basic training on your own will would only result in minimal growth.
Having said that, you couldn't just go to a dojo, and even if you could, the gap between you and the other students would be so large that it would be a nuisance for the instructor.
The delicate body of a 14-year-old girl, still a minor.
Monica and Aureana were forced to carry sacks of grain and work as farm laborers at their parents' homes, so they were physically stronger than the average town girl, but still no match for an adult man who has been training since childhood.
...Then, what should they do?
Yes, as they continued their journey, they could learn from experienced hunters who didn't have the same close-combat skills as them. Without having to pay tuition, it would be mutually beneficial...
"Um, can I have a moment?"
"Eh?!" (Thanos)
While looking at the request board, Thanos was suddenly spoken to and couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
No, normally, being approached in the guild wouldn't be such a surprise.
However, when it's about a young, beautiful girl, it's a different story.
"Um, yeah... What do you want?" (Thanos)
Thanos was 18 years old. He was the leader of the party "Immortal Wings" that he formed with his three companions, Warlow, Vilas, and Yoris, but he only took on the role of leader due to his position as a commander in battle. The four of them were on an equal footing and were best friends.
The Immortal Wings had earned a fair reputation as a serious, trustworthy, and reliable young party, but they were not particularly wealthy, and they didn't have much in the way of women.
He was not bad looking, but dating a woman requires a certain amount of money and time, and perhaps for now he was prioritizing his dream of becoming an advanced hunter over women...
However, even these guys would be happy to be approached by a beautiful girl. They hadn't even thought about marriage yet, but there was no way they would be so simple-minded as to miss the chance to date a beautiful girl.
"Um, actually, I was wondering if we could take on a joint request… My name is Marcella, and these are my party members Aureana and Monica." (Marcella)
And then, the two girls lightly bowed their heads.
All three were around 14 or 15 years old, barely old enough to be adults.
Aureana was a quiet, intelligent girl.
Monica looked energetic and in a bright mood.
And, they were so elegant that they could be mistaken for noble girls...
(No! I can't believe it! They're probably real nobles...) (Thanos' mind)
No wonder Thanos thought so.
Marcella looked like nothing more than a noble girl, Aureana a trainee lady-in-waiting, and Monica a maid or attendant, if she were wearing the appropriate clothing.
Incognito. For fun. Or, a young lady whose life was threatened during a family feud had escaped with her maids and was living the life of a commoner.
(No. No no no no no!!) (Thanos)
And then there are Thanos' three companions, Warlow, Vilas, and Yoris, who don't read as deeply into things as he does...
(The three cute girls are hereeeeeeee~!!) (x3)
"With pleasure!!" (Thanos' party members)
Without waiting for any words from Thanos, the party leader, the three shouted out their approval.
...Of course, Thanos had no intention of saying anything other than "Okay"...
"So, any request we accept is fine as long as it's an extermination type?" (Thanos)
"Yes. If you want, I don’t mind if you make regular requests. As you can see, there are three magicians in our group, so if you could act as a guard in the front line and give us lessons in close combat, that would be fine.
No matter what, as C-rank hunters, we cannot send out an escort request, so we have no choice but to ask for a joint order like this." (Marcella)
"...Certainly, that's right, but..." (Thanos)
As expected, it was rare to hear of a Hunter hiring an escort Hunter. Especially when it was a C-rank party taking on a normal request, rather than gathering additional members for an escort mission...
Then, Marcella explained the situation they faced, namely that they had reached C-rank in the shortest possible time by specializing in guarding noble girls and accumulating achievement points, that they were terrible at close quarters combat, and that although they were good at magic and had a certain degree of confidence, they thought it would be better to pair up with someone in a front-line job to increase the safety factor.
"...So that's why we're not thinking about anything suspicious, you know?" (Marcella)
"Ah, no, it's not like I'm worried about that or anything..." (Thanos)
Normally, a young and pretty girl wouldn't easily ask someone out to a party with only guys, unless the guys were all extremely handsome or rich.
...Or, unless the girls were planning a honey trap or marriage fraud...
However, with the youth and ability of these three, and the magical skills of a C-rank Hunter, there would be no need for them to commit such petty crimes.
There were plenty of easier, more comfortable and safer ways to make money without resorting to such stingy practices.
Like Marcella said earlier, working as a bodyguard for the children of nobles or wealthy people, or becoming the adopted daughter of a lower-ranking noble...
Therefore, there was no way that they, ordinary young hunters who didn't have much money, would be chosen as targets for such a plot.
It would be a different story if the situation was reversed, in other words if "Immortal Wings" had called out to the girls, but in that case, they would be the ones who were the villains.
Anyway, Thanos and his party had no worries about being tricked.
Or rather, perhaps he was thinking, "It's okay to be deceived," or even, "I want to be deceived."
…Anyway, that was how the C-rank party of four 17-18 year old boys, Immortal Wings, decided to take on a request together with the Wonder Trio…