"Stop!"
"Hey, Endless Journey, don't accept that! Give up!"
Needless to say, the boys had no intention of accepting such an offer.
Even if it was just the two of them, they would be wiped out. And yet, protecting three underage girls who were practically amateurs would be impossible without at least three B-rank Hunters.
Marcella and her group were annoyed by the obvious harassment and obstruction, but this had happened many times before, so they had no intention of backing down just like this.
"Are you willing to accept it? Or have you been intimidated by the nasty comments from people who have nothing to do with it? Just an Orc or an Ogre?" (Marcella)
Marcella spoke in a deliberately provocative manner in an attempt to motivate the boys, but...
"...Sorry, I can't do it! One or two orcs might be possible, but an ogre is a no-go!!"
With that shout, the members of the Endless Journey ran off.
"Eh……"
Marcella and her group were shocked when the prey they had carefully selected escaped.
"Girls, that’s impossible. Please don’t think badly of them.
They could only manage one stray orc at best. If it was a group of orcs or ogres, they would probably all be wiped out, or maybe one or two would be able to escape. Even then, they would have to retire from hunting with serious injuries and the emotional scars of having caused the death of a comrade that would haunt them for the rest of their lives...
No matter how hard you try, what's impossible is impossible.
You girls, please do a bit of research into the balance of power between hunter rank and monster strength before you bring up something like that.
Those guys used common sense and ran away, but I'm sure there are some idiots out there who would take the opportunity to look cool in front of a cute girl.
The thought of them and the girls being wiped out in the future flashes before my eyes, and it makes my heart churn..."
"Eh……"
Marcella and her group were dumbfounded when one of the hunters there gave them some advice.
"...Is it really that big of a deal? Just a few orcs and ogres..."
If it was their own offensive magic, it would be a one-hit kill.
Even with physical attacks, a C-rank swordsman or spearman should be able to put up a decent fight.
So, if three magicians were to join forces with a balanced party of four, they should be able to take on five to six orcs and two to three ogres with no casualties.
That was common sense for the Wonder Trio, but...
"What high-ranking hunter are you? Only someone B rank or above could do something like that!"
"Eh……" (All WT)
Marcella and her group were shocked.
"Orcs and ogres usually move around in groups of two or three. If there are three orcs, and my party and you girls work together, and all of the girls can use pretty good offensive magic, then it might be doable. But two ogres are no good. Even if we were to defeat them, there would be injuries or deaths on our side. I can't accept that..."
"Whaaaaat?!" (All WT)
The three members of the Wonder Trio were surprised by this completely unexpected explanation.
"...Well, all three of us can use some pretty impressive offensive magic..."
"You can?!" (Everyone)
Everyone there made some comments about it, but Wonder Trio ignored them.
"...But don't orcs and ogres usually act alone unless they're near their nests?" (Aureana)
Aureana asked curiously, but...
"No, that’s not the case.
...Hmm, you guys, before you go hunting, come here on the second floor and study about monsters!
No matter how much offensive magic you can use, if you don't know anything, you'll be wiped out on the first day. You'll get pierced through the chest by the horns of a Horned Rabbit, or suffocated by slime that has stuck to your face and blocked your nose and mouth.
Even a 5–6-year-old child can kill a strong soldier if they let their guard down. Even a low-ranking monster can kill you if you let your guard down or underestimate them."
"......" (All WT)
Certainly, that advice was correct.
However, Wonder Trio was only ranked F because they had just been newly registered.
In reality, their overall abilities were around lower C rank, but if only by looking at offensive ability, they were around upper B rank.
...But Marcella and her group never said that.
No one would believe them anyway, and even if they did, it would just cause a lot of trouble.
Also, you should keep the enemy on his guard and avoid giving them any unnecessary information.
Especially if you use it without hiding the fact that it's a large storage spell.
"…………" (All WT)
Marcella and her group were confused and didn't understand by what they heard, which went against their own experience and common sense.
Because the standards of discussion were completely different, there was no room for understanding or reconciliation.
Unless Marcella and her group had a proper understanding of the monsters in the area, there was nothing they could do.
"...I understand. We'll study on the second floor."
The hunters here told them to study on the second floor.
If that was the case, then it would become clear why the Hunters here considered the monsters to be a threat, and how much of a threat they were.
In this regard, Marcella and her group tried to make rational decisions and did not rebel in an odd way.
They took the opinions and advice of veterans and seniors seriously.
…Whether or not they followed it was another matter, but this time it seemed they had decided it was useful advice.
"...Oh, oh..."
Usually, young people who were overconfident in their own abilities would ignore advice from older men.
So, the senior hunter seemed a little taken aback when Marcella listened to his advice, even though he had thought that they would probably get angry and resisted.
However, if he had been able to prevent the needless death of a young person, and especially a precious treasure such as a cute young magician, and if it had all been thanks to his advice, then he couldn't feel bad about it.
"I raised these guys!" That's the kind of guy.
This was the result of him volunteering to play the role of the hated person, knowing that he would only be treated as an old nuisance and hated.
There was no way he wouldn't be happy.
"...Well, if you have any problems or don't understand anything, just ask me..."
And after the Wonder Trio had moved to the second floor, the Hunter was smacked on the back by his party members who praised him for having gained a large lead in the battle for the "Trio of Beautiful Noble Magicians Who Can Use Offensive Magic", and the other Hunters glared at him with fearful eyes...
"What is this?!" (Marcella)
Marcella, who was reading the materials for new recruits on the second floor of the guild branch, suddenly spoke up.
"The recommended fighting force is a group of three orcs, with at least ten C-rank hunters..."
"So, you're saying that three C-ranks will hold off one orc, and the rest of us will target its weak spot? Anyway, what this means is..."
"That means that it takes three or more C-rank hunters to kill one orc without injuring it..." (All WT)
"You Hunters here are too weak!" (Marcella)
"Shhhhh!!" (Monica + Aureana)
Monica and Aureana frantically put their index fingers over their mouths to tell Marcella to stay quiet.
Even though there were few people there, the second floor was not completely deserted. There was a guild staff member in charge and a few local hunters.
Marcella's words reached everyone's ears and they glared at her with frightening looks on their faces.
"...I'm sorry..." (Marcella)
That was definitely a big slip of the tongue.
Marcella realized this and sincerely apologized.
The other hunters and staff were used to rookies overconfident in their abilities and making mistakes, so it didn't seem like they were genuinely angry.
However, ignoring the situation without showing any reaction would not be good for training a new employee, so it appeared he only pretended to be angry.
Normally, there were quite a few young people who would still attack and say things like "What's this, do you have a problem with that?!", but to properly reflect on your actions and apologize was still better.
...And what's more, the other person was a cute girl.
They all just moved their right wrists slightly to indicate that they accepted the apology.
In the end, beautiful women and girls were bargains in any industry...
"...So then, the C-rank hunters around here are different from those in our country, and it takes several people to subjugate a single orc..." (Marcella)
"Marcella, it's a little better than before, but it's not that different!"