"Oh! You are the members of Crimson Vow, right? I'd like to make a nomination request!"
"……eh?" (All CV)
When they showed up at the Hunter Guild branch, before they could approach the information board or request board, a girl around 15 or 16 years old called out to them.
"A special request? Umm, who are you...?" (Mavis)
Mavis asked, looking confused.
It's understandable. In the Old Continent, it might have been possible, but here, Crimson Vow was still a very new party that had only just registered, so there was no way they would receive a named request.
Although they did deliver a large amount of prey, they could have just purchased it from the guild. There was no reason for them to pay extra money and request it as a special request.
Furthermore, the fact that Crimson Vow was making large deliveries was not widely known outside of those associated with the Hunters Guild... and of course, this included ordinary hunters as well... and due to confidentiality agreements, they were not proactive in spreading the word.
"Oh, sorry for the late introduction. I'm a free trader[1] named Arly (アルリ)."
"Hmm... So, what kind of request do you have for us?" (Mavis)
Free traders did not have a shop, but they did not peddle their wares with a porter or horse-drawn carriage either; they operated without a store, or something like that.
Well, they were just a fledgling small merchant with little capital, earning a margin through middle-man-ship and such.
However, even if they were just starting out and were a small business, receiving a request from a merchant meant that their skills and trustworthiness were recognized, and it was an honor for an ordinary novice hunter.
...For an ordinary... novice hunter...
Even if a budding merchant had low credibility, if the request went through the Hunter Guild, the fee was deposited with the guild in advance, so there was no need to worry about defaulting on the payment.
"Yes, the fee is eight small gold coins. The request is to deliver four orcs." (Arly)
"……eh?" (All CV)
Everyone couldn't believe their ears.
"...I'm sorry, could you please say that again..." (Mavis)
When Mavis said this timidly, the girl spoke again clearly.
"Four orcs to be delivered, the fee is eight small gold coins. …Ah, I would like to have a direct contract between the client and the person who receives the job, without going through the Hunter Guild, and make it an 'open request'!" (Arly)
"What on earth is that!!!" (Everyone)
Not only the four members of Crimson Vow, but the other hunters and guild staff who had been listening couldn't help but shout out.
"Ah, ah, you see. If you didn't accept that request and just took those four orcs directly to the guild's purchasing desk, you'd get several times as much for them!
…Are you stupid?" (Reina)
In response to Reina's retort, the girl calmly replied.
"No, that’s not it…
But, I thought that maybe that's the case for you guys..." (Arly)
"What on earth is that!!!" (All CV)
The impact was so great that all of Crimson Vow's members were intrigued and wondered if there was something going on behind the scenes, so they decided to go to the food and drink corner of the guild to hear more details.
...There's a limit to how much one was interested in something.
However, Crimson Vow wasn't short of money and was interested in strange requests.
Other hunters who were short on cash would have simply brushed it off.
And because this was a strange case, Mile, who was in charge of such things, was in charge of the situation.
"...So, why did you make such a request under such unreasonable conditions?" (Mile)
Thinking that there must be some reason behind her question, not only Crimson Vow but also the other hunters and guild staff listened with interest.
And…….
"No, if you do that, you'll make money." (Arly)
"What on earth is that!!!" (Everyone)
The same shout had been repeated many times within the guild for a while now, but that couldn't be helped.
There wasn't a Hunter or Guild employee who could withstand this...
"This, this woman..."
"To be honest, she was a bit stubborn..."
"Let's fix it a little..."
"Tahaha..."
"And it's a free contract that doesn't go through the guild? That means there's a risk of being trampled on the request because they don't pay the fee to the guild in advance! Moreover, because you're not going through the guild, you won't get any support from the guild if you run into trouble, and you won't get any compensation if you get injured! What's more, you won't get any achievement points! Who would accept such a ridiculous request?!" (Reina)
Reina barked, seeing that it's clearly a trap.
The other hunters and guild staff nodded in agreement.
The guild would not receive any income from this as they would not receive any commission.
It might have been understandable if she had brought it up somewhere else, but bringing up such a topic with a Hunter in front of the guild reception desk was just insane.
No matter how unconventional Crimson Vow was, in this case, Reina and her companion were the ones with common sense.
"A merchant must be honest!" (Arly)
"There's a difference between honesty and naivety! You need to negotiate a little more and put up a front..." (Mile)
"Mile, don't give unnecessary advice to bad people..." (Mavis)
Mavis criticized Mile.
Pauline, who was ignoring her own shortcomings and spouting ridiculous words like "honesty," was ignored.
"...Anyway, is your family has been taken hostage? And if I don't pay 10 gold coins by today, your sister will be sold off? Or something like that...?" (Mile)
"No, nothing in particular?" (Arly)
Mile's question that gave her a glimmer of hope was also shot down.
"..." (All CV)
"……" (All CV)
"........." (All CV)
"What are you going to do? Bringing something like this all the way to the food and drink corner just to talk to us...
She must be thinking that since we invited her, we should pay for all the food and drinks. That's obvious, judging by the amount of food she ordered, and the expensive ones at that.
No, that's fine. That was the intention all along.
But, when you're about to ask someone for a favor, asking for expensive things as if that's a given, that clearly shows some kind of personality problem! How can you make a contract with someone like that that doesn't go through the guild?" (Reina)
Saying that, Reina slammed the table.
"...Mile, you should take responsibility and say no!" (Reina)
Just a refusal.
Reina was furious.
"Oh no! I think this is where Reina-san and Pauline-san, who are knowledgeable about merchants, come in..." (Mile)
"I don't know!" (Reina)
"I don't know!" (Pauline)
"Tahaha..." (Mile)
Reina and Pauline rejected Mile's words.
…It was obvious.
No merchant wanted to be involved with this.
No, there probably wouldn't be anyone other than a merchant.
Mavis gave a wry smile, as if she thought it had nothing to do with her.
"Then, the party leader, Mavis-san..." (Mile)
"Impossible!" (Mavis)
Mavis quickly knocked down Mile's pleading words.
Even the kind-hearted man seemed not to be happy with this.
…Or rather, it was precisely because she was a kind-hearted person that he was not good at roles such as "refusing a request or favor."
And Reina and her companion had these arguments right in front of the person they were supposed to refuse.
Everyone's intentions should have been completely conveyed by now.
…Normally.
Author's Note
...