"Well then, we'll finally start my activities as a hunter in earnest in the royal capital!" (Reina)
"Ohhh!" (Other 3)
"For now, we'll work hard to raise the party's name and get requests to join!" (Reina)
"Ohhh!" (Other 3)
If they raised that kind of spirit within the guild, it would stand out. ...they really stood out. However, here, Crimson Vow was still recognized as a party that had just become C-rank and only had one member with storage, and it was thought that the guild branch in their previous town had forced them to become C-rank because they had a member with storage, adding a lot of extras so that they could be called up in emergencies.
Also, unlike Wonder Trio, there were two vanguards and it was a party of four, so most parties were targeting Wonder Trio as a target for poaching, and Crimson Vow was relatively peaceful. As a result, all the Hunters there were watching Crimson Vow with smiles on their faces, but...
"Ah, members of Crimson Vow, you've received a named request!" (Receptionist)
When the receptionist shouted this from the window, the four members of Crimson Vow stumbled.
"..." (Reina)
With her spirits dashed and the other Hunters laughing at her, Reina was in a bad mood — or rather, she was embarrassed and blushing. The other three also looked a little embarrassed.
"...So, who asked us to do this when we've only just become C-rank?" (Reina)
Reina's question was a valid one. Although it might have been possible in the Old Continent, here they were merely a group of four young girls, so there was no way that anyone would request them specifically. However, even though they had no idea who was making requests to Crimson Vow, they knew of the existence of those with evil intentions and old men who made requests to good-looking young women. So, naturally, the members of Crimson Vow were on edge.
"This is a request from a merchant who is interested in your storage magic." (Receptionist)
(Ah, that's it...) (All CV)
If so, they could understand. No, it was not that they were convinced by the details of the request that they hadn't even heard yet, but rather that they were asked why they were selected...
And when they told the receptionist about the request, their face looked pale. As a guild, they had no choice but to act as intermediaries for requests that did not violate the rules. No matter how obviously it would be rejected. It was up to the nominated person to accept or decline it.
"...Then, your request is to transport luggage to the city of Meloi using storage magic, a trip that takes eight days one way. The cargo is roughly one carriage load, and the fee is 24 small gold coins, so?" (Mavis)
When meeting with the client, the party leader, Mavis, first gave a greeting, and then Mile took charge of the negotiations. This was only natural, as the request was related to storage magic.
"Yes! The fee for a simple cargo transfer is on par with that for an escort request, so it's an exceptional amount!" (Client)
"Haha……"
"Ahaha..."
"Ehehe..." (Pauline)
"Ahahaha!"
"Are you licking us?" (All CV)
"Why are we only getting a one-way daily rate? It takes us eight days to get back? The detention period is 16 days, right?" (Mile)
"Even if it’s just for a one-way trip, 24 small gold in eight days isn’t that three small gold a day? How is that like an escort request!? …Does that mean that anyone who doesn’t have storage has to work for free?" (Reina)
"And to begin with, we are Hunters! If you want to request an escort, that's the Hunter's job, but if you want to carry luggage, you should go to a carriage shop, a porter, or a merchant!" (Mavis)
"Eh……" (Client)
"Well, why do you look so surprised? We should be the ones who are surprised, having been approached with such a ridiculous request. In the first place, even if I were to use storage magic to carry my luggage, a young girl traveling alone would be targeted by bandits, so of course I'd need an escort, right? As it happens, we're a C-rank party, so we can protect ourselves, but that's why there's no escort fee, just the transportation fee for one person? Even though there's a risk of being attacked? It's not like you're going to hire any additional guards? Besides, Hunters with D-rank or above don't take on load carrying jobs in the first place. The only people who would accept requests to carry luggage were carriage makers, porters, laborers, and aspiring E-F rank or G-rank children under the age of 10 who were treated as apprentices. Or, couldn't you ask a merchant caravan heading in that direction...? It's shameful, or should I say embarrassing, for someone with a D-rank or above to take a job from such people. If they know the common sense of a Hunter and the concept of 'shame', they will never accept something like that..." (Mile)
"Mile is right. Well, if I receive a request to escort a merchant caravan and they ask me to put their important or fragile items in storage, I'll let them in. But that's just a service to the person who requested the escort service. I don't earn money by carrying luggage, so it's not a problem. ...But was that your only goal from the start, and you didn't even pay the escort fee, and instead charged a request fee far below market rate? Hah! Even though receiving a named request is proof of one's credibility, who would accept such a request?!" (Reina)
"In the first place, if you want to transport one carriage's worth of cargo, you need to pay for the carriage rental, the driver and three or four guards, the cost of the horses, food for everyone, and so on, for 16 days, including the return journey. When you think about it, trying to cover that with eight days' daily wages for one person, Mile-chan, it goes without saying." (Pauline)
Following Mile, Reina and Pauline also attacked the client. The face of the merchant girl they met in the port town came to everyone's mind.
(In rural towns, there aren't many good requests, so Hunters are in a weak position and are often preyed upon by unscrupulous merchants...) (Mile)
Not only Mile, the other three were thinking the same thing. However, this was the royal capital, and such tactics wouldn't work. …No, even in a rural town, it probably wouldn't work either unless the hunters were really struggling to make ends meet or were just stupid…
In fact, even when Crimson Vow was in the Old Continent, they were asked to carry luggage. Of course, the conditions were not so terrible, and the amount of compensation was something they could accept.However, they refused all of them, saying, "Carrying luggage is not the job of a C-rank Hunter." Mile and her companions had no intention of taking away jobs from people involved in the transportation industry. If this was "Transporting emergency supplies to a village suffering from famine" or "Transporting medicinal herbs to a rural area suffering from an epidemic", then it would be a different story... Then, the party leader, Mavis, officially replied to the request.
"For that reason, we will decline this request." (Mavis)
"Ugh... So, I'll send out a request to the entire party to escort me. And I'll have them carry my luggage at the same time. For four people, including the return trip, it was for 16 days. A total of 12 gold and 4 small gold. Then there won't be a problem!" (Client)
"Eh? Two small gold coins per person per day? That's one less than before. ...Besides, that would mean we're missing four small gold coins. Don't tell me you think we can't even multiply, and are trying to get around to some sneaky trick? We cannot accept requests from dishonest people who try to deceive the escorts they hire. Well, even before that, no matter how much you try to change your excuses and cover it up, if it's so obvious to everyone, there's no way you'll be accepted." (Mile)
"Eh……" (Client)
The merchant followed Mile's gaze and turned around... It was definitely attracting attention. From the guild staff and the other Hunters who were present...
The meeting took place in a booth in the corner of the guild. However, unlike the Commercial Guild, it was not a completely private, soundproofed room, but was simply partitioned off on three sides with boards. The back side and the top were completely open, and it was designed so that people only had to lower their voices when talking about departure dates and product names. If they spoke a little louder, it would be completely audible. The girls' voice carried clearly, and the voices of the Crimson Vow members, who were angry at their request for being mocked, were loud...