Astraea: The Journey of Magic

"Everyone, surround it! It's not getting away this time!"

In the Azralia plains, the group of four adventurers were surrounding a group of horned rabbits. One in particular, which was larger than the others, was giving them quite a bit of trouble, so they were focused on it first.

Normally, with their abilities, it would be easy. Kuroki and Riku had dispatched those six hoodlums after all. Sure they were drunk and high, but still.

However, they were used to fighting people. Both were used to a world where only people were there. And they were people too, so they knew how humans thought.

These Rabbits did not move like people, and they were harder to hit. They were faster, more agile, and used moves that humans never could.

Kuroki froze the ground solid, but then the Rabbit suddenly rushed in front of him and kicked him in the face, knocking him down to the ground inside the tall grass. The moment he did, the grass itself tied tiself around his wrists and ankles, as the larger rabbit seemed to wave magic.

Seriously?!

Kuroki froze the grass, which had been enhanced with mana, to break free and get back up, as the rabbit lunged at him again. Riku this time intercepted though, blocking with his sword and repelling the rabbit into the air. It was a technique he learned while training in Amyris' place.

"Brilliant Flash".

Riku utilized the Brilliant Flash technique, suddenly dashing forward while the rabbit was in mid air. He moved in to strike, but the rabbit used its ears to grab the blade and twist its body out of the way somehow. It also kicked Riku in the face. Kaede tried to sneak up behind to attack it, but it then kicked her in the face. However, that was when Ryuu appeared at its side, and slashed it. Or at least, he thought he did, but it managed to twist its body in mid air to avoid the slash and then kick him in the face as well.

"What is with this thing and kicking people in faces!"

Their rabbit hunt already hadn't been as successful as they wanted. The rabbits were fast, and their horns were pointy. Riku got stabbed in the leg earlier, and Kaede had to heal it. Her healing powers weren't all that great yet though, so she had to use a bit of healing potion to finish it off. Kuroki had been knocked out earlier even if it was only for five seconds, and Kaede had been tackled to the ground.

It wasn't an issue with ability, but rather, it was an issue with experience. Not a single one of them had fought rabbits before, especially these monster rabbits. At the end of the day, they really only had experience with people, not monsters. Amyris had tried to help with the simulations, but these had not been among them, and frankly they mostly learned survival instinct and how to dodge and protect themselves. Kuroki was able to figure out a few spells as well.

"Kuroki!"

"I am on it. Cling clang. The icy floor rises up to grip you. These chains of ice will forever grip you. As cold as can be, sapping your strength. These cold chains will forever remain. Snow Shackles!"

Kuroki cast his spell, and in the next moment chains of ice emerged from the ground, finally clamping down on the rabbit. However, the rabbit had already moved towards Kuroki, darting underneath his legs and causing the chains to go through as well. It had then jumped up as the chains finally locked it in, but then the rabbit seemed to use them to entangle Kuroki, using his own spell against him. It made them all look like fools, and yet...

"Flare Enchant: Incenia! Brilliant Flash!"

With the chains hampering its mobility, Riku was finally able to execute his combo and charged at the rabbit. It wasn't able to dodge like before, and the sword was on fire now, so it burned itself when it tried. Thus the sword cut right through the rabbit, finally defeating it.

"What the hell was with that thing? Normally the rabbits just make us run around to exaust us, then attack, but that thing was super aggressive!"

"Yeah. It was also larger then the others. It must be some sort of evolved version or variant".

"My face hurts".

"Same".

Riku, Kuroki, Ryuu, and Kaede all voiced their complaints in that order. Indeed, that rabbit was far more troublesome then the ruffians they fought at the guild. Or rather, it felt like it was using martial arts on them half the time. Kuroki had been kicked in the face repeatedly and his own spell was used against him. He didn't expect any of that, but clearly that rabbit was a cunning opponent. It could even use magic!

"Hey, Kuroki, anything else in the area?"

"Let me check. Wind and water, everywhere and everything. The empty space and the living things. Nothing exists beyond your sight. So let me tap into that hallowed might. Enhanced Echomap".

Kuroki used a spell he created, an enhanced version of his Echo and Sonar. They were better when he needed speed, but this was better for sheer range, accuracy, and efficiency. It really was true: incantations made magic so much more powerful and better. He could even add effects not normally related to the phenoma he was invoking.

"It looks like our area is clear. Which I am honestly grateful for, because I dont want to fight rabbits anymore".

"And you want to fight Goblins?"

"Given what I heard about them, I would have said no before...but after that martial artist rabbit, yeah. Besides, humanoids might actually be easier for us to deal with".

"That...is very true" Kaede said, nodding.

Kuroki took stock of them all. They had been beaten pretty good, but no one was bleeding anymore, and he was reasonable certain he did not have a concussion. Riku and Kaede healed his head anyways to be safe though. If they rested for a bit, they should be fine.

"I think after we rest up a bit, we should be able to help out. Fighting humanoid monsters should be easier for us, ironically".

"Plus you know, all the animal stuff they showed us in school..." Kaede admitted.

Kuroki had been in middle school now, but he had gone to the same elementary school as Kaede and Riku went to now. They had indeed kept rabbits there, and also there were always those assemblies which mentioned things like animal abuse and violence being bad, and they had never taken up hunting.

So one could say that monsters that appeared like animals, and especially rabbits, were a weakpoint for them.

I wonder what happened to those animals. I hope the emergency services that went to the city made sure to go and take care of them.

Kuroki had such idle thoughts as they sipped on some bottled juice, and sat down for a bit, taking a breather.

At the very least, they were getting some good endurance training. But that last rabbit had been a doozy for them. Unlike the others, which had just been evasive and fast, it had clearly used some sort of Rabbit Fu on them.

However, there was also another big thing.

"...I never once fought an opponent that was smaller then me. That was a new experience".

Kuroki was so used to opponents that were bigger then him, that this Rabbit was way outside of his reference base. If anything, its fighting style was probably something Kuroki could use against other opponents. He might have the height of a ten year old, but he was fifteen years old. Basically everyone his age was bigger than him. At the very least, he would remember how the Rabbit would constantly slip into and out of their field of vision, using the tall grass and its own shortness to its advantage.

Still, they were seriously considering going after Goblins. Goblins were more dangerous then horned rabbits normally, but they were not as fast, couldn't dart under their legs or easily move outside of their vision, and fight closer to how people fought. Kuroki's time dealing with bullies, and his attempts to survive his father, and Riku's time at the dojo, would all be better there.

"I feel like its a bit messed up we are better against people then monsters" Ryuu pouted.

"Yeah. That feels...very off..."

Kuroki tilted his head a bit as he rested it upon his hand, pondering. "It's probably related to how we are Starfallen, and the Wish Process. We had only ever been antagonized by people right?"

"So your saying as part of our wish, it made us better adapted to dealing with people combatants?"

"Some of the wishes are simple, yet some are strange. I mean, Kaede, not a single one of yours involved combat abilities, yet somehow they all translated to combat abilities".

Riku nodded. "You are litterally using knife skills for cooking to dismantle enemies".

"...that is true. Its impossible to go through life without being antagonized by other people at some point. So your saying it took that even?"

"Likely so".

After all, despite their trouble with rabbits, they were not weak. They weren't crazy "lets burn down the country" strong or "remember every single little thing we ever learned" supergeniuses, but they did have a decent amount of intelligence and they gained some abilities from the Starfall. If they kept it up, they would likely become strong. Amyris said that with enough time and hard work, they could all easily reach S-Rank at least. It wasn't easy of course. Even Ozlo, who had been an adventurer since he was six, and was insanely talented, was only A-Rank. And that was with his nickname, Dragon Caller, and him doing work as a guild receptionist. None of them could call forth dragons, at least not yet, and they certainly doubted they would have joined the guild at six years old.

As they finished resting up, Kuroki did another search of the area. However...

"Weird".

"What is it?"

"There was a lone rabbit on my radar, but when it saw us, it retreated almost immediately. And then every other rabbit pulled back as well".

"Are the rabbits organizing like the Goblins? Is this related to the rumored revival of the Demon King?"

"...possibly. We had best be careful. Lets head back to the road and see what the status is with the HQ camp".

And so, they decided to head back and report their findings.

While this was going on, Reiji and Juno were having their own experience. Like Kuroki's group, they too were fulfilling requests and hunting monsters, although they were not dealing with anything quite as urgent. While the Goblins were surging over by Azralia, around the city of Ruthil, they were dealing with monsters of their own. That said, as the two cities were roughly in the same region, it was about the same mix of monsters. However, apparently a dormant volcano was just a bit away from them, so occasionally Tinydrakes would appear in the area. They were actually a bit of a problem, since they could cause forrest fires and disrupt the monster ecosystems. And whenever the monster ecosystem was disrupted, unless they had plenty of preparations, casualties often ended up in the hundreds, or even the thousands. So they were always a priority hunt.

Incidentally, Tinydrakes were classified as Dragon Type monsters, however they were the weakest of Dragons. They were not even full fledged Drakes, but Tinydrakes. Each one was about the size of a dog. Reiji and Juno had been notified of them by the guild since they were newcomers, but they appeared in the forests that led towards the Volcano, while they were hunting in the opposite side in the southwest forest. Right now, as two people, their formation was Reiji in front, acting as their vanguard, while Juno was their rear guard.

Reiji seemed to have developed some sort of ability to attract attention of their enemies towards him. Supposedly, there was a technique warriors used where they tensed up and caused their pressence to seem bigger, drawing the attention of the monsters towards them since it was the larger threat that needed to be defeated first. However, that typically required training and experience, so it was most likely related to Reiji's wish to take attention away from his friends so they would hurt less. Juno was rather concerned about it since he had already been being bullied himself for how tall he was, and deep down he didn't want Reiji to get hurt, but he did have to accept Reiji was his vanguard. That was the best way for them to handle combat.

Right now, the two were hunting Goblins. They had tried the fields before to start out with, however they ran into a bit of a problem. Demon Cats were the ones that came at them. Some of them attacked, while others just stared at Juno questioningly. Juno had great difficulties as a cat lover, so he was totally incapable of keeping a calm mind around them. Even with the Compliance Effect, it wasn't like it totally overrode their personalities. As such, his affinity for cats, plus the fact not all of them attacked him, caused them to go to the forest instead to hunt Goblins.

Reiji would attract the Goblins using his Hostility Attraction ability, and then as he defended them, Juno would perch in a tree and cover is back. That was how they dealt with the Goblins till now, but then a weird thing happened. A group of nine goblins came out of the woods, and right towards them. Six were immediately pulled in by Reiji, but three were able to escape his ability and went after Juno. Juno grabbed a tree branch and swung himself around, planting his shoes into the branch as he quickly took out a bow and fired an arrow, nailing a goblin that tried to jump up and attack the back of Reiji's neck.

The goblins were as nimble tree climbers as Juno however, and quickly leapt and swung from branch to branch after him. They surrounded him, forcing Juno to take out his blade. It was basically two long daggers, but Juno only brought one out right now since he used the other hand to help him move around the tree, along with his tail. Unlike normal tails, the Cat Beastkin tail was able to grab onto things like branches well enough and could support his wait for a bit, although it was painful. He couldn't really hold a sword or a bow in it, or anything that required even some dexterity, but he could use it occasionally for fast maneuvers while climbing and moving through trees.

"Reiji, one is going for behind again" Juno called out as his blade clashed with a Goblin's stone dagger. It was a crude weapon, but it was sharp enough that it cut Juno's skin when the Goblin shifted positions.

Goblins can use tactics and intelligence. They can work in groups. I see, so this is why they were typically handled by F-Ranks.

Goblins were weak and stupid in fact, but even they learned how to use pack tactics. You could trick them for sure, but they lived and survived in the wilds since infancy, so underestimating their ability to hunt prey was a mistake. In truth, G-Ranks could dispatch a group of goblins normally, since Goblins typically grouped into smaller groups to avoid attracting large predators who would want a large easy meal. But the group in front of them was much larger and abnormal.

Reiji bashed one with his shield with enough force and at the right angle to smash him into a tree, breaking its neck and providing lethal damage. This resulted in four goblins on Reiji, and three on Juno. Juno deflected another Goblin's club as they swung behind him on the branch, but Juno was able to twist under the branch, swung himself up behind the goblin, and stab it in the neck. This left two remaining on Juno.

Reiji however used his sword as he swung around. The goblin it went for dodged, but then it suddenly found a stone dagger embedded in its back, thrown by Juno from a distance. Juno had simply combined his knife talent and his archery talent, and it was quite effective. He would remember to pick up throwing knives, since clearly they were quite useful for situations like this.

Reiji meanwhile launched a barrage of attacks against the others, who got startled by this sudden development. In the blink of an eye, four became two, while Juno managed to maneuver behind another goblin that was targeting him and backstab him. The remaining three goblins in total were now panicked. They thought these two were easy prey, but instead they had the tables turned against them. They were already looking to flee, but the moment the one turned its back on Juno, Juno drew his bow and fired an arrow, hitting it dead on in the back of the neck, killing it. He then drew two more arrows and looked over at Reiji's two, defeating them as well as he let them loose.

The moment they tried to run, it had become the ideal situation for Juno.

"Well, that went well. I believe its their...magic cores, or magicites, and their left ear is proof of subjugation".

"Right, got it. We should get to work then, I think this is enough for tonight".

"At the very least, we will be able to eat three meals a day and pay for our own room for a bit longer".

When Juno had originally budgeted their savings, he had actually been forced to limit them to two meals a day in that estimate. However, they were now able to certainly eat three, which was good since they were used to three instead of two.

It seemed like they would be able to barely get by hunting Goblins, but if they wanted to get more clothes, decent savings, and better gear, they would need more. Furthermore, they would have to work every day basically to meet this quota, and hope to have a good haul. Today was actually a better haul then normal, but it wouldn't be enough forever.

At the very least, they agreed that they would stay in a single bed room together and sleep in the same bed until they could at least become D-Rank adventurers. Then they could build up decent savings, which would let them afford such luxuries as a two bed room, or even just two separate rooms. At first, Reiji offered to sleep on the floor, at least sometimes, but Juno denied him, saying since he didn't need as much rest anyways he could do it, but Juno refuted him, saying he already did so much for them.

As they were done, the two looked at their clothes.

"Guess I am doing laundry again tonight".

"You know, I could do laundry. In fact, let me do it tonight. You shouldn't have to do it every time" Reiji insisted.

"Nah. Besides, you would stick out at my laundry group like a sore thumb. The height difference between you and them is just too staggering, people might find it weird".

"But you have to work with cold water at night when its even colder. That can't be good for your health, and there are people targeting you. Going out there naked to do laundry every night is a bit..."

Juno shook his head. "No. Its bad enough I am putting you in danger with only me to back you up. But you need to rest. As the vanguard, you need the most sleep to regain your stamina and stand at the front. You need to be at your best so you don't get hurt and can protect the party. I need less rest anyways, so I might as well tire myself out doing something productive. Its not like I have manga or books or web novels to read anymore".

"Still...people from the main hall are getting glimpses of you right? There might be people there which are part of that criminal organization, who size you up. Not to mention the people who watch you every night while outside. Leaving aside the fact they are a bunch of perverts, the more this happens, the more dangerous it becomes".

"They wont ever attack the inn though. They wont even attack near it" Juno replied. "They would have already if they could. I mean, I more or less broadcasted I could tell they were there after all. No way they didn't notice that".

Juno had basically dared them to attack, but they never did. Last night, he got so annoyed at them, he turned around while doing laundry and shook his bare butt at them, clearly motioning that he was cleaning it. It was clearly intended as a remark that he was using them as toilet paper, which Juno imagined would probably work well as an antagonizer.

Reiji however frowned when he heard this.

"You went way too far there".

"Eh, its their fault for being perverts. Seriously, think about it. There is no reason to scout out my bare body every single night for these last five days".

"Still, this makes me think I should do it even more".

"No, if we change routines, the chances of them striking with even more force increase. Right now they probably just see me as some cocky kid. They sure do seem to love looking at my cock, though they seem more focused on my butt and back. Even when me and the others leave the backyard and race in the alley when we take a break from laundry, they still dont try anything. I dont know why, but something about this inn makes them afraid of attacking. It might be the owner. The one time I felt the gazes leave us was when he came out with his son, and they did laundry with us...truly, I learned the world was a large place".

"...Juno, you seem to be having some mixed emotions with that last statement".

"Sorry, its just...well lets just say the rest of my laundry washing friends reacted the same way. Anyways, they did not watch us at all while he was out there. The moment the owner stepped out, the fled like crazy. Although its hard to tell he and his son are related. His son was thin and pure like the rest of us, probably about ten or so. He seemed wicked smart though, and was able to understand the complex things we sometimes talked about. The father meanwhile was massive and muscular. He was larger then Kuroki's shitty dad".

"...that is tall and muscular".

"Apparently he is a retired adventurer, who stopped at A-Rank".

"Well gee, no wonder they ran away".

Every rank in the adventurer's guild was even harder to earn and took more time to earn then the last. The gap between D and C was about twice as big as F to E. C to B was even bigger, and then to get to A-Rank you basically had to perform some sort of heroic feat. And to make it to S-Rank, you basically had to become absurd ot become a regional hero, or even a hero recognized by the country.

It would probably take them years to reach A-Rank. It might even be harder for them since they didn't have any backers.

Unfortunately, perhaps syncronistic thoughts caused them to atract trouble, as Juno heard a voice. He quickly made himself and Reiji hide, with Reiji hiding especially far back, as they both saw a girl around their age appear. She was surrounded by four boys, who appeared around fifteen, give or take a year, and they seemed to be smitten with her.

Juno immediately sensed something was wrong and covered his mouth. He darted back towards Reiji quietly, as they listened in.

"Now then, lets see if there are any good amount of money to be made here".

"Good thinking. I bet we can really show the guild up this way if we hunt plenty of goblins around here!"

"Yes yes. We have to show them up and show that freak who is boss".

"Yeah, that stray refuses to recognize our greatness!"

It seemed that she was leading them on and riling them up, but Juno could smell something strange in the air around her.

It must be some sort of pheramone based ability. But it looks like its a low level charm that requires her to use words as well.

The two noticed how they seemed to be rather smitten with her, but not really under her full control. It seemed they shared similar viewpoints to her, but likely Kyri had not recognized them because there was nothing to recognize. Their formation was sloppy, with sometimes their archer in the front, and they had various blindspots. Juno figured he could get a few of them before they could respond, which meant he could put an arrow through her heart.

Reiji however stopped him.

"If even one of them gets away, we could get charged with murder".

"But if she discovers us, she will try to kill us you know?"

"I know, but...we cant resort to that level. At least, not so easily".

Juno glared at her again, but then let the tension go.

"Alright, lets get out of here before they spot us. Though given how haphazard they are, I doubt they would be able to".

And so, Reiji and Juno left the forest and called it a day, with Juno's anger not yet reaching a critical point.

Meanwhile, Kuroki and the rest of Silver Storm made their way to the main camp. It was quite a large camp too, housing various support facilities, medical clinics, an imprptu bar, a repairsmith, and what Kuroki suspected might have been a brothel, but that was unconfirmed and debatable.

Although the adventurers had a risky position and this quest was never meant to be safe, the guild naturally didn't just abandon its members without any aid. In the field, three base camps were set up to serve as a checkpoint. It was also a medical treatment camp, where those who got injured could seek help. The teams in the forests couldn't reach it as fast, but the ones in the fields could get there in just a few minutes. And there were three of them in total, strategically positioned. Even the furthest parties could reach one if they ran for about fifteen minutes.

Kuroki decided to check in, and also inquire about the rabbits. They made their way back, only to see something that temporarily put the party on guard. Five pairs of Rabbit ears, all walking through the field. They briefly got ready for combat, before they could see them clearly enough. They quickly put away their weapons and continued onward.

It was a group of five Rabbit Beastkin. Five boys to be exact. It looked as if they had two warriors, two mages, and a rogue. From what Kuroki could remember when they met at the camp that morning, they were all brothers, apparently quintuplets. They were the E-Rank party known as the Deep Dashers, known for their speed and agility. Considering they were E-Rank, they were probably coming from the forest to report something.

Supposedly, this party was in charge of general support, shoring up weakened areas, and running messages, due to the fact that as Rabbit Beastkin, they were all incredibly fast. Rabbit Beastkin tended to be small, short, and quick. They also had good hearing though, and supposedly as they got older they could produce razor sharp whiskers as hard as steel from their faces to pull and use as weapons. Normally no whiskers were on their faces though, so it was an interesting ability.

The camp itself wasn't anything major. There was an old barn that seemed to still be standing in this part of the field, back when it was farmland, but otherwise it was all tents and the like. There were various people walking about, and everyone here had colored armbands. White armbands meant they were healers, black armbands meant they were guards, red armbands were guild staff, and blue armbands were messengers. Green armbands meanwhile belonged to the logistics corps of the Adventurer's Guild, who were responsible for setting these things up and ensuring the stock of potions, arrows, and weapons remained good in case of an emegency.

Incidentally, when they found the command tent, Ozlo was wearing both red and green armbands, meaning he was technically in both, but both of his armbands had a golden stripe through the center. This meant he was in a position of authority, and as such was able to order people around. That said, he looked rather displeased, as if he had an itch or an irritation that he couldn't get rid of, soothe, or even scratch, but worse. It might be related to the various other people in the tent, many of whom crowded him. At least two were actively trying to convince him to help them out or work for them, while one seemed to be relaying yet another marriage proposal.

They both made it back to the camp and entered the command tent at about the same time, but as the higher ranking party, Deep Dashers went first. Ozlo turned to give them their full attention, leaking out some mana to silence everyone around them.

"We have ascertained that the Goblin numbers are mostly staying the same, except for a rare group of five. Out of all one hundred or so groups of Goblins encountered, about 55 percent were groups of three, 40 percent were groups of four, and five percent were groups of five roughly".

"Hmm. If it is a surge, it sure is happening slowly" Ozlo muttered. "Of course, if we could just send the E-Ranks we had to send into the sewers, that would be fantastic and make me feel a whole lot better".

"Are you refuting an order from nobility?" a pompous person said. In fact, of all the other people here dressed in a fancy way, he was by far the most egregious and gaudy. He had a ring on his index, middle, and ring finger on each hand, and at least two necklaces. All golden and adorned with gemstones. He appeared to be around twenty or so years old, and had two servants attending him. Something about him also seemed weirdly familiar to Kuroki, but he could not place it.

Ozlo managed the most sincere smile he could force, which actually looked decently faked to be honest since there was no twitching or sense of malice in there. "I am just saying that the sewers did not need that many E-Rank Adventurers. They have the lowest sightings of goblins, with 95% or more being groups of three, and only a single group of four encountered. The encounter rate in there is also very low, we could have easily left it to F-Ranks".

"You would dare allow the noble district to be put in jepordy?!" he said, outraged. That said, it was a rather unreasonable jump in logic. "If anything, you should send more in there! How about that group of Demihumans! The fact they are here instead of fighting means they cant be that much use".

Is this guy serious?

Kuroki was no expect in military strategy. He was smart and quick witted, and sure he could be strategic and clever. But he had no way of remembering every tactic from every book and tended to just make it up as he went. And yet, he certainly knew enough to know how important communication was. This was a group that had to go everywhere and anywhere. They had to take less breaks then others because they had to check out and support all regions. One could say they were one of the most important and active of all. If communications was not fast, and also strong enough to handle whatever they encountered, the cooperation between all the parties would fall apart.

Ozlo seemed to sigh. "Tell me, young master. Have you been properly doing your homework?"

At those words, he seemed to be enraged.

"Don't get all cocky because you finished top of your class..."

"With grades skipped" Ozlo added in.

"Just cause those teachers wanted to suck up to your grandpa, and overlooked my brilliance, doesn't mean you get to act however you please".

Ozlo however remained calm, and proceeded to remain calm and use a rather passive and appeasing voice.

"I simply worked hard and remained diligent, and didn't slack off or try to harm my fellow students" Ozlo replied. "After all, nothing is better for development then hard work".

The noble however twitched, clearly irritated by Ozlo. He then looked over at Kuroki's party.

"Well then perhaps I should take that G-Rank party" he said in a nasty voice. "They look to be all little kids, so I bet they would entertain me far more, especially at night".

At those words, Ozlo finally seemed to snap a bit, as his forced smile became clearly forced.

"Actually they are F-Rank, and they also work hard. The guild looks after its own after all" he said, petting a dragon. Everyone took a step back, feeling chills down their spine. No one even noticed when he called the mini dragon out, yet it was now sitting in Olzo's lap, as he stroked its back. The dragon looked right at the noble.

"Do you know who my father is?! How dare you threaten me!"

"I dont think I have said a single threatening word to you at all, nor made any aggressive actions to you, Young Lord Valiance" he said.

Kuroki realized it now, that was why he seemed so familiar. It appeared he was as repulsive and annoying as his father, who had borderline tried to abduct Kuroki and Kaede right before they got their first clothes in this world. Needless to say, Kuroki was not a fan of this person.

Deep Dashers meanwhile, looked at Ozlo for permission to continue. Ozlo nodded.

"Soaring Shields is still doing well, pacing themselves and keeping steady as one of the main parties at the front of the deepwoods. So far nothing has gotten past them. They have yet to get a single scratch, but they will run out of stamina eventually, so we should send a group to relieve them. Anira's Wrath, Blossoming Winds, and Swordbearers are all doing fine in terms of stamina, but they will need more potions. Devil's Bane needed to pull back to recover at another camp, and Riftwatch and Torren's Might will need parties to come switch out with them soon, as their stamina is spent".

"I see. As expected of Soaring Shield, they will certainly qualify for the E-Rank test after today. Devil's Bane was within my estimations, as well as Torren's Might, but Riftwatch even? I didn't see that coming".

"It appears they encountered two groups of goblins back to back, before they could rest".

"Even so, what type of Goblins? No Hobs right?"

"No hobs. However, these goblins did have better weapons and armor then any other group I saw".

"How? No one has died yet, no weapons misplaced, so how...tsk. Of course, the damned Black Market. What kind of weapons were they?"

The leader of Deep Dashers shook his head. "We dared not to get close, my mage said something about them felt wrong".

"Damnit. I was afraid of that. Its probably cursed weapons. Tell Riftwatchers to immediately withdraw and take their place until we send a relief party. I want them to head here, to this Clinic. Hopefully they didn't get cursed, or at least only absorbed traces of it. Actually, in case its already setting in, take one of the carriages and have it bring them back. And then check in with other groups once the relief party comes and see if anyone else had any cursed weapon sightings or any signs of curses".

"Understood. Then Deep Dashers will be heading out".

The five rabbitkin boys all headed out, and quickly went into an incredibly fast sprint.

"Alright. Now then, Silver Storm, what do you have to report?"

"Sir, we cleared the fields by the forest as requested. No Goblins came after us, however we encountered an unusually tough rabbit that used martial arts".

"That explains why you all look like you got kicked in the face...that is what literally happened, wasn't it?" Ozlo said, adding a question to the end when he saw their expressions to his words.

Kuroki nodded. "Yessir. We did defeat it of course, and retrieved its magic stone for examination. It was also able to use magic to manipulate grass, and was able to deftly avoid fast sword strikes".

"I see. Today was your first day fighting rabbits wasn't it? Did you get used to them at all".

"Yeah".

"Good to hear. They are fast, which can be annoying. But a martial arts rabbit? I have never heard of such a thing before, how peculiar".

"Hmmmf. Why should we listen to such small children whose best purpose is to serve as our entertainment" Count Valiance's son said, giving them a disgusting look.

Ozlo and Kuroki ignored him as they continued.

"Alright then. You guys are F-Rank, so I want you to clear a path towards the northern forest and go after some gobs. I want you to go to where Devil's Bane used to be and shore up the subjugation search there".

"You seem to be treating this as a siege".

"Aye. That way, on the off chance it becomes one, everyone is in the right mindset...although it seems like most are not taking it seriously, and between that and some rather frivolous things and logistic shortages, I doubt it's as good as I wish it was".

Of course, there was also the fact this large scale hunt involved less experienced adventurers, but Ozlo wasn't going to say that out loud in front of those very less experienced adventurers.

To be honest, I would much prefer if we could get the help of more experienced adventurers, but until it actually becomes a Siege, I cant or it could get them into trouble and invalidate the efforts of the lower ranked adventurers. I understand why its necessary most of the time, since its necessary to make sure adventurers aren't just carried on the efforts of much stronger parties, but its still a pain for situations like this. We can void it in emergency situations, but because its not considered an emergency yet due to the lack of Hobs or any high ranking Goblin types, and since the city is not under Siege, I can't. Still, I dont like this situation.

That said, Ozlo refused to just abandon everyone and leave them out there to suffer. That was why he was manning the center camp, the one with the largest coverage and containing the most people. Should any advanced types appear, and the difficulty rank of this mission increase, he had the authority to charge in to handle it personally. But he couldn't do that yet, and certainly not under the watch of the nobles, who sent messengers and even came themselves or sent their children here.

Even though most of them are in the way, they will claim somehow that they "helped lead the mass goblin subjugation" and use it as honors for themselves, even though they are not lifting a finger. Uhg...

In fact, one such noble spoke up right there, the same one that has been giving Ozlo no end of grief. He was sure it was due to the encounter his grandfather had with Count Valiance a few days ago, this was direct harassment aimed at him. He was of course a noble as well, his grandfather was a Count too after all. But he was a grandchild, while the one in front of him was a child of the count, so technically he was outranked. Of course, that was why Ozlo had been given the gold bands by the Guildmaster. It raised his authority and status here, which meant he had more protection and leeway.

"Hmmmf. THese brats are in no way capable on their own. Clearly they need my leadership" Lord Valiance proclaimed, which caused all sorts of panic for Ozlo.

Oh hell no! I wouldn't even allow this with a normal party, but absolutely not with this one! This is clearly some plot or scheme, and even if its not, he wont be taking credit from promising F-Rankers!

Ozlo was about to speak, but then someone else beat him to it.

"What are you thinking, you fool?! Don't get in the way of the adventurers just to settle a grudge!"

Valiance, Ozlo, and the others were a bit startled to hear the voice, as they turned towards the source of the booming pressence. It appeared to be a man in his mid thirties, with a seasoned military air to him. He had been standing there unnoticed the whole time, not making a peep, but now decided to step in. His pressence, once invisible, now overpowered the room, and various people got onto their knee and kneeled in reflex. Valiance was no different, and even Ozlo followed suit. Kuroki's party did not, partially because they were still startled and were not sure who it was. Kuroki looked towards Ozlo's face, and he saw Ozlo with a relieved expression.

"Count Cremalis!" Ozlo said.

"At ease. Especially you, Ozlo. Seriously, you shouldn't let that dumb idiotic shitty guildmaster overwork you".

Ozlo smiled at those words. "Yes, of course my liege".

Compared to Valiance, in which Ozlo seemed to exagerate body expressions and used words layered with meanings, Ozlo was far more direct and positive with Cremalis.

Cremalis meanwhile, had a bright expression when he looked at Ozlo.

"Just so you know, the Royal Army is always willing to welcome you, even if its just aid and not joining. General Astris still fondly remembers your contributions during your time at the academy during all those emergencies and incidents".

"Why thank you, but I am afraid if I leave, the Vice Guildmaster might quit and the guild will descend into chaos. Still, maybe our stars will align one of these days".

"I suppose so" he said, then looking over at Valiance. His expression darkened in an instant, as he scowled at the man...no, the boy in front of him. Kuroki has seen that expression before. One of extreme disapproval. He had been subjected to it many times himself, although unlike his times which were unjust, this seemed rather justified instead. Still, it reminded him of a bitter memory.

"Sir, I really think..."

"Silence. I have heard quite much through the ale and the grape" Cremalis said, using what Kuroki guessed was an idiom of this world. "I do not feel comfortable leaving you around any child, especially ones you seem to hold a grudge towards".

I knew it. He was targeting me.

Kuroki had his suspicions, but now they were confirmed.

"But sir, as a noble..."

"If you call yourself a noble, then act like one" he growled, and Valiance flinched. A number of others there, who had been less vocal and less in the way, seemed to agree with Cremalis. It seemed that not all nobility was trash, and there were quite a few good ones here.

"And you, Silver Storm was it? So that must mean you are the new apprentice of the Magician of the Silver Hour, Kuroki, correct?"

"You know my name?"

"You should bow and speak politely before a noble!" one of the others hissed at him, but Cremalis glared at him.

"You lot should be ashamed of yourselves. I doubt newly minted F-Rank adventurers have even thought they would be interacting with nobility, they likely don't know how beyond the very very basics. They are fighting with their lives on the line to avoid damage to our city, and you lot came barging in to try and steal their accomplishments for your own gain".

"Aren't you here as well?!" one of them quipped in their annoyance.

"Nah. I am here to see if there is any talent to poach of course" he said with a sly grin. Ozlo let out an exasperated sigh.

"Please dont steal our future prodigies. We need them to keep the monsters trimmed down".

"Relax relax. Its not like I will just go around stealing anyone. Besides, they would need to display the ability to work in coordination and uniform with the military. A lot of your talented kids seem a bit too...individualistic to work for the army, but you never know when you might come across a hidden gem. Besides, I want to personally confirm also that this really isn't a Siege".

Ozlo actually seemed a bit relieved in Kuroki's eyes when those words were said. Ozlo himself was having some very positive thoughts for a change.

Thank the gods Cremalis was here. He can be a bit bothersome at times, but he means well and he is incredibly practical and wise. With him here, we might be able to respond in time to an emergency situation. He even brought his knights to help keep the camp secure. It really offsets Valiance's stupidity, which would have made me station more guards here normally so I could have the force to counter any idiotic scheme he might be cooking up during a potential crisis.

Cremalis then turned towards Kuroki. "Well, it looks like you got your orders, so you had best head out before anything else happens".

Valiance looked like he was about to object, but before the words even came out of his mouth, Kuroki's group was gone. They had picked up Cremalis' hidden meaning clear with that last sentence. Better leave before this idiot tries anything else.

"Its good to see that not all nobles are idiots".

"Those guys were just their kids right? It seems like they might not have finished their own education yet".

Kuroki then wondered something.

"...I wonder if some of their families sent them out here hoping something happened, so that they might get a taste of reality and shock them out of their stupidity".

"Thats...harsh..."

"Maybe, but that might be normal common sense for nobles" Kuroki countered.

"That is fair".

The group then proceeded to head towards the forest, cutting through the plains as they did.