2-16 Busted
"Please wait here."
I was led by a warrior squad clerk in loose-fitting clothes to one room in the manor. Inside, the people who'd arrived ahead of us were already there. On the left was a group all clad in matching black armor—probably around twenty of them. Huddled to the right, as if pushed aside by their intimidating presence, were the rest. They sat in clusters of a few each, likely forming three parties.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
A pompous-looking man in ornate armor adorned with green drapes hurried in. He took position at the front, where a lectern stood, and his attendant-like subordinates spread out documents and began preparations.
"No time to waste—let's get started. You're all here to assist with the warrior squad's current mission, correct?"
"……"
The assembled mercenaries (probably) glanced around at each other, gauging reactions. Taking their silence as assent, the man nodded lightly and pressed on.
"I'm Eldot, deputy warrior captain at Cross Point base. No need to remember the name. Let me give a quick rundown of this operation. The subhuman Getta in the southeastern wilderness have ramped up their activity. Meanwhile, monsters are multiplying along the Kansen River basin right to our west, and more are drifting down from upstream. To tackle these issues, we're mounting a full-scale subjugation op with Cross Point's forces."
Eldot, the self-proclaimed deputy captain, paused there, scanning the room for our reactions.
"The subjugation will split into two major ops. One: encirclement and annihilation of the subhumans in the wilderness. Two: monster survey and extermination along the Kansen River basin. The Black Blade mercenary corps and... ah, the Star Chaser party will join the first. Stay here. The rest of you, follow me next door for details—it's mostly numbers anyway. Move out."
He clapped his hands to spur us into action. Guess I'm in the moving group.
That black-armored crew must be the Black Blade mercenaries. They look and sound just like your typical enemy squad. No further involvement with them on this job, probably.
Guided by another warrior squad clerk to a different room—this one feeling like a middle school classroom—a second pompous official was prepping documents at the lectern. Spotting us, he stood to greet.
"Welcome to Cross Point base. I'm Senior Warrior Estok, in charge of this op. Word is, you haven't formally contracted yet—you'll decide after this briefing."
He left a gap, tossing the question our way, and another awkward silence fell as we eyed each other.
"...Yeah, that's us."
One guy rasped a reply, and Estok nodded, moving ahead.
"Right. First, the op overview to get your buy-in. You might've heard the basics, but we're requesting aid for a survey and subjugation mission along the Kansen River basin south of Cross Point. We've got three parties from the monster hunter guild—one solo, two parties. You'll split into separate squads. The two parties, Gray Spider and Serion's group, have solid mid-basin hunting creds, so we're counting on you for scouting. As for the solo... Yoyo, right? Expecting magic support from you. You'll embed with mid-sized squads of about twenty each for a minimum three-day op. More details later, but plan for three days minimum, up to one or two weeks."
"One or two weeks, huh..."
"It's a big op. Clear your schedules for at least a week."
"Rewards?"
Someone from another hunter party piped up. The mood shifted from cautious peeking to open questions.
"Base pay: two silver coins per day. Even if it wraps midday on day four, you get four days' worth. Might sound low, but that's baseline. Fulfill scout or mage duties, and that's an extra silver daily. Performance bonuses on top. Handle dangerous monsters, and there's a bonus. Good money."
"What about monster materials if we kill 'em?"
"Squad takes 'em, but we pay equivalent to a per-head share. We reference past ops for payouts—standards exist, but not public. Ask as needed."
"How dangerous do you rate participation?"
"That's part of the survey, so unknowns abound. My take: monsters are surging, so risk is up. But we'll exterminate as we go. Still, elite warrior squad—safer than solo hunts. Overall, on par with your usual mid-basin gigs."
"……"
The hunters murmured among themselves, mulling it over. Accept or pass?
"Mind if I ask something?"
I raised my hand to draw attention. The other parties glanced my way.
"Go ahead."
"I've got one attendant. How's her pay?"
"Attendant, eh... Hm. I pegged you as solo mage, no prior mention of a companion. But one's fine—half-share for her, paid out. Her feats count toward your pay. Sound good?"
"...Under those terms, I'm in."
"Excellent."
Estok flashed a shady grin. No point haggling now. Three silvers daily minimum, plus extras. Solid deal. Bonus: Sarsa's pay too—unexpected win. Bumps effective income 1.5x. Smart to join. Taking the first slot sells a tiny favor to the squad—might pay off someday.
"We're in too."
"...No objections here."
The other two parties signed on, leading to a full op briefing. Contracts last.
"Your participation is most welcome. Truth be told, the wilderness op poached our manpower—nearly delayed this one."
Estok gave a wry smile.
Ah, yeah—Getta weak to fire magic. Mages got cherry-picked for that. Explains my assignment.
"Details still firming up, but here's the plan. Survey-subjugation squads: four mid-units of twenty-ish. Deploy south toward Teba Region. Survey monster distributions and types en route to camps, then return. Exterminate on sight if feasible. That's the core. Round trip's two days bare minimum, but thorough coverage means three-plus. One unit hits west bank—ignore that; yours are east. Routes from river outward: Yoyo, Gray Spider, Serion."
"So we're farthest from the river?"
Serion confirmed.
"Yep. Skim the wilderness edge, snake to camp."
"Routes look uneven in distance."
"Spot on. We'll sync laterally as best we can, but not rigid. Yoyo's shortest, but monster-heavy—pace evens out."
"Got it..."
Monster-packed route for me, huh. Oh well.
"Don't look so glum. River monsters often weak to fire—that's why fire-mage Yoyo gets the slot. Plus, you know Armesian squad captain, right? Factored that in."
"Armesian?"
"Huh? Silver hair, long locks... pretty face for a middle-aged guy. Ring a bell?"
"Ah, yeah—the captain. Didn't catch the name."
"Senior Warrior Armesian He Urubuneru. Sharp guy—won't go down easy. Relax."
"Sigh."
Armesian He Urubuneru, huh. Noble, figures. And teamed with Firo again?
"Other squadmates same as before?"
"Some swaps, but Armesian's crew is mostly locked. Safe bet."
Yeah. Feeling safe.
"Departure: three days out. Full brief morning of with the squad. Objections?"
"None."
"Fine."
"Nah."
Contracts swapped, and we disbanded. Three days... wait. Thought it was tomorrow—stocked preserved food already. Jumped the gun.
Before leaving, I hit the lectern for supply questions—key stuff.
"Ah, right—forgot that. Planning squad-level rations and consumables. Short notice means thin stocks, though. Personal preps appreciated."
"Got it. I'll grab some preserved food anyway. Thanks for today."
"Mm."
No more questions, so I bailed quick. Spaces crawling with bigshots and nobles? Toxic. Who knows when trouble hits—ain't sticking around!
Back to the room, I dove into waiting Sarsa and relayed the full rundown.
"Man, three days? Slipped my mind to check the schedule."
"Indeed... I should've caught it. Bit wasteful."
"Eh, eat the perishables by then. Issue's what to do till launch."
Eat, sleep, train solo, assault Sarsa nightly. Same old routine.
Time to check Sarsa's status. Beckoned her over for the usual hug.
⚔ Attack:G-
🛡 Defense:N
💨 Agility:G+
🏃 Stamina:G+
🔮 Magic:N
🛡️ Magic Def:N
Skills:
◈ Shooting Slight Boost
◈ Far Sight
Subordinate to Yoyo
Hmm, no changes.
"Um, Master?"
"Yeah?"
"Back during the subhuman fight... couldn't you check just by holding hands?"
"……"
"……"
"……"
Was that it?
I glanced at Sarsa—eyes locked hard. Looked away quick. Busted.
"Emergency—minimal contact means fuzzy reads. Had to then."
"Fuzzy reads... I see."
Fooled her? Peeked—eyes locked again. Away.
"If so, no helping it."
Sarsa smiled.
Totally busted.
"Places still open for dinner this hour. Shall we?"
"...Yeah."
Prodded by nonchalant Sarsa, we headed out for supper.