First Request at the Frontlines

The first request we took at the frontlines led us to a restaurant, where Arthur boldly ordered every single item on the menu. Thanks to that, the table was soon overflowing with food. Whether it was the effect of all those delicious dishes or not, the conversation flowed easily and the mood lightened in no time.

They asked about recent events, recommended particularly tasty dishes, and chatted in a relaxed way that melted away the earlier tension. Seeing that, we also let our guards down and dug into the meal. Arthur, watching us with a satisfied expression, finally spoke up.

Arthur’s words carried the weight of experience, suggesting he was older than he looked. His appearance could easily pass for someone in their early twenties. Anyway, we continued the meal in that pleasant atmosphere until Arthur, deciding we’d eaten enough, brought up the main topic.

Arthur took a casual sip of his drink before speaking, but his words carried heavy weight. Of course they would—after all, the fate of the entire North hung in the balance. And since the one saying it was none other than the Archduke of the North himself, the gravity hit even harder.

Just looking at the new weapons the South had unveiled made it clear how much additional firepower we’d gained. The odds of victory in the coming battle had definitely risen. Yet Arthur didn’t look satisfied.

His words caused the entire restaurant to fall silent. I couldn’t fathom what kind of creature a Named Monster had to be for Arthur to say something so outrageous. Yet the man who had just delivered such grim news wore a bright smile on his face.

Given the current situation in the Central region, cooperation seemed unlikely. Still, the fact that he was openly declaring his willingness to pursue it left us speechless. More than that, I was curious why he was telling any of this to mere adventurers like us.

The moment the words combat readiness left his mouth, the faces of every adventurer listening hardened. It essentially meant the entire North was preparing for war. In the North’s history, every time combat readiness had been declared, it had always been accompanied by a major catastrophe.

The very purpose of the adventurers’ guild was to protect the peace of the North, so his words weren’t wrong. In other regions, this would have sparked fierce political struggles over influence. But in the North, everyone was too busy just trying to survive together, so such conflicts were rare.

At Arthur’s words, we exchanged glances. In short, he was saying he’d use us as reserves. We’d normally handle rear security and act as liaisons with other regions, but in emergencies, we’d be called to the frontlines to fight alongside everyone else. It wasn’t all that different from what we’d been doing anyway, so we nodded in agreement.

Our confident responses must have pleased him. Arthur flashed an even brighter smile than usual, slammed his hand on the table, and shouted.

"""Waaaaaaaaah!"""

The adventurers and knights in the restaurant erupted in cheers. The people at the other tables, who had suddenly found themselves eating for free, whistled and offered praise. I smiled awkwardly at first, but quickly got swept up in the atmosphere and spent the rest of the evening in a wild party inside the restaurant.

We enjoyed the impromptu celebration without a care for the time. We clinked glasses until my consciousness started to blur. But I had no regrets.

"Ugh… my head…"

"My stomach’s churning…"

"That’s what happens when you don’t know when to stop drinking."

We woke up in a nearby inn, clutching our throbbing heads as we stumbled out into the street. Neon, who had paced himself and used magic to detox the alcohol, looked perfectly fine. But since neither I nor Adela usually drank much, we were both suffering from terrible hangovers. Of course, thanks to our sturdy bodies, we recovered quickly.

"It feels better after some time has passed."

"We came all the way to the frontlines. You’re not thinking of heading back like this, are you?"

"Of course not. Since we’re already here, we should at least get a taste of what the frontlines are like, right?"

"I knew you’d say that."

Neon laughed as if he had expected it.

"I already checked the location of the adventurers’ guild here. If we head there, we can look at the requests available specifically for the frontlines."

"As expected of Neon."

Thanks to him, we didn’t have to wander around. Following Neon’s lead, we arrived at the guild without getting lost. The interior was bustling with people moving about energetically.

The adventurers’ branch at the frontlines was larger than the one in Edenberg. The mounted specimens and monster bones displayed throughout the building gave off an intimidating aura. Just by looking at them, you could tell they had been incredibly powerful creatures in life.

After passing through the hall filled with taxidermy, we approached the reception desk. A beautiful blonde woman greeted us with a bright smile.

The receptionist smiled brightly and pulled out a map from beneath the desk. It contained the locations of base camps beyond Starus, along with rough information about the local monster ecosystem. She kindly explained it to us.

Given the name combat readiness, it looked like the situation at the frontlines would become incredibly chaotic. When an ecosystem changes drastically, confusion always follows. I was certain the area around the frontlines would fall into major turmoil for the next three years, so I stared at the map with serious eyes.

As expected of the frontlines. Every single one was no easy task. Even at the lowest estimate, they were all Silver-rank requests. The adult Nepentula subjugation, in particular, was Gold-rank in difficulty.

She smiled knowingly. The receptionist looked at us, waiting to see which request we would choose. I paused, then turned to my companions. Since this was our first request at the frontlines, we needed to choose carefully.

With both of them speaking, our first request was decided. Once the options had narrowed, I turned back to the receptionist.

I nodded. She neatly folded the map she had spread out and handed it to us.

It was far more accurate than most maps I remembered from my previous life. To hand out such a detailed map for free… Perhaps it was because the situation at the frontlines was so unique. Or maybe it was because they didn’t mind if information about the terrain here leaked. Either way, I accepted the map without hesitation. When they were giving it away for free to adventurers, there was no reason to refuse.