The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 204
Meanwhile, a young, red-haired mage sat in the corner of the adjoining tavern amidst the hustle and bustle inside the Adventurer’s guild branch which is located in a thriving district in the city of Warren, the capital city of the Ferias territory.
“Sigh. This is the worst… and to think that we’ve just been promoted to Black Iron adventurers…”
“Ah~, let’s just think of it as a badge of honor, I guess? I mean, I’ve been kept from joining the strike unit for a while because of this.”
Muriel’s friend, Mirea, an archer serving as the scout in their party, smiled wryly as her right hand which was wrapped in bandages due to a compound fracture dangled from a sling. She is popular among the male members of the guild due to her friendly personality and her revealing attire which allowed ease of movement.
Aside from Muriel, Mirea was also visited by several big, burly men from the guild, but she still responded to them with a smile.
(She’s smiling, but she’s probably annoyed deep inside…)
Under normal circumstances, it was natural for her to be in a bad mood because she was unable to hold her bow and arrow due to an injury she acquired while retreating and protecting the villagers of Grau village at the same time, but she did not seem to be in the slightest bit unhappy. After a while, she sent the big men off with a goodbye and turned to her friends.
“Anyway… I have to rest for a while so I’m really sorry I can’t join you.”
“It can’t be helped. After all, there are things even Muriel’s healing magic can’t cure.”
“Yeah, if I forcibly heal you, your bones would have fused improperly and you wouldn’t be able to hold a bow and arrow anymore…”
The only way to cure it was to take some time off and heal it gradually, so it was unlikely for her to be ready in time for the upcoming battle to defeat the Valley Ants.
“But still, it’ll be hard without Mirea, but it’s hard to back out too…”
“If we did that, our adventurer licenses would be suspended and we’d have to pay a fine too, you know?”
Riberto immediately warned Ares who was muttering as he ran his fingers through his chestnut-colored hair.
“Yeah, it’s a special mission ordered by the lord of the territory after all.”
Currently, the special mission that was causing quite a stir within the guild was a special commission that a territorial lord could issue to the guild during times of crisis within the territory.
In this case, all adventurers in the area under the guild’s jurisdiction are eligible to participate, except for those who are injured or out of town, such as Mirea.
“Well, I guess we’ll do our best not to die then.”
“Just as Ares said, rather than the reward, we’d have to fight to survive…”
“That’s right, after all, we can’t beat the Valley Ant Queen.”
The queen of the giant ants was a threat level B monster and adventurers who have just been promoted to the Black Iron rank like Muriel and her party stand no chance against it. Moreover, in case of an encounter, they also have to be prepared to face the Imperial Valley Ants that protect the Queen.
Fortunately, more than half of the Valley Ants are threat level E+ so they could handle it, but in case they encounter individual monsters that are higher ranked, they have no choice but to flee.
“…. I wonder if we’re going to be alright with the subjugation quest this time.”
Riberto, who was unconsciously thinking out loud, mirrored everyone’s thoughts.
Normally, it would require 2-3 Gold-ranked Adventurers to raid a Valley Ant Queen’s nest, plus the Imperial Ants around her and several other normal monster species, but…
“Muriel, wouldn’t poison work with it just like the rat extermination quest in Viel village?”
“Umm~, these monsters are poison-resistant, so it’s less likely that it’ll work on them.”
