“That’s true,” said Lanz, “but…”
“In that case, I know just how to fix this.”
“What? Will you give us a pass even if we surrender the quest?”
“I can’t do that. I can’t pretend a quest didn’t exist after you already accepted it.”
“Well what’s your great solution, then?”
“Just take Yuna here with you. We know for sure she’s stronger than Deboranay.”
The meathead was proposing something ridiculous. “No way,” I said. “Why would I take on a nonsensical quest like that?”
“Because that’d be the easiest way to get everything squared away.”
“Uh, Yuna, was it? Would you just hear us out?” the woman said. I noticed now that she was kitted out like a sorceress.
What was I supposed to do? As someone who didn’t have much experience with being in a party even in WFO, I wasn’t enthused by the prospect. I wasn’t a total loner, but the amount of time I’d spent in a party was pretty meagre. Still, I couldn’t think of any way to turn down the sorceress when she was looking at me like that.
Deboranay’s party and I reconvened in a separate room. The guild master, incidentally, had run off. Wasn’t that goon supposed to protect me from nuisances like this?
“Well then, we’ll introduce ourselves first. I’m Rulina. The one who was yelling at you is Lanz, and the silent one is Gil.”
“I’m Yuna.”
“Let’s start talking. The quest we accepted was goblin slaying.”
Goblin slaying? I thought. Goblins were humanoids with the brainpower of your average gnat. Isn’t that for scrubs? How weak are these people if they need a party?
“These aren’t just normal goblins. We need to slay a horde of at least fifty. That’s difficult without our front-liner.”
Fifty goblins. Slaying the wolf pack had been easy, and WFO’s goblins and wolves had been about the same level, so they probably were in this world, too.
“Between a group of wolves and a group of goblins, which is easier?”
“When it comes to quest rank, they’re the same. Which is easier in actual practice depends on the composition of your party. I think goblins would be easier for us.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because wolves move faster. They’re a tough enemy with a support sorceress like me. With goblins, you can just plow through them in close combat.”
Goblins, huh, I thought. I’d have to fight humanoids someday anyway. In WFO, that hadn’t been an issue, but in real life, it was uncomfortable to think about.
“It’s all your fault. Help us!”
“Lanz, keep quiet!”
I didn’t mind helping them, but I didn’t want to do it in Deboranay’s place. This Lanz guy had a bad attitude, and Gil was just looking at me silently. The only decent one was Rulina.
My honest hermit’s opinion was that working with them would be a pain. I didn’t want to help. Still, I really had injured Deboranay—but then again, it wasn’t my fault.
This was a dilemma.
“Uhhh. Can I set some conditions?”
“If it’s something we can do, then sure.”
“So, you want a share of the retainer, you slimy girl,” said Lanz.
I ignored him.
“Leave the quest entirely to me. You can take credit for its success. I’ll also give you all the money. In return, I want you to make sure that Deboranay never involves himself with me again.”
“Yuna,” said Rulina, “you’re saying we’re supposed to leave it all to you…?”
“Are you telling us to stand around silently and watch?” said Lanz.
“What?” I said. “Why not? The achievement will be yours, and you’ll get the reward for success, too. There aren’t any downsides for you.”
“If you fail, it’ll end up being treated as our failure. It’s not like we’d accept that condition.”
“We can’t have somebody else do the quest and take credit for it. That would be shameful!”
“In that case, how about I just get help from Rulina?”
“Why only Rulina?”
“That’s obvious. She’s the one with the most decency and common sense among you, she’s the easiest to talk to, and she’s the only woman. But the number one reason is because I don’t want to work with you.”
“Why, you!!”
“Lanz, please stop.” Rulina quieted him. “Yuna, can you really beat the whole goblin horde alone?”
“I probably can. The wolf pack was easy to beat. If I had someone helping, it’d probably get in the way of my magic.”
“You can use magic? I heard you beat Deboranay with your bare hands.”
“I didn’t use magic then.” Because I hadn’t learned any at the time. “You shouldn’t need magic with a weak opponent. You wouldn’t use magic to kill a small bug, would you, Rulina?”
“…”
Lanz and Rulina’s mouths gaped in an unsightly way.
“Can you really do it?”
“It’s just fifty Deboranays, right?”
“They’re goblins!” said Lanz. Next to him, Rulina, who had been deep in thought, spoke up.
“Okay. I’ll go with you.”
“Rulina?”
“Are you fine with that, Gil?”
“Fine by me.”
“In that case, Yuna, we’re counting on you.”
“So, when are we heading out?”
“If you’re okay with it, Yuna, we can go right now.”
“Sure, but I haven’t prepared or anything.”
“That’s fine. Actually, we were planning on going first thing this morning, so we’ve finished preparing four people’s worth of day rations and the things we need for the quest.”
I ignored Lanz’s silent glare. Gil didn’t even open his mouth.
Chapter 13:
The Bear Slays Goblins
OFF TO SLAY a group of goblins, Rulina and I left the guild together.
“I’m going to at least ask, but are you going out looking like that, Yuna?” she asked, looking at my bear outfit.
“I am.”
I had already given up.
“I see.”
Rulina sighed at my outfit. It wasn’t like I was wearing it because I wanted to…
“So, where are the goblins?”
“They’re in the mountains near a village about three hours east of the gate.”
“Three hours!”
“Yes, that’s why I’d like to leave early and reach the village today.”
Who asks a shut-in to walk three whole hours? I thought. If I didn’t have my bear shoes, I would have noped out at this point.
“I’ve brought water and food, so we should be fine.”
That wasn’t what I was worried about. I should have asked where we were going before I accepted, but hindsight
