Kousuke, after finishing his conversation with Gazeran, asked him to relay a message to Schmidt before heading to the Adventurer Division’s bulletin board.
Thanks to his talk with Gazeran, Kousuke didn’t have much time, but he figured he might find a suitable request if he looked.
However, it was already late in the day, and there were almost no jobs left that could be done within the town that same day.
At that moment, Mitsuki, who was looking at the bulletin board as well, found a certain request.
“Oh. How about this one?”
“Hmm? Let’s see… Wait, it’s a Wolf subjugation. With Nana here, I’d rather not take on any more Wolf-type subjugations.”
Nana probably wouldn’t mind, but Kousuke wasn’t keen on hunting the same species of wolf.
“No, not that one. It’s this one. I wouldn’t want Nana to do anything like that either.”
As Mitsuki said this, she pointed to another request next to the one Kousuke was looking at.
It stated that they wanted a certain pest that was damaging the fields to be subjugated.
“Oh. Subjugating mice? That sounds good, doesn’t it? It’s nearby too.”
The location was in the agricultural district outside the town, and if they hurried, it would take less than an hour.
This would be enough to handle within the day, including travel time to and from the site.
By the way, although Kousuke casually referred to them as “mice,” they weren’t something that could be easily found and defeated; they were quite troublesome.
However, with Nana there today, it wouldn’t be a particularly difficult task for Kousuke and the others to find them.
Kousuke handed the request form to Sarasa to register, and they immediately headed to the site.
The client looked uneasy when Kousuke and Mitsuki, who appeared to be young, arrived, but Kousuke and the others pretended not to notice and began the subjugation.
The task was very simple: Nana would find the target mice, pinpoint their location, and then they would defeat them.
While Kousuke referred to the target as “mice” in simple terms, they were actually a proper Monster called a Big Mouth, about fifty centimeters in length.
Their characteristics included digging their own burrows like moles and living in groups of nearly ten.
With their swift movements, powerful charges, and most importantly, their group tactics, they were a formidable opponent for beginner adventurers.
Furthermore, they often emerged from the numerous holes they dug, making them prone to surprise attacks.
While they frequently damaged crops for agriculture, their holes were even more troublesome.
While Big Mouths were indeed troublesome opponents, they didn’t pose much of a problem for Kousuke and the others.
The reason was,
“….Oh, you’re getting pumped up.”
“Yes. It’s been a while since we hunted together.”
In the direction of Kousuke and Mitsuki’s gazes, Big Mouths were popping out of their burrows one after another.
Normally, it would be a struggle to get Big Mouths out of their burrows, but for those who knew that struggle, it would be a shocking sight.
The one causing this unbelievable scene was, as Mitsuki had said, Nana, as it had been a while since she hunted with Kousuke.
Nana, having shrunk herself, was slipping into the Big Mouths’ burrows and driving them out.
While the sight might make it seem easy, it was not normally easy to drive Big Mouths out of their burrows.
It was only because Nana possessed considerable skill that they were panicking and fleeing.
Indeed, the client watched, dumbfounded, as the Big Mouths emerged from their holes one after another.
Defeating the Big Mouths driven out by Nana was the job of Kousuke and Mitsuki.
While a group of Big Mouths could be a threat, Nana was expertly herding them, so only one emerged at a time.
Kousuke utilized the power of the Fairies, while Mitsuki swung her sword to defeat the Big Mouths.
Ultimately, after Kousuke and Mitsuki had defeated thirteen Big Mouths, Nana emerged from their burrows.
The entire process took only about an hour.
To the client, who knew how difficult subjugating Big Mouths could be, it was an incredibly short amount of time.
“Well, I apologize for underestimating you. It’s been a while since I’ve seen something finished this quickly.”
“Not at all. So, is this all for now?”
“Of course,” the client replied firmly to Kousuke’s confirmation.
The client understood, of course, that not all the Big Mouths had been defeated in this subjugation.
In fact, defeating all of them was impossible.
For the client, simply destroying the burrows located so close to the fields was enough to be satisfied.
Naturally, the request itself had been framed that way.
Considering that, Kousuke and the others’ subjugation was almost perfect in the client’s eyes.
“Ah, bless you. These days, there are many adventurers who only partially complete the job and call it done.”
“…Is that so?”
“Well, yes. I understand it’s difficult to defeat them all, as they are quite troublesome opponents.”
The client said this with a look of resignation.
In reality, it was impossible for low-ranked adventurers to defeat Big Mouths completely.
The client spoke, fully aware that Kousuke and the others were an exception.
“Also, Crown buys our crops with the understanding that there will be some damage to begin with, so we’re truly grateful.”
The place where Kousuke and the others were currently located was on the outskirts of town, where monster damage was considered a natural occurrence.
Therefore, Crown, which purchased the crops, paid for that potential damage as part of their expenses.
“Hmm, I see. You have considered many things.”
“Hahaha. I wouldn’t even be able to think of such things myself.”
Seeing the client laugh like that, Kousuke also smiled.
After getting the completion signature from the client, Kousuke walked home towards Crown, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“What are you pondering so deeply about?”
“Ah, no. I was just wondering if things are okay as they are.”
Mitsuki looked puzzled, not understanding what Kousuke meant.
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm… How should I put it?”
After a brief moment of thought, Kousuke pinpointed what he was feeling and voiced it.
“They’re too used to it…”
“Huh?”
“That client, and Crown for considering the costs with monster damage in mind, and likely Razek Amamiya as well… I think they’re all too accustomed to dealing with monsters.”
Mitsuki lowered her gaze slightly, as if to ruminate on Kousuke’s words.
Eventually, an understanding spread across Mitsuki’s face, and she let out a small sigh.
“You mean they’re thinking too much in advance, assuming damage will occur?”
“Simply put, yes. Of course, it’s impossible to exterminate all monsters in this world, so thinking that way isn’t wrong… in fact, it’s absolutely necessary.”
It’s like preparing for an unforeseen natural disaster; preparations are necessary.
However, unlike natural disasters, monster damage can be prevented by investing people and resources.
Ultimately, it’s a matter of how much effort and budget can be allocated to it.
“It’s good to allocate a budget in advance, anticipating damage, but I was concerned they might be focusing too much on that aspect.”
Mitsuki, who completely understood Kousuke’s concern, let out a big sigh this time.
She speculated that Kousuke’s concern might indeed be valid.
Seeing Mitsuki’s expression, Kousuke felt the same way, so he decided to speak with Floria about it as soon as possible.
Familiarity can be a scary thing.
Especially when it leads to things running smoothly.
Kousuke noticed this small detail, but it wasn’t just him; if someone like Floria had taken on the same request, they likely would have noticed it too.
