Porter arrived at the village after five days of travel. It was a village surrounded by logs and stone.
There were mountains and forests nearby, so it seemed they sourced their timber from those areas. A village fortified by making use of the surrounding terrain — it struck me as far more sturdy than any village I knew.
I stepped down from the Porter and took out the documents at the village entrance.
A young villager on the watchtower was gazing our way, a bow slung over his back.
When they realized we'd been dispatched by the Adventurers' Guild, the gate was opened right away, and we drove the Porter straight into the village.
Clara surveyed the surroundings with a slightly exasperated look.
"Having lookouts is one thing, but seeing how much effort they've put into their defenses... it makes me wonder if they even need us."
It was an honest take, and I had to agree.
The one who came to greet us was a man who introduced himself as the village chief.
He was a big man — a bit of a gut on him, but the muscles in his arms were something else. When he first saw us, his expression wavered, but he quickly broke into a smile.
"Welcome. Thanks for coming all the way out to this little backwater. Now then, let me see those Guild documents."
I handed over the documents in their envelope, and he looked them over with several nods.
He scratched his head as he looked at us — exactly the kind of expression you'd expect from the person who placed the request.
"So you're an experienced party. But you've got equipment I've never seen before. Is that the latest trend? And why do you have a housekeeper?"
"She's a maid."
"Huh?"
"She's a maid."
"R-right."
The village chief glanced at the Porter, then looked at Monica in her maid outfit.
Being called a housekeeper, Monica refused to back down on the fact that she was a maid. The village chief seemed somewhat taken aback — perhaps thinking she was a bit unhinged — but quickly shifted gears and turned to me, the leader, to take the conversation forward.
"It's not exactly comfortable talking out here. This isn't an inn, but there's a building where you can stay. Use that. I've had it cleaned, so it should be reasonably comfortable."
With the village chief in the lead, we maneuvered the Porter along and walked through the village.
Looking around, I spotted villagers carrying weapons.
The village chief let out a wry smile at the sight.
"I know it's unpleasant, but bear with us. Kids love nothing more than strutting around with weapons. Besides, when adventurers show up, we can't help but be on guard."
I watched the village chief's back as he walked ahead.
"Were you an adventurer too, Chief?"
"...You could tell? I have the Guild to thank for sending us such capable adventurers."
The village chief walked along with a smile, giving off the impression of a seasoned veteran.
(If it's just Grey Wolves, couldn't this guy handle them on his own?)
Keeping my eyes open, I could spot several villagers here and there who were clearly former adventurers.
They seemed to be watching us warily, and some even directed open hostility our way.
From the Jewel, the Third Generation's voice came through.
"Adventurers are a mixed bunch, you know. Some cause trouble when the pay is low, and some are stupid enough to threaten the people who hired them. Some of them are no different from bandits — that's why they get treated with this kind of suspicion."
Even the Seventh Generation, who despised adventurers, agreed.
"Adventurers simply cannot be trusted. And honestly, I think there's something wrong with villagers who would hold hostility toward Laiel. If we truly wanted to, we could wipe this village off the map."
I understood why they were being cautious. They had no idea what kind of adventurers we were, so naturally they'd be uneasy.
Still, it wasn't worth picking a fight over something like that.
As we walked, I spotted a building that looked like it regularly accommodated travelers, merchants, and adventurers.
The village head pointed to a long building with about three entrances.
"Feel free to use that place. Though if anything gets broken, I'll be filing a complaint. Oh, and that blue-haired fellow over there — I'd like you to come with me."
It sounded like there would be a briefing about the Grey Wolf at the village head's house. I looked over at my companions, and when everyone nodded, I accompanied the village head.
At his house, there was a young, beautiful wife who looked like she could be ten or twenty years younger than him.
The large home had two small children who watched me from the hallway, peeking out curiously.
The village head's house was solidly built of wood and appeared to be quite new — everything was spotlessly clean.
The young, lovely wife brought us tea, and we talked as we drank.
"The atmosphere here is pretty grim, isn't it? Is this your first time with something like this?"
I had once taken on a personal commission to slay a Griffon. It wasn't recorded anywhere, but during that time I'd participated in a defensive battle in the village.
"It's not my first time, no. But I wouldn't say I'm used to it either."
Hearing that, the other man smiled.
"Yeah, I figured. Your eyes were darting all over the place, so I figured that was the case. Well, accepting outsiders does come with its own risks, so just bear with us."
When I nodded, the village head began explaining about the Grey Wolf.
"So, about the commission. A pack of Grey Wolves has been spotted in the nearby forest. People go into the woods and mountains to gather firewood or hunt, and it's gotten dangerous, so we want them exterminated — that's the gist of the request."
I looked at the village head, then at the weapons and armor hanging on the wall.
His build matched what you'd expect of a front-line warrior who'd swung an axe in battle.
"You're probably wondering why I don't take care of it myself?"
"I assume there's some reason."
"There is, sure. But it's more of a long-standing custom and tradition around here. Besides, I don't want to be the one to change that."
While sipping tea, the former-adventurer village head seemed to be sizing up my character as he continued talking.
"You all fought your way here, didn't you?"
"Yeah, it felt like more than usual, but we fought Monsters several times."
Hearing that, the village head looked pleased.
"That's exactly how it is. Near Baim, you might find adventurers hunting for Monsters, but this far out, they don't come around. Calling adventurers means having them come here while defeating Monsters along the way. If we didn't, the traveling merchants and travelers who come to the village would have a hard time."
Hearing the reason, I understood. Indeed, the village head could probably handle the Monsters around the village by himself.
But that wouldn't deal with the ones along the path leading here. If they weren't defeated, anyone trying to reach the village would naturally be hesitant to come.
"So the point was to call adventurers?"
"That's right. Besides, traveling merchants are important to us. Adventurers earn money, and we pay to ensure the safety of merchants and travelers. If you understand that, I think you'll find it beneficial when you take on the job."
It seemed there was something in it for me after all.
The village head sipped his tea and continued sharing information with me.
"There's a pack in the nearby forest, but do you need a guide?"
The village head's gaze was testing me as he said that. I shook my head.
With the Skills of the Fifth and Fourth Generations, detecting enemies would be easy.
"Is that so. When you're ready, head over there. After you're done, let me know. I'd like to go check on it."
Once I finished the check, I stood up and said one last thing to the village head.
"Come to think of it."
"What is it?"
"The real reason you don't deal with them yourself—there's probably another reason besides that, isn't there?"
The village head let out a tired sigh.
"If the villagers found out I could handle it alone, they'd try to save money by making me do it. The villagers are tough, and the smart ones are smart. But stupid people are everywhere. I'm retired and my body isn't what it used to be, and I'm not desperate enough for money to risk danger doing that."
I nodded with a smile, having heard the village head's true feelings.
A young, beautiful wife and two children. It was understandable—these were happiness he couldn't bear to let go of no matter what.
He was retired, his body had deteriorated, and if he were to lose his life even once, it would be a regret with no end.
The Third Generation's voice came from the Jewel.
'Well, even if you explain it's for the greater good, there will always be those who won't understand. Besides, there are probably grievances about having a retired adventurer from out of town serving as village head.'
Hearing the Third Generation's voice, I asked the village head one more time.
"One more thing."
"Is there still more?"
"Why are you serving as village head?"
At my question, the village head let out a sigh.
"I don't want to do it either, but in Baim, it's convenient to have connections with the Guild. Think of it like how in other places, you'd want to know lords or nobles? The fact that we can get commissions accepted like this—that's all thanks to my connections. In other villages, if things go badly, they'll straight up refuse you, saying there's no one to take the job."
From the Guild's perspective, they were probably working desperately to allocate assignments. But adventurers had their own circumstances. And so did the people putting in requests.
"Also, there's the matter of strength. But more than that, in Baim, having someone who understands adventurers is what you can rely on. I didn't want to do it either, but the previous village head forced it on me when he retired."
The Fourth Generation's voice came from the Jewel.
'He understood all of that, which is why he left the village head position to him. Well, a retired adventurer who just wants to take it easy probably wouldn't want the role of village head.'
Then the Fifth Generation spoke.
'In other words, since he doesn't have much ambition, he just does the work and doesn't interfere much. He probably checks on people's character at a minimum, but when you think about it, the villagers of Baim have enough money to buy weapons.'
It was a situation unique to Baim.
In other places, there were surely those who would want to become village head in pursuit of power and profit. But here, taxes were apparently low and the villagers' lives were prosperous.
The Third Generation spoke.
"By the way, this person is probably Rael's examiner. They'll surely report the details, since they mentioned having connections at the Guild. This is more complicated than I expected."
The Third Generation was her usual carefree self, looking pleased that she had seen through everything.
After returning from the village chief's house to the building where we were staying, I noticed villagers hiding nearby.
(Huh? Why are they hiding in this position...)
They seemed to be surveillance, watching us from a particular spot.
But something felt off.
When I headed toward the location where I was being watched, it turned out to be a spot behind the building.
There were facilities for bathing, with no partitions around the area.
(So that's what this is.)
Using my Skills to take a closer look at the villagers who were spying, every single one of them was a man.
When I turned my gaze toward them, several of them had actually built a platform to peek over and were watching me from there.
Once they realized they had been discovered, they panicked and scattered in every direction...
"You're already done with the water?"
That was when Aria, a towel draped around her neck, spotted me and called out.
"I'm finished, you pervert."
Aria was grinning as she dried her body and washed her hair — it seemed Clara had prepared hot water for her or something.
I thought she should have gone inside sooner before the water cooled down, but being called a pervert rubbed me the wrong way a little.
Because I had tried to kiss the Kirin, Aria had labeled me a pervert.
From within the Jewel, the Fifth Generation spoke — uncharacteristically emotional.
"...Why am I a pervert? That makes no sense."
She was angry about the wrong thing.
(You should try looking at something other than animals once in a while.)
Facing Aria's smiling face, I smiled back and pointed toward where the villagers had been standing.
"What is it?"
"You stripped naked right here, didn't you?"
"So what? It's fine, isn't it? I couldn't even wash properly during our trip. If anything, I'd like to take an actual bath."
"You were being peeked at."
"...Huh?"
Aria looked at where I was pointing and seemed to notice the wooden platform that had been set up there.
Judging by the angle, it was positioned to get a clear view of the bathing spot.
They could claim it had been placed there to keep watch over us, but it was obviously set up for peeking.
I had expected she would be embarrassed about this, but...
"So what?"
"...Huh?"
I'm pretty sure I made a dumbfounded face.
From inside the Jewel, the Sixth Generation's voice came as well.
"...No good. This girl doesn't get it."
The Fourth Generation added:
"She's an adventurer, so maybe she doesn't mind being seen naked at this point. And yet she acts all bashful in front of Rael... Rael should just get stabbed in the back someday."
The Third Generation too.
"I knew it — the ending for a harem bastard always goes like this."
Right in front of me, Aria looked at me, pressed her palm against her mouth, and grinned.
"What? You're upset I saw you? Oh right~ Rael's never seen a woman's naked body before, so you're all flustered, huh?"
I meant to tease her, but ended up getting teased instead.
But—
"What are you talking about? You were lying on the sofa in your underwear the other day. Your underwear was slipping off, so I'm the one who put a blanket over you."
Aria's face went beet red, and she hurled the towel she was holding straight at me.
"Why were you watching?!"
The damp towel hit my face with a surprising amount of weight, stinging in the process.
I peeled the towel off my face and threw it back at Aria.
"You were the one showing it off! If anything, I was the one who felt embarrassed, so be grateful I covered you up with that blanket!"
"Embarrassed? What is that supposed to mean! I've got confidence in what I've got!"
Aria threw the towel back at me, so I caught it and wound up to throw it again.
"How should I know!"
Aria tried to catch the incoming towel with her hands, but she only grabbed the edge, so it made a sharp *smack!* and slapped flat against her face.
I pointed at her and laughed, and Aria glared at me for real.
"...Forget it! Forget you ever saw me naked!"
"You were just asking about that yourself! Don't worry about it — I already can't remember it anyway!"
"You pervert!"
"If you don't want to be seen, then fix that sloppy habit of yours!"
As we were tossing towels back and forth, a voice came from within the Jewel.
"...You two certainly are close."
I couldn't agree with the Seventh Generation's remark.