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 emphasizes 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 difficult 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 is 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 can 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.”

While Mirea’s suggestion was a good option, no one could just prepare an effective poison so conveniently. Currently, there are 3 “Gold” Adventurers in the city, but even if they worked together, it would still be difficult to completely exterminate them.

While it would be better if there were at least one “Scarlet Gold” hero and one “Platinum”-ranked Adventurer per country, the highest-ranked Adventurers that could be normally found are “Gold” Adventurers.

The ratio of these “Gold” ranks in the country is less than 3% of the total number of Adventurers, followed by “Silver” at around 7%, then by the general “Black Iron” at about 60%, and the “Iron” Adventurers who are considered fledglings at 30%.

The proportion is the same in the city of Warren, and the distribution of at least 60 Adventurers currently staying in the city is the same. In other words, most of these Adventurers are the same rank as Muriel’s party or are a rank below them, so it would be difficult to subjugate monsters that are at the level of a Valley Ant Queen and her Imperials.

That’s why everyone present couldn’t hide their anxiety, but… at the same time, they couldn’t leave the monsters alone either.

“… But if we don’t exterminate them, then a stampede would occur, you know?”

Muriel faces everyone with a determined look.

“Yes, but there are also a lot of people who can’t help…”

“We know the extent of our abilities, Riberto.”

Mirea responded while being mindful of the serious man, but Riberto knitted his brows as he looked at the painful traces of her treatment. While Mirea claimed that the injury was a battle scar, it was still probably too much for her to bear.

As she watched the interaction between the two, Muriel recalled how the situation had started.

It all started when they met four Adventurers who were fighting several giant ants that were 1.5 meters long and at least 1 meter tall near Grau village on their way home after fulfilling a request from the Nees Trading Company to deliver some valuables to Douglas city.

“… Should we help them?”

“Hnn, it would be bad if we just ended up getting in their way, but… that looks dangerous.”

Although they had already brought two giant ants down, it seemed like the healer’s magic had already run out and the man and woman in the vanguard were still fighting and protecting the rearguard even though they were injured.

“If that’s the case, then shouldn’t we be helping them!?”

Mirea grabbed three arrows from her quiver, grabbed her bow, and fired three shots in succession.

“Gih, gigi!?”

The giant ant who took two shots on the abdomen and one on the head stiffened for a moment and headed towards the archer who shot it, but it fell halfway through and died.

“Hnn~, it doesn’t have much stamina, so it doesn’t seem to pose much of a threat.”

But while Mirea muttered to herself while looking at the fallen giant ant, another one noticed her and crawled towards her faster than expected.

“Tsk!”

The archer jumped back with a click of her tongue and a lightly-armored warrior wielding a saber took her place and lowered himself as he approached the monster.

“SEIYAAAAH!!”

“KISHAAAA–!”

He swung at the attacking giant ant from the side and created a deep wound in its head to kill it, but its forward momentum didn’t stop and it fell forward.

“!? Uwaaah!”

Riberto fell on his buttocks as the giant ant’s corpse pushed him down.

“Ow…”

“You’re so clumsy, Riberto.”

“That’s harsh, man.”

Riberto looked a little sulky as Ares held out his hand to help him stand.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine… but rather than that…”

It seems that while they were killing the two ants, the other party was also fighting two more giant ants. The exhausted Adventurers waved as they walked towards them.

This translation is brought to you by Nocturne Translations.