NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67
Haise and Robin
One day.
Haise was heading alone to the Adventurer’s Guild.
It was an hour after the latest requests had been posted on the guild’s request board. The time when adventurers had already accepted their quests, and the guild had quieted down.
When Haise arrived at the guild, it was indeed quiet inside.
“Ah, Haise-san. Same as usual, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Mina greeted Haise, holding a broom and dustpan in her hands.
Upon closer inspection, the other staff members were also cleaning the counters and desks.
Haise immediately headed for the request board… when Presea silently appeared beside him.
“What are you taking?”
“Extermination quest. You?”
“Hmm. I’ll decide after looking.”
Recently, it had become clear that Presea alternated between gathering and extermination quests. She had risen to Rank A and seemed to be receiving invitations from several teams, but she chose to remain solo.
The board was filled with gathering quests.
By the way, Presea’s completion rate for gathering quests was 100%. While elves are known for their knowledge of herbalism, Presea’s ability to “Command Spirits” allowed her to simply ask the spirits in the forest where to find certain herbs.
Even with this ability, the location of the “Eternal Moonlight Herb” was only found on the spiritual peak of Gagazia.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Then I’ll take— Oh, Haise!!”
Just as he picked up the S-rank monster extermination request, a voice called out from behind him.
A petite girl with a green ponytail swaying behind her.
It was Robin, the sniper of Team Sacred and an A-rank adventurer.
“Presea too. It’s been a while, you two!”
“Robin… What about your clan duties? You don’t need to come to the guild to accept requests anymore, right?”
“Come on!! That’s so mean to say right off the bat. I still have business at the guild, you know.”
“Is that so? Well, good luck then.”
Haise tried to leave, but Robin clung to him.
“…What is it?”
“Well, I finished my business, and I’m free now. Can I stick with you, Haise?”
“Huh?”
“No. Haise is about to take on a quest.”
“I won’t get in the way~… Is that a no?”
“…Then I’ll come along too.”
“Hey, you two, don’t just decide on your own…”
Haise sighed and accepted the quest at the counter.
Sure enough, the two followed him.
Robin clung tightly to Haise’s arm, acting sweet.
“Hehe, it’s been a while since I’ve been with Haise.”
“You’re quite bold for someone who was part of the group that exiled Haise.”
“I opposed it until the very end.”
“If you followed the team’s decision, you’re just as guilty.”
“Hey, enough. And Robin, don’t cling so much.”
“Aw~”
He couldn’t say it, but her chest was pressing against him.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
The extermination quest Haise had taken was a request from a village north of the royal capital. They wanted someone to deal with a monster ravaging their fields.
Several adventurers had been dispatched, but they were defeated, and some even died.
From the reports of the surviving adventurers, it was determined to be an S-rank monster, the “Dynorex Boar,” a massive boar over five meters long.
If the fields were further damaged, it would severely impact the villagers’ livelihoods, so the village issued an extermination request.
The reward was five gold coins. Frankly, it was quite low. Given that there had been casualties, the request had been left untouched for a while. It seemed to have been posted while Haise was exploring the Forbidden Six Labyrinths.
Robin spoke up.
“The reward is five gold coins. Plus, the monster’s materials… Let’s see, the Dynorex Boar is…”
Robin pulled out the Monster Encyclopedia: Latest Edition from her item box and flipped through the pages.
“Found it. The Dynorex Boar’s horns sell for a high price. And its meat is premium-grade!!”
“…Since when did you have that book?”
“Huh? This?”
Haise was surprised when he saw the book in Robin’s hands.
“Hehe. I thought I should study up a bit. I borrowed it from Tycoon.”
“…………”
“I’m a sniper, after all. It’s my job to know the weak points of monsters and shoot accurately. I used to rely on you too much back then, Haise. Hehe.”
Haise suddenly remembered.
“Haise!! What’s this thing’s weak point!?”
“Its eyes!! Its hide is too tough for arrows to pierce!!”
“Got it!!”
She used to confirm the weak points with Haise before nocking her arrows.
Feeling nostalgic, Haise found himself staring at Robin.
“Hmm? What’s up, Haise?”
“Ah, nothing… It’s nothing.”
“We’re almost at the village.”
Presea walked ahead briskly.
Robin walked beside her, saying, “Hey, hey, let’s work together as fellow snipers, okay?” Presea responded with a noncommittal “Sure.”
It was only now that Haise realized something.
Back when he was with “Sacred”… Robin’s cheerfulness had saved him.
Even when the gap in strength between him and his teammates led to him being treated as deadweight, Robin never changed how she treated him. She stayed by his side with a smile.
And… she had opposed his exile until the very end.
Now, even after parting ways with the team and becoming an S-rank adventurer, Robin remained the same.
She treated Haise with the same unchanging smile and chatted amiably with Presea.
“…………”
Suddenly, Haise finally realized.
He thought he was fine alone. That he could handle things by himself.
Yet here he was, accepting quests with Presea and Robin by his side, without refusing their company.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
After greeting the village chief and surveying the area, they headed straight for the ravaged fields.
The vast fields were filled with rows of pumpkins. What surprised them was how methodical the damage was, as if the monster had chosen specific spots to eat.
“It’s a smart monster. It seems to pick where to eat each day.”
“Look, over there… There’s dung. It must be marking its territory to keep other monsters away.”
“Well, our job remains the same.”
Haise materialized his PGM Hecate II Anti-Material Rifle and slung it over his shoulder.
“Whoa!! Hey, hey, that’s your ability, right? So cool~!!”
“Hey, don’t touch it. It’s dangerous.”
“What’s the plan?”
“…Just so you know, this is my quest. You two have nothing to do with it.”
“…Haise, Presea. Look at this. Footprints.”
Robin had found footprints.
They led from the fields into the forest, with two sets of tracks—one coming and one going.
“Judging by how dry the footprints are, they’re probably from about eight hours ago. It likely comes at a set time. Hey, Haise… Do you think we can set up an ambush?”
“…Not a bad idea.”
“This could be interesting.”
The three of them began their plan to hunt the Dynorex Boar.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
As dusk fell, the Dynorex Boar emerged from the depths of the forest.
Its jet-black fur, the horns on its head, and the curved tusks in its mouth made it a fearsome sight. At over ten meters long, it was exceptionally large even for its kind.
Its target was the pumpkin fields.
This village primarily grew pumpkins, supplying much of the royal capital. If the fields were destroyed, the capital would face a pumpkin shortage.
Growllllll───… Grunt!?
Thwack!! An arrow struck the Dynorex Boar’s eye.
It had closed its eyelid just in time, so the eyeball wasn’t damaged.
The arrow had come from the front of the pumpkin field.
“Yoohoo~”
Robin stood in the center of the pumpkin field.
To the Dynorex Boar, she was just meat.
Then, another arrow struck its temple.
“Tough, huh?”
Presea had taken the shot from a tree.
The Dynorex Boar hesitated.
Two pieces of meat were attacking it simultaneously.
It stopped moving, unsure of what to do.
But… this pause was exactly what Presea and Robin had hoped for.
“───…Alright, I’ve got a clear shot.”
In a village house, Haise lay prone, setting up his anti-material rifle on a flat roof.
The rifle’s weakness was that while it packed immense power, it required a stable surface for precision shots.
Now, through his scope, Haise had the Dynorex Boar’s forehead in his sights.
With the monster standing still, the shot was easy.
He placed his finger on the trigger and smirked.
“See ya.”
Boom!! The rifle’s bullet pierced the Dynorex Boar’s forehead, destroyed its brain, and exited through its rear.
…………───
The Dynorex Boar’s eyes rolled back, and it collapsed sideways, dead.
And so, the hunt was complete.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
After slaying the Dynorex Boar and dismantling it with the villagers’ help, Haise walked away with one horn and two tusks as his spoils.
“Hey, hey, Haise, was it okay to give all the meat away?”
“Yeah. I only wanted the materials.”
“Besides, the meat is a premium ingredient. They can eat it or sell it. Even after deducting the losses from the pumpkins, the village will be saved… right?”
“Ah, I see. As expected of Haise.”
“…I wasn’t thinking that deeply.”
Presea and Robin giggled.
Somehow, the two had become close.
Then, Haise stopped… and pulled out two tusks from his item box, handing one to each of them.
“Your share. Do what you want with it.”
“Huh? But this is your quest.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Do what you want. See you.”
Haise started walking.
But Robin and Presea quickly caught up to him.
“You’re so stubborn.”
“Hehe. Thanks, Haise.”
“Quiet. And Robin, stop clinging.”
“Come on. Oh, hey, Haise. About the party… It’s happening soon, so you should come.”
“…………”
“Hey, hey, Haise~”
“You’re way too familiar with him.”
Haise, sandwiched between Robin and Presea, made his noisy way back to the royal capital.