Chapter 12: Emergency Quest
The day after Ghuftok and his cronies hassled me, I went to the Guild at a slightly different time than usual.
It’d be a pain if those guys bothered me again.
I aimed for a time when there would be as few people as possible.
“Ah, Loin-san…!”
“Salina-san, hello.”
Unusually, Salina-san called out to me as soon as I entered the Guild.
Furthermore, and strangely, there were more people than I expected.
In fact, a small crowd had formed around the quest board.
This… something out of the ordinary must have happened.
“Salina-san… what’s… has something happened?”
“Yes… well, about that… Loin-san, you’re acquainted with Ghuftok-san, aren’t you?”
“W-Well, yes, sort of…”
Honestly, I’m not sure if “acquainted” is the right word…
Just being an acquaintance of a guy like that feels a bit unpleasant.
“Well, Ghuftok-san and his party haven’t returned since yesterday!”
“Eh…?”
Most normal quests are completed within a day.
Even if a quest takes several days, the rule is to return once and report to the Guild.
Quests in distant locations can generally only be accepted at the local Guild in that region anyway.
So, basically, all quests are ones that can be done nearby.
Besides, if a quest takes several days and proves difficult, it’s often just a case of the adventurer’s rank not matching the quest’s rank.
So, adventurers basically return once within the day.
This is because the Guild prioritizes the safety of human lives above all else.
If adventurers don’t return, it means they’ve either run into danger that prevents their return, or they’re dead.
“Th-That’s pretty bad, isn’t it…?”
“Yes, it is. The Guild has currently issued an Emergency Quest.”
“Emergency Quest…”
When something like this happens, an Emergency Quest is posted on the quest board.
It’s literally a quest that requires urgent attention; in short, it’s a request to go on a rescue mission.
However, the fact that Ghuftok and his party haven’t returned means no one has succeeded in rescuing them yet.
“So that’s why there’s this crowd…”
“That’s right. But… it’s proving quite difficult.”
“…Meaning?”
“Er, ah… this is very hard to say, but…”
Salina-san made an awkward face.
It seemed she was hesitant to talk about Ghuftok because I used to be his party member.
She doesn’t need to worry about that, though.
“It’s alright. I have no lingering attachment to Ghuftok, so please, just say it bluntly.”
“I-Is that so… Well then.”
Salina-san began to explain.
“Ghuftok-san, well… because of his personality, he’s not very well-liked, you see.”
“Ah, well… I suppose so.”
So, there are many adventurers besides me who’ve been treated arrogantly by him, huh?
Yeah, there probably aren’t many people who would risk their lives to save such a disliked guy.
“So, people gather when they hear about the Emergency Quest, but… everyone is hesitating to accept it…”
“Ah… so that’s how it is…”
Speaking of Emergency Quests, the rewards are usually quite substantial.
Of course, the reward isn’t paid by the Guild, but by the rescued adventurer to their rescuer.
So, no matter how much Ghuftok is disliked, I’d think someone would jump at it for the reward.
For no one to accept the quest like this is extremely rare.
Could it be that Ghuftok is even more disliked than I thought?
No, but there probably aren’t many who’ve been directly subjected to violence like I was.
Still, this situation can be called abnormal.
“Even so, it’s strange that no one is taking the quest.”
I voiced my doubt to Salina-san.
“Actually… this morning, there was one party that accepted the quest.”
“Oh…? And then…?”
Well, I guess there are kind-hearted people like that out there.
But, the fact that the Emergency Quest is still posted means…
…it indicates they failed.
“They were an A-Rank party. But…”
“But…?”
Salina-san spoke with a very grave expression.
I couldn’t help but gulp.
“They all barely made it back, on the verge of death… The rescue… failed…”
“Wh-What did you say…!? An A-Rank party… wiped out…!?”
The kind of opponents Ghuftok and his party could challenge are, at best, limited.
An A-Rank party would probably insta-kill such an enemy.
Ghuftok and his party… just what kind of dangerous quest did they take on…?
But if an A-Rank party was wiped out, then the only ones left who could fight are…
…S-Rank adventurers, and no one else.
So that’s why everyone is scared of the enemy and loitering around the quest board like that.
Everyone’s interested in the Emergency Quest, but no one is willing to risk that much danger for Ghuftok and his party.
“According to the information from the party that returned, the enemy is a colossal Elder Golem.”
“A giant Golem, you say…!?”
Yes, something came to mind.
The regular Golem I defeated the other day was also much larger than a normal Golem.
A simultaneous gigantification of Golems… I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Elder Golems are formidable enemies even on their own.
If something like that was gigantified, then of course even an A-Rank party would struggle.
“So… the fact that you’re telling me this story means…”
“That’s right. We thought that if it’s Loin-san… perhaps…”
Salina-san really overestimates me too much.
No matter how much I’ve been succeeding lately, until recently, I was a man who couldn’t even defeat a Slime.
To grab a guy like that and tell him to go solo hunt a formidable enemy that even an A-Rank party couldn’t defeat is just too unreasonable.
“Salina-san, please don’t tease me. It’s impossible for me. Besides… I have no obligation to help Ghuftok. Honestly, there’s a lot of history between me and him…”
“I… see… I understand… how you feel, Loin-san.”
Salina-san looked incredibly disappointed and dejected.
Honestly, I didn’t want to see her make that face.
But… more than that, I couldn’t bring myself to risk my life for someone like Ghuftok.
“I’m sorry, Salina-san… I can’t do it. Please ask someone else.”
I started to leave.
However, a slightly unsettled feeling lingered.
I couldn’t quite bring myself to leave the Guild, and as usual, I ended up loitering in front of the quest board too.
As I was doing that, someone called out to me.
It was a different receptionist from Salina-san.
Her colleague.
If I recall, she’s a woman who usually chats amicably with Salina-san.
“Hey, hey, Loin-san.”
“Y-Yes…? Do you need something from me? If it’s about the Emergency Quest, I’ve already heard…”
“About that, Salina was feeling down, wasn’t she?”
“W-Well, yes…”
Certainly, I did think her dejection was a little unnatural.
As if she herself was somehow at fault…
“Actually, just between us, she’s the one responsible for that quest.”
“Eh…?”
“Salina was the one who determined the difficulty for the Elder Golem subjugation quest. And she was the one who processed it. So, well… if Ghuftok-san and his party don’t return, her responsibility will be called into question.”
“That’s ridiculous…!”
“Yes… but those are the rules. If things stay as they are, she’ll likely face dismissal or a pay cut. It’s unfortunate, but…”
“…So, by telling me this, what are you getting at…?”
“You have a bit of a soft spot for her, don’t you?”
“Ugh… How did you know…?”
Honestly, she hit the mark.
It’s not like I’m in love with her or anything, but…
Salina-san was the one who gave me a blanket when I was in trouble.
If someone like that was in trouble, of course I’d want to help.
“Aargh, fine! I get it! I’ll go! I’ll take the quest!”
“Really…!? Yay! Hey, Salina! Loin-san says he’ll take the quest!”
Well, I had a feeling it would turn out this way from the start…
Either way, it seems I can’t sever this strange connection with that Ghuftok.
And so, I ended up taking on this Emergency Quest all by myself.