Sixty-five: Important mission, makes your spine tingle, huh.

We were summoned to Kyle’s manor and led to our usual room, sipping tea.

Me and Leifan were as usual, Maina climbing onto my lap like she always does, no different than ever.

Guess it’s because I’m here—Raidock’s here too, today.

I get that. But why’s Jitarou here as well?

“Ah, sounded like fun, so I figured I’d tag along.”

“Lightweight….”

He’s always showing up at important events tied to the city’s development. No big deal, really.

Still, does he even take his job as a hunter seriously?

We were just yakking away like that when Kyle arrived, Persia by his side.

“Apologies for the wait. Got caught up sorting through some paperwork.”

“Looks like you’re busy, Kyle.”

"Yeah. Thanks to the growing population, there’s always something to do."

"Didn’t overdo it, did you?"

"I won’t say I didn’t push myself, but I’m getting proper sleep and rest."

I shift my gaze from Kyle to Persia.

"Right. Every damn time I have to drag you away from your paperwork, starving, hunched over a desk. I wait till the candle’s burned out, just before lighting a new one, and snatch the papers from your hands. You’re getting enough sleep, at least."

"Kyle…"

I give him a flat look. He scratches his head, sheepish grin on his face.

"Anyway, I didn’t push myself too hard."

"Good. If anything gets out of hand, don’t hesitate to ask."

"Yes. Actually, I’d like to ask Craft-sama for help right away."

"Yeah. That’s what this summons is about, right?"

"Yes."

Talking with me and Leifan is nothing new.

But calling Raidock this time? That’s clearly something special.

"Ah-hah! I’ll do my best, I promise!"

"No, no, Jitarou wasn’t called."

"Aw, come on, Craft. Keeping all the fun to yourself?"

"No way. You can see it’s Raidock and me, right?"

Kyle walks in with a grin, joining in on my banter with Jitarou.

"No worries. I’d already planned to talk it over with Craft-sama and Raidock, and if needed, bring Jitarou in too."

"Really? Ah-hah! That’s great!"

"Seriously… Whatever. Jitarou’s irrelevant. Let’s get to the point already."

"Yes."

Jitarou mumbled something about being treated unfairly, but I waved it off with a light shrug and nodded at Kyle to continue.

"What we’re asking of you this time is mainly surveying uncharted territories."

"Uncharted… meaning lands untouched by humanity?"

Humans had long lost their habitats to monsters, but over the past few centuries, villages, towns, even nations had begun to rise. Finally, we’d started expanding our survival zone—though it’s still painfully small.

Back when humanity once thrived, they supposedly ruled this land with magic. Now? Nothing left of that glory.

That’s why, to us today, most of the world remains shrouded in mystery.

It’s not uncommon for someone to explore the deep woods bordering their village and stumble upon a massive ancient ruin.

"Yeah. Thanks to the adventurers' guild’s help, we’ve mapped out most of the Goldendown area pretty thoroughly. But push a bit deeper, and it’s all just unknowns again. The plains are well-explored, but the forests and mountains? Practically untouched."

"Yeah. Step off the path even a little in the woods, and you’re lost. No idea what’s out there."

Jitarou nodded.

"I’ve been there myself. Back when I used to hunt in a certain forest. Thought I knew every inch of it. Then one day, just a little off the usual animal trail, I stumbled on an old stone house. Nearly fell over."

Even a forest expert like him couldn’t keep up.

Raidock picked up the thread.

"Same thing when we were tracking dragons. The plains aren’t flat—little hills block your view. Took us nearly a month to find that one spot."

"Even the plains are like that. There’s probably a lot we haven’t found in the forests."

Kyle nodded seriously.

"That’s right. But for this survey, we’re focusing on scope, so detailed checks aren’t needed. Mainly broad plant and animal distributions, monster hotspots, and mapmaking."

"Ah. So we’ll hand the results to the Adventurer’s Guild and let them handle the dense follow-ups."

"Yes. Exactly."

Kyle smiled warmly.

Maina kicked her foot idly on his knee. Bored? You can go back to the room if you want.

"Golden Door’s walls are finished now, and the population’s grown. We’ve decided it’s time to move to the next stage."

"Yeah. With all these bases built, it’s time to expand our territory, isn’t it?"

It’s the first step toward reclaiming humanity’s lost territories from the monsters that’ve held them down for so long. A great undertaking, starting right here.

“Only Raidock-san and his crew—those who’ve slain a dragon—plus Craft-sama, the greatest alchemist, and Leifan-san, who’s skilled in forging and knows every kind of ore… no one else could pull this off!”

Maina tilts her face straight up, right at mine.

Yeah. Doesn’t feel that heroic, does it?

“A little embarrassing, but yeah… this task really can’t be done by anyone else.”

“Yes. It’s dangerous, so I’d truly prefer Craft-sama stayed behind… but…”

“I was an adventurer once. Now I’m expected to handle magic. Don’t you dare hold back.”

“That’s right. I believe in you, brother. Just… cover as wide a range as possible, please.”

Got it. Leave it to me.

There’s something else, though—actually, the Commercial Guild’s been asking us to secure some rare ore…

Kyle gives a slightly strained expression.

“Rare ore… like mithril?”

“Yes. Mithril’s in highest demand right now, but we’re also getting a lot of inquiries about adamantine.”

“Yeah, having both would be a real boon.”

“Mithril’s covered—we’re sending mining crews regularly to the vein that Craft and Leifan found before. So, if possible, we’d really appreciate it if you could locate an adamantine vein and extract a decent amount.”

Got it. Leave it to me.

Rare metals are a perfectly logical next target for the frontier lands. Especially adamantine—there aren’t many mines that can actually be worked. Finding a new one? That’d be a gold mine for Kyle, no question.

This is one of the few chances I can help Kyle. I’ll find it, no question. If Leifan’s around, we’ll figure something out.

“Finding an adamantite mine would boost Kyle-sama’s reputation! I’ve never even touched adamantite—would love to see one for myself!”

“Yeah, count on me!”

Raidock wasn’t the only one lighting up at the word adamantite. Leifan’s eyes sparkled too. For her, descendant of the gnomes, mithril and adamantite were more than just metals—something deep, something personal.

“One more thing. The adventurers’ guild also asked a favor. Raidock, you know the Casper sisters?”

“The Casper sisters? Of course I do. Three sisters, top-tier adventurers, called the best of the young ones. Used to base out of Gandar, the marquis’s town, but lately they’ve moved their base to Goldendown.”

I’ve heard the names of the Cassper sisters before.

They’re young, but serious adventurers—heard they went from E-rank to somewhere above in no time. All three are mark-bearers, so they’re probably D-rank or even C-rank by now.

And apparently, all three are beautiful.

“Already met Raidock?”

“Just said hello at the guild.”

“Then it’s easier. The guild’s asking to have the Cassper sisters join us on this survey.”

“Why?”

“Don’t know exactly. They said they want them trained. New to Goldendown, still learning the ropes.”

“Ah. So the guild’s pinning hopes on them, huh?”

“Looks like it. If there’s a problem, we can say no.”

“What do you say, Raidock?”

"Nothing to worry about here. Raising the next generation's is part of being an adventurer, after all. Though they might be a bit older than us."

"Still no problem. Adventurer experience matters more."

"True. And they looked about my age—or maybe just a little younger. If Craft’s fine with it, then it’s up to Leifan and Jitarou."

"I’m fine with it!"

"Me too! Always happy to have a girl around!"

"Hah. You’d say that, wouldn’t you?"

With everyone in agreement, Kyle was given the okay.

"Understood. Then discuss departure dates with Casper and the others at the Adventurer’s Guild. Please keep the investigation period between two and three months. Craft, you’ve got enough potions stocked, right?"

"Yeah, we’ve got that much on hand. Persia, keep an eye on Kyle while we’re gone—don’t let him pull any stunts."

No need to ask.

Ugh... I’m not trusted by Craft-sama...

You’re not allowed to be reckless.

You might go and develop the town while we’re gone, then surprise us with it. That kind of thing could happen.

The Guildmaster said if you can get it, come by the Adventurer’s Guild as soon as possible.

Then let’s head to the Adventurer’s Guild right away.

Yes! Please don’t push yourselves too hard, everyone! Have a safe trip!

Alright, leave it to us.

We bid farewell to Kyle’s mansion and head toward the Adventurer’s Guild.

On the way, Jitarou rubbed his chin.

“Those Cassper sisters—what’re they like?”

“Heard they’re beautiful sisters.”

“! Let’s hurry up! Stand up! Harry! Harry!!”

“Honestly, Jitarou…”

Not just Leifan—me and Raidock could only shake our heads and smile.

You weren’t after Azul, were you?

Only three days until the book’s release!

(Probably won’t be able to update tomorrow. Sorry.)