Seeker 344

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Chapter 344. The Raid Members And The Client

“This group is the third party to take on this raid quest?”

“Yep. Now we have all the raid members.”

A sturdy female adventurer's voice was answered by a tiger-man.

These two appeared to be leaders of separate adventurer parties.

Including us, there were a total of 12 adventurers gathered in the guild’s waiting area.

After completing the quest acceptance process at the guild reception, we were led here by the tiger-man.

He introduced himself as Regrud, the leader of an adventurer party called Wild Fang, which operates in this region.

Our party, Daichi's Spear, consisting of three members, Regrud’s four-member Wild Fang, and one more party, would take on this raid quest.

The third-party seemed to have five members.

Their leader appeared to be a robust human woman in her late twenties, dressed in a way that showed off her muscular physique.

She stepped forward and extended her hand to me.

“You the party leader? I’m Adela, leader of the adventurer party Crimson Axe. Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, I’m Daichi, leader of 'Daichi's Spear. Looking forward to working with you.”

I shook her hand, a bit taken aback by her energy, causing my voice to crack slightly.

Adela laughed and patted my shoulder firmly.

“Polite, aren’t you? Might be a bit too timid for an adventurer, but I don’t mind folks like you.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Cute, aren’t you? Makes me want to eat you up.”

Adela licked her lips while looking at me, sending a shiver down my spine.

Then, two girls, Kazane and Yuzuki, stepped forward to shield me.

“Excuse me, but could you stop flirting with our leader?”

“Senpai is ours, so no stealing!”

My wives hissed protectively.

Adela laughed heartily.

“Got it, got it. I won’t touch your prey.”

She then returned to her party.

Kazane and Yuzuki sighed in relief and gave me reproachful looks.

“Daichi, aren’t you getting too popular since we got here?”

“Yeah, Senpai. You're too cheeky for someone who's supposed to be unpopular.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault. And Yuzuki, you’re being too blunt.”

While we bantered, Regrud approached Adela.

I overheard their conversation.

“Hey, Adela.”

“What? Jealous, are we?”

“So what if I am?”

“Sorry, sorry. Just kidding. You’re my number one, Regrud.”

“Geez.”

Regrud scratched his head while Adela laughed.

Their respective party members watched with amusement.

So, they’re involved even though they’re in different parties?

People have complicated relationships.

Kazane and Yuzuki watched them while sticking close to me.

“Well, Daichi, it’s a relief to have decent folks this time.”

“We haven’t had good experiences with raid quests so far.”

“True.”

Unlike previous quests, where we teamed up with troublesome adventurers, this time seemed promising.

First impressions were good.

As we exchanged greetings with the other parties, Yumetsuki was already making friends.

Just as I thought this raid might go smoothly, a middle-aged man entered our waiting area.

He seemed to be in his forties, slightly overweight, and had a greasy appearance.

Wiping his forehead with a cloth, he spoke arrogantly.

“Alright, you're all here. I’m Marcus, the client who issued the escort raid quest. Regrud and Adela already know me. And you newcomers? Only three of you, with a pet? You better be capable. I’m paying good money.”

Marcus glared at us, causing Kazane and Yumetsuki to tense slightly.

Adela addressed him.

“Marcus-san, the guild should have verified their level. They’re young but at least level 25, right?”

She looked at me.

I nodded vaguely.

It’s always best to keep our power a secret.

Marcus snorted.

“Don’t butt in, Adela. I’m just making sure these kids are reliable. It’s Owlbear Carnival season. We can’t afford any mishaps.”

“Owlbear Carnival”? Is that a monster event?

I cleared my throat and assured him.

“No need to worry. We can handle tasks up to A-rank.”

I might have spoken too confidently, but Marcus didn’t question it.

“You better. Do your job and no slacking.”

He had a point, even if his tone was harsh.

We had a few more exchanges before we, along with Marcus’s wagon, set off from the city of Relutuk.