After refuting Drake, Hogan let his gaze linger on Zelier for quite a while before speaking slowly.
"As for Marcus's team, although they have only two mid-rank professionals, one is a ranger and the other is an assassin—both capable of dealing lethal blows to the White-Haired Goblin. Furthermore, they have a mage.
"I hardly need to elaborate on the importance of a mage in a party. Marcus's team is clearly better suited for this mission. This isn't favoritism; it's a judgment based on my decades of experience as an adventurer."
Drake clenched his fists, his face filled with resentment. He spun around toward Zelier and Vallis.
"Hey! You, mid-rank ranger, and you, mage kid—do you two want to join our team? We'll give you a bigger share of the loot!"
"I have no desire to party with barbarians," Vallis refused flatly.
"I'll pass this time, but perhaps another time," Zelier also declined with a polite smile.
What a joke. Joining Drake's party, Zelier would constantly worry about getting stabbed in the back.
Under the amused gazes of the surrounding adventurers, Drake had no choice but to swallow his anger and bear it. As he brushed past Marcus, he glared daggers at him.
"Damn it... Let's go!"
He stormed out of the association with his teammates in tow.
In the end, Marcus's party accepted the commission.
"I say... That guy isn't going to pull any dirty tricks on us, is he? He didn't look like he took it well," Zelier said with some concern.
"Who knows?" Shir replied nonchalantly.
"All right, don't worry about them. Everyone, go back and prepare well. Tomorrow at dawn, we gather at the Blackstone Town checkpoint." Marcus clapped his hands.
***
The next morning.
At first light, Zelier let out a breath of relief after checking his equipment in his room.
Today, he was truly fully armed.
Because he was right-handed, he wore his rapier on his left hip for quick drawing in an emergency, while his ash wood wand base was tucked at his right hip.
As for armor, aside from his previous studded leather cuirass, Zelier had spent one gold and ten silver coins on decent-quality faulds and a tasset skirt.
He had bought them considering that goblins were quite short; they generally couldn't reach a person's chest and could only strike at the lower body.
After all, Flowing Mist Veil was not yet ready for use, so vulnerable areas still needed proper protection.
After buying this gear, Zelier had four gold and forty silver left.
"This should do it..."
He went downstairs.
Zelier happened to run into Oro, who was finishing her shift. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning, looking utterly exhausted.
Seeing Zelier's gear, Oro asked in surprise, "Zelier, are you heading out on a quest?"
"Yeah."
"What kind of monster are you dealing with this time?" Oro asked, a trace of worry in her voice.
"Nothing much, just a few little goblins," Zelier replied casually.
"Be careful, and come back safe," Oro said with genuine concern.
"Don't worry. You'll see me back here tonight, ready for a feast," Zelier said with a smile.
The faint glow of dawn had just climbed above the horizon, and most of the townspeople were still fast asleep.
At the Blackstone Town checkpoint, several members of the party were already waiting.
A carriage drawn by two sturdy draft horses rattled up and came to a stop before them.
"Is everyone here?"
Marcus jumped down from the driver's seat.
"I rented this carriage. Walking there takes too much time and burns too much stamina. Load all your heavy gear onto it."
"Not having to march on foot is great news," Gray said, unbuckling his hardened leather armor and tossing it straight into the carriage alongside his longsword.
Gak's armor and broadaxe, Vallis's longbow and leather armor, and Zelier's rapier and leather armor were soon piled in the center of the carriage.
Wearing all that stuff constantly really was stifling.
"Don't you have anything to stow?" Zelier asked, looking at Shir in confusion.
Her outfit was the same as yesterday: a simple, cropped mantle.
Shir merely offered a faint smile.
"All my gear is on me."
With that, she unbuttoned her mantle and pulled it open toward Zelier.
Zelier's breath quietly hitched.
Beneath it, she wore skin-tight leather clothing, identical to what she wore on her lower body.
The taut, specialized material accentuated her striking curves, fully showcasing her feminine allure.
Yet what shocked Zelier even more was the interior of the mantle, which was densely lined with all manner of deadly tools.
Everything was there, from combat daggers over a foot long to small throwing knives.
Coiled at her left ribs was a garrote wire as thin as a strand of hair, while at her right were numerous unfamiliar thrown weapons, and strapped to her wrists were spring-loaded hidden blades.
At her waist hung even more ingenious gadgets whose names Zelier didn't even know.
It wasn't hard to imagine how lethal an assassin carrying so many weapons truly was.
Under the cover of her mantle, she could effortlessly take a target's life at any moment through countless means.
"You don't seem to be looking at my weapons, do you?" Shir remarked with a playful smirk.
"Really? You must be mistaken..." Zelier awkwardly shifted his gaze away.
"Hehe..."
Shir chuckled softly and drew her mantle closed.
"Before we set out, let me emphasize one more thing!"
Marcus cracked his whip, producing a crisp snap.
"This mission isn't like our previous ones. We aren't facing a solitary beast, but an organized goblin tribe! Stay sharp. I'll be directing our combat, and everyone must follow orders!"
"Understood!"
"You call the shots, boss," Shir responded languidly.
"Then let's roll!"
Marcus climbed back onto the driver's seat.
With the rumble of its wheels, the carriage began rolling toward Ashwood Forest.
Marching on foot at a normal pace would have taken the party several hours to reach Ashwood Forest, but with the carriage, their travel speed was vastly improved, and they soon arrived at the forest's edge.
The dense woods ahead were unsuitable for carriage travel and risked alerting monsters.
After leaving the carriage in the care of a nearby village, the party members put on their armor, gathered their weapons, and began advancing on foot through the trees.
Shir did not stay with the group on the ground. After a brief word with Marcus, she darted swiftly through the canopy.
Her movements were remarkably light, even more agile than Vallis's.
With a light push off her toes, she vaulted into the tall trees. Within a few leaps, her figure blurred and vanished from sight.
*A maxed-out Agility assassin, sure enough...* Zelier looked up into the trees.
According to the map provided with the commission, the goblin tribe was located in the central part of Ashwood Forest, considerably deeper in than where Zelier had gone for the wolf-hunting quest.
Marcus and Gak took the vanguard, forming the party's front line.
Chapter 43