GILF Hunter

Chapter 287: 287 Class 121

A massive explosion erupted, shaking the midnight forest.

A flashing glare and sparks leaping with a threatening roar followed.

Nearby birds took flight all at once, fleeing into the sky.

Anne, of the E-rank mercenary group escorting the client Louise, checked the site where the explosion had just occurred.

The object called an "explosive potion" thrown by Louise had certainly caused a tremendous blast.

However, contrary to its momentum that seemed like it would tear dozens of Gnolls to pieces, it merely sent up impressive-looking embers without much actual power.

The flames scattered and vanished into the air, leaving nothing behind but a few scorch marks on the ground.

"...It’s too weak!"

"What? Honestly, how could I carry anything stronger than this? What if it went off in my bag?"

The only silver lining was that the monsters were all intimidated by the formidable-looking explosion and drew back.

The pack of Gnolls surrounding them couldn’t bring themselves to pounce immediately and were just gauging the situation.

It would have been great if they had fled in complete terror, but the Gnoll pack was staying at a distance, observing for now.

It felt like they would strike the moment they realized there were no more items like the one just used.

"How many more of those do you have?"

"One."

...What should they do?

Anne stole a glance behind her at her friends.

Everyone was exhausted, and to begin with, these were monsters they couldn’t handle even when they were in top condition.

"Throw that last one and... let’s just run."

"Phew. This is what I get for trying to save money."

Hearing Louise’s sigh, Anne let out a small sigh of her own.

This had happened because both sides were equally greedy for money, so she couldn’t point fingers at anyone now.

To think they had entered such a dangerous place for that damn flower.

She should have flatly refused, but hearing the price first was the fatal mistake.

They say a mercenary who gets greedy beyond their station dies quickly.

Still, she hadn’t expected to die so soon. She thought they might succeed just once.

—Yelp!

The moment Anne was having a brief moment of regret, one side of the forest suddenly became noisy.

In the stalemate where both sides were only watching each other, the urgent cry of a Gnoll suddenly rang out.

"What’s that sound?"

Could they be attacking?

Everyone turned their heads toward the sound with tense expressions, but the Gnoll pack was actually turning their backs to them and looking elsewhere.

A faint red flash flickered within the bushes, and a Gnoll was sent flying.

In the darkness faintly illuminated by the moonlight, Anne discovered someone approaching them.

Seeing this, Anne muttered involuntarily,

"It’s a person...!"

A red-haired mercenary swept through the area, cutting down a Gnoll with a single strike.

While all the Gnolls’ attention was drawn there, several mercenaries sprang in through the gap created.

Finding that all four were alive and safe, Ian spoke to the person among the group who looked the least like a mercenary, as they stared at him blankly.

"What is your name?"

"I’m Louise."

It was the same name Ian remembered. She was the client and the rescue target.

"We’re from the Labyrinth Mercenary Guild."

"Phew. I guess expensive services really are worth the money."

Louise smiled, letting out a sigh of relief.

While Ian was checking the condition of the client he had finally found, Tanya also discovered the people she had been searching for.

"Anne!"

"Huh...?"

Anne, who had been catching her breath in relief, looked up with a puzzled expression at the sudden call of her name.

A familiar voice... a friend’s voice that she shouldn’t be hearing in a place like this.

"Karen! Seria!"

"Tanya?!"

"How did this happen? Why are you here...?"

Not only Anne but the other mercenaries turned their heads sharply.

They thought it was an auditory hallucination, but the real Tanya was standing right in front of them.

Everyone approached Tanya as if entranced.

However, the four reunited friends, caught in the sudden situation, didn’t know what to say first and just stared at each other’s faces blankly.

Ian spoke to Tanya and her friends.

"Wait. I know you’re happy to see each other, but save the rest for when we get back."

It might be a touching moment of reunion, but they were currently surrounded by a monster pack.

Lia was buying them some time, but due to the noise, more Gnolls from the surrounding area were starting to swarm.

Lia had limits to her stamina as well, so she couldn’t deal with the monsters forever.

"Mika. Cast barriers on these people too."

"Yes. Come over here."

Mika held out her staff to the four people Ian pointed to.

Casting protection magic wouldn’t help much in combat, but at least it would prevent them from being hit by a stray arrow after being rescued.

"It’s done!"

"Now, let’s get out of here."

While Mika cast protection magic on them one by one, Ian checked the number of monsters gathered around.

The weakest point in the encirclement was, as expected, the direction he and Lia had just broken through.

"Lia! I found them! We’re moving!"

After shouting for Lia, Ian led the group and ran out.

Since he had already confirmed the fastest direction to exit the forest, they didn’t lose their way.

Rin moved at the very front, clearing out monsters blocking the path, while Lia followed from behind, intercepting the pursuing monsters.

Fortunately, they escaped the encirclement, but the noise caused by their escape seemed to draw an even greater number of monsters in pursuit.

Tanya hurriedly dropped a few smoke bombs, but they weren’t very effective given the wide-open space and the sheer number of pursuers.

"Excuse me.... What should I call you?"

"Call me Ian."

Louise, who was being carried on Ian’s back, spoke to him.

The client was an alchemist, not a mercenary.

Since the pace would be too slow if they matched Louise’s stamina, Ian was running with Louise on his back.

In terms of roles, Tanya might have been better, but due to the height difference, it was difficult for Tanya to carry Louise, so it ended up like this.

"Alright, Captain Ian. Do you have a plan for what comes next?"

"We run until the Gnolls give up."

With Lia and Rin being C-rank, the combat itself was manageable, but they had too many people to protect right now.

It would be a great loss if the client got injured while they picked a pointless fight with their rescue targets in tow.

"Is there no better way? It looks a bit dangerous right now...."

"There is a way to ensure safety if you’re willing to bear some costs."

The costs might be a bit high.

At Ian’s explanation, Louise nodded and agreed with a look of welcome.

Louise knew that the rescue costs were entirely the client’s responsibility, but now was not the time to be picky about such things.

With Louise’s consent, Ian fired a signal flare he had prepared for emergencies.

A vivid green flame shot up vertically, piercing the dawn sky that was gradually brightening.

"We’re almost there!"

The shout of Rin, who was leading the way, was heard.

Before long, the edge of the forest became visible to Ian as well.

"Just a little more!"

Ian’s group ran with all their might and emerged from the forest.

The Gnolls chased them out of the forest, but almost simultaneously, a group of people on horseback arrived in a cloud of dust and reached the front of the woods.

"Fire!"

With the signal, a volley of arrows rained down on the Gnoll pack that had burst out of the forest.

The pack that had rushed out collapsed under the shower of arrows, while the Gnolls following behind came to a dead stop at the forest boundary.

The area outside the forest was beyond Gnoll territory.

The Gnolls, seeing a large number of humans gathered, glared outward for a moment before finally turning around and heading back deep into the forest.

Only after confirming the Gnolls had given up the pursuit did everyone collapse onto the ground.

So there were allies nearby.

Louise, who had let out a sigh of relief, realized that the number and armament of the allies Ian had summoned were excessively good. They weren’t mercenaries.

Louise, re-examining the group that had just saved them, belatedly spotted the flag flying in the rear.

The Labyrinth Mobile Patrol.

"Wait, right now... don’t tell me, the regular army...?"

Louise’s face turned pale as she realized why Ian had emphasized the cost several times.

The lead officer on horseback approached Ian.

He was a young officer who looked quite stiff and formal.

"Did you send the signal?"

"Yes."

"If you are on official duty, please show your credentials."

"...I don’t have any."

The officer’s eyebrows twitched at Ian’s answer.

Occasionally.... there were people who did things like this citing an emergency.

They would probably ask for a pass since it was a dangerous situation.

He spoke with a look of sheer exhaustion.

"If you launched the signal for private purposes, a fine will be imposed."

Since Louise would be paying the fine, Ian didn’t really care.

Still, it would be better if things ended on a good note. Getting tangled up with the military might lead to a lecture from the guild.

With that thought, Ian remembered an object inside his pocket.

"Proof of identity?"

Ian’s gaze scanned the badges on the officer’s equipment until he found the desired insignia.

Military Academy... Class 127.

Ian pulled a coin from a pocket where he kept important items separately.

A coin used for identification. Among them, a military issue.

It was a personal calling card given to him by the commander who had taken an interest in Ian when he handled the underground waterways during the last invasion.

He had been told to visit if he was interested, but since Ian had no intention of enlisting, he had never gone to see him since.

Glancing down, Ian checked the class year recorded on his coin.

Central Defense Bureau Captain Leona. Class 121.

The young officer’s gaze naturally went toward the coin Ian pulled out.

Since it was an object far more familiar to him than to Ian, it was a habitual action.

Good grief, is he trying to get away with this by selling the name of an acquaintance in the military?

Defense Bureau? Class 121?

He quickly dismounted from his horse.

"Haha. What a coincidence to meet a senior’s acquaintance in a place like this. Are you hurt anywhere?"

With a bright smile, the Second Lieutenant commanding the patrol took Ian’s hand.