Chapter 15 – Rating
Poro sat quietly inside of the tent.
They had failed with the Hero’s order. The elimination of the enemy kobold. They had been given a precise location and instructions on how to deal with him. And yet the kobold has still escaped.
Had it not been for the sudden explosion, they would surely have been able to kill him.
“Damn it!”
Apparently, that star wolf was a friend of the kobold. But why hadn’t that been included in their instructions? Had they known, they would have been more careful.
“Captain Poro.”
One of the guards poked his head into the tent.
“I’m sorry to disturb you while you’re resting, but the Hero has called for you.”
“…I understand.”
He had made a report through the dog tag already. It was unusual to be called like this.
So he would likely be rebuked for failing the mission. Poro smiled dryly as he left the tent. As he walked, he bumped into the others.
“Oh, so you got summoned too, captain. My condolences.”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s not the people at the bottom who get blamed, but the one who leads the operation.”
Meshe and Farnan grumbled, while Leodor and Ditore chuckled.
Like that, they walked through the town.
The town of Ruhan. A small post town in the center of a valley. But thanks to the Hero’s army, it was now in a festive mood.
People gathered in order to get a look at the Hero, while others volunteered to join his army. Others came to sell things, and the streets were crowded even after the sun came down.
“He’s put on quite a show. That being said, the Hero has stayed in the house ever since he stepped out of his carriage.”
“Now that I think about it, this will be our first time meeting him directly.”
Leodor said, and the others narrowed their eyebrows.
“It is strange. I’ve heard his voice, but don’t even know what his face looks like.”
“Yet we’re in his army and working for him.”
“Wait, all of you have been here longer than me, and you still haven’t met him?”
“Don’t say it like that. We were so busy training that we didn’t have time to think about such things.”
After the confession in the cell, Poro was immediately introduced to his comrades. The plan for the giant beast hunting unit had been underway for some time, and so he and Meshe were incorporated into the unit as newcomers.
For two months after that, one after another, people left for various reasons. And so only those that remained were sent out as an official unit.
“I see that you’re all here.”
Vengras was waiting for them in front of the mayor’s house, which the Hero was staying at.
“The Hero is waiting for you inside. Please follow me.”
The tactician stood there without smiling. Once the unit had been made, Poro was given a rank similar to Vengras and Ekbert.
The army was a strange place. One moment someone was your superior, and then later they were your equal.
They went through the main entrance and down a long hallway until they reached a polished door.
It was usually used as the mayor’s office. But the Hero was inside now.
“Excuse me. The captain and five members of the giant hunting unit are here.”
“Thank you. Come inside.”
The voice on the other side of the wooden door was familiar. A young voice. Probably about the same age as Keita, the former village Hero.
And so they entered.
He was sitting in the back of the room, which was lit by magic light.
“You must be tired after your mission.”
He looked up from the tablet he was holding and fixed on them with cold eyes.
Overall, he had a slender and unreliable look to him. His face was pale as if it did not see much sunlight. His fingers were thin like a woman’s. Hands that had never held a sword, or even cutlery.
Black hair and light brown eyes. He had that foreign look that was similar to Keita. But there was no human emotion there. Perhaps he had left it in his homeland.
“Mr. Poro. Please give me a detailed report about what happened.”
“Huh? Ah, uh, a report… But I have already said everything…through the dog tag…”
For the first time, there was a hint of emotion in the Hero’s eyes.
Irritation and disappointment.
“Your mission was to hunt down a kobold with the abilities of a Hero. You pursued the target through sky navigation, and were able to conceal yourself with magic. Is that correct?”
“Uh…yes. We did as we were told. We could not be seen or heard. For certain.”
“According to the monitoring from the sky, the kobold noticed your presence before the attack. Do you know why?”
Poro’s mouth went slack. Even when he thought back, it had not seemed like the kobold noticed their movements. If anything, it was because he hadn’t noticed that they were able to get so close.