"Additional party?"
"Yes," the receptionist replied, "Judging from these reports, it would be safer if your party cooperates with another party"
"…Fine," Auel said after a brief pause, "But I don't know any parties. Can you find one for us?"
"Of course. There is a party known for assisting others. I'll contact them, and I'll inform you tomorrow whether they can help or not"
With a hint of disappointment, he nodded "Alright"
"So, we won't be taking any quests today" Rikka man said, "Let's meet here again tomorrow morning"
"Okay" both replied
"And" Rikka continued, "what are you going to do today?"
"I want to buy some items" Auel Answered
"Hmmm. What about you?" he asked Erin
"I-I think I'll buy some items too"
"So. you're both going shopping?" He sounded almost disappointed
"You sound surprised. Do you never prepare for quests?"
"Nope" Rikka answered boldly
"…And you just ranked up to Iron?" Auel said, clearly stunned.
"Yep. Anyway, good luck with your shopping. I'm going to train. See you tomorrow"
He left the guild bar
"S-so… what are you going to buy?" Erin asked
He thought for a moment "Some bottles of oil, and instant magic"
"I-instant magic?" she exclaimed, "Isn't that expensive?"
"Yes, but considering the reward for this quest, it's worth the cost"
"And the oil?" she asked
"Rikka is probably a flame wielder. I don't know how skilled he is, but it should help"
"Flame wielder? How do you know?"
"You didn't notice? His headband. The wire pattern resembles a Homura crest. From what I know, they specialize in flame wielding"
She nodded in understanding
"Good luck with your shopping" he said as he left
"Y-yes. Thank you very much"
The next morning, the guild bar opened once more
A young man with messy black hair entered it's Auel, but the dark circles beneath his eyes looked even worse than before
He scanned the room
"Hey, over here!"
A red-haired man stood up from a guild table, waving. It's Rikka
Yawning heavily, he approached
"G-good morning" Erin greeted
"Hey, how was your sleep last ni-"
He froze
"…Did you even sleep?"
Silence filled the table
"Let's ask the receptionist about the additional party" Auel said quickly, already walking away
"Hey! Answer my question first!"
They approached the counter together
"Good morning. How can I help you?" the receptionist asked with a polite smile
"We're here about the quest. You mentioned an additional party"
"Oh! You're taking the Red Wolf quest, right?" she said. "A party has agreed to assist you. Their name is Black Turtle"
"Black Turtle?"
"Yes. They're already preparing near the city gate. You can meet them there"
She continued "We've also prepared a caravan for each party"
"Thank you"
"You're welcome. Good luck"
The three of them headed toward the city gate
"I think that's them" Auel said, pointing
A man in black armor stood near a caravan, a massive great axe strapped to his back. He appeared to be struggling with the caravan
"Yo! Are you the Black Turtle?" Rikka called out
The man turned "Yes. I'm Gramm, leader of Black Turtle. Or you can call me Black Scale"
"And you must be the party handling the Red Wolf quest"
They nodded
"What happened to the caravan?" Rikka asked
"We ran into trouble while loading it. One of the wheels broke"
Auel looked at the item at the caravan, "…How much are you bringing for a Red Wolf quest?"
"Oh, this isn't for the wolves" Gramm replied, "We also accepted an ore delivery quest. The locations are close, so we planned to finish the wolves first"
"Why don't you join our caravan?" Rikka suggested
"Is there enough space? Also, my party members are already looking for a replacement wheel"
"But won't that take time?"
"Nah. It's a simple replacement"
"Even if we share the caravan, we'll reach the village by afternoon" Gramm said, "You can investigate the area first, then we hunt the wolves together in the morning"
Rikka thought for a moment "You're right. Very well. Good luck with your preparations"
He climbed into the caravan, followed by Erin
As Auel was about to board, Gramm stopped him
"I heard from the receptionist, you're the one who noticed something strange about this quest"
"…Yes"
"Then you understand something is off. When you investigate the area, don't engage. Wait for us"
"I understand"
"Nice. Good luck with the investigation"
He nodded and entered the caravan
The caravan began to move toward the village
On their way to the village, Rikka asked
"So, what did you two buy yesterday?"
"I just bought some healing potions" Erin said
"I bought some instant magic and oil" Auel replied
"Oil?" Rikka frowned, "Why oil?"
"You're a fire wielder, right?" Auel asked
"Y-yeah. How did you know?"
"Your headband. You're from the Homura clan, aren't you?"
Rikka touched the headband on his forehead
"Ah… this headband. Yes, it's Homura, but it's not mine"
Auel narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced
"It belonged to a friend of mine" Rikka continued "She was from the Homura clan"
"Oh-" Erin hesitated. "S-sorry, but I don't know much about the Homura clan. Is that headband something important?"
"N-no, it's not that important" Rikka said quickly "It's just… something that happened in the past"
"Something happened?" Erin tilted her head, but Rikka avoided her gaze
"Every member of the Homura clan was killed," Auel said calmly
"…W-what?" Erin froze "B-but why?"
"No one knows the exact reason" Auel continued, "But there are rumors that it was an order from a king"
"And wearing that headband" he added, "Indicate that you're from Homura clan, which make you a target"
Rikka laughed awkwardly
"Ah, it's fine. Everyone already knows I'm not Homura. And even if the king himself came after me, I could handle it"
The air turned heavy
"So…" Rikka said quickly, forcing a grin, "Why did you two become adventurers?"
"I-I want to find my brother" Erin answered
"Your brother?"
"Y-yes. When we were kids, we dreamed of becoming adventurers together. He left first… so I want to meet him again"
"…Does he have a title? It's easier to find someone with a title" Rikka asked
"I don't know"
"Hmmm" Rikka turned to Auel, "How about you?"
Auel didn't hesitate
"Money"
"…Ugh. So lame"