Once I got my gear in place, I headed out of the city to complete my request.
　We moved straight into the forest.

　According to the information Natalie had told me beforehand, the traffickers are over-hunting the forest animals, mainly the animals in the forest.
　According to the information we witnessed, the horn wolf, which is designated as a protected species, is being targeted.

　The horn wolf, as its name suggests, is a member of the wolf family.
　As an adult, they grow magnificent horns.
　Although they are wolves, they are a relatively docile species, and as long as they don't attack people, they won't be attacked.

　Hornwolf horns are easy to process.
　Their fur is also of high quality, and they were targeted by many humans in the past.
　Because of this, their population has declined so much that they are now a protected species.

　Once they are designated as protected, they are banned from hunting.
　If you hunt the horn wolf, you will be penalized, or worse, imprisoned.
　So it seemed that the hornwolf was safe, but....

　People are constantly thinking bad things about the world.
　Because of the increased scarcity, the horn wolf's horns and fur have become more valuable...
　Poachers began to appear, looking for a quick buck.

Good luck and I'll protect the Hornwolf!
I'll do my best...

　Kanade and Nina were full of motivation.
　Aside from Kanade, it's rare that even Nina is motivated.
　That's a good thing, but.....
　He's a quiet kid, so it was hard to see him get into a situation where he could get into it.

'Oddly motivated, isn't she?'
Of course I do.

　Kanade replied with a huff and a puff of enthusiasm.

''To us cat spirit race, animals like hornwolves are like relatives in a way. If they're in trouble, we have to help them.
I'm the same way.

　I see.
　The cat spirit race and the god race are very close to the beast race.
　They must feel an affinity for Hornwolf.

''In that case, let's punish the criminals exactly for not doing anything stupid again.
When Tania says it, it sounds like it means something else. It's disgusting.
What do you mean?
What do you mean by that?
'Absentmindedly, Thora agreed a little...'
You know...
Enough chatter.

　He clapped his hands with a pang and turned everyone's attention to us.

'From here on out, it's Hornwolf territory. There might be poachers somewhere. Let's try to be as quiet as possible and keep it as quiet as possible.
Yes!
Keep your voice down.
"Oh, shit!

　
　I look at Kanade and think about that.

　Oh well.
　I'm good at exploring.
　We can tame multiple small animals and scatter them around.
　Alternatively, you can assimilate the small birds and search for them from above.

"Rain, Rain!

　As I'm trying to figure out which way to go, Kanade gets a serious look on his face and tugs at my clothes with a squeak.

'I think I can feel people,'
What?
From over there... two, maybe?　I hear footsteps approaching.

　I'm sure Kanade's ears are sure, so I'm sure of it.
　Did you run into poachers all of a sudden?

Everyone get ready for battle.

　Take a warning stance.
　Nina also seemed to plan to fight on her own this time, and she was prepared.
　I'm a little worried but.......well, if it's against a normal person, it won't be a problem.
　Nina is a child, but she's the strongest species.

'Whoa, what is it?'
Who are you people?

　A pair of men, a warrior-looking man and a wizard-looking man, appeared in the bushes.
　They seem to be on guard, but I can't sense any hostility.

　They don't seem to be poachers.
　I signaled to everyone to let down their guard and stepped forward with my hand.

'I'm Rain, and I'm an adventurer. Everyone here is one of mine.
You're a competitor.
Does that mean there are two of them?
Oh. I am the warrior ogre. And this is my partner, the wizard Kreuz. He's a C-rated wizard, by the way. Who are you?
I'm a C.
What?　Seriously?
''Hmmm ... you don't sound like you're lying, but for someone like you to be a C-grade I'm surprised.
''d*mn it, what does the guild think of giving this kid a C grade?　If you do this, people will think the quality of the adventurers has deteriorated, right?
"Mwah!

　At the pair's words, Kanade's temples twitched.
　........No, it's not just Kanade.
　Tania, Sola, and Luna too.
　Even Nina had a sullen look on her face.

''........do you want to have a shot?''
I'll grant you permission.
...Wait, wait, wait. Adventurers can't tussle with each other.
"...or rather, these people don't know about Rain.
''What do you mean you don't know Lane after all he's done?　Isn't that strange?
...just came from somewhere else, maybe?
What's that, what's up with the whispering?
Yeah, well, it's nothing.
By the way, have you two been to Horizon recently?
'Yes. Because when you get to our level, we travel all over the place.
Nyanka. Nina's right.
"I mean....look closely, are you a cat spirit race?　Your kids are of the dragon race and even have a god race?
I see. I see. If the strongest species is your friend, I can understand why it's a C-rank.
'No!　Rain got a C-rank with Rain's power!
To tell you the truth, my master is many, many times, well, dozens of times better than you.
Oh?

　Aug let out a sullen voice at Kanade and Tania's rebuttal.

　I shouldn't do it.
　I'm glad you're all so angry for me, but....
　But I'm not going to fight with other adventurers for no reason.
　There's nothing like being humiliated by me.

'Well are you two in the middle of a request too?

　I asked such a question to divert the conversation.

'Hmm?　Yeah, well.
'We've been asked to capture the poachers in these woods,'
What?
Hey, hey, Rain. That's the same request we're making...?
'What?　What the hell is that?
Actually....

　I told him we'd been doing the same thing.

Oh, jeez. We're in different parties and we do the same job?
Have you been double-booked?

　Requests to adventurers basically do not overlap.
　If more than one adventurer accepts a single request, it is easy to get into disputes over achievement conditions and distribution of rewards, so this is avoided.

　However, when it comes to defeating a monster with immense power, there are times when requests are sent to multiple parties...
　This case is different.
　Since we're only catching poachers, we should only be able to take on one party.

'Who did you guys ask to broker the request?
Natalie, but...
'Uh we're different people. Maybe the guild made a mistake. It happens sometimes, these things happen.
I see.
So you can go home.
What?

　I don't remember ever agreeing to give up a request or agreeing to give up a request, even though they can make up their own mind.
　In this kind of situation, isn't the first thing we should discuss?
　And yet, I would be pissed off if I was sent away as if I were in the way.

We're not leaving.
I mean, why don't you guys just go home?
We'll do our best, so...

　Kanade and the others seemed to have the same impression, and they returned the words with a miffed look.

''You know ... did you say Rain?　How long have you been an adventurer?
Lane's been gone a month, right?

　Kanade spoke up for me.

'What, it's only been a month? And you got a C-rank you're completely dependent on your friends.
Do you mind?　We've been adventurers for a few years now. We are your seniors, so to speak. It's only natural to step back for your seniors, isn't it?
'Such unfamiliar athletic theories won't convince Sora and the others.
'Why should I respect an adventurer who has only been around for a few years?　I mean, I've been ranked C in a month or so, so Rain is better than me. Isn't it you guys who are retiring?
You little...

　At Sola and Luna's rebuttal, Aug turned vicious.
　It might be useless to say it, but I don't want to piss these two off too much.
　They don't realize it because they're hiding their wings, but they're both the most powerful species.
　Luna in particular has a lot of flirtatious personalities, so if you really piss her off, you'll get in a lot of trouble.

''Then why don't we do this?''

　Kreutz, who is relatively calm, offers an alternative.

'Neither of us is willing to give up on this request. In that case, we'll have to compete.
You mean, the sooner we get there, the better.
Yes, I suppose so. I thought that would be the easiest way to understand. Well, you're right. There's no way we're going to lose to you, though.

　It's an understandable provocation, so there's nothing to get mad about.

　More importantly, what do we do about it?
　If you're a C-ranked adventurer, you're pretty experienced.
　Considering that it's only a party of two people, they must be skilled.
　Even if we leave it to these two, I think we can carry out the request without any problems.

　Just.........

　I'm a man.
　It's a little annoying to be told what to do all the time.

"Okay, fine. That's all right.
It's settled. And you're okay with that, Aug?
Yeah, sure. I'm not gonna let this little brat beat me. The most powerful species in the world are only women and children. They don't have the skills necessary to be an adventurer.
So now, we are competitors for the same commission. Let's compete fairly and squarely. Well, as a handicap, you guys can play any trick you want. You can interrupt us, if you want, okay?　I would advise you that if you can do it....

　With a generous smile, Aug and Kreuz disappeared into the forest again.

''Fushar...!　They're disgusting!
Leave him alone. The weaker the dog, the more likely he is to bark.
'And yet ... well said, Rain!　I've learned to appreciate it.
''That's right. Since it's Rain, I thought there was a possibility of handing over the request to those two to avoid a conflict...
I just didn't think it would be wise to go on and on.
Mmm, that's the spirit!
Good luck.........let's look back.......

　I have such dependable friends.
　With you guys, I'm not going to let those two beat me.

All right, let's do this.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!