I return to Miria-san again with the request form for the collection quest.

"I'd like to take this request, okay?
Well, it's a beehive collection. All ranks are welcome, but please contact the office for advice. Hmmm.

　Milia gave a small nod and took out something rummaging from under the desk.
　It was a transparent crystal ball.

''This quest is a bit special, and instead of being unranked, you will be asked to answer a few questions. The answers will be recorded through this crystal ball, so please don't hesitate.
All right. You may begin.
'Thank you. Please don't lie to me. One, Ko-san, do you have the right skills and so on to complete this foraging quest?
I have it. The Armored Bear Armor has the Honey Detection S+.
'Armoured bears love honey, don't they? That makes sense.

　I knew you liked honey, Armored Bear .......
　How much do you love looking for honey even when you're an armored bear, or how much do you love it?

'Now, my second question. In this quest, you are in danger of being attacked by a swarm of bees. Do you have the appropriate skills and so on in that case?
I have it. It's a grant effect called the Roar of the Bee Ex.
"Indeed, Armored Bear is a 'gawd! and barked at the bees to get rid of them.

　Miss Militia raised her hands and did a bear impersonation.
　It's kind of cute.

''That's it for the questions. 《Honey Detection S+》 and 《Bee Exorcist's Roar EX》 are perfect for this quest!
Yeah, I agree. Stay tuned for results.
Goodbye, and may the spirits bless you!

　Miss Militia buzzed her right hand and sent me on my way.
　Her large breasts were swaying generously.

　Come to think of it, she said 'spirit blessing', but I wonder if spirits are real in this world.
　If they do exist, they must be mysterious beings like those in the game.


　* * *




　A monstrous roar is released from my throat.
　As soon as that happened, the swarm of bees that were heading towards us made a U-turn and ran away.
《Row of Bee Exorcism EX》, that's an amazing effect.

　I leisurely approach the beehive and collect it into the item box.

　By the way, the item box can only collect non-living things.
　The few bees left in the beehive were popped out of the item box and fell to the ground.

'Here, you guys go away. Shh, shh.''

　I use the Hikino sword in my right hand to chase away the bees that failed to escape.
　This sword has been granted the Insect Repellent B+, and perhaps thanks to that, the rest of the bees have flown off somewhere.

''That's five beehives, so that's your quest accomplished.

　I'm now visiting the forest area south of the city.
　I didn't encounter any demons, and thanks to the "Honey Detection S+", the quest ended without a hitch.
　In the meantime, shall I also collect materials for 【Creation】?

　...... No, let's not.

　I'm still a rookie adventurer.
　It's a failure flag for me to do this before I get used to it, or else I'll make an unexpected mistake.
　At least this time, I'll go straight home without detouring.

　I call up a map in my brain and start walking towards Oonen.
　It was just then.

'...... hmm?'

　I felt as if I could hear them talking.
　The Armored Bear Armor has been granted "Hearing Enhancement C", but perhaps because of this, I was able to clearly hear distant conversations with just a little listening.

　--It's not a good idea to have a good time. It's crazy for two girls to be adventurers.　You know what I mean?
　--No, no, thank you!　Don't leave us alone!
　--I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Goodbye.

　One young man and two girls.
　Both girls are well-groomed in appearance.
　One was the pretty type with pink hair and fluffy hair, and the other was the cool, expressionless type with long, straight blue hair.
　Although both of them had a blatantly depressed expression on their faces, the man was persistent in biting back.

　--No, I don't know what it means to say no?　I'm a C in the mercenary guild.　I don't see the point of working with you guys, really. But since we're working together, I think we should be grateful.　Come on, or I'll hurt you a little bit, okay?　We're in the middle of the woods, and no one's going to come and get us, okay?　

　Despite the fact that he clearly had no pulse, the man was not going to give up at all.
　On the contrary, he even began to give off a hint of danger.
　I have a feeling that the mercenaries just like Docs yesterday are all rogues.
　I mean, shouldn't we go in and help them with this?

　I'll take it seriously for a moment.
　When I was a company employee in Japan, I'm sure I would have turned a blind eye to it.
　I don't know if I could intercede or not, and I might even cause unnecessary trouble.
　Then it's much better to stay out of it.
　...... I would have come to that conclusion and left the place in a hurry.

　What about now?
　When I moved to another world, I got a powerful skill.
　I even have a lot of useful equipment.

　And yet, abandoning the girls is ...... a bit too much of an aftertaste.

　What I'm about to do now is self-congratulate myself for finishing my first quest with a refreshed feeling.
　Therefore, I don't ask for the girls' thanks.
　Let's begin then.

　I stealthily step forward and sneak up behind the guy.

　--and what do I do?　I'm a good-looking guy. You must be really happy. Be honest with me. ...... You know what happens if I say no, right?

　The guy was too busy talking to notice me at all.
　If he noticed me, I was going to beat him away with a "Hikino mallet" or knock him out with a "Hikino chair", but at this rate, I could solve this problem without getting my hands dirty.

　I got close enough to reach out and touch the guy.
　At that moment, I made eye contact with the two girls.

'Bear ......?'
Bear ......?

　The two girls muttered the same thing when they saw me dressed.
　Too bad, I'm not a bear.
　I'm a fledgling F-rank adventurer in armor that looks like a stuffed bear.

''What?　A bear?　What are you talking about?

　The rank C self-proclaimed handsome mercenary hadn't noticed me right behind him at all.

''Even if you try to distract me with a lie like that, I'll be the one caught...''
'Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Hi, hey, hey, hey!

　I activated the Roar of the Bee Expulsion EX and barked loudly right in front of the man.

''Ta, ta, ta, help me eeeeeeeeeeee!

　When the man screamed, he would run away with great speed.
It seems that 《Row of Bee Exorcism EX》 can get rid of not only bees, but also pick-up men.
　Mission complete.
　Nice, me.

"...... Not a bear, but a man?
...... also barked like a bear. Savages?

　The two girls couldn't seem to keep up with the sudden rush.
　Both had a puzzled look on their faces.

''Well, good job.''

　I decided to go back to town through those two guys.
　It's not that I want to be thanked, and the girls don't want to be talked to by a 29-year-old man dressed as a bear.
　I don't want them to think I'm just going to leave and pick up again, or rather, I don't want them to think I'm just going to leave and pick up again .......