“That concludes the briefing.”

  Polite, but dry.

  When the staff member closed the final document, the air in the room settled into silence.

  Rynel stood.

  “Thank you.”

  Aira dipped her head slightly,

  and Monero leaned back in his chair, lips pushed out as he muttered,

  “So it means we’ve got no leads at all···”

  When the staff member opened the door for them, the three left the meeting room with steps that were neither heavy nor light.

  The hallway still held the scent of early morning.

  Under the glow of magic lamps, Rynel let out a small breath.

  “Thirteen bodies, one missing···

  If there’s even a chance they’re alive, we can’t just let it go.”

  “···Do you think they could be?”

  Aira asked carefully.

  “It’s already been three days···”

  Monero gave a bitter smile.

  “Checking that kind of thing is what adventurers do.”

  Rynel paused, then turned his gaze toward the reception counter.

  A voice carried clearly from there.

  “···We can’t do it with just us. The numbers don’t work.”

  In front of the guild desk, four adventurers had a map spread out, talking.

  The clink of metal gear left an awkward tension in the lobby.

  As Rynel’s group stepped in, the conversation snagged their attention.

  Monero cocked one ear, then said bluntly,

  “Goblins. So this is the extermination order people were talking about?”

  Rynel hesitated, then walked over.

  “Excuse me.”

  At his calm tone, the four turned.

  “Are you··· talking about a goblin subjugation job?”

  The young man holding the map asked cautiously.

  “Are you adventurers?”

  Aira pointed to the badge at her chest.

  A small golden badge glinted.

  The engraved “C” was clear.

  Monero showed his as well,

  and Rynel quietly pulled his from inside his coat.

  One of the four—

  a warrior in light armor with a faint silver sheen—spoke slowly.

  “A C-rank party.

  Then yeah, we can talk.”

  He smiled and turned a little toward his team.

  “First, introductions.

  I’m Kruster. Team leader, and fighter.”

  His manner was neat, but not overbearing.

  “This is Namia. Ranger.

  If it’s forest routes around here, she knows them better than anyone.”

  A woman with short hair tinted with blue gave a brief nod.

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  “I’m Midas. Cleric.

  Mostly healing and protection.”

  A thin young man with glasses said it like he was mumbling to himself.

  “And···”

  Kruster turned to the last person.

  “This one is Nenya. Mage, but··· she’s so quiet,

  we’ve heard more spells than words from her.”

  Namia let out a small snort.

  A small figure under an oversized wizard hat lowered their head silently.

  With long lashes shading the eyes, they almost looked like a young girl at a glance.

  Aira smiled gently.

  “We don’t really have a team name. It’s just the three of us.”

  Rynel added,

  “I’m Rynel. I handle mana.

  This is Aira, a spirit-caller.

  And this is Monero. He fights up close.”

  Kruster nodded, sounding amused.

  “Right. A team name isn’t mandatory.

  Strong teams get named by other people eventually.”

  Midas added softly,

  “For reference, we’re the Silvermoon Shield.”

  Aira murmured under her breath.

  “That’s a cool name···”

  Kruster smiled, a little embarrassed.

  “We chose it because we wanted to be a ‘shield’ for people and villages.

  Still a lot we’re lacking, though.”

  Rynel nodded quietly.

  It felt like the thinnest thread of trust was starting to form.

  At that moment, the receptionist checked the paperwork and said,

  “Alright. Silvermoon Shield, and··· the three of you without a team name.

  That makes seven total, registered as a temporary party.”

  “Yes. Please do.”

  Kruster nodded.

  The staff member handed them a map and a mission sheet together.

  “Goblins have been frequently sighted along the village’s western border.

  There have also been cases of traveling merchants being attacked during patrol routes.”

  “So that’s why the count issued a subjugation order.”

  Rynel said.

  “That’s correct.”

  The staff member nodded cautiously.

  “This mission has a high chance of direct engagement.

  Please don’t push yourselves too hard.”

  “Understood. Let’s move.”

  Kruster said, looking over his team.

  ◇

  The mixed party of seven soon left the village and started along the western road.

  Late-autumn sunlight brushed the edge of the forest,

  and the air carried the smell of dry leaves—along with the first sharp hint of winter.

  After a stretch of silent walking, Aira spoke.

  “Um··· that village that burned down a few days ago··· do you know about it?”

  Kruster turned his head.

  “Yes.

  We were··· the first ones to reach the scene.”

  Rynel picked up the thread.

  “They said the goblin bodies burned with it too. Did anything seem off?”

  Midas answered instead, nudging his glasses back up.

  “Off? Plenty.

  Villagers and goblins, both dead··· and the entire village burned.

  But that alone isn’t what worries us most.”

  Kruster continued with a serious look.

  “What’s worse now is··· the goblins are moving like an organized group.

  Not random looting—more like they’re acting under someone’s orders. A plan.”

  “···So there’s a leader.”

  Rynel said quietly.

  “Exactly.”

  Namia replied.

  “We don’t know who yet, but it’s clear the goblins around here are starting to show order.”

  Kruster added heavily.

  “That’s why, before it gets any later, we need to scatter their packs while they’re still operating like guerrillas.”

  Monero crossed his arms and muttered.

  “Are other teams moving too, besides us?”

  “Yes.”

  Midas said.

  “Teams spread across this region each have assigned zones.

  So we only have to handle the area we’re responsible for.”

  “Nice.

  So as long as we clean up ‘our zone,’ we’re good.”

  Monero grinned.

  Kruster tapped a point on the map.

  “Here. The forest edge is today’s operation area.

  From this point on, we’re assuming we’re in goblin territory—so stay sharp.”

  Everyone’s pace slowed slightly.

  The forest felt lonely and heavy, unlike the village.

  The light filtering through the leaves was thin,

  and dried leaves crackled softly underfoot.

  “Watch your noise.”

  Namia lowered her voice.

  “The goblins here have weak eyesight, but their hearing’s sharp.”

  The group nodded without speaking and advanced slowly.

  The smell of the forest was deep, and somewhere within it, a faint rancid meat stench clung.

  “Namia first.”

  At Kruster’s signal, Namia slipped ahead between the trees.

  A moment later, she eased a branch aside and gestured.

  “This way.”

  When everyone moved in silently, she pointed.

  There was a small, shabby box sitting there.

  It didn’t look like treasure—more like something abandoned by accident.

  Then—

  “Oh? Isn’t that a treasure chest?”

  Monero’s eyes sparkled as he started toward it.

  “Don’t move!”

  Namia’s voice snapped.

  Monero froze mid-step.

  Namia sighed and pointed carefully at the ground around it.

  “It’s bait.

  A trap the goblins set to lure adventurers.”

  “···A trap?”

  Monero asked, blinking.

  “That box is suspiciously half-assed, don’t you think?”

  Namia scanned the area around the box more closely.

  “There’s a sharp mechanism inside. Something like arrowheads.”

  “Whoa··· seriously?”

  Monero took a step back.

  He scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.

  “Sorry. I just··· moved before I thought.”

  “Next time, I’d prefer the thinking to come first.”

  Kruster said with a smile.

  His voice was gentle, but his eyes were sharp.

  “Well, now you know.”

  Aira muttered as she lightly tapped Monero’s arm.

  “Good thing you didn’t get hurt.”

  “Ahem.”

  Monero cleared his throat and backed off quietly.

  They adjusted their route again, careful.

  Namia led through the trees,

  followed in order by Kruster and Nenya, then Rynel’s group.

  And then—

  “···Ah.”

  Crunch—

  A light friction sound, and something sprang up underfoot.

  “···Monero.”

  Rynel’s voice dropped.

  Monero stared down, stiff.

  A thin stone plate hidden under late-autumn leaves had clicked beneath his boot.

  Under it, something pressed with a sharp, ugly sound.

  “···Noise trap.”

  Namia clenched her teeth.

  “Kieeeeeeeek!!”

  It wasn’t just one scream.

  It burst out from three, maybe four directions at once—like the whole forest was howling.

  “···At least twenty.”

  Namia whispered sharply from behind cover.

  She drew her bow fast and took aim.

  “Line of sight secured. Directions—northwest, east, south. Three fronts.”

  “They’re trying to surround us.”

  Kruster raised his shield.

  “This path is narrow. They can’t rush us all at once.”

  Midas scanned the terrain through his glasses.

  “If we use the ground right··· we can win.”

  “No place to fall back.”

  Rynel’s eyes narrowed.

  As he took a breath, the space around them warped strangely.

  An unseen force cut through the air in silence, gathering.

  Monero tugged his gloves tight and turned his head.

  A familiar prep motion—

  but his face was tense.

  Aira lightly gripped the pendant at her neck.

  The moment her fingertips touched it, the spirit stone took on a faint glow.

  Then a small presence drew near.

  Leaves rustled, branches parted,

  and something emerged from the brush.

  Green skin. Jagged teeth.

  A goblin clutching a worn weapon in both hands.

  “Kreeeek···!”

  At the same time—

  Namia’s bow sang first.

  Shoo—!

  The arrow flew without a sound and pierced the goblin’s forehead.

  Thud.

  The creature collapsed beneath the tree.

  “We’ve been spotted.”

  Namia said shortly.

  Kruster set his shield forward and shouted,

  “Hold your positions! Lock the front! Don’t scatter, no matter how many there are!”

  At once, Nenya’s eyes flashed red.

  Without a single breath, a magic circle with a flame pattern began to rise beneath her feet.

  The temperature of the air ticked up—just slightly.

  Around twenty.

  With faded axes, spears, and stone weapons in hand,

  the goblins crept closer, snarling.

  “Three on the left—closing fast.”

  Namia fired again.

  Shoo—!

  The arrow punched clean through the side of a goblin’s head.

  “Magic’s ready whenever.”

  Nenya’s voice stayed calm.

  Under her robe, a faint light circled at her fingertips.

  And—

  “Kieeeeeeeek!!”

  The goblin pack tore through the brush and charged with sharp screams.

  Monero clenched his fists, teeth grinding.

  “Alright··· come on, then.”

  Just then—

  the ground shook, and the first goblin burst out with a blade.

  “They’re coming!”

  With Rynel’s shout,

  an unavoidable fight began in the forest where thin beams of light filtered through.