The day of the raid.

Adventurers of Liasr Town will gather today and fight the Fiend Kraken that is looming around lake not too far from the town.

In order to do that, Guild Master will gather all adventurers and helpers outside of the town's gate. However...

"Why are you here?"

I say that while looking at Ean the goblin girl.

She is wearing an brown shirt and pants instead of the usual leaf clothes.

Miika who is standing besides me also looks at Ean with confused expression as he never expects her to be here.

"I asked the Guild Master to let me participate! Let's work hard together!"

"Y- yes..."

Only Miika replies by saying that. I look at the Guild Master who is standing besides us.

Guild Master starts talking after noticing me staring at him.

"In this raid, all adventurers will be grouped with their usual party. So you three will form a temporary party. Got it?"

"Yes!"

"Yes."

Both Ean and Miika immediately reply. Ean replies more enthusiastically than Miika.

A party of three kids... what is this Guild Master thinking?

Before I can ask questions, Guild Master talks to me.

"Shion, you will be the leader of this party. Got it?"

"... understood."

Right after I reply with displeased tone, Guild Master looks at Ean.

"Ean, be sure to listen to the leader okay?"

"Of course!"

Brimming with enthusiasm, Ean replies with voice that is loud enough gather attention around us... especially the town's residents.

As I look behind for a bit, I can see them staring at four of us with displeased gaze.

I still have not forgotten other objective of this raid: to make the residents of this town accept the goblins. In order to do that, Guild Master wants to prove them how useful the goblins can be.

At this time, the rest of goblins should be staying at the garden outside od Pepprica's store. Guild Master never say anything about what he will do after the raid.

Well... I don't really have the leeway to care about other people's circumstances. For now, I'll just focus on fulfilling my responsibility as the one who killed Panthos Genuma. I'll participate in this raid and survive.

I look at Ean talking to Guild Master and Miika as I think that.

"Oh right. Even if it's only temporary, you three need a party name. Let's see..."

Guild Master touches his chin for a bit while thinking. He starts talking again after few seconds later.

"Alright since there are 13 parties participating in this raid. Your party will be named Team 13."

Giving this party a name is fine but... just what did this Guild Master expect a kid-only party to accomplish?

.....

....

...

All raid teams are currently walking on a plain. Guild Master, Rimikia(the elf receptionist), Griselda(beastman with witch outfit), Ean(goblin girl), Miika and I are currently walking on the front. The Guild Master is pulling the carriage full of baskets with potions inside.

"..."

"..."

And somehow, there is a strange tension between Griselda and Ean. It's like they are trying their best to not look at each other.

But they suck at hiding their attention so the atmosphere is heavy... at least that's what I feel. I'm not sure if the others can feel it too.

"Rimikia."

In order to break this heavy atmosphere, I call out to her who is walking in front of me.

"Yes?"

Rimikia looks behind while still walking.

"I just remember..."

Before I continue talking, I pick up my guild member card. It still shows D as my rank.

"What happened if we defeat this raid monster? Will that raid monster's astral body pattern be recorded in this card?"

Rimikia immediately reply while looking at my card.

"It will be recorded but we won't use the usual reward system. In the case of raid battle, the raid will be split evenly to all participants... or at least that should have been."

"... ahh, right..."

I say that with low tone.

I know what she meant by that. But Ean just look at both of us with confused look starts talking to us.

"? What's wrong?"

Though before I can reply, Miika replies first.

"Actually..."

Miika explains to Ean about the bet that was made Veylene the so-called Bastard Elf and other adventurers in the guild. If Veylene ends up helping the adventurers fighting the Fiend Kraken, all the reward will go towards Veylene instead.

"So that kind of thing happened..."

Ean says that with a slightly surprised look.

Then Ean looks around before asking something.

"Where is she then? Miss Veylene..."

"She's at the most behind."

Upon hearing Rimikia's words, both Ean and Miika look behind to find Veylene at the most behind carrying a bag which has twice the size of her body.

"What a big bag... ! Maybe... all the things inside it are the tools for raid battle?"

"Eh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing Ean's statement, Miika looks at Rimikia and asks for confirmation.

"... I guess you can call it that... in a way."

"Wow... as expected of Liasr strongest adventurer..."

Ean looks at Veilene with awe.

Judging from Rimikia's response and behaviour, whatever inside that bag is probably not what Ean imagined.

But at least the atmosphere is less heavier than before.

I take a glance at Griselda who is silent this whole time as I think that.

_________________________________________

*Interlude*

Outside of Pepprica Phalanx's store, many goblin kids are either resting or playing around.

Among them, Dhilli the goblin boy is watching the others silently while sitting on the ground.

"..."

"What's wrong? Feeling tired?"

Another goblin boy named Milua arrives at the left side of Dhilli.

Milua starts talking to Dhilli while still standing.

"What's wrong? Still feeling tired?"

"Nah... just thinking about Ean..."

"Ohh... right. She prohibited us from going with her after all. I'm also worried about her."

"Well, there's that too... but..."

"?"

Milua looks at Dhilli with confused expression after knowing that Ean going for the raid battle is not the entirety of his concern.

"Don't you think Ean... has changed lately?"

"Changed? Where?"

After hearing Milua's question, Dhilli looks at the goblin kids running around before replying.

"Like... she smiles... a lot less these days."

"You think so...?"

Milua is still not convinced by Dhilli's concern as he does not notice any change within Ean's behaviour. After thinking for few seconds, Milua starts talking again.

"But it has been hard for us these days, having lost our parents and other adults... I'm sure it's normal for Ean to not be able to smile that much lately..."

"Have you forgotten? She's the one who tried her hardest in cheering us up right after our parents' death. She said that we should smile in our hardest times. You remember how stubborn she is right?"

"Well... maybe she's just nervous? It's her first time participating in raid battle after all..."

Milua tilts his head as he says that.No matter how much Milua think about it, that's the only reason he can comes up with.

"... well, it's fine if it's only that though."

Right after Dhilli said that, he remembers his outburst against Miika back then. He still dislikes Miika but he's worried if Ean took his words to heart as she is supposed to be the current leader of the goblins.

*End of Interlude*

_________________________________________

Now the raid groups including mine are currently hiding behind forest that surrounds a big open grass field and a lake except two people.

One of them is the Guild Master who is standing in front of everyone as part of the plan.

And the other one is Veylene who puts her big bag on the open field, take a book out of her bag and sit down to read the book even though this place is supposed to be a battle zone.

Rimikia, Griselda, Ean and Miika are near me inside the forest.

"... I ask thee."

Then the Guild Master suddenly talks to no one while closing his eyes. Or rather, he's chanting.

A brown magic circle with about similar size as his body appears in front of him.

"On the behalf of the land, the wonder and its karma shall heed to this hand's prayer..."

Then the Guild Master quickly takes a stance like he is about to punch someone.

"Mana... SHAKER!!!"

The Guild Master punches the brown magic circle in front of him.

*SCREEEEEECH!!!!*

"Ugh!?"

The loud sound that comes from that magic is so loud that I have to cover my ears on reflex. Then I can sense a very disturbance in mana flow.

The mana flow that is produced from the magic goes straight into the lake.

Unlike the calm surrounding that can be seen from naked eyes, the mana inside the lake becomes shaken up that the big astral body inside the lake starts moving up from the deep side of the lake.

This astral body is similar to the big astral body that I sensed before I came to Liasr Town. It is most likely the same monster I sensed back then.

*growl..!*

A monster's growl can be heard from the lake as it's about to rise up from the lake.

*SPLAAAASH!!!*

A white giant squid emerges while splashing a huge amount of water to the ground.

"So that's... Fiend Kraken...!"

Ean can't help but to say that in surprise. I guess this is the first time she see this monster because she was not there during the raid meeting.

With its glowing yellow eyes, Fiend Kraken starts approaching the ground.

According to the plan, the raid groups will start attacking once it leaves the lake.

*SPRAY!!!*

However, Fiend Kraken suddenly sprays a sharp water blast from its mouth much to my surprise.

"!?"

That attack is aimed at Guild Master who does not expect the attack.

However, Rimikia quickly jumps out from the forest and two brown magic circles appear from both of her hands.

The ropes quickly come out from both magic circles to bind Guild Master's body and pull him away from the water blast.

"Kuh!!"

I quickly pull Ean's body so that both of us can evades to the left side.

At the same time, Miika and Griselda jumps to the right side.

*SPLASH!!!*

The water blast goes straight between us to the forest, destroying everything in its path.

Almost all of us are surprised by the destructive power of that blast.

That attack just now is not magic. It's a water that is sprayed forth from its mouth using pure strength.

"It can only do that by absorbing the water from its surrounding... Mana Shaker and the lake full of mana water should have made leaving the lake its first priority...!"

Griselda says that while looking at Fiend Kraken.

Rimikia makes the ropes that is binding the Guild Master disappear by disactivate her magic circles. Then she starts talking.

"It is most likely that there isn't enough mana in that lake..."

After hearing Rimikia's statement, I look at the lake again.

Not enough mana huh... this is the first time I have seen this strategy so I don't know much mana is needed to make this strategy works...

"But that's-...!?"

Before Griselda can continue her statement, another water blast is sprayed at other side of the forest. The adventurers manage to avoid it. But they starts panicking due to the long range of that attack.

"DAMN IT! LET'S KILL IT BEFORE IT KILL US!!"

"YEAH!!!"

After bald cyclop adventurer wearing silver chain mail said that, the rest of adventurers replied to him and quickly follow him to attack Fiend Kraken.

"Wait! You guys! Dammit!"

The Guild Master says that because other adventurer do not listen to his words. Then he looks at Rimikia and Griselda to give them order.

"Rimikia! Griselda! Back them up! Make sure they don't do anything crazy!"

"Understood."

Rimikia says that as she starts running past Veylene who is still reading the book without much care to what happened at all.

"Piney!"

As Griselda says that, she takes out a blue gem from her pocket. Then it starts forming into a slime on her hand before immediately transforming into a water whip.

While holding the water whip, Griselda starts running to the adventurers' side as well.

"What will you do? With half of its body still staying inside the lake, it can continuously regenerate using lake's water..."

I say that to Guild Master asking him about what to do next.

"I want to know the condition of Topologic Mana Denser. Shion, do you still remember where it is located?"

"Yeah."

I quickly reply to Guild Master's question to save time.

"Then your party shall quick investigate the Topologic Mana Denser. If it's still working properly, all you need to do is to report back to me as quickly as possible. But if it's no longer working, bring it here as soon as possible. Can you guys do that?"

I nod while the other two kids quickly reply.

"Yes!"

Miika says that with determination.

"Please leave that to us!

Ean says that while clenching her right fist.

I quickly run towards where the Topologic Mana Denser is while the other two kids are following me from behind.