A young girl, barely more than a child, stepped into the Adventurer's Guild, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the bustling scene.

She made her way to the reception counter, but it was far too high for her to reach. Reila, the receptionist, noticed her struggle and crouched down to meet the girl's gaze.

"Welcome, little one!" Reila greeted warmly. "Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. What can I do for you today?"

"Please defeat the bad bandits who are attacking my village!" the girl exclaimed, her voice laced with urgency.

"Uh, you want to request a bandit extermination mission?" Reila clarified, trying to understand the young girl's request.

"My sister said if I go to the Adventurer's Guild in the town, they can defeat the bad guys," the girl explained.

"Well, I'm sorry, but hiring adventurers costs money..." Reila explained gently.

The girl, however, held out a small pouch. Reila took it and peeked inside to find a few copper coins.

"This is all my savings!" the girl declared. "Please take it and defeat the bandits. Save my sister!"

Reila was taken aback. There was no way an adventurer would accept such a meager sum to take on a bandit extermination mission.

Moreover, if the bandits were truly attacking the village, the lord should be handling the situation. While adventurers might be hired to hunt down dangerous bandit groups for a hefty reward, they were primarily tasked with dealing with monsters, not humans.

While some adventurers specialized in hunting down criminals and could make a living off bounties, they were not typically considered part of the Adventurer's Guild.

Reila decided to bring the girl to the waiting room and learn more about the situation. She also sent a messenger to the guard headquarters to request assistance.

---

As luck would have it, Catherine and Ryu had just returned from the training grounds. They joined Reila in gathering information from the girl.

The girl's name was Sera, and her village, Gobo, was a small village located north of Mimul. Recently, bandits had been attacking the village, stealing valuables and crops.

One of the bandits had even spotted Sera's older sister, Marin, and demanded that she be handed over.

Sera had walked alone from Gobo to Mimul to seek help, determined to save her sister. She was only five years old, but she seemed remarkably composed for her age. It was a miracle she had managed to navigate the forest and the road without encountering any monsters.

Just as they were discussing the situation, a figure appeared - Golan, the newly appointed head of the city guard.

"Ah, greetings to the new master of the Adventurer's Guild," Golan announced with a polite smile. "And to you, Ryu, I still owe you a debt of gratitude for your help."

"Don't worry about it," Ryu replied, his tone dismissive. "But more importantly…"

Ryu explained the situation to Golan, expecting that the city guard would handle the bandit issue. Since Mimul's lord was known to be somewhat stingy but still cared for his people, it seemed likely he would send troops to protect the village.

However, Golan's expression turned serious.

"That might be a bit difficult," he admitted. "While Gobo is close to Mimul, it's no longer part of our territory. It belongs to a different noble family. Sending our guards would be a diplomatic issue, especially since the neighboring lord is known to be a difficult person…"

"Well, couldn't we contact the lord of the neighboring town and ask them to send troops?" Catherine suggested.

"That's also tricky," Golan explained. "The lord of the neighboring town, Baron Git, has a reputation for being rather… callous. He's said to not care much for the well-being of his people."

"So you're telling me you won't send guards to protect Gobo?" Reila asked, her voice laced with frustration.

"It's highly unlikely," Golan replied. "Gobo is a small, remote village with no real industry. Baron Git might consider it not worth protecting."

"But the bad guys are hurting my village! Please, won't you stop them?" Sera pleaded.

"I'm afraid..." Ryu started, but then stopped. "Golan, wouldn't there be a way for adventurers to handle this? While it's not appropriate for the city guard to intervene in another lord's territory, if a village hired adventurers for bandit extermination, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"That's true," Golan acknowledged.

"But adventurers require payment," Reila reminded them.

"I have the money! Please, please help!" Sera cried, offering the small pouch of coins once again.

"I'm sorry, little one," Reila said gently. "Hiring an adventurer for a mission like this requires a significant amount of money. You'd need a minimum of..."

Ryu interrupted, a confident glint in his eyes. "I'll take this job."

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "You're saying you'll take a mission with no real profit? Isn't that against the whole point of being an adventurer?"

Ryu chuckled. "I never said that forcing adventurers to take on unprofitable missions is right. But if an adventurer chooses to take it on their own, it's the guild's responsibility to support them, isn't it? Besides, taking on missions like this would improve the Adventurer's Guild's image."

"You have a point," Catherine admitted. "But are you sure you can handle this alone? ...No, actually, I'm not worried about you."

She had seen Ryu in action, and knew he was more than capable of handling a group of bandits on his own.

Catherine turned to Reila and instructed her to process the request. The bandits were supposed to arrive at the village tonight, so they had to act quickly.

"I'll lend you a guard horse!" Golan offered, but Ryu declined.

He took Sera's hand, and a magic circle appeared beneath their feet. In a flash of light, they disappeared.

"Teleport?!" Golan gasped in astonishment. He was unaware of Ryu's teleportation magic.

Catherine, who had intended to join Ryu to watch the fight, found herself left behind. But she didn't give up. The bandits were arriving tonight, and she could still reach the village if she rode a horse. She quickly borrowed a guard horse and galloped towards Gobo.