Gift From Mayor
"What! Single gift from the mayor, one for each of us?!" Ana exclaimed.
Frankly, even Ian finds it a bit too much to just find a stolen caravan, mostly because any adventurers with enough strength could find it.
"You seem to not know how much it means to the mayor," Mr. Grul exclaimed.
"The mayor had been in hot water because of the taxes from this town disappearing, along with the loss of the seal held by the tax collector.
If not for someone from the capital to possess the ability to determine the truth, the mayor would likely face execution. Even so, the mayor is forced to pay the amount back, which is a staggering 20, 000 gold coins,"
Everyone else aside from the head gasped. After all, a massive amount like that is something they could not hope to see, much less attaining it.
"So, the 1000 silver coins are mere change to the mayor. Only the treasures you can take might be worth something, but even still, it will not be too much in the mayor's eyes," Mr. Grul continued.
They nodded. After all, a measly 1000 silver coins, which is the same as 10 gold coins, could not be compared to the 20,000 gold coins the mayor needs to fork out.
"So, what do you want the most?" Mr. Grul asked.
Without skipping a bit, Ian said, "One spatial bag, enough to hold several Wild Boars," after all, it would be helpful for their commissions in the future.
"Hhmm, I want a new sword of a much higher quality," Kell decided, showing his sword, which had begun to have its edge dulled.
"In that case, I also want a sword as well," Ana told the head, after all, her sword is worse than Kell's current one.
"For me, I want a better knife," Lisa commented.
"Then I want a better magic staff," Fiona told the man, who nodded.
"Also, the mayor did not want to appear too cheap and decided that he would pay for your accommodation for a year," Mr. Grul dropped another bombshell.
"So, we don't have to worry about the rent?" Ian asked, wanting to confirm it.
"Yes, and he will also give you 10 silver coins a day, for you to use in your daily expenses, namely food. This also lasts for a year," the group gasped once more. After all, they would not have to worry about food and lodging for a year.
"In that case, give our thanks to the mayor for his gift," Ian said to the head, who nodded.
Then, they left the office, leaving the head alone. "Huh, what am I, a messenger?"
-x-
However, even after receiving so many rewards, Ian decided to take some commissions, to the surprise of the others.
"We just get a lot of coins, and you want to take some commissions?" Kell asked in confusion.
"Taking commissions is not only a way to make ends meet, but also to train ourselves. After all, aside from the two of us, the rest are still at E-rank. Even though completing the commissions might not help the three of you in improving your ranks, it is still a step in the right direction," Ian explained to them all.
Reluctantly, they found his reasoning to make sense. After all, they are still newbies aside from Ian and Kell. They will need to work harder to raise their ranks.
-x-
"Take this!" Ana yelled, her sword swinging and killing one of the goblins in front of her. Another one was about to leap on her but was killed with an arrow.
Lisa then fired two more arrows, killing two more goblins as they began to pour in their direction.
Behind them, Fiona cast Light, the burning luminance blinded the goblins causing them to fall, something both Ana and Lisa took advantage of, using their sword and dagger to end the fallen foes.
"Are you not going to help?" Ana asked the two boys, who were only watching them from the start of the fight.
"Yes, this is a way for us to assess your skills. After all, we cannot do so when we are fighting. This will allow us to give advice and help you improve," Ian explained, watching as five more goblins met their end.
Ana grunted but otherwise made no other complaint. After all, she knew he was right. The best way for them to help the trio grow is by letting the girls do the heavy lifting, at least until they are strong enough to fight side by side with the boys.
"Looks like the hob about to join the fray," Kell commented, the lumbering hobgoblin strode towards the girls.
As he could see it, so did the girls who all paled before determined expressions formed on their faces. Fiona cast Light once more, but even brighter. The hobgoblin wailed, covering its eyes in the hope of not being blinded by the light.
With it not being able to see, both Ana and Lisa rushed towards the legs of the creature, cutting it. Their attacks, while not able to dismember the monster, did leave large gashes.
As the hobgoblin fell forward, Ana did the killing blow, her sword pierced through its head, killing it.
As the hobgoblin was killed, the girls let out heavy breathing before excitement began to overcome them.
"We did it," they cheered, though not for long as two more hobgoblins appeared with an assortment of goblins.
Before they could despair, a white bolt pierced through multiple goblins while a huge figure engaged the two hobgoblins by themselves.
Ian cast Heal as he told them, "Rest for now. Let both of us handle the pest,"
-x-
"Why the long faces?" the receptionist asked the girls, all of them pouting at the two boys.
"We learned that we are still far from being close to those monsters," Lisa explained, the two boys scratched their heads with a sheepish smile.
"Well, at least you can learn something from them," the receptionist consoles them.
"Also, the gifts from the mayor just arrived," his words caused a chain reaction among the party members, all of them pushing each other to get to the counter.
"Let me give you rewards for completing the commissions and then I will give the gift," they obediently listened to the receptionist's words, letting him give them their rewards first.
"The rewards will be 96 silver coins, and now, the gifts," he presented a bundle to the group, all of them taking the thing they asked for with a huge smile.
"Let's go to our room and check all of the items there," no one disagrees with Ian's proposal.