GILF Hunter

As was always the case.

What was known as the monster invasion in this city required far more time and effort for the aftermath than the period of preparation and waiting.

First of all, just clearing the remains of countless monsters piled outside the walls and repairing damaged battlements and facilities was a task that took considerable time; moreover, many people only truly began their work once the invasion ended.

The place where Frenda was currently located was one of them.

In an empty lot near the northern wall, a crowd of people swarmed around tents that had been set up.

’This way!’

’Emergency patient here!’

’If you can walk on your own, go over there and wait!’

The temple’s temporary relief station established near the wall.

Amidst the many people rushing busily about, Frenda was also moving frantically.

A long line of people waited in front of the tents. They were the wounded who had come seeking treatment.

Thanks to the experience accumulated through annual battles, this city could be called a fortress with the ultimate defensive power, provided the task was limited to fending off monster attacks.

Still, as long as a large-scale battle took place, a high number of casualties was unavoidable.

Fortunately, the most critical emergency patients had been treated as quickly as possible during the invasion itself. Most of those visiting the relief station now were those with less severe injuries.

A faint light flowed from Frenda’s hands, enveloping a wound.

’There. Now, please receive the remaining treatment from the people over there.’

It was a healing spell with reduced output, intended first to prevent the wound from worsening and to restore a minimum amount of physical strength.

With Frenda’s healing magic, she could easily fully cure an injury of this degree, but doing so would mean her mana would run dry before she could treat many people.

In a situation where scores of patients were lined up, she couldn’t afford to use full-power healing magic for someone who wasn’t in critical condition.

Having finished the primary treatment, Frenda passed the patient along.

She was performing only the minimum measures to ensure no aftereffects remained, leaving the rest to the healers.

’Priestess. I’ll place this here.’

’Yes. And please bring more bandages over there.’

Beside Frenda, the knights were also moving busily. The knights of the Knightage had come out to assist with Frenda’s work.

During this period, the tasks for mercenaries were countless, but most were not the kind of work knights would typically step forward to do.

In truth, they had tried to help with the Ian Mercenary Group’s work, but Ian had turned them down because there was nothing for them to help with. In the first place, it was a bit strange for one mercenary group to go out of its way to help with another’s work if you thought about it.

As with most mercenary groups, if it was a period with no specific tasks, they could just consider themselves on leave and rest...

But a rookie mercenary group that hadn’t even finished its first year didn’t even know how to spend leisure time like a mercenary. In the end, they could only do what they usually did.

Which was helping with the temple’s work.

’Whew... I think we’ve seen all the urgent patients.’

As afternoon arrived, a bit of breathing room appeared in the actions of the people who had been moving without rest.

The long lines had vanished, and now only occasional patients arrived belatedly.

’I think we can rest for a moment now. Priests, let’s rotate shifts.’

Frenda also accepted the suggestion and sat down briefly for a break.

Since the urgent patients had mostly been handled, even if new patients arrived, it seemed the other priests could manage sufficiently.

’At this rate, it seems most of those who were coming have arrived. We should be able to withdraw by evening.’

’Is that so? There are... fewer than I expected.’

Frenda replied to the priest resting beside her.

Of course, a significant number of patients had flocked here, but considering the number of people who had fought on the walls, those visiting the relief station were surprisingly few.

’Mercenaries value their time. Our side doesn’t take payment... but we only provide minimum measures, don’t we? Being unable to work while recuperating is a major problem for them.’

’I see...’

It wasn’t as if injuries could only be treated at the temple.

There were alchemists. Or healers who had learned a few specific healing spells.

Because it was a city where the wounded were constant, there were many places that could treat injuries accordingly.

Most of those who intentionally lined up at the relief station were mercenaries in poor financial straits who wanted to save on treatment costs even if they had to wait a long time.

While resting and sharing such talk, Frenda suddenly looked toward the street. Now that she had a bit of room to breathe, the scene of the street finally entered her view.

Residents and mercenaries clearing the roads.

Wagons filled with monster carcasses passing in a line, and even merchants watching them.

These were sights she had never seen in this city before.

Despite being immediately after the major event of a monster invasion, the city actually seemed more energetic than usual.

Frenda stared at the particularly prominent monster wagons and the merchants.

’There seem to be significantly more merchants than usual.’

’Ah, those people... are likely outside merchants who have come to procure monster materials.’

’Monster materials... you mean those monsters out there? Do all of them get sold off?’

’Indeed. There’s no other time or place where you can obtain such a volume at once except here. Our temple also purchases a lot during this time.’

Hearing that, memories of when Frenda was at the Great Temple came to mind.

On the rare occasions she had requested monster materials for something, it seemed most of the ingredients at the temple had memos attached saying they were from Labyrinthos.

She had passed it over without much thought then... but seeing this now, she could understand to some extent why there were so many items from Labyrinthos.

’Is the quality of the monster materials here better? I think I’ve heard something like that.’

’The monsters aren’t particularly different just because they’re here... but a place that handles a large volume will naturally have higher proficiency, won’t it? There’s no place that handles monsters as skillfully as the artisans here.’

’Ah... that makes sense.’

’Because of that, merchants always swarm here at this time of year.’

Frenda felt a bit of a question looking at the expressions of the passing merchants.

’But, everyone’s expression doesn’t look very good. They seem somewhat disappointed...’

’...Ahaha. Well, about that.’

The priest seemed to know something, but since it wasn’t a story to tell Frenda, he just laughed it off with an awkward face, pretending not to know.

The reason was... because of a specific item the merchants were seeking.

The merchants who came to Labyrinthos immediately sought out Guild staff or counter representatives and asked slyly.

’So... um. How many Legion Bugs turned up this time?’

’...Those monsters were things sealed in the Labyrinth that had an abnormal population explosion last year, so they didn’t appear this time.’

’Is that so?’

The merchant secretly held out a coin pouch.

’But wouldn’t a few remaining ones be mixed in...? There’s no way they’d go extinct in just a single year.’

’I’m telling you, there really are none. No secret stashes either!’

’Good grief.... Fine. Here.’

’I said there are none!’

The counter staff blocked the merchant from trying to hold out yet another pouch and sent him away.

While everyone turned a blind eye to things like giving out a bit of information for a small fee... there truly were none this time, so the staff could do nothing.

Because every merchant who visited asked the same thing, this was already the dozens of times he’d had that exact conversation today alone.

Perhaps for that reason. While the supply of general monster materials had certainly normalized, the faces of the merchants who had come were all quite disappointed.

Many merchants had come with inner expectations this year thanks to the fanatical response to the material they obtained last year.

There were even merchants who came specifically to get only that, so they couldn’t help but be disappointed.

Complete extinction? Then I should have sold it for even more last year!

They all left wearing such expressions.

...Though there were such trivial matters, anyway.

The fact that the scene immediately following a monster invasion had returned to normal was deeply significant.

For the past few years, unknown things had happened during every monster invasion.

The fact that it had returned to how it used to be meant that the methods attempted this time were the correct answer.

After the urgent matters immediately following the invasion were handled to some extent.

The mayoral election proceeded immediately in Labyrinthos.

Administratively, it was a quite busy time, but conversely, immediately after an invasion meant it was the safest time of the year for the city.

If the election were held late, there was a risk that a newly replaced mayor would face an invasion in a hurry without sufficient preparation for the next period.

After several such trials and errors, Labyrinthos’s election period had settled into the time right after the invasion.

When competition between candidates was fierce, re-voting could sometimes stretch beyond the festival period, but this election wasn’t that long.

The result was practically set in stone. There was just a bit of a power struggle among supporters with voting rights, and once negotiations ended, the result came out quickly.

As everyone expected, the new mayor was elected.

The news soon reached the Ian Mercenary Group as well.

Along with a document attached by the Mercenary Guild.

-Special Personnel Order

Through a special recommendation from the Post-War Management Committee, the Ian Mercenary Group is hereby appointed as an A-rank Mercenary Group by mayoral decree.

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