Nao Tanaka spoke after a brief silence, her voice calm but firm. "If Emi is saying this… then I believe the Black Army is already here."
The room grew still.
"I trust her judgment," Nao continued, her eyes steady. "She's not someone who speaks without thinking. She researches everything before reaching a conclusion."
The elderly man beside the guild master glanced at Emi, studying her for a moment.
Then he gave a slow nod.
"…Very well," he said. "If what Emi says is true, then we don't have much time. We need to prepare before they make their move."
A heavy tension settled over the room.
"Our forces are limited," the guild master added, his tone serious. "Most of our strongest soldiers have already been sent to the capital because of the war. What remains here… is not enough to face a direct attack."
The receptionist stepped forward slightly, clutching her notes. "If that's the case, we can request help from adventurers," she said. "But right now, there are no S-rank hunters available. Even A and B-rank adventurers have mostly left for the war."
She hesitated before continuing.
"What we do have… are adventurers ranging from E to B rank."
Toru Tanaka leaned forward slightly, his expression hardening as he processed the situation. "If adventurers are going to be involved," he said, "then I'll take responsibility for leading them."
His eyes shifted toward the guild master.
"What do you think?"
The guild master remained silent for a moment, weighing the options. Then he nodded once.
"…Alright," he said. "We'll proceed like this."
He rose slowly from his chair, his presence immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"First, we strengthen the defenses at the village gates," he continued. "No one enters or leaves without confirmation."
His gaze moved toward the receptionist.
"Send out an emergency call. Gather every available adventurer in the area. Inform them that this is a priority mission."
"Yes, sir," she replied quickly.
The guild master then looked around the table, his voice turning sharper.
"We don't know exactly when they'll strike. But we know who we're dealing with."
A brief pause followed."And that's enough to prepare." He turned his attention to Emi.
"You and your team will focus on gathering information about Akira Kurotsuki," he said. "Anything you can find movements, patterns, numbers we need all of it."
Emi nodded without hesitation.
"Understood."
"We'll form a strategy once we have more details," the guild master added. "Until then… stay alert."
With that, he straightened fully.
"Everyone, move."
Chairs scraped against the floor as the members stood one by one, the atmosphere shifting from tension to action.
One after another, they began to leave the room, already discussing preparations among themselves.
Emi, Miyuki, and Haruto stepped out together, the door closing quietly behind them.
The calm before the storm had ended.
Now… everything was about to begin.
A few hours later, the Adventurers' Guild was filled with noise.
Dozens of adventurers had gathered inside the main hall, their voices overlapping as they discussed the sudden summons. Confusion and unease spread through the crowd—no one knew why they had been called so urgently.
At the front of the hall, several receptionists stood in a line. One of them stepped forward—a demi-human girl with cat ears and a composed expression.
Hikari Suzuki. She raised her hand slightly, signaling for attention.
"Listen, everyone," she said clearly.
The noise slowly died down as the adventurers turned toward her.
"We've gathered you here for an emergency quest," Hikari continued. "Those who participate will receive rewards… and their ranks may also be promoted."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
One adventurer frowned. "A rank-up reward? That sounds good, but… what kind of quest is this? You called us here in an emergency."
Hikari didn't hesitate."This is a group mission," she replied. The room grew quieter.
Another adventurer stepped forward slightly. "Group mission…? Then what exactly are we dealing with? A monster outbreak?"
Hikari shook her head. "No," she said.
Her voice became heavier. "It's a bandit group."
A brief pause followed.
"They are known as the Black Army."
The moment those words left her lips, the atmosphere shifted instantly.
A wave of shock swept through the hall, quickly followed by fear. Whispers spread rapidly among the adventurers.
"The Black Army…?"
"Are you serious…?"
One of them took a step back, his face pale. "If we go against them, we'll die. We're not strong enough for that."
Another shook his head firmly. "Our S-rank and A-rank adventurers are all gone to the war. Even most B-ranks are missing. We're the ones left—and we're low rank."
A third added bitterly, "This isn't a fight we can win."
One by one, some of them began turning toward the exit.
"Yeah… no. I'm not taking this quest."
"I'm not about to throw my life away."
The tension in the room cracked as fear took over.
Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Stop."
Her voice cut through the noise sharply.
The adventurers paused.
"This is not just another quest," she said, her tone firm. "This is an emergency."
Her gaze swept across the room.
"You are the only ones we have left."
Silence followed.
"If you walk away now," she continued, "then there will be no one left to protect this village."
Her words grew heavier with each sentence. "The Black Army will not spare anyone. Not the elderly… not the children."
The weight of reality settled over them.
"This is your home," Hikari said quietly. "If you abandon it… where will you go?"
No one answered. A long, heavy pause filled the hall. Then
One adventurer clenched his fist.
"…She's right," he said slowly.
Others began to turn back.
"If the village falls… we lose everything."
"We can't run forever."
One by one, their hesitation began to fade, replaced by reluctant resolve.
"…Alright," someone muttered. "…Damn it. Fine. We'll fight." Another nodded.
"Yeah… we'll take the mission."
The atmosphere shifted once again not into confidence, but into determination.
Hikari watched them for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"Good," she said. "Then listen carefully."
She began explaining the details of the mission—what they knew about the Black
Army, the risks involved, and what needed to be done.
And as her voice echoed through the guild hall ,the battle for the village quietly began.
After the announcement, the adventurers were quickly divided into four groups.
A quiet tension filled the guild hall as names were called and assignments were made. Many glanced at their friends and teammates, clearly wanting to stay together—but that wasn't how this mission would work.
Hikari stepped forward once again, her voice firm enough to hold everyone's attention.
"I know most of you would prefer to stay with your usual teams," she said. "But we can't allow that this time."
A few murmurs spread through the crowd.
"This mission requires balance," she continued. "If we let everyone group freely, the strength between teams would be uneven."
She gestured toward the reception desk, where several papers had already been prepared.
"That's why we've organized the groups based on your ranks and abilities. Each team will have a proper mix—from E-rank to B-rank—along with trained soldiers to support you."
A large board was brought forward and placed where everyone could see it.
"Check your names," Hikari said. "Your assigned group is listed there."
One by one, the adventurers stepped closer, scanning the board.
Soft voices filled the air again some relieved, some disappointed but no one openly complained. Each group had already been decided.
At the front, Hikari raised her voice again.
"We will move out in thirty minutes," she announced. "If you need anything, prepare now."
She paused briefly before adding,
"We will regroup at the center of the village near the demi-human statue."
With that, the meeting was dismissed.
The adventurers began to disperse, heading out to gather their equipment and make final preparations