Two days later, we arrived at the large ship docked at the port.

Since accepting the request, we had spent our time gathering information, but the day had finally come to begin the escort mission. The ship we were protecting was around thirty meters long, and the job involved a total of eight C-rank adventurers. We would set out at dawn, reach the fishing grounds around noon, and begin fishing. After spending the night aboard, we would shift locations slightly and continue fishing until midday before returning to the port city by evening.

“Good morning.”

We arrived at the port just as the sun was rising. The ship was already being loaded with supplies, and preparations for departure were underway.

“Oh, you lot must be the adventurers taking on this escort job.”

I approached one of the fishermen standing near the ship, and it seemed I had found the right person.

“Yes, my name is Shu. This is Rio, and this is our contracted beast, Nir.”

“Wafuu.”

After I introduced us, Rio gave a slight bow, and Nir let out a small bark.

“I’m Goldof. Nice to meet ya. You’re the first of the escort party to arrive. There’s nothing to do until departure, so just wait here until the others show up.”

“Understood.”

“…Maybe we came a little too early?”

“Possibly, but it’s better than being late.”

“That’s true.”

As we chatted idly, a pair of adventurers, a man and a woman, joined us. They didn’t look like fishermen, so I greeted them.

“I’m Christoph. Nice to meet you.”

The man, a lean figure equipped with a bow, introduced himself. He had short gray hair and matching gray eyes, giving him a refined, gentlemanly appearance.

“I’m Alina.”

The one who spoke next was the woman. She held a staff, making her look like a magic user, but her waist was also lined with throwing daggers. With her blue hair and yellow eyes, she gave off a lively and energetic impression.

The last to arrive was a group of four men.

“Ugh.”

The first thing out of their mouths was an unpleasant grunt. Apparently, it was the same party that had tried to appraise us at the guild.

“Nice seeing you again.”

Back then, I had been mildly irritated, but now I didn’t really care. Since we were working together, there was no need to hold a grudge.

“You’re familiar with the members of Silver Goblet?”

Christoph looked at us with some surprise.

“Silver Goblet? Ah, we had a brief encounter when we first visited the guild.”

“I see.”

“Ahaha! Well, you guys do look like kids!”

Christoph responded with curiosity, while Alina found the whole situation amusing. She laughed heartily and slapped my back. She seemed to have misunderstood something, but I let it slide.

“Haha…”

The four men also wore strained smiles.

“Looks like everyone’s here. I’ll take you to the captain, so follow me.”

Goldof called out and immediately boarded the ship.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Christoph followed, and we boarded as well.

By the way, Silver Goblet was the name of the four-man party, while Christoph and Alina’s party was called Hunter Cross.

“Captain! The escort adventurers have arrived.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

On the deck, Goldof called out to a man inspecting the ship’s equipment near the stern. This was apparently the captain.

At first glance, I had expected a burly, broad-chested man, but he was actually of average build. He had short brown hair, brown eyes that radiated strong determination, and arms covered in scars—clear evidence of his experience.

“Same deal as always. …Hm?”

The captain’s eyes landed on us, and he tilted his head slightly. He seemed like he wanted things to proceed as usual, but our presence threw that off.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Shu, a C-rank adventurer.”

“I’m Rio.”

“And this is my contracted beast, Nir.”

“Hmm, first time seeing your faces… I’m Gargs, the captain. Good to have you aboard.”

After giving me a thorough once-over, he snorted and turned to Christoph.

“As always, you handle the assignments. We depart in an hour, so don’t be late.”

“Understood.”

With a slight chuckle, Christoph turned to us and explained how the ship’s escort duty worked.

Each pair would be assigned to watch one side of the ship—front, back, left, or right. Most monster attacks happened when the crew was hauling in their catch, but during transit, there was little danger, so we were free to rest or explore the ship. At night, pairs would take shifts standing watch for two and a half hours at a time.

“Got it. If we get attacked by a group, we just call for backup, right?”

“Pretty much. Just handle it as it comes.”

“I see.”

So basically, we were winging it. Given the size of the ship, we’d have time to respond to threats after detecting them.

“It’s hard for strangers to coordinate perfectly, after all.”

He didn’t finish his thought, but I agreed. Still, that didn’t mean we wouldn’t do anything. As we discussed each person’s strengths, the time for departure arrived.

“Alright, you lot! We’re setting sail!”

“Oooohhh!!”

The captain’s booming voice was met with a chorus of shouts.

It was a rugged, masculine atmosphere, but I didn’t mind. With thirty people aboard—including the eight escorts—the ship set sail from the port city, heading out to sea.