"We are Bruno and Ivy, joining you for this mission! Please take care of us!"

"Meep!"

After a quick briefing, we were led into a room two doors down from the reception area.

On the blackboard by the door, it read "Griffon Countermeasure Strategy Meeting."

It seems the Guild Master had planned to bring us directly here after persuading us to join the mission.

I mean, this is technically after another request, so it'd be nice if he considered giving us a break...

"I'm Alec; nice to meet you both. It’s a big assignment, but let’s work together and get through it."

The one giving us a thumbs-up was Alec.

He's the leader of the Class-Two party Obsidian and wields a greatsword taller than himself, currently leaning against the wall.

Dressed in black chainmail with a stern expression, his whole look is intimidating.

But he was the first to approach us warmly.

It just goes to show that first impressions aren’t always accurate.

"Thank you very much. We’ll do our best."

"Meep."

I wanted to say something clever, but unfortunately, I don’t have the skills for that. All I could offer was a polite reply.

I don’t want to be useless to Ivy.

I’d like us to become partners who can rely on each other equally, not just her supporting me all the time.

"I’ve heard good things. Looking forward to it!"

"Haha... please go easy on us."

"We’ll handle moving the griffon, so you can just watch and learn."

"Right, I’ll try not to overthink it."

Starting with Alec, various people came over to greet us.

They interrupted their planning session just to introduce themselves to Ivy and me.

The warriors are all big and strong, with impressive physiques, while the mages don’t stand out as much at first glance. Their armor and weapons look powerful and, well, expensive.

Sadly, I didn’t see any other beast tamers around.

I’d heard there aren’t many high-ranking beast tamers, likely because of the difficulty of taming powerful beasts.

Seeing so many top-tier Class-Two adventurers gathered together felt like a scene straight out of a storybook.

Among them, I noticed several healers and defensive mages. If Ivy can avoid using her healing magic in front of them, it’d be for the best.

Rumors may have spread, but Sara once said they wouldn’t be easily believed. It’s probably just a matter of time before they find out, though... Hopefully, we can meet with the Marquis of Endlord and secure some protection first.

"And I am Shannon, leader of this griffon response unit."

While I was pondering how Ivy should handle the griffon, a woman from the opposite side of the table called out to me.

She had striking purple hair and wore a high-exposure outfit.

I think she’d be considered a light warrior—someone who values agility and relies on speed and skill.

Her armor covered her chest and arms in parts, leaving her upper arms and midriff bare.

Without any hint of modesty, Shannon displayed her figure confidently.

She's the only Class-One adventurer here, the famous Thunderclap Shannon, known as the strongest in town.

Though she’s a frontline fighter, she’s noticeably smaller than the others. But underestimating her based on appearance alone would be a mistake.

Maybe she’s hiding incredible muscle with magic or something. I’m not sure if such magic even exists.

We were welcomed without any cold shoulders or rough treatment, which was a relief.

Maybe Andre smoothed things over for us beforehand, or they assessed our worth based on his account of our fight.

Either way, we’re still novices with much to learn about adventuring.

I’ll try to avoid risky roles and focus on listening to Shannon’s instructions.

"First, has anyone here fought a griffon before?"

At Shannon’s question, a few adventurers raised their hands.

Alec, Eleanor, who’s another Class-Two leader... and Ivy? Ivy!?

Ivy, you’ve fought a griffon before!?

This is the first I’ve heard of it!