A few days had passed since Lycia and I had been confronted by the C-rank adventurers. Now, our group of four, along with Elle and Sheena, gathered just beyond the town's eastern gate.

"Mr. Ike, thank you very much for agreeing to this today," Elle greeted politely.

"Y-Yes, thank you, Ike," Sheena added, slightly nervous.

"Sure thing. Looking forward to working with you, Elle, Sheena," I replied with a nod.

This all started the day before. Elle and Sheena, whom we met at the adventurers' guild, told us about a newly discovered dungeon east of town—the Tria Labyrinth. Naturally, the conversation led to us deciding to challenge the dungeon together.

Now, we were gathered late in the morning, ready to head for the dungeon.

Our mode of transportation was a carriage. Elle and Sheena owned it personally, and both had experience driving. They offered to let us ride along.

"Alright then, I'm getting in~," Flare said cheerfully as she boarded.

"Please, make yourself comfortable, Miss Flare," Elle responded with a smile.

"Hmm, the seat is surprisingly nice," Tetra commented, settling in.

"I'm glad to hear that," Elle replied, visibly pleased.

"And so, I shall sit on my master's lap—"

"I'm afraid that's not allowed," Sheena interjected with a mischievous smile.

"Oh? Miss Sheena, challenging me is no small feat, I assure you," Lycia countered with a smirk.

"Bring it on!"

Lycia and Sheena's playful banter escalated, but I decided to leave them to it.

Thus, we set off from the adventurer's town of Ford, bound for the Tria Labyrinth.

"Monsters ahead! Stopping the carriage!" Elle announced sharply.

At her words, the carriage came to a halt. We stepped out to assess the situation and saw a group of monsters.

Grey Wolves.

These gray-furred creatures were a hallmark of C-rank monsters. We had already encountered them multiple times in the four hours since leaving town.

"This time, it's our turn. Let's go, Sheena," Elle declared.

"Right, Elle," Sheena nodded.

Our arrangement was simple: we alternated combat duties depending on the strength and number of the monsters. This time, it was Elle and Sheena’s turn to handle the fight.

A pack of Grey Wolves charged at them, growling and snarling. Individually, they weren’t particularly strong, but they were far from harmless.

Still, Elle and Sheena remained calm.

"Shadow Swamp," Sheena chanted.

The ground in front of the wolves turned pitch black. The wolves charged ahead, paying it no mind, but their advance was abruptly halted.

"Yelp!"

The wolves' legs sank into the blackened ground as if they had stepped into a swamp.

"As precise as ever," I remarked.

Shadow magic, favored by assassins, was Sheena's specialty. The intermediate-level spell Shadow Swamp created a pool of darkness that immobilized enemies—especially effective against less intelligent monsters.

With the wolves effectively trapped, Elle seized the opportunity.

"Fire Wave!"

A massive wave of flames surged forth from Elle's hands, engulfing the immobilized pack.

Yet, one wolf managed to escape the trap and dodged the flames, rushing straight for Elle.

A normal mage would have been hard-pressed to deal with such a sudden assault.

But—

"Haaah!"

Elle wasn’t just a mage; she was a magic swordsman.

With one precise swing, she cut down the charging wolf in an instant.

The battle concluded without either of them taking so much as a scratch.

"They’re... really strong," I muttered to myself.

I had sensed their skill when we took on that previous request together, but seeing them now reaffirmed it.

While they claimed to have just reached B-rank, their performance suggested they were closer to the upper echelon of that rank. The Cyclops they struggled with earlier must have caught them off guard.

After dispatching numerous other monsters along the way, we finally reached the entrance to the Tria Labyrinth seven hours after leaving town.