I am currently in a carriage with my teammates, heading towards the village where the Harpies are rampaging. According to my teammates, Harpies are classified as beasts, but in this world, they are called beastkins— subspecies that are sixty percent bestial in nature. They act on instinct and are quite unpredictable, which is why they are often labeled as wild and don't quite fit into the category of Demi-humans.
As we get closer to the mission site, I notice that Lena doesn't look at me like she has any special interest in me. She talks to me just like everyone else. Ban probably had the wrong idea. I muse inwardly, shaking my head at my terrible luck.
"We are almost at Irkon," the carriage driver announces, and immediately, I see Nando and everyone grabbing their weapons.
"Wait... Are you going to kill the Harpies since they're currently acting on their instincts and would attack any man on sight?" I ask, observing the way my teammates were arming themselves.
Silence fills the carriage as they exchange glances. "We can't kill them because that's just their nature. On a normal day, harpies are very chill. However, we can beat the shit out of them till they submit and leave," Lena finally answers my question.
"I see..." I mutter, digesting this information as I have other plans for myself. For some reason, I notice Ban grinning from ear to ear.
Abruptly, the carriage comes to a complete halt. Everyone disembarks while Lena walks to the rider, handing over a few coins.
We are now standing in front of a vast farm with numerous women working on it, and not a single man among them.
What the heck is going on here? I muse, glancing at Lena for the next course of action.
Subsequently, some of the women stop their work and raise their heads. Upon sighting us, they start walking towards us with tears on their faces.
Stopping in front of us, the women bow deeply, their attention mainly focused on Nando.
"Are you the ones from the Adventurer's Guild?" they ask in unison, scanning us from top to bottom. Judging from their looks, they think Nando is the team leader due to his menacingly ugly appearance.
"Yes, we are from the Adventurer's Guild," Lena answers, stepping forward. The women glance at her briefly before shifting their gaze back at Nando.
"Please help us; almost all our men have been kidnapped. Please help us," the women plead desperately, tears streaming down their faces.
Ah... These women are underestimating Lena and think Nando is the team leader.
"She's the team leader; she's the one you should talk to," Ban suddenly interferes with a disapproving look on his face. Hearing Ban's words, the woman's eyes widen in shock.
"We are sorry, miss, we thought-"
"It's fine, I don't blame any of you. Explain everything that happened to us," Lena interrupts the woman with a smile on her face, clearly not annoyed by their behavior.
"Thank you, miss. One day, our men were working on their farms along with their wives and children since it's harvest season. While working, we suddenly noticed a shadow cast above us. Raising our heads, we saw a horde of harpies flying towards us with angry expressions on their faces, and before we knew it, they descended and started carrying our men away one by one with their talons. We tried fighting back, but they were too strong for us. My husband and children are among the males they took," a woman who seems to be the eldest among the women says, tears falling from her eyes.
"I am sorry about that, but be rest assured, we are going to rescue your husband and the others that were kidnapped," Lena assures the women, and they nod their heads in appreciation.
"However, we also need your assistance on this mission. Firstly, we don't know how long it might take us to rescue the men of this village because we can't just dive into the nest of the harpies head-on since we are rated as D-Rank adventurers, and we don't know the level of threat the harpies might pose," Lena says to the women. All the women glance at the oldest woman among them, waiting for her opinion.
"There's no problem; you can take shelter in our village if you're comfortable with it. Furthermore, we found the nest of the harpies, which is why we reached out to the guild for assistance," the elderly woman elaborates.
"Please follow us," the woman says, gesturing that we should follow. Without hesitation, we begin to follow the women.
They take us past the farm and on a narrow path that leads to a large field littered with huts of different sizes and structures, belonging to the inhabitants of this place. After a few turns, the women stop in front of a decently large hut.
"Visitors, you can stay here. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call any one of us. Besides, I am pretty sure that some of the harpies are going to show up soon now that there are male scents lingering around this place," the woman explains, pointing at me, Nando, and Ban.
"So, that means the harpies are close to the village, right?" Lena asks, and the woman nods her head in response.
"I see... That makes our job much easier," Lena says, opening the door of the hut for us to step in.
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