In a small and dimly lit room inside the headquarters of the Arctic Knights., five people with serious expressions were gathered, sitting around a round table.
 All the available executives of the guild were called for an emergency meeting, but for some reason, Mikuo was included in the meeting.
 No one was talking as if they were waiting for each other's words.
 As if to signal the start of the discussion, the highest-ranking member stood up.
"Thank you for answering my call despite your busy schedules." it was Yuri. The people inside answered here with a light bow.
"I'll get straight to the point. Apparently, one of our raid teams that was supposed to return last night did not came back."
"Huh?" only Mikuo gave a reaction. It seemed like everybody else were aware of the situation.
"Regarding the details of this, Leunamme, do you mind?" everyone directed their attentions towards the person who was mentioned.
 Leunamme was one of the executives of the guild and one of the few people who were directly below Yuri's command. Mikuo was not too surprise because he knew the true nature of his best friend. He may look like a wild and care - free person, but he was very crafty and calculating.
"Hayy. What a drag. So yesterday, the Arctic Trio went out to subjugate a pack of blood wolves near the Northern Forest. Knowing them, a pack or two won't be problem and they should be back before sunset. But the problem is, they never did." he began massaging his temple as if having a headache.
"Have you tried to send someone to check the field where the blood wolves were last seen ey?" it was Basty who asked the question. Since he was the one who provided supplies for the guild, so him being an executive was a given.
 Leunamme was just about to answer when someone suddenly appeared from the darkness behind him. They were wearing an all – black hooded outfit that hid their physical features. They gave off a vibe similar to the characters of a certain assassin game.
"Oh Kuro. I was just about to call for you. So, what did you find?" as usual, it seemed like Mikuo was the only one who was shocked by their sudden appearance.
 Instead of answering, the hooded person just took out a parchment from his coat pocket and handed it to Leunamme. They then took a step back and disappeared in the darkness from where they first appeared. Leunamme then made a knowing smile before reading the contents of the parchment.
"As mysterious as ever huh. So yeah, I sent Kuro earlier this morning. According to his report, it seemed like the Trio managed to take down the pack. But it seemed like something happened to them because they did not harvest the important parts of the wolves. It looked like they left them the moment they took them down."
"That is weird indeed. Any signs of a third party getting involved?" it was Alexei. His skills in cooking aside, Mikuo was wandering why was he one of the executives. He wanted to ask Leunamme but decided to do it after the meeting.
"Nope. There were no signs of other people being in the area. It seemed like the Trio went to the forest nearby to investigate."
"Now that you mention it ey. Seems like something was happening inside the Northern Forest. Some of the monsters that usually hunt inside are starting to go out of the forest. As if something inside is driving them out ey. Thanks to that, my supply lines from the north are having some bad time ey."
"Yes. I'm having the same problem. I'm running out of some ingredients due to some monsters running away from whatever is inside the forest."
"Me too. I can no longer go there to gather the raw materials for my experiments. Some of the results are already delayed." even the creepy doctor was an executive. She made eye contact with Mikuo then licked her lips, which gave him the chills.
"They really picked a wrong time to be in trouble. Haaaah. If only there is someone who is willing to help us. *stare*" Leunamme made an exaggerated pose while he stared at Mikuo. He can already guess his intentions.
"Mind if I say something?" he slightly raised his hands as if he was in a classroom.
"Oho. Go ahead." Yuri made a curious expression upon his query.
"Aren't there a lot of members left in the base? Why not ask them to do the request?" it was bugging him for quite some time. They said that they lack the manpower for the investigation yet there are a lot of members left in the headquarters.
"Ahh. Regarding that ---" Leunamme was expecting that so he tried to explain the situation yet Yuri simply raised her hand to stop him.
"Let me."
"Okay Yuri – sama."
"Aren't you wondering why is there a large gap between the power of this guild compared to the other guilds?"
"It's obvious right? It's because of your numbers." Mikuo frowned his eyebrows due to her question.
"That is just half of the reason why."
"And the other half?"
"It's because not all of our members are capable of battle."
"You mean ---" he was starting to get the picture of it.
"As you know. Japan is a peace – loving country and almost all of us does not have any experience in combat. Arriving to this world, we indeed received gifts that gave us the capability for battle, but that does not change what is inside of us. It's like giving a gun to a child."
"Giving us the gift for battle doesn't necessarily give us the experience to use it properly."
"You are smart. So that's it. We recruited all of the people who have no where to go. Those who were denied by the other guilds. Those who prefer safety and peace. Those who do not want to use their abilities. Those who prefer to live normally. Those who prefer errands and odd jobs rather than fighting. That's why our power is small compared to the other major guilds."
 Hearing about it made him respect the guild a lot more. It was true that all of the people who came to this world receive their own gifts, and lots of them got something suited for combat. But since they came from a world where battles for most are just stories from books and tvs, they did not have the will to fight. Lots of them died due to the inability to properly use their own gift. Even Mikuo was not an exception, it took him quite some time to properly use his own gift. Most guilds reject those kinds of people so many of them are left to their own devices. Some of them even die being unable to fend for themselves. Only a few numbers of guilds shelter them, and this guild was one of them. Thus, he made up his mind to help.
"If you really don't have anyone to send, why not just send me? Even though it is just temporary, I'm still a member of this guild."
"No. I deny your proposal." but it was quickly denied by Yuri.
"Why? If there really is something happening inside the forest, then we need to send help as soon as possible. I have some confidence in my abilities, and with the proper preparation, I alone can even take care of a Category 3."
"I know that you are fairly skilled. You defeated the Trio remember?"
"Then ---"
"But still, no. Sending you alone is too dangerous. We don't know yet what is happening there. There may be even something that is much more dangerous than a Category 3."
"But, are we just going to abandon them?!" blood was already starting to rise up to his head.
"No. I understand your feelings. If possible, I want to go there myself. But due to my position, I cannot leave this place."
"But ----"
"My decision is final. I'm sorry but I won't send you alone."
 Tension was starting to rise inside the room when someone suddenly raised his voice.
"Then Yuri – sama. I have a proposal." everyone in the room directed their attention towards the guy who interrupted the conversation.
"Please let him go. In return, I will accompany him." it was Leunamme.
"Oh? It's rare for you to volunteer yourself for a request." Yuri gave him a questioning gaze.
"Well. Errands and paper works are starting to kill me. I want to go out as a change of pace." he started acting as if he was going to faint.
"And the real reason?"
"Really, as expected of Yuri – sama. What he said is true, we need to send help asap. We cannot afford to be picky with our methods. And even though my gift is not suited for frontal combat, I'm sure that I and Knight can be quite the combo."
"Hmmmmmmm."
"So? What is it? This is also a good opportunity to see how capable he is."
"Okay." she then turned towards the other three executives in the room. "Alexei. Basty. Kim. Assist these two. Help them in their preparations."
"""Yes Yuri – sama."""
"How about you Mikuo? Are you fine with this?"
"I can't ask for anything better." he flashed a confident smile towards her.
"Alright you two. This is a time sensitive request. Depart as soon as you finish your preparations. Bring them back before sunset. I expect great news from you two but don't forget to prioritize your own safety."
""Yes Yuri – sama.""
"Okay. You may leave."
  And everyone except Yuri left the room for the preparations.
"Please gods. If you guys exist here, please guide them." Yuri silently muttered after they left.