This mission sounds too good to be true

For the first time since dying, reincarnating, almost getting cleaved in half by a Goblin King, and watching my dog evolve into a fluffy demigod…

I slept in.

It was glorious.

No quests. No monsters. No overpowered NEET goddess waking me up by summoning a cursed bed snake. Just me and Luffy, sprawled on the futon like exhausted potatoes.

Until the knock came.

Knock knock knock.

“Ren,” Naomi’s voice called out cheerfully. “Someone’s at the door!”

I groaned into my pillow. “Tell them the tamer is out of service.”

“It’s the guild receptionist!”

I sat bolt upright. “Wait—Miss Elira?! She came here?!”

“Ren how do you know her name?”

“Well me and her are on a first name basis if you didn’t know. That’s how things are with your future wife”

“No seriously idiot.” Lyssa said

“Okay, okay I asked some adventurers around the guild while you were busy having drinking competitions.”

“That’s our perv protagonist for you”

Still half-asleep, I stumbled down the stairs, running a hand through my bedhead, already planning what cool line I’d say. Maybe I should go with something along the lines of” Elira my love did you miss me so much you couldn’t wait” no that’s too much I need to sound cooler than that.

Maybe something like: “Didn’t expect to see you so soon, Miss Elira. Miss me?”

Instead, I opened the door and froze.

There she was—Elira, the elf receptionist from the Adventurer’s Guild. Blonde, elegant, eyes sharp like a jewel-cutter’s scalpel. Holding a sealed scroll case. Wearing traveling leathers instead of her usual uniform.

She looked up at me with a raised brow. “You took long enough.”

I cleared my throat. “I wasn’t expecting company so early…”

She ignored that and stepped inside without waiting. “I came to deliver your next mission personally.”

“Wait, is that protocol?”

“No,” she said. “This is a special exception. For a special team.”

Behind her, Lyssa peeked into the hall, mug of tea in hand. “Ah, the crush is here.”

“I don’t have a crush,” I muttered. “A crush is one sided and Elira is in love with me even though she doesn’t show it”

“I’m not In love with you Ren, now please pay attention this mission is very important”

Just like that I was rejected again for the 50th time

“You changed shirts twice,to get rejected that’s hilarious ” Naomi whispered behind me while giggling

We gathered at the table as Elira unrolled the scroll and handed it to me. Gold-inked calligraphy. Red wax seal. It looked expensive.

MISSION: High Priority – Scroll Delivery to Elmswood

Reward: 4000 gold coins

Details: Deliver the sealed Ancient Scroll to the leaders of Elmswood Village. No detours. No breaks. Do not open the scroll under any circumstances.

“Wait…” Naomi blinked. “4000 gold? For delivering paper?”

Lyssa narrowed her eyes. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Elira said. “This scroll belongs to the elves of Elmswood. It’s… sacred, I suppose. I offered this mission to your team as both a reward and an apology. The people of Elmsword are a legendary Elf’s they’re very intelligent and have a lot of money to give away for certain missions”

I raised an eyebrow. “Apology for…?”

Elira looked momentarily uncomfortable.

“For the Goblin King incident. That was… not supposed to happen. That forest was supposed to have been cleared weeks ago. We’re currently investigating how such a high-tier monster ended up there, and why no reports were filed. There must be something going on behind the scenes a Goblin king just appearing in the middle of the Forrest in unheard of”

My hand curled into a fist unconsciously. “We could’ve died. So I need something more than a mission now maybe if you’d like to spend the night in my bed we can——-

Before I could finish my sentence a slipper hit my face courtesy of lyssa”

“Aside from what our perverted dumbass leader is saying… we could’ve died. Ren actually almost died if we didn’t have a regenerative candy given to us by Vanni, this was a serious mistake on your behalf and the guilds as well.” Lyssa said in a very stern voice

I never saw lyssa get this serious before I tried to calm her down.

“Lyssa relax it wasn’t her fault it was a mistake—-“

“NO REN MAY I REMIND YOU THAT YOU ALMOST DIED!!”

“Whoa lizzy is mad” Naomi whispered in my ear.

“I’m very upset Elira, this was a very bad mistake on the guild and your behalf aswell!”

“I know,” she said softly. “You have my deepest apology”

“Ren I’m especially sorry to you, if I would’ve just been more attentive that wouldn’t have happened” Elira said while bowing her head

“Hey come on like I said it wasn’t your fault don’t worry! Plus you can make it up to me in bed—-“

And another hit to the face by a slipper from lyssa with perfect precision.

Elira smiled. “Thank you, Although with your new rank you’re now eligible for specialty missions like this. They pay well. But they come with more eyes watching you.”

“Literally or politically?” Lyssa asked.

“Yes.”

I tapped the scroll. “So what’s Elmswood like?”

“Beautiful,” Elira replied. “A white-and-gold elven sanctuary deep within the forest. Think of it like a noble estate built into a village. Their architecture is half-magic, half-art. The roads are protected by a magical barrier. You shouldn’t encounter any monsters on the way.”

I blinked. “Wait. No monsters? Like, zero?”

“Correct. The barrier hasn’t failed in over 200 years.”

“…So we’re getting 4000 gold to play mailman for a pretty scroll… with no danger?”

“That is correct.”

Naomi turned to me. “We’re accepting, right?! That’s so much gold!”

Luffy barked twice. Possibly in agreement. Possibly because he wanted Elira’s snack bag.

Lyssa narrowed her eyes. “This is too convenient.”

Elira met her gaze. “Consider it balance. Fate nearly stole you from us too early. This is me tilting the scale back.”

Her voice had a certain weight to it that silenced the room.

Finally, I nodded.

“We’ll take it.”

That evening, I sat outside polishing my short sword while the others packed supplies for the road.

Luffy lay beside me, tail occasionally thumping. He stared at the moon like it owed him something.

The forest beyond our home was quiet. Too quiet.

A breeze carried through the trees, whispering leaves in a pattern I couldn’t understand.

And for just a second…

I felt something tighten in my chest.

Not fear.

Not excitement.

But something darker.

Like a warning the world itself was holding back.