“Excuse me, Head Hunter’s Master. This isn’t some kind of fairy tale, is it?”
Remy, a friend of mine and Ludia’s, who works at the Hunter’s Guild Valentia Headquarters, said this as she looked at the letter from Emperor Reinhardt and Sierra, the Head Hunter’s Master of Amister.
Though, as she read the letter, she began to shiver uncontrollably, and now that she’s finished reading, she’s trembling, pale blue. She must be imagining a desperate situation with two Demise Species appearing.
She’s a Dragonewt, two years older than us, level 34, and her skills are more than enough to be active in the field. However, she was invited by Kaname, the Head Hunter’s Master of Valentia, and that’s how she ended up being hired as staff.
In Remy’s case, her raid party was small, and it disbanded, which was one of the reasons she was invited to be staff. However, just because she’s staff doesn’t mean she doesn’t hunt. So, it’s safer than a poorly formed raid party.
After all, the staff, including the Hunter’s Master, are like a raid party themselves.
“Remy, this letter is from the New King of Amister and the Head Hunter’s Master, you know? I understand how you feel, but there’s no way that’s true, is there?”
Kaname responded with an exasperated look, but deep down, she must have wanted to agree with Remy’s assessment.
We feel the same way.
“That’s true, but honestly, I can’t believe the content of this letter.”
“I understand how you feel completely, but there’s also solid evidence. More importantly, it seems the corpses were brought to the Hunter’s Guild in Feel. So, the fact that the Orc Emperor and Orc Empress corpses were brought in is an undeniable truth.”
The proof, the magic stones, are securely stored in the Amagi Castle treasury.
The Hunter’s Guild in Feel must also be overwhelmed by the corpses.
After all, it’s no exaggeration to say that demi-humans have no usable material.
However, since these are the first Demise Species we’ve successfully defeated, they can’t just be discarded carelessly.
They’ll probably be stored in a storage bag and taxidermied when the time comes.
The Orc Empress, who’s scorched and has a large hole in her abdomen, will probably be difficult to preserve.
“Give up, Remy.”
“Ludia…”
Ludia pats Remy’s shoulder with an expression of resignation, but I can only say the same thing.
Our stay in Valentia is only a few days, at most two weeks. I don’t think we’ll do anything reckless like in Feel or Float, but then again… Yamato and Prim also want to go to the Solpreza Mountain Range. If there’s an opportunity to go, we might achieve similar results.
“So, Remy, you’re in charge of the Wing Crest. Now that you’ve heard this, there’s no turning back for you, right?”
“No way!?”
Remy makes a face of despair, and I can understand how she feels.
However, compared to Kamina, a staff member of the Feel branch who ended up taking on this responsibility by default, she’s still better off.
When we joined, most of the people in Feel, including Kamina, were already used to whatever Yamato and Prim did, and they weren’t surprised even by An or Catastrophe Species.
“Also, this is a secret of Amister, and depending on the circumstances, it could cause significant damage to Valentia. Therefore, I’m imposing first-class confidentiality.”
“W-what? Does that include the fact that Prim Prim here is actually an Ancient Foxy?”
Remy had already been shown Prim’s Hunter’s License.
Prim’s level is confidential, but her status as a P-rank Hunter cannot be hidden, so Remy already knew about it.
Even so, her level is 68, higher than other P-rank Hunters, and she hadn’t expected her to evolve into an Ancient Foxy.
Prim is the same age as Yamato, 17 years old, so it’s understandable that she’s unbelievable even as a P-rank.
“That’s right. Of course, if she becomes an M-rank, it can’t be hidden, but even then, we prohibit actively spreading the information.”
“N-no way, that’s… that’s impossible…”
“Can you state with certainty that it’s not?”
“…”
Remy is silenced by Kaname’s retort. Yamato and Prim registered with the Hunter’s Guild about two months ago. At that time, they were both High Class.
Yamato was level 57, and Prim was level 49. So, in less than two months, they’ve gained nearly 20 levels.
Frankly, we haven’t heard of such a thing even among Normal Class.
However, when I met Yamato and the others, I was level 32, and in just about a month, I’ve reached level 45. So, I can’t say for sure that Prim won’t become an M-rank soon.
After all, her leveling speed is faster than Yamato’s.
“Also, she seems to be absent today due to illness, but there seems to be another amazing child.”
“A-are there more…?”
Remy looks like she’s about to cry, but in a way, the other child is more troublesome.
After all, Raus is only 13 years old and already level 42. There’s a real possibility he could evolve into a High Wolfy while we’re in Valentia.
“Lidia…”
“What?”
“Is Wing Crest a den of monsters?”
Remy asks something harsh, and it’s painful that I can’t deny it.
After all, there are two Ancient Class individuals who can defeat Demise Species alone. That alone leaves no room for rebuttal.
In addition, their disciples are on the verge of becoming High Class, and my sister and Mana-sama will soon evolve into High Class as well. Everyone else is leveling up at an incredible speed. If this continues, I feel like we’ll remain the strongest raid in Helios Orb for a long time.
“Let me tell you, only these two are strange, okay? Mana-sama and I are not that different from other High Class.”
Not just me, but Mana-sama strongly agrees.
It’s true that we’ve defeated S-rank and G-rank monsters with a small party, but that’s only because our weapons were made of Lapis Lazuli, and we didn’t need to restrict our magic power.
The Holy Grave and Trial Hearts, who use weapons of similar performance made of Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron, have also defeated S-rank monsters with a small party. Emperor Reinhardt, Queen H.R.H. Elis, and H.R.H. Maruca also defeated G-rank monsters with a party of three. So, not only is there no difference in skill, but I can confidently say they are superior to us due to their experience.
“Speaking of which, Remy, how can you say all that in front of them?”
“Huh? …Ah! I-I’m so sorry!!”
Remy, called out by Rika, turns pale and bows her head.
She’s even prostrating herself with such force that she looks like she’s about to scrape her head on the ground.
“Well, yeah, we get told that wherever we go.”
“That’s true. Besides, Remy’s still better off.”
Yamato and Prim, who had been listening silently, say this with wry smiles.
It’s true that Remy said some rude things, but her surprise was more dominant, and she didn’t actually belittle them or anything.
“So, please take care of our assignment, okay?”
“…Yes.”
This is when our assignment in Dragunia was decided.
After we return to Feel, Kaname and Remy will go on an official trip to the Amister Hunter’s Guild Headquarters and will also visit the Demise Species magic stones stored in Amagi Castle.
It was Emperor Reinhardt’s and Sierra’s decision that they should see the evidence, but ostensibly, they will be consulting with the Head Hunter’s Masters of Torencia, Alegria, Libertà, and Bacion regarding the handling of the Wing Crest.
Even ostensibly, with two Ancient Class individuals involved, that’s also a big issue.
The Head Hunter’s Master of Valiente has an unclear position, so they won’t be invited. Retisencia has already withdrawn from the Hunter’s Guild.
Solemnne doesn’t even have a Guild, and more importantly, they’re considered an enemy nation, so they weren’t invited from the start.
“So, Yamato, and especially Raus, you don’t need to hide anything about them?”
“No. The only things that will be a problem are Prim and the Demise Species.”
The conversation is progressing.
Right now, we’re explaining to Remy to what extent information can be disclosed.
Yamato is an M-rank Hunter, level 72, but he’s also an O-Rank Order of Amister, so instead of hiding it, it’s better to actively promote it.
Raus is a problem, but the reason he wants to evolve into High Class is to protect his fiancée, Rebecca, and Carol. So, in the end, it’s better to spread the word.
However, regarding Prim and the Demise Species, we don’t know what Valiente or Solemnne might do. At worst, even Valentia could be caught up in it, so Remy’s responsibility is quite significant.
“Also, if Prim happens to be promoted to M-rank, please keep it as quiet as possible. In that case, we’ll make it look like she was promoted within Amister.”
Prim is currently level 68, but she will undoubtedly be promoted to M-rank soon, and it’s not unlikely to happen during our stay in Valentia.
Yamato doesn’t seem to think so, but we believe she could be promoted at any time.
Therefore, in that case, Prim’s promotion procedure will be conducted after returning to Feel, not in Valentia.
The location where the promotion procedure was performed can be easily investigated, and there’s a risk of being suspected that Valentia was involved. This is a desperate measure to reduce that possibility, even if only slightly.
“That would be helpful for me too, but then Prim will still be P-rank, so her reward will also be based on that, won’t it?”
“That’s fine. Fortunately, we’re not short on money, and it’s much better than the information about me leaking to Valiente.”
Naturally, the rewards differ between M-rank and P-rank.
For commissioned requests, the minimum reward for S-rank is 100,000 El, for G-rank it’s 200,000 El, for P-rank it’s 300,000 El, and for M-rank it’s 400,000 El. The difference is at least 100,000 El.
Normally, one would complain about such a difference, but it’s also true that we’re not short on money due to the rampant hunting in Feel and Float.
After all, we have nearly 10 million El in raid funds alone, and most of that was earned by Yamato and Prim.
Their personal share alone might be close to 3 million El.
So, even if we keep the information about Prim from Valiente as much as possible, there’s no problem.
“By the way, do we need to tell Mr. Raibert about this?”
After listening to the conversation and finalizing the details, Remy mentioned Raibert.
Personally, I think telling him would be fine, but I can’t judge whether it’s okay to tell a mere Hunter, even a P-rank one.
“Didn’t Emperor Reinhardt’s letter say so? Regarding the handling of the Wing Crest, the Head Hunter’s Masters are supposed to gather in Amister, right?”
“They are. And I’ll be attending under the guise of accompanying them.”
Remy looks into the distance, with an expression that she didn’t expect to be going to Amister for something like this.
“If possible, Valentia, Torencia, and Alegria have requested that P-rank Hunters also be brought along. So, if the Dragoness Menage comes, we’ll have to tell them.”
The Dragoness Menage is the raid party name for Raibert, Calis, and Creta.
It’s a raid party of only three people, but even though they are all High Hunters, Raibert and the others’ skills and experience are outstanding, making it difficult for them to keep up.
So, they form a raid party as a couple and conduct their regular hunts and train their disciples.
“A gathering of P-rank Hunters in Amister? That’s also an incredible story, but can they really come?”
“I can’t say for sure, as it involves the country’s intentions, but I expect they will come when they hear about this.”
I suppose so.
After all, with the addition of two new Ancient Class individuals, the solo defeat of a Demise Species, and the absurd achievement of casually brushing aside a passing Catastrophe Species, there’s no way P-rank Hunters wouldn’t be interested.
In particular, the P-rank Hunters of Alegria are direct disciples of the Grand Hunter’s Master, so they may have already heard the news.
“Since Emperor Aiver has ascended to the throne, new technological weapons are also being bestowed. So, they have no choice but to come.”
Oh? Is that so?
“Although it’s called a bestowal, it’s only for the three P-rank individuals, their wives, and the Head Hunter’s Master.”
“That’s still enough. Besides, Certina-sama and Hitomi-sama are not currently forming raid parties.”
Certina Celstar is a level 65 High Lamia belonging to Torencia, and Hitomi Canalfort is a level 63 female High Human belonging to Alegria.
By the way, Raibert is level 62.
Both Certina-sama and Hitomi-sama are nearly 100 years old, so they are not forming raid parties.
Their reason is that it’s difficult to keep pace with younger people, or they don’t want to disrupt their own pace.
“In that case, in a way, it’s easier for them to move than Raibert.”
“Certina-sama is Sister Hilde’s great-grandmother, so her country’s intentions cannot be ignored.”
“Hitomi-sama is also a descendant of a guest, wasn’t she?”
“Yes. A descendant of Shinichi. It seems to be about six or seven generations down, but I heard that she was born when Shinichi went to Alegria, and he became her christener.”
Something like that happened.
Helios Orb practices polygamy, so one might expect to find quite a few descendants of guests if one looked, but except for the royal families of Amister and Torencia, memories tend to fade over time. Few people claim to be descendants of guests.
Therefore, currently, the direct descendants of guests are considered to be the Amister Royal Family, the Torencia Royal Family, the Canalfort family of Alegria, and the Mibe family of Bacion. Other descendants can only be found by tracing the lineage.
However, unlike nobles, commoner families do not have such extensive genealogies.
Still, bestowing weapons upon P-rank Hunters and Head Hunter’s Masters is quite a bold move.
Certainly, they are friendly nations with Amister and have good relations, so I think it will be fine. But isn’t Libertà a little dangerous?
Well, Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron have been announced to Valentia, Torencia, Alegria, and Bacion, and will likely be announced to Libertà soon under certain conditions, so perhaps it’s not something I need to worry about.
