“…And that’s how it is.”
“I understand your explanation, and since we were attacked earlier, I have no objections.”
Nine of us – myself, Prim, Meena, Ed, Marina, Flam, Raus, Rebecca, and Kamina – were eating a meal in a foreign capital.
“You might be wondering why Kamina is here. You’re right, she wasn’t supposed to be. Kamina showed up while I was capturing the Dark Knights and White Beaks and explaining the situation to the Order. Apparently, she was looking for me and Prim to inform us about a new designated request. I already knew the request details, so I invited her along since she was there. She seemed pleased, her cat ears twitching.”
“I’m in too,” Kamina chimed in. “This whole thing is annoying, and from what I hear, you’ve already captured about half of them. So, we might finish this as early as tomorrow.”
The designated request Kamina brought was to capture Hunters in Feel. The request generally allowed for either capture or elimination, but live capture was ideal. While elimination would be easier, having information would make a significant difference later on, so I agreed despite the hassle.
“So, it’s finally come to this. Feel will finally be quiet,” Ed remarked.
“You’re telling me. I can finally sleep soundly,” Marina added.
Ed and Marina looked happy. Flam and the others, who had been taken hostage, nodded, making it clear that those captured were just bandits, not actual Hunters.
“At the entrance of the Hunter’s Guild, there’s a notice stating that Saches Trennel has been dismissed as Hunter’s Master and that all Hunters are to be apprehended. Simultaneously, by the authority of the Sub-Hunter’s Master, all licenses except for those possessed by Yamato, Prim, Flam, Raus, Rebecca, and registered Order members have been revoked. Therefore, they are no longer Hunters. Even if they escape Feel, they will be treated as bandits, leaving them nowhere to run.”
The Hunter’s Guild had acted swiftly. They had repeatedly warned the group due to their excessive actions. The fact that Saches had suppressed these warnings and instead encouraged them likely meant the staff had accumulated considerable resentment.
Currently, the Hunters – or rather, former Hunters – in Feel consisted of 113 individuals from six raids: 18 from Snake Bite, 16 from Noble Deers, 33 from Cerberus Fang, 8 from Mad Viper, 26 from Dark Knights, and 12 from White Beak, all of whom we had captured. The remaining 64 individuals were from four raids: 15 from Tashirtz’s Parrot, 20 from Tiger’s Pain, 17 from Noble Sword, and 14 from Patriot Pride, who were currently guarding Saches.
Tashirtz’s Parrot occasionally took requests, but they seemed to have had ties with White Beak, suggesting they acted as contact for external communication. Tiger’s Pain and Noble Sword were both groups of B-rank individuals, making them a tier below the other raids. Regardless, with the Order’s Guild also taking action, these groups shouldn’t be an issue.
The problem lies with Patriot Pride. They weren’t currently in Feel because they were accompanying Saches. It’s said that seven of them were over level 40, with five of them having evolved into High Class, and the remaining members were in their late thirties. While it might be unlikely they were hunting in the Royal Capital, there’s a possibility they’ve leveled up or evolved, so complacency is not an option.
“Ideally, I would inform the Hunters Guilds within the country and ask for their cooperation, but I lack the means to do so. Emosion will receive a report from the Order’s Guild, so it will come from them. Emosion’s Hunter’s Master will also face punishment, though.”
“Right. Even though they received an investigation report from Feel, there were still constant sightings afterwards, and they could have moved towards the Valtia border. It’s natural for Emosion to investigate.”
However, Emosion’s Hunter’s Master neglected to do so. At worst, they could be suspected of colluding with Saches. Emosion’s Hunter’s Master apparently hailed from Amister, so they were likely just trying to avoid conflict.
“I don’t know much about Emosion, but I’ve heard rumors there too. So, not only were those rumors ignored, but they are also suspected of colluding with Saches?”
“Yes. In Emosion, not only the Hunter’s Master but also the Sub-Hunter’s Master were slow to act. Both will face disciplinary action.”
“That’s only natural. The Hunter’s Master who didn’t act, and the Sub-Hunter’s Master who was supposed to oversee them but also didn’t act, have no reason to hold their positions.”
Incidentally, in Feel, it appears that Linus, the old man, has a high chance of being officially appointed as Hunter’s Master once things settle down. Of course, he’ll have to report to Alegria Headquarters beforehand. The requirement to become a Hunter’s Master is to have evolved into High Class, and it seems Linus is the only one in Feel who meets that condition currently. He apparently hates the idea, but there are magical tools that only a Hunter’s Master can use, so it’s best he takes up the position quickly.
“Here is the request form. It is a designated request jointly issued by the three provincial governors and the Order’s Master. Please confirm.”
The request was to capture Order members apart from the five present and registered Hunters. The words “Dead or Alive” were prominently displayed, with a perfunctory note about live capture being preferable if possible. While they claimed information was valuable, their true intention was that the lives of these individuals meant nothing. Well, if they let any slip away, they wouldn’t know what trouble they’d cause, so they likely intended to finish them off completely.
“The reward is 200,000 El. It’s quite high, but we need to end this quickly, and we don’t know how long it will take, so this amount might be reasonable.”
“The completion condition is the capture or killing of all individuals. If even one person escapes, they might contact the other side, so we should prioritize capturing Tashirtz’s Parrot quickly.”
Everyone except Meena looked confused. The problem was too significant to be publicly disclosed, though. The origin of the whole issue was the grave robbers we captured, and we had also been sounded out about a request to investigate an area in the eastern third tunnel, supposedly a monster-free zone where Retisencia’s forward base was likely located.
It seemed to be a natural barrier, and they were probably using it as their base. I heard that barriers in cities and villages were developed with reference to natural barriers. I believe they were created using a type of Guild Magic—Ritual Magic? Ritual Magic is a large-scale composite magic performed by multiple registered Guild members. Its unauthorized use is a violation. While some magic spells have less strict restrictions, city-wide barriers require the King’s permission.
“The Hunter’s Guild is fully prepared, and we are ready to move. We should settle this quickly. Otherwise, another incident like the one earlier could happen, and the citizens could get hurt.”
“Right. For now, everyone should come to the House Room where we are staying.”
That’s for the best. Meena is an I-rank Order and the Order’s Master’s sister, and everyone knows she’s close to us. Flam was just taken hostage, and Raus and Rebecca have the Cerberus Fang incident behind them, so they’re known to be our acquaintances. This means both of them are potential targets. Ed and Marina are in the same situation. We’ve visited Albert Workshop a few times, and one could infer that from their equipment. Moreover, they’re eating with us, so the two of them might also be targeted. I feel bad about inconveniencing them, but for their safety, it’s best they stay in the Silver Ore Inn’s House Room and we resolve this by tomorrow. Tashirtz’s Parrot, who might be informants, need to be dealt with urgently. I’ll check their lodging later or perhaps head to the gates in case they try to escape.
“I appreciate it, but I’m going home. Regarding that matter, it’s quite interesting.”
“I’m staying at Ed’s place. I really feel like it could work, so I don’t want to waste time on other things,” Ed and Marina replied. Their words also piqued my interest.
“You’re saying you have a good feeling about it? That’s great. But can you really tell that much in just one day?”
“Well, the quantity is small. It’s more of a prototype of a prototype, and it’s currently cooling, so we won’t know its actual state until tomorrow.”
They mixed a total of three ingots, one by one. I thought they were checking appropriate amounts, but I guess they couldn’t achieve that in just one day.
“But even while it’s cooling, you can tell a little bit about what it became, right?” Prim asked, also curious. If the metal turned out as I expected, it would solve the weapon problem, so expectations were high.
“What are you guys talking about?” Raus interjected. It was true, I hadn’t explained yet.
“Ah, my apologies. No, first, take a look at this.” Despite it being my objective, I had been distracted by the capture request for those idiots and almost forgot. I showed everyone my Library, without hiding my titles.
“Level 59? How did it go up? Weren’t you 57 just the other day?”
“You defeated the Goblin Queen and even the Evil Drake, so that’s probably why.”
“Does that mean Prim’s level has gone up too? Or rather, why is it so easy to level up?” Ed, Meena, and Marina looked astonished at my level. That wasn’t what I wanted them to focus on.
“These titles… Yamato, you were a Guest…” Fram’s single statement froze everyone. The existence of a Guest is a famous fairytale in Helios Orb, even becoming a legend. Furthermore, Amister famously celebrated a Guest who married into the Royal Family in the past, so it was natural for them to be stunned that someone was the same as the legendary Queen.
“I see. So, not wearing armor and your knowledge of alloys were all because you’re a Guest.”
“The magic earlier was also from a Different World, wasn’t it? That makes sense,” Ed and Marina, who recovered the quickest, said. Everything was exactly as they said.
“So, Yamato, are you planning to return to your original world?” Meena asked with a worried expression. Although we’d only known each other for a few days, she had become a close friend, just like Ed and Marina, and I had no intention of making her sad.
“No. If my prediction is correct, there’s no way to return. Even if there were, I wouldn’t. Although it’s only been a few days, I feel like this world suits me better.”
“You’re not going back… is that okay?” Prim was surprised. I suppose this was the first time I had voiced it out loud. However, my decision to stay in this world was because Prim was here.
“Yeah. I’d like to be able to contact my family and friends, but fortunately, my older brother will inherit the house and is about to get married, so it’s not a problem.” My family’s house is a shrine. I’m the second son and the youngest, so it was decided long ago that my older brother would inherit it. His bride is also decided, so they’ll likely hold the wedding right after he graduates from university.
“Oh, is that so?”
“And Yamato, you have an older brother?”
“I have an older sister too. So I won’t be inheriting the house, and I often wondered what I’d do in the future back then.” I probably would have joined the military or the police.
“But to think Yamato was a Guest, what a surprise!”
“Indeed. But now, your level and abilities make sense, Yamato.” Rebecca and Kamina were exchanging words. No, it’s not just because you’re a Guest that your level is high. Besides, if that’s the case, what does that make Prim?
“For Winged Tribe, their magic power takes the form of wings, so their level tends to increase without much effort. Many of them are skilled at controlling their magic power, which is also a characteristic of the Winged Tribe,” Prim explained. I knew the Winged Tribe were special beings in this world, but the fact that their level increases easily meant they were skilled at using magic, and their magic power was also abundant. Naturally, their magic control would also improve, leading to higher magic accuracy. Even when using Fissuring, the Winged Tribe are superior in all aspects, so they can face off against High Class individuals without fear, even with a slight level difference. In fact, in Valtia, Prim’s homeland, there are several High Class individuals with higher levels than Prim at the time, but none of them could defeat her, as Apricot once mentioned. My current level is 59, and Prim is level 54, so it’s debatable whether I could win. However, once things calm down, I want to challenge her to a match. And if I win, I’ll boldly confess. No, not if. I will definitely win.
