Side: Prim
At the Grand Hunter’s Master’s words, Yamato hastily checked his license, and there it was, clearly written.
Yamato Mikami
17 years old
Lv. 62
Human Race, Ancient Human
Hunter’s Guild: Amister Kingdom, Feel
Hunter’s Rank: P-G
Raid: Wing Crest
The level-up must have been from hunting a large number of Silent Bees in the forest earlier.
I was even trying out a magic called Ice Sphere, which manipulates chunks of ice at will, and I’ve also become able to use the acceleration magic Accelerating Magic. So, of course, my level would go up.
If I had also gone with him and tried it, I might have been able to use Accelerating Magic and my level might have increased too.
And the race field was clearly marked as Ancient Human, so there was no doubt that Yamato had evolved.
Before heading out for a hunt, he was G-rank, so I’ll have to go through the rank-up procedures later.
“He’s really become an Ancient Human…”
“Isn’t that too fast? What did you do?”
No matter what anyone says, I can only say that I hunted down countless Murder Bees and Silent Bees.
And Ice Sphere and Accelerating Magic.
When I said that, everyone had a very tired look on their faces, did something happen?
“We’re talking about the speed at which your levels are rising. Of course, there’s your evolution, but normally, levels don’t increase that much that easily. Yet you’re raising your levels with such force, as if you don’t care about common sense, so we don’t know what to say.”
Viscount Archlight pointed that out to me, but it’s not my fault.
It’s more like Yamato’s fault.
Come to think of it, I wonder what’s going on with me?
Primrose Hydrangea Mikami
17 years old
Lv. 58
Beast Race, Winged Tribe, High Foxy
Hunter’s Guild: Amister Kingdom, Feel
Hunter’s Rank: G
Raid: Wing Crest
“Didn’t you say your level was 55, Primrose? But it’s 58, what did you do?”
Huh?
It’s true that my level, as Marquis Frederica said, this morning, or rather, before entering the forest, was definitely 55.
But if it’s level 58, that means it’s gone up by three levels.
I knew Yamato would evolve to Ancient Class soon, but if this continues, will I also become an Ancient Foxy in the not-too-distant future?
“Truly, even I am speechless. Just a few days after registering as a Hunter, you’ve raised your level to an unbelievable extent. I’ve lived for quite some time as well, but I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
I don’t know how many years the Grand Hunter’s Master has lived, but considering he’s of Ancient Class, I’d guess he’s lived for nearly 200 years.
If he’s never heard of something like this, it truly is an abnormal situation.
The lifespan of the Helios Orb is said to be 50 + level, regardless of race.
This means that with many people in their early 30s, the average lifespan is about 80 years old.
However, it is said that High Class lives for 50 years longer, and Ancient Class even another 100 years longer. So, for the Grand Hunter’s Master at level 73, his lifespan would be 273 years.
This is just a reference, it’s not absolute.
“If that’s the case, we’ll have to make sure Prim evolves into an Ancient Foxy as soon as possible.”
Yamato suddenly said something ominous, but stop it.
While I do admire evolving into Ancient Class, I’m afraid I’ll end up doing it out of habit, without any particular feeling, and before I know it.
“No, I didn’t even notice it myself, let alone feeling anything…”
That’s right…
Besides, when you evolve, you somehow know it, but did you not even notice that?
“Yamato, when you evolve, you somehow know you’ve evolved, but did you not have any such sensation?”
“Yeah.”
His reply was so fast it made me sad.
It’s true that there’s almost no visual difference between Ancient Class and High Class, so perhaps it’s difficult for the person themselves to notice.
“No, your magic power increases considerably, so it should be easy to notice intuitively. The fact that you didn’t notice means that your magic power is probably immense.”
The moment the Grand Hunter’s Master pointed that out, Yamato covered his face with both hands.
He must have realized how dense he was, and felt like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
That’s not the point!
It’s true that I was surprised that Yamato had evolved into an Ancient Human, but the topic has gone completely off track!
“It’s not! We’re talking about Retisencia now! They were creating An using Demon Crystals provided by Abaricia, so they might still be around!?”
I don’t understand anything about Demon Crystals, nor how many monsters they’ve turned into An. But it’s too optimistic to think that the Murder Bees were the last of them.
Of course, it’s best if they were, but there’s no guarantee of that anywhere. Moreover, there might be naturally occurring An, so we absolutely have to make them confess about that.
“Th-that’s right! Thank you, Primrose!”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. The shock was so great that I lost myself for a moment.”
“I appreciate it, Primrose.”
The Provincial Governor has recovered, but I feel like Marquis Frederica’s true colors are showing.
We see each other almost every day, and Yamato has been doing extraordinary things so many times that she might have realized it’s foolish to keep up appearances.
Since we’re the same age, I think she could be more frank with me.
“We heard that the First Princess of Retisencia was captured, but as the Hunter’s Guild, we cannot overlook the existence of Demon Crystals that can create An. As for me, I want to find out about the Demon Crystals by any means necessary.”
The Grand Hunter’s Master is saying something extreme, but I can understand his feelings.
I don’t know how many An they created, but the fact that they created even one An, capable of destroying a city and ruining a country, entirely for their own convenience, is enough to lead to the extinction of humanity.
We have no intention of helping them if they bring about their own destruction, but it’s nothing but a nuisance to those who get caught up in it.
Moreover, they can’t even deal with it themselves, so it’s the height of irresponsibility.
“You are absolutely right, Primrose. Currently, Retisencia has no G-rank Hunters, and only a few dozen High Class Hunters. If such a situation arises, requests for rescue will be sent to the headquarters and to nearby Amister and Libertà. Naturally, rescue missions involve risks, and above all, they take time. And Retisencia will definitely make an issue of it. No Hunter will go to rescue such a country. At the very least, this incident can be deemed an act of hostility towards the Hunter’s Guild, and the Hunter’s Guild is considering a complete withdrawal from Retisencia.”
The Grand Hunter’s Master’s assertion means that Hunters will soon disappear from Retisencia.
If Hunters disappear, hunting magic will become unusable, and Hunter’s Licenses, which can be used as identification in various countries, will become meaningless.
Even if monsters are hunted, there will be no reward, and the communication network between Hunter’s Guilds will be unusable, so even if An appear somewhere, information cannot be shared.
Naturally, there will be opposition, but they brought it upon themselves, so they’ll have to accept it.
“I understand the Grand Hunter’s Master’s opinion. However, as Amister, we must seek His Majesty’s judgment on this matter. The problem is too great for us to handle.”
“Yes, I understand. Amister suffered the most damage from this incident, so I will comply with whatever His Majesty decides.”
No matter how we respond, a war with Retisencia seems unavoidable. However, making a unilateral decision would go beyond the scope of the Provincial Governor.
The Provincial Governor is merely a temporary representative, so it is natural to report to the King, who is also the Lord, and seek instructions.
However, there are no Wyverns, and I can’t ask the Grand Hunter’s Master to contact them. So, I either have to wait for Marquis Frederica’s subordinates, who were dispatched to the Royal Capital, to return, or capture Saches and retrieve the Wyvern.
Since neither is guaranteed, it might be faster to borrow a Wyvern from someone like Emosion.
“Regarding that matter, we must also apologize to His Majesty the King. Therefore, I plan to go to the Royal Capital tomorrow. It would be helpful if one of the Provincial Governors could accompany me, if possible. Is that alright?”
Just as I was thinking that, the Grand Hunter’s Master himself said he would go to apologize to His Majesty the King of Amister.
Given his position as head of the Hunter’s Guild, it’s understandable, but the idea of using Traveling to go to the Royal Capital and meet the King seems very hasty.
The Provincial Governor is also surprised by this unexpected proposal.
“This is a proposal we couldn’t wish for more. Count Sofia, would you be so kind?”
Why Count Sofia?
Even if his title is meaningless while serving as Provincial Governor, it only applies to the three Provincial Governors. In this case, shouldn’t Marquis Frederica be the one to go?
“Leave it to me.”
Seeing Count Sofia’s momentary hesitation, he probably didn’t expect to be nominated. Was there some business he had to attend to in Feel?
Well, there are three Provincial Governors for situations like this, so I guess something like this was bound to happen.
“Very well, the First Princess of Retisencia will be placed under house arrest with her actions restrained by subjugation magic, and the investigation will be entrusted to the Order’s Guild. I believe it will be safe, but to be prepared for any eventuality, we have requested the Order’s Guild to guard the mansion.”
“Yes. I will arrange it immediately.”
Ah, so that’s the role I’m taking on.
It’s true that reporting is important, but at the same time, we can’t afford to lose our living witness. Even if her actions are restrained by subjugation magic and she’s placed under house arrest, the head of the household can’t leave.
For a moment, I thought about having the Grand Hunter’s Master take me to the Royal Capital, but there’s a possibility that on-site verification will be necessary, so that’s not possible.
“Pryster Master, I’m sorry, but could you use subjugation magic on the princess?”
“Understood.”
“Then I will escort you during that time.”
“Ah, thank you.”
And then Grand Hunter’s Master will also escort Pryster Master Milia, the Holy Bishop, who will use subjugation magic.
Of course, Retisencia must know who the Grand Hunter’s Master is, so even if the princess were to act out, she couldn’t do anything.
The Holy Bishop Milia, who will be escorted by the Grand Hunter’s Master, is incredibly nervous, but the effect of subjugation magic is said to be consistent regardless of who uses it, so as long as they don’t confuse the target, it should be fine.
“That’s settled with the princess. Now, Yamato, Primrose, you’re certain that the barrier’s origin point near Retisencia’s base was destroyed, right?”
“I can’t say for sure that it was the barrier’s origin point, but there was an unnaturally broken rock, and they were attacked, including the princess. So, I think it’s safe to assume it was destroyed.”
“And as a result, everyone was wiped out except for the princess, huh? A few individuals fought you, but in any case, they brought it upon themselves. There’s no room for sympathy.”
Viscount Archlight spat that out grumpily, but it’s a natural sentiment, considering his wife’s child, the Wyvern, was killed.
I understand the feeling, especially since Jade was almost killed.
“Also, while I gave a brief report, I have recovered several magic tools from that base. There were some that appeared to be subjugation magic items, and some crystals that looked like Demon Crystals.”
“It’s good news that we obtained Demon Crystals. After we find out how to use them, I’d like to conduct an experiment, but…”
“If you’re going to do it, it should be done where Yamato and Primrose are. And we need to choose monsters that are as easy to handle as possible.”
“I am opposed. It’s not that I doubt their abilities, but if we fail to contain them even once, there’s a high possibility of immense damage. In that case, it goes without saying who will be the first to suffer, doesn’t it?”
I agree that we should experiment to see if An are truly born using Demon Crystals.
So I intended to cooperate, but Marquis Frederica raised an objection.
It’s true that the possibility isn’t zero, and if we were defeated, Feel would be in danger again.
If that were to happen, the first ones to suffer would be Traders, travelers, and possibly even Feel or Prada Village.
Even if they have the ability to defeat An and Catastrophe Species, it’s meaningless if they let them escape.
“I’m also against it. Of course, I don’t intend to lose, but Retisencia self-destructed because they couldn’t control the An. Even if it’s an experiment, Amister can’t guarantee that it won’t happen, and above all, the risk is too great.”
Yamato is also against it.
If the two of them say so, no one can force it, so I suppose the decision will be to conduct a detailed investigation but not an experiment.
“Prim, aren’t you getting carried away because your level has increased so much? If you continue like this, you might die young. You just got married, so please don’t do anything reckless like that.”
As soon as we left Marquis Frederica’s mansion, Yamato said that to me, and for the first time, I realized I had become arrogant.
Yamato’s opposition was for my sake too.
It was shocking, but I understood his concern very well, and it made me blush.
I hugged Yamato’s left arm and then gave him a grateful kiss on his cheek.
