“Rydia!”
“Roger that, sis!”
When we arrived, one of the Patriot Pride was just stopping a blue-haired girl with ice shot from her short sword, while a red-haired girl was about to punch, flames engulfing her gauntlet.
Their synchronized attack was well-executed, but it was effortlessly dodged, perhaps because their opponent was of a higher caliber.
By the way, we had disappeared using Trans-Illusion, a light-element B-rank support interference spell that manipulates the refractive index of light.
“That was a good attack, but it was too slow!”
“Kyaaa!”
Damn, the red-haired girl who had closed the distance was hit directly by wind and sent flying spectacularly!
Oh, good, she seems unharmed.
Huh? Someone came out of the beast carriage.
That beast carriage looks like it belongs to the Patriot Pride.
They were using a Wyvern, so where did they get a beast carriage… oh, it must be in their storage.
“Who are you Hunters? Harming my escort is a serious crime, you know?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! You lot were the ones who attacked the beast carriage first!”
“And it was the Amister Royal Family’s beast carriage, at that. By all accounts, you are in the wrong.”
“Ordinarily, that would be the case. But if I say it’s white, it’s white even if it’s black. After all, I am the Hunter’s Master of Feel!”
“Wh-what!?”
“Hunter’s… Master!?”
Could that gentle-looking High Human be Saches Torenell?
Finally, I’ve met you.
“Why is the Hunter’s Master attacking the Amister royalty!?”
“It’s all for the sake of the country. It pains me to have to eliminate excellent Hunters like yourselves, but it’s a small price to pay for patriotism and love for one’s country.”
“Sis, you can’t reason with them!”
“No way… you’re from Retisencia!”
I thought I couldn’t get through to them, but she’s sharp enough to realize they’re connected to Retisencia.
“Hey, sis, what do you mean by Retisencia?”
“You know, don’t you? How Retisencia has been constantly coveting Mylight.”
“It’s famous, of course. But recently, there were rumors of the Green Fang appearing around Feel, which has led to a decrease in Magic Silver circulation and a surge in prices, right?”
“Yes. There are also rumors that since Amister isn’t acting, the neighboring Retisencia might be. Retisencia would also be in trouble without Magic Silver.”
This is a rumor I’ve never heard before.
Retisencia also has a small Magic Silver mine near the imperial capital, but since it’s a country that disdains Crafters, their processing technology is low.
Therefore, I’ve heard that Crafters in Retisencia want to go to Amister or the other neighboring country, the Libertarian Federation.
Retisencia apparently wants to import weapons and armor from Amister or Libertà, but neither Amister nor Libertà can allow a potential enemy nation to gain power, so they don’t export any arms or armor.
There are Hunters there, so it’s possible on a personal level, but Retisencia’s Hunters have low morals and are incredibly arrogant in other countries, so they rarely get good weapons.
As a result, Retisencia’s arms and armor are said to be the lowest quality in the entire Philia Continent.
I also heard that the recruitment of the Crafter’s Guild was intended to improve that situation.
Although, I heard that the Crafter’s Guild itself is planning to withdraw soon.
“Green Fang? Ah, that green beast? Do you believe such a preposterous tale as well?”
“What’s preposterous about it! By the rules, abnormal species must be thoroughly investigated, even if it’s just a rumor! The fact that such a rumor exists is proof that you haven’t investigated it!”
Close.
While it’s true that I haven’t investigated it, the story of the Green Fang was actually suppressed.
Well, the Green Fang has already been subjugated.
“Amister isn’t acting because they couldn’t be informed that a Wyvern wasn’t present in Feel where the Green Fang was confirmed. Moreover, if the Hunter’s Master was involved, it might be impossible to notice.”
“Ah, so that’s why big sister thinks they’re spies from Retisencia!”
“There’s no other explanation.”
“Oh, you’re quite quick-witted. Therefore, it’s inconvenient for us if you continue to live.”
I agree they’re quick-witted, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let them have their way.
“Wait a moment, Hunter’s Master. Those two are quite valuable, aren’t they? Wouldn’t it be good to make them slaves? You have them, don’t you?”
“Unfortunately, I do not. Furthermore, risks should be avoided as much as possible. If ownership were to change due to some complication, it could be exposed. Well, if you enjoy yourselves before killing them, I won’t object.”
“That’s what he said. You guys, don’t hold back. Take them down!”
This is as far as it goes.
I don’t know their levels, but many of the Patriot Pride are High Class, and Saches is as well.
Besides, there are royalty here, so if we don’t end this quickly, they might be taken hostage.
If that happens, I won’t say it’s hopeless, but it would be troublesome.
I infused magic into a Mirror Ring I had prepared beforehand and activated Venus, an A-rank wind-element wide-area interference spell.
“Wh-what is this!?”
“A wind barrier!? Impossible… Who could it be?”
“Me.”
“Wh-where!?”
“Over here.”
“Over here… huh? Up there!?”
They both seem surprised.
It’s common knowledge that you can’t fly with the Helios Orb without wings, and even with wings, you can’t fly freely.
However, in my world, where Fly Wind is practical, anyone can fly with practice, albeit with some limitations and restrictions.
Thanks to the Engraving Tool.
“Wh-who the hell are you!?”
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes… Are you going to help us?”
Prim, showing herself, stands before the Dragonewt girls.
“Yeah. I’m on my way back from escorting a Trader to Prada Village up ahead. Someone was trying to isolate them using abnormal species.”
“What do you mean you know!?”
They still hadn’t noticed, and they didn’t know about me and Prim.
Well, if they had known, they probably would have returned much earlier.
Not knowing is a fatal flaw.
“Yeah, I know everything. To be upfront, Amister and the Hunter’s Guild headquarters in Alegria already know. Furthermore, procedures are underway to strip your Hunter’s Master authority.”
“However, since you appeared before us here, your journey ends now.”
“Wh-what did you say!?”
“That’s a strange thing to say. The headquarters wouldn’t listen to the ramblings of mere Hunters, and neither would Amister. Besides, you’ve drawn a weapon against me, the Hunter’s Master, making you the criminal. That’s more than enough reason to kill you.”
Ordinarily, Saches would be right.
However, this isn’t an ordinary situation, and we’ve been involved from the beginning. We have quite a few requests, allowing us to learn a lot.
Based on our reports, Amister and the headquarters have been informed, so it would be more problematic if they didn’t act.
“You don’t have to believe me. You’ll know when you return to Feel.”
“Shut up with your endless chatter! I’ll finish you off quickly!”
“Finish us off, you say. Can you do it?”
“Hmph! Don’t think you can win against the Patriot Pride with just two people! Take them down!!”
“W-wait!!”
Saches is somewhat wary of me, who deployed Venus.
However, without heeding Saches’s warning, the Patriot Pride members unleashed their elemental magic.
They took the form of arrows and orbs, so they were likely Unique Magic.
A-rank wide-area interference spells are also known as planetary spells and create spherical barriers. Unlike world-tree-type wide-area target spells like N, although setting targets within the barrier is quite difficult, the barrier’s strength is even greater.
Naturally, as an interference type, the atmosphere within the barrier is entirely under my control.
“Wh-what the…”
The arrows and Unique Magic unleashed by the Patriot Pride dissipated without inflicting a single scratch on us.
There was a lot of fire magic, but flames can’t burn without oxygen, so it’s not difficult to neutralize them by interfering with oxygen.
Wide-area spells are not my specialty, but this is child’s play.
“Well then, shall we go!”
“Yes!”
I readied my Mithril Blade, Prim her Mithril Halberd, and using Accelerating Magic, we closed the distance instantly and cut down the Patriot Pride.
Now, only Saches and the leader, Barbatos, remain.
“In-incredible…”
“Wh-what are those two…?”
“I-impossible! The strongest Patriot Pride, defeated so easily!?”
“To call yourselves the strongest with such meager strength.”
“Wh-who are you people!?”
“We’re beginner Hunters who just registered not too long ago. Although, I’m still G-rank.”
“G-rank!?”
“I-impossible!?”
Prim threw her license at Saches, leaving both Saches and Barbatos speechless.
Not only the rank but also the level is displayed, and since forgery is absolutely impossible, they had no choice but to believe it.
The Dragonewt sisters were also wide-eyed with surprise.
“L-level 59!?”
“A powerful individual close to P-rank… You should be about the same age as us…”
“I-impossible…”
To make them despair further, I also threw my license.
I’ll admit it myself, but the damage I inflict is greater than Prim’s.
“Impossible! Level 63, and… and you’re an Ancient Human!?”
Despair spread across Saches’s and Barbatos’s faces.
Although both Saches and Barbatos have evolved into High Class, their levels are in the mid-40s.
In other words, that’s a fairly normal level for High Class.
I also evolved recently, but it’s said that even at the same level, the Magic Power of an Ancient Class is one order of magnitude higher than that of a High Class, so their enhancement magic would also be of a much higher intensity.
Given that someone like that is standing before them, it’s natural for them to fall into despair.
“Everyone will join us soon, and there will be a Sub-Order’s Master there, so you’ll be thoroughly interrogated when we return to Feel.”
“If you confess honestly, you might become criminal slaves. Though, that’s none of our concern.”
“I-impossible…! Anyone who can evolve into an Ancient Human must be widely rumored! Yet, why is there no word of you!? Answer me!”
That’s simple.
I’m a guest, and I only came to Helios Orb a short while ago.
I registered as a Hunter, then ranked up, and then evolved, so there’s no reason for you to know.
And I have no intention of telling you honestly.
Helios Orb doesn’t have telephones or communication devices, so transmitting information inevitably takes time.
The fastest way to relay information is by commanding flying monsters like Wyverns, but to prevent that, they killed Baron Archlight’s Wyvern and used the Hunter’s Guild’s Wyverns themselves, which has now backfired.
If the Hunters left in Feel could have used the sky routes, they probably would have considered informing Saches about us.
The only remaining option is to travel by Grantpus or Battle Horse, but one must be prepared for a missed encounter, and more importantly, it’s only been about ten days since we became Hunters. Even if the fastest possible message was delivered, it’s normal to take it with a grain of salt.
Information is important, isn’t it?
“You think I’ll answer you?”
“Y-you fiend…!”
The Hunter’s Master knows better than anyone that levels and ranks cannot be faked.
Perhaps that’s why he’s infusing magic into his sword and starting to form a summoning circle.
“Calling! Come forth! My familiar, Evil Drake!”
“An-an Evil Drake!?”
“Wh-what kind of contract does he have!?”
The Evil Drake, an abnormal species of Feather Drake, is a G-I rank monster.
G-I rank monsters are equivalent to a P-rank monster one tier higher, so if a Hunter were to confront one, dozens of High Class individuals would be required.
There are only four of us here: myself, an Ancient Human; Prim, a High Fox; and the two Dragonewt sisters. This should be a sufficient trump card.
Ordinarily, that is.
“Wh-why!? Why isn’t it being summoned!?”
“We already hunted that one down.”
That’s right, Prim and I hunted it.
We only found out it was a familiar after returning to the Guild, but it was a good thing we hunted it.
Well, even if it had been summoned, it wouldn’t have been much of a threat.
“Wh-what did you say!?”
“An Evil Drake… hunted?”
“It would have been fine if it were widely known, but if no one knew about it, naturally a subjugation request would be issued.”
When it comes to abnormal species, immediate subjugation upon sighting is the basic principle.
Even a rumor can trigger a detailed investigation request, so leaving it unchecked is obviously worse.
“I-impossible…!”
“For now, you’ll be coming with us to Feel.”
I interfered with Venus around Saches and Barbatos, reducing the oxygen.
They couldn’t survive without breathing, and it was likely the first time they’d experienced anything like this, so they collapsed without being able to do anything. However, as expected of High Class individuals, they managed to maintain consciousness.
They seem to be in a daze, and being High Class, they likely have decent regenerative abilities.
I need to capture them securely so they don’t escape.
