Becoming a Hunter in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 13: Tutorial – Happy End (2)

“I mean it from the bottom of my heart. If you hadn’t come when you did… I would’ve died having never avenged my son, having spent my last breath cleaning the boots of my enemy. I wouldn’t even have been able to close my eyes in peace from the bitterness.”

With a thump!, Jaigo slammed his forehead to the ground as he cried out fervently.

“Gale, you saved my life! Thank you… thank you! You’re the greatest benefactor of my life.”

Gale flailed in panic, clearly flustered.

It was a rare sight, considering how he usually carried himself with shameless ease.

“W-What are you doing?! Come on, old man, this is embarrassing. Get up already!”

He tried to pull Jaigo up, but the man held firm, his face full of unyielding sincerity.

“Don’t brush this off. Take it seriously. You deserve to hear this. Risking your life for a total stranger—do you know how rare that is?”

“You’re one stubborn guy.”

Gale finally gave a bitter laugh.

“No, that’s not it. I… didn’t do it out of pure goodwill. I don’t deserve your thanks.”

His expression darkened briefly. Then he brought his thumb and forefinger together and wiggled them.

“This thing here—you saw it earlier, right? I was desperate. I did it for money. I saved you for the cash. If you wanna thank someone, thank the kid. He’s the one who hired me to rescue you.”

“He did?”

Jaigo looked genuinely surprised.

“...I see. I’m in debt I’ll never be able to repay. I must thank him properly.”

“Oh no, what are you gonna do, kneel for him like you did for me? Don’t. That’s way too much. The kid wouldn’t like that either.”

“Bah. Sincerity only gets through if it’s shown in full force! Youth these days…”

Despite his grumbling, Jaigo gave a faint smile.

“Still… I want to thank you too.”

“What? Didn’t you hear what I just said? I—”

“I heard it all. And I still want to say thank you. You did the job for money, sure. But you could’ve walked away. You could’ve run. And yet, you didn’t. You saved me.”

He cut off Gale’s protest with a firm tone.

“To the one who’s saved… the savior’s reasons don’t matter. All that remains is the fact that I was saved. That I survived.”

“…You really are unshakable, Hunter. Fine. You win. I’ll take the thanks.”

“That’s the spirit! You’ve got some backbone, young man. Not like the mercs these days.”

Jaigo burst out in a hearty laugh, and Gale huffed.

“Hey now, in case you forgot—I am a merc. Don’t lump me in with that ‘mercs these days’ crowd!”

“Bah! Don’t take it personal. Just that I can’t stand how mercenaries act these days. No sense of honor. Not like back in my time!”

As they bickered, Jaigo chuckled softly.

“You remind me of my son. He always said the same things to me.”

—Father! You’re such a stickler for rules. You’re not getting any younger, you know. Sometimes you need to bend, go with the flow. Be a little cunning… If you keep this up, you’ll make things harder for everyone—including yourself. Ah! You’re dodging the topic again!

“He used to nag me nonstop…”

Seeing that wistful expression, Gale recalled what he’d heard about Jaigo’s son, Nathan.

It wasn’t Jaigo who first discovered Molga’s trail—but that rookie Hunter.

He had found Molga preparing to attack a remote village, like Virga.

He had gone in, intending to kill Molga right away… but then changed his mind.

—…Are those kids?!

He had discovered two trembling children hiding in a barn.

A young boy and girl, likely siblings, were one step away from being discovered by Molga.

—What should I do…?!

Kill Molga, using those innocent lives as collateral to stop more casualties?

Or… give up his own life to save them?

—If it were my father… what would he have done?

It didn’t take him long to decide.

He chose to save the children… instead of punishing Molga.

—The Hunter saved us! He told us to run and never look back… h-hic!

—What happened to him? …Did he die?

He had bought time for the children to escape, standing his ground until the end… and fell.

It was the very definition of a Hunter’s death.

Before becoming a Hunter, all must swear an oath in the name of the god of LAMPAS.

The Proteus Oath.

—At this moment, I am acknowledged as a member of the great Hunters who battle against the demonbeasts threatening humanity. I solemnly swear in the name of the Light God, LAMPAS, to dedicate my life to the protection of humankind.

One of the many vows within that oath stated:

—First, I swear to place the lives of many above my own.

“He always nagged me not to live like a rigid rule-follower… but in the end, he was even more so.”

“Like father, like son.”

Jaigo paused a moment, then smiled proudly, twirling his mustache.

“...Damn right! Whose son do you think he was?”

And thus, the day drew to a close.

***

The Next Day, Midday

Gale walked deeper into the airship under Nahrhan’s guidance.

Soon, he arrived at a particular room.

“This is our airship’s reception room. Master Elwin is waiting inside,” said Nahrhan as he opened the door.

But Gale just stood there, staring blankly.

“Sir Gale?”

“Oh? Ah, we’re already here. Thanks, butler.”

Nahrhan bowed with polite grace.

“It is my pleasure. Please, go on in. Master Elwin has been looking forward to this since morning.”

“Ugh. Now I’m nervous…”

Gale rubbed his stomach as he entered, his face pale.

He hadn’t slept a wink last night.

“Why would a Special-Class Hunter need anything from a run-of-the-mill merc like me?!”

“What if I’m just being used and discarded? Like, an assassination mission on royalty? Or bait for a high-level demonbeast?! No way, right?!”

All those anxious thoughts had kept him up.

He steeled himself and stepped inside—then was struck speechless.

“Whoa. This place is fancier than a noble’s mansion!”

The airship’s reception room was more luxurious than anything Gale had ever seen.

He knew quite a bit about art despite being a mercenary, thanks to occasional related jobs.

“This is Elven pottery. That’s a Yaahi landscape painting. Wow, even an Angers sculpture? Those barely show up at auctions… Damn, kid’s loaded.”

Gale clicked his tongue as he examined the artifacts around the room.

So caught up in the sight, he forgot to be nervous—until someone spoke to him.

“You’re surprisingly well-versed in art. They were all gifts. Nahrhan said it’d be a waste to leave them in storage, so he put them on display. If anything catches your eye, feel free to take it. I’ll gift it to you.”

“…Kid.”

“But in exchange, you’ll need to hear my request first.”

Elwin smiled brightly.

“Hello, Gale. Lovely afternoon. Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Y-Yeah… It was great.”

“Glad to hear it. Nahrhan’s quite the cook.”

Elwin stepped closer.

“Now, let’s skip the small talk and get down to business.”

“…”

“You probably already guessed who I am, but let me formally introduce myself. I’m the Head Hunter and Commander of the World Hunter Association. Guardian of the Central Island, Mediale. And…”

Elwin placed his hand over his chest and bowed.

“Elwin Krieger, Yellow-Ranked Special-Class Hunter.”

In that moment, his blue eyes glinted with a pure, intense light.

Gale felt a chill run through his body from the sheer pressure Elwin radiated.

“…Well, damn.”

He barely managed to speak.

“Knew you were some big-shot…”

“Haha! I’m really not. The other Special-Class Hunters are way more impressive. I’ve never beaten any of them.”

“Just the fact that you plan to beat them is wild enough.”

Hunters who mastered the world’s mana lived far beyond the average human lifespan.

This generation’s Special-Class Hunters are younger than usual, but…

To pass the test in a single attempt and earn the title of “Special-Class” was incredibly rare, even in LAMPAS.

And this blond kid in front of him? He was the youngest in history to do it—a once-in-a-century genius.

Which means… he’s only going to get stronger from here. That’s terrifying.

Special-Class Hunters always stirred up the world of LAMPAS.

Whether for better or worse, people were swept up in their wake.

…I’m curious.

Gale suddenly found himself wondering.

Just how far this kid would go.

What kinds of wild, chaotic events he’d cause.

“Please, have a seat. Is Arad Mountain black tea fine?”

“Anything’s fine. I’m not picky.”

“Really? Nahrhan praised your refined palate.”

Elwin sat gracefully in the reception room’s seat of honor and gestured for Gale to take a seat as well.

Then, resting his cheek on one hand, he asked with ease,

“…So, have you decided on your contract terms? I believe I asked you to think them over.”

That air of arrogance somehow suited him perfectly.

So much so that Gale could hardly picture him as the plain, modest kid from Virga.

“Hey… shouldn’t you finally tell me what this job actually is? How can I decide without knowing what you want from me?”

“Ah! Right. I forgot. The timing never worked out.”

Elwin gave an awkward smile, and Gale recalled what Jaigo had said the night before.

—I plan to disembark tomorrow afternoon. I’ll bury my son in our hometown. And… I’m going to take in the kids he saved. They’re still young, and I think we can rely on each other, both having lost family.

—So I’m saying… if things don’t go well with him, why don’t you come with me?

Maybe this really was a good opportunity for Gale.

Had he been alone, it would’ve been hard to say no.

But with Jaigo backing him—offering both support and companionship—it felt like he had an army behind him.

If it turns out to be too dangerous, I’ll bolt immediately…!

Gale gulped and waited for Elwin’s next words.

Finally, Elwin spoke.

“Form a contract with me… and become a Hunter.”