The Bonds That Matter
Noah and Pina were bonds that held deep meaning in more ways than one.
They were the people who had helped an ignorant outsider like me settle into this world. The people who made it possible for me to live here without drowning in loneliness. The two I was most grateful for.
I lay still and watched them.
Had I ever had relationships like this in my previous life? Back then, the only thing I'd ever depended on was a computer. The thought rose unbidden, and a dull tightness settled in my chest. I didn't want to live the way I used to.
The two of them sat down in the chairs beside my bed. Just from their seated heights, Noah was clearly the taller one — the image of an older sister and younger sister came through easily. It suited them well, too.
Noah was the first to speak.
"We heard you'd woken up, so we came together."
She looked at me with that same gentle smile she always wore. I liked that smile of hers. I'd tried to copy it in my own clumsy way, but I never thought I could pull off anything close to Noah's.
"Still can't get up?"
"I can get up, it's just…"
I tried to push myself upright for a moment, then flopped right back down. I could force myself upright if I used enough strength, but any other movement was impossible. My muscles ached too badly. My body was no better than a living corpse. Right now, I was pretty sure even a child could take me.
Noah chuckled and stopped me.
"Don't push yourself. Just stay lying down."
I gave a weak little nod.
Pina studied my face, then pulled her chair closer to the bed.
"When do they say you'll be okay?"
"I don't know."
I'd have liked to be able to move again as soon as possible myself. Lying here felt like wasting time. Stretched out on this cot, I felt a helplessness I'd never known — I'd never been hospitalized in my life, so it hit even harder. Who would have guessed my first hospital stay would be in another world?
At least I had plenty of visitors. Without them, I probably would have sunk into self-loathing and loneliness.
I was drifting in thought when Noah spoke again.
"They're saying the royal family is going to form an investigation team for this place now. The hunters will join forces with them, too. A lot of things will probably come to light."
Would investigating even turn up anything worthwhile? This was land that had already weathered away into nothing inside the flow of time. At best, they'd never figure out what had reduced it to this state. The only thing that might surface was the story of that era — the story of someone like me, for instance.
Noah seemed to have thought the same thing.
"You know what that means, right?"
I gave a small nod. It was only a matter of time before the truth of who I was came out.
Pina, meanwhile, had no idea what they were talking about and blinked at them.
"What does that mean?"
Noah shot me a look that said she was in a bind.
"Umm. Well…"
It was going to come out anyway. Better to tell her now than keep hiding it. I met Noah's eyes.
"It's fine."
Only then did Noah lean in close to Pina's ear, murmuring so the others in the tent wouldn't overhear.
"Oh… oh."
Honestly, I was a little curious about what she was saying myself. Pina nodded along now and then, then her eyes went wide and she looked straight at me.
"Ah… so that's why…"
Those round eyes shifted almost at once into something pitying, as if she'd just understood. I swallowed hard. What on earth was she thinking?
Pina laid her hand over mine where it rested neatly on the bed. The warmth of her palm soaked into my skin.
"…Alice-nim, are you all right?"
I'm fine right now. Aside from the state of my body, that is.
Pina spoke with a look of genuine sorrow.
"The reason you hate monsters so much… it was all because of that, wasn't it…"
I don't actually hate them that much! Monsters were just there, so I killed them. There wasn't any particular reason beyond that.
"Do you know how truly, genuinely scared I was this time? It wasn't the monster I was afraid of — I was terrified that Alice-nim was going to die."
It had been a reckless challenge, no question. But the thrill of climbing onto a monster's back was something nothing else could match. I finally understood how people who did rodeo felt. And I'd survived, so wasn't that good enough? I'd gone up without a plan, sure — but here I was, perfectly alive.
…Of course, I couldn't deny I'd nearly died. I'd definitely made people worry.
"No matter how much you hate monsters… what's important is living happily now, right?"
If my hands had been freer to move, I would have ruffled her hair. Instead, I took hold of Pina's hand.
"I'm not planning on dying."
I spoke carefully, the way you soothe someone.
"That'd be a waste. I've only just started living again."
A life that had been guttering out like a candle was burning bright once more — a great flame that wouldn't go out even in the wind of monsters. I was not someone who would fall to the likes of Disastro.
That wasn't me looking down on the people who had died to Disastro. Their deaths had been noble sacrifices, and it was because of them that I was alive right now. For the sake of the dead, it was still too soon for me to die.
"I've got to live happily."
I smiled with my eyes. At that, Pina nodded.
Something else occurred to me, and I said it.
"Oh, right — I made an appointment to meet the Association President this time."
"…The Association President?"
Noah startled and asked,
"The Association President called for you?"
"Yeah. Probably because of everything that happened."
"That's great. I'd been privately hoping you'd end up there myself. Looks like the Association was watching this whole thing closely after all. There were two Master Hunters present, too…"
"…Um, excuse me?"
Pina still hadn't followed the conversation and tilted her head.
"Does the Association President usually call people in separately?"
Noah explained gently to the bewildered Pina.
"He's not the type to call people in under normal circumstances."
"Is that so~"
"But there is one situation where the Association President personally summons someone — and that's when he's appointing a Master Hunter."
"Ah, I see…… wait, huh?"
Pina, who had been nodding blankly, clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.
"Really?"
Being the last one to catch on was somehow adorable. Noah chuckled and turned her gaze back to me.
"Well, you did pull off an achievement no one else would even dare attempt. In a way, it's only natural."
I just did what a veteran does. All this praise was starting to make me a little embarrassed, and I fidgeted with my mouth. Being told "good job, good job" over and over made me feel like a dog spinning in happy circles.
Pina, who had been going "ooh" and "ahh" in pure admiration, spoke up.
"But what kind of person is the Association President?"
Noah couldn't give her a proper answer.
"Well… I've never met him face-to-face myself."
Even Noah, with all her years as a hunter, had never seen him. Of course, I'd only ever seen him in the game myself. I had no idea what the living, breathing Association President of this world would feel like. From what I knew, though, he was just a pretty cheerful middle-aged guy.
Noah chewed her lip for a moment, then laughed and started teasing.
"Rumor has it he's terrifying~. Huge build, can lift a person with one hand — and when he catches a poacher, he supposedly feeds them to a monster."
"Is the Association President a monster?"
"Still not as bad as the rumors about Alice, though."
"Well, that's true."
What is that supposed to mean.
I blinked and looked between the two of them. Pina's face had brightened, and she tossed out a joke.
"These days they say she climbs onto a monster's head and steers it, too."
And just like that, I became a dark sorceress who controlled monsters. They were talking complete nonsense. Hunters really did love to exaggerate.
My condition improved quickly. After a week, there was still a faint tingling, but it no longer got in the way of moving around. At last, I was free of that wretched field cot!
I stood in front of the tent and stretched hard. My whole body cracked and popped in protest. After so long without moving, everything had gone stiff. I wanted nothing more than to hunt down a monster and work out the kinks, but the doctor had told me to take a proper rest after running myself ragged without a break — so I decided to listen.
But a me who wasn't hunting… wasn't me at all. A crushing sense of powerlessness settled over me.
I was pacing in front of the tent when I felt someone approaching from the side.
"…What, you're all better?"
"Guido."
"Yeah."
It was Guido. His visor was down, so I couldn't see his face. He was carrying a box in his hands — looked like he'd come to restock the medical tent. After setting the box down, he rolled his neck and came over to me.
"Feeling better now?"
"They told me to rest for a while."
"You look pretty unhappy about it."
"I want to kill monsters."
"If the doctor says rest, then rest a little…"
Guido said it like he couldn't understand me at all. Then he let out a small "ah" of realization.
"Right. You still need to collect your share of the subjugation materials."
"…Materials?"
"Yeah."
He crossed his arms and tapped his own forearm with a finger.
"I set some aside for you. You did the most work, after all."
Was this his way of repaying me from last time? I'd been needing Disastro materials anyway, so this was perfect. I smiled and nodded.
"Thanks."
"…You don't have to thank me that much."
Guido scratched the back of his helmet with a gauntleted hand, then spun around.
"Follow me."
He strode off with a slightly awkward gait. Watching him get flustered over a simple thank-you was pretty funny.
The place Guido led me to was where the prince — Melchior — was. Melchior was in the outpost supply warehouse, sorting materials once again.
"Your Highness, it's me."
"Ah, yes. That voice would be Sir Guido…"
Melchior turned his head, saw me, and his eyes went wide.
"Oh, you're already back on your feet."
Instead of answering, I raised a finger and flashed a V-sign.
"Good, I'm glad. And if Sir Guido brought you, I assume it's about the materials."
"Yeah."
"Then I'll take my leave…"
"Of course, Sir Guido. As always, thank you for your hard work."
"Not at all. Please take care. …You too — be careful on your way."
Guido said the last part quietly to me before leaving. Melchior watched his retreating back and spoke.
"Sir Guido will be heading out soon to explore the wasteland."
"Is that so?"
"He said the fight against Disastro was a valuable experience. He wants to fight more monsters. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a hunter."
A good attitude. He really did have the makings of a novice hunter.
Melchior gave a short laugh and looked away from Guido.
"Well then, wait just a moment."
He ordered a soldier to bring over a box.
"I've set aside Disastro's materials specifically for you. Go ahead and open it."
Inside the box were several pieces of Disastro's dried carapace and protruding teeth. Even at a glance, they looked sturdy — excellent materials. The lack of an Essence was a bit of a shame, though.
Melchior seemed to read my mind and spoke.
"Unfortunately, the Essence appears to have been completely shattered by the Dragon Bane."
Well, there was nothing to be done about that. I'd just have to be satisfied with the materials alone. Materials from a top-tier monster could reasonably be considered endgame-spec. Armor and weapons varied in efficiency depending on attributes and matchups, but materials of this grade came with solid all-around versatility.
I closed the box again. Melchior went on, saying that wasn't all.
"I'll also be giving you a separate reward. Under my own name."
"You don't have to go that far."
"Please don't refuse. I do have my pride to consider."
"Then just give me something reasonable."
Maybe I'll buy Pina something good to eat. I shrugged and answered casually. Melchior watched my indifferent reaction and crossed his arms.
"You really don't have much greed, do you. Gold and jewels would more than suffice."
"Even if I had them… they wouldn't mean much."
"True. For a hunter, materials are more important…"
He was finally starting to understand hunters a little. I nodded at his words.
Melchior glanced around the warehouse, then asked quietly,
"Are you planning to leave now?"
"I should."
First I'd meet the Association President, then head to another region. At that, Melchior let a note of regret show.
"I'd wanted to entrust the wasteland investigation to you. A real shame."
"There are other excellent hunters. It'll be fine."
"That may be so, but in my eyes, there's no hunter who compares to you."
Melchior gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Funny — I seem to be turning into my little sister."
"Adelaide… it's been a while since I've seen her."
"You'll see her soon enough."
There was something loaded in Melchior's words.
"Well, you'll figure those things out in time. I'm sure word of you will reach us from other places as well. I hope you achieve great things, hunter."
"…Yeah."
I nodded. He'd already prepared a cart for me, he said — I could leave whenever I wanted. I offered him a quiet, inward thanks for the consideration. Melchior was a good prince.
Something occurred to me just as I was about to leave the warehouse, and I called out to him.
"…Ah, Melchior."
"What is it?"
I looked into his eyes as he stared blankly back at me — then shook my head.
"Never mind. It's nothing."
"How anticlimactic."
That I'd come from the future. I'd wanted to tell him that truth… but Melchior, who had been dragged to this land against his will, had somewhere along the way started to find genuine enjoyment in exploring the wasteland. Better to leave that particular pleasure for another day.
I left the warehouse in silence.