What Do Soldiers Think of Hunters?
What did the soldiers think of hunters?
The truth was, soldiers didn't care one bit how hunters were treated. Hunters were people of the outer districts; soldiers were people of the inner districts who had volunteered for military service. Their ways of thinking were different, and so they understood each other poorly.
Simply telling them to leave the work to hunters was asking too much. They barely knew each other. In a place this deadly, could they really trust one another? They couldn't even stand back-to-back.
The two groups knew almost nothing about each other — hollow knowledge, empty of substance. Ask a soldier what a hunter did for a living, and he'd shrug and say they hunted monsters and butchered the carcasses. Ask a hunter about soldiers, and he'd fire back that he knew nothing about an army that never seemed to do anything useful.
Adelaide stood between them.
As a princess of this kingdom, the weight of her responsibility was crushing. The road ahead stretched impossibly far. This crisis was a trial — a test of whether she herself was fit to become king.
Three hunters had already died. That couldn't be undone. But their example had become a valuable lesson in how to survive on this plateau, hadn't it?
Even if what's already passed can't be helped, what comes next can still be done well.
Adelaide repeated the words to herself.
Ten-captains commanding squads of ten, five Royal Knights, and the soldiers gathered beneath them. At their head stood General Gero, rigid and unmoving.
Adelaide took her place before them, lifted her chin, and scanned their faces. Their complexions were all pale and drawn — so the plateau was grinding them down just as hard. She gave a quiet nod, then loosened her tongue.
"You've all worked hard. I am Principessa Adelaide Giovanna de Brillante Cartadia…"
Good. My tongue didn't trip.
Adelaide clenched a fist inside her heart.
"Princess of this kingdom. Well met."
Clap, clap, clap—
General Gero was the first to applaud. Even if he was no ally of the princess, he knew how to separate public duty from private feeling. This wasn't for her sake — it was a judgment that elevated the dignity of the royal house. Belatedly, the knights and soldiers joined in, gloves striking gloves in a scattered rhythm.
When the applause faded, Adelaide spoke again.
"I've heard the reports. They say our kingdom's soldiers have been accomplishing great things in the hunters' place. I am proud of you as well."
She offered a gentle smile. The beautiful, noble smile of a princess — and her praise — melted the soldiers' hearts with warmth.
"For my part, I hope you won't push yourselves too hard. No one is glad to be in this land, and of course your lives are precious."
Adelaide saw straight through them. Even if they lived on the crown's pay, this work didn't add up. Risking their lives fighting monsters they'd never faced before? Of course they didn't want that. Resentment sat in a corner of every heart.
"In my view — what if we tried trusting the hunters, just once?"
"The hunters…?"
"Hmm…"
But trusting hunters was another matter entirely. Three of them had frozen to death in this weather before they'd even fought a single monster. That was what happened when you scattered instead of sticking together. Better the soldiers step up themselves than leave more holes in their numbers.
Adelaide clapped her hands sharply, drawing the murmuring crowd's attention.
"I know the hunters died. That is a tragedy. But it is not something for which the hunters should be blamed. Theirs was a noble sacrifice that taught us how we must endure in this land."
She continued.
"What's past is past — it can't be helped. But if we take the past to heart, we can handle what comes next. The hunters are the same. As you all know, skilled hunters are sitting idle right now. The ones gathered here are people with a proven gift for bringing down great enemies and exploring unknown lands."
Whoooosh—
A fierce wind howled past. Adelaide swept her whipping hair behind her and spoke with a voice thick with passion.
"Who carved the safe path we followed to reach this plateau? The hunters. If you cannot trust them yet, then why not look on them with a little more generosity? It pains me to see their talents wasted on the wrong work."
"Your Highness."
General Gero stepped forward. Adelaide nodded toward the general who had called her name.
"Yes, General Gero. What is it?"
"A hunter's talents may look useful, but in practice they are nothing of the sort. What this land needs is our soldiers' tactics and unity. Hunters have neither — which is precisely why three of their comrades died without the others even realizing it."
"So what is the general's opinion? That I am wrong — is that what you're saying?"
Adelaide shrugged. Gero shook his head under her cold, appraising stare.
"No. But the results my soldiers and I have witnessed say otherwise."
So don't just talk — show us, is that it?
Adelaide almost laughed. He was trying to be clever, but from her perspective it was almost funny.
"Then put them to the test."
"A test, Your Highness?"
"Whether they are actually useful or not."
Gero blinked at the princess's confident words, then nodded. So she's putting her faith in that Master Hunter woman. But this plateau was not so forgiving. Moving was hard enough in the snow — push yourself too hard for too long and your head would spin until you collapsed. Let your guard down even a little and you were finished. How was a Master Hunter who'd only just arrived supposed to handle that?
Gero nodded.
"Understood. Then may I proceed as I see fit?"
"Yes. So long as it isn't grossly unfair."
Adelaide decided to concede that much. Gero smiled faintly.
"Understood."
He turned his back and faced the soldiers. His eyes held not a shred of warmth.
"All of you, listen up."
Every soldier's gaze locked onto Gero.
"Her Highness still does not trust us!"
That's how you're spinning this?
Adelaide furrowed one brow and stared at the back of Gero's head.
"Therefore, we will compete — hunters against the Royal Army — to see who can hunt a monster and return safely first. Among the ten-captains, is there anyone confident their unit can win?"
At Gero's question, someone thrust a hand high into the air.
Evan — the Royal Knight who had once been beaten by Alice in a tavern. He'd done it under the pretense of a "test" that time, too.
Evan opened his mouth.
"I'll do it!"
"You've worked hard these past days, so I trust you'll perform well. Don't smear the Royal Army's face."
"Yes, sir!"
Adelaide looked at Evan, pressed a hand to her forehead, and sighed.
Ugh. That idiot, seriously.
He'd been so stiff-necked about hunters being no match for him, gotten thoroughly wrecked for it, and now his body was itching for another thrashing. If they lost, she could already picture Gero making their lives miserable.
For a moment she wondered if this was her fault — then she shook her head hard. She couldn't afford weak thoughts like that. Right now she needed to look at the situation with a clear head.
"Very well. Then what about the timing?"
"How about tomorrow?"
"…Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
Those two haven't even adapted yet.
Adelaide exhaled. White breath scattered and drifted away. Gero had no intention of giving them time. He was going to exploit the fact that they hadn't even surveyed the area yet.
"We never know when those monsters might appear, and time is short. If we're going to decide, I believe we should decide quickly."
Unfortunately, Gero was right. Adelaide had no choice but to nod.
"Fine."
Now all she could do was trust.
The mess hall was quiet — no one else was eating. We seemed to be the first ones there.
I scooped up a full spoonful of soup. Steam rose from it in lazy curls. I'd expected the food here to be cold, but thanks to careful temperature control with Thermal Powder, it was a cream soup warm all the way through.
Pina took a bite first, then her eyes went wide with delight.
"This is really good!"
That gentle heat in the middle of a snowfield made my whole body go soft and drowsy. Peto propped his elbows on the table, rested his chin in his hands, and smiled faintly.
"The food here's decent. It's so cold that preservation is easy, and they put in a lot of seasoning."
I sipped the soup. It was good enough that the two of them calling it delicious made sense. The sweetness lingering on my tongue and the savory depth drew a small sound of appreciation from me, too.
Then Pina held out a scrap of bread toward me.
"Try this too."
I already have some on my tray.
Still, I didn't refuse. I was that hungry. I opened my mouth and bit into the piece of bread Pina was holding. Chewing slowly, I felt the soft grain of it.
"How is it?"
"It's good."
"Really?"
Pina beamed as if just watching me eat was enough to make her happy. Having a friend who thought of me enough to share her own bread — that genuinely made me glad.
Peto spoke up, looking at the two of us.
"Eating well is fine, but if you don't hurry it'll go cold fast."
Pina answered with a chill practically radiating off her.
"Don't worry about it."
"Ah — yeah, sorry…"
Peto immediately tucked his tail and lowered his head.
Why so scary?
I tore the bread into small pieces, dropped them into the soup with little plops, then speared a soaked chunk with my fork and took a bite. Yeah — soft and thick like this was the best way.
I was savoring the taste when Peto suddenly spoke to me.
"Still, I'm glad you came."
"…Mm. Why me?"
Peto looked at me with expectant eyes.
"I mean, you're a Master Hunter. That just feels reliable."
Being on the receiving end of someone's expectations wasn't exactly pleasant. It made my shoulders feel heavier. I wasn't the kind of person who could fulfill what other people needed from me. I didn't have that kind of capacity. I was busy enough just doing the things I wanted and aiming for my own goals. The fame and expectations that came with it were secondary — incidental.
"…Don't expect that much. A Master Hunter is still just a person."
"But you did take down Disastro."
Peto tore at his bread with his fingers as he spoke.
"Your achievements prove who you are. So I'm just deciding to believe in you."
Someone's faith was such a reckless thing. Sometimes that faith left its mark even in places where I wasn't present.
Bang—
The door flew open hard. The one who strode in roughly was Adelaide. Her face was quite agitated — but the moment she spotted me, her expression lit up.
"So this is where you were, Alice."
Peto turned his head, glanced at Adelaide, and muttered under his breath.
"Never seen her before. Is she a hunter who came with you guys?"
Pina whispered to him.
"That's the princess. The princess—"
"…W-wh-what? Wait, the princess?"
Peto was so thoroughly rattled that his mouth flapped open and shut as he stared at Adelaide. She paid him no attention at all and came straight to me.
"Something's come up. You have to go hunting tomorrow."
"…Tomorrow?"
What? What is she talking about?
I'd planned to adapt while resting. Instead, it looked like I was going to adapt by slamming into monsters.