Three Remain
Three left now.
Hunter Association President Vincenzo thought as he hoisted a heavy stone.
A report had come up from Lacrima. The good news was that Neveumano, the Supreme-grade monster that had appeared on the plateau where snow never melted, had fallen to Alice's struggle. And while friction had arisen between Lacrima's hunters and the kingdom's army, General Gero's punishment had simultaneously forged a better relationship between them.
"Tsk. Foolish kid."
As Vincenzo well knew, Gero had aimed for strong military power. So he had tried to grasp the free hunters as a blade in his hand — and gotten badly hurt for it. There had been plenty of other ways. Vincenzo found it a shame.
Just as Angolo had grown peaceful after Disastro's death, Lacrima had found its pure white silence with Neveumano gone. The crises of two of the five regions had vanished, and now only three remained.
Two already might sound hopeful, but looked at another way, more than half still remained. The other three places also harbored unknown but terrifying monsters like Neveumano, so he could not rest easy yet.
Of the three, two had left only traces of predation without ever revealing themselves. The remaining one could be identified by appearance, but they had not even figured out where it was, let alone catch it.
And it was not only those that hunters had to watch out for.
With unidentified monsters appearing everywhere, hunters were living their busiest days. All of this was because of the Crossing Dragon.
"Miteraos..."
Vincenzo recalled the name. He had learned many things rising to this position, but he had never heard of a being called Miteraos. And a being from the future even less so.
Everything about Alice had been pure nonsense, but given they were in the middle of time-warping Anomalies, he had no choice but to believe it. And if she truly was a hunter from the future, everything made sense.
She had appeared suddenly around when the Anomalies first began, rewriting the records of hunter society like a comet. A new light — and further, a slaughterer who killed monsters. And that unyielding will that had felled a Supreme-grade monster alone. Not a feat a rookie of less than a year could achieve.
As Vincenzo thought, Alice was truly a blade tempered to kill monsters. Not some random nobody — a seasoned hunter you could recognize the moment you met her.
A monster that sent such a future hunter back to the past. A truly absurd, nonsensical story. Acting as if a mere monster had become the "god" of the world.
Vincenzo's eyes went wide for a moment, and he thought again.
...God?
Vincenzo set the stone down. Thud. His muscles writhed as if alive. The pain of muscle from exercise was pleasure. But there was no time to marvel at that.
Vincenzo muttered to himself. It was a word filled with awe.
"It's a god."
The ancestors had called them gods.
Because the people from the Hunter Association had moved my luggage for me, I had nothing to do but stand there with Pina and watch. Fortunately, nothing went missing, and everything made it safely back to the lodging.
It was not that I doubted them. Just... people always had to be careful, right? People were scarier than monsters. That kind of thing.
Pina peeled off her thick clothes with a weary expression and flung herself onto the bed.
"Hyaa~, it's so warm."
As Pina said, the lodging was filled with hot air. Some kind of heating must have been running; the place was warmer than I expected. Unknown technology, I figured. I did not particularly want to know.
A life that did not need Thermal Powder — it had been a while.
I looked over my weapons once and confirmed nothing was wrong. Fortunately, they did not seem to need any special maintenance. But it was still too early to lie down and rest.
"I'm heading out for a bit, then."
"Where are you going?"
"Gonna stop by the branch manager. You rest."
I said that, closed the door, and stepped out.
This fight had left me more drained, body and mind, than even Disastro last time. I wanted to wrap things up quickly, but it seemed my body needed charging time like a battery too.
I walked the streets of Antico for the first time in a while. This neighborhood really did have pretty streets. Midwinter Antico was decorated with delicate snowflakes. The countless trees that symbolized Antico stood bare now, dressed in snow, but when winter's end came they would ride lush leaves again and bloom with life.
Everything had been only a month. Stepping on Antico's ground, entering the Association, seeing the faces of the people here.
I arrived simply, bare-bodied without a single weapon. My outfit was different from the armored hunters, so eyes were drawn to me. Or maybe I was just getting attention because I was me. The whispering as people looked at me was a little embarrassing. At times like this, you just had to think differently.
The one who monopolized others' attention — that was me.
After a brief spell of self-absorption, I stood in the Association counter line and crossed my arms. It was not as if I could use a phone while waiting, so I just blanked out in that state.
"...Excuse me."
Someone spoke to me then. Face and voice both belonged to a man I did not know at all. I looked at him and tilted my head.
"What?"
"Are you by any chance Hunter Alice?"
The man asked, tension pouring off him. I quietly nodded.
At my answer, the man let out a small "Whoa" of admiration.
"I was really grateful when the monsters attacked. You didn't exactly save me specifically, but it was that dangerous. I was right nearby at the time. If you hadn't been there, Alice, there definitely would have been more damage."
The man said it with a small smile.
"I should have thanked you then... I'm only saying it now."
I hid my flustered feelings and rubbed my mouth. Receiving this kind of face-burning gratitude from someone was something I still could not get used to. It had been my job anyway, but if I had saved someone along the way, good was good.
No matter how uncomfortable it was, it was still far better than being hated.
The man thanked me, said goodbye, and left his place. I thought that was the end of it, but he was not the only one who took an interest and approached me. Of course, they were not trying to convey thanks from back then — it was because of the position of Master Hunter.
I finally understood the feeling Fiore had experienced on the street.
"You're a Master Hunter, right?"
"Could I get a handshake...? I'll take some of that hunting luck with me."
"Please give me an autograph!"
It was, quite literally, an endless stream of handshake requests. I had never even boldly introduced myself as a Master Hunter, and yet this was too much.
Caught in the commotion, I could not collect myself and only blinked.
"Whoa, the Slaughterer! The greatest hunter in history — even monsters run from her!"
Who the hell just said that.
Just as I was about to find the bastard who had said something I could not tolerate, my eyes met Selene the receptionist's through the crowd. Selene waved her arms and held people back.
"Everyone, step back~!"
Thanks to Selene stepping in to mediate, the crowd thinned. Seizing the gap, Selene reached out and took my arm. I was pulled free of the spot as if being dragged. The hunters turned away with looks of unfinished business.
"Whew.... I thought I was going to suffocate."
Selene pulled me out from among the people and let out a sigh of relief.
Then she smiled brightly and greeted me.
"Alice, it's been so long. Even when I do see you, it's only for a moment."
Come to think of it, I had not had any reason to take commissions at the Antico Association counter lately, so seeing Selene's face had become sparse as well. Most of the time she was just the middle bridge I passed through to see the branch manager.
"Good to see you. I've been busy lately too..."
"I'm Association staff, so I know. That you've been running around busy these days."
For a receptionist, that much is basic, Selene added.
Just how high was a receptionist's position in the Association, anyway? Given that they managed most commissions and rewards, it did not seem like an easy post. They would know a lot of secret stories too, then.
"I've heard the stories about you, Alice."
"Yeah?"
As expected.
Selene knew my identity. So it was truly impossible to hide anymore, was it.
"I always thought that if it was you, Alice, you would never be ordinary. But you went way beyond my expectations."
"What did you think?"
"Hmm. A secret weapon of the kingdom's army for killing monsters? You did have a little contact with the kingdom's army. So..."
That actually sounded pretty plausible.
"Sounds about right."
Unable to deny it, I nodded and accepted Selene's words.
"So what brings you today? A commission the moment you get back?"
"No, I'm not taking any separate commission today... I just came to see the branch manager."
"The branch manager?"
"Figured I'd make a report."
Selene nodded.
"Understood. Then I'll guide you right away."
"Don't you have counter work?"
"There's a lot of people today..."
Ah. So even Selene sometimes wanted to slack off a little.
I said nothing and only nodded. You had to understand that kind of thing.