My Hunter
Adelaide converted her own treasures into cash and paid us our commission in gold.
"Surely this is better than handing you a bunch of cumbersome trinkets."
She was a flexible woman in that regard.
True to her status as a princess, she was generous with her hand — the reward was truly substantial.
Gold coins clinked heavily inside a thick pouch. At the sound, Pina's eyes lit up.
"As expected of a princess!"
"I get the feeling it's the money you like, not me."
"I like both!"
"Hah. That honesty is refreshing. I far prefer this to the scheming types who smile to your face."
"Aww~"
Adelaide stretched and squished Pina's cheeks.
Watching Pina's face press and spring back like a soft rice cake, it really did look soft.
Then she looked at me and spoke.
"You two should devote yourselves to preparing for the anomaly investigation now."
"...I know that without you telling me."
"Indeed. With a hunter like you on the job, the investigation should make real progress. It all happened so suddenly that even the Masters are floundering, unable to find any leads. We need to settle this before people start panicking."
Adelaide continued.
"Truth be told, I feel rather guilty toward the hunters in many ways. Leaving so much to you all because I can't be of greater help myself. Even when you went after Kespilatos, I was worried in more ways than one — that some accident might befall you."
For all her quirks, she was a fine princess.
Her decision to name me hadn't been some twisted hobby — it had been for the country and its people.
The Adelaide in the game had been the same.
Mischievous and full of tricks, but when it came to commissions or her kingdom, she often showed a serious side.
It must have wounded her pride as a princess to ask favors of a mere commoner hunter. Yet she was a woman who prioritized the best method over her own status or pride.
I shook my head at her words.
"Adelaide, you're my client."
Adelaide's hands, still kneading Pina's cheeks, went still.
"If a client doesn't trust their hunter, who will?"
I was a hunter.
Hunters made their living by taking commissions.
And between hunter and client, trust was the foundation of everything.
A hunter always delivers the best possible results to their client, and the client trusts that hunter and prepares a fair reward. Those were the virtues each owed the other.
"So don't worry."
"...Yes. That's right. This is the side of hunters I've always liked."
Adelaide smiled.
"Believing and waiting is far more admirable than fretting."
She nodded as if she understood.
"Then I shall believe and wait for the anomalies to be resolved. If any other problems arise in the meantime, I'll call on you again — my hunter."
My hunter.
That was the name Adelaide had used for the player in the game.
I smiled faintly at the words.
"Alright."
"And try not to run into my brother on the way out. You'll probably get an earful."
"...Thanks."
The princess's advice was genuinely helpful.
Pina and I managed to slip out of the palace without running into Melchior.
I had no desire to face the prince whose plans I'd derailed. For all I knew, he'd take a swing at me.
As Adelaide and I had discussed, I needed to join the anomaly investigation as soon as possible.
I had to keep raising my rank no matter what. Rank was just as important here as it had been in the game.
I needed to raise my rank and show how much experience I'd accumulated.
If I spent all day grinding rank in a game, people would call me a no-lifer — but here, it would earn me praise as the greatest hunter.
I'd grown numb to the admiring stares of those who looked up to me. In many ways, I'd gotten used to this life.
I'd gotten used to my body, too. I'd noticed it last time when I bathed with Pina — being a woman no longer felt all that strange.
No — gender had never really mattered in the first place.
A long time had passed.
In the confusion of becoming a woman from a man, I'd driven myself without rest, pushing my body hard, and everything had become familiar.
This body was healthier and more full of energy than my previous one. How could that be anything but good?
And whether I was a man or a woman, the fact that I was a hunter never changed.
We returned to Antico.
The dense, towering forest felt familiar after so long. After just one commission trip to the capital, the trees that had only been shedding a few leaves now had their crowns entirely dyed red.
The forest was fully in the grip of autumn.
In my mind, the summer landscape of the forest was still vivid.
The occasional torrential rains. The ever-green canopy. The muggy air.
Everything had bid farewell and finally yielded its place to autumn.
The heat that had built up through summer had been washed completely away, and the forest now held a cool breeze.
Leaves drifted down on the wind, and the shade beneath the trees grew steadily thinner.
The passage of time was a truly joyful thing.
It reminded me once again that this place was not a game.
Arriving in Antico, we unpacked at the inn and immediately went our separate ways.
We shared the same lodging, but Pina had family, so she went to see them.
That left me alone at the inn. I lay still on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
A room with no sound at all. I was trapped in this silence.
Not a single person here. Only the faint sounds of the world drifting in from outside. At times like these, I felt a kind of powerlessness.
People are strange creatures. Sitting still is clearly comfortable — and yet somehow it becomes irritating.
I got up. There was nothing urgent, but having something to do meant I needed to move. Rest really didn't suit me, did it?
I pulled materials from my bag.
Materials taken from the Broken-Horn Kespilatos. And its Essence.
The Essence was only Low-grade monster level, but the hide and horn were extremely precious. Flesh transformed by the power of Essence far exceeded that of an ordinary Low-grade monster.
Carefully gathering the items, I went to find Matillo.
Loaded down with bundles, I drew a great many stares as I walked. I strode on undeterred and found Matillo's workshop.
"...Oh. Brat."
Matillo, whom I hadn't seen in a while, still called me brat.
At this point, I'm not really a brat anymore, am I?
Matillo was hammering iron with thick gloves on. Judging by the lack of any defined shape, he seemed to just be honing his feel for the metal.
"It's been a while. Did you finish the princess's commission successfully?"
"Of course I did."
"Haha. Figured as much."
I set the items from my arms down on the workbench without ceremony.
"...Those."
Matillo's brow furrowed slightly as he stopped working.
"Looks like Kespilatos... but a bit different. Where'd you get these?"
"The princess's commission."
"Elder Species, then."
Matillo recognized it immediately. Then his expression turned troubled.
"True, Elder Species materials are rare. They don't show up easily."
"So..."
"That's the problem. I've never worked with them. I could end up wasting the materials for nothing."
Now I understood his expression.
"...Even so, I trust you, Matillo."
That didn't erase all the years he'd spent honing his craft.
Hadn't Matillo worked tirelessly?
I looked into his eyes. His brown irises looked conflicted.
"If something goes wrong, rare materials go to waste. You fine with that?"
"I don't care."
"Easy to say. You'll regret it, though. These look like fine materials at a glance."
I spoke to him quietly.
"Give it a try."
Matillo fell silent in thought for a moment.
Wasn't a spirit of challenge the thing you loved most, Matillo?
"...Don't come whining to me later that it was a waste."
"As if I would."
"Right. Not with your personality. It's my first time with these materials, so it'll be tough — but I'll give it a shot."
"I'm counting on you."
"So what kind of weapon do you want? With this much, I should be able to make one."
I thought for a moment.
If it was one...
"A greatsword."
"A greatsword?"
"Yeah."
"You really do keep using that heavy thing."
I liked greatswords.
The solid weight, the feel in the hands — nothing else compared.
It wasn't that I disliked other weapons. But as they say, the old ways are the best ways — the greatsword had simply become second nature to me.
"It'll take a few days. I need to work carefully on this one."
Matillo said, running his gloved hand over the horn.
I nodded.
I didn't mind at all if it took a few days to finish.
It was just a means to better hunting — not having it wouldn't stop me from hunting.
"So, what are you planning to do in the meantime?"
"Hunt."
Matillo blinked at me.
"...Don't you ever rest?"
"I just came back from resting."
"..."
"The capital, Ampianura. Both were nice."
I'd gone sightseeing in Sperita and Ampianura, and the different feel from Antico had been really enjoyable.
Matillo must have been there himself, given how long he'd been around.
"I thought I was pretty obsessed with my work, but looking at you... hmm. I guess I'm the normal one."
Matillo muttered and shook his head.
I shrugged and turned around.
Business was done. Now it was time for both Matillo and me to focus on our own work.
When should I come back? Seven days from now should be fine. I'll ask him to open sockets then, too — I have more Essence now.