Old Comrades
Someone wished time would slow down.
Someone else wished this whole affair would just end already.
Everyone's thoughts were different, but time flowed on, indifferent — neither particularly fast nor particularly slow. And so the hour of the decisive battle drew near.
Ballista bolts crafted by the artisans, sandstorm goggles, and carapace masks arrived at Angolo Outpost. They came at different times, but one by one they gathered, gradually filling the warehouse until the target quantity was reached. The royal army brought the ballistae themselves for launching the bolts. There was nothing they wouldn't do to strengthen Angolo's forces.
And then, the idols of countless hunters — the heroes of the frontier. The Master Hunters joined the fight.
"We've arrived."
Not every Master Hunter had gathered, though. Everyone was busy with their own work, so only two Master Hunters had the free time to come here.
The older of the two was named Oflo — a middle-aged man with black hair slicked all the way back, distinguished by a scar that ran across the bridge of his nose and over his cheekbone. Oflo could handle a great many weapons, and people called him the Weapon Master, though he never called himself that. The title of Weapon Master was more than he deserved, Oflo thought.
Behind Oflo, another hunter disembarked. He had brown hair and a fresh, cheerful smile — which immediately twisted as he covered his face with his hands.
"Geh— the sandstorm hits the moment I get off."
"Quit your bitching."
Oflo scratched the corner of his mouth as he climbed down from the cart. The Master Hunter who followed was named Kyle — a young Master Hunter of the same age as Fiore. Which meant his manner and speech were a bit on the light side.
Fiore is so mature, though…
Oflo glanced at Kyle, sighed, and spoke.
"I hear there's a formidable newcomer here."
Kyle, still rubbing his eyes, asked, "Who?"
"The hunter Fiore met."
"Ah… the one you really wanted to meet, Uncle? Alice, was it?"
"That's right."
The new light of Antico. The extraordinary newcomer who had taken down the ancient Alberoelva that appeared in Antico. According to Fiore, that hunter could handle multiple weapons. As someone people called the Weapon Master, Oflo was naturally curious about her identity and skill.
Kyle stretched with a long yawn and said, "I heard she rips off a monster's limbs and then eats them."
Oflo stared at Kyle as if he were absurd.
"What kind of monster is that?"
"I don't know either."
Kyle shuddered.
"Just hearing about it is terrifying."
"Fiore said she was a woman about her own age."
"Maybe she gets bigger when she's angry?"
"What nonsense are you spouting."
Oflo waved him off.
"Enough. Let's go see the prince."
"Yes, sir."
Kyle answered crisply and followed behind Oflo. Oflo walked ahead, observing his surroundings. The atmosphere was anything but ordinary. Facing a supreme-grade monster was surely a desperate, grueling ordeal — and yet not a single person was trembling. Everyone was sharp as a blade. Had they all steeled their resolve? He found himself newly impressed by the prince who led this place.
Soon the two found the prince.
"Hmm…"
Prince Melchior was diligently laying out supplies and checking the counts. Oflo approached him and bowed his head slightly in greeting.
"It is an honor to meet Your Highness."
"Ah, you are…"
Melchior blinked and nodded.
"Well met, Sir Oflo."
"Yes, Your Highness. It's been a long time."
If there was a reason Oflo was revered as the Weapon Master, it was because he had established the fundamental weapon techniques that had spread among hunters. A figure of such influence — Melchior had met him before. Back then, he had regarded hunters as little more than butchers, and wondered what was so special about this man. But looking at him now, it was different.
Melchior looked at Oflo and realized his younger self had been wrong. Oflo's presence was like a single, honed blade.
Oflo's thoughts had changed as well.
"I came here on the Association's orders. Is it true that the Starving Earth Dragon has appeared?"
At Oflo's question, the prince nodded.
"It is. We need the strength of you hunters."
Hearing Melchior speak, one could truly feel how much he had changed. Oflo glanced at the prince. His air has become similar to the princess's. He's started valuing hunters highly.
While he was thinking that, Kyle chattered from behind.
"Whoa, Oflo. We're really gonna die, aren't we?"
"…Die? What are you talking about."
Kyle made a fuss.
"It's the Starving Earth Dragon! Oflo, are you in your right mind? If we mess with it carelessly, who knows what happens to us!"
"So, are you afraid?"
"I'm thrilled…! If I could, I'd go fight it right now!"
Crazy bastard.
Oflo shook his head. Melchior also looked at Kyle with a troubled expression.
"You must be… Sir Kyle. I heard you were coming to support us."
"Ah, yes. Your Highness, it's an honor to meet you."
"The day of the decisive battle is not yet upon us. There's still much to do."
Melchior explained calmly, as if soothing Kyle.
"We need to move the ballistae to the planned battle site and install the cannons as well. And… we also have to transport a massive weapon that wasn't in the original plan."
"I see."
Kyle shrugged it off, as if he hadn't been entirely serious.
"But what's this massive weapon?"
"A craftsman's masterpiece, I'm told. Honestly, I've never seen a barrel so enormous."
Was there such a weapon? Kyle tilted his head. But the only monster-hunting weapons in Kyle's mind were catapults, ballistae, and cannons.
"I'm a little curious."
"Would you like to see it?"
"Let's do that."
Oflo had been curious as well. Melchior nodded at their answers, then called for his scribe Biopia and had her take over the supply inventory in his place.
"I'll be back shortly."
"Your Highness is a demon. A demon."
"Then I'll go look around elsewhere as well."
"Oh, Your Highness, please take your time and enjoy yourself!"
Melchior patted Biopia on the shoulder. Biopia smiled sweetly — then once Melchior passed, she ground her teeth behind his back. Seeing Biopia's face, Kyle shuddered.
"Your Highness, I think you've made a formidable enemy."
"It's fine. She's an ally."
"Is she really?"
"She will be."
Melchior spoke without much conviction. After all, she was bound to snitch to the palace chef that he'd been eating sweets at any moment. But that was then, and this was now.
"Besides, I was getting tired of inventory checks."
"You're ruthless."
"Come, let's go see it. Well, you can see it without going far."
As Melchior said, after just a short walk, the massive weapon came into view. Comparing it to a ballista or a cannon was laughable.
"Whoa…"
Kyle gazed at it in awe. A large-caliber siege gun whose bore easily exceeded a meter even at a glance. The muzzle was carved into the head of a furious dragon — clearly the work of a master craftsman.
"Wait."
Oflo was startled for a different reason. Because the old man standing in front of that great gun looked awfully familiar.
"…Matillo?"
Oflo hurried toward him. Melchior and Kyle tilted their heads watching Oflo. Oflo, who had run ahead, looked at Matillo servicing the great gun and let out a hollow laugh.
"Heh… heh heh. Look at this old man."
Matillo wiped the sweat from his brow, then spun around in shock at the awkward yet familiar voice by his ear.
"……Oh. Hey. You."
"No — old man. What— I mean, weren't you dead?"
It was too absurd a reunion. Oflo looked at Matillo, his mouth stumbling over words that wouldn't come out properly.
"I thought you died in Crete."
"…Kid. I'm not dead yet. I'm alive and kicking."
"You look like you could drop dead any day now."
Matillo bristled at Oflo's rough tongue.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Your mouth's still as foul as ever."
"You're the one who's not right in the head, getting this old."
Oflo shook his head at Matillo's words.
"You're the one who's not right in the head, old man. What the hell is this thing, and what happened to you? No — why did the rumor that you were dead even spread?"
Matillo said quietly, "…I asked the Association President for that. To process me as deceased. I'm a craftsman now."
Oflo looked at Matillo with a gloomy expression. Matillo scratched at his hair, which had faded to white, and added,
"The Master Hunter died in Crete. What kind of Master Hunter can't even protect his own city?"
"Old man, that was too sudden a calamity. Even I couldn't have stopped it."
"It was a calamity we failed to foresee."
"Then what the hell is this monstrous cannon? What, are you after revenge?"
"A weapon to reclaim Crete."
"Are you serious? That Corasius has lived for ages — it's practically on par with a supreme-grade. And Crete is already dead land. There's nothing left."
Matillo shook his head.
"If I don't at least do this… what else can I do?"
What was so special about that dead land, anyway. Matillo found himself ridiculous for clinging to it. But he truly wanted to reclaim that land. It was the only atonement he could make. This was a test — to see whether all the struggling he'd done so far had any effect.
At Matillo's words, the two fell into a brief silence. That silence was broken by Kyle and Melchior. Kyle asked Oflo,
"I was wondering why you ran off so fast. You know each other?"
"…Yes. A former Master Hunter."
"Whoa, for real? Who is he? If he's retired, then that would be…"
"Enough, Kyle. Don't say any more."
"Ah… yes, sir."
Kyle had enough sense to shut his mouth at the delicate atmosphere flowing between Oflo and Matillo. Melchior, stuck in the middle, blinked. So he wasn't a craftsman but a former Master Hunter. He'd only just learned this, but Melchior showed nothing and merely cleared his throat a couple of times.
"Ahem. Well then — I'd like you to explain this weapon to them."
"Yes, of course."
Matillo answered politely and gazed quietly at the great gun.
"This is called Dragon Bane."
"Cool name! How did you get it all the way here?"
"…I borrowed Association-raised monsters for transport."
"Ooh…"
Kyle stared at the great gun with sparkling, almost burdensome eyes. Matillo glanced at him and continued.
"…Anyway, think of this as a giant harpoon that impales monsters. Its original purpose is to pierce the wings of flying monsters and bring them down to the ground… but I have no idea how it'll work on Disastro, which lives on the ground to begin with. That's all."
"A penetrating weapon is bound to be effective. I have faith in your skill, Sir Matillo. A weapon this massive could never be ordinary."
"Yes. Let's give it a try."
Matillo nodded. Melchior looked at Kyle and Oflo with a satisfied expression.
"Well, is that enough?"
"…Yes. More than enough."
Given that Matillo had staked everything on making it, it was surely a vicious weapon against monsters. Oflo nodded. Then something occurred to him, and he asked the prince.
"Your Highness. I heard there's a hunter named Alice here. Where is she?"
"Ah, that hunter. Sir Oflo, you know of her as well? She's quite the famous woman."
Kyle added from the side, "I heard she crushes monsters with her grip strength."
"…There's no such monster here."
Matillo's ears perked up as well. Why is that guy looking for Alice? When Alice's name came from Oflo's mouth, Matillo eyed him with suspicion. Meanwhile, Melchior and Oflo continued talking.
"They say she has the makings of a Master Hunter, so I wanted to see her for myself."
"If it's Alice, she should be scouting the battle site for this subjugation right now."
"Is that so? A shame."
Oflo shrugged. Just then, far across the wasteland, someone could be seen walking toward them. Seeing that, Melchior let out an "Ah."
"…Speak of the devil. The most important task is done."
Alice's white hair fluttered in the wind. Below it, armor reinforced with monster carapace clanked with each step. Beside her was Pina, carrying a pack. Seeing them, Oflo nodded. He could tell the nature of their relationship at a glance. She travels with a supporter. If you handle multiple weapons and go on long hunts, bringing a supporter is advantageous.
Oflo asked the prince, "Is that armored hunter Alice?"
"Yes."
Alice and Pina spotted them from a distance and walked over slowly. Everyone waited quietly where they stood for Alice to arrive. Finally arriving, Alice looked around at them and blinked. Pina quietly asked Alice right away,
"Those two… do you know who they are?"
Alice was flustered. She already knew Matillo was here — she'd heard as much. What threw Alice off were Oflo and Kyle. Two strangers kept sending her intense stares.
What is this. Who are these people. What do they want from me.
Alice wished someone would explain the situation.