Our Beloved White Rabbit

All that excessive attention was far too much for an ordinary person like me.

I simply enjoyed challenging myself against the towering wall that was monsters. I knew what honor meant to a hunter, of course, but it had never been particularly important to me personally. I had no hobbies outside of hunting, either, so I didn't even have any real drive for money.

For someone like me — with nothing special about her except knowing how to hunt monsters — other people's admiration and interest felt completely alien. I wasn't killing monsters to leave a good impression on anyone. I just wanted to hunt, day after day.

Then again, maybe I'd brought all of this on myself.

I stepped away from Pina for a while and sat down separately with the Master Hunters. We were using the royal strategy tent — everyone else was busy, so it was empty and free for us to borrow.

"Hi there!"

Master Hunter Kyle. I'd heard the name before, but it was so long ago that the memory was hazy. Kyle greeted me with a bright, sunny smile. The aura of a natural social butterfly rolled off him in waves. I nodded awkwardly.

"Yeah. Hi."

It was an uncomfortable seat. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, so I just sat there and looked at him. He was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a blond man with a refreshingly open air about him, and something uniquely innocent radiated from Kyle. But the faint scars left on his hands and face made it clear he'd lived a life that was anything but easy.

On top of that, Kyle said embarrassing things without the slightest hesitation. I considered myself fairly blunt, but Kyle was an extreme case.

"Hey, you're really pretty. Like a rabbit!"

He was the kind of person with no brakes at all — enough to say that to someone he'd just met. At the same time, he never crossed any further than that. Looking back, what he'd said was probably closer to pure, simple admiration.

"From the rumors, I figured you'd have some kind of muscle-bound goblin form on your back. You know, bulging muscles or something."

"…Kyle."

The one who reined him in was Oflo. Oflo was a stylish, good-looking middle-aged man. He wore his hair slicked back, and somehow still had a narrow forehead despite his age — a man who seemed to defy the usual rules. Had he escaped the curse of hair loss? He seemed like the same type as Matillo. Matillo had enough hair to tie his pure white strands back, too.

Oflo furrowed his brow and fixed Kyle with a disapproving look from eyes that held a faint blue light.

"I've told you every single time. That mouth of yours is the problem."

"What? I was just trying to lighten the mood. She's nervous, see?"

Kyle pouted and grumbled. Oflo glanced at me.

"From where I'm sitting, you look like you're making her uncomfortable."

"Whaaat? Why?"

"Because you keep staring at her."

"I want to get to know her, that's why."

Oflo shook his head. He had the air of a long-suffering babysitter. I looked at him. Unlike Kyle, Oflo was a name I'd heard often.

The Weapon Master. Among Master Hunters, he was someone who, like me, kept a supporter at his side. The reason, as I recalled… was that he couldn't bring himself to trust other hunters. But right now, no supporter was in sight.

"Alice, is it all right if I call you that?"

"Yeah."

Oflo flinched at my short, casual reply.

"You…"

"Yeah? What."

"…Never mind. Hmm. Yes. Skill is what matters, after all."

Oflo seemed thoroughly thrown by my complete lack of deference to my elders. I respected him plenty on the inside, so it was probably fine. I fiddled with the cup sitting on the table. So what exactly did they want to talk about?

Out of nowhere, Oflo tapped the corner of his mouth with a finger and spoke.

"As a new light — do you intend to become a Master Hunter one day?"

At Oflo's question, Kyle's eyes lit up as he looked at me. What? Why was he looking at me like that? I simply nodded.

"I will."

"With your talent, that should be more than enough. People who generate no buzz don't even get rumors. Someone of your caliber should rise to the Master seat before long."

"Then that makes me your senior!"

Kyle grinned. Oflo was the one who shot that down.

"What use is seniority among Master Hunters? You're all equals."

"Come on, Oflo, you helped me out a ton. I can do the same for her."

"You're not ready to help anyone yet."

"Whaaat? What am I missing?"

"Think about it yourself. What exactly are you lacking?"

Oflo shrugged. Kyle scrunched one eyebrow and crossed his arms, apparently taking Oflo's words to heart and actually thinking it over. Then he snapped his fingers and answered.

"Nothing? I think I'm pretty perfect."

"That's exactly it. That flippant attitude is the problem."

"Ahhh~."

Kyle made a show of understanding, but he was clearly letting it go in one ear and out the other. People don't change easily. I snorted a quiet laugh and took a sip of water.

"Because of you, we can't even start the conversation."

"Fine, I'll shut up now."

Oflo sighed and pressed his temple. A middle-aged man getting a stress headache… all I could think was that it was a pity. Letting out another breath, Oflo lowered his hand and addressed me again.

"I've heard you can handle all sorts of weapons."

"…Yeah. Well. That's right."

I nodded slowly. That was what Oflo was curious about. Being called the Weapon Master, he was naturally interested in someone who used multiple weapons.

"You've met Fiore, haven't you?"

"Fiore? Yeah, I have."

"According to Fiore, your skill with a tachi is extraordinary. And even that, she said, isn't your main weapon."

If I had to pick one, the greatsword was probably my primary. It wasn't that I couldn't use any weapon put in my hands — some of them just never felt right. On top of that, upgrading each weapon with better materials ran into realistic problems like hunting restrictions and rarity. This wasn't a place where you could farm the same monster over and over. Elder Species were extremely rare, and top-tier monsters were hard enough just to encounter. The Blood Horn Blade was a perfect example. Made from Elder Species material, its performance was outstanding — but the problem was that the broken-horned Kespiratos that provided it never showed up again, so I couldn't craft more weapons from it.

"My main is the greatsword."

"The greatsword… I've also heard you can use Flowing Water."

Flowing Water. A technique that used the flat of a greatsword to deflect an attack and send the full ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠force of the impact right back into the monster. It had fallen out of use here as too dangerous, but if you could pull it off, it was incredibly useful. Reality's freedom of application far outstripped the limited version from the game.

"…It's not that hard."

It really wasn't. You just had to move at the right timing. The problem was that the risk if you failed was enormous. I'd never failed… but if I did, well, I'd probably die in a reasonably straightforward way.

"Hah. So that isn't difficult, is it…"

Oflo laughed dryly and drank some water.

"I'd like to see it once, but given the state of things, that will be hard. I'll have to judge your skill when we fight Disastro — if there's any room for that, that is."

Oflo's hand trembled slightly as well.

"A top-tier monster. The only one I've ever glimpsed was Tapiris, long ago."

Vein Tapiris. A beast of legend said to devour pleasant dreams and summon nightmares. A grotesque, horrifying creature that dug into the weakest points of living beings.

"I felt truly powerless then. 'Top-tier' was nothing less than a terror beyond comprehension. This time… will be different."

Oflo clenched his fist. Veins stood out in ridges across his scarred hand.

"Take this chance to show us your skill as well."

"Yeah."

I nodded. How many people had gathered here just to kill Disastro? We had to win. We absolutely had to.

"…But."

That was when Kyle, who had been listening with a serious face until now, spoke up.

"Why do you let Alice talk ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠casually? Can I do it too?"

"No, you may not."

"What's the difference?"

"Give you an inch and you'll take a mile."

Oflo sighed. I felt sorry just watching him.

After that, Kyle and Oflo left the outpost to get used to the wasteland. With the Master Hunters arrived, the other hunters were slowly making their final preparations. Everyone gritted their teeth as they sharpened weapons on whetstones or practiced their swings. All of them were desperate. They knew this decisive battle would be anything but simple, so they couldn't afford to overlook even the smallest flaw.

I looked out at the magnificent silhouette of the great cannon in the distance — the Dragon Bane. I could only hope our fight would not be too hopeless.

Pina was packing her bag in the lodging. I watched her with a bitter smile. She'd clearly finished packing yesterday, and the way she was double-checking her gear all over again was heartbreaking. Pina would be a porter again this time. When we fought Disastro, she would have to move with the non-combat survey hunters and regular soldiers. A lot of people were assigned to the artillery side — a ballista needed at least three people just to reload, and the cannons were so heavy that after each shot they recoiled backward and needed four people apiece just to shove them forward again. It was the same approach as with the ancient Alberoelva. Only this time was far more dangerous. There was no sturdy wall like last time — just one ruined fortress to rely on — so even the people manning the guns couldn't count on surviving.

"Pina."

"Yes."

"Don't tense up too much."

Pina's eyes wavered slightly.

"…I just feel like something's missing."

I understood how she felt. Right now, Pina clearly believed that no matter what she did, it wouldn't be enough. But doing more wouldn't improve anything from here. Resting and preparing for the end was better.

Having filled her bag again, Pina lifted her head and looked at me.

"Two days left now."

"Yeah."

This was an operation that would clearly lead a great many people into misfortune. But it was a fight we absolutely had to fight. I clenched my fist. What would a top-tier monster feel like? My heart pounded. Even in this bleak situation, I was looking forward to it — the day I would fight Disastro.

Deep in the wasteland, where a faint sand-laden wind blew.

"Hah… hah…"

Noah stood there in goggles and a mask, breathing hard. It was nearly time to head back and prepare for the fight against Disastro. What they had learned so far was evidence enough to confirm that this wasteland was the Cartadia of the future.

First they had checked the constellations — they matched the drawings the princess had made, though those drawings were so bad they were nearly unrecognizable. Next they had scoured the ruined sites. All of them had been homes and city buildings where people of Cartadia once lived. To figure out how far into the future they were, they had checked the land where Sperita should have stood. There they found a calendar. The time was a distant future two hundred years from now — after the throne had changed hands ten times.

So what had caused this ruin? This land, empty of human bones or anything else, was deeply strange. There wasn't even a trace that anyone had died. It was as if every person had evaporated all at once. What could possibly explain it?

Noah pondered. Then her companion beside her, Marco, gave her a light tap.

"Look over there."

"…Is that a statue?"

Chiara said in a bright voice. Where Marco pointed stood a statue. It had no head, and half its body had been blasted away — only the lower half and the pedestal beneath remained. Noah, Chiara, and Marco stood before it.

"…Who is it?"

Marco tilted his head and examined the statue from every angle. But without a face, there was no guessing who it had been. Then Noah noticed something written on the pedestal.

"There's writing here."

"Oh, there is!"

Chiara hummed cheerfully as she sat down on the spot.

Some of the letters were illegible, but parts of it could still be read. Of all the ruins they had found so far, this was the best preserved. Noah carefully brushed the sand away with her gloved hand.

The Vein, the Fire Serpent, the Yinglong. Those were the names of monsters that were still very much alive in the present. Had they finally been hunted down in the future? Watching from the side, Chiara let out an impressed whoa.

"Amazing. People from the future."

Marco chimed in beside her.

"Right? Those are all top-tier monsters. …Wait. There's more below."

But the writing didn't end there.

Noah pushed the sand aside and looked at the final sentence.

The part where the name should have been was damaged beyond recognition. Noah blinked. The description of the statue felt somehow familiar. Pure white hair and cherry-blossom eyes… Someone suddenly rose in her mind.

Alice.

Noah shot to her feet.

"It can't be…"

"Whoa, Noah? What's… wrong?"

Chiara stared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at her in surprise. Thoughts piled on top of one another in Noah's head. She had appeared completely out of nowhere in the floodwaters. She had been hunting monsters there with no memories at all. From their very first meeting, she had killed an Elder Species — the One-Eyed Luga-lac — with nothing but a greatsword and no special equipment. She had shown skill so extraordinary it made the word "novice hunter" meaningless. And within six months she had earned recognition and made it all the way here.

Standing still as she sorted her thoughts, Noah looked at Chiara and Marco.

"We need to head back. Now."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. I think… we've found out everything we can."

The answer had been close at hand all along.