Tax-Funded Forest Cleansing
It had been roughly a month since I arrived as adjutant.
With the adjustment period finally behind me, I decided it was time to formally accept a commission and see it through.
"Oh? So you're finally getting down to real work?"
"That's right. There's a commission that should let me gauge everyone's combat capabilities while giving the team time to get used to me. I've decided to take it."
"Where? What kind of mission?"
Gwon-sun asked, her voice bright with anticipation, as she took the briefing materials I held out. She began poring over the contents with open curiosity. Are and Glass, who had received copies of their own, read through the same documents with far more measured expressions.
"Hmm... Abyss extermination in the mountains near the border zone."
"Nettoyage de la forêt... For a B-class job, it feels a bit troublesome."
"Yes. Ordinarily this would be something the Hunter Guild handled themselves, but they've been tied up preparing for a large-scale operation. With their hands full, they started farming jobs out to Black Hunters. This is one of those."
At present, the border zone was locked in a grinding back-and-forth between the Abysses and the Hunter Guild. When full engagements broke out, the Guild usually held the advantage — and more often than not, they won. But even victory never lasted. Holding captured ground was temporary at best. Before long, Abysses that had swollen their numbers somewhere out of sight would surge back in a counterattack, and the hunters would be forced to abandon the position and fall back. It happened constantly.
Still, the Guild was seizing territory faster than they were losing it, so the front line was creeping forward — inch by painful inch. The endless war of attrition, though, had left hunters and high command alike exhausted and frustrated.
In response, the Hunter Guild and the leadership above them were planning a major operation to destroy the enemy's stronghold. For now, they were conserving every scrap of combat power they could. Sensing the thinned defensive line, Abysses had begun probing southward, trying to push their way down. Most of those attempts were repelled — but a few packs managed to slip through the flanks and vanish into the mountains near the border.
The commission I'd brought was to eliminate one of those packs. The terrain presented some complications, but after analyzing the enemy's overall strength, I'd concluded we could handle them without any serious difficulty.
"Abyss extermination in the forest. Being a government job, the pay isn't particularly generous relative to the difficulty — but as a first mission, it should be manageable enough."
"Une entente. Better this than forcing a hard mission right from the start, the way Aide decided. I think this is the right call."
Are and Glass both voiced their agreement. I gave a short nod and moved on to the remaining details.
"Good. Then we'll proceed with this commission as planned. The operation begins in three days — I want everyone thoroughly prepared by then. Ah, and just to be sure — equipment charging and ammunition resupply..."
"We'll handle that ourselves. You don't need to check on it."
"It's starting to get genuinely sad... Just what kind of world did you come from, Adjutant?"
"I keep thinking it, but Corée's Hunter Guild is l'enfer without a doubt... You don't need to concern yourself with that either."
"Haha... Right. Understood. I'll trust you all on that front and leave it alone."
Once again the recipient of pitying looks I hadn't asked for, I wrapped up the brief explanation of the commission.
But of course, that wasn't the end of my work. If anything, the real work began the moment the job was confirmed.
There could be no room for failure. A perfect victory. To achieve it, I would analyze everything and prepare for everything — thoroughly. That was what I had to do from this point forward.
An airship flew north.
Its exterior was rough and utilitarian, but speed, stability, and durability were rock-solid. Inside, thirty Black Hunters of Dreamouth sat ready.
Weapons clicked as hunters ran final checks before combat. Among them was Lee Are, prepared more carefully than usual, running her hands over her weapon with quiet focus.
She wasn't in her usual formal attire. For battle she wore a form-fitting black combat suit that clung to her frame — a look that, at a glance, was strikingly alluring. She was giving her favored weapon one last meticulous inspection.
Trapezo.
A great scythe. Its blade was a molecular cutter, engineered to discharge a burst of electricity at the critical moment and sever an enemy's life without fail — a formidable weapon. Frankly, its performance was excessive for an A-class hunter. But Black Hunters could field top-tier equipment as long as they paid for it, so that was no issue. And given Are's true capabilities, it was even less of one.
Examining the weapon that felt like an extension of herself, Are steeled her resolve once more.
This is the first commission under Jinhyun-nim's command... I'll complete it perfectly. Not a single mistake.
The moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived. Uncharacteristically, tension, excitement, and a flutter of anticipation all rose in her at once — and a faint smile touched her lips before she realized it.
Then —
"Approaching the destination. All hunters, assume combat readiness."
The announcement reached Are's ears. She set aside the swirl of emotion that had filled her and let her face settle back into its familiar cold composure.
"All units. Prepare to drop."
At Are's command, the hunters readied themselves to leap. Below, a dense forest stretched without end, a long valley cutting through one side with a stream running along it.
Mountain warfare... We were briefed, but this still won't be easy.
Unlike ruined cityscapes or open plains, this was terrain where enemy positions were hard to pin down and large forces were difficult to maneuver. Even with the Guild deliberately minimizing troop commitments, they still poured everything they could into holding the front line. There was a reason they had farmed this job out to Black Hunters.
The Abysses that had slipped into these mountains weren't numerous — but the terrain made clearing them slow and difficult. Keeping that firmly in mind, Are waited until the airship reached the predetermined drop point, then gave the order.
"Drop!"
With that word, Are and the hunters plunged toward the ground. At the same time, Jinhyun's voice came through their comms — he had been monitoring the situation.
"First, Team One under Are will secure the perimeter the moment you hit the ground. We've already confirmed the area is clear, but stay alert for contingencies until the full landing is complete."
"Yes, Adjutant."
On landing, Are immediately began scanning for signs of Abysses. Fortunately, none were found nearby. One after another, hunters from the other teams touched down around her.
Their force: A-class hunters Gwon-sun and Glass, with the rest composed of B-class. Once every hunter had safely assembled at the mission site, Jinhyun's voice came through again.
"Proceed according to schedule to the point two kilometers north of your current position. If Abysses initiate an attack en route, respond as previously briefed."
"Understood."
Jinhyun's orders were brief, but clear enough for everyone present to grasp. With that in mind, they began moving north at a measured pace.
Hoping, as they went, to encounter Abysses as soon — and as often — as possible.