Chapter 51: Departure and Commencement (2)
Gale, Calix, and Sercia walked the now-familiar path into a conference room deep within the airship.
At the seat of honor sat Elwin.
"…Ah, you're here."
The blond boy, seemingly deep in thought, looked up as though just noticing their presence.
"Did everything go well? It's cold out, isn't it? I’ve prepared some warm hot wine. Shall we talk over a drink?"
The three then reported what had happened earlier that day.
"Just as you mentioned, a group was attacked by a Geoma. We rushed to rescue them, but unfortunately, we were a bit late. Except for one survivor, the entire group was wiped out."
"…Wiped out?"
Elwin raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased.
Judging by the missing persons case in the Batevil Kingdom, I had a rough idea, but it seems he moved faster than I expected. Depicio…
The Clover Trade Company and the assassination guild—Depicio.
Two seemingly unrelated groups were, in fact, connected by an unexpected thread.
This is troubling…
While it was certainly fortunate that one person had survived from a group that was otherwise meant to be completely annihilated…
If that one survivor wasn't the "person" Elwin had intended to save, the entire plan he had laid out could fall apart.
"…That one survivor. Was he a man with beige hair and deep green eyes? A clover symbol tattooed beneath one eye?"
"Oh! Yeah! Kid, how’d you know? That’s an exact description!"
At the enthusiastic confirmation, Elwin quietly sighed in relief. And he thought:
As I expected, choosing Gale as my first teammate was the right call.
Gale Garav, protagonist of “LAMPAS,” had a trait: Trouble Maker.
Thanks to his uncanny knack for getting caught up in every incident whether he wanted to or not, he had narrowly managed to save Aajen Clover from the brink of death.
Truly, what a relief. …I need to factor in more variables next time and plan more thoroughly.
Aajen Clover—the rightful heir of the Clover Trade Company—was essential to his plan.
"You were spot on. Do you know him?"
"Let’s say I’m not unfamiliar."
After all, the man’s death would go on to trigger a massive event later.
While calmly observing, Sercia spoke up.
"About the survivor—I treated the external wounds, but the internal damage is significant. He’ll need divine power for a full recovery, so I left him in Mr. Nahrhan’s care."
"You did well. Rescuing lives is also part of a Hunter’s duty. Nahrhan’s a specialist in this area, so the survivor should recover quickly."
Elwin praised Sercia’s decision, then suddenly clapped his hands.
Then, changing the topic, he said,
"By the way, it’s already been a week. Since you officially started working as a team to subjugate Geomas, I mean."
"Good timing. I’ve been wondering. Why’d you give us that mission in the first place?"
"Hm? Well, it's Hunter's duty to eliminate Geomas."
"No, no, not that! I’m talking about you!"
Looking exasperated, Gale thumped his chest and pointed directly at Elwin.
His irreverence shocked both Calix and Sercia, who still hadn’t adjusted to Elwin’s true identity.
"You! Kid, I’m talkin’ to you!"
"Me?"
"Yeah! You’re the strongest one here—so why are you just watching from the sidelines while us three weakest ones are sent out?"
At the word “weakest,” Calix gave him a sharp glare, and Sercia sent a pointed look. But Gale just snorted and ignored them.
"Haha! I was just about to explain that."
Clack.
Elwin set down the teacup of hot wine he had been sipping.
Outside, snowflakes were swirling violently. As they approached the northern continent, the weather was worsening.
"Normally, those who pass the Hunter exam are required to attend training sessions at a designated facility."
The curriculum included Hunter protocols, precautions during Geoma subjugation, and techniques for mana usage developed by the Hunter Association—crucial skills for any Hunter.
If any graduate felt lacking in a particular field, they were provided with additional support or specialized training.
"But you were scouted into Spero the moment you passed. Members of a special unit like ours aren’t obligated to attend the mandatory training…"
Elwin beamed.
"Since it’s your debut as part of Spero, I thought, why not start strong by racking up some Geoma kills? We need to spread Spero’s name across the world as quickly as possible!"
"Pfft, what is this, a new restaurant opening? Try our food, we’re open now~ You sound like you’re promoting a business."
"Why not? It’s not entirely wrong. We haven’t even been around for a week."
"Ugh… Fine. Everything you say is absolutely correct, oh little master."
Gale slumped over the table, seemingly drained. But then a voice hit his ear—something he couldn’t ignore.
"And more importantly… I watched you three eliminate Geomas through a vision sphere and assessed your current skill level and areas for improvement."
"Wha—what did you assess?!"
"As the leader, it’s my responsibility to understand the abilities of my team. Especially to help guide your future training!"
It was a bolt from the blue.
While Gale sat frozen, Calix and Sercia’s faces lit up.
"You mean you're personally going to oversee our training, Elwin?"
"Of course."
"Even magic? Are you proficient in that too?"
"To some extent. I did learn magic from a Black-ranked Hunter for a while. I may not be a professional mage, but I’ll be of help."
Gale hung his head.
It’s over. They’ve already fallen into his claws…
He remembered all too well how that sweet-faced kid could morph into a ruthless instructor.
—If you can, try catching me. I like tag. But if you get caught, your sentence—I mean, your training—will double. Got it?
—Don’t worry. It only feels like death. You won’t actually die! I survived, so you can too!
—Right? Unless you want your soul wandering the afterlife, better give it your all. I’ll be back to check.
The hellish memories of the “special training” Elwin had put him through before the Hunter exam raced through Gale’s mind.
His face turned ashen.
"…I’m dead today."
And probably every day after that…
"Shit, this life."
Of the three, Gale alone had grasped the full extent of his grim future.
***
The Next Morning – Inside Elwin’s Airship
"……"
A tense atmosphere filled the spacious training hall.
Two sides faced off, one against three. Naturally, the lone side was Elwin.
"It’s been a while since I’ve done a spar like this! Should be fun."
And as expected, Elwin looked relaxed and cheerful.
Gale, Calix, and Sercia, on the other hand, wore tense expressions.
"Hoo…"
Calix exhaled and glared at Elwin. He still vividly remembered that moment.
—No. I won’t let you die.
Elwin had neutralized an overwhelming enemy in one strike and made even seemingly invincible foes tremble just by showing up.
That’s the power of a new Special-Rank Hunter!
Calix Zahardt, from the martial-nation Arad Kingdom, held strong admiration for the powerful, and a desire to push his own limits.
The age difference between him and Elwin didn’t matter in the realm of combat.
I want to understand your strength… and through it, grow stronger myself!
He struck first.
Gripping his drawn sword, Calix lunged forward with a fierce charge.
"Hup—!"
But Elwin dodged with a single step and, with a slight flick of his blade, knocked Calix back.
BANG!
He slammed into the wall with a groan. The impact was heavier than expected—but he wasn’t about to give up.
Using the wall as a springboard, Calix launched himself again.
Zahardt swordsmanship focused on offense and defense as one.
Whether sword or shield, it shifted like flowing water, making it hard for opponents to read the next move.
My opponent is on a level far beyond mine. So I need to go all-in from the start!
He knew he couldn’t win. Victory was something decided between evenly matched fighters.
Between them and Elwin, the gap was astronomical.
But still… Since we’ve got this match going, I should at least graze him!
Thanks to the manticore incident, Calix had learned to fight cooperatively with others.
And once he picked something up, he didn’t forget it.
…You two. I bought you some time.
FLASH!
Blue mana burst from the tip of his blade, soon engulfing the entire sword.
A fierce blue energy stormed through the training hall.
"Form Seven—Downpour!"
He leapt high and swung his blade, unleashing massive, hammer-like sword strikes that rained down on Elwin.
But that wasn’t all.
"You little brat! I will land at least one clean hit!"
As Calix attacked, Gale sprang out from behind Elwin, drawing both his sabre and mana gun.
He aimed and fired with expert timing while lashing out with his lengthened blade.
BANG! SLAASH!
The coiled, snake-like blade shot toward Elwin’s neck.
"Missy!"
He shouted toward Sercia, who was chanting in the distance.
"You didn’t need to yell—I’m already ready!"
Sweat trickled from her brow as a dazzling array of magic circles formed around her.
WHUUUUM—!
Three overlapping circles targeted Elwin.
If this magic lands…!
Sercia Edelweiss had grown the most from the manticore incident.
Especially during their team mission with Gale and Abito, where she had poured every ounce of her stored mana into one grand spell.
It was a huge loss using all that stored mana… even now it hurts to think about!
But that soul-burning magic had given her inspiration.
A white fire that eradicates the soul.
"Blazing Petals!"
FWOOSH!
Brilliant white flames burst forth like blooming flowers.
Though it wasn’t as powerful as what she’d unleashed on the manticore—
Even if I emptied all my mana, that much force came from Melasa’s enchantments.
Still, Sercia had grasped a new understanding of soul-based sorcery and adapted it into her own magic.
Her unique spell—Blazing Petals. Even a Special-Rank Hunter would suffer serious injuries if caught in it.
Yet even with all three attacks closing in, Elwin stood motionless, his face calm and collected.
"Honestly… you’re all such passionate students."
He muttered as if left with no choice and lowered his head slightly.
"I like it."
Then, smiling brightly, he looked up again.
"In that case… I suppose I’ll start taking this seriously too."
Shing—
The sword that Elwin had only used passively until now was finally raised.