"…That was fun…"
The [Head Hunter] who had been continuing the investigation in the Great Devil's Nest after receiving the request, muttered in a small voice. However, that fun was coming to an end, and she was planning to no longer have the opportunity to come to this Great Devil's Nest. [T/n: It's confirmed that who's the head hunter, so yeah, I changed "he" to "she" now :P]
While she still couldn't catch the existence of the person who saved Lexia, there was talk of inviting that person to the royal castle. The day of the invitation is finally approaching tomorrow. Nevertheless, she caught wind of the fact that Lexia and the others would be coming to pick up the mysterious person who saved Lexia at the entrance of this Great Devil's Nest.
[Head Hunter] was planning to eliminate Lexia and the mysterious person on that day according to the request of his client, a nobleman.
"…Is he doing well?"
What comes to [Head Hunter]'s mind right now is the image of a young man. The young man who had saved her from near death when a group of goblin elites attacked her during her first investigation─Yuuya. He is a mysterious young man with an extravagant atmosphere, and he has a black dog named Night with him.
"Fufu…"
No matter how many times I recall it, I can't help but laugh. The lie I had made on the spur of the moment… that I was coming to this Great Devil's Nest to train. If I really wanted to train, I wouldn't suddenly go to a dangerous place like the Great Devil's Nest. Because if something happened, I would be directly linked to death. [T/n: POV changed the narrator to Head Hunter.]
Besides, the Great Devil's Nest would not be suitable for training in the first place. That's because there are many monsters that act in groups such as the goblin elite, who can be a threat with just one of them.
No one would be foolish enough to train in a place where there is a swarm of monsters that can barely take on a single one. It's difficult even to defeat one of them. It's obvious that they would be killed on the spot before they trained.
That's why when I uttered such absurd words, I couldn't help but want to hold my mouth, but now that I've already said it, I can't take it back now. This will make me even more suspicious… yeah, that's what I thought.
"Eh? Ah, yeah… me too… that… training! I came to this forest to train as well!"
…I didn't think that there really was a person who was choosing this Great Devil's Nest for training. That made me behave strangely suspiciously, but since Yuuya never pointed that out, he probably didn't notice it.
And although I was on the side of being suspected before, this time it made me also suspicious as to whether or not Yuuya was really coming to the Great Devil's Nest under the guise of 'training'. However, after talking with Yuuya, when we challenged the Great Devil's Nest under the name of training together… I found out that Yuuya was telling the truth.
After all, he had eliminated a group of goblin elites… alone… or with only Night. If I think about it again, if he didn't have that much strength, he wouldn't be able to save me from that situation.
Anyway, when I found out that Yuuya had really come to this place to train, I was able to make friends with them little by little from there. Yuuya is a strange man, and although he looks and wears first class, and behaves like a nobleman or royalty, his knowledge is quite skewed.
When it comes to language and etiquette, he is no different from those of the upper class. Still, he doesn't know much about the Great Devil's Nest that he should have chosen as his training ground. On the contrary, he was unfamiliar with the common sense of this world itself.
However, I still didn't have a problem with it. While I entrusted my life to them, such things became a trivial matter.
…I genuinely enjoyed my time with them, even though I had accepted the request.
One thing I didn't expect here was that the item that Yuuya has, the item that made me fall in love with baths, a portable bathtub. A bathtub is a luxury thing that only noblemen are allowed to bathe in. In addition to his combat prowess, I was also surprised by Yuuya's possession of this as a portable item.
…I, who until now had spent every day just washing away the blood in the river, discovered the warmth of hot water. I was completely captivated by the magic of the warm bath that seemed to melt even the coldest of hearts.
Of course, I wasn't just indulging in the bath. Before I knew it, I could take on up to three of the goblin elite, and I think I've gotten pretty strong too. So I would like to continue to be strong with them in the future… I thought about that, but my work kept me from thinking about it.
I've already killed so many people. That's why I know that… Yuuya is clean. I doubt that he has ever killed a single being other than a monster. In comparison, I've buried a number of lives in order to survive. I was born as an orphan, and with the strength I've struggled to acquire to protect myself… I have survived.
Because I am a woman, I've been in danger many times, but I've come through all of it in one piece. And I gained strength so that no one could take anything away from me, and before I knew it… I became a feared being as a [Head Hunter].
I do not know how to live in this world. Hiding the fact that I am a woman, I only kill the target by force. That's the only way… I don't know how to live other than that. My hands are dirty. They are stained with countless amounts of blood. I can't have a clean Yuuya next to me like that. His hands should never be dirty.
"And yet… that guy was so dazzling…"
He has a purity that made me able to express the emotions of that moment honestly. I had killed my emotions to survive… so I found it so dazzling. I felt that I too could bask in the light and live… it was so bright that I was under the illusion that I could do so.
"But… that's not going to happen anymore."
When Yuuya told me that he was going to stop the training, I felt really sad and lonely. However, at the same time, I myself somehow sensed that the end was already near.
The reason was, after all, the story that Princess Lexia and the others were going to go to the Great Devil's Nest. It had already been rumored in the city before I heard from the nobleman who requested me. How could I, who belonged to the dark guild, not know about it?
And because of that request, I will not be able to stay with Yuuya…
"…What would Yuuya think if he knew the real me?"
I'm afraid to know the answer to that question, but I'd like to ask it. But that's not going to happen anymore.
"….."
I silently reached for my mask and put it on my face.
I am an assassin—a member of the dark guild, the [Head Hunter].
So──.
"──Goodbye, Yuuya."
I rush out of the city towards the Great Devil's Nest as if to hide in the darkness. As if to shake off the memories with Yuuya, I just moved mindlessly.
Even so, the days I spent with Yuuya…were irrepressibly precious memories for me. I have killed others in order to live. Feelings of wanting or not wanting should not accompany the act of killing. That is one of the respects I have for the people I have killed to live.
…And yet, I can't help but think.
"If… if Yuuya and I had met in a different situation than we do now…"
If my life was a normal life, unrelated to the blood of others…
"…Yuuya. Would I have been able to stand beside you with pride?"
My mutterings were swallowed up by the darkness.
＊＊＊
"Now then, Night. Shall we go?"
"Woof!"
After returning safely from the field trip, I decided to take Night and go to the entrance of the Great Devil's Nest as promised.
By the way, it's Golden Week from today, so I was able to take some time like this… In addition to this holiday, there's also a replacement holiday for field trips, so it's actually a longer holiday. I don't think I'll ever use this holiday weekend to its fullest, but if I have this much time off, I'll be able to get it done before school starts properly. But if it doesn't work, I can just use my magic to get home.
I'm more worried about Night now. When I met with Lexia-san and the others before, Night wasn't there, but now Night is my family. If it were possible, I would take him with me. There's no answer to this question here, so I have to ask in person now.
"Okay, we're off!"
The things I prepare are all in the item box, so I left with only wearing the [Bloody War Demon Series] armor on my body. Normally I would move deep into the forest in the exact opposite direction, but today it's in the direction of the entrance to the Great Devil's Nest.
I had gone on a monster hunt with Luna, which I was pretending to be training… but I guess the monsters would be a little less, right? No, I haven't been near the entrance during the field trip, so I shouldn't expect much.
"But then again, I wonder how Luna is doing?"
"…Woof." At my words, Night barked with an indescribable expression.
After advancing for a while, I unexpectedly sense the presence of monsters.
"Oops… it seems the number of monsters hasn't changed much after all."
"Woof."
I immediately activated the [Assimilation] skill and approached that presence with caution…
"…What's that…?"
There was one unfamiliar monster there. No, there are multiple monsters themselves, and… they are all bloody ogre. And the unfamiliar monster was an even larger body among the bloody ogre, an individual with a darker, reddish-black and more ominous overall appearance.
When I activated [Appraisal] on that individual while holding my breath…
[Bloody Ogre Lord]
Level: 500
Magic: 4000
Attack: 25000
Defense: 10000
Agility: 10000
Intelligence: 3000
Luck: 1000
Huh? I didn't expect it to be in the orc king class! When it comes to attacking power and agility, it's even more agile than the orc king!
…Apparently, this bloody ogre lord or something like that is definitely a higher-ranking species of the bloody ogre. What should we do… even though I'm planning to meet with Lexia-san and the others today, if we don't defeat this monster here…
"…Okay, Night. Let's take them down here. And if this monster moves towards Lexia-san and the others, it will be dangerous.
"Woof."
Fortunately, we didn't specify a time, and thanks to the fact that we're leaving the house early, I think we'll be fine on time.
"Alright… I'll give the signal and you, Night, will take care of the regular bloody ogre.
"Woof!"
"Then… Go!"
"Guruuoooooo!"
"Gugaaa!?"
With my signal, Night charged in with a growl. The sudden attack left the group of bloody ogres slow to react for a moment, and as it was, some of them fell prey to Night's claws. But, the bloody ogre lord is different and is not carelessly wary of Night.
──However, Night isn't the only one you're dealing with.
"There it is!"
I have been hiding my presence until now with my skill, and the moment the bloody ogre lord focused its attention onto Night, I threw the [Absolute Spear] with all my might. This attack couldn't be prevented even by the orc king, so perhaps the bloody ogre lord too…?
"Guooooooooo!"
"What!"
The bloody ogre lord caught the tip of the [Absolute Spear] I threw with both hands in between its hands! Moreover, it grabs the handle of the spear and throws it back at me!
"Whoa…"
As I hurriedly jumped back from my spot, [Absolute Spear] passed through the place where I was just a moment ago at a tremendous speed. Fortunately, [Absolute Spear] can only be handled properly by me, so unless there's a guarantee that it will definitely hit me, I didn't even have to worry about the bloody ogre lord returning it toward me. The [Absolute Spear] that the bloody ogre lord threw at me is properly back in my hand.
However, I didn't expect that the sage-san's weapon would be thrown back to me… I was seriously surprised by the unexpected attack. If it weren't for the restriction that only I could handle it, it would have been quite troublesome. I quickly stored the [Absolute Spear] in the item box and took out another weapon.
That is…
"Then… what about this one?"
"G-guoooooo!?"
I swung a giant hammer, more than my own height, at the bloody ogre lord without hesitation. The bloody ogre lord thrust out its arms to catch the attack, but the arms were easily destroyed and exploded without being blasted away.
[World Strike].
It's one of the weapons in the sage-san's house, and it is a giant hammer that is as tall as my height… that is, over 180 cm. All of the sage-san's weapons are the same, they don't have any special decorations on them, and if you just look at it, it is completely nothing more than a giant wooden hammer.
But the effect is tremendous. I myself feel this hammer weighs about the same as an adult male, but whoever I'm hitting with it will be hit with the same mass as this planet, which is the world. It is unlikely that there are any beings that can withstand being hit by a world. Or rather, what kind of weapon are you making, sage-san…?
However, there are disadvantages to this weapon as well. As I said earlier, it's the point that I feel the same weight as an adult male… with my current status, it still not enough, it still feels very heavy. That's why it's not dependent on status when it comes to the weight of this hammer, and I really feel it the same weight as an adult male in my hands.
Besides, since this hammer has to hit an opponent in order to be effective, it is not suitable for ranged attacks, and no matter how much I swing it around, it cannot cause massive results in terms of damage to the entire environment. Even so, it can still hit a single opponent with the same mass as the world, so if I hit it first, it will be the end…
…Well, if it's against an opponent with high agility, it's probably hard to hit them considering its weight. This is a weapon that has a rather sharp ability in this Great Devil's Nest, which allows for a lethal gap and a one-hit kill instead of a large swing.
Level-up
Suddenly, a message appeared announcing the level up.
"Whoa, it's a good start."
"──Woof!"
"Hmm? Ooh, Night, you've finished too!"
"Woof, woof!"
Night had destroyed the group of bloody ogres by himself before I knew it, and there were drop items scattered around. After collecting the bloody ogre drop items first, I now collect the bloody ogre lord's drop items.
And there were fangs, magic stones, and armor that were similar to the ones I got from the bloody ogre, so I decided to appraise them one by one.
[Bloody Warlord Demon's Great Fang] :: The fangs of the bloody ogre lord. The superior species of the bloody ogre, a strong fang worthy of a lord. When it comes to a lord, it doesn't use this fang to attack much, but its power is even more vicious than those of the bloody ogre.
[Magic Stone: Rank S] :: A special ore that can be obtained from magical beasts.
[Bloody Warlord Demon's Demon Helmet] :: A drop item from the bloody ogre lord. It is a helmet that resembles the face of the bloody ogre lord and gives the selected target an intimidation effect with a probability. This probability will increase the higher the difference in ability between the opponent and the target.
Oh, aside from the magic stone, aren't the fangs and the helmet both pretty good items? But unfortunately, I don't have the means to make effective use of the fangs right now. And this [Bloody Warlord Demon's Demon Helmet] is a full-face type helmet that fits with the [Bloody War Demon Series] I'm wearing right now.
How should I say it, it has two horns sticking out like an ogre, and depending on how you look at it, it may look like a sentai's* full face mask. No, maybe a villain in terms of color and shape? Anyway, I don't know what this intimidating effect is, but it wouldn't hurt to wear it. [T/n: Click here for the information about sentai, the example for it is such as Super Sentai, Power Ranger, or Kamen Rider.]
I just put it on and show it to Night.
"How's it? Does it look good on me?"
"Woof!"
Yep, it looks good on me. But, well, I guess it doesn't look really good on me because it hides my whole face.
"Okay, let's go to the forest entrance again, shall we?"
"Woof!"
Although there was a bit of a battle after this, no bloody ogre lord class enemies came out, and we were able to reach the entrance safely.