As Esteban stared at me, he then walked near me and asked.
"What is your name?"
The way that he asked is not the tone you used to a child but to a fellow hunter. I guess he must have a hunch that I am no ordinary child, as expected from a former Knight. Since I have nothing to hide, I introduced myself to him.
"I'm Garwyr, second ranker."
"Oh? a second ranker, you say?"
He looked at me from top to bottom.
"Second ranker... Young Child at the age of thirteen... Could you be the..."
Before he could say anything else, he then stopped himself as he closed his eyes.
"If you are, who I think you are then, sorry for almost disclosing your information."
He said quietly so as not to let everyone hear what he just said. I nodded, thinking that he must be informed.
All staff of the Hunter's Association are informed that they must not reveal my information. While it may look suspicious, the 'official' reason for that is because of my age. It may incur complaints from other hunters because of that. Of course other people won't believe i am a second ranker because of that, it made it easier for me hide my real affiliation. Unless there are idiots like the hunters here in Sarvall who just keep blabbering otherwise hunters usually left me alone even when i reveal i am a second ranker.
He then nodded and looked at Gus and Wesley.
"Which one of you is the leader of this group? You Gus? or is it Wesley?"
"Ahh, we are just gonna guide them for today. After that, They are on their own."
"Mhm. We act as their guardian for now since we know them. They said that they would be fine after that."
"Is that so?"
He looked at the children, and then they nodded.
"Although we allow it, you would be at risk of being in danger. You can even lose your life."
"W-we know the r-risk, sir!"
"Y-yes. We still wanna do it, d-despite the d-danger, sir!"
Derek and the other said nervously. He stared at them for a while, then he looked at me.
"Garwyr, as a fellow hunter of the same age, would you join and guide them as their leader?"
"I respectfully decline."
I immediately answered since it is so troublesome. The children were shocked when I said so.
Wait, do they think I would agree to it? Maybe it's because we are at the same age just Esteban said, or maybe they are just curious about me being a solo young hunter? Either way, I am not joining. Beside, I would rather spend more time with Rina than them.
Esteban nodded as if anticipating my answer.
"Consider it as a commission from me, I'll compensate you."
"It is still a no, sir."
Of course, I will accept it so that I can blend in with hunters from Sarvall, but right now, I have Rina. Accepting it means that I have to leave Rina alone for a while, but right now, it is a delicate time for her. Finding out whether Rina is safe to be able to be out in public or not is much more important.
"I must ask of you, Garwyr. I am aware that it will inconvenience you, but you are the only one who can do it."
"...Why go so far, sir? As far as I know, they don't seem that impressive nor important."
"Hey! What do yo-...!"
"Quiet, Derek!"
"Now's not the time, you idiot!"
Paprika and Joe told him to be quiet. Esteban pondered for a minute, then looked at the children.
"For now, follow Gus and Wesley. Always listen as it is crucial for all of you if you want to be a hunter."
"Huh?! O-oh okay, sir!"
Derek and his friends followed Gus and Wesley as they went outside. They are probably going on a hunt for practice.
"Follow me upstairs."
He then went to his office upstairs. I followed him, thinking that I may have found myself in a troublesome situation.
While I could turn down requests and commissions from the association, It is impossible to turn down a leader's request, especially when it is urgent or important.
After arriving at his office, he offered me a seat to the sofa, and then we sat down.
"Miss Lind, would you pour us a tea?"
"Right away, sir."
Miss Lind, who could be Esteban's secretary, poured us a tea. After that, he drank the cup, and I followed through.
"Alright. Let's get down to business."
I nodded, and then he proceeded to explain.
"First of all, There three reasons. First, I want you to be their guide and leader is because you are not from Sarvall."
"... What does that mean, sir?"
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then he nodded.
"Those children are the sons and daughters from noble families. Right now, they are hiding their lineage so that they can register to be a hunter."
"If those guys are from a noble family, then Gus and Wesley..."
"They are knights from Agellis Household. They became a hunter as a side job to help the demands and supplies for the territories."
"Is it because of the Ormer Company?"
"...Looks like it spread to other countries, huh? Yes, it is because of that. I am ashamed to admit that I neglected this matter for the worse. I let many of my people fall victim to them."
He looks disheartened and sad. Then it was replaced with intense rage.
"That bastard Theo! I should have captured him even without evidence! And he got the gall to die before he could face my wrath in prison!"
As his rage kept erupting, Miss Lind let out a cough.
"Ahem! Sir Esteban."
"Ah! Sorry, I'm going off track."
He then took a deep breath and began to calm down.
"Those kids are the third and fourth in line at their household. They have no chance to become the head of their respective family other than being a knight or a hunter."
"I see, but if that is the case, then there is no reason for me to guide them . And what does that have to do with me being a foreigner, sir?"
"Derek and his friends' families support Agellis, especially Paprika, who is also an Agellis but from a different branch."
"Ahh..."
As a noble myself, I understand what he is implying. In the world of nobles, it's a vicious life. One must not show weakness to fellow noble, or otherwise, you'll get swallowed as a whole. We value honor, authority, prestige, and ambition. To aim higher in the world and be above others, Nobles will do anything to get them.
With Count Jonah stepping down and the issue left by Theo Ormer, Hostile nobles are scheming to bring the Agellis Household down to ruin.
"You seem to have a gist of it."
"I took many commissions with some nobles after all."
"Hah! With you being a second ranker, that will be the case."
Third or above rankers are always recommended to merchants or nobles for commission, so it is common for us to accept some of them.
"So I want you to 'guide' who also doubles as their bodyguard. With you being a foreigner will make them safe than locals."
"I see, i understand the first reason, but what about the other reasons?"
"Alright. The second reason has something to do with the owner of Ormer Company, Theo Ormer."
"And that is?"
"I want you to go to Goldberg while being in party with them."
"Goldberg? Is there a reason why it is related to Theo Ormer?"
"There is an oprhanage here in Holgate which is owned by him have been destroyed, and now its residents move to another town that is Goldberg."
Although I did not show it on my face, I was quite surprised. It is an information that I needed for my own investigation.
Looks like I'll be accepting this after all.