Dark Fantasy’s Extra

A peculiar atmosphere hung in the conference room where only Crowty and Sephira were present.

“This has become troublesome.”

Crowty said while looking at the documents.

They contained the personal information of new hunter applicants and their physical and magical power measurement results.

Due to the recent absurd incident, they had lost eleven 9th-rank hunters and two 8th-rank hunters at once.

To fill that void, they needed to promote 9th-rank hunter Eugene to 8th-rank and recruit new 9th-rank hunters.

However, an unexpected variable had emerged this time.

“Look at this.”

He handed Sephira a piece of paper.

“This is…”

The paper she received contained information about a new recruit.

The name was Hilde.

A woman from the Grimm family.

She was the employer from the mission where Eugene nearly died.

“Yes, that Lady Hilde. No, not lady anymore. From the moment she joins the Hunting Order, she’s no longer a noble or commoner – she’s just a hunter, an extension of the Saintess.”

“Why did she apply to become a hunter?”

“I don’t know the details either. But that’s not what’s important. Look more closely at the content.”

“…This is.”

“Yes, Hilde received an exceptional rating in the aptitude test.”

When someone first comes to the Order wanting to become a hunter, they undergo tests for physical ability, magical power, and some personality screening.

If they pass this, they then learn how to use magical power and several essential skills and knowledge before being assigned to the field.

Generally, completing all these processes takes about half a year.

But for some people, that time gets drastically shortened.

“Amazing. Someone with this much potential is…”

“There hasn’t been anyone like this since you.”

“…”

“You understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Individual training?”

“Yes. The examiner recommended you as Hilde’s training supervisor.”

“That’s…”

Hilde received the highest possible ratings in all areas of the hunter qualification tests.

While she’s currently just slightly above an ordinary person’s level, with proper training, she could potentially reach the ranks of higher hunters within a few years.

Just like Sephira had.

For that, she needs not standardized training but something more special – personalized training designed just for her.

“I’m not sure if I…”

“The examiner specifically chose you. I would have liked you to take this on too… That would have been nice.”

“Pardon?”

“But things got complicated.”

Crowty took out another document and handed it to her.

“Sephira, you’ve been assigned a new mission.”

“A new mission?”

“Yes. Just yesterday, Eugene visited Lasso Village. A factory was built there, and he went to check on it. This is Eugene’s report.”

Sephira read Eugene’s report.

“…A Beast disguised as human.”

“Yes. It looked human and acted human, apparently. Fortunately, Eugene noticed something suspicious and eliminated it. We sent someone else this morning for cross-verification.”

“What does this have to do with the new mission?”

“A major conference including other Order branches will be held. The most important figures of the Hunting Order will gather right here. You’ve been assigned to their security detail. Of course, this applies to all available higher-ranked hunters.”

“So I won’t have time to teach Hilde.”

“That’s why this is troublesome. Given the current situation, we can’t let go of Hilde’s talent either. So we need to choose someone trustworthy to handle her training… You know what I mean?”

“Are you asking me to decide? Who to entrust Hilde to?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must already know who I’ll choose.”

“Of course it would be Eugene. I know how you feel about him.”

Sephira was the daughter of Crowty’s old comrade-in-arms.

But when that hunter took a brief leave to visit his family, their village was attacked by a powerful Beast.

In the end, after both parents sacrificed themselves fighting, only Sephira could be saved.

However, the girl, barely ten years old, suffered terrible burns covering her entire face.

It was Eugene, working as an odd-jobs worker then, who devotedly cared for her when she had lost the will to live and was dying.

Of course, he probably has no idea that that girl was Sephira.

“Yes.”

“But you see, this time it’s different. This isn’t like sharing assignments or allowances – it’s a whole different level of matter. Those things I could arrange for your sake, but with Hilde’s talent, many in the Order will be paying attention. And if we put him in that role…”

“I trust Mr. Eugene.”

“I know that, but think about how he’ll be viewed. This is absolutely a job for higher-ranked hunters… at minimum someone of 5th rank or above.”

“I’m not saying this lightly. You know this too, don’t you? What kind of person he is.”

“…”

“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Well… I agree with you but.”

“What?”

“I didn’t say I was against it.”

“You mean…”

“I was already considering Eugene among the candidates.”

“Why?”

“The higher someone rises… the more thoroughly they need to understand what’s below.”

“…”

“Too many these days don’t understand that. Hilde will undoubtedly rise high, probably reaching your position within a few years. From now, she needs to learn how lower-ranked hunters work and what their reality is like.”

Sephira neither agreed nor disagreed with his words.

To her, only Eugene’s wellbeing mattered.

Her reason for wanting to assign him to Hilde was simply that she thought it could serve as armor to protect him.

Although some might criticize that he’s unsuitable for Hilde’s growth, and that might be true, Sephira didn’t care about such things.

“There’s no one more suitable than Eugene for this job. He climbed up from the very bottom. And he’s also the only lower-ranked hunter who survived that incident seven years ago and hasn’t retired yet.”

“Then can I assume our interests align?”

“That’s right. However, since you were chosen by the examiner, you’ll need to strongly push for Eugene as the right person. Naturally, some people will try to criticize or persuade you otherwise. With quite convincing logic too.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“…Right. I was just testing you to make sure, not that I doubted you.”

Crowty handed Sephira another paper.

“It’s Hilde’s training schedule. Well, if you can call it a schedule. And before going to Eugene, take Hilde with you first.”

“Yes.”

Sephira took the schedule and left.

“…Hard to say whether he’s lucky or unlucky with women.”

*    *    *

Several days had passed since hunting Snow White’s avatar in Lasso Village.

Since the organizational restructuring hadn’t happened yet, I was excluded from proper Beast hunting missions as my squad had been wiped out.

And when there’s no work, it’s boring.

This world has no television or computers, not even radio.

But I didn’t want to waste time with alcohol or gambling like some foolish hunters.

Even with the Order, the Saintess, and laws, the Hunting Order is essentially no different from mercenaries.

While they don’t encourage drinking or gambling, they don’t forbid it either.

It’s unavoidable for dealing with the stress of constantly life-threatening battles.

“…Maybe I’ll go to the library.”

Reading is quite a good hobby if you can read.

While illiteracy is common in this world, I at least learned to read and write bit by bit at the library during my time as an odd-jobs worker.

I left my room, wrote on the nameplate that I was going to the library, and headed there.

The Order’s library, especially the one at headquarters, is the largest in the world.

It rivals those in royal palaces or capitals.

And remarkably, anyone affiliated with the Order can enter.

While only hunters and officials can check out books, even odd-jobs workers can come in to read.

Of course, this isn’t out of kindness or welfare – there simply aren’t any rules against it because they never thought such lower-class people would come to the library.

Entering the library, the smell of old paper and ink seeping through my mask brings back nostalgia from my previous life.

Reading was my hobby before getting absorbed in Blue Paper Moon.

I gave up on returning to the original world long ago.

I don’t even know why or how I came to this world in the first place.

It would have been nice to have a convenient game status window that tells you ‘if you do this, that happens.’

I shook off the momentary nostalgia and went to find the novel series I was reading before.

But the book I wanted to read was missing from the shelf.

Did someone borrow it?

Disappointed but with no choice, I took out a different book and went to where the desks were.

There I saw Hera from administration among the readers.

Moreover, the cover of the book she was reading was the one I wanted to read.

I sat down across from Hera and read my book.

She seemed too focused on her book’s content to notice me.

Hera was also one of the NPCs you could see in Blue Paper Moon.

She was quite memorable for giving hints about hidden content and branching paths in the game, and for mysteriously disappearing – perhaps on vacation – in routes where you betray and destroy the Order.

It would be good to stay nearby and listen to what she says.

However, as I too became absorbed in my book and was starting to forget about Hera, someone approached.

“What are you two doing here?”

Crowty asked.

“Hello.”

I gave a slight bow in greeting.

“Sir Crowty? …Eek! M-Mr. Eugene…!!”

When Hera was about to cry out in surprise, I reflexively held up my index finger right in front of her mouth to quiet her.

“Ah…”

“If you’re dating, do it while on leave.”

“T-that’s not it…!”

Hera shook her head vigorously while speaking in a small voice.

Dating…

Come to think of it, I’ve never dated in this life.

Including my previous life, I’ve been single for over 30 years now.

Isn’t this quite dangerous?

Have I somehow lost that kind of desire?

In the last few years of my previous life, I only worked and played games, and in this life too, I’ve never had such luxury in 25 years.

While it couldn’t be helped realistically, this seems a bit wrong as a human being.

…I shook my head.

“What’s the point when I can’t take responsibility?”

“Huh?”

“Speaking of which, I’ve never heard about you having a lover in the 15 years I’ve been here either, Mr. Crowty.”

“Uh, well… No, I’m just too busy…”

As a hunter, you never know when you might die.

I don’t want to do something as irresponsible as potentially making a wife into a widow.

It must be the same for Crowty.

He has the setting of being a duke’s second son.

If he needed a wife, his family would immediately start searching enthusiastically.

But even in the game, there was never any mention of him having a wife or children until the end.

“A-anyway.”

Crowty cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject.

Perhaps even now his family is pressuring him to get married soon.

“You should hurry back to your room.”

“What?”

“Since you haven’t heard yet, I’ll tell you. Someone will be waiting in your room.”

Has the organizational restructuring finished and new squad members arrived?

I put the book I was reading back in its place and returned to my room.

And when I opened the door, someone was already waiting inside.

“…Hello.”

Sephira greeted.