Chapter 17 – D-Rank Hunter, Yoschua Verdi

Chapter 14: D-Rank Hunter, Yoschua Verdi

The next morning, inside the Hunter Association office.

I scowled instinctively at the list of successful candidates posted on the bulletin board.

—Yoschua Verdi

My name was written at the very top of the list.

‘Why am I at the top?’

This makes me way too conspicuous.

I turned my head and quietly scanned the inside of the office.

A few people’s gazes were fixed on me.

“Hoo…”

I turned my head back toward the bulletin board and let out a heavy sigh.

I’ve said it many times, but I don’t want public attention.

Yesterday alone was hard enough to bear.

The countless flashes going off and the barrage of questions pouring down on me.

Memories I’d wanted to forget from the past resurfaced, and they felt like they were choking me.

Good thing Mr. Luca showed up…

‘It’ll get buried in about a week anyway.’

Just hold on a little longer.

Unless it’s an excessively huge incident, these kinds of issues tend to fade quickly.

Yeah, unless it’s an excessively huge incident…

“Excuse me…!”

That was when I heard an androgynous voice from behind.

I turned my head slightly and saw a boy wearing a hood staring at me.

“I saw you taking the exam yesterday. You were really amazing…”

The boy said that as he approached and pulled back his hood in front of me.

Then, navy blue short hair and gray eyes were revealed, along with an androgynous appearance.

With a face around my age and quite cute, it was hard to tell if he was male or female.

I tilted my head as if curious while carefully examining the boy’s body, and something on his left wrist caught my eye.

An Artifact. That means this kid is a Hunter too.

That was a bit unexpected. The boy looked at most around my age…

Wait, his face looks familiar somehow.

Where was it? I can’t quite remember…

“Ah, I’m Deneb.”

‘Deneb?’

The moment I heard the name, I could recall it.

That I knew this boy from before.

And not just briefly, but for quite a long time.

“Lucius Deneb. Nice to meet you.”

What an incredible coincidence.

Since I hadn’t seen him in quite a while, I didn’t recognize him at first glance.

Well, the incident happened about three years ago.

After I quit being a Hunter, I was extremely reluctant to meet anyone.

‘He’s already grown this much since I last saw him…’

I’d seen him before — back when my body hadn’t changed yet.

There was a Dungeon Break incident where Demon Beasts inside a Gate burst out, and I saved him when he got caught up in it.

I even got a ton of compensation from this kid’s brother, calling me his sibling’s savior.

“You’re Verdi, right? I saw you at the Rank Advancement Exam.”

“…”

I quietly nodded.

He said he saw me taking the exam, so he must have heard my name there.

“I also advanced to D-Rank Hunter this time.”

Advanced?

That was a bit surprising.

When I met him before, I thought he was a non-Awakened One.

I guess it’s because he’s the younger sibling of an S-Rank Hunter?

“Um…”

Deneb stared at me, fidgeting as if he had something to say. When I tilted my head at that attitude, he finally spoke up as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I was hoping you could say at least one word to me…”

“Ah.”

I let out a small sigh. Come to think of it, I was the only one not talking.

“Thank you.”

“…”

Ah, I only said one word and I’m getting thanked for it.

“Um, if it’s alright with you… would you like to party with me?”

It was a question asked cautiously, but —

I immediately shook my head firmly.

“Wh-What? Why?”

Was the refusal without even a hint of hesitation that shocking?

I could see Deneb making a sulky face.

It looked less like he’d been rejected for a party and more like he’d confessed and been turned down.

…Not that I’ve ever confessed or been confessed to.

More than that, seeing that expression suddenly reminded me of something from the past.

—Hey, hyung-nim!

—What. And you already have your own brother, you know.

—That doesn’t matter. Please teach me magic!

—Magic? You’re just a brat. Go drink your milk first.

Why did I say something so insane to a kid who wasn’t even ten years old back then?

I suddenly felt like kicking a wall.

…For the record, Deneb actually cried when he heard that.

“I prefer being alone.”

Anyway, since my appearance is different now, I couldn’t say the same thing as back then, so I softened it as much as possible.

“But going into a Gate alone is dangerous…”

“You took the exam too, so you know. I don’t need your help.”

To Deneb, who was speaking timidly, I answered with a blank expression.

Whether he finally gave up or not, Deneb answered with a weak “Y-yes…” and left.

Thinking about our past connection, I felt a little sorry, but it couldn’t be helped.

If I don’t come on strong from the start, he’ll keep bothering me.

I have no intention of forming a party with anyone else.

First of all, D-Rank dungeons are a joke. The profit is pitiful compared to when I was an S-Rank Hunter.

But if I have party members, I’d have to split the income in half. That’s ridiculous!

The reason I partied with Moras last time was because it was my first time going into a Gate after my body changed, and I was being cautious, but not anymore.

‘Time to get going.’

Checking the time, there wasn’t long left until the scheduled entry time for the D-Rank Gate.

*

Deneb, who had been weakly watching Verdi’s back as she left the Association office, let out a low sigh.

‘This isn’t what I intended.’

Originally, I wasn’t trying to suggest a party. I wanted to ask where she learned that kind of magic.

If hyung-nim, Verdiol hyung-nim’s name came up, I wanted to ask about his recent situation too.

But I couldn’t.

The moment he saw the girl’s face up close for the first time, Deneb felt his heart pounding.

She was a beautiful girl. So much so that it felt like the goddess of beauty herself had descended into the human world!

He had never seen such a beautiful girl before. The cause was that he fell for her at first sight, and without realizing it, words he hadn’t intended to say slipped out.

‘Haah…’

It was the moment Deneb let out another sigh.

Zzzing-

A vibration was felt from the Artifact on his wrist.

Wondering who it was, Deneb placed his hand on the Artifact and the connection was made.

“Hello…?”

—It’s me.

“…!”

The moment he heard the voice, Deneb’s face turned pale.

“H-hyung-nim…!”

There are exactly two people Deneb calls hyung-nim.

One is Yoschuko Verdiol — the hero who saved him, and his teacher.

And the other is—

—Can you spare some time today?

The owner of the voice he was hearing now.

The guild master of the Royal Knights guild and an S-Rank Hunter.

His own older brother, Lucius Wilhelm.

Hyung-nim, who usually never even contacts him, let alone crosses paths at the guild, suddenly?

“I’ll be right there…!”

Deneb quickly got up from his seat and headed to the meeting place.

The place he arrived at was the Royal Knights guild house.

As befitting the guild house of one of the Five Great Guilds, the most prestigious in the country, an incredibly splendid and magnificent building came into Deneb’s view.

Gulp.

Arriving with a nervous feeling, Deneb swallowed his saliva in front of the door.

Although Deneb was a Hunter belonging to Royal Knights, he felt like he was stepping onto unfamiliar ground.

When was the last time he visited the guild house? He couldn’t even remember well.

“Oh, Little Master! Long time no see!”

As he entered, several Hunters who recognized Deneb greeted him.

“Uh, yeah.”

Deneb forced an awkward smile and accepted the greetings.

The title ‘Little Master’ wasn’t very pleasant for Deneb.

He was afraid of being compared to his brother by people.

Because his older brother was an S-Rank Hunter known to everyone, while he was just a greenhorn who had just become a D-Rank Hunter.

“What brings you here today?”

“…Hyung-nim called for me.”

At the word ‘hyung-nim,’ everyone’s gaze changed.

“This way.”

Guided by a guild member, Deneb arrived in front of a door with ‘Master’s Room’ written on the top.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks.”

Deneb let out a sigh to calm his nerves before opening the door.

But the pounding of his heart wouldn’t stop.

Was meeting his older brother really this nerve-wracking?

—Come in.

“…!”

He hadn’t even knocked yet, but his older brother’s voice came from beyond the door.

As expected, hyung-nim was hyung-nim. Reading the presence of a visitor from a place he couldn’t even see.

“…Yes.”

As he carefully opened the door, he saw a man inside with the same navy-blue hair as his own.

Dressed in a crisp suit, he carried the weight of his position as guild master, yet he looked quite young.

His sharp features and eyes that exuded a decadent beauty were enough to pressure anyone just by looking at them.

He was the guild master of Royal Knights and an S-Rank Hunter.

Lucius Wilhelm.

“You’re here.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

It was the moment “hyung-nim” reflexively slipped from Deneb’s lips.

He saw Wilhelm’s eyes narrow.

“Ah, I’m sorry… Master.”

Catching on quickly, Deneb corrected his address with an apology.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

Wilhelm pointed to a chair in front of the guild master’s seat.

Deneb sat as instructed, but he would have rather stood.

Being told to sit surely meant he was in for a long talk.

“I heard you passed the Rank Advancement Exam.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Congratulations.”

“…? Thank you…”

A look of confusion bloomed on Deneb’s face.

Because he never expected his older brother to congratulate him like this.

The unexpected praise brought him a moment of joy, but it was very brief.

“But I have a favor to ask of you.”

Of course.

The younger brother knew well that his older brother wouldn’t have called him just to offer congratulations.

“Take a look at this.”

What Wilhelm indicated with his gaze was a large screen on the left.

Then, as he operated the terminal in his hand, a video began to play.

Deneb, who had been anxiously wondering what video he was about to be shown, saw a familiar scene appear.

‘This is…’

A sight he had already seen countless times.

It was the video of Yoschua Verdi’s Rank Advancement Exam.

‘Beautiful…’

Every time Deneb watched Verdi’s advancement exam video, he felt something new.

The girl, who had forged a sword out of mana, crushed the Mandragora in a single blow.

Though she was clearly a magic-type Hunter, the girl in the video looked like a swordsman who had surpassed a certain level.

…But why was hyung-nim showing me this video?

“I hear you were in the same exam venue as this girl.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“You know what I’m getting at, don’t you?”

“…No. I’m not sure I do.”

Deneb had already caught on, but he feigned ignorance on purpose.

Because he realized his hyung-nim was about to ask a difficult favor.

But it wouldn’t matter.

“Fine. Then I’ll cut straight to the point.”

Because his older brother also knew that his younger brother would comply with his request.

“Bring that girl to our guild.”

…What?