Chapter 21: We Can Meet Again Tomorrow

After we came out of the Gate, we headed straight to the Hunter Association office.

…With Mariano and his gang bound and all.

Because of that, we ended up drawing quite a bit of unintended attention when we arrived at the Association office.

I wonder if the employees inside saw this spectacle too.

“Wh-what’s all this, Verdi?”

Irene came out of the office with a startled face and asked me.

To someone who didn’t know the situation, me dragging Mariano’s gang along probably looked no different from a slave trader. Can’t blame her for being surprised.

I pointed at Mariano’s gang, who all had deflated expressions, and said.

“These guys are bandits. Lock ‘em all up.”

“…?”

At my words, Irene tilted her head with a look of not understanding.

“I’ll explain.”

I was getting annoyed anyway, but Deneb, beside me, spoke up.

“You are…”

“My name is Lucius Deneb. I was in the same party as Verdi.”

“Ah, I saw you two leaving together earlier.”

Even as she spoke, she tilted her head at ‘Lucius?’ before it seemed to click and Irene clapped her hands.

“Lucius… as in from the Royal Knights guild?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. Thank you for recognizing me.”

This girl, she really knows how to use her name.

When introducing herself to Irene, and even when she told me her name, Deneb deliberately emphasized her surname, Lucius.

Deneb probably knows this works well too.

I silently waited for Deneb’s explanation to finish.

Deneb, as we’d discussed beforehand, told her everything that happened inside.

Except she framed it as us combining our strength to barely win, not me handling it alone.

After hearing the explanation, Irene immediately called Association headquarters.

“Yes… yes… Understood.”

From eavesdropping on the conversation, it sounded like the Hunter Association headquarters staff were coming here directly.

Hmm, I hate troublesome things.

“I’m glad you’re both safe.”

Irene, who’d finished contacting them, turned back toward us and let out a sigh of relief as she spoke.

“When does the bounty come out?”

“Bounty?”

“I heard there’s a bounty for catching bandits.”

It was hard to suppress the smile that crept onto my face at the thought of getting a bounty.

Right now, my only interest was focused on that bounty.

“Bounty? Hmm… I think the people dispatched from headquarters will guide you on that.”

“When will those people get here?”

“They said they’d come soon, so they should be here shortly, right? But aren’t you two D-Rank Hunters? And I thought you only recently became ones…”

…What’s she trying to say, this woman?

“But I checked the identities of this man and the other party members, and they’re C-Rank Hunters.”

Irene’s eyes narrowed slightly as she said that.

“I’m glad you’re safe, but… how did the two of you handle it?”

Irene’s suspicion, sending us an incredulous look, was justified.

Two D-Rank Hunters not only wiped out a C-Rank bandit party, but also subjugated a C-Rank Gate’s boss.

Ugh… how do I make this convincing?

“Well, I suppose if it’s you two who showed excellent skill in the Rank Advancement Exam, you could win even against C-Rank Hunters. Deneb is Wilhelm’s younger sister, and Verdi, Luca himself said you’re an amazing kid… Go back and get some good rest when this is over.”

I was agonizing internally, but Irene, who’d briefly glanced at Deneb, spoke as if she’d convinced herself and went back to the reception desk.

‘Thank god she didn’t ask more.’

I shifted my gaze to Deneb beside me.

The reason Irene suddenly said that was probably because of Deneb.

I’ve been through life-threatening crises many times, so I’m used to situations like this.

But today was Deneb’s first time, and her face still showed she hadn’t relaxed.

Seeing her like that must have made her feel sorry for her and not want to pry further.

‘Anyway, when are the headquarters people coming.’

Before I knew it, the sun had set and the sky had grown dark.

I want to go back to my lodging and rest already.

Then, as my gaze naturally turned to Deneb.

A brilliant idea came to mind.

“Hey, Deneb.”

“Yes?”

“Can I head out first? I’m kinda tired today.”

“Huh, suddenly?”

“I’m asking you a favor. You collect the money for me instead.”

“Collect the money…?”

Hearing my words, Deneb scratched her cheek and let out an awkward laugh.

Hmm, was that phrasing a bit off?

“I mean, I can… but what do I tell those people?”

Deneb, with a face that said she had no choice, asked me in a small voice.

“You’re the one who took down Mariano’s gang and the boss, Verdi.”

“Say you did it.”

“Huh?!”

“That’d be more convincing, wouldn’t it?”

If I said I took them down, it’d obviously cause more annoying trouble.

Reporters would swarm me with questions, and people would flood me with offers to join their guilds or parties.

Wasn’t that what happened during the Rank Advancement Exam, too?

But if I say Deneb took them down?

Deneb is the younger sister of S-Rank Hunter Lucius Wilhelm.

They’d think, ‘Like brother, like sibling.’

Plus, Deneb already has a guild.

Royal Knights is one of the top Five Great Guilds in the country.

Who’d dare try to recruit someone from a guild like that?

“You promised me, remember? You said you’d keep it secret. If you want to do that, you’ve got no choice.”

“Alright…”

She looked pretty worn out, but I’ll just ask for this one favor. She owes me her life, after all.

“Well then, see you tomorrow.”

“We’re meeting tomorrow too?”

What the hell, why’s she suddenly questioning that?

…Don’t tell me she’s trying to hog the bounty for herself?

Is this bastard crazy?

“Sounds good!”

“You weren’t thinking of taking the bounty alone—”

“No, no, what are you saying? I’m just happy I get to see Verdi again tomorrow.”

“…Right.”

Ugh, jeez, that gave me goosebumps. She’s not a guy, she’s a girl — why’s she acting like that with another girl?

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. Get home safe.”

At Deneb’s farewell, I turned around and answered by waving my hand.

“Hey, Verdi!”

After I’d walked a bit, I heard Deneb calling out to me.

Curious what it was this time, I glanced back slightly.

“Thank you so much for today! See you tomorrow!”

I saw Deneb, her face beaming with a smile, waving her hand.

Maybe it was because I now clearly recognized her as a woman, but the sight was oddly cute.

“…Yeah.”

I muttered quietly toward Deneb.

*

Deneb was left alone in the office after Verdi left, but her face was still full of smiles.

At first, she’d felt tired and troubled at the thought of dealing with the Association people alone, but hearing Verdi’s words had cleared all that up.

‘I can see her again tomorrow…’

Back when she’d been turned down before, Deneb had thought getting any closer to Verdi was impossible.

But after all those twists and turns, they’d formed a party, helped each other out, and even said they’d meet tomorrow.

‘I’ll get closer, little by little. If I do that…’

Surely, she’d be able to reunite with Verdiol too.

Verdi had said she was Verdiol’s disciple, and it seemed they were still in contact.

Deneb had been searching for hyung-nim, who’d vanished without a word.

Her approach to Verdi had been to find clues about hyung-nim from the start.

If she could meet hyung-nim again…

‘I’ll ask why first.’

Why she’d suddenly disappeared without a word.

And…

‘What happened inside that Gate back then, too.’

She wanted to know the truth about the incident where a civilian who’d been with hyung-nim entered an S-Rank Gate and lost their life inside.

Deneb firmly believed that Verdiol wasn’t the culprit.

There was no way the person who’d saved her from the Demon Beasts would do something like that.

If she could learn the truth, she would definitely help hyung-nim clear the false accusations — Deneb vowed to herself once more.

‘But what do I tell my hyung-nim?’

She meant the other older brother.

This incident would reach Wilhelm’s ears too.

Deneb sank into thought with a serious expression.

She’d survived a C-Rank Gate.

She’d formed a connection with Verdi.

And most importantly, she’d found a clue about Verdiol.

Everything was going smoothly, but one thing weighed on Deneb’s mind at the end: Wilhelm.

Wilhelm hyung-nim would definitely bring up Verdi’s story and grill her for every detail of what happened.

Deneb had no confidence she could deceive Wilhelm. Just by looking at her expression, her older brother could see right through whatever she was thinking.

How could she fool him?

It was around the time she was mulling over that problem.

“Are you Lucius Deneb?”

Hearing a voice addressing her, Deneb turned her head.

Two tall men in suits were approaching Deneb.

“Ah, yes. I’m Deneb.”

“We’re from the Association. Could you explain what happened inside?”

Showing their badges as they asked, Deneb explained the events that had taken place.

“It was really tough, I tell you…! If I weren’t Wilhelm hyung-nim’s younger sibling and didn’t have our family’s talent, I’d definitely have been killed by those people!”

However, unlike what actually happened, Deneb stated, as Verdi had instructed, that she had taken down the bandits herself and even subjugated the dungeon’s boss.

“You’ve been through a lot. We’re glad you’re safe.”

Since the employees of the Association were well aware of Wilhelm’s name, they quickly began to soothe Deneb.

If anything happened to Deneb, the younger sister of a guild master from one of the Five Great Guilds, it was obvious Wilhelm wouldn’t stay quiet.

“We’ll take these people in for a detailed interrogation. There must be other victims besides you, Deneb.”

“I hope you’ll make a proper example of them so these bandits don’t run rampant.”

This was Deneb’s first time dealing with something like this, so she spoke with emotion. If it hadn’t been for Verdi, she really would have died. Recalling the moment she was taken hostage by Mariano sent chills down her spine.

“Um, by the way, Deneb.”

“Yes?”

“We heard you had a companion… Where is that person now?”

“Ah, well…”

They were talking about Verdi!

“She seemed to have suffered severe psychological damage from today’s events, so I sent her home first.”

Deneb made up the excuse without much difficulty.

In truth, the one who’d suffered psychological damage wasn’t Verdi, but herself.

“Understood. We’ll contact you again as soon as we have results.”

“Um, excuse me…”

When the employees seemed about to leave with Mariano and his gang, Deneb asked cautiously.

“Is there… no bounty?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, there isn’t? If not, that’s fine! It’s okay!”

Seeing the employees’ puzzled faces, Deneb quickly tried to cover it up.

She felt embarrassed after saying it. This made her look like someone obsessed with money…

Sorry, Verdi, but if they don’t offer it willingly, I’ll just have to brush it off, Deneb thought.

“If this much is okay.”

At that moment, the employee on the left pulled a small envelope from his breast pocket and held it out to Deneb, who had a deflated expression.

“Hey, that’s your bonus for this month.”

The employee on the right said in a bewildered voice.

That voice reached Deneb’s ears too.

“Ah… it’s fine—”

Deneb quickly waved her hand, feeling like she was doing something unnecessary.

“Please take it.”

The employee smiled and pressed the envelope into Deneb’s hand.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

The left-side employee nodded.

Deneb accepted the envelope with a word of thanks.

“Well, I’ll be going then…”

As Deneb left with an awkward smile, the two Association employees bowed their heads.

Once Deneb disappeared from sight, the right-side employee, Garcia, let out a sigh.

“That was your hard-earned money. How could you just give it away like that?”

“If this ends here, we’re getting off cheap.”

“Getting off cheap?”

At Luis’s unexpected remark, Garcia asked back with a puzzled expression.

“If this incident gets reported up the chain, do you think the Royal Knights will stay quiet? As far as I know, the guild master of the Royal Knights dotes on his younger sibling. If she’d been found dead, he wouldn’t just go after the bandits—he’d hold the Association, which arranged this raid, responsible too. It’s a huge relief she’s safe. And right now, the Association is desperate for help from the Five Great Guilds. So it’s best we settle this at our level.”

“Tch, those damn Five Great Guilds… Yeah, you’re right.”

Garcia was immediately convinced by Luis’s explanation.

The Hunter Association was currently facing a crisis.

Hunters affiliated with guilds received far better treatment and earned much more than those who became civil servants under the Association.

As a result, the Association’s power had weakened considerably, to the point where handling even a single High-Rank Gate was a struggle.

With public approval ratings in freefall, they couldn’t afford to make enemies of the large guilds.

“If only that mage were still around right now…”

Luis sighed and muttered.

“A mage? You don’t mean that madman, do you?”

“Yeah… even that bastard would be welcome right now.”

“Good thing you didn’t say that in front of anyone else.”

Garcia’s eyes narrowed.

When Hunters thought of a mage, only one person came to mind.

S-Rank Hunter Yoschuko Verdiol. Commonly known as the Madman.

He was someone who would do anything for money.

Because he operated freely without being tied to any guild, the Association frequently hired him, and he always performed beyond expectations.

The legendary feat of closing an S-Rank Gate alone was a secret request the Association had made to Verdiol.

The subjugation operation, launched on the faint hope that maybe he could pull it off, had ended in astonishing success.

Back then, they had firmly believed that Yoschuko Verdiol would become the strongest asset the Association could deploy.

But…

Not long after, that incident happened.

A non-hunter civilian died inside an S-Rank Gate.

The exact details were unknown, but he readily admitted his guilt.

As a result, the mage’s title changed from Madman to Murderer, and he was socially buried.

Luis missed those days. If Verdiol were still active now, they wouldn’t have to tiptoe around the big guilds.

“I know. I’m just grasping at straws here.”

“Still, be careful. Defending a murderer won’t get you any good press. Let’s just take these guys back quickly.”

“Yeah.”

The transport vehicle carrying Mariano and his gang started its engine.