Chapter 35: Marcel, The Ripple

“Everyone must be tired from today, so let’s call it here.”

As I stood up first, the other two followed suit.

Everyone’s probably exhausted, so it’s best to wrap things up for today.

“Mr. Marcel.”

“Yes.”

“I hope things get resolved smoothly.”

“Haha… Honestly, I’m still a bit tense right now.”

Even I, who don’t care much about others, could see that Marcel’s face was stiff.

From now on, he had to return to his guild and declare his withdrawal to the guild master.

Of course that’d be tough! Even if I were in Marcel’s shoes, I’d feel immense pressure.

“But don’t worry. I’ll do my best. If I can’t even handle this, I won’t be able to move forward.”

Ooh, he’s speaking pretty confidently. That’s a good mindset.

Still, despite saying that, Marcel’s face wasn’t bright.

“Then I’ll head off first.”

Marcel walked out looking utterly drained. I silently cheered him on from within.

Hang in there! I’ll make sure you don’t regret this!

* * *

“Hoo…”

On the way out, heading toward the guild house.

Marcel let out a heavy sigh.

‘Honestly, I could have refused the offer.’

No matter how much of a duel it was, there were only two witnesses at most.

And they were just D-Rank Hunters. Even if they talked about this duel, who would believe them?

That an A-Rank Hunter lost to a D-Rank Hunter. Everyone would dismiss it as a rumor.

But.

Even so, what moved Marcel’s heart was—

—If you hear the advice of an S-Rank Hunter master, you’ll definitely be able to grow stronger.

It was because Verdi’s casually dropped words had stuck in his mind.

Verdi had said her master was the S-Rank Hunter Yoschuko Verdiol.

‘I almost said murderer.’

You can’t exactly call that young girl’s master a murderer, can you?

At least I managed to twist it and say one of his epithets, ‘The Brute.’

If I’d uttered the word murderer, it would have definitely spiraled into an irreversible situation.

Maybe I would have lost my life to an enraged Verdi, using the insult to her master as an excuse.

After facing her directly, I could tell.

That girl’s skill was practically on par with an S-Rank Hunter.

I downplayed it during the duel because of my petty pride, but…

So it’s only natural that the Master would covet her.

At first, I doubted it, and even right after the duel, honestly, my doubts weren’t completely gone.

But after hearing the girl’s words, I finally became certain.

Why a girl who appeared out of nowhere with no notable rumors was so strong.

‘Yoschuko Verdiol…’

The reason was the existence of the girl’s master, the S-Rank Hunter Yoschuko Verdiol.

After the incident at End Cave where civilians died, he was branded a murderer and vanished.

‘To think he was raising a disciple.’

Maybe this is an opportunity.

If that young girl gained strength comparable to an S-Rank thanks to her master,

Then I, an A-Rank Hunter, might be able to rise even higher.

Moreover, that girl used the word ‘mere’ for an S-Rank Hunter.

Not only that—she called ‘Moonlight,’ hailed as the greatest and strongest Hunter of this era, ‘that bastard.’

Having that much nerve means she’s confident, right. Confident she won’t lose.

And.

‘I was saved by Verdiol before.’

Marcel recalled the time of Dark Moon.

When Apollo’s sword was aimed at his neck.

Marcel sensed death. He thought this was the end.

That was when it happened.

A flame flew in and pierced Apollo, creating an opening that allowed Marcel to break free.

—Everyone, rest assured! Senior and I are here!

Following that shout, a duo appeared.

One was a man muttering to his partner with a face full of discontent; judging by his attire, he seemed to be a mage-type Hunter.

The other was empty-handed, a man in black training clothes that made it hard to guess his type.

Only after the Dark Moon incident ended did Marcel learn who those two were.

The S-Rank Hunter Verdiol and his famous partner, also an S-Rank Hunter, Kim Jihyeok.

Thanks to those two buying time, Marcel managed to survive. In the end, though, it wasn’t them who subdued Apollo — it was Moonlight.

Anyway, because that memory came back, Marcel managed to correct himself — instead of calling Verdiol a murderer, he could at least call him a madman.

‘I want to say thank you for saving me back then, at least.’

He didn’t know how Verdiol had become a murderer, but to Marcel, he was still a benefactor.

Verdiol was a person who had reached S-Rank, the pinnacle of Hunters.

There were plenty of bad rumors because of his eccentric personality, but his legendary feat of subduing an S-Rank Gate with just two people was famous.

If someone like that became his teacher, he felt certain he could stand back up again.

No, maybe he could even rise higher than before he was broken.

The position he once dreamed of.

S-Rank Hunter.

That was why.

‘Let’s think of it as a fresh start.’

Marcel’s steps toward the Guild House were heavy, but he had no hesitation.

* * *

“…That’s everything.”

While Marcel explained everything that had happened without leaving out a single detail.

“…”

Wilhelm just blinked his eyes, not opening his mouth even once.

Gulp.

Swallowing his saliva with a nervous heart, Marcel carefully held out the resignation letter in his hand and spoke.

“…That’s how it turned out, so I think I need to leave the guild.”

The moment he finally said what he wanted to say, Marcel felt both relief and a complicated feeling.

To him, Wilhelm was like a benefactor.

Though it was a short period, Wilhelm had taken in someone with nowhere to go and, even though Marcel was just a porter, treated him equally to an A-Rank Hunter.

That was why.

“I’m sorry.”

The apology was also spoken from a feeling of betraying Wilhelm, who had been considerate of him all this time.

Wilhelm, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

Saying that.

Riiip—

“…?”

The moment he received the resignation letter Marcel handed him, Wilhelm tore it up without leaving a trace. Then, with a calm face, he said.

“It’s an expulsion.”

“Expulsion… you say?”

Marcel asked with a dumbfounded face.

There was a big difference between voluntarily leaving a guild and being expelled.

First of all, leaving on your own was like declaring you were cutting ties with the guild.

Returning to the guild was impossible.

However, with an expulsion, returning was possible.

This difference was surprisingly significant — there had been rare cases where Hunters who caused trouble using this method were expelled from the guild and then returned.

However, if the reputation of a member brought back that way was bad, the entire guild’s reputation would drop.

In fact, Marcel’s reputation couldn’t really be called good.

Though he was an A-Rank Hunter, he kept his distance from High-Rank Gates and volunteered to be a porter — who would treat him as a High-Rank Hunter?

It was the same in the guild. Marcel was merely a member of Royal Knights, and there were times he was looked down on by other guild members. Even by B-Rank Hunters, a rank lower than his own.

Marcel himself felt grateful to Wilhelm for taking him in, but he didn’t feel a sense of belonging to the guild. Just like Hermes, the guild he’d belonged to before, no matter how great the Five Great Guilds were, the moment you left, you became an outsider.

If they happened to run into each other in a dungeon, the atmosphere might be a little awkward, but Royal Knights was a guild where everyone except Deneb was a High-Rank Hunter. Since she didn’t go to the High-Rank Gates they headed to, she probably wouldn’t run into any guild members.

He even thought Wilhelm, the Guild Master, would welcome him leaving since he was practically a money-eating hippo. That way, the guild could save funds.

But expulsion?

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t help but find it strange.

“If things wrap up well, you can come back.”

“…But.”

Saying he could come back — how could he say something so carefree?

Marcel thought maybe he was dreaming right now.

“…What are you doing?”

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

So, just in case, right in front of Wilhelm’s watching eyes, he pinched his own cheek.

Feeling pain, it was clear this wasn’t a dream.

“Instead, there’s one thing I need to ask of you.”

Wilhelm stood up from his seat and turned his gaze toward the window.

“…Yes?”

At the sudden remark, Marcel’s eyes went wide.

A request? Suddenly?

“That girl — she said she was going to create a guild, didn’t she.”

“Yes…”

“Is my little sister joining that guild?”

“Probably… that’s the case.”

He said ‘probably,’ but he was certain of it.

Because Marcel had seen Deneb’s eyes light up at Verdi’s words.

“…I see.”

Wilhelm’s voice sounded heavier than before.

From that reaction, it was clear. As expected, the Master really did care for his younger sister.

That was why, even after expelling him from the guild, he kept asking about his brother’s situation.

“While you’re there, take good care of my brother.”

“Of course.”

For the first time in this conversation, Marcel answered with conviction.

Though leaving the guild would make them strangers, unlike the other guild members, Wilhelm was like a benefactor to him. The thought of turning his back on that benefactor didn’t sit well with him, so Wilhelm’s request actually made Marcel feel a bit better.

“Right, and one more thing.”

Wilhelm’s gaze turned toward the screen.

The silver-haired girl was still reflected there.

“If by any chance you can bring this girl along, make sure you do.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

It seemed Wilhelm still hadn’t given up on Verdi.

Marcel said he’d keep it in mind, but…

‘Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Master’s wish will come true…’

That was what he thought to himself.

After all, that girl treated S-Rank Hunters like they were nothing — there was no way she’d submit to someone else.

It was unthinkable.

Wilhelm sat back down.

“Well then, you may go.”

Marcel, on the other hand, rose from his seat.

“…Yes.”

The conversation with the Master, which might have been their last, came to an end.

“I’ll be waiting.”

“…Thank you for everything.”

Just before leaving the Master’s office, at Wilhelm’s words, Marcel made a vow to himself.

If everything wrapped up well, he would definitely return and repay this debt.

He clenched his fist, making a firm resolve.

And then, the moment he stepped out of the Guild Master’s office.

‘…Hm?’

Marcel’s gaze landed on a woman leaning against the wall.

A woman with red hair, clad in silver-white armor. She was staring straight at Marcel with sharp eyes.

Marcel knew who that woman was.

An A-Rank Hunter close to Rank Advancement, and one of the 1st Division members of Royal Knights.

The White Knight, Lilian Draxler.

Marcel bowed his head to Lilian.

From Marcel’s perspective, Lilian was a senior guild member.

However, Lilian and Marcel weren’t close.

Though they were both A-Rank Hunters, Lilian was a main force of the guild while Marcel was closer to a pack mule.

They’d only exchanged words very occasionally regarding work, and aside from that, they’d never even made eye contact.

So he thought there was no particular connection between them, but…

Lilian walked toward Marcel.

Thanks to the platinum-white armor she wore, a clanking sound echoed in his ears with every step she took.

When she finally got about five steps away.

‘…?’

Marcel could tell that Lilian’s face wore an expression of displeasure.

“Is something the matter?”

Feeling anxious at her expression, Marcel asked cautiously.

“What you talked about in there — is it true?”

‘What we talked about in there — was she listening?’

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Marcel couldn’t help but show a flustered expression.

“So… that’s how it is.”

Even though he hadn’t said anything yet, she muttered to herself as if she understood, then disappeared.

‘…What was that?’

He wasn’t sure, but Marcel felt an uneasy premonition from her words.