Chapter 77: Glare

“Hey, Glare, what the hell are you thinking?”

I asked because I couldn’t believe she’d given away her identity so easily.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m asking why you’d reveal yourself so easily! Are you trying to pull some trick?!”

“Hold on, hold on, Ms. Verdi, I think you’d better calm down. People are watchin’.”

At Hames’ words, I flinched and looked around. Sure enough, even in this sparsely populated café, my shouting had drawn annoyed looks from the customers and staff alike.

“Ahem… Sorry.”

After apologizing and sitting back down, I glared at Glare again. She let out a small sigh and spoke slowly.

“I’m the type to admit what I need to admit and accept what I need to accept quickly. That’s how you survive in this society.”

“So?”

“I just realized that, with all my cards on the table, this is the best I can do.”

“You could’ve resisted.”

“Even if I did, I can’t beat you with my skill.”

“…”

At her choice of address, I narrowed my eyes and stared at her.

“Hmm… should I call you that now? Murderer?”

“You bitch.”

My anger gauge shot up instantly, and the curse slipped out.

“…That was a joke.”

Glare cleared her throat as she spoke. There are things you say and things you don’t.

‘Tch… if this woman knows who I am, does that mean everyone behind her knows my identity too?’

No, that can’t be right. If they did, they would’ve blackmailed me by now. Besides, Jihyeok and Vasquez, who I’ve run into the most, didn’t seem to have a clue who I was.

Did Mateo tell them? No, that’s unlikely too. If he had, he would’ve told me already. Mateo might look like a crazy cult leader on the outside, but he’s been upfront with information with me. If I assume he’s on my side, he would’ve mentioned Glare’s existence too.

So then, it’s highly likely this woman figured out my identity at some point. I don’t know when, though.

“What are you two talkin’ about?”

I was deep in thought when Hames asked, looking utterly confused.

“Murderer…? I’ve had a vague feelin’ Ms. Verdi wasn’t ordinary for a while, but I don’t understand a word you two are sayin’…”

This guy… he really doesn’t know about my identity. He might’ve sensed I’m different from ordinary Hunters, but he doesn’t seem to know the truth.

“You don’t need to know. Acting guild master.”

“Man, keepin’ secrets from me, that’s a bit disappointin’.”

“…Acting guild master?”

“Didn’t you know? This person, despite how he looks, is our guild’s acting master.”

Glare answered my question readily.

“That’s right.”

Hames pointed his thumb at himself and puffed up. The sight made me instinctively frown.

Anyway, so you were the acting master. That explains how you could grant proxy authority.

“No wonder. I guess that’s why people followed you even though you look so unreliable.”

“You sure talk recklessly.”

“Still, without Sir Hames, Crescent would’ve collapsed long ago, right?”

“Huh, really?”

A weirdo like this was the reason one of the Five Great Guilds, Crescent, hadn’t collapsed?

“Well, there are circumstances I can’t talk about.”

As he said that, Hames’ face looked somehow darker than usual.

I didn’t ask further about those circumstances. It’s none of my business anyway.

“So, Miss Verdi, what exactly are you? Durin’ the A-Rank Gate, you disappeared all of a sudden. Don’t tell me you took down the boss…”

“Excuse me, I’m a D-Rank Hunter.”

“Even after comin’ this far, you’re still hidin’ it… There’s no way that dimwit Marcel caught the boss.”

“If you’re going to argue that way, Sir Hames, you haven’t shared your guild’s situation either.”

“If Ms. Verdi reveals her identity, I’m willin’ to explain too.”

“I don’t think that’ll happen. Anyway, Ms. Glare.”

Hames kept derailing the conversation.

“Yes.”

“First… I’m curious why you joined that group and why you helped that guy.”

“Didn’t you see?”

“See what?”

“The kids at home.”

At those words, I recalled the children in Glare’s house. There must have been at least seven of them, and one thing they all had in common was that they all obeyed Glare well.

“Those children are treasures to me that I wouldn’t trade for anything in this world.”

“…So you were being threatened?”

“…That’s right.”

Glare said, her face darkening.

“Can’t you just report them somewhere or hand them over?”

“You’ve dealt with them too, so you know, don’t you? Handing them over won’t solve anything. I’m uneasy unless they’re by my side, and there might be someone colluding with them.”

“…I see.”

“More than anything.”

Glare glanced around to check if anyone was watching, then spoke in a low voice.

“Those children aren’t ordinary kids.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Three years ago, there was a big incident.”

…Three years ago?

At the familiar word, my eyebrow twitched.

“End Cave. You probably know it too. It’s a name you can’t forget.”

“…I know it.”

The S-Rank Gate that drove me to ruin, and still remains unconquered, an impregnable fortress.

“They’re children found inside there.”

“…?”

I was speechless at the unexpected revelation.

“Weren’t those kids your own younger siblings? Why would children be in a Gate?”

It was Hames who asked that question instead of me. Glare nodded and continued.

“I don’t know that either. But I can guess.”

“Guess?”

“…Experiments using human subjects.”

“…”

Right after Glare’s words, we were silent for a few seconds.

“Ha, hahaha…”

It was Hames’ hollow laugh that broke the silence first.

“So, Glare… you secretly took those unknown kids found in the Gate and kept them under your wing, is that it…”

“…Yes.”

When Hames asked in a trembling voice, Glare readily admitted it.

“…All those times you left early or skipped out because of something.”

“I had no choice, I had to take care of the kids. Same with this A-Rank Gate.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I’m sorry, but the only ones who know about those children are me… and the leader of another ‘group’ I belong to.”

“Group? Glare, are you in a double guild?”

A faint anger crept into Hames’ voice.

Double guild.

It’s a strictly forbidden act under current law, meaning belonging to two or more guilds. Normally, identity can be verified through Artifacts, so it’s almost always caught, but considering the people in Glare’s group are all big shots, forging that kind of thing might not be difficult.

“…It’s not a guild. More than anything, the side I’m truly loyal to is Crescent. I know you probably won’t believe me even if I say this, Sir Hames.”

“…”

Hames didn’t respond to Glare’s explanation. He eventually sat down with a subtle expression.

“…So, Ms. Glare, what is it you want from us?”

“When I joined the group, I told her what I wanted. That if I could keep these children hidden from the public, I would obey willingly. It’s the same now. Because I know your identity, I can be sure, Ms. Verdi. That you are stronger than Karelin.”

“…So, in exchange for protecting those kids, you’ll tell us everything you know?”

“That’s right.”

…Should I be happy about this? I guess it means I’m being acknowledged.

“…Does the leader of that group know my identity?”

“Not yet. I’m sure of that. But there’s a high chance they’ll find out soon.”

“Soon?”

“It’s just my guess, but the person who attacked Mr. Luca’s inn is probably someone from the group.”

“I think so too.”

Besides, Mr. Luca never did anything to make anyone hate him. Except for those bastards who didn’t pay back their debts.

“But as you know, Kim Jihyeok… that guy wouldn’t attack Mr. Luca, given his personality.”

“Kim Jihyeok? Why does his name come up here?”

“Jihyeok is also part of the group Glare’s talking about.”

This time, I answered Hames’ question. After all, he did help me out.

“And Jihyeok and Mr. Luca don’t have that bad a relationship. Besides, the Jihyeok I know isn’t the type to mess with people he’s close to.”

He did beat the shit out of me, but maybe he was convinced in his own way too.

That I wasn’t someone who’d just take it lying down.

“You talk like you know him pretty damn well.”

Hames said that, but I ignored him.

“…Before we talk, let me confirm one thing first. Can you protect my precious younger siblings from them?”

“Before that, I’ve got one to ask too.”

“What is it?”

“They’re not even your real siblings. Those kids were found inside a Gate, and you don’t even know what they really are. So why are you raising them in secret instead of reporting them to the authorities?”

“…That’s because I had no choice. I don’t know what that woman Karelin might do.”

“Human experimentation, maybe?”

At Hames’ words, Glare slowly nodded.

‘…Human experimentation, huh.’

In my opinion, I think Glare was trying to protect those kids from Karelin.

She said they were kids found in a Gate. If that’s the case, there’s a high probability that Karelin was the one who teleported them there in the first place. After all, she’s the only one who can use that ability.

Glare’s actions might have been the right call. Even if she sent those kids somewhere safe, Karelin would just use her power to teleport them again, making it all pointless. There might be a commotion over their disappearance, but as time passed, things would quiet down again. Or, like with the Earth Dragon, she’d just eliminate everyone involved.

Karelin is more than capable of that kind of thing. She teleported people into Gates without a second thought and let them all die.

The only way Glare could protect those kids was to stay on Karelin’s side.

Finishing my thoughts, I spoke slowly.

“…Fine. But in return, you have to tell me everything you know about them.”

“Understood.”

The negotiation finally ended, and Glare began her explanation.

“First, the group has a total of eleven members, but two of them I’ve never seen even once since joining.”

Eleven members. Excluding Glare and Mateo, that makes nine. Among them, two are Jihyeok and Vasquez.

So besides Karelin, there are still six more out there.

…That’s a fucking lot.

“The leader is a woman named Karelin. Her ability is teleportation. She can use magic to teleport a target anywhere she wants.”

“There’s a woman who can use magic like that?!”

Hames said in a shocked voice, but I just listened calmly. I already knew that information anyway.

“…And.”

Her gaze slowly turned toward Hames.

“…This is just my speculation.”

“Betrayal?”

Just as that word made both me and Hames raise our eyebrows, Glare spoke slowly.

“The guild master of Crescent is also highly likely to be a member of this group.”