Becoming a Hunter in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 2: God Knows (2)

Before long, the boy—Elwin—arrived at his destination.

Swishhhh—

A coastal cliff, offering a sweeping view of the vast sky and sea.

Though the area remained dim in the lingering twilight, there was an unmistakable sense of liberation in the open space.

“Hoo, ha.”

Elwin took a deep breath. It was like someone breathing in clean air for the first time after living in a dust-filled world.

Step, step.

He walked slowly toward the edge of the cliff.

[Noel Halo Krieger]

There stood a small tombstone.

Elwin approached the gravestone and sank to the ground before it.

“It’s been a while, Noel. Have you been well? I’m sorry I couldn’t come more often.”

He gently stroked the gravestone as if greeting an old friend, then pulled out a few items from the bag he had brought.

A bottle of wine and two cups.

“I figured you’d prefer alcohol over flowers or food. And I’m an adult now, so I can finally have a drink with you, right?”

Glug, glug. Elwin poured wine into both cups, setting one in front of the gravestone.

“Cheers.”

He held the other himself and clinked it lightly.

“...Ugh.”

He emptied the wine in one go and grimaced.

“I really don’t get why you liked alcohol so much. You used to say I’d understand once I became an adult, but… it just tastes bad…”

Elwin grumbled, almost like he was sulking, but he didn’t stop drinking.

He drank and poured, over and over again.

“...Ah, this is the last glass.”

He shook the bottle into the empty cup, getting out the last few drops, and looked out over the far ocean. For a while, only the waves echoed in the still silence.

As he downed the final glass, Elwin finally opened his mouth quietly.

“Noel, if you’re up there in heaven… then you already know what I’m trying to do. You’d probably want to stop me, right? Since you hate blood.”

Clack!

Elwin set the glass down hard, almost like he was throwing it, and his eyes rippled sharply.

“But it’s too late now. If you wanted to stop me… you should’ve stayed alive.”

With eyes now gently closed, Elwin spoke again—his voice cold as the dead of winter.

“It begins now, Noel. The revenge for you…”

A terrifyingly cold smile formed on the boy’s fair face.

It was a smile as sharp as a well-honed blade.

His sword would strike only the ones who deserved it.

“So you won’t be lonely in heaven… I’ll send them to keep you company.”

Whether it was the one who murdered you or the bystanders who stood by and did nothing—none would be spared.

“I will…!”

Just then—

Dee-dee-dee— Dee-dee-dee—

An old-fashioned ringtone suddenly shattered the tense atmosphere.

“Ah.”

Elwin let out a sheepish chuckle as he fumbled in his clothes and pulled out a rectangular communication device. A Nexion. A fusion of mobile phone and chat window from his previous life, it was a modern invention in this world.

In an instant, his expression softened like that of a gentle child. The ominous aura he had just exuded had vanished without a trace.

If someone had witnessed Elwin at this moment, they’d have been stunned by how quickly he switched personalities.

“Hello, this is Elwin—”

[Elwin, you idiot!]

A booming middle-aged man’s roar made Elwin briefly pull the Nexion away from his ear.

“Aha! That impatient voice! It is you, Pan!”

[It is you, Pan…? Elwin, do you have no respect for your elders?!]

“Come on, I’m super respectful. It’s just you, Pan, who gets the ‘elder treatment.’ Feel special?”

[You little—!]

Elwin pulled the Nexion away from his ear again.

“Sorry, Pan. I was just kidding! So, what’s up?”

[I called to make sure you haven’t forgotten your schedule next month!]

“...Pan. What do you take me for? Of course I didn’t forget. You still see me as a kid… but I’m a full-grown adult now. And a Hunter, too.”

Elwin pouted and whined like a child.

“A month from now. Central Island, Mediale! I told you I wouldn’t forget. I’ll be there on time. Don’t you trust me?”

[Hmph! If I believed you, I’d turn into an elf.]

“But you’re a dwarf, Pan…”

Elwin replied, clearly exasperated.

“Geez, I said I wouldn’t forget.”

[You think this is the first time I’ve seen you forget your main goal while running off to meddle in unnecessary stuff?!]

“But I’ve got Nahr with me now. If you don’t trust me, at least trust Nahr. He’s thorough, isn’t he?”

Pan’s grumpy voice came through the Nexion again.

[Nahr? What good is that guy? He’s too soft on you and just lets you do whatever you want! …No, wait, it’s worse. When you two get together, you just make everything worse!]

“Ah, haha… That might be true.”

[Might be—?! You brat! Spare a thought for this dwarf who always has to clean up your messes. Ugh, humans like you are gonna be the death of me!]

Elwin let out an awkward laugh, and Pan followed with a sincere warning.

[Don’t go around meddling in everything. Or better yet, just stop altogether.]

But that was something Elwin could never do.

—Hey kid, are you okay?

He remembered a rough-looking man reaching out to him when he was little. A scarred, dirty, dust-covered hand.

But… it had been warm.

In a cruel world where no one ever helped—that hand had reached out in genuine kindness.

Even now, years later, Elwin still looked up to that.

He could never become Noel… but maybe—just maybe—he could at least imitate him.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work. I’ve got the power to help now. I can’t just look away, can I? And it’s not even that hard. …Still, I’ll tone it down for now. I’ve got things I need to do.”

[...Tch! That Noel left you with a terrible habit.]

Elwin smiled bitterly.

“But thanks to that meddling… I’m here right now. If Noel hadn’t saved me back then, I’d definitely be dead.”

[...Ah, I… I’m sorry.]

Pan offered a swift apology in response to those words.

He realized that his words might have come across as disrespectful.

“It’s fine! I know what you really meant, Pan.”

A brief silence passed between the two.

Even now, after all these years, the name ‘Noel’ was still a wound that hadn’t fully healed—for both Elwin and Pan.

“You know this mission is a special one for me too.”

Elwin, unlike the other Special-Class Hunters who were required to remain stationed on a continent, was based at the Hunter Headquarters on Central Island and occasionally dispatched across the continents for missions.

This trip was one such assignment.

“Since I’m supposed to wipe out the villain syndicates under Familia and bring back proof of their crimes… you said the Hunter Association would support my revenge. You haven’t forgotten, right? Mr. Chairman?”

Elwin asked playfully, and the man on the other end of the call—his longtime acquaintance and the Chairman of the World Hunter Association, Pan Tveron—snapped back.

[Of course not! A dwarf doesn’t speak twice with the same mouth!]

“I believe you. That’s why I’ll make sure this mission succeeds.”

Familia, the group behind Noel’s death, was far too powerful for Elwin to take down alone.

Elwin was a strong Hunter, but no amount of personal strength could overcome sheer numbers. And the Familia boss and his inner circle were formidable foes, even by Elwin’s standards.

He had judged it rationally. To avenge Noel, support from the Association was essential.

In that sense, Pan’s offer had been an appealing one.

He had promised the Association’s full support if Elwin succeeded, and the mission itself had suited Elwin perfectly:

—To annihilate the syndicates under Familia.

As a mafia-like organization, Familia was extremely hierarchical and connected to many subgroups.

There were undoubtedly secret allies and collaborators as well.

Which meant, in other words, that there were countless shields protecting the boss and his lieutenants.

Not bad.

Indeed, it was a perfect chance to sever Familia’s limbs.

Elwin gave a faint, chilly smile.

[…Still, you haven’t forgotten, right? No matter how skilled you and Nahrhan are, there are only two of you. The number of groups you need to wipe out is huge, and above all—Familia is—]

“A powerful enemy. I know. Better than anyone else in the world.”

[…Elwin, honestly, I still think you—]

Before Pan could stammer out his sentence, Elwin cut him off. He didn’t need to hear the rest to know what Pan was going to say.

“That’s why I’m going to recruit some comrades first!”

He changed the subject with a cheerful voice.

“It’s about time I gathered my own team, don’t you think? Just like the other Special-Class Hunters. I need to build a dedicated squad—this mission too, and for the future as well.”

[…Well, ahem! Want me to set you up with a few good ones?]

“No need. I’ve already got a few people in mind. One of them is nearby, actually… I’ll scout them right away and introduce them to you next month!”

[…Is this someone you can really trust?]

“Of course.”

Elwin kept the rest to himself: Because he’s the “protagonist” of this world.

That was something he couldn’t say to anyone.

Instead, he offered another explanation.

“I was just about to head out. He’s a mercenary, so I have to hurry if I don’t want to miss him.”

[I see. Then go. …Ah, wait. One more thing, I almost forgot—Elwin.]

“Yes?”

[Next time you go to visit Noel, don’t go alone like some tragic hero… ahem! At least bring Nahrhan along or something. That guy would say black is white and white is black if it were your words. He’d definitely be thrilled to go with you.]

“…Hmm, that’s a pretty extreme comparison.”

Nahrhan Ferdic.

Elwin briefly recalled the man who served as his aide and butler and smiled awkwardly.

Loyal to a fault, and skilled in countless areas—but,

—Lord Elwin. Please be careful. If there’s even a hint of danger, eliminate everyone first… then retreat to a safe location. Do you understand me?

Maybe because they met when Elwin was still younger, he sometimes acted like an overprotective parent.

“Ah, I mean… not even Nahr would go that far now, right?”

Elwin offered a hopeful denial.

“I’m an adult now. Maybe he’ll ease up on the overprotection.”

[Tsk tsk. Do you still not understand that guy? Well… if not, ahem! I could always come along next time, I suppose…]

Elwin burst into laughter, knowing how awkward Pan found expressing such feelings.

“Haha! We should do that. Next time, let’s go together, Pan. Noel would be happy too.”

[Kuh-hm! W-Whatever! Just don’t be late! One second late and I’m docking points—!]

Click.

The call ended suddenly, leaving only the beep of a disconnected line.

“Honestly… Pan’s still as bashful as ever.”

Elwin smiled faintly, as if there was nothing he could do, and stood up. He gently brushed the tombstone a few times as a farewell gesture.

“I’ll be going now, Noel. I probably won’t be able to visit for a while. Maybe I’ll never get the chance again… but I’ll do my best.”

…I’m really going to miss you.

As he turned to leave, Elwin suddenly remembered something and looked back.

“Oh, right! I forgot to say this.”

He grinned brightly.

“Well then, I’ll be back!”

By now, the twilight had faded, and the sun was beginning to rise beyond the horizon.

Golden sunlight shone behind Elwin as he departed.

Whether that light was a blessing upon Elwin’s path,

Or sorrow for the bloodstained road he was about to walk…

Only God would know.