I was Kicked Out of the Hunter’s Guild

The training of elite aides-de-camp was conducted under the direct supervision of the government.

Although the Hunter Guild essentially functioned like an army, there were subtle differences in its nature. From a certain perspective, cultivating professional elite adjutants seemed like a reasonable course of action.

About a year ago, after the introduction of newly established university programs centered around prestigious institutions, elite lieutenants began to flow steadily into the Hunter Guild.

Naturally, many academy graduates who had endured the harsh environment of the Hunter Guild welcomed this development. However, among the officers from military academies, there were quite a few who had already adapted to the guild in their own ways.

Despite the numerous complaints and cases of maladjustment, it was undeniable that the ones who had led the Hunters and pushed back the Abyss before the arrival of the elite lieutenants were the officers trained at military academies.

From their perspective, it was far from pleasant to see the government’s policy seemingly pushing them aside—especially when, by all measurable standards, they had been performing well.

Due to this underlying tension, the relationship between the newly recruited elite aides and the existing ones had been strained from the beginning.

As a result, the government’s generational shift policy naturally fostered a competitive atmosphere between the professional elite aides and the traditional aides from military academies.

A battle ensued—between the academy-trained aides determined to hold onto their positions and the newly emerged professional elites seeking to prove their worth.

Moreover, the government factions tied to the so-called ‘political sector’ naturally wanted to showcase the success of their new policy to the public by promoting the achievements of these professional deputies.

To that end, the government mobilized the media, resorting to exaggerated propaganda that emphasized the accomplishments of the elite lieutenants.

Some of the more renowned and capable guilds, eager to stay in the government’s good graces, discreetly assigned these specialized lieutenants to missions that would highlight their successes.

As long as the skills and abilities of the elite lieutenants weren’t particularly lacking, actual performance records began to emerge—if not showing dramatic improvements, then at least steady progress.

Above all, unlike the graduates of military academies who were placed through semi-forced assignments, the elite adjutants were individuals who had voluntarily chosen this path. As a result, they were able to achieve fairly positive outcomes when it came to unit operations.

Consequently, public opinion began to shift favorably toward the elite adjutant system. In contrast, the existing adjutants from military academies started to be perceived as remnants of a bygone era.

Aside from the hardships of daily life, this shift in perception—combined with the complicated dynamics surrounding the S-class Hunters—also contributed to the reason why I, despite managing the guild well, was forcibly discharged.

But

I didn’t bother mentioning any of that to the people in front of me.

Regardless of their intentions, and no matter what the outcome might have been,

I was, in a way, grateful to the government for pulling me out of that hell.

The satisfaction I felt with my life now was incomparable to what it had been back then.

There was nothing to complain about, nothing to regret, about being discharged.

With that thought, I let the complicated background fade from my mind. I smiled faintly and tilted my glass once more.

***

“Here, eat, eat! My Adjutant, eat a lot and lead us well again.”

“Thank you, Kwonsoon… no, I mean, Ms. Joggs. You really worked hard today.”

I responded cheerfully as I watched Kwonsoon diligently serving the meat.

“Well, being discharged isn’t exactly something to celebrate, but honestly, from our point of view, it turned out to be a good thing. Thanks to that, we got to work with someone as capable as you, right?”

“If it weren’t for you, Adjutant, I’d probably be camping in the woods right now, having forgotten my combat rations instead of grilling meat in a restaurant. Ugh…”

Kwonsoon spoke with a voice filled with comfort and genuine joy.

Hearing this, Glass—who was grilling meat in a slightly drunken state—nodded in sympathy, shuddering slightly.

Just looking at her expression, it was obvious she had absolutely no desire to go near combat rations again.

“Come to think of it, wasn’t the reason Glass got discharged because of combat rations?”

“Précis! (Exactly!) I was stationed at the Himalayan border. There was nothing to eat but combat rations. For a while, I managed to endure it with the determination that I was doing it for the sake of humanité (humanity). But after about a year of that, I started wondering—What am I even doing this for?”

Glass, now tipsy, spoke passionately as she recounted her experience.

She wasn’t displaying her usual languid demeanor, but because she was naturally so pretty, there was something uniquely charming about her earnest storytelling.

“Only rations for a year…”

“As a Français (Frenchwoman), I consider such food an insult! Those so-called ‘combat rations’…”

Glass shuddered at the memory, her voice trembling as she described an ordeal that seemed horrifying even to think about.

In addition, Glass was a Frenchwoman who valued food so highly that there was even a saying about her: she would dig her own grave with her mouth.

Her cooking skills were exceptional, and with a hobby of regularly seeking out delicious food, the pain of surviving on combat rations must have hit her far harder than it did the rest of us.

Right after expressing her deep hatred for combat rations in just a few words, Glass continued speaking, her face showing genuine exhaustion.

“In the end, I realized I couldn’t live like that anymore. So, I applied for discharge immediately after the operation. Afterward, I swore I’d never eat combat rations again… but somehow, when one spilled onto the floor, I ended up seeing that terrible thing again.”

“Well… even after being discharged, they say once a Hunter, always a Hunter.”

“It’s not easy for people like us to live normal lives in society. You can’t erase what you’ve been through. Still, isn’t it nice that we can come out often like this, eat at restaurants, and have plenty of ingredients to cook whatever we want?”

“That’s true. In that respect, I think working in Corée (Korea) is a blessing.”

As she spoke, Glass popped another piece of meat into her mouth.

Without realizing it, a bitter smile crept onto my lips. The stark contrast between her dazzling appearance—she looked like a goddess—and the vulgarity of the story she was telling made the moment strangely surreal.

She looks like a goddess. I really had no idea that the reason for her discharge was combat rations.

As I tipped my glass, lost in that thought,

Suddenly, an important question crossed my mind.

It might have been slightly rude to ask, but with the topic of military campaigns on the table and a bit of alcohol in our systems, it seemed like the right time.

I cautiously addressed the two sitting in front of me.

“Uh… hey.”

“Yes?”

“I’m not sure if this might come off as rude, but since the topic has already come up, I’d like to ask a few questions. Would that be okay?”

“Questions? I’m fine with anything. Ask away.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Both of them looked at me with curiosity, their expressions showing mild interest.

I took a moment, downed another glass of beer, and paused.

While part of me was simply curious, even without that, this was something I needed to address at least once.

Everyone’s experiences were different, but a question like this could potentially stir up unpleasant memories for the three people sitting with me.

However, from a commander’s perspective, it was crucial to be aware of anything that might relate to battle trauma.

Having made up my mind, I looked at Iare and Kwonsoon before asking,

“Apart from Ms. Glass… how did the two of you get discharged?”

“All of us… you mean?”

The two of them seemed momentarily taken aback by my question.

I couldn’t tell if it was due to dark memories from their pasts or for some other reason, but I could at least sense the slight shift in the atmosphere brought on by what I’d just asked.

In the midst of that silence, Iare was the first to speak.

“Well… it’s not exactly a pleasant story, but I’ll tell you since it’ll come out eventually anyway.”

With those words, Iare slowly pulled out her phone.

After tapping the screen a few times, she turned it toward me, showing me a picture.