NOVEL NEXT Chapter 541
Chapter 541. Important Circumstances
――He’s not a member of the Demon Exorcism Department.
“Does that mean Lord Alexander belongs to another department…?”
Valentius asked, looking somewhat perplexed.
“Well… it seems that is indeed a strong possibility.”
“Those skilled in【Secret Arts】are usually under the jurisdiction of the Mystical Office.”
Tiisan chimed in, while Reiter muttered with a hint of annoyance.
“The cherished child of the Mystical Office came to the front lines to compensate for the manpower shortage—”
“—But to avoid complicating things, he went by the name of Vampire Hunter. Thinking about it, it makes sense.”
Nodding in agreement, Tiisan and the others, but for Valentius, his doubts only grew.
“Then why didn’t he say that from the start…”
What Valentius was concerned about was the letter shown to him by Alexander.
“In that letter he presented, it mentioned the Demon Exorcism Department’s Sixth Section, ‘Hunters of Dawn.'”
“Hmm?”
“The story is taking a turn.”
The two, who had been in a mood of understanding, suddenly wore skeptical expressions.
If a member of the Mystical Office was using the name Vampire Hunter to avoid headaches, then that’s fine. Considering the lack of information and the chaos on-site, it’s understandable. However, the fact that he even had a fake identification (or something like it) seemed a tad too meticulously prepared.
“! Wait a second… what did that letter look like? What about its size and decorations?”
Tiisan seemed to have realized something and asked.
“I don’t think there were any decorations. The most was perhaps the seal of the Holy Kingdom. It was about the size of a palm, I believe. It had ‘Holy Kingdom, Holy War Bureau, Demon Exorcism Department, Sixth Section, Hunters of Dawn’ written on it… or at least that’s how I remember it.”
As Valentius gazed into the void, recalling it, Tiisan made a curious sound and began rummaging through his chest pocket, pulling out two sheets of paper.
“So, if I were to compare it to either of these two—”
“Ah, it’s definitely the one in your right hand.”
Pointing at the small piece of paper in Tiisan’s right hand, Valentius confirmed. By the way, in his left hand was a much more elaborate, finely written document.
“I see, I see.”
“Things are becoming clearer.”
The duo once again seemed to share an understanding.
“Actually, the warrant guaranteeing the status and authority of a Vampire Hunter is in the document in my left hand. The one in your right hand is not an identification.”
“…………”
Upon a glance, it was clear this wasn’t how things should be. The document in the left hand obviously contained far more information.
“Then what about that…?”
“It’s a contact for recruitment.”
“Recruitment?”
“We Vampire Hunters are always short-staffed—no, the Holy Church’s manpower shortage isn’t a recent issue, but particularly, there aren’t many who want to become Vampire Hunters. Even fewer want to, and are seen as promising candidates.”
Reiter stated with a grunt as he pulled a small piece of paper from his own chest pocket.
“This is when we come across an outsider with high aptitude to be a Vampire Hunter, we can say, ‘Why not become a Vampire Hunter?’—”
He raised the paper pinched between his index and middle fingers.
“—It’s for recruitment.”
“I see. I understand that, but isn’t that for outsiders? It seems odd for someone associated with the Holy Church to have that paper.”
It was likely meant to be given to Forest Elves, Beastmen, and other capable individuals out in the world. To hand it to another hero or priest from the Holy Church—meaning they were attempting to poach personnel from a different department, which could result in quite the scandal!
“That’s true, but…”
“The Vampire Hunters are short-staffed, you see…”
“Yeah…”
“Well, Reiter and I have never recruited any heroes, but our superior handed them out to anyone they thought had potential without a second thought.”
“They did, didn’t they… that person was reckless in many ways.”
Tiisan squinted nostalgically, while Reiter nodded in agreement.
From their tone, Valentius realized that the “superior” they referred to was likely no longer of this world.
“I see…”
Piecing things together, it seemed Alexander was a member of a different department like the Mystical Office, and had been invited to become a Vampire Hunter due to being seen as promising, which led him to hastily present that paper to smooth over discussions.
“Could it be interpreted that way?”
“Showing the holy property light means that interpretation seems reasonable… I apologize for doubting, but the holy property was genuine, wasn’t it?”
Tiisan, checking by igniting silver light at his fingertips, glanced over.
“That is beyond doubt. I too possess the light property, but…”
Valentius lit up white light on his fingertip. “Oh,” Tiisan and Reiter exclaimed in amazement. It was rare for someone from the human race, not affiliated with the Holy Church, to have the light property.
As Valentius concentrated, the hue of the light at his fingertip faintly shifted to red and blue. But still—
“The silver light akin to what members of the Holy Church possess cannot be replicated, no matter how hard I try. So it cannot just be a mistake.”
Essentially, silver light does not exist.
That’s why even if someone with the light property attempts to mimic the holy property, it merely turns pale. Even the magically adept Forest Elves cannot truly replicate that distinctive color of the holy property.
Thus, in humankind’s realm, the silver of the holy property functions as a powerful ‘identification.’
“I apologize for that. But I am relieved. No matter the circumstances, if they are comrades of the Holy Church, I can trust them.”
Tiisan exhaled, placing a hand on his chest in relief.
At that moment, the sound of bells echoed from the castle.
“Oh no, I messed up!”
Tiisan quickly checked his pocket watch and slapped his forehead with a groan.
“We’ve passed noon…”
“Do you have some business to attend to?”
Valentius asked, feeling responsible, only to be met with slightly awkward expressions from the two.
“Ah, no, we were just going to eat…”
“We have the same allocation time as regular soldiers.”
“Ah~~~”
As a knight of the lord’s army, Valentius hadn’t considered it, but the soldiers drafted and the Holy Church’s forces had their meal times split. To prevent situations like “the entire army is eating while the Demon Lord Army’s daytime assault occurs and they can’t respond” — such a system was created, and while the two Vampire Hunters might receive special treatment and a little leeway—
“I’m truly sorry for that.”
“No, no. I’m glad we could talk. It was a very valuable time.”
“Perhaps I could find something from a supply merchant. That could be a nice treat once in a while.”
Tiisan laughed cheerfully, while Reiter was already daydreaming about the merchant’s offerings, licking his lips. Merchants who came this far to the front lines were quite the tough ones, generally carrying fairly good quality gourmet items, aiming to siphon off soldiers’ earnings. —In exchange for extraordinarily high prices, of course.
Given that both Tiisan and Reiter were veteran Vampire Hunters, they likely had financial leeway, but still, it wouldn’t be right to cause trouble merely to have a casual chat; that could affect a noble’s reputation.
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I would like to invite you both to our tent… My subordinates should be preparing a meal, and if you don’t mind, we also have sweets.”
Valentius smiled and made the offer.
“Oh no, thank you. That would be too much consideration.”
Tiisan replied with a polite smile, deftly declining, while Reiter’s face clearly expressed, (This noble’s invitation is more stress than it’s worth).
Valentius and his subordinates weren’t a stiff crowd like those at the dinner set earlier, but the two wouldn’t understand that. Additionally, being overly insistent on making up for it here could become merely a bothersome act, not Valentius’s intent—
“The truth is, I feel as if I’ve been helped by both of you…”
Valentius began seriously.
“Where you two are stationed… the on-site commander is Lord Steven, right? I have a cordial relationship with him.”
“…Oh?”
With half curiosity and half wariness, Tiisan observed. The two, marked by the sarcastic Steven who likely threw shady remarks since the vampires were allowed to roam free, undoubtedly harbored no good feelings toward him, which drew their interest even more toward Valentius’s words.
‘Helped by you’—what does that mean? And what does Steven have to do with it?
“Actually earlier, a conversation arose about vampires with Lord Steven… I had just been discussing Lord Alexander’s case and, based on his exploits, boasted that the rear should surely be secure.”
Valentius chuckled, pressing his forehead in embarrassment.
“If—if we had not met now, and there hadn’t been any alignment on Lord Alexander’s case—?”
“…Ah, ah—! That’s certainly true.”
“That could have been bad…”
Both of them seemed to come to an understanding.
Hypothetically.
If the two had been assigned to the front lines without knowing anything, only to reunite with Steven.
Then, if Steven, who had been listening to Valentius, were to bring up, “It seems a Vampire Hunter named Alexander is doing well. We should be able to relax some,” it would spiral into that earlier situation!
The whole sequence of events—”I don’t know… Who’s that…?” would unfold again!!
“That would have messed everything up.”
Valentius wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was a situation that could affect his reputation quite severely.
“Given such circumstances… I genuinely wish to express my gratitude to you both…”
The somewhat desperate look on Valentius’s face caused the two to exchange glances.
“Well then…”
“In that case…”
It seemed Valentius’s sincere intentions were conveyed, and thus Tiisan and Reiter accepted the invitation.