"What does the Church think?"
"The Church chooses not to confirm or deny anything regarding this. They say it’s not in their canon, but it is possible." The Dwarf waved a hand dismissively. "If you ask me, however, I don’t think the Church likes it. Although I don’t think they like the Drakes in general, since, you know, they never once supported either side during all the Holy Wars."
"Right," I said, pretending that I knew that all along and this was not complete news to me. "So those are these three ‘beyond S Rank’ Monsters?"
"Yes.They’re supposedly ‘myths’, as in there is no verifiable evidence of them other than some records— no pictures or anything of the like. But if you ask me, I believe they’re real. Or at least, I know one of them is." He winked at me, as he closed his book shut.
"That’s terrifying," I commented.
"They are supposed to be."
"No, I mean that’s actually scary. Shouldn't there be a hazard warning for that before I applied to become a Hunter? Because I’m starting to feel like this job is too much for me now."
I exhaled deeply as I slumped over on my chair. I just want to make some money, for God’s sake! I'm tired of being unemployed!
Gennady chortled. "Hah, don’t worry. If you ever meet even a single one of these three beasts, I’d consider you the unluckiest gal in the world. Anyways, warning? That’s what I’m here for— to make this official." The Dwarf proudly held his bestiary up.
"I don’t see how a book could save me when a Monster that can wipe out entire cities attacks me," I said fatalistically. But it was a deserved fatalism, since I knew how horribly wrong things could go for me whenever that false god willed it.
"It won’t save you, but this can save others from getting themselves killed. So tell me, lass, what do you think? Where do you think a Chimera would rank? C? D? Or maybe somewhere else?"
"I—"
"Excuse me, Miss. The Guild Master is looking for you," an employee of the Hunters Guild called out to me.
"Oh," I said, head snapping up. "Looks like I’ve got to go. Sorry that I can’t help you." I got up from my chair and backed away slowly.
"Hey, wait!" Gennady stood up, grabbing my hand. "You didn’t give me an answer."
I tried pulling my arm away from him, but he locked his grip around my wrists; I would have pulled even harder, but I was afraid of getting injured. He was genuinely strong— which was not unexpected, considering he was built like a miniature strongman.
"Please, let me go," I asked nicely, lowering a hand to my side.
"Hmph, you’re quite strong. But I won’t until you tell me whether you think a Chimera should be a D Rank threat or C Rank threat."
I stared back at the Dwarf, and I realized he was serious. My free hand hovered over the hilt of my dagger for a moment, before I threw it up in the air.
"Ugh, fine! If you want to know so bad, make it D Rank, ok?"
I felt his grip loosen, and immediately took a step back.
"And why’s that?"
"It’s D Rank because it’s a Dumb Monster, that’s why!"
I stuck a tongue out at the Dwarf, before realizing I was masked and he could not see it. He did not like my explanation, and began to protest, but at that point, I was already walking away.
That was boring, I thought to myself. Informative, but boring. Just like learning always is.
However, thanks to that Dwarf, I managed to pass the time doing something. It certainly was far better than staring at a wooden wall for a few hours. And now, it was time for me to get licensed as a Hunter.
...wait, he’s a Dwarf.
The realization hit me as my palm smacked my head: I was supposed to be going to a Dwarf country— the Taw Kingdom. If he was from there, I could have prodded him for some information on how things worked there, and if Felix was actually telling the truth or not.
Or maybe it was better that I didn’t ask. After all, I didn’t want to assume every Dwarf was from the same place (since that was probably racist), right?
Chapter 14: Legacy and Licensed
"...so you’ll just have to sign this contract, and you’ll officially be licensed as a Hunter."
I glanced back up at the Guild Master as he finished speaking, and nodded slowly.
The contract was not long— it was only two pages full of me agreeing that they would not be responsible for any harm I put myself into. Nothing unexpected. Just long enough to protect the Hunters Guild from any legal action by the loved ones of Hunters who perished in their jobs, while giving them the right to terminate the license of any Hunter who were criminals or violated the terms of their contract.
So I lifted up my pen, hovering it over where my signature was supposed to go; I had written down my legal ‘name’ there, and all I had to do next was sign right next to it. And while giving a fake name was already a breach of contract, I had no choice: my safety from being hunted down by the Church was my primary concern above all else. Thus, I had given the Hunters Guild a fake name.
It was a rather common name. There was even a saying about it. It was the equivalent of meeting someone named ‘John Smith’— it sounded almost fake. But it was a real name, and it was used widely enough that I was confident I could not be tracked down with it. These were the practical reasons as to why I used it.
There was, however, a
