Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 152

Around lunchtime the day after arriving at the Offenbach branch, I left Gerda with another training instructor and went to see the trainees.

I had to swallow the bitterness rising inside when facing the 150 trainees gathered at the training grounds.

A one-time increase of 150 trainees is truly an enormous scale.

But as already proven at headquarters, they’ve just scraped together people who normally couldn’t become hunters by lowering the entry requirements.

I took a deep breath and pushed down my anxious thoughts with determination.

“I am 8th-rank hunter Eugene in charge of secondary weapons training!”

I had to raise my voice since I needed to teach 150 trainees at once in such a wide open space.

Though even memories of playing Blue Paper Moon that I was so intensely immersed in during my past life have become hazy in parts, strangely enough I could clearly recall things I did in the military.

Perhaps it naturally came back to me from working as a hunter at the Order.

It’s not particularly pleasant, but it does help.

“Some might think secondary weapons aren’t important. But! Daggers, smoke bombs, and even ropes can save your lives!”

It’s not just that they can save lives – they’ve already saved mine multiple times.

Though the number of people to teach has increased, the content remains the same.

I taught the trainees with help from other hunters assisting with the training.

I split them into groups of 50 – one group doing training, another reviewing what they learned, and the last carefully observing what others were doing.

The training that started at 1 PM finally ended around 4 PM.

Honestly, even I who taught them don’t know what exactly we accomplished in those 3 hours.

I did my best, but there were just too many people to watch at once.

Some would try to forcefully cut tangled ropes, or play around with practice swords on others thinking they weren’t sharpened.

Of course, I appropriately punished those who played around with swords at my discretion.

Who knew knowledge from my past life like invisible chairs and duck walks would be useful in a place like this.

“I’m back… ah.”

When I opened the door to return to my quarters, Auntie Beth was brushing Gerda’s hair.

“Brother!”

Gerda jumped up in the middle of having her hair brushed and ran to me.

The brush was still stuck in her hair.

“Thank you for looking after Gerda, Auntie.”

I bowed my head to Auntie Beth who was smiling warmly.

The auntie was in charge of magical power training starting the day after tomorrow, if I recall correctly.

“Did anything happen?”

I asked while catching Gerda and carefully removing the brush from her hair.

“Fortunately nothing happened. But there were some looks. As expected, it’s better to have someone by her side.”

“I see…”

The overall quality of hunters here is lower than at headquarters where we worked.

But we can’t blame House Bluebeard for that – this is actually considered high quality.

It’s managed at a level just below where the Saintess directly resides and 1st-rank hunters are present, so if anything House Bluebeard is impressive.

Going further to the outskirts, places become no different from thug hideouts.

Hunters are ultimately no different from mercenaries who get paid to fight Beasts.

Even Order law only restrains rather than prohibits things like alcohol, gambling, and prostitution.

“Though I’m sure someone like you Eugene could handle those thug-like fellows well.”

“That’s right. Brother is strong.”

Gerda said.

“My my, this child really loves her brother too much. You know, while you were gone she just kept talking about you non-stop.”

“No, I…”

But I’m not her real brother…

“If only my kids got along that well. Fighting and bickering every day… And their father just says they grow up through fighting. With such weak strength…”

“Ah, it must have been tough. It couldn’t have been easy raising kids while doing this job.”

“It really was! But now it’s getting… Oh my, look at me. Here I am thoughtlessly taking up your time.”

“What?”

“Ohoho, I’ll head out now so you siblings can spend some quality time together.”

I felt strange emotions as I bowed again to the departing auntie.

“Um… did you do alright?”

I asked Gerda again after the auntie left.

Though it was only 3 hours, maybe even that question is a bit odd.

“…”

Gerda didn’t answer and just tightly gripped my clothes.

Even just that seemed to convey her loneliness.

I tried to pat Gerda’s head again.

But as I reached out my hand, something felt strange.

Was Gerda… always like this?

Starting with that small question, all sorts of thoughts came flooding in like a tide.

Wait, this is strange.

Gerda wasn’t originally like this.

She wasn’t this kind of child.

Though we’ve spent some time together, isn’t this change too big and too fast?

To begin with, Gerda had real siblings, that is, a younger brother…

“Brother?”

Gerda looked up at me questioningly.

Slightly startled by her words, I reflexively placed my hand on Gerda’s head.

Only then did Gerda smile too, but… I found it impossible to simply smile back due to the sense of dissonance.

Could it be…

Could it be that I’ve done something again?

*    *    *

Night fell on the back alleys of the great city Cranion.

The abandoned ones wander here and there searching for the city’s dregs.

In this place where people gather with all sorts of stories and pains, there was one particularly out of place tiny space about a span wide.

“…It’s been a while.”

A small, worn-down stall.

However, warm heat and steam rose up, giving off a rich aroma.

Before it was just one chair and customer.

“So you really weren’t human after all.”

An unusual customer arrived at this exotic little noodle shop that didn’t fit this world.

Though they wore a shabby cloak and hood to hide their striking blue hair and yellow eyes, the uniquely refined feeling emanating from their gait and atmosphere simply couldn’t be concealed.

“500 years have passed, yet you look exactly the same as back then.”

Eric Gringham Wales.

The prince who sold out his homeland for his beloved and respected lord.

He sat in the chair.

“You’ve changed a bit.”

And beyond the stall counter was Prophet Ryu with short-cropped hair, small stature and height.

Deep wrinkles and hunched back.

Above all, though blind with cloth covering both eyes, they saw ahead better than anyone.

Without even turning his head, he spoke.

“I was indebted to you back then.”

“Back then? …Ah, could you mean when I gave you a ride on the ship? You remember well something from 500 years ago.”

“The same goes for you, doesn’t it?”

“I’m different from you. I… must not forget. The past…”

Eric took out 3 Order Silver coins wrapped in cloth from his chest.

Though silver probably wouldn’t affect a Beast of Eric’s level, the unpleasant feeling was unavoidable.

“Come to think of it, you took silver coins back then too. I thought it was quite unusual since everyone used gold coins then… Did you foresee this far?”

Eric placed the gleaming Order Silver coins down on the counter.

That could only mean one thing.

“I’m sorry, but I have no noodles to serve you.”

However, the prophet shook their head.

“Why not?”

Eric looked beside Ryu.

There was a pot filled with broth giving off a subtle fragrance and warmth.

“You served it to those sailors who gave me a ride back then.”

“Haven’t you already received one prophecy? And it came true exactly as foretold. You no longer need this old one’s words.”

“…You speak true. As you can see, I abandoned everything and was reborn as Lady Rusalka’s knight.”

“Then shouldn’t that be enough?”

“I can give you more money if that’s what you want… But someone like you wouldn’t be moved by such things. Then please, at least tell me why.”

Eric’s manner of speech became much more polite.

“I need a prophecy. No, it doesn’t have to be a prophecy. There’s just something I must know.”

“…”

Ryu didn’t answer.

“No one knows more than you. Please, I beg of you. For my queen, there’s something I absolutely must know.”

Eric finally bowed so low his forehead touched the counter while still seated.

“…You.”

Ryu opened their mouth.

“You betrayed the father and mother who raised you with love.”

“That’s right.”

“You betrayed the people you swore to protect with everything you had.”

“That’s right.” 

“You betrayed your life as a sailor and the comrades you truly cherished.”

“That’s right.”

“Those facts still torment you even now.”

“…That’s right.”

“And yet… do you regret it?”

“I do not. I belong to Lady Rusalka. I swore to dedicate everything to her. From the moment I first met her, my soul was already hers. So please.”

Eric lowered his body even further.

“Tell me. About that hunter. You must have known I would come. And that I wouldn’t give up.”

And at the same time, he gripped Moby Dick, the national treasure of the Kingdom of Wales, hidden invisibly under his cloak.

“…This is difficult.”

“Difficult, you say?”

“Yes. It’s always the same at times like this. I can never get used to it… You will surely regret hearing what I have to say.”

“Is that a prophecy?”

“Not prophecy, but experience.”

“…Even so, please.”

“Haah…”

Ryu sighed, hesitated, but finally handed over a bowl of noodles with broth steaming in a worn bowl with missing teeth.

Eric devoured the noodles he was tasting for the first time in 500 years in one go.

“What… would you like to know?”

“That lower-ranked hunter called Eugene, just what… no, what I want to know is just one thing. What kind of existence will that person become to Lady Rusalka?”

“That…”

Ryu hesitated again.

The words he were about to speak would surely bring tragedy.

However, Ryu had to speak.

Because it was fate.

“To the Queen of the Sea…”

Ryu answered Eric’s question.

“…”

After the prophecy ended, Eric remained still in that spot for a moment.

Not mulling over thoughts or trying to guess what would happen next.

“That’s… some kind of joke… no, not a joke… No… That can’t be…”

Eric held his forehead while his legs shook severely.

He kept turning in place while stumbling over his words.

“Haah…”

Then after letting out a deep sigh, he abruptly stood up.

“I’ve heard enough.”

“Though fate cannot be avoided, accepting it…”

“No need to hear more. No, my words were wrong. It’s not that there’s no need – there’s no time.”

Eric cut off Ryu’s words and turned his back.

“You cannot do it.”

“Oh, right. You’re saying I can’t? Well, since it’s coming from you, it must be true.”

“…May you find peace.”

Ryu said in a low voice.

“That’s exactly what I plan to do. Such an easy task that I won’t even need to draw my sword.”

Eric lowered his hand that had been resting on Moby Dick.

“If I can’t do something, I have others who can do it. That’s the basics. It’s just killing one lower-ranked hunter. As easy as stealing a dead captain’s liquor… Well then, take care. It was good seeing you after so long.”

“…”

After Eric left, Ryu remained still for a while before lifting his head up.

Though blind, he could feel that massive blue thing hanging in the sky up there.

“How… tragic.”