Dark Fantasy’s Extra – Chapter 213

Author: Dawn

As Crowty was finishing up almost all the paperwork, Hera came to his office.

“Sir Crowty. Here’s the new inventory list from the Grimm family.”

She placed a stack of documents on Crowty’s desk.

“Ah… come to think of it, there was this too.”

He sighed while scratching the back of his head.

“Alright, then first… hmm?”

Crowty tilted his head as he skimmed through the documents.

“What’s this? Don’t tell me you organized all of this?”

When supplies come in from the Grimm family, they naturally need to check three quantities – the ordered amount, the amount written on their shipping list, and the actual amount confirmed after arrival.

The documents already had everything organized – not just comparing those three criteria, but also how much was lost, defect rates compared to previous deliveries, and even future shortages calculated.

“The inspection is done by the field staff anyway, I just organized everything.”

“No, but still… there must be quite a lot to process… and you have your own work that’s not easy either.”

After the magical phenomenon, the Order drastically lowered their recruitment standards to gather trainees, and while the quality was questionable, they managed to meet the quantity.

Regardless of quality, as numbers increased, so did the equipment and supplies that needed to be provided.

The increase in personnel was so explosive that even the Grimm family responsible for the Order’s logistics felt burdened to the point of breaking, focusing solely on meeting immediate demand without room to consider anything else.

In such circumstances, defective items and even completely unusable waste inevitably mixed in with delivered goods, to the point where they had to form an inspection team centered around Crowty’s secretary to check for defects.

“I’m just doing what anyone could do from a safe place. So I thought I should at least help with things like this…”

“Still, it’s work that someone needs to do. Look at me. Having the power to kill any ordinary Beast out there, yet here I’ve been for years, doing this.”

Crowty picked up a document and waved it.

“B-but Sir Crowty, you’re the overall field commander for all hunters…”

“Some field commander I am, not being in the field but stuck here doing… Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to go into that. Anyway, good work. I’ll quickly review this once more, so you can head home now. It’s already 8 o’clock.”

“Just a little longer… I’ll go home after working a bit more.”

“Hm? No, it’s quite…”

“I want to… be helpful too…”

“…”

“Is that… not okay?”

“That guy really has a lot to answer for.”

“What?!”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

“Th-that’s…!”

“Well, anyway, alright. If you want to work, I have no reason as your supervisor to stop you. Go do your work.”

Crowty flicked his hand as if telling Hera to go.

“Thank you.”

After Hera bowed her head and left, Crowty was alone again in his office.

“…That guy.”

Eugene.

What a strange fellow.

His abilities are decent among lower-ranked hunters, and he’s not particularly sociable.

Yet, anyone who knows him can’t help but be drawn to him.

Then they see it.

How desperately Eugene burns through life.

As if he could die at any moment without regret – no, that’s probably actually true.

It wouldn’t be strange to be drawn to such intense humanity.

Like moths to a flame.

Or like pitiful creatures stepping into a swamp’s quagmire.

“Come in.”

Crowty called out, sensing a new presence outside his office.

“Excuse me…”

It was Gerda.

While it was time for everyone to wrap up their day, she was fully armed and ready to head out at any moment.

Of course, it was obvious where she wanted to go.

“From your looks, seems like you’re about to head out somewhere.”

“…Is that not allowed?”

“Hmm…”

Crowty let out an even bigger sigh than with Hera as he crossed his arms and tilted his head back.

After thinking for a few seconds, he returned to his usual expression and looked straight at Gerda.

“…No. You’re about to be promoted to mid-ranked hunter. Mid-ranked hunters are core assets of the Order, so I can’t allow you to recklessly go out and get hurt.”

“Then…”

“…is what I would say, but you’d probably try to desert without permission anyway.”

“…”

“Wait a moment. Someone will be here soon.”

“Someone’s coming…? Who…”

“Just wait a bit.”

After about 30 minutes of awkward silence in the office between the two, someone arrived as Crowty had said.

“Mister, I just got back… hm?”

It was Latina, the high-ranked hunter.

“Oh, good work on guard duty.”

“Who’s this? She’s really cute.”

“Eugene’s sister.”

“Oh? That guy had a sister like this?”

Latina brought her face close to Gerda’s.

With their similar heights, they almost looked like friends with a slight height difference.

With flowing blonde hair and jewel-like blue eyes, she was literally doll-like pretty.

“Hmm… they don’t look alike at all though? Is she really his biological sister? Such a cute girl…”

“I am his sister.”

Gerda frowned.

Though she seemed angry in her own way, even that looked cute to Latina.

“That’s enough of that. I have a somewhat apologetic request for you.”

Crowty said.

“An apologetic request? So it’s not a mission?”

“Well, something like that… Sephira and Eugene went out looking for something together. Could you follow them with her?”

“Hmm…?”

Latina crossed her arms and tilted her head.

“This seems like quite a mess of a situation.”

If it was just trailing them, there were plenty of people more suitable than Latina.

And telling her to take Gerda along – there must definitely be some other intention.

That’s why Crowty called it an apologetic request.

Since it wasn’t an official mission but almost a personal matter.

“Can you not do it?”

“No, it’s not that I can’t do it… Going with such a cute girl wouldn’t be bad either.”

Latina wrapped her arm around Gerda’s neck and pulled her close.

“Eep?!”

Gerda startled at her tremendous strength.

Though they were similar in build, there was an overwhelming difference in power.

It felt like her entire body might be made of steel.

“But what exactly did those two go looking for?”

“That’s what I’d like to know too.”

“Hm? Mister, you don’t know?”

“It’s orders from above. Don’t interfere with whatever Eugene does.”

“Above you? …The Saintess?”

“Yes.”

“…”

All traces of playfulness vanished from Latina’s expression, replaced by the sharp insight of a veteran high-ranked hunter.

“Hmm… depending on the situation, I might not be able to bring this girl along?”

“She’ll follow anyway.”

“…”

Latina looked at Gerda intently for a moment.

“Can you really not do it?”

“No, I’ll take her along anyway. Just tell me which direction those two went.”

“Right. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“You heard that? The high-ranked hunter next to you will go with you. Any complaints?”

“…No.”

Gerda said.

“Then that’s settled.”

“Wait a moment. I’ll come back after preparing.”

Latina released Gerda and went outside.

Once again, only Crowty and Gerda remained in the office.

“…”

“…Sigh, really, that guy has way too much to answer for.”

* * *

Sephira and I sat facing each other in front of a campfire.

Though Sephira could surely go much further alone, my stamina couldn’t keep up.

That’s just how it is with a lower-ranked hunter’s body.

“…”

And we chewed on jerky.

Without even such meals, we’d be on the verge of starvation within a month.

Truly powerless beyond compare.

A human incomparably weaker than when I was Noah.

That is Eugene.

Yet, I was satisfied with this.

Being weak means conversely that everything can become a challenge.

There are endless reasons to burn through life.

It would have been absolutely impossible if I were Noah.

Even while doing something as grand as creating worlds, in the end I was just relying on the system.

Perhaps now I could create better than back then…

…Let’s stop these thoughts.

I have no intention of returning to being Noah.

“…”

Suddenly I noticed Sephira glancing at me.

“…Would you like some?”

I took out the jerky I was holding and spoke.

If it’s emergency rations, I always keep a few in my pocket.

Of course Sephira wouldn’t need such things, but it did feel a bit awkward eating alone.

“…”

Without a word, Sephira sat right next to me.

I was about to take out new jerky with my other hand, but before that, Sephira took the one I had been eating.

“Huh?”

I froze in disbelief watching Sephira, but she brought it to her mouth without responding.

Sephira chewing on it looked like a child.

She had occasionally shown such an atmosphere especially after we held hands while walking, but this was the first time she showed such eccentric behavior.

And while I was bewildered, this time Sephira laid down using my thigh as a pillow.

“…”

Again without saying anything, and I felt awkward about telling her not to, so I just let it be.

How should I put it… it feels like she’s acting spoiled.

Of course it’s unthinkable considering the usual Sephira, but it’s actually happening right now.

“…Tell me.”

Sephira opened her mouth after a long while.

“Yes?”

“Tell me a story.”

“…”

I looked up at the moon.

After gazing at it for a moment, a few seconds, I lowered my head again and told her some stories from before my previous life, that is, from before I became Noah.

The story of a beauty who came to love Beasts.

The story of a girl as beautiful as snow.

The story of a woman who guided the dead.

The story of a princess who set out to find her prince.

The story of a witch who could have been perfect but was consumed by evil.

The story of a little girl who was eaten by a Beast but came back alive.

And…

“…”

At some point Sephira had fallen asleep.

Her request for stories was bewildering at first, but more than that, I too eagerly grasped the opportunity to tell stories.

As Eugene now, I loved reading books in the library before becoming a hunter, and when I was Noah, I thought of myself as a fairy tale writer.

And even before that, before ancient humanity perished, I was someone who researched ancient literature.