Balse Hunter Guildhouse—Guildmaster's Office
"Are you truly sure about this?"
Gazing at the mountain of platinum coins stacked before me, I asked with hesitation.
"I do not mind. Hunters operate on pure meritocracy. You have earned every right to take it."
There was unquestionably a catch. Frankly, this man was the last person to whom I wished to owe a favor.
To put it bluntly, I had met the compact, muscular figure before me once in the past. My grandfather had introduced us back then, but along with Aaron Cayen, he was one of the people I found utterly exhausting to deal with nowadays.
I would already be receiving prize money from the Sacred Martial Arts Tournament, so on principle I wanted to decline, but doing so would essentially be slapping him in the face. For someone like me who envisioned a quiet, unbothered life as a hunter from here on, getting on the bad side of a living legend was out of the question.
"Then I shall gratefully accept."
I swept the one hundred platinum coins into a pouch, and as I took hold of it—
"With this incident, your hunter rank has risen from E to D. Here, this is your updated guild card."
Ralph tossed over the guild card I had handed him earlier.
"Excuse me? I never requested a promotion."
If I remembered correctly, the process required an application before the guild would even consider a review. That was precisely why I had felt so secure.
"When it comes to raising hunter ranks, as long as the criteria are met, the branch guildmaster has full discretion up to C-rank. No application is needed in the first place, so rest easy."
"Wait—hold on a moment!"
This was no joke. If I got shackled to any more troublesome positions, my leisurely slow-life journey around the world would be dead in the water.
"Mm, you are lamenting that it only went up by one rank, aren't you? Fret not. I have already mapped out your path to C-rank."
What on earth is this old man blabbering about?!
"That is not what I meant at all—"
With a grin stretched across his face, the guildmaster patted my right shoulder just as I opened my mouth to object.
"Rejoice, for I have already discussed your standing within the hunters with Princess Rose."
He spouted words that brought me nothing but dread.
"Listen to me—"
"Furthermore, at the princess's request, we have enforced strict secrecy regarding this incident. That was your wish, was it not?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"You must be exhausted as well, so go and get some rest."
Paying no heed whatsoever to my protests, the guildmaster rattled on, stood up, and skipped out of the room with a beaming smile.
What was that all about? This was far beyond anything I had anticipated. Hearing that he had conspired with that wicked Princess Rose only made me more uneasy! Damn it, I felt as though I was sprinting in full reverse away from my glorious slow life.
Still, complete secrecy had been enforced, had it? No wonder no one, starting with Arnold, would say a word about the matter no matter who asked. Well, the fact that word hadn't gotten out was something I ought to count as a blessing in itself.
Pulling myself together, I left the room and headed down to the first floor. In the lobby, two men stood waiting for me with grim expressions, looking as though they had just marched into hostile territory.
"Thank you for saving this city!"
"Thank you so much for saving our lives!"
They bowed deeply. The sharp-eyed blond man was Raiga, and the short-haired, hooded man was Hook, if I remembered correctly.
"It was merely how things turned out. There is no need for thanks."
I had my own reasons for slaying those small-fry monsters. I was not driven by some grand sense of justice that compelled me to save people for nothing. I was no hero. Had there not been a reason that satisfied me, I wouldn't have lifted a finger this time either.
"No... It was my petty pride that got my companions killed and put this entire city in danger. On top of that, I ended up forcing the cleanup onto you—a man I publicly insulted. There's no way in hell something like that can ever be forgiven, right?"
Staring at the floor, his entire body trembled.
I see. This young man wanted someone to condemn him.
As long as venturing into the Deep Zone wasn't explicitly forbidden, Raiga and his party couldn't be blamed for stepping into the ruins as hunters. Those weakling monsters attacking the city was merely an unfortunate consequence. That was why no one held it against them. And that lack of punishment was likely what he couldn't stomach. But seeking punishment was nothing more than self-indulgence.
"Do not pity yourself. Your companions died because the two of you were weak. That is all there is to it. If you find that unbearable, become stronger. That is the only way to repay the comrades you lost."
Whether they could pull themselves together from here on was entirely up to them.
Turning my back on the pair, I walked out of the guildhouse.