Chapter 14: The True Face of the Poacher

Alvins was truly seeing ghosts.

He used to be a poacher.

Of course, ever since he was recruited by the Demon Town’s officials to run errands for the government, although his tasks hadn’t changed much, Alvins leaped from being a rat operating in the shadows to a legitimate Monster Hunter.

At first, Alvins often felt incredulous about this new life.

But as he came into contact with the darker sides of the city, especially after seeing those former “poachers” who were also recruited into special forces or as Monster Hunters, he gradually understood.

In this city, in this country, being a non-human creature was wrong. As long as you targeted beings other than humans, no matter how excessive your actions, they were politically correct. Even if the magical beasts held grudges or it was deemed morally unacceptable, as long as you were within the United Kingdom of Humans, you would be protected.

It was precisely to more effectively target those magical beasts whose average strength was generally superior to humans that the Demon Town officials chose to utilize poachers, who had rich experience dealing with magical beasts and traversed the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons.

Alvins’ mission as a Monster Hunter was specifically to deal with and manage those non-human creatures that intruded into the United Kingdom, especially those within the Demon Town. When he had free time, he would also return to his old profession, teaming up with fellow Monster Hunters of similar backgrounds to sneak into the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons and earn some “extra cash.”

There was nothing wrong with that; as long as it wasn’t discovered overtly, the upper echelons would just pretend they hadn’t seen.

Magical beasts were easy to identify; even the demon-like beings that resembled humans had specific methods to expose them. This was a difference deeply ingrained in their bones, and few magical beasts could entirely cover up their identities—Alvins could tell at a glance whether they were human.

So he didn’t understand why these several girls, clearly human, suddenly popped up to oppose him, even acting as if the arrest warrant was nothing to them.

However, when things seem off, there must be something behind them. They might be super elite with a significant background, or perhaps, just like the unfounded accusations he threw around earlier, these women were terrifying magical beasts that even he, Alvins the Monster Hunter, couldn’t see through.

Whichever was the case, it wasn’t something a small fry like Alvins could mess with. People like him were nicely termed official hounds but rather crassly viewed as convenient tools.

Tools, when the time comes to discard them, the higher-ups would show no hesitation.

So upon realizing this, Alvins, who had been momentarily enchanted by the black-haired girl’s cute face and lovely figure, decided to bolt without even making a move.

Who knew these seemingly slender girls could pack a punch? The poachers he brought, recruited soldiers, were all taken down within a minute, many even losing their lives on the spot.

“… This is it?”

After listening to Alvins, who was forced into submission and stammered out his confession, a certain black-haired girl sitting atop a table, swinging her fair legs in the air, yawned in boredom before standing up.

“I initially thought I’d stumbled into some sort of conspiracy, but this is just dull. The Demon Town is so rotten that they even recruited poachers…”

No wonder Uncle Lester said the adventurers’ extermination efforts were always met with obstacles; if the army was chasing poachers, it would be like fighting against itself—any achievement would be a miracle.

As for why she could tell these soldiers were formerly poachers, it was simple—besides their excessively rude and uncouth behavior, there was also the overpowering scent of mixed experiences on them.

Just like a smoky person can’t wash away the smell of smoke, a blacksmith carries a quite clear metallic scent—these soldiers were no different.

Cats have their scent, dogs have theirs; this difference might be imperceptible to ordinary folk, but for someone with keen senses like Vilyric or the even more perceptive Giant Dragon Miss, it was glaringly obvious. The strong mingling of magical beast scents indicated they were professionals who dealt with similar beings for a long time.

The Demon Town hadn’t completely warred against the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons, so the soldiers couldn’t have frequently interacted with various magical beasts, meaning Vilyric could only think of one group that fit the bill—poachers.

What was once mere speculation turned out to be true after a little probing.

“Well, let’s go. We’ll talk in a different place.”

With such a large-scale search ongoing, the city was surely swarming with soldiers. The frightened civilians from earlier had also bolted, and many military units were likely rushing over.

After all, it was the United Kingdom’s army, rounding it up meant it was under Liliya’s command—beating them all would surely not end well, and entangling themselves with ordinary people would just waste time.

As for flashing the ID given by the Queen that represented her personal endorsement, Vilyric wasn’t planning to do that just yet. She didn’t want to tie her identity with the kingdom’s high-ups, and the timing wasn’t right; many things were hidden when viewed from a high vantage point.

Of course, the main reason was that the Priestess felt this was more entertaining~

Throwing a glance at a certain Monster Hunter kneeling with lowered eyes, Vilyric pulled out her priest’s staff and lightly tapped the back of his head, sending him into a delicate sleep before she left without another word.

The other girls hurriedly followed. Upon reaching outside, they found plenty of soldiers, converted from poachers, sprawled all over the stairs and corridors. Vilyric showed no mercy; their earlier brutish actions were more than enough proof of what kind of people they were.

Poachers weren’t exactly the nicest of folks, especially since they had struck first, right? The Priestess merely retaliated out of necessity.

The Little Dragon Daughter would surely not hold back against enemies; only Leila, Renée, or Edwina would spare a life if they had to, while Tilysha was just dazed the whole time.

When they reached the first-floor hall, Vilyric glanced at the innkeeper cowering behind the counter, looking utterly confused while peeking out. She tossed a large bag of gold coins on the table, then walked out with a poker face.

Ah, she had longed to experience this feeling.

Ten steps, one kill—leave no trace behind! So cool!

Of course, the others surely couldn’t tell from Vilyric’s perfectly calm face all the bizarre thoughts swirling inside her head.

“Miss Vilyric, is it really okay to let that Monster Hunter go? He’s seen our faces, and after we return, the Demon Town will definitely launch a thorough hunt for us, right?”

Looking surprised at the cautious Holy Knight, Vilyric couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Edwina, I remember you were quite opposed to killing when we first met, arguing that ‘sinners should face divine judgment!’ How come you’ve changed your tune now?”

“Ahahaha… Well, you see… there can be loopholes in the law, right? Those poachers clearly did wrong but were protected by the law—this is obviously incorrect. After being educated by Miss Vilyric, I completely understand my foolishness now!”

“Oh, is that so…”

The Priestess chose not to comment. Even though Edwina said that, when she faced those poacher-soldiers, she still chose to spare their lives. Yet she proactively suggested killing Alvins.

It had to be said, that was somewhat odd.

But this guy’s thought process had always been like this; taking things seriously would lead to defeat.

“Killing him won’t solve anything. That guy isn’t the only one who saw us; there are soldiers outside, those inn staff, and even fleeing travelers. Are we supposed to hunt them all down? I’m no butcher.”

“Instead, it’s a good opportunity to test the attitude of the Demon Town. Let’s fish a bit; what’s that phrase… right, ‘throw a stone to ask the road?’~”

   

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