Becoming a Hunter in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 9: The Evil Puppeteer (2)

“H-How dare you barge into someone’s precious workshop like this, huh?! Wh-What do you even think you’re doing?! …Eeeeek!”

Molga’s face flushed beet red as he stomped and raged.

To him, this space was sacred—and now some stranger had trampled in with muddy boots. His disgust was palpable.

“You filthy intruder who’s defiled my workshop… I’ll kill you!”

Clang!

With gritted teeth, Molga ripped the knife from his shoulder and hurled it aside.

Then, he began chanting a spell at an eerily rapid pace.

“───”

Black mana swirled around him like blades, and foreign words flowed from his mouth like notes on a musical score.

Sweat trickled down Gale’s forehead.

‘…Bad. This is bad!’

The instinct that had kept him alive countless times screamed at him—Run. Get out. Now.

A mage capable of firing off spells strong enough to bring down castles—

Just by being able to use magic, they were essentially living weapons.

‘Of all the people… why the hell does that freak have to be a mage…’

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Gale cursed his luck.

Of course, even powerful mages had weaknesses.

Spellcasting required time to enchant, and their bodies were usually as fragile as paper.

So the basic strategy was a deadly game of chicken: kill the mage before they finish casting, or die trying.

However—

“…Even if I attacked now, it wouldn’t work.”

Unfortunately, the black mana surrounding Molga was a problem.

Gale had no means to pierce through that barrier. He knew a plain iron sword wouldn't cut it.

“Well, no helping it. Time for a strategic retreat.”

Biting his lip, Gale prepared to sprint out of the cave—

“…Oh, right. Almost forgot. Gotta retrieve the client.”

Skidding to a stop, he backpedaled toward the wall.

Toward the place where Jaigo was still bound.

“Hey! Hunter guy!”

“…”

“C’mon, snap out of it. Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?”

Despite Gale’s shout and the chaos erupting around them, Jaigo remained dazed, staring blankly in one direction.

“Nathan… Son, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

He was looking at the puppet in his son’s image—now motionless after Molga’s control had ceased.

“…Tch. Completely checked out, huh.”

Gale scratched at his tangled hair.

Having grown up an orphan, he had no way to understand what a parent went through after losing a child.

But tearjerking melodrama wasn’t really his thing.

If anything, he leaned more toward gritty, blood-soaked revenge stories.

“Look, Hunter guy. I know I’m just some outsider poking his nose where it doesn’t belong—but I couldn’t just sit back.”

Smack!

Gale slapped Jaigo across the face, hard.

“Get a grip. How long are you going to sit there like an idiot?”

“…”

“You said you came here to find your son. And you’re just gonna sit there sucking your thumb? You’re his dad, for crying out loud. You have to fight—with everything you’ve got!”

It was Gale’s version of helping—forcing the man to face reality.

He wasn’t good at coming up with comforting words—and frankly, he didn’t want to try.

“Revenge… is something you carry out yourself. Not something you borrow someone else’s hands for.”

“…!”

So instead, he said the most necessary thing.

“You dying right now would be a damn problem.”

‘For me.’

Gale remembered it clearly.

“Right now, I think someone really needs your help. Please, help him.”

That scary brat who smiled sweetly before launching him into the sky…

As a mercenary, failing a request bothered Gale more than anything—but not enough to risk his life for it.

For Gale, self-preservation always came first.

…But with Elwin Krieger’s request, the stakes were different.

He was honestly terrified of what that slightly insane kid would do to him if he failed.

‘You failed my request. I hope you’ve already thought about what you’ll pay in return.’

Just imagining the future made Gale shiver.

Not a single possible outcome ended well.

“Ughh! I just know I’d end up stuck working under minimum wage for life! Forced labor forever! I hate hard work! Give me the freedom to be lazy, damn it…!”

Luckily, it looked like he’d avoided that miserable fate.

“That’s enough slapping, you bastard.”

The focus had returned to Jaigo’s eyes.

Gale grinned in relief.

“Oh! You’re back with us, Hunter guy?”

“Thanks to you. How hard did you slap me? My face is stinging—damn it!”

Spitting blood from his mouth, Jaigo growled.

“…Yeah, you’re right. Revenge only means something if it comes from your own hand.”

Gale grinned again.

“Now that’s the look I like. Want a little help? I mean, you’ll at least need to be able to hold a weapon. Not like that…”

“No need. This much—”

Jaigo began forcing strength back into his body.

“I can handle alone! I’m not dead yet!”

His gaze turned fierce as his broad chest swelled with a deep breath.

“Rrrgh!”

The chains binding him creaked as they dug deep into his flesh.

It had to hurt like hell—but Jaigo didn’t stop. He resisted with such force that his blood vessels burst.

Then, finally, the chains groaned—

Clangg—!

—and shattered into pieces.

“Phew.”

Freed at last, Jaigo rose and grabbed the greatsword resting beside him.

He stood tall, towering with his massive frame—it was like staring up at a mountain.

“Damn. That’s some serious strength you’ve got, Hunter man.”

“Hmph.”

Gale chuckled breezily and jerked his chin toward the exit.

“Let’s head out first. If we stick around here, that black mana might swallow us whole. Neither of us wants to die like dogs, right?”

With that, he dashed ahead without hesitation.

“Damn brat. No respect for his elders…”

Jaigo muttered like a grumpy old man, but still followed close behind.

Because the swelling, pulsing mana felt like a ticking bomb.

“…”

Though he wanted nothing more than to plunge a sword into the monster he could tear apart with his bare hands—

He knew that to avenge his son, he had to survive first.

With a strained glance at the puppet standing motionless—wearing his son’s skin—Jaigo pushed forward.

“…That’s…?”

As they exited the dim cave, Jaigo caught sight of the golden cloak draped over Gale’s shoulder.

“A golden cloak… and that dragon insignia…!”

It was a symbol Jaigo knew all too well.

His eyes widened in shock.

“You—you! What is that?! Don’t tell me that’s yours… or rather, yours, sir?!”

“…What the—what’s with the honorific all of a sudden? That’s creepy.”

Gale looked visibly unsettled and was about to explain—

He had been handed the cloak on a whim, and it wasn’t even his to begin with.

But he never got the chance.

“Good heavens! The heavens haven’t forsaken us after all! Of course not. Divine LAMPAS sees all!”

Jaigo suddenly began speaking rapidly, almost like he was possessed.

His eyes, previously filled with vengeance, hatred, and despair, were now sparkling with life.

No—he looked moved.

“…Uhh?”

Something about Jaigo’s reaction felt off, and Gale blinked blankly.

Then Jaigo seized Gale’s hand with a grip like a steel trap and shook it violently.

“Gwaaah! Hey—what the hell are you doing?!”

Gale’s entire body flopped around like a rag doll.

“I offer you my humble respects! I am Jaigo, a low-rank Hunter from the Kepil City branch in the Gailon region of the Western Continent. To meet you… this is the honor of my life!”

Standing before the dazed Gale, Jaigo tapped his chest with one hand and bowed his head with utmost reverence.

“Please forgive my earlier rudeness. I pray your great mercy will excuse my insolent behavior.”

“Uh… uh, well. If you say so.”

“Ooh—just as the legends say, your magnanimity knows no bounds! To forgive me so easily… I, Jaigo, thank you from the bottom of my heart!”

“Oh no, it’s really not—wait, huh?!”

It was only then that Gale’s temporarily absent mind snapped back into place.

“H-Hey… Hunter guy? I know things have been chaotic, and I didn’t get to say this earlier, but whatever you’re thinking—it’s not what it looks like. Because I’m actually—”

He broke into a nervous sweat, trying to correct the misunderstanding.

Because somehow, Jaigo had gotten the wrong idea big time.

And of course—that moment was when it happened.

RUMMMMBLE—!

The ground shook, and the cave they’d just escaped from exploded.

Molga burst through the collapsed ceiling with a howl.

“You intruders! As if trespassing in my workshop wasn’t enough, you even stole my materials?! I’ll kill you!!!”

At the enemy’s reappearance, Jaigo’s eyes blazed anew.

“Molga…!”

“Heeheeheehik! No, no, no! You can’t run! You still have to become my next masterpiece, Father!”

Molga waved his hand—and black mana condensed into sharp spikes.

“It’s fine if there’s a bit of damage. It won’t affect the final product… hihik!”

He pointed toward Gale and Jaigo.

Swoooosh!

Dozens of spikes took to the air and shot toward them.

The one who reacted first wasn’t Jaigo—it was Gale.

Ching, ching, ching—!

Gale drew the sword from his waist in a flash, parrying every incoming spike.

Seeing that, Molga’s eyes lit up with interest.

“Heeheehik! Intruder, you’re pretty useful-looking, aren’t you? I’ll make you into a piece, too!”

“Hah. Who the hell said I’d let you? Filthy bastard. That's all you’ve got?”

“Of course not! That's just the warm-up!”

Molga grinned grotesquely and summoned black mana again. A massive void formed in the air.

“Come forth, my special creations!”

“…What the—?”

“Good god. More puppets?”

BOOM! BOOM!

From the void, new ‘puppets’ dropped down. They resembled the ones Gale had fought before—but were more monstrous in appearance.

“Go! My completed works!”

“We obey the Creator’s command.”

Even the puppet that had been in the cave emerged.

Jaigo grimaced at the sight, but then steeled himself.

“…Forgive me for asking, but would you handle that puppet for me? No matter how resolved I am, I don’t think I can face it. The result would be the same either way.”

“Huh? I was planning on it anyway.”

“…! If the rumors are true, you’re someone who despises evil. That you’d let me take the lead—I’m grateful for your generosity!”

“What—no, that’s not what I—listen to me for a second!”

Jaigo stared down Molga with eyes filled with righteous fury, drawing into a battle stance.

“You probably don’t need this advice, but consider it an old man’s concern. That puppet has fully inherited my son’s abilities. My son was a master of martial arts—greater even than I was.”

“…Thanks. That’s actually helpful.”

“To hear that makes me glad. Please be careful. Even a single scratch on you would be a tragedy for the entire world.”

“….”

“This time, I’ll sever your cursed life, Molga!”

With those words, Jaigo charged toward Molga without hesitation.

Watching him go, Gale muttered helplessly,

“Damn. Never got the chance to clear up that misunderstanding. I don’t even know what the hell’s going on anymore.”

Still, there was one thing he could deduce.

He groaned.

“Ugh. ‘Tragedy for the entire world’? Just what kind of big shot did I get involved with here?”

The radiant golden cloak on his shoulder felt like it was mocking him.

“Damn brat. Were you some kind of royalty or something…?”

Gale let out a deep sigh.

In his experience, nothing made life more miserable than getting tied up with ‘high-ranking people.’

“…Well, guess I’ll worry about that later. Time to get to work.”

He raised his gleaming blade and pointed it toward Molga’s ‘masterpiece’—the puppet of low-rank Hunter Nathan.

“Can’t let a son be made to kill his father.”

Even filial blasphemy wasn’t his thing.