Hunter's Headquarters

"Want to join as a hunter?" Alastair asked again.

"Wait, a hunter? What do you mean?"

Alastair's brow furrowed. "You don't know hunters? Are there no hunters in your world?"

Yohan immediately shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I know what a hunter is. I mean, why are you suddenly offering that?"

"There's no particular reason. I saw that you can fight, and you don't have anything to do here either. I want to make you a knight in my division, but knighthood can only be taken by noble blood."

Yohan snorted. "If I refuse, will there be any punishment for me?"

"I don't know. The crown prince just asked me to keep an eye on you. I just don't want to waste my time watching someone who is idle."

Yohan sighed. Alastair's words were clearly sarcastic to him. It was only his first day in this strange and magical land that he did not recognize.

"Is there no chance for me to think about it first?" Yohan asked.

Alastair nodded. "Come with me."

"Where to?"

"To the headquarters of the hunters. Maybe you can convince yourself after looking around there."

Yohan smiled widely. "Wow, good idea. Let's go!"

Alastair took Yohan to the headquarters of the hunters as he had said. When Alastair arrived, the group of people called hunters immediately lined up neatly and bowed respectfully. Yohan frowned at that. He wondered how important Alastair's position was that almost everyone Yohan met in this country showed respect to him.

"Captain Indark, isn't he..."

Alastair turned his head and looked at Yohan who was just standing behind him. "Introduce yourself."

Yohan came forward with a friendly smile. "Hello, my name is Yohan Dharmawijaya. You must have heard about it. I got lost in another world and got stuck here."

Alastair pulled the back of Yohan's clothes roughly, making the man frown in annoyance.

"I intend to make Yohan one of the hunters. Do any of you have any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads simultaneously. "No, captain Indark!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Oi, I still have work to do. Please ask them and don't make any more trouble."

Yohan nodded with a lazy expression. "Alright."

After Alastair left, the hunters immediately surrounded him. They asked many questions. Most of their questions were the same. They were all curious about Yohan, who came from another world.

"Guys, don't surround him. Mr. D-Dharma..."

Yohan giggled amusedly. Again, people here had trouble pronouncing his name. "Just call me Yohan."

"Alright. Mr. Yohan will definitely be uncomfortable if you all crowd around him."

Yohan approached the young man. With just one look, he knew the young man was much younger than him.

"So, what is your name and what is your role among the hunters?" Yohan asked.

The young man bowed respectfully. "My name is Ancel Helias. I am in charge as their leader."

Yohan nodded. "No need to bow like that. I'm not Captain Indark. Oh yeah, why are there only a few hunters? I heard you guys are the ones who often work directly in the Nox area?"

Ancel seemed hesitant to answer.

"If it's a secret, there's no need to insist on saying it."

Ancel shook his head vigorously. "Sorry, Mr. Yohan, I didn't mean that."

"Just call me Yohan, no need to use mister or anything."

Ancel nodded. He led Yohan to his room. Seeing the living quarters of the hunters, Yohan immediately knew that they were treated differently from the knights.

"Please sit down, Sir-um, I mean Yohan."

Yohan nodded and sat down immediately. His eyeballs scrolled and took in the room. Almost everything was made of wood.

"So, can you tell me why there are fewer hunters than knights?"

"It's because they died in the Nox area during the expedition. Captain Indark must have told you about the Nox area and how dangerous it is. We hunters work under the command of the knights. But even so, only the hunters were ordered to actually enter the Nox area. Captain Indark was the only knight who dared to disobey orders and enter the Nox area along with the hunters. In every expedition, there were always our comrades who died. The hunters were ordinary people. We weren't nobles like Captain Indark and the other knights. That is why our deaths don't matter much."

Yohan gaped at Ancel's explanation. "So, what's the point of the knights? Isn't the source of this country's problems the monsters in the Nox area?"

Ancel nodded. "Actually, in the past the knights also participated in expeditions in the Nox area. Even back then, the kingdom hadn't formed a hunting guild like today. But the Nox area is really dangerous. A lot of knights died in every expedition. The knights came from honorable noble families. Their deaths were obviously a serious problem. So, the kingdom formed a hunting guild to deal with that. We are ordinary people who are specially trained to serve the kingdom."

"Ah, how cruel," Yohan muttered softly.

"After learning this, I hope you don't have to join the hunters. I know Captain Indark suggested you, but as an otherworlder, the kingdom is responsible for looking after you and you have no obligation to return the favor. After all, you are here as a result of the fault of the saint summoners."

Yohan chuckled. "I'm getting more and more interested in joining."

Ancel widened his eyes. "Yohan!"

"Relax, Ancel. I may seem weak now because of this wound on my abdomen, but I'm not that weak. I'm very curious about the famous Nox area. If I hadn't joined the hunters, I wouldn't have a reason to get out of here. The crown prince ordered Captain Indark to always keep an eye on me. I obviously don't have many opportunities to learn about this land."

Ancel looked doubtful. "You might regret joining the hunters after seeing for yourself how horrible the Nox area is."

Yohan laughed and patted Ancel on the shoulder. "Maybe, but you don't need to worry. Regret or not, it's all my decision. Right now, the important thing is that I'm not always confined to Captain Indark's care."

Ancel nodded. "I wish you all the best, Yohan."

"Yes, thank you. Oh, yes, I thought you would-"

"Mr. Ancel!"

The door to Ancel's room was suddenly opened from outside. One of the hunters walked in with his breath caught in his throat.

"What's wrong, Mike?" asked Ancel in confusion.

"Mr. Yohan, the Saint requests to see you."

Yohan's brow furrowed. "Huh? Who is the Saint?"

Ancel's face was shocked when he heard Yohan's question. "You must not speak carelessly like that."

Yohan scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, that's right. The girl who came to this land with me, or rather, the girl who dragged me to this land," he muttered softly.

Yohan quickly excused himself to Ancel and the other hunters. Outside the hunters' headquarters, there were two knights waiting for him with cynical expressions.

"Ah, what a hassle." Yohan muttered under his breath.

***