assistirfilmes Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Inside the rattling train, silence reigned.
Hunter was quietly occupied, working on the corpse of the Foreign Entity she had brought with her. Agarta seemed uncomfortable, staring out the window, while Asti sat expressionless, casting a fierce glare toward Hunter. And the one at the center of it all, Hunter herself, looked blankly into space, her face emotionless, as though none of this affected her in the least, still bound in rope.
R-right. Let’s try to look on the bright side here.
At least Hunter wasn’t hostile toward me. If we could manage a conversation, maybe she’d agree to dismantle the rebellion upon our return to Londan, allowing the city to return to normal.
With that hope, I looked over at Hunter. She seemed to notice my movement and locked eyes with me almost immediately.
Frozen in place, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread. Was it the kind of terror prey might feel facing a predator? Or the fear a person facing death might experience?
"Hunter."
“...”
“Feeling calmer now? You won’t, you know... do that again, right?”
“...”
“Could you at least answer?”
“...”
With nothing but an indifferent blink in response, a certainty settled in my mind: the second these ropes came off, chaos would ensue.
「...Are you trying to set hearts racing even from people who’ve given up on being women?」
Then, the Gardener’s voice echoed, a teasing tone laced with unexpected sharpness.
Hey, it’s not like this is my fault! I didn’t do anything! Hunter went off on her own!
「...I know that too.」
Still, I knew where this was headed.
How about we spend some time together later, Gardener? How about a date in a snowstorm this time?
「...!」
For a moment, I imagined her red-flushed face reacting to my sudden invitation.
「Wh-what! And you say nothing to me!」
「Woof! Woof woof!」
The Dragon Slayer and Bell both made disgruntled noises, caught off guard.@@@@
Hmm. How should I handle this?
It seemed I could only summon Foreign Entities twice a day. Maybe assigning them turns would help simplify things.
As the thought struck, the Foreign Entities were already rock-paper-scissoring amongst themselves. Even now, it was odd that the Record Keeper hadn’t shown up. They’d once claimed to love me; was that just something they threw out for fun?
Who knows? You can’t exactly rein in a Foreign Entity that acts on whim.
"T-Tanton..."
Agarta spoke up suddenly, perhaps feeling burdened by the silence.
“Yes?”
“...Are you okay? That was quite an ordeal back there.”
“Yes, well... I didn’t actually go through with it. And now I understand why Hunter tried what she did, so I can live with it.”
With an “Ah, I see,” Agarta looked out the window again.
What’s with her? Laughing at me one moment, then worrying the next. Maybe she had a split personality or something?
As I wondered, the train rattled even harder.
“We’ve arrived, Sir Tanton,” Hunter announced, finishing her work on the Foreign Entity.
“I’m grateful you’ve provided enough firewood for Garen to last a few more years,” she added, expressing her thanks.
“...You really brought back the corpse of a Foreign Entity.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Without Sir Tanton’s help, it would have been impossible.”
Hunter spoke, unrolling the corpse in front of the Duke. Despite the tidy preparation, the Duke grimaced.
Noticing his reaction, Hunter quickly wrapped the body again, and only then did the Duke let out a sigh of relief.
“L-Lady Hunter! What’s the meaning of this?!”
Another man, contrastingly calm, followed behind, his gaze steady.
“...Lady Hunter.”
“Guet, it’s over. I’m ordering you to stop.”
Hunter’s words seemed to crush something inside him, leaving him with a hollow laugh.
“...I suppose I must obey Lady Hunter’s command.”
The resentment on his face made it clear he held a grudge against the Knights.
But now, I needed to report back to the vice-captain and reactivate the Knights...
“What’s that?!”
A man in the crowd suddenly pointed, horrified.
We all turned toward the commotion, stunned at what we saw.
The Knights had been out of commission for too long, and with Hunter away, Foreign Entities had gathered around Londan.
Women-like figures scaled the walls, making us grind our teeth in frustration.
“Agarta, Asti.”
“Yes?”
Both responded in unison.
“I need you to evacuate the people.”
“What? You’re going to face those things alone?!”
“Raydan, no.”
Asti and Agarta tried to stop me, but there was no other way. With the vice-captain nowhere to be found, waiting idly would only increase the casualties.
“...!”
Both were taken aback as I removed Hunter’s bindings. Finally free, she stretched her limbs, showing off a curious fullness beneath her new clothes.
Hunter looked at me with an uncharacteristically soft expression.
“And what exactly do you think I’ll do?”
“What you do best. Hunt Foreign Entities. Isn’t that your job?”
Perhaps because I spoke as usual, she seemed slightly surprised, but then collected herself, holding out her hand.
Clearly, she wanted the double-barrel shotgun.
Agarta tossed the shotgun over, and Hunter caught it expertly, loading it and firing mercilessly at an approaching Foreign Entity.
“Graaagh!”
It fell, struck in the legs.
Walking steadily toward the horde, Hunter turned back to me.
“Looks like you’re back to acting bold.”
“...I’ve decided not to repeat my past mistakes.”
“Obvious words.”
Hunter raised her gun toward the oncoming Foreign Entities.
“Don’t regret freeing me later.”
“...I just won’t regret it.”
“That’ll be hard to do.”
“Crazy woman.”
I muttered, walking forward, dodging her crazed taunts.
The Foreign Entity War had begun, right after the Candle War.