Chapter 17

In the pitch-dark corner of the room, a man materialized.

The man took a step toward the window, illuminated slightly by the blue moon.

His hair was cut roughly and was dark, his eyes a strong burnt brown, his clothes worn and unrecognizable, and his shoes patched many times over. He might have been a bit short for a medium build, but his sturdy body compensated for it. His forearms, in particular, were noticeably developed even through the shirt-like garment he wore.

He could have been mistaken for a vagrant, but he didn't smell bad and was surprisingly clean.

He gave off no discernible scent.

At least, none of the scents of any race, ethnicity, nationality, or people that Maxim knew.

He was probably human, but he resembled the people from the southeastern continent, and more specifically, the mountain people. However, it was impossible for someone like that to be here.

Moreover, the air he carried was different from that of citizens, vagrants, or wanderers.

He could be called an underworld figure, but he lacked the typical shadowy aura.

Maxim glared at him.

The man shrugged and said, "Is this fine? We don't have much time, you know."

"Is Aka-ri safe?"

"She's safe. She came down the mountain once, you know?"

"Hmm, I see..."

Maxim realized that Aka-ri's ability had deemed the village hostile and prevented her from returning. He also understood that he had told this man about her ability.

"So, why are you in such a state?"

"…Damn, do I have no choice but to trust you? What's your name?"

"John."

"You're using a fake name without even trying to hide it. Well, whatever. I'm Maxim, a giant. If you betray me, I'll kill you."

The overwhelming violence of the giant was directed at the man, forming an invisible aura of death.

Maxim was sitting on the bed, but his massive body, which could have stacked the man twice vertically, bulged the dull-colored shirt and leather pants to the point of bursting. His blue eyes, visible between his red hair and mustache, stared at the man.

His age was indeterminate, but the image of the mythological Hercules in his old age was the closest comparison.

The man felt the pure malice of a human for the first time and was drenched in cold sweat.

However, he couldn't let his expression falter. If his expression broke, his spirit would be crushed. At least, he couldn't let himself break.

"...Ah, scary, scary."

By voicing his stress, he managed to relieve it somewhat. Even this small act made him feel much better.

Maxim clicked his tongue irritably.

"You're a tough one, I can't read you."

After muttering this, he began to explain the situation with a face that looked like he had bitten into a bitter bug. It seemed to be a very unpleasant story.

The hunters who went to slay the White Phantom returned, but only four, including the former noble hunter Zaur, came back.

Zaur reported to the Hunter's Guild that Aka-ri had intentionally led the hunters to the nest of the Great Thorned Spider, leading to their destruction.

The Guild and the Council did not conduct a proper investigation and immediately issued a warrant for Aka-ri's arrest, declaring her missing.

In Dorgan, hunters have been respected since ancient times due to its border location, but because of this, the betrayal of a hunter was never tolerated, and severe punishments were imposed.

Maxim, of course, protested, but it was not accepted.

The Rolana Council, upon receiving the news, only sent a written protest and demanded a fair trial, without taking any action to send personnel.

The Rolana Council had decided to cut ties with Aka-ri, the unstable and failed hero, and instead gain an excellent hero. They avoided further deteriorating their relationship with Dorgan by not helping Aka-ri.

"Of course, I know Zaur is lying, but there's no evidence."

"What about the other hunters?"

"The hunters who returned alive are all Zaur's subordinates. They're covering for him."

"You didn't go to look for her... couldn't go?"

"Stop talking like that, as if you're cold. If I could, I would have gone."

"It's just a habit. I'll stop once I get used to it."

"Damn. ...Even if I find Aka-ri, the ones watching me will take her away. I can't escape if the whole country is after me."

Maxim said this with regret.

"I see. So, what do you plan to do?"

Maxim sent a probing gaze at the man, who spoke as if it were someone else's business.

"First, I need to meet Aka-ri, but before that, I don't understand your purpose."

The man looked troubled.

"Purpose, you say."

Honestly, the man was troubled.

He had come down to the village on impulse without any particular purpose.

It had been about 580 days since he was summoned to the snowy mountain. Indeed, it was a good opportunity to shift from mere survival to living.

Shifting was fine, but he wanted to avoid troublesome and annoying things.

First, he didn't want to interact with any heroes other than Aka-ri. He didn't want to be known. It would only bring trouble.

He didn't want to be recognized as a summoner by the people of this world. It would only bring trouble.

So, the best approach was to come down to the village as a local who had been hiding in the mountains.

If this local, mountain person, were to help Aka-ri, what should he do?

No, the relationship between himself and Aka-ri might be revealed to Maxim sooner or later.

Could this man be trusted?

But he couldn't read people's minds or perform tricks.

"First, promise me that you won't reveal any information about me to anyone."

"What?"

"I've also made Aka-ri promise this. I want to live quietly."

"Whether you're a child or a warrior, do you really believe such a promise?"

"Those who can't keep a promise are scum. Well, I don't mean to the point of risking my life."

"...Hunters are similar."

"Good. For now, just think of me as a mountain person who has been hiding in the mountains."

"Are you going to hide this much?"

"I think you can guess. Just don't reveal it."

Maxim looked annoyed.

Ignoring Maxim, the man continued.

"My purpose this time is to mediate between Aka-ri and you, Maxim. I haven't decided on a reward, but think of me as a neutral third party."

"Maxim is fine. Neutral, huh. It's suspicious, but there's nothing I can do."

"Aka-ri is currently in the upper part of the Alerdoria Mountains?"

"The White Phantom's lair?"

"That's what they call it here, I guess. I haven't left the mountains, so I don't know the name, but it's near where someone was hunting a large monster last year."

"Ah, that was us. I thought that was the limit of where humans could act normally."

"Beyond that, you can't go deeper or higher. It's almost always a blizzard."

"Right. So, she was up there. No wonder she couldn't be found. If that's the case, I don't need to take down the surveillance. Can you lead me to her?"

Implicitly, he was asking the man to shake off the surveillance and bring him to Aka-ri.

"...If you don't care about the surveillance's life or death."

"Going into the mountains, you should be prepared for that. ...Are you going to kill them?"

"No, I'll sic spiders on them."

Maxim made a displeased face.

"Sic spiders... Did you sic spiders on Zaur?"

Realizing something, he now emitted a killing aura.

"I'll tell you, it was me. By some coincidence, I was living with the child of the monster you hunted. I couldn't let it be hunted."

"...Living with Ilneek? That's not a joke, but if not, there would be no need to sic spiders."

"Please don't hold it against me."

"...Well, I did promise. What if you rat me out?"

"I'll run. —Using Aka-ri as a shield."

"...You say such a heartless thing so casually. Using a woman as a shield is unforgivable."

"I'm not as heartless as someone who breaks a promise."

A tense silence hung between them.

"Then, at the campsite just before the spider's territory by tomorrow. I'll contact the campsite. Just to be clear, come alone."

The man disappeared into the darkness without waiting for Maxim's response.

Maxim was left alone in the inn room, which showed no trace of the man.

"I don't want to lose, but I don't want to do it either."

The man reminded Maxim of a venomous insect, harmless in everyday life but exploding with poison when eaten.

But if he were to prey on Aka-ri, Maxim stared at the axe leaning against the wall.