Chapter 130 Himuro Yukiko ⑥
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Once everyone’s Appraisal² was cleared without a hitch, we drove through the gates. A vast expanse of farmland opened up before us, though it was currently buried under a thick shroud of snow. Not a single crop was in sight-likely a lingering scar from that blizzard.
After driving another kilometer or so, we hit a second perimeter wall. This one wasn’t nearly as imposing as the first; it was about half the height, lacked the defensive “recurve” design, and looked like a standard fortification. There were guards posted here as well, but they waved us through without a second glance. Once we passed the second gate, the cityscape finally came into view.
The architecture was the definition of utilitarian. Stone buildings lined the streets with zero flashiness. To put it kindly, it was rugged and sturdy; to put it bluntly, it was a drab, monochromatic wasteland. It felt less like a fantasy kingdom and more like a grim snapshot of rural Russia or Scandinavia.
Not that I’ve actually been to either place, but you get the idea.
Unlike Greedia, there were no towering skyscrapers here. The houses were arranged in an orderly grid but kept a low profile-mostly single-story, two at the absolute most. The royal Draguoth Castle was the only structure with any real scale, looming large enough to be seen from anywhere in the city.
”In Wrathfiria-and not just here in Draguoth-the basements serve as the actual living quarters,” Leonardo explained. “You open the front door and you’re immediately staring down a flight of stairs. If you aren’t expecting it, you’ll take a nasty tumble.”
He told us it was a defensive measure against invaders. If enemy soldiers stormed a house, they’d lose their footing and go crashing down into the cellar. It made sense. This was a nation of mercenaries, a military state. Most of the residents were either soldiers or veterans with actual combat training. If you were stupid enough to break in and fall down the stairs, you’d be beaten to a pulp before you could even stand up.
From the outer walls to the living rooms, every inch of this place was built with the assumption of constant warfare.
”Well, to be fair, we were stuck in a cycle of civil wars until about thirty years ago,” Leonardo sighed. “The current king, Josef XVII, was the one who finally ended the bloodshed… though I’m damned if I know why he’s turned out the way he has lately.”
I’d done some light digging into Wrathfiria’s history myself. About three hundred years ago, the leader of a mercenary company declared himself king-that was the founder, Josef I. Naturally, the other mercenary captains weren’t thrilled about that and decided they should be king instead. That sparked a massive internal power struggle. In the end, Josef I’s outfit came out on top.
Even though the other mercenary groups technically surrendered, they weren’t really integrated into the crown. They just retreated to their own territories, set themselves up as local lords, and governed their own towns. They never truly gave up on the throne, though. They just sat back and waited for an opening, leading to constant skirmishes. It was a fragile, uneasy peace.
Then, forty years ago, the previous king was assassinated. The mastermind was a local lord who issued a formal declaration of war. Every other lord used the chaos as an excuse to make their own power play, throwing the country back into the wringer.
But Josef XVII managed to pacify the entire nation in just ten years. Peace has reigned for the last thirty.
When I first read that, I almost had to call bullshit-it sounded like something straight out of a heroic epic. But in this country, Josef XVII is genuinely revered as a hero and a wise ruler. Apparently, that massive outer wall was his brainchild, built during the wars to keep the rival mercenary armies at bay.
That said, I’d heard he was ambitious. That ambition is likely what triggered the invasion of the Demon King’s territory-and why his approval rating is currently tanking.
Anyway, history lessons aside.
For now, we have a few official errands to run. First, there’s the food delivery Mr. Georg asked us to handle. Then, there’s a personal request from Clovis, the Guildmaster of the Monster Hunters Guild³.
Mr. Georg’s request is technically the priority, but Leonardo mentioned that their current supplies would hold out for another two months. That gives us enough of a window to go see Clovis first.
* * *
”This is it. The Monster Hunters Guild,” Leonardo said.
He led us to the entrance, but this was where we parted ways. He needed to report back to his superiors, specifically regarding our arrival.
”Catch you later,” Leonardo said, giving us a sharp salute. He started to turn away, then stopped as if remembering something. “Oh, one more thing. Try not to be too disappointed.”
With that cryptic warning, he and his men headed off toward the castle.
Time to get this over with. We pushed open the heavy doors of the guild and stepped inside.
The interior was dim, but the first thing that hit me wasn’t the lighting-it was the suffocating reek of cheap booze. I know people in northern climates drink to stay warm, but this was ridiculous. The air was thick enough to make you gag.
We headed down the stairs and found a sizable crowd of “Monster Hunters” getting absolutely plastered. It was barely noon, and they were already living the dream. I looked around, wondering why none of these guys were out on jobs. Or maybe they were just that efficient?
A few of them spared me a disinterested glance as I reached the bottom of the stairs, but the second they saw Lil and the others, the room erupted with vulgar whistles.
”Whoa! Look at that! You brought some real prizes with you, kid!” one man shouted.
The speaker was a massive, bald gorilla of a man with eyes clouded by drink. He stood up, stumbling slightly as he shoved his alcohol-soaked face toward mine.
”Heh… look at the collars. That means… hey, brat. Are those your pets? Your ‘sub-beasts’?” the man sneered. “If so, why don’t you hand ’em over? I’ll have ’em squealing for more every damn night.”
The rest of the room burst into ugly laughter.
”Hell, pass ’em around when you’re done!”
”Yeah, let’s make ’em the guild’s collective property!”
”I want the one with the dog ears first!”
”Back off, she’s mine! Fine, whatever-I’ll take the brat then.”
”And that Lilim… we’ll all take turns with her.”
The comments just got filthier from there. I finally understood what Leonardo meant by “don’t be disappointed.” The Monster Hunters in Wrathfiria were absolute scum.
I’d never seen anything this pathetic, even in Greedia. Mihiro just shook their head and shrugged, clearly unimpressed. Even in Envyos, you didn’t see this level of bottom-feeding.
”Damn! That black-haired one is a looker, too! Look at that slutty outfit!” another drunken voice called out.
Mihiro wasn’t showing much skin, but they were wearing a skintight black bodysuit that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It was a rubberized, high-impact material-not overly flashy, but it hugged every curve and muscle. They’d even added a protector in the crotch area to hide any… obvious giveaways. It was the kind of look that made me want to ask which heist movie they’d walked out of.
It was definitely distracting. Even Nakim had told them, “I don’t know where to look!” when they first put it on.
”Come on, hand ’em over. We’ll treat ’em real go-“
CRACK.
I didn’t let the bald bastard finish. I buried my fist in his face with everything I had. The man went down hard, sprawling across the floor in a heap.
The soldier at the gate had been doing his job, so I’d played nice. These guys? These guys were just trash.
The big man scrambled to his feet, clutching his face. Blood was gushing through his fingers; pretty sure I’d pulverized his nose.
”You… you little bastard! What did you do!?”
”What did I do?” I asked calmly. “I just swatted a dung fly. Why?”
”A dung fly!? You dead-meat brat! I was trying to be nice, and you go and get cocky!?”
I honestly had no idea which part of that interaction he considered “being nice.”
”I’m the top Monster Hunter in this city! I’m Mobura, Obsidian-rank⁴! You’re gonna pay for that with your life!”
Fuming with rage, Mobura grabbed a heavy maul⁵ and charged. If the “top” hunter in this country was only Obsidian-rank, the bar was buried underground.
I let out a long sigh and side-stepped him with the grace of a matador.
A guy like this wouldn’t just be an easy win for me; even Lil and the others could have flattened him without breaking a sweat. But the rest of the guild didn’t seem to realize that.
”What!? He dodged Mobura’s charge!?”
”No way! That’s impossible!”
”It was a fluke! Had to be a total fluke!”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was actually getting a headache from their sheer incompetence. I guess the only language these assholes understand is a broken jaw.
”Look,” I said, reaching into my collar and pulling out my Black Iron⁶ Monster Hunter tag. I letting it catch the light, then gave the others a nod. They followed suit, flashing their own tags.
”B-Black Iron!?”
”Wait… that woman… she’s Red Copper⁷!?”
”The kid is Amber⁸!? Are you shitting me!?”
”And the one in black is Jade⁹!? How the hell!?”
The room went cold. Usually, when the rank gap is this wide, people have the survival instinct to back off. I guess I overestimated them.
”Bullshit! It’s a trick! They’re fakes!” Mobura yelled, his face turning a shade of purple that reminded me of a boiled octopus. “I’m not falling for it! Get ’em! Tear those fake skins off their faces!”
Mobura’s roar galvanized the rest of the scum. They all drew their weapons, ready to swarm us.
I sighed again. They were the ones who initiated, so I’ll just call this “self-defense.” Bloodshed with weapons is against guild rules anyway, so I’ll just stick to a thorough, non-lethal thrashing. Since Lili had zero combat stats, I told her to go hang out on the ceiling until we were done.
— One minute later —
”Weak…” Lil muttered.
”That didn’t even count as a warm-up,” Mihiro added.
”The old guys are super weak!” I chirped.
”Ahaha… Sieben, give them a break,” Nakim said. “The level gap is just too massive.”
The floor was a sea of groaning bodies. Mobura and every other hunter who’d tried their luck were out cold.
”Alright. Now that it’s finally quiet… excuse me, Miss Receptionist?” I asked. “Think you can take us to see the Guildmaster now?”
”Y-Yes! Right away, sir!” the receptionist stammered.
She stood up, her face flushed red as she scrambled to lead the way.
”And, um… thank you so much for putting those creeps in their place! Their harassment was getting unbearable. You guys were… well, you were really cool!”
She flashed a bright smile before disappearing into the back offices.
Wait. Did I just trigger some kind of flag?
—
Summary:
Yukiko and her party arrive in Draguoth, the capital of the military state Wrathfiria. After a brief history lesson from Leonardo about King Josef XVII, the party heads to the Monster Hunters Guild. They are immediately harassed by a group of low-ranked thugs led by Mobura, resulting in Yukiko effortlessly beating them all down after revealing their high-ranking status tags.
—
Trivia:
- The country’s homes have basements as living spaces for defense.
- Josef XVII ended a 30-year civil war in only 10 years.
- The protagonist’s rank (Black Iron) is significantly higher than the local ‘top’ hunter (Obsidian).
- Mihiro’s outfit includes a specific protective pad to hide gender markers.
- Lili is present but non-combatant, hiding on the ceiling during the fight
—
Character Insight:
Yukiko demonstrates zero tolerance for s*xual harassment and vulgarity, choosing physical violence over diplomacy when the guild members cross the line. The party’s casual attitude after the fight shows just how far they have surpassed average hunter levels.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Demi-fiend’ (Hitoshura) line is a meta-reference to the Shin Megami Tensei series, signaling the protagonist’s temporary ‘demon-like’ ruthlessness.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Leonardo – A Major and squad leader in the Wrathfiria military. Large build like a bear with brown hair like a lion’s mane and a thick beard. Friendly and boisterous.
• Clovis – The head of the Monster Hunter Guild. Early 30s, lean build, narrow eyes, wears spectacles.
• Georg – Master of Merchant Guild Foxia, silver-haired middle-aged gentleman.
• Lil – One of the heroines. Height 166 cm, B-W-H: 90-56-90. She is a top-tier beauty with long indigo hair down to her waist, a large scar on her abdomen and sharp golden eyes. She has wolf ears and a tail.
• Lili – Sasaki Natsumi’s familiar. She is a Lilim, a type of succubus, and has no fighting power. Of course, she only thinks about erotic things. Blonde hair, blue eyes, twin-tails, and a petite but busty (‘loli-bakunyuu’) physique
• Mihiro – Post-gender swap of Yuki Chihiro: Height 160 cm, B-W-H: 82-55-80. Futanari. Short haired black hair, handsome.
• Nakim – A thirteen-year-old boy with soft, androgynous features; the creator of the Dispel spell.
• Sieben – Young man with black hair and a mask covering his eyes. He purchased Honoka and Ria.
• Yuki – Yuki Chihiro. Height 178 cm, weight 70 kg (Male). Natsumi’s childhood friend. A handsome, athletic top student in the soccer club.
• Shin – A level 18 greatsword user and Hunter from Rubia. Jade rank.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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