The only hunter left was the would-be terrorist.
"It’s going to be fine, right?"
...Probably not.
An illegal mercenary smuggled into the country from overseas, followed by an attempt at what everyone had called terrorism... On paper, she was a complete disaster.
But from what I remembered, public opinion had actually turned in her favor back then.
It started when the news broke that an illegal mercenary Hunter had been caught acting suspiciously. Not long after, the authorities released her mugshot.
And that was when everything changed.
The mercenary turned out to have a face that was, frankly, almost absurdly beautiful. Suddenly, people weren’t nearly as interested in condemning her.
Instead, the story became one of sympathy. How terrible must her life have been for someone like her to come all the way to a small eastern country and work as an illegal gun for hire?
The media loved it.
Every major channel ran her picture, along with footage of her arrest, while headlines about the "beautiful mercenary" brought in clicks by the millions.
Before long, documentaries started popping up too. Experts were brought in to explain how several smaller European countries had struggled or even collapsed because they didn’t have enough Hunters to deal with their Gates.
As for the so-called "attempted terrorism"... the whole thing had involved an experiment with something like a one-in-a-million chance of actually opening a Gate.
In other words, it was practically nothing.
By the time everything was over, the public had more or less forgiven her. She wasn’t some cold-blooded terrorist anymore. She was a beautiful Hunter with a tragic past who had been driven to do something reckless because she was desperate to compete and survive.
Then, while she was still in custody, her official ability measurement results came back.
S-Rank.
That caused another wave of sympathy.
People started saying she probably hadn’t even known she was an S-Rank Hunter, and that she’d been forced to struggle and survive in such terrible circumstances without ever realizing what she was capable of.
"Alias: Ruby. Real name unknown."
I looked at her mugshot again.
Soft, shoulder-length blonde hair that looked dyed. Bright red eyes staring directly into the camera. And a wide grin exposing a row of perfectly white teeth, as if she were having the time of her life instead of being arrested.
That picture alone was enough to make me hesitate.
Was it really okay to choose someone like this?
Then again, that hesitation didn’t really matter.
I didn’t have another option.
"...No choice," I finally sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet office. "I have to use the last spot on her."
I quickly messaged my secretary and told her to prepare the contracts for Audrey and Ruby. Once that was done, I leaned back against the sofa and tried to find some energy somewhere inside me.
Please... just let them be more normal than I think they are.
It was a desperate wish.
One I’d soon discover was completely pointless.
◆ ◆ ◆
I spent the entire time worrying about what was waiting for me, but the days passed anyway. Before I knew it, the day finally arrived when I had to pick up the Hunters who were about to become my new guild members.
I still had plenty of questions.
Why me?
Why couldn’t some other competent guild master from one of the major guilds handle this instead?
But none of those questions were going to change anything now. I’d already been chosen, and all I could do was make the best of it.
"Boss, could you at least try to look a little less grim...?" Maya Sinclair said from the driver’s seat, glancing at me with concern.
"...What’s wrong with my face?"
"You look like you’re on your way to a funeral."
Well, she wasn’t exactly wrong.
I was on my way to pick up a couple of walking time bombs who would probably shorten my lifespan by several years.
Still, I didn’t need a lecture about my expression from my secretary, whose job was considerably easier than mine.
"Ah, I’m driving right now...!" she protested when I reached over.
"Which is exactly why you should keep your eyes on the road," I retorted, poking her cheek a couple of times before quickly pulling my hand back.
I figured it was better not to distract the driver too much, especially when crashing was already a possibility.
Even without me bothering her, Maya wasn’t exactly the safest driver in the world. Her messy bangs constantly hung over her eyes, making me wonder how she could see the road properly in the first place.
And then there was her... honestly impressive chest, which I privately worried might someday become an obstacle between her and the steering wheel.
"By the way," I said, deciding to change the subject, "did you finish all the contract paperwork with the Association?"
"Of course," she replied, a little pride creeping into her voice. "Really, Boss, you’d be completely lost without me..."
"...Yeah."
I slumped deeper into the passenger seat.
"I don’t know how I’d get by without you either."
A quiet, tired laugh escaped me.
My guild, Trinity, used to be large and successful. That all changed after a certain accident. Every member abandoned the guild afterward, leaving me with nothing but an empty organization and a mountain of problems.
These days, I survived by clearing low-rank Gates on my own or joining other guilds’ raids as a hired mercenary.
Once the office rent and every other expense were taken out of what little I made, the amount I paid Maya was practically exploitation.
And yet she stayed.
Maya Sinclair wasn’t exactly untalented either. She could have found a better position somewhere else without much trouble.
The only reason I could think of for her sticking around was that she had an unbelievably soft heart.
Seriously, I should have been crying tears of gratitude.
Unfortunately, every time I tried to look at her with a suitably touched expression, her ridiculously distracting upper body completely ruined the mood.
"Boss, you’re looking at me with perverted eyes..." she muttered, her cheeks turning slightly red.
"Ahem. No, I’m not."
I immediately played innocent.
"Weren’t you the one looking at me first?"
"Huh? W-when did I ever do that...?!"
"Then how did you know where I was looking?"
"Th-that’s...!"
She couldn’t come up with an answer.
Neither could I.
We continued that completely pointless argument for the rest of the drive, neither of us really caring who won, until we eventually pulled up in front of the expensive hotel the Association had booked for the occasion.
"I can already see the security," I said, looking toward the stern-looking men in suits standing near the entrance.
Then I glanced at Maya.
"...You okay?"
"I-I’m okay..." she whispered.
Her voice didn’t sound convincing at all.
People were already staring at us, though their eyes inevitably kept drifting toward Maya.
And now that she was nervous on top of everything else, the sight of those imposing guards seemed to make her even more uncomfortable. She grabbed onto my arm as soon as we started walking, holding onto it like a lifeline.
Unfortunately, that also meant something very soft and substantial was pressed firmly against my arm with every step we took toward the entrance.
Maya’s face was slowly turning pale from anxiety.
Mine, meanwhile, was turning red for an entirely different reason.
At times like this, there was only one thing I could do.
Act normal.
I straightened my back, kept my expression as neutral as possible, and continued walking toward the hotel entrance without saying a word.