“I’ve found him, but before that, can you answer a question, Your Grace?”
“…Go ahead.”
“What exactly happened to Mr. Belter?”
The voice from the bracelet fell silent for a moment before the authoritative tone resumed. “Leon, as you know, Belter is a monster hunter.”
“Yes, I know… Was he corrupted by Chaos? A master hunter with twenty years of fame, just like that?” The young man’s name was Leon. His expression was serious as he listened intently to the archbishop’s explanation, recalling the information he had gathered.
A hundred and fifty years ago, the barbarians from the Chaos Wastes in the north, rallied by Chaos, gathered an army of over half a million. They swept south, destroying everything in their path, even breaching the imperial capital.
After the Battle of Fasha, the new empire was rebuilt from the ruins. The imperial council elected Ludvig as the new emperor. Since the original capital, Weissenmünz, was utterly destroyed, Ludvig established the new capital in Brunswick. However, the corruption of Chaos did not fade from the land. Decay, disease, mutants, and cultists spread across the empire. The imperial army couldn’t be deployed for every minor threat.
Thus, the profession of monster hunters emerged. As the empire’s culture decayed and heretical beliefs spread like weeds, there was a need for ruthless enforcers in these dark times.
Monster hunters traveled the land, purging heretics and monsters, fighting against Chaos.
Belter was one such monster hunter. He rose to fame twelve years ago after single-handedly destroying an entire cult, earning the title of Master Hunter.
But Leon was here to hunt Belter!
Over the course of his career, the Master Hunter had become increasingly reclusive, avoiding communication and even skipping routine gatherings. He always operated in secrecy and was constantly collecting something.
Five months ago, Archbishop Innocent of the Church of Justice in the Kingdom of Nord received a letter from the Master Hunter. Belter pleaded for help, saying he was haunted by demonic whispers, nightmares of endless bloodshed, and loss of control over his actions. He was on the verge of madness and begged the archbishop to save him.
Belter had always been independent and had clashed with the Church of Justice before. Archbishop Innocent hesitated but decided to investigate.
To his surprise, when he arrived at Belter’s residence, the Master Hunter denied ever sending the letter, insisting he had never sought help and asking the archbishop not to interfere.
Furious, Innocent left, declaring he would have nothing more to do with Belter.
But Innocent was the archbishop of the Church of Justice in Nord. Shortly after leaving in anger, he realized something was wrong. When he returned to Belter’s residence, the Master Hunter was gone, leaving behind a horrifying scene of experiments. Belter had used live subjects to create monstrous hybrids of humans and beasts.
“I can imagine what that was like. What I want to know is, why didn’t the Church use the Blessing of Protection on the Master Hunter?” the young knight asked, sitting on the bed in his room.
“Because he wasn’t willing to pay the ‘price,'” the archbishop said before ending the communication. Prolonged communication required significant energy.
“…The price, huh?” Leon was no fool. He knew exactly what the “price” meant.
The Church of Justice was no charity or selfless organization dedicated to eradicating evil. They emphasized that “justice comes at a price,” and many of their services were explicitly priced.
Master Hunter Belter was unwilling to pay the “price.”
The Church of Justice was willing to recruit monster hunters. Those who joined would receive six months of work each year, with Master Hunters periodically receiving the Blessing of Protection to shield them from Chaos corruption.
But justice had its price—40% of a hunter’s income had to be handed over as “protection fees.” Many hunters refused to sign such contracts, especially since the agreements were made under the witness of the gods. Breaching the contract had dire consequences.
Many hunters couldn’t accept these terms, and Belter was one of them.
The Church of Justice assigned other hunters to capture Belter, but all failed. When the body of Bent, Nord’s strongest Master Hunter, was found nailed to a pine tree in the wilderness, Archbishop Innocent knew things had taken a turn for the worse. That’s when he turned to Leon.
Leon had a good relationship with the Church of Justice. He admired their straightforward approach—openly demanding payment without hypocritically preaching “divine grace” or resorting to underhanded tactics. He maintained a positive rapport with them.
“Compared to the medieval Church, this is much better!” But dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything.
After removing his chainmail, Leon set up multiple alarm devices and placed his warhammer and sword within easy reach by the bed. Leaning back on the soft feather pillow, he sighed softly. “An outsider, huh…”
Yes, Leon was not a native of this world. He was an outsider.
By sheer chance, he had crossed over from that blue planet. But the so-called “crossing” was far from the idyllic fantasy he had imagined.
He had spent three days traversing a bizarre, illusion-filled passageway!
In that passage, he encountered a mysterious man with long black hair clad in golden armor, and thus began his extraordinary journey.
When he arrived in this world, Leon found his body had regressed to that of a three-year-old child, with a stray dog eyeing him hungrily!
It was then that his adoptive father, Lord Norman of Othene, happened to pass by. The lord took pity on the child, named him Leon—meaning “lion”—and raised him as his own, inspired by the boy’s courage in fending off the dogs.
Twenty years had passed since then. At eighteen, Leon began his travels, journeying across much of the Kingdom of Nord. From the frontlines against the northern barbarians at Stormhold to the capital, Winterhold, from the densely populated mage sanctuary of Skyreach to the small town of Wulan, Leon earned his keep by hunting monsters and heretics, exchanging bounties with the Church of Justice and taking on tasks from various lords. By now, he had amassed a considerable fortune.
What would the future hold?
As he lay in bed, Leon gradually drifted into sleep…
In his dreams, he returned to his homeland, that nation under the red flag. The streets were still congested, and he would wake early to squeeze onto the subway for work, toiling to support his family and save for a home. His parents were aging, but fortunately, they lived in the same city. During holidays, he would visit them, go out together, listen to his father’s advice and his mother’s nagging. Work was hard, but it wasn’t oppressive.
But everything slowly blurred. After twenty years in this world, his memories of that place remained clear, yet the faces of his parents and friends had dimmed, as if shrouded in shadow. In confusion and a faint sense of loss, he felt himself endlessly falling, falling into darkness…
He woke in the middle of the night, his face wet with tears.
The next morning, Leon rose early. After breakfast, the sky outside was still dark. He sat in the inn’s hall, staring at the falling snow.
“Being an outsider would be easier. A wanderer is worse off than a pampered dog,” the young man sighed softly.
“Sir, you’re up early!” The innkeeper, washing dishes behind the counter, noticed Leon sitting in the hall and remarked, “You went to bed so early last night. Later, the minstrel told the story of our Nord hero, ‘Hammer’ Leon. It was truly thrilling! The atmosphere was electric. It’s a shame you missed it.”
“Ha, ‘Hammer’ Leon, huh? I hear his stories every day—even witness them firsthand,” the young man chuckled. When the innkeeper pressed him on whether he had served as Leon’s squire, he merely smiled and deflected the question. Instead, he asked, “A few days ago, was there a tall, thin man in a cloak, wearing a tall round hat, long trousers, and black boots who stayed here?”
“…I don’t know.” The innkeeper’s expression immediately turned wary. He set down the dishes and cups he was washing, his tone shifting sharply. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s our policy not to disclose information about other guests. If that’s why you’re here, you might as well give up now!”
As he spoke, the innkeeper’s hand moved toward something beneath the counter. But the knight was quicker. Leon raised his hand to signal he meant no harm, then opened his cloak. “In that case, can you tell me now?”
A silver wolf-head badge appeared before the innkeeper.
“You’re a White Wolf Knight! My apologies, please forgive me!” The innkeeper’s face paled at the sight of the badge, and he hurriedly apologized.
“You’re right to protect guest privacy. Every business has its rules, and that’s not wrong. But now, as a knight of the kingdom, I order you to tell me the details,” Leon said firmly.
“Yes, sir!” The innkeeper quickly set down the small crossbow he had been reaching for and told Leon what he knew.
“Three days ago, a tall, thin man in strange attire did come here…”