Chapter 35: After the Sparring (2)
While Evan napped outside the Academy,
ships came and went as usual at the northern port.
Among them, a massive regular ship had just docked, lowering its gangway.
—Thud!
As the gangway was set, passengers carefully disembarked.
They were merchants or laborers, laden with cargo.
—Clatter. Clatter.
Among them, three particularly suspicious figures stepped off.
One was a mountain of a man with a towering frame.
Another was a woman with long black hair reaching her waist.
The leader, walking ahead, had no distinct traits, wearing a hood pulled low.
This mismatched trio all wore rings on their left hands, shaped like coiled snakes.
—Clatter. Clatter.
They drew every passenger’s gaze until they reached the port.
Even the laborers working there stared.
While attracting attention, people kept their distance.
“…”
The leader walked as if following a signpost,
with the giant and the woman trailing behind.
Amid the bustling port, a laborer approached from the opposite direction, carrying a stack of cargo taller than his shoulders.
As onlookers predicted, the laborer collided with the giant.
—Crash!
The laborer, falling on his backside, snapped.
“Hey!”
Despite the fall, the giant walked on as if brushed by a breeze.
“Just my luck…”
Whether unafraid of the giant’s size,
or embarrassed to fall in front of others,
the laborer muttered to himself.
Hearing this, the giant stopped, turned, and approached slowly.
—Step. Step.
Everyone held their breath.
“…”
The silent giant raised a hairy hand.
Its shadow loomed over the laborer’s face like a cauldron lid.
“W-Wait!”
The laborer instinctively knew.
That hand was aimed at him, and contact would mean instant death.
“Aaah!!!”
As he screamed, the giant swung his palm down.
Then, the hooded man spoke softly.
“Stop.”
At that word, the giant’s hand froze.
—Whoosh!
The wind from the halted palm rustled the laborer’s short hair.
“Ugh…”
“Lucky you.”
The giant glanced at the laborer and returned to his place.
“Rauf, no reckless moves. Don’t forget why we’re here.”
“Got it, boss.”
Called Rauf, the giant grimaced with dissatisfaction.
The woman beside him sneered.
“Can’t keep still, huh, you big lump?”
“Shut that chirping mouth, or you’re dead first.”
“Oh~ So scary~”
They growled at each other, but the leader stepped between them.
“Both of you, shut up. Before I cut you down.”
His chilling glare silenced them.
Having tensed the area with their presence, they soon vanished from the port.
Once gone, the port regained its liveliness as if nothing had happened.
But a friend of the still-shocked laborer rushed over, making a fuss.
“You idiot! You almost died!”
“Huh?”
“They’re the infamous Viper organization! Didn’t you see their rings?”
“Didn’t notice… Viper?”
Learning their identity, the laborer’s face paled.
“Why are people like that here?”
“I heard Roten Village’s elder requested monster hunters. Probably for that. Their main gig is monster hunting.”
“Ugh… My heart’s pounding too much to work.”
“Where you going? Get back to work!”
As word spread that monster hunters had arrived,
they were already at the city’s outskirts, renting horses from a stable.
“Here’s the money. Lend us horses.”
“Yes, but where are you headed?”
“Roten.”
“Oh! You must be the monster hunters the elder called! Coming all this way for such tough work.”
“Just bring the horses.”
“Yes, sir!”
The stableman grabbed the reins and brought three of the best horses.
“Here you go.”
Taking the reins, they mounted and spurred the horses.
“Yah!”
—Clop! Clop!
Racing out of the city, they galloped down a forest path.
The leader recalled their purpose here.
“Roten Village’s request is simple. Hunt mandragoras and any potential alraunes.”
“Alraunes are easy. But that Evan guy caught one, right? Isn’t that rumor exaggerated?”
The giant’s question was answered by the woman, not the leader.
“Don’t you know rumors get inflated? An assistant or instructor probably helped. Or the other way around.”
“Didn’t ask you.”
“Oh, really?”
“Enough chatter. After this job, we focus on the real goal from the organization. Eliminating Evan Lafard.”
The three monster hunters, hired by the elder, had a true mission.
It came from the Lafard family’s branch.
To take Evan Lafard’s life, which the branch had failed to do, with a reward dozens of times higher than Roten’s fee, so they prioritized it.
“Boss, I’ll take that guy.”
As the giant claimed Evan, the woman, listening quietly, spoke.
“Wanna die? Trying to hog the whole reward?”
“What?”
“You think you can take Evan Lafard alone? You’ll die to me first.”
“You…”
The leader cut off their bickering.
“Quiet. The branch’s reward will be split equally. Remember, this is a hunt. Alraune or Evan Lafard.”
Their horses headed toward Roten.
***
“Evan~ Evan~”
How long had he slept? Evan woke to someone calling him.
“Who…”
About to grumble for waking him, he stopped.
“You’re up? Thought you were dead!”
It was the princess.
The sky behind her was already pitch black.
“Ugh, slept well.”
Exhausted from the sparring, Evan felt refreshed and got up.
Stretching, he asked Princess Anna beside him.
“Why’d you come all the way here?”
“Why? You were nowhere to be found, so I came to get you. Let’s go.”
“An honor. The princess herself coming for me.”
“I’m not alone, you know?”
Anna smiled and pointed to the doggy door.
There stood Anton, leaning against the wall, glaring at Evan.
‘No need to say it—his look screams, “How dare you make the princess come here?” Scary.’
Anton seemed ready to draw his sword, so Evan hurried to escort Anna inside.
“Let’s go. If I keep the princess here, my head might roll.”
“Anton! I told you not to!”
“I didn’t say anything. Right, Evan?”
Evan gave a wry laugh at Anton’s quip.
“Yeah, sure.”
With Anna and Anton, Evan headed to the banquet hall.
‘Wow, like some VIP… Oh, right, there is one. I’m so used to her it doesn’t feel like it.’
The familiar dining hall looked special tonight.
The ceiling glowed with a magically conjured starry sky,
and the long tables held not rationed plates but whole barbecues and lavish delicacies.
Even Roten Village’s specialty, Nakoa Tree Tand, was there, showing how much effort went into the banquet.
“Evan, over there.”
Anna pointed to the back of the hall, the head table.
On the left, instructors were eating,
while on the right, Executor program cadets were already dining.
“Young master!”
“Hey.”
Jack, eagerly chewing meat, greeted Evan.
Other cadets trained by Evan chimed in.
“Hey! Where were you? Not in your room.”
“Yeah, we looked for you.”
“Got some fresh air.”
After brief greetings, Evan tried to sit among them.
Anna pulled him back.
“No, we sit on the left. You’re an instructor now.”
“Come on…”
“Look, they’re calling you.”
Indeed, Instructor Nell was waving Evan over.
“Oh… Right.”
“Let’s go!”
Dragged by Anna, Evan headed to the instructors’ table.
Nell Verind pulled out a chair, welcoming him.
“Evan! Why’s the star so late?”
“Sorry, I dozed off.”
“Understandable. Eat your fill today.”
Nell and the other instructors had been skeptical of Evan before the sparring.
No matter how talented, how dare a cadet aim for an instructor’s position?
But after the sparring results, they had to acknowledge his ability,
not out of jealousy but as a realization of their own shortcomings and a chance to see Evan anew.
“Honestly, I was shocked. When you entered the Academy, I thought you’d be a dropout. Never imagined you’d show this.”
“Yeah.”
“You seemed like a completely different person… No, not changed. We misjudged you.”
You didn’t misjudge. I’m literally a different person.
Evan thought to himself.
“I’m joining the Executor program as an instructor too, so let’s do well there.”
“Yes, I’ve still got a lot to learn, so please guide me.”
“Tch, stealing my line…”
As he chatted with the instructors, the dean, caught up in the mood, stood and raised his glass.
“Instructors, raise your wine glasses! Cadets, your juice glasses!”
At his command, everyone raised their glasses.
“I have high hopes for this batch of cadets! Not just those in the Executor program, but all cadets here, grow into pillars of the kingdom! Cheers!”
Those seated close clinked glasses and downed their drinks.
Anna, watching curiously, mimicked them.
“Like this, right?”
“You’d get scolded at the palace for that. Against etiquette.”
“So what? This isn’t the palace.”
Evan chuckled at Anna, the most free-spirited royal he’d ever seen.
Looking at the feast before them, he slipped into old memories.
‘It’s not even a big deal. Yet they celebrate and laugh like this.’
As a renowned general of the Empire, surviving hundreds of battles,
Evan rarely had moments of laughter and joy.
The few times were modest meals with comrades in the field.
The Empire never did anything for them.
‘Why didn’t I see it then? The Emperor’s scheme to exploit us under the guise of patriotism.’
He fought to survive,
because he was the best at it.
But he never got proper recognition.
Unlike this life.
‘Forget the past. I’m a proper noble now, a lesser count.’
Pushing aside thoughts, he enjoyed the banquet.
The feast showed no signs of ending.
As the food dwindled, cadets leaned back in their chairs.
“So full.”
“Ugh… I wish tomorrow was like this.”
They chatted, passing the time.
Evan, more comfortable with cadets than instructors, glanced at Jack’s table, where everyone was dozing off.
“Hm?”
Assistants stood and addressed the cadets.
“Alright, time to wrap up and head back.”
“You too, hurry.”
At that, cadets began leaving the dining hall.
Except for the nine sleeping Executor program cadets.
“Should wake them…”
As Evan stood, Nell stopped him.
“No. We put them to sleep on purpose.”
“What?”
“Today marks the start of the Executor program. We spiked their food and drinks with sleeping powder. Deliberately.”
Evan realized why he wasn’t allowed to sit there.
“Sorry for not telling you. I was worried you’d spill it. That’d mess up the start.”
Nell felt bad for not sharing with Evan, now an instructor.
But Evan wasn’t upset—he was thrilled.
‘This is fun? Starting so suddenly?’
It reminded him of training camp days.
Back then, they’d simulate enemy attacks at dawn for war prep.
Evan had scrambled with comrades to start training.
Now, he’d experience something similar as an instructor.
It couldn’t be anything but exciting.
“Evan, pack your things. Not much, just essentials.”
“Huh?”
Pack? Evan was puzzled.
Wasn’t the Executor program at the Academy?
“Where are we going?”
“Benner Island, south of here.”
“An island?”
“You didn’t know? The Executor training happens on Benner Island.”
“Oh…”
The training was outside the Academy.
And far enough to require a ship.
It was news to Evan, but unlike earlier, he sighed.
‘Going somewhere’s such a hassle… Whatever, it’s just another place with people. What’s the big deal?’
But Evan didn’t know.
The island they were headed to was nicknamed Hell Island.
And that hell was a danger zone teeming with monsters, not people.