**Graham the Hunter**


    The little girl appeared suddenly.


    Her face was disturbingly beautiful. White hair and red eyes that evoked a sense of foreboding. Her presence was so overwhelming that I, the strongest person in the vige, couldn''t move.


    And I couldn''t look away.


    Her eerie, unfocused eyes seemed to disregard the entire world...


    What was that glowing halo above her head?


    What were those strange wings? Why were there so many of them? The giant scythe on her back—was that really a weapon? Could such a young girl actually wield it?


    She was beautiful, terrifying, unnatural… and unsettling.


    That was the kind of girl she was.


    The girl kept touching the ck mist swirling around her and muttering "God…" It was unsettling, like watching a possessed child.


    I had been tasked with guiding this girl.


    It sounded absurd, but the gatekeepers said she was an A-rank adventurer. If she got angry, it wouldn''t matter who we were—she could wipe us all out without a second thought.


    I swallowed nervously.


    "So, Lady Atori, what brings you to this vige? It''s so remote that no one everes here, and there''s no trade route."


    "That''s why I came. I must offer rare materials to the gods…"


    "Well, since no onees here, there might be some rare things."


    "I got information from the guild. I''m here to take on a rare extermination request."


    "Ah, well, this vige doesn''t have a guild."


    "I see… then is there anything troubling you?"


    I was stunned.


    Even though this girl''s true identity was a mystery, she was an A-rank adventurer.


    Could she… could she actually save us? I began to entertain the fantasy.


    But no, it was impossible.


    I''ve seen many adventurerse and go. In the end, they''re all about money. I don''t me them—it''s just the way things are.


    But that truth has always been enough to crush us.


    Even if we pooled all our money, we couldn''t afford to hire an A-rank adventurer.


    Besides, it wasn''t even clear if this girl was actually strong. A-rank adventurers vary widely in their strengths. Some are politically powerful, others excel at negotiations, and some have unique, convenient skills. Not all are simply strong inbat.


    It was easier to believe this girl fell into thetter category.


    No, it wasn''t possible… I shook my head.


    "There''s nothing. No trouble at all."


    "I see."


    The girl''s elfpanion was gesturing something. Maybe she couldn''t speak. This elf was strikingly beautiful, but ording to Barak, the head gatekeeper, she was a monster.


    A tamer, apparently.


    Maybe this girl had just tamed a powerful monster by sheer luck?


    Such A-rank adventurers do exist. Those who rely entirely on their overwhelmingly powerful monsters. They aren''t strong themselves—just lucky. Adventurers like that make me envious.


    If only I had a strong tamed monster, I could save a vige or two...


    "That''s it!"


    "Huh?"


    "Lady Atori! Please, I beg you—save this vige!"


    "What?"


    That''s right.


    The girl in front of me was just a girl. She had likely risen to A-rank not through skill but by sheer luck, taming a powerful monster.


    If that''s the case, her logic and the way she lives her life must be different from other adventurers.


    She might do things that ordinary adventurers wouldn''t. Right now, this girl must be basking in the "omnipotence" of having great power. If I stroke her ego and make her feel good, she might just help us without making a rational decision.


    I spoke with as much anguish as I could, framing it in a way that would satisfy her potential desire to y the hero.


    "This vige is being exploited by Lord Dart. He''s a wealthy merchant who bought his way into the lordship. His goal is domination, not the prosperity of thend."


    What Dart desired was a yground he could control at will.


    Normally, a noble or merchant would seek to enrich their territory for profit, but Dart didn''t care. He earned enough from his other ventures.


    Thisnd was nothing more than a stage where he could y "king."


    We barely get enough food to eat, the roads are deliberately kept in poor condition, the men endure harshbor, and the women… suffer in other ways. The cycle is brutal.


    He even enforces a ridiculous rule about "first rights" to women.


    "All the adventurers are either bought off by Dart or brainwashed by magical tools in the gatekeepers'' possession. Please, do something about him! At least report this to the Adventurers'' Guild!"


    "No."


    "!? Why not!? Do you not care about the suffering here!?"


    "I cannot act based solely on your words. I don''t know if I should get involved. This would take time. But I only have half a day left."


    "Please…! Help us!"


    "I am free. I do not act for others."


    What a selfish brat!


    As I tried to suppress the urge to shout, the girl suddenly trembled in shock.


    "…Huh, G-God…?"


    She touched the ck mist and suddenly wore a look of despair. Her expressionless face, which she had maintained up until now, brokepletely.


    She looked like an abandoned child.


    With a trembling voice, she muttered like she had lost all hope.


    "God hasn''t returned… The world is ending."


    "?"


    "…It''s over for me."


    "Lady Atori?"


    But how could that be? This girl was nning to leave, but that couldn''t happen. She had already killed one of the gatekeepers. Lord Dart would definitely summon her.


    Even if she was an A-rank adventurer, that didn''t make her immune to thew.


    The lord still outranked her.


    The Guild might get involved for an A-rank adventurer. That could result in skilled investigators uncovering the truth about thisnd.


    But most adventurers fear Dart''s "power and wealth." More often than not, the Guild''s investigators are bought off, as I''ve seen many times before.


    The elf monster next to the slumped girl said something.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I understand," the girl responded.


    The dejected girl headed toward the onevish mansion in the vige—Lord Dart''s residence. I couldn''t imagine her defeating Dart.


    She''d likely be talked into submission or swayed by money or status… this girl couldn''t be our hope.


    I couldn''t help but look up at the sky.


    The festering gray clouds were too terrifying to gaze at for long.


    A thin man sat in a chair, telling me something.


    Since it was out of the question to bring monsters into the lord''s house, Shio had been dismissed. It felt refreshing, but without Shio, Icked the ability to make sound judgments.


    I had to admit it—Shio was smarter than I was.


    More precisely, I had less capacity for thinkingpared to Shio. I never really needed to think. If Godmanded me to kill, I killed. There was nothing else required.


    Thus, in situations like this, I was at a bit of a loss.


    If God were here, He would make the optimal decision. That thought only deepened my uncertainty.


    "I''ll state my case first," I said.


    "I was attacked. You''re my enemy. Therefore, I''ll kill you."


    I spoke with a murderous intent.


    My level was high, though not exceptionally so. Still, my killing intent was strong enough to affect even those stronger than me.


    The reason was simple.


    I was an apostle of the evil god Nero.


    The lord recoiled slightly, fear in his eyes. His guards rushed forward in a panic, but I didn''t think they were strong enough to stop me.


    Even though his unique skill could be troublesome, I was confident I could kill them all before he activated it.


    The willpower of the strong is different. A soul that has already lost cannot defeat someone chosen by the evil god.


    No matter how strong the opponent, I will bite and kill…


    Evil god Nero epts all forms of evil and weakness. But this eptance is not a sweet indulgence of allowing oneself to drown in evil or weakness.


    Even if you''re bad.


    Even if you''re weak.


    Even if you''re young.


    Even if you''re small.


    Even if you''re dull.


    You don''t need to fear because of it—that''s what evil god Nero says.


    But these people are afraid of their own evil and weakness. Even Zerach eventually came to understand his weakness and struck back


    Here''s the trantion with double quotes for dialogue and no quotes for the narration:


    ---


    They only tremble before terrifying enemies.


    That''s why they are killed, robbed... trampled on.


    Just like I once was.


    "If you retreat, I won''t kill you."


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    "...Please wait, Lady Atori? It seems you''ve misunderstood something."


    "What?"


    "You have no reason to oppose me."


    "I was attacked."


    "That was done by my subordinates acting on their own. Naturally, I will apologize. If you want something inpensation, I will give it to you. But what I want is not a fight, it''s negotiation—a constructive discussion. You attacked the gatekeeper and forcibly entered the city. My subordinates attacked you. So let''s call it even."


    "I don''t think so."


    In times like this, I wonder what a god would do.


    In my judgment, I think it''s okay to kill now. But in reality, I''m not so sure. If there were a god, I could move without hesitation, but when there is no god, I must act cautiously.


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