MHGA Chapter 205 – A Hunter's Purpose
"..."
At the moment, Gloria found it difficult to put her feelings into words.
She had heard of "otherworld" stories back in her youth—but this was her first time actually experiencing one.
And not only that—she'd been personally invited to another world… by a king.
The moment she arrived, she was greeted by a towering multi-story-tall elephant blocking her path—so massive it nearly gave her a heart attack.
"That's a Silver Ridge Behemoth… One of the monsters fostered here by a Hunter from the Gathering Hub. There are a few more—I've placed them all in the rear garden," Laios explained excitedly. "It even helps the people with labor! It's very gentle!"
After calming Gloria's nerves, Laios gestured grandly. "This is my country—the Golden Country. I only recently became king, and there are still many things I need to sort out…"
He hadn't even finished his sentence when an angry voice rang out from a distance.
Gloria immediately spotted the source—a dark-skinned young man galloping in on horseback, his face full of fury.
"Laios! I knew you ran off to the rear garden to slack off again! I told you—you need to finish your duties before inviting guests!"
"S-Sorry…" Laios looked down guiltily. "I got a distress signal and, well… rushed to send the invitation first…"
"I already helped you come up with a solid plan! You still have plenty of work to finish!"
The man dismounted in one smooth motion and spotted Tanjiro—whom he'd met before—along with the unfamiliar David, Rakuro, Shirou, and Gloria.
His scolding instantly transformed into a courteous and composed greeting.
"Welcome to the Golden Country. You must be Ms. Gloria," he said politely, bowing with grace.
"This way, please. Let's head to the palace hall. My apologies—we're still preparing things."
Then, turning his head sharply, he grabbed Laios by the collar. "There's still prep work to do! Come with me! Do you even remember that you're the king?!"
"Tanjiro, save—" Laios didn't get to finish before being dragged off.
"Who… was that?" Gloria asked, watching the dramatic exit.
"That's Mr. Kabru—he's the Chancellor of Laios' country," Tanjiro explained with a warm smile. "He supports Mr. Laios in many things."
"…Won't that create political issues? Dragging the king around like that…" Shirou Emiya muttered with concern.
"Hmm… I think it's fine?" Tanjiro thought aloud. "Mr. Laios and Mr. Kabru are actually really close friends."
As the group stepped into the royal palace, the new Hunters began hearing the titles citizens were shouting toward Laios.
"Demon King Laios!"
"Glutton King Laios!"
"Dragon Devourer Laios!"
"So… Laios is a Demon King?!" Rakuro suddenly got excited. "Are there heroes too? Is this world running on a hero vs. demon king arc?!"
Despite all the comedic interludes, Laios soon began hosting his guests in earnest.
—
Meanwhile, in Night City…
Inside a private room at the Afterlife.
Rogue, Queen of Fixers, sat across from Kairo Retsu, each on opposite ends of a private booth.
"Here's the intel you wanted."
Rogue tossed a stack of documents onto the table, the impact causing the nearby bottles to tremble.
"Appreciate it."
Kairo Retsu took the files and, as if performing a magic trick, conjured a few bottles of Potions and slid them across to Rogue.
"We'll probably need your help hiring more mercs in the near future."
"Hmph…" Rogue folded her arms and sized him up. "What a freak. Don't tell me you're actually here in Night City to do good? With that kind of bleeding heart, you came to Night City?"
"You guys are nuts."
Rogue sneered. "How many organ-harvesting joints have you shut down over the past few days?"
"Lost count. But we have our own way of becoming legends."
Kairo Retsu flipped through the physical files. "Thanks for printing these out—bit of a hassle, I know."
"A bunch of freaks, with or without cyberware, showing up in Night City to play the part of the good guys…" Rogue took a sip of her drink. "…Tch."
"No need to be so bitter. If you really want to laugh, go ahead and laugh," Kairo Retsu said without lifting his eyes. "And this intel is useful. When it comes to Night City, no one's more thorough than the fixer queen herself."
"We're Hunters, not mercenaries. We've got our own way of becoming legends."
He pulled out a particular sheet from the stack—something he'd been searching for—and set it aside.
"If you think we're just clueless do-gooders, that's fine."
"After all… not a single one of those suits outside this booth can match us."
Kairo Retsu said flatly, "We're not here to become legends piece by piece."
"We are legends. You just don't know our names yet. So we'll spend a little time making sure Night City remembers the name 'Monster Hunter.'"
He smiled. "All we're doing… is returning to the place we rightfully belong."
"…Kairo Retsu. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Rogue narrowed her eyes at him.
"You suddenly appear out of nowhere, start stirring up chaos all across Night City… There's never been a crew like yours."
"I even saw a news clip of that red-haired Japanese kid building houses for strangers!"
"And you—you're here buying up intel, hiring mercs to scour the city…" Rogue leaned in. "It's like you're searching for something."
"What are you trying to do? What's your goal in Night City?"
"You're making a lot of people nervous right now."
"..."
Kairo Retsu listened to her barrage of questions, then smirked.
He pulled one photo from the intel stack—a printed image of a destroyed power plant—and laid it flat on the table.
"Our objective has been clear from the start, hasn't it?"
He tapped the image with his finger.
"We're Hunters."
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