"Wahahaha~ Outsiders sure have interesting names."
The hunter laughed heartily and invited:
"Want to come to my place? My house is pretty big."
"No thanks, uncle. We're planning to wait for rescue by the shore."
Dier waved his hand in refusal, pulling Robin and Hina along as they jogged away.
"Eh? Why the hurry..."
The trio's figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
The hunter clicked his tongue regretfully and continued roasting the venison before him.
About half an hour later, Dier and the other two came running back.
"Why are you..."
"Uncle,"
Dier interrupted the hunter, asking with sincere curiosity:
"Do you live alone?"
The hunter shook his head, wearing a proud expression,
"I'm Hunter Dier! How could I not have a wife?"
"She's Yellow Curly Hair Big ** Deer, and we have a son too—Little Deer No. 9527."
"Wait a minute!"
Dier's mouth twitched as he couldn't help interrupting again. Had he misheard something just now?
"Uncle, what's your wife's name?"
"Yellow Curly Hair!" The hunter smoothed his own hair.
"Big **!" The hunter gestured two soccer ball sizes in front of his chest.
"Understand now?"
"Un... understood. Then we'll come visit your place. Sorry for the intrusion."
Robin, Hina: "..."
"Wahahaha~"
The hunter slapped Dier's shoulder heartily, not bothering to question why they'd left and returned:
"9527 will be thrilled. That kid's always pestering me for stories about the outside world."
He picked up a deer leg and waved for the trio to follow.
Robin quickened her pace to whisper:
"Dier, is it really okay for us to go like this?"
Earlier, she'd been forced to deactivate her ability due to pain, and Dier hadn't had time to retrieve their masks before the hunter's arrows came—leaving all three exposed in their true appearances.
While Hina was fine, she and Dier were wanted criminals.
"It's fine. The hunter's no problem. Just wear your masks so others don't see."
Dier took two masks from his bag and handed them to Robin and Hina.
He'd left earlier to verify whether the hunter had any ill intentions.
If he'd meant harm, he would have chased after them when they left.
But the hunter hadn't done so.
Under these circumstances, traveling with the hunter would be the better choice—whether for finding a port or investigating this strange Hunter Island.
As the sun rose high, the mist gradually dissipated.
Following the hunter through the forest, Dier's group arrived at a seemingly peaceful village.
The roads were smooth and wide, houses neatly lining both sides. Elderly strollers and playing children reflected the villagers' tranquil lives.
The hunter's house was the largest and most splendid in the village.
After ushering the trio inside, he promptly left again to continue hunting in the forest.
Showing absolutely no intention of playing host.
Sitting on the sofa, Dier met the lady of the house—Yellow Curly Hair Deer.
After a quick glance up and down, he confirmed the hunter hadn't lied—she was indeed big.
"Brother! Brother!"
Eight-year-old No. 9527's eyes sparkled as he shook Dier's legs excitedly:
"Are you really from outside? Do all outsiders wear masks?"
"Is the outside world really full of monsters like the books say? What do those monsters look like? Can you defeat them? Can I go fight monsters too?"
"Hey hey hey, tell me, big brother!"
"9527!"
A cold voice rang out, and the little boy instinctively stood at attention, shouting:
"Here!"
"Go to the backyard for today's training!"
"Yes!"
The boy jogged away, huffing and puffing as he started running laps around the yard.
"Sorry, you had to see that."
The blonde woman brought over three cups of tea with straws, smiling sheepishly.
"He's always been fascinated by life overseas. If possible, I hope you can make the outside world sound terrifying."
"Why? Tii—"
Dier covered Hina's catchphrase, though he shared the same confusion.
If the boy was curious, so what? Making up scary stories would only make him more intrigued.
Blocking curiosity was worse than guiding it.
Wouldn't it be better to just take 9527 on a passenger ship for a short trip?
"Because we can't leave."
The blonde sat on the sofa, her expression suddenly sorrowful. Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched her teacup, murmuring:
"Everyone on this island is cursed. If we stray too far from its shores, we'll explode and die instantly."
"People can't sail far. Even fishermen have to be careful not to cross that boundary."
"His Majesty the King is kind-hearted. He's been searching for a way to break the curse, but so far, nothing has worked."
"To stop reckless youths from dying needlessly, the king ordered his ministers to publish a book, painting the outside world as a terrifying place overrun by monsters."
"But every year, there are still fearless young men who set sail—only to vanish silently at sea."
"Hunters always say young people should have dreams, that even shattered dreams are better than none at all. But..."
Thud!
The blonde slammed the table, making the soccer ball bounce with surprising force.
She pursed her lips, tears welling in her eyes, her voice trembling:
"I don't want my son to face even the slightest danger. Can you understand how a mother feels?!"
Dier, Robin, and Hina exchanged glances. Finally, Dier spoke up:
"Madam, we promise—we'll make the outside world sound like the most horrifying hell imaginable!"
They weren't sure if the curse was real, but seeing the blonde's tearful face, they couldn't refuse.
"Thank you so much. It's a promise, then."
The blonde immediately wiped her tears, her expression shifting to a cheerful smile.
Dier: "..."
That mood swing was way too fast!
"Son, let's go shopping with Mommy!"
"Huh? But I haven't finished my training yet."
"Enough excuses. Carrying my bags will count as exercise."
The blonde dragged 9527 out the door.
Left behind in the room, the three of them stared at each other, utterly bewildered.
"She... she's not worried we might be thieves? And why did she leave with her son right after making that promise? Hina is confused."
The people on this island were too strange. Hina's head was spinning.
After a moment of thought, Robin offered her interpretation:
"The agreement was just a precaution. Like during dinner, with the head of the household Hunter present, she couldn't easily stop us, so she took advantage of his absence to make the agreement in advance."
"As for why she wasn't afraid we were thieves... I'm not sure about that either."
Dier didn't join the discussion, stretching lazily on the sofa.
Indeed, the sofa was much more comfortable. After running around for half the night, he could finally rest.
As for the curse, he had no interest in investigating it.
Even the king had exhausted the nation's resources without finding a solution. He didn't think he could do better than an entire country.
All he wanted now was to leave this strange island as soon as possible and avoid getting tangled in any trouble.
"Let's go. We should gather some information, find out where the port is, and leave this island quickly."
"Wait a minute!"
Robin suddenly spoke up, awkwardly rubbing her legs together.
"I need to use the bathroom."
...
After taking care of their needs, the three of them went out to gather information and quickly obtained what they needed.
The port was on the east side of the island, about a two-day walk away.
In addition, they also cleared up a few other questions they had.
The village had a very honest and simple atmosphere—people didn't pick up lost items on the road, and doors were left unlocked at night.
Yellow Curly Hair's full name was Yellow Curly Hair Big ** Actress Deer.
She was a somewhat famous actress in the village, often performing skits for the villagers before she got married.
The villagers were very supportive of her.
That was why she could go from tearfully pleading one moment to cheerfully taking her son shopping the next.
The hunter had left in a hurry because the Hunter Rating Competition had begun.
All the hunters on the island would try to hunt as much game as possible and cut off their heads.
Then they would skin them, remove the flesh, and keep only the skulls.
The judges would weigh the skulls, and whoever brought the heaviest skull would become Hunter Dier.
"The rating competition is only held once every ten years. This time is a bit strange, though. I remember..."
The white-haired old man sat in his recliner, fanning himself with one hand while lightly tapping his forehead with the other, trying to clear his thoughts.
"Oh~ I remember now!"
"The last one was three years ago, but a few days ago, after that rainbow-colored mist disappeared, His Majesty the King suddenly announced the start of the rating competition."
Robin asked in confusion, "Why?"
"No reason! If His Majesty says it's happening, then it's happening."
"But isn't this competition easy to cheat in?"
Hina blinked.
"If it's just based on skull weight, someone could just buy a bunch of skulls.
Or a group of people could give all their hunted skulls to one person to make them Hunter Dier."
"Ah, there are always fools like that in every competition. Just this morning, a Long-bearded Baldy tried to sell my grandson a black bear skull."
The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of bad teeth, and fixed Hina with his nearly all-white eyes:
"But those fools always end up dying horribly."
"On this island, no one can deceive His Majesty the King!"
Hina took a few steps back, frightened by the old man's eerie smile.
Just as she was about to hide behind Dier again as usual, Dier instead frowned and stepped forward.
This old man suddenly seemed a bit strange.
He waved his hand in front of the old man's face, calling out repeatedly:
"Sir! Sir? Sir!?"
A bad premonition flashed through his mind. Dier placed his fingers under the old man's nose and held them there for a moment.
Finally, he reached an unbelievable conclusion.
"He's dead?!"