"...?"
The honest, charcoal-burning mountain boy Tanjiro had absolutely no idea what Kairo Retsu was talking about.
But for some reason, Tanjiro couldn't help but feel that Kairo's aura overlapped a little... with Zenitsu's.
"Stay back!"
Izutsuzumi had already bared her claws and slashed at Kairo Retsu's face in a flurry.
And then...
Not a scratch.
"A face tough enough to tank the Dragon Slash Tail Blade Grand Spin!" Kairo Retsu declared proudly, lifting his shameless mug.
"Felynes! Get Izutsuzumi some dry clothes!"
With a snap of his fingers, the Felynes immediately lifted Izutsuzumi and carried her toward the tent.
"Nyaa!!!"
By the time Izutsuzumi emerged from the tent, she'd already been changed into a set of Felyne equipment tailored to her figure... and even had a toy-like Felyne weapon stuffed into her hands.
As soon as she stepped out, Izutsuzumi immediately darted behind Tanjiro, glaring warily at Kairo Retsu.
This guy gave her the same kind of unease that Laios did…
The boy with dark red hair—while also a Hunter—at least looked a bit more reliable...
"Ahaha..." Tanjiro gently patted the Felyne that had fallen asleep in his lap and said to Izutsuzumi, "Guildmaster-san might seem a little odd, but he's really a good person."
"Izutsuzumi-san, weren't you with Marcille-san? How did you end up here with the Felynes?"
Reliable as ever, Tanjiro moved right on to proper questions.
Izutsuzumi thought for a moment, then briefly explained what had happened:
The elves had been drawn off by monsters, Senshi and Chilchuck knocked unconscious, and Marcille had become the dungeon master...
The Felynes might not have had much presence, but they sure knew everything!
"Definitely the Winged Lion's style," Kairo muttered, then immediately opened up the gathering comms channel: "Laios, what's your situation?"
"…?"
Izutsuzumi stared at Kairo Retsu speaking to thin air, wondering if he might actually be crazy...
Talking to empty space? As if you could reach Laios that way.
But just as she was staring, a familiar human-like voice responded from Kairo's direction:
"Oh! Guildmaster! I've already had a good talk with Kabru! He said he's willing to join us!"
"Assist, I said!" Kabru's voice also came from thin air. "How are you even doing this? It's not like a fairy familiar, and doesn't seem to be magic either... and yet you're relaying messages like this..."
"Nyaa?!"
Izutsuzumi froze.
He could actually talk to Laios!
"No time for chatter. The main point is—Marcille's already become the dungeon master!" Kairo told them. "We need to respond accordingly… Thistle is still with you, right?"
"Yeah, she's here." Laios answered. "I brought her along with Kabru. If I left her behind, the elves might've taken her."
"Guildmaster-san,"
Kabru took a deep breath, addressing Kairo through the channel, "I've heard from Laios about your goal, but I still want to ask—"
"Can't you really work with the elves? With them involved, at least the island's adventurers and other forces could be organized..."
"Impossible."
Kairo Retsu replied flatly, "There's no way we can work with the elves. If anything, they'll have to work with us."
"Kabru, I know you."
Kairo spoke directly to the channel's other end, "Your homeland was destroyed by the dungeon, and you were raised by the elves. So from your perspective—"
"Do you believe the elves would willingly cooperate with us to unseal and eliminate the demons?"
Kabru fell silent, mentally running through all he knew about the elves.
"...No. They wouldn't."
"Positioning! That's the key!"
Kairo clenched his fist. "The elves won't work with people who'd proactively unseal demons. So we have no choice but to act first."
"They wouldn't accept us reaching out to cooperate…"
Kairo laughed heartily, "But if they come to us for help? Oh, we're more than happy to welcome them!"
"Because we're Hunters who believe in love, justice, and peace!"
Kairo spoke with rising excitement: "Elves who once saw us as enemies! At last, putting aside their arrogance and prejudices! Uniting with those they once opposed! And together—facing the final boss!!"
"How beautiful! How pure! How stirring!!!"
Kairo Retsu cried out with fervor, "Gwah! That's the moment I want to see!!!"
…You're just forcing the elves to cooperate with you.
Kabru thought silently, but didn't say it out loud.
"Have you considered that, after everything, the elves might never trust you again?"
Kabru questioned him.
He needed to understand this Hunter Guildmaster more deeply—this would be critical going forward…
"Elven trust... doesn't matter anymore."
Kairo replied casually, "From the start, I never thought Hunters needed the elves' trust. That kind of thing's useless."
"Elves are too arrogant... from a human perspective, anyway. Even their trust is diluted."
Kairo patiently explained to Kabru, "So why bother with trust? I just need the power of the elves! In the end, they'll come to us voluntarily!"
"I don't care about the elves' trust in this world," Kairo said plainly. "I'm not from this world. The only connection we Hunters have here is Laios."
"Do you really think we care what the elves think?"
In a moment of nonchalance, Kairo Retsu revealed something Kabru hadn't expected at all.
The origin of the Hunters.
Kabru began thinking frantically.
These Hunters—who had never appeared on the island before—fought with a style that didn't resemble any humans of this world. They had the power to go head-to-head with the entire Canary Team. Their strange regenerative abilities...
Kabru finally understood.
These Hunters might truly have no need to respect the elves' status in this world…
From the beginning, this Guildmaster had never seen the elves as enemies. His eyes were fixed solely on the demons—as prey.
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