My Duke Won't Die!

“Damn it, it’s a Gaira!”

“Shit, does anyone know the location of the Mana Stone?”

“There’s no one who knows it!”

The panicked voices of the hunters echoed through the clearing.

As literally said, Gaira was a high-level monster whose mana stone location was unknown.

It’s because they don’t appear often, and it was quite annoying because it spat out acidic secretions, so it was easier to just run away once it was spotted.

As Gaira roared once more, the knights and hunters swallowed dryly and fixed the weapons they were holding. The angry monster seemed unlikely to turn around easily.

“Hmm.”

However, the person, Ella Lane, who faced Gaira in the clearing was unconcerned.

Eis Gleason involuntarily shook his head at Ella’s face, which seemed to have a satisfied smile on her face.

‘As expected, a total lunatic.’

It seemed that his opinion of wanting her to leave the village was not wrong.

“……”

In the meantime, Clive observed the confrontation with his sword still raised.

The hand holding the handle was instinctively tightened. He had never seen such a monster on the northern border.

The grotesque monster, which looked like something out of an old book, was emitting thick bloodthirsty through its torn yellow eyes.

That fleeing hunter had offended that monster beyond repair.

Surprisingly, however, his sword did not move easily when he looked at the blonde hunter standing alone in the clearing. 

Instead, he felt a strangely strong curiosity that his usual self would never have.

Clive wanted to know how far Eis Gleeson’s words about ‘a very skillful hunter’ were true.

And another one.

He even wondered why she looked at him that way.

“Hmm, perfect timing.”

In this place where everyone else was nervous, only Ella Lane was completely relaxed.

“How fortunate that I don’t have to go looking for it.”

Ella lazily drew the ax from her waist muttering incomprehensible words. She then took a closer look at the monster in front of her eyes and came to a light conclusion.

“Seeing that the mana stone is not visible, it must be stuck in a shitty place.”

If anyone else had heard of it, she would have been rebuked for talking bullshit. It was natural that mana stones were invisible to the naked eye.

There was no way to find a small bead the size of a bean just by looking closely. 

But Ella, who said so, was sure that the Mana Stone would be stuck in a really ridiculous place. Because in her own eyes, that mana stone was always shining red.

―Wait, you can see the mana stone?

― You can’t see?

—……

—……

A short conversation with Moria one day made her realize that being able to see was Ella’s unique ability. It was still unknown if that was a basic skill that ‘Ella Lane’ originally possessed, or if it was an ability she developed after being transmigrated here.

However, for whatever reason, it does a great job of finding ways to destroy monsters, so she has no complaints.

“Then, let’s cut off the head first.”

Meanwhile, the monster seemed to have judged that the human being standing in front of him was nothing special. 

The monster rushed in an instant and swung its large claws. The speed was much faster than she expected, so Ella, who was trying to avoid it, had to bend over. A few hunters groaned as the claws narrowly brushed over her head.

“Hup.”

However, Ella, who took advantage of the recoil of her bent knees, jumped up regardless of such a crisis and stepped on Gaira’s shoulders and head with her feet without difficulty.

When she put strength on the feet that stepped on its head, the head of the monster tilted to the side with a strange scream, and just as she was about to strike the ax straight down at the fully exposed neck.

“Tsk!”

Ella clicked her tongue and hurriedly jumped back. It was because the acidic substance that came out of the monster’s mouth had been scattered in the place where she was just before.

As she landed on the floor, Ella looked at her acid-stained pants. Although she dodged quickly, her leather suit, made of tough Idyl hide, was frayed.

There was no time to rest. 

Gaira, who turned around at once, was rushing towards her and wielding his claws. 

Acidic substances like smoke still flowed out of the monster’s mouth.

Worried reactions and gasps flowed from the hunters as they watched Ella, who spread her leather jacket over her head as she stepped back.

“Don’t we have to help her this time?”

“Still, it’s Lane, wouldn’t she alone be enough for a level 2?”

“She’s never killed Gaira.”

“That’s true, but…….” 

The situation was so urgent that even hunters who had seen Ella for a long time were fretting over it with divided opinions.

‘Is she a normal hunter after all?’

Clive sighed briefly while thinking so.

In fact, it was nothing to be disappointed about. A hunter’s ability to hunt for a living was usually around that much. 

The only difference was that he expected too much, although he himself did not know why.

In the end, just as Clive, who was looking at the fight, fixed his sword to help the hunter.

There was a voice that stopped Clive’s steps. 

Ella, who had retreated to a place where the acid could not reach her, shouted at Moria.

“Winnon! Lend me your sword!”

“M-Me, don’t you need me?” 

“I must have said ‘Sword.”

“……”

A cold-hearted person even when her life was in danger.

Moria, pouting, eventually threw his bastard sword near Ella.

Then she quickly picked up the sword while avoiding the monster charging towards her and turned around again, throwing the ax at the running monster with all her might.

Surprisingly, the ax was stuck right in the center of Gaira’s forehead.

“Wow.”

When several knights caught their breath at her incredible accuracy.

Ella, who ran and leaped towards Gaira, which had stopped for a while due to the impact of an ax being stuck in its forehead, grabbed the bastard sword and hit it right in the monster’s neck. 

“Hey! If you do that the whole blade will……!”

Moria, who had been shouting so, shut his mouth as it was.

It was because a perfectly fine bastard sword popped from the side of the monster’s left shoulder.

Gaira’s large head, with an old ax stuck in it, tumbled down. The heavy thud that followed was the sound of the monster’s body, which was three times as big as an adult’s, collapsing.

“……”

“……”

While everyone else was silent, Ella pulled out the ax stuck between Gaira’s eyebrows, skillfully cut off its claws, and tossed them where her own prizes were.

And in a very cheerful voice, she said.

“Since the sun hasn’t gone down yet, you’re going to count this one too, right? Then I’m tied with him.”

The tip of Ella’s chin was pointed at Moria Winnon.

It was.

Gaira, which suddenly appeared to Ella, who lamented that she had brought only one thing less than Moria, was nothing short of a great prey that came to her on its own two feet. 

“……”

To the knight commander, who was still unable to say anything, Ella continued with a puzzled expression.

“What, if there is a tie, do we have to hunt again? Then just kill Winnon now……”

“Uh, I will abstain.”

Moria Winnon, whose lifelong wish was to live long, quickly raised his hands before Ella had finished speaking

* * *

“As expected, the winner is Ella Lane.”

To one hunter’s words, another hunter clicked his tongue in response.

“Of course it would be. Did you see what she hunted today? In that short amount of time, the ones she brought were two level 3, three levels 2, and one level 1. It was very deliberate. She was determined to win.”

“So, where is that determined person?”

The inn-tavern owner, Matthew, who handed a full glass of beer the size of a head, answered the hunter’s question.

“I just heard the news from the errand boy. She was called to the inn where the Duke was staying. Lane was chosen for that 500 gold job.”

“Darn it.” 

“As expected.”

At Matthew’s words, the tavern full of monster hunters was filled with sighs.

It was expected, but the bitterness was unavoidable. It was a matter of course since it was 500 gold.

“I should have quit when I found out they were picking only one person. It’s just wasted my energy. If there’s a place for only one person, it would be Lane anyway.”

“Still, thanks to participating, you drank free beer and sold monster parts. Isn’t that enough?”

Matthew said so, comforting the grumbling drunk hunter.

The Duke of Winter handed over a small bounty and cold beer to the hunters who participated in the hunt. Thanks to that, the irritation toward the unlucky knights had been alleviated.

One of the hunters sitting at the table raised an empty beer glass to Matthew and asked.

“By the way, is Lane going away until the book is finished? Or will she just guide them and come back? I think it will take quite a long time to complete the book.”

Matthew shrugged his shoulders as he came out of the counter and handed him another glass full of beer.

“Well, she’ll be back at the right time.”

“Or she might not come back at all.”

The one who responded like that was the grumbling hunter from earlier.

“Old Rob is a gentleman who doesn’t give a shit about origin as long as the skills are good, but even so, she was a stranger.”

At that, the hunters in the bar quietly nodded.

All because they remembered the first time Ella Lane had come to this town.

Ella Lane was, so to speak, the strangest being of those whom Rob Gleason accepted as a villager based solely on merit.

—Who are you?

—Ella Lane.

That day was the day the most skilled monster hunter, Pearl Buck, got married and left for another village.

As always happens on the day that a good hunter leaves, Rob Gleason lay weeping in the square when a blonde woman suddenly appeared and gave her name as Ella Lane.

Then she rented a small room and said.

– I’ll stay for a while.

It was not awkward at all.

After that, Ella Lane suffered full three days of illness and woke up, but didn’t leave. It’s as if she forgot that she was going to stay for a while.

Now that they have gotten used to Ella Lane’s presence no one questioned it, but the truth hasn’t changed.

Still, no one knows from where, how, or why Ella Lane came here.

When a subtle silence sank over the bar due to a sudden realization. 

“But she was a good nutcase.”

Someone’s voice broke the silence and what followed was the sympathy of the people.

“Yes, she seemed a bit crazy, but she saved a lot of hunters at the hunting grounds.”

“Ah, Mr. Rocca almost got into trouble at that time too! He said that if Lane hadn’t passed by, he would have died long ago. Of course, after he was saved, he suddenly disappeared, and reappeared after two days with a skinny appearance.”

“Last time, when the hunting was over, Baron Berkram yelled at us to get out of his land and she said to him. ‘If you tell me to scram one more time, I’ll go away for the rest of my life. You can keep shouting, but if the monsters return you will solve it by yourself.’ But that Berkram couldn’t say a word back! She’s a great comrade.” 

“I liked her, too. Our bar sold many meat dishes thanks to her. Even when I told her that beef was eaten by nobles, she shouted, ‘Give me meat, you bastards!’ and even grabbed me by the collar. I bought it after struggling a lot, just to sell it to Lane, but when I tried it was really delicious!”

Instead of words about an unfamiliar stranger, anecdotes related to the village’s best lunatic were being heard here and there.

It was natural, but the stories accumulated over the past three years were by no means small.

Most of them were crazy stories, but it took an instant to fill people’s hearts with the regret of sending Ella Lane off.

It was then.

“Anyway, hearing such things makes me more concerned…she’s not going to get into an accident, is she?”

It was Moria Winnon who muttered that. Moria’s gaze was directed somewhere outside the inn.

“What are you talking about?”

Matthew asked curiously.

“No, the Duke and the knights. It’s their first time dealing with Ella Lane. ‘That’ Ella Lane.”

“Ah.”

That was enough for an explanation. 

The eyes of everyone in the bar turned to the inn where the knights were. This time, the silence that filled the bar was laden with pity, as if mourning.

It was Matthew’s voice that broke the long silence.

“They will now know the truth about this town.”