A step forward [5]

[Jessica's Pov]

Currently sitting in one of the many pubs in Mensch, there was no helping the fact that I had no choice but to disappoint my very old friend.

"I'm sorry, Nana, but I don't know where he is either..."

*BAM!*

"What the fuck do you mean you don't know?! Weren't you his teacher?! Shouldn't you know something?!"

Nana had returned to Mensch after years of being inactive as a hunter. During her glory days, she had been one of the greatest hunters in the world, one of the incredibly few [S]-class hunters that didn't belong to a guild or a noble house.

And... one of the few people I could call a true friend.

During my early struggles of escaping my own home, she had been one of the people who had completely disregarded my origin and helped me get on my feet. Nana and the principal, these people had together made it possible for me to lead a new kind of life.

That's why it hurt, even more, to have to tell her the truth about James. That I had no idea where he was.

Meeting the sorrowful eyes of the tigress straight on, I once again repeated my words.

"I truly don't know where he is. I'm sorry..."

"Shit!"

Sitting down at the table once more, she had at least calmed a little bit after sensing my sincerity. Fortunately, she had still kept her head calm enough not to exude her aura around us, allowing the people around us not to faint from her pressure.

Taking a gulp of her beer, it was painful to see the once proud hunter acting like this.

"So, why are you looking for him?"

She still hadn't even told me the reason she as to why she had to find the man in question, and even though I chose to ask, I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"He... Haaaa... Gael is dead. And that man is the only way for me to find out what happened to him."

Silence took its place around us as I remembered the small tiger cub that was always around Nana, always acting a lot more mature than his age should have suggested. The small boy who always stupidly wanted to protect his much stronger sister from all the hardships in the world.

A boy that was born with just as much talent as Nana, and although she was a lot older than him, there was no question that he would someday have risen to the same heights as her.

And now here she was, telling me he was dead, and even worse, that James was somehow part of it.

Though I wanted to say he was innocent, a part of me already knew that the James that had left the square that day wasn't the James I knew from the academy. In this world where survival wasn't universal, it sadly wasn't surprising to hear that someone might have fallen to his hands.

My hands weren't clean either. No, far from it.

Even after I had managed to escape my family there had been times when I stained my hands with innocent blood. Not for pleasure or entertainment, but out of necessity. And Nana was the same.

So the fact that she was trying to 'figure out what happened to him' surprised me. Because she should already know what must've happened.

If a fugitive made contact with someone, and they suddenly disappeared, wasn't it obvious that he got rid of the evidence? To cover his tracks? And yet, there was something that compelled her to want to believe this was not the case.

Still, that didn't matter to me. What did matter to me was that my friend needed closure, and although I still wanted to see a world where I would be able to help James, I had to pay my own dues first.

"I'm so sorry, Nana... I will try my best to help you find him..."

****

[James's Pov]

In the mountains that made out the border between Kurat and Mensch, I had arrived in a small valley filled with very traditional-looking buildings. A valley that was currently inhabited by one of the hidden families, now hiding from the world in order to keep themselves safe.

Standing in front of the main building, surrounded by what looked like at least a hundred humans, I wasn't too worried. Mainly because of the fact that I didn't come here with my main body, but also because of...

"Insolent! How dare you trespass upon the Hurricane's holy ground?!"

Standing on the doorstep of the large building, a tall man adorned with green hair and a scar over his left cheek spoke loudly, clearly a bit upset that I had come to visit them.

With everyone around me raising their spears, I had a feeling that they didn't enjoy my company much either.

Raising my hands, I tried my best to make sure they knew I was coming in peace.

"I'm not here to fight. If I was, would I really have shown myself like this? I only want to have a conversation."

The tall man who had yet to be convinced shot saliva out into the empty air as he yelled.

"And why would we ever allow an outsider who has infiltrated our lands to speak to us?!"

Smiling behind the mask, it would be a lie to say I wasn't entertained by the very cliché speech coming out of his mouth. Complemented by the silent valley around us with the beautiful trees, I could very well have been a part of a martial arts novel right now.

Sadly, I was a very busy man, so I didn't feel like I had the time to just enjoy the moment.

"Because if you don't, the girl known as Celina Tromb might not return to you."

In an instant, his face paled, shocked by the words that just exited my mouth.

"...what did you say?"

"I said, if you choose not to have a conversation with me, the girl known as Celina Tromb might run into a very unfortunate situation. And we wouldn't want that, now would we? Now, stop acting like you're some kind of bigshot, and make the head of the Hurricanes come out here."

"You fuck...!"

"That's enough, Mark. I'll take it from here."

"Master!"

Coming out from behind him, a small old man stepped forward, his body covered by a white robe and supported by a wooden cane. Contrasting his age, the old man's head was also covered with green hair, a signature of the lineage he bore.

"So, what were you thinking, coming here and spouting such abhorrent threats to our faces, young man? Or should I say, James Jackson?"

Shrugging, I had no intention of creating more enemies than necessary, even if I had to use some pretty compelling arguments to get them to talk to me.

"Threats? I guess you could interpret my words that way, but that was in no way my intention. I would suggest you look at them more like warnings. Because although I understand your plan of hiding your heir in plain sight, things might not work out like you want them to."

After a second of scrutinizing me, the old man finally turned around.

"Follow me."

And so, with a strut in my step, I followed the old man inside, making sure not to miss turning my head towards the very angry Mark and patting him on the shoulder.

"Seems like I am not an unwanted guest after all!"

"YOU...!"

Suddenly, a huge torrent of energy surged outwards from the building, with a very displeased old man showing his fangs.

"Stop it, Mark. And you, young James, please cease playing around with my family, lest you want to miss the opportunity for this conversation you seek."

"Yes, yes."

Continuing our walk, walking passed a multitude of doors, it didn't take long until we arrived at one with a young girl completely dressed in green standing as a guard. As we arrived, she opened the door for us, showing us the sights of a small room with just two couches and a table in the middle, clearly meant for meetings.

Quickly inspecting her, it was hard to determine how strong she was, but just from a glance, I could tell that she was at least as strong as I was. Or at least how strong I was without absorbing more mana in the air.

'Keeping [A]-rankers on standby just to guard a door?'

"Are you coming?"

Not wanting to keep my honored host waiting, I finished up my inspection and walked into the room as well, to which the girl quickly closed the door.

Having already taken his seat on one of the couches, I took the natural position to sit on the other side of the table, now excited to finally have a real conversation with the head of one of the hidden houses.