Ch9 - Reunion 

 

>Jun POV<

"What?! An elder dragon?!"

I shouted after I heard the news that an elder dragon was sighted in the forest around Distodia.

It's already late in the evening and the sky is dark, but I just came back to my office that's located at the last level of this three-storey guild building after hunting a dragon alone, and now, there is an elder dragon. How much worse can things get?...

Damn… If only Karl was here. He was the only one that could hunt an elder dragon alone back when DHO was still a game. But if he did arrive here, it would be troublesome… in more ways than one.

"The guild had already sent an urgent request to every S-rank hunters possible and Liliane-sama is already on her way."

A guild attendant informed me immediately before my mood got any worse. 

Liliane… She's a promising hunter that just rose to S-rank recently. She looked new to DHO when she just arrived into this world about six months ago but she already climbed to the top in such a short amount of time. That, is what I call talent.

For some reason, this Liliane girl really reminds me of Karl's younger sister, Liliana. Heck, even their names sound similar. But I didn't hear from Karl that Liliana also played DHO so I dare not bring this subject up. It would be embarrassing for my character if I'm wrong about this.

"I'll head over immediately then. I can't leave a young girl facing an elder dragon alone right?"

"As expected of Milguard-sama."

Why are his eyes glistening like that?...

Without wasting another second, I picked up my greatsword that was leaning on the desk and proceeded to head out of my office. When I opened the door, a man can be seen standing in front of the door with one of his hands held up like he was about to knock.

"Whatever it is, leave it for later. I'm in a rush."

I said as I walked passed the man while waving my hand for him to step aside.

"Wait, Sir! I bring good news from the advance subjugation team for the elder dragon that was sighted in the forest!"

I turned my head to look at the man after he completed his sentence. 

"Just say it…"

"Right… I mean… Yes Sir! The elder dragon is already dead!"

My eyes went wide after I heard his report.

"Come in and we will talk about it. And, stop shouting. You think I'm deaf?"

"Sorry, Sir!"

Ugh…

---

 

"Alright, tell me what you know."

I said after I sat on my chair in my office. The man that came to deliver the report is now standing in front of my desk.

"Yes Sir. The death of the elder dragon was possibly caused by a single stab in its chest."

"A single stab? Any idea who killed it?"

"No Sir. By the time we arrived at the scene, the dragon was already dead. And that was also before Liliane-sama came. Though she departed immediately right after she came."

"Was there anyone else?"

"Yes Sir! There was also a girl with long silver hair. I think her name is… Kalia?"

"Kalia?! Where is she now?"

I stood up and shouted at the same time after I heard that name.

"She should be escorted to the Sunset Valley Inn. Do you know her?"

Oh no… That was embarrassing. Blood rushed into my head after I heard the name 'Kalia', but there's a reason for it. Kalia, is the name of the character that Karl was using in DHO.

Karl is my childhood friend and also my best friend. We have been playing together since we were young. He was always bullied and I was always the one that helped him, I guess that was how our friendship started. We started playing many different online games together when we grew older, until VRMMORPG and DHO were released. In DHO, Karl was the only one that could hunt an elder dragon alone, so, I can say that he's definitely the one that slew the elder dragon. 

"Cough* No. I don't know who she is. I just wanted to know if she knew anything about the elder dragon."

The reason I denied knowing him is that he's a person that doesn't like to stand out. If someone like me, the leader of S-rank hunters and guild master of Distodia guild branch says that I know him, he will definitely be dragged into the spotlight and ends up hating me for it. That is something that I don't want to risk.

"Hey, you over there. Help me deliver a message to this Kalia girl tomorrow morning and ask her to come to meet me here as soon as she can. And, make sure that you ask her politely."

I instructed the attendant that has been standing at the side of the room for a while now.

Truth be told, I really want to visit Karl right now but… it would be troublesome in a lot of ways so I decided to see him tomorrow instead.

I wonder how he's coping with his body now…

---

 

The next day.

 

>MC POV<

"I'm an attendant in the guild and I'm here to deliver you a message from Milguard-sama; please meet him in the guild as soon as possible."

The guild attendant left immediately after he had delivered the message to me. I was not even given the chance to thank him.

"Looks like Jun-niisan already knows that you are here. As expected of the guild master, he sure gets his intel fast."

Lily said while nodding her head with a hand on her chin.

Meanwhile, I'm still surprised at what just happened. Just when we were about to look for him, he asked for us to meet him. 

"So… What now? Do we go and meet Jun-niisan straight away?"

"Yes. We will head to the guild right after we washed up."

---

 

Lily and I are currently standing in front of the guild building. It's a three stories high and made of stone and bricks, just like it was when DHO was a game. 

When we entered the guild building, I can see that the interiors are still the same as before, the first level is where the quest counters and bar is located. There is a staircase leading up to the upper levels at the corner of the building, right beside the counters but I have no idea what is in the second and third levels as they were inaccessible when DHO was a game.

Eh? Why is everyone staring in my direction? 

Everyone in the guild is staring at the both of us when we are walking towards the counter. Looks like Lily is someone that's well known as I can hear the hunters whisper "Liliane-sama" this, "Liliane-sama" that when I walk past them with their eyes specifically on me.

I really regret not wearing my hooded cape now.

I found the guild attendant that delivered me the message just now standing near the counter so I started walking towards him. When he noticed me, his eyes suddenly went wide while looking at Lily.

"I'm here. So, where's Milguard?"

I asked the guild attendant while ignoring his weird reaction, only to receive an irritated look in return. Had I offended him in some way?

"Please follow me Kalia-san, Liliane-sama. Milguard-sama is already waiting in his office."

The guild attendant said with a smile before walking up the stairs. His smile looked really forced…

We were then lead to the third level of the guild building, to a door marked with the guild emblem of a dragon and a sword.

*Knock! Knock!*

"I've brought Kalia-san here."

The guild attendant said after knocking on the door. He then opened the door and signalled for us to go inside.

So he can knock properly…

After we got into the room, the guild attendant closed the door and left.

The person that greeted me inside the room is a man with short blonde hair about two heads taller than me. He's wearing a T-shirt over a black chain mail for his top and pants and greaves for his bottom. He's looking at me with a face full of joy and you can actually see his eyes sparkling if you focus.

"Karl! It's been a long time since I saw you!"

The man said with deep emotions in his trembling voice.

That's right. This man over here is definitely Jun, my childhood friend. Is he going to cry?

---

 

Extra: 

Thoughts of the guild attendant when Kalia arrived at the guild: 
'What a rude little girl! To address Milguard-sama without an honorific! Who exactly is she… Milguard-sama did ask me to get her politely and… even Liliane-sama is with her!'