Chapter 72
I hurriedly showered and brushed my teeth. Since Ophelia asked if I could hold out a little longer because food would be provided there, I roughly buttered a slice of toast and ate it, then said okay. Honestly, it felt more like I was tired than actually very hungry.
Besides, this body gets pretty full after eating just one or two slices of bread, so the toast was enough.
“But... do I really have to wear that...?”
“Since it’s an official engagement, yes.”
“B-but... Britain has a queen, so if I wear something like a tiara, wouldn’t I be punished...?”
“There is no such law.”
Apparently it’s fine to wear something on your head. Impersonating royalty is, of course, illegal and punishable, but the princess outfit I’m wearing is basically just at the level of ordinary cosplay. Nobody would look at this dress and think, ‘Whoa, is she really a princess...?’
“Ophelia, then what are we going there for?”
“You mean the headquarters of the British Hunter Association?”
“Yep.”
While drying my hair, Ophelia briefly explained today’s schedule. Officially, yesterday’s situation would be reported as Cedric Moro having been subdued through the abilities of a black operative affiliated with the British Hunter Association.
Because if they said some bratty little shrimp who’d come from another country to work as a model for a week had done what no British hunter could, it would be a total loss of face.
Besides, the visa I’d been issued when I entered the country wasn’t a hunter visa but a regular work visa, so I was under restrictions that meant I shouldn’t use my abilities in Britain.
Of course, it was an emergency, and they weren’t going to use that as an excuse to do anything to us. It was just that if good precedents kept being set about using abilities without a hunter visa and the like, people might get confused.
“Then are you giving me some kind of award?”
“Yes. There are quite a few things currently on the negotiation table, but we’re looking them over one by one.”
“Whoa, I’m curious.”
“Are you curious?”
“Yes!”
The moment I answered, my phone dinged with a text, and Ophelia had written out in a message all the things that had come up while she was talking with someone from the British Hunter Association.
“What’s this, British citizenship and a place to live in London?”
“Yes, it seems they’re quite interested in the Princess’s abilities.”
“Hmm, not really my thing.”
“I see.”
Of course, Britain is a developed country and London is a nice city, but to me it just feels like a tourist destination. I guess I don’t really want to live here. Besides, I can’t speak English.
“What’s this? Cooperation with Crown Guard?”
“It’s a hunter-related equipment manufacturing subsidiary under its parent company, BAE Systems.”
BAE Systems is Europe’s largest defense company and one of the world’s top three arms manufacturers. They were saying they’d set up a route for us to request cooperation from Crown Guard, the hunter-related weapons and equipment subsidiary operated by BAE Systems.
Even Minyumi, which was basically just a solid block of rare metal with an old jet engine bolted on, had power that put it in the lower ranks of S-tier for human combat. If they really made a proper anti-monster weapon out of a golem, just how powerful would it be?
“Isn’t this... incredibly good?!”
“I proposed that condition myself. Since it isn’t something they had prepared in advance, it looks like it’ll be hard to get.”
“Waaah.”
“Still, it looks like we can secure it by adding a few cushioning conditions.”
“Really?!”
According to international treaties, offensive weapons that use mana, or mobilizing mana-awakened individuals for war, come with so many restrictions that it’s nearly impossible.
Because of that, non-mana weapons that don’t use mana are military secrets, just as they were before the Gate Incident. Hunter-related equipment, too, when you get into the high-end range, often has a structure similar to non-mana firearms, even if only the power source has been replaced with mana.
As a rule, the global standard is not to hand foreign hunters even finished high-end mana weapons secretly produced at home, though.
“It looks like we can receive things from about one generation ago.”
“Hwaeek.”
A thing from a generation ago doesn’t mean it’s bad. If anything, it means it’s something that has proven its effectiveness and usefulness through countless real-world battles and earned the go-ahead.
“Then... does that mean we can just hand Minyumi super-powerful weapons to its heart’s content?”
“Now that part is a condition we’ll have to push a little more actively for.”
“Waah. Why?”
“Because receiving Crown Guard’s mana weapons as a user and being authorized to later modify those weapons are completely different matters.”
“Waaah. What a hassle.”
The moment I said that, I flinched a little. Come to think of it, Ophelia was the one doing all the work while I was just lazing around beside her, so why was I the one saying it was a hassle?
“Ophelia, you must have it tough.”
“Thank you.”
She doesn’t say it isn’t tough.
* * * * *
“Woooah.”
The place we arrived at in a British Hunter Association vehicle was the headquarters building of the British Hunter Association, located near Canary Wharf in London’s financial district.
It took about 30 minutes by car from Claridge’s? The vehicle drove deep inside, and only after passing through several things like black curtains were we able to get out. It felt like they were being extremely strict about security.
ㅡBeep..!
“Huh? What’s wrong, Doggo?”
ㅡBeep! Beep-beep....
“The internet connection got cut off..?”
Judging by Doggo’s internet connection being cut off, it seems outside Wi-Fi is restricted inside too. I turned on my phone and tried to open Roblox, but it showed a connection error and told me to check the internet.
“Ehh....”
“If you need internet, just let me know. I’ll connect you to the internet used inside the main building.”
“Ah, then please connect it!”
“Yes~”
The man driving the car and the lady employee sitting in the passenger seat personally connected the Wi-Fi for us. Doggo also followed my phone and connected to the Wi-Fi, restoring everything to normal.
“Is Ophelia okay?”
I wondered if Ophelia’s internet was okay, but she only nodded silently without replying. Apparently Ophelia has some way of bypassing the British Hunter Association’s signal interference. That’s amazing.
After that, we entered some super-secret...? area, got out of the car, and followed people in black suits and sunglasses into the main building’s lobby. Normally, we could have just entered from the front like ordinary people, but it seemed to be a slightly secret route.
It’s fun, since it makes me feel like I’m some kind of black operative.
“Hee, interesting.”
Along the corridor we were walking through, huge framed photos of old men were hung up, and judging by the situation, they seemed to be former heads of the British Hunter Association. The men in black suits and sunglasses just silently guided us, and when we entered the reception room we’d arrived at afterward, a somewhat older gentleman greeted us.
“Oh, welcome. I’m glad you came.”
“Ophelia..! Who’s that old man..?”
“Heh heh, let me introduce myself first.”
Director Malcolm Reddington of the Awakened Crisis Response Bureau. He worked as an active hunter for about 30 years, retired a few years ago, and is now a super-veteran gentleman doing this job.
“I’ve heard the story. You’re the Awakened one who resolved this incident, young lady.”
“That’s right.”
“Then... what is your relationship with your guardian?”
“In Korea, we’re legally a mother and daughter. Do you need any further explanation?”
“Aha... that should be enough. If we need to talk about anything else later, we can do that then. For now... would you like to eat first?”
The table in the reception room was too low to really eat comfortably at, and there were a few desserts, but honestly I wanted something sweet more than a meal. And if they keep telling me to go somewhere else right after I sit down, it’s annoying having to keep walking around....
“Haha, it seems you prefer dessert, miss.”
“Huh! How did you know?!”
“The Princess was staring fixedly at the refreshments on the table.”
“Ah, I see.”
But if there’s dessert, it catches your eye, doesn’t it? Why set it out if you’re not even going to eat it..!!
“Do you prefer to eat quietly? Shall we save the conversation for later?”
“That’s fine.”
“I see. Understood.”
And so, following Mr. Malcolm again, we took the elevator up about two floors. In a room with a single round table sitting all by itself, the four of us—Ophelia, me, Doggo, and Mr. Malcolm—sat down around the round table.
And the moment we sat down, dishes started coming out one after another without us even ordering anything. It seemed like the kind of place used to entertain VIPs.
“I was told you aren’t vegan.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“That’s a relief. People are supposed to eat meat, after all.”
I was just busy eating and only half-listening, while Ophelia deftly used her fork and knife and chatted with Mr. Malcolm while she ate. The pasta was delicious.
“The Association is making every effort to avoid exposing Miss Eve’s personal information as much as possible.”
“Yes, we also want things to proceed in a way that doesn’t make Miss Eve’s name a hot topic.”
“I see.”
All the usual formalities. First of all, thank you so much for saving the people. We were trying to resolve it quickly too, but for one reason or another things didn’t line up, so it was difficult. And so on. But wow, the pasta is good.
“Now then, onto the main point. Is there anything you want? I hear you turned down most of the compensation options the Association proposed.”
“They weren’t proposals that particularly appealed to me. Especially the parts involving unpublicized prestige.”
“Hwaek.”
Since they weren’t going to publicly announce, ‘Princess Eve stopped the terrorists!!,’ there was no need at all for things like a commemorative plaque or certificate of appreciation from the Association. What would I even use those for?
Of course, I was only thinking that to myself; I didn’t particularly plan to say it out loud.
Ophelia just bluntly went, ‘What are you giving us such useless stuff for? Want a smack??’
“Heh heh heh... I see. Among hunters, there are occasionally those who place great importance on personal honor, so we had no choice but to include it. But I suppose it wasn’t a very meaningful proposal after all.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ophelia sliced up the roast lamb, popped a piece into her mouth, and nodded slowly. Mr. Malcolm must have thought he’d met a formidable opponent, because his eating pace slowed and he started talking more.
“So... we’ve looked over some of the compensation you proposed, but is there any particular part you’d like more than the others?”
“Unused, genuine production units of Crown Guard’s fourth-generation-or-higher anti-mana firearms. Of the product numbers you proposed on your side, we want at least three units.”
“Hmm....”
Mr. Malcolm put down his knife and fork completely, tapped between his brows with a finger, and made a slightly troubled expression.
“May I ask the reason, if you don’t mind?”
“Is there any particular reason for a hunter to want mana equipment? We highly value Crown Guard’s technical capabilities.”
“I see....”
Mr. Malcolm’s finger-tapping on the table clearly conveyed just how terribly difficult this was. The tap-tap-tap sound echoed through the quiet room. I also quietly kept eating along with it.
“There is one condition, however.”
“Is it something related to technology leaking outside?”
“Ah, no. Nothing like that.”
Suddenly, Mr. Malcolm stared straight at me.
“Would it be all right if I took a look at Miss Eve’s abilities once?”
“...?”
Why me all of a sudden?