The Primal Hunter

Jake wondered what all the nobles he had been working with were thinking when they saw Jake walk down the stairs. He had just failed all of their Side Jobs, though they clearly didn’t know this. These jobs had all been about exposing other factions than themselves and had been mutually exclusive, as each required him to betray everyone else… of course, Jake didn’t view anything he had done as a betrayal as he never held any loyalty in the first place.

The Duke of Flames had wanted Jake to expose another dukedom for working with PETE and even another country, as PETE was based there. This other dukedom, whom the daughter of the Duke of Flames worked with, wanted Jake to expose the Duke of Flames’ illegal activities and the damage caused by his incessant desire to consume more elementals. At the same time, they would also expose PETE to make themselves look like they would never have worked with such an organization in the first place.

Lastly, PETE wanted Jake to also expose the Duke of Flames, but also this other dukedom for working with the Duke of Flames’ daughter, as they had heard she would join this dukedom and thus continue the Lineage of the Duke of Flames. They didn’t want to see that happen but wanted them utterly eliminated.

The person they all wanted Jake to do his exposing to was the king of the Human Kingdom. He had the backing of the third dukedom fully, the Lord Protector, and the entire royal army behind him, making him the most influential and powerful person in the kingdom… which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he was the king.

From what Jake had gathered, he guessed the king already had a good idea about some of the stuff going on and kind of just wanted everything to be swept under the rug to avoid any open internal conflicts in the Human Kingdom. Any dukedom falling would be bad for the Human Kingdom as their overall power would fall, and with enemy countries on all sides, civil war wasn’t recommended.

However, even if the king wanted things to be resolved behind closed doors, the second things were brought forth to the public, he would have to act openly and decisively or risk losing influence and looking like he could be walked all over. This is what all the factions who wanted Jake to expose shit banked on anyway.

Based on the words of the Founder he sent to Jake as they walked down the stairs, he was willing to give the king a chance to right the wrongs in his own kingdom, primarily on account of the Lord Protector. The royal family had never abused the Guild, and what jobs they had commissioned had all been above board. Perhaps because the royal family still held respect for what the Guild stood for… or because the Lord Protector had been one of the people fighting alongside the Founder back in the war against the dragon tribe and knew that risking making the Founder an enemy was a horrible idea.

As he and the Founder walked down to the main floor, they naturally attracted some attention. Jake had many friendly gazes land on him from the many factions as they each prepared for him to carry out their wish. Probably because he was the only one who publicly worked with Jake, the Duke of Flames stepped forward without any surprise from the other factions.

”Ah, it’s great of you to finally join us,” the Duke of Flames said, entirely ignoring the Founder beside Jake, who was presenting as an early-tier B-grade.

”Of course. I am here hired to carry out a job, after all,” Jake responded a bit curtly but still keeping it professional.

”Indeed you are,” the Duke smiled as he turned to address the king and queen sitting on their throne, along with everyone else present. ”Allow me to introduce someone. This is a Courier I have been working with recently, and that I am certain many of you have also come to know of in recent times. A true rising star of the Guild and a man with an impeccable record.”

Jake remained quiet, not saying no to flattery when offered.

”I originally hired him with the intent of sniffing out those who have been targetting me recently. You have all heard of them… the terrorist organization that has been wreaking havoc in my dukedom and threatened the stability of this very kingdom with their actions,” the Duke of Flames continued with a very holier-than-thou tone. ”This hiring was made with little hope… but I had underestimated the expertise and abilities of this Courier, and in less than a year, he managed to uncover those behind the plot targeting our blessed country.”

Muttering filled the room as all attention was now on Jake. Many scanned him using different means, with the Founder continually getting ignored despite standing right next to him. Jake especially felt the gazes of a few people present, one of whom walked forward to speak with a magnanimous smile.

”The Duke of Flames speaks the truth. Those who have taken actions to hurt this kingdom and its reputation must be punished, no matter who they are!” said the man. He was the Duke who opposed the Duke of Flames and another person who believed Jake was actually there as his ally.

He also got a telepathic message from the leader of PETE. ”Now is the time to strike… topple both of these monsters from their high peaks and be the arbiter of justice. Be the harbinger of a new age where elementals can live free from the Dukedom of Flames and all those who dared allow their vile existence.”

Jake would lie if he said he felt comfortable as he considered his next words carefully. He briefly threw a glance at the Founder, who nodded before Jake turned to the king and bowed slightly. ”Your majesty, I have indeed made some discoveries during my work as a Courier I believe are pertinent to share with the court.”

”Before you proceed, I need to clarify something… who are you here working for? Where do your loyalties lie?” the king asked, and from the queen sitting at his side, Jake detected a truth-telling skill. Those skills were really pretty damn common in this world, huh?

The king’s question also communicated he indeed did know some internal conflict was going on. Luckily, Jake had an easy answer to his question.

”I am here as a Courier representing the Guild. As for loyalties… I have none but the loyalty I hold toward myself and my dignity. As a Courier, loyalty as a concept isn’t something I see the need to consider. I am merely here to carry out a Special Courier Job, nothing less, nothing more,” Jake responded. Usually, giving long answers with details and absolutes when faced with a lie-detector skill wasn’t recommended… unless you were capable of fully telling the truth when doing so. In these cases, it only served to strengthen your voice.

After a second or two, the queen nodded to the king who looked genuinely surprised at the affirmation Jake was being truthful.

”So you are not here at the behest of any of the nobles of the Human Kingdom?” the Lord Protector, who was sitting a bit off to the side, asked as he directed a sharp gaze at Jake. Yep, he definitely also knows something. Fuck I am happy I didn’t try this shit all by myself without any backing…

”I was given side jobs by three people present to attend and carry out their will,” Jake answered truthfully. ”However, I was also given a Special Courier Job by the Guild, which is the one I am here to carry out.”

Who knew that things were a lot easier when you could just tell the truth while knowing you had an S-grade at your side, willing to defend should anything bad happen? Because damn, was something bad about to happen as Jake began to reveal a bit too much in the eyes of those who had hired him.

Jake felt three gazes on him filled with hidden bloodlust. All of them A-grades, with the Duke of Flames the most powerful of them. It was warnings… no threats, to carry out what they wanted him to do and not say more than he had to.

”Oh?” the Lord Protector said, continuing the conversation in place of the king. ”And what did these three people want you to do here tonight?”

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”To reveal underhanded dealings while exposing the organization that has made moves against the Duke of Flames in recent times, including the hidden backers of this organization,” Jake said, feeling the threatening gaze of the Duke of Flames lighten slightly… only for it to return stronger than ever with his next sentence. ”This includes the illegal activities undertaken by the Duke of Flames in his attempt to continually acquire elementals to consume to fuel his own Path.”

As Jake finished speaking, the telepathic messages began rolling in as Jake ignored all of them and focused only on the Lord Protector and two royals.

”What the hell are you-”

”Shut your mouth, or-”

”Why would you-”

The eyes of the Lord Protector narrowed as he gave the king a look. Seemingly suppressing a sigh, the king’s face turned a lot more serious. ”These are very heavy accusations… are you sure you can handle what may come from you making them? The consequences if anything you say is revealed to be a lie?”

”As I said, I am merely here carrying out a Special Courier Job representing the Guild,” Jake answered. ”I am only to share the truth according to the wishes of my client.”

The king didn’t look all that happy with Jake’s answer as he motioned with his hand. ”Then proceed… let us hear what you claim to have uncovered.”

And hear it, they did. Jake held nothing back as he explained everything he had done for these different factions. How he had worked for all of them at once, effectively infiltrating them while doing all his Courier Jobs. He even sprinkled in some of the physical evidence he had swiped during his many interactions with them, everything he said getting continually checked with lie-detector skills.

Some of his revelations sent shockwaves through the crowd. Especially when he revealed the Duke of Flames’ daughter had worked with another dukedom to take him down and even supported PETE. Jake felt pretty sure a good portion of the room would already have made moves to kill him if the faint presence of the Lord Protector didn’t already cover his body, signaling none was to make a move, lest they suffer the consequences.

The only real strategy Jake had in his big revelation was saving the identity of the leader of PETE for last, as he felt pretty damn sure she would make a move the moment he did. Once revealed, her chances of escaping unscathed were nil, so to at the very least get revenge and kill the Courier who exposed her was only to be expected.

A prediction that turned out to be entirely accurate… as the moment Jake turned and pointed out the leader of PETE, without any warning, her aura exploded as she flew straight for Jake. The Founder stood between Jake and the woman, but he didn’t even need to make a move.

Without Jake being able to detect any movement, the old man appeared right above the A-grade woman. She didn’t even manage to scream as her entire body imploded while Jake felt powerful ripples of space mana from the old man as he squished her entire body into a small red ball of flesh no larger than a golf ball faster than Jake could even react to her movements. The entire debacle barely even affected the throne room due to the magic used by the Lord Protector being so limited in scope, but it did definitely set the mood to see an A-grade dying.

With everyone looking, the Lord Protector waved his hand as what looked like a spatial ring appeared in it. He infused some energy into it as Jake saw the enchantments begin to break apart, and after a second or two, the old man fished out a few items, including a notebook and some odd crystals.

”This journal lays out plans made by this terrorist organization to sabotage the Duke of Flames… and the crystals are those uniquely found in the Dukedom of Blades,” the Lord Protector said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Wait… did that dukedom seriously pay PETE in crystals only found in their territory? Jake questioned, though he kept his mouth shut, as things were going his way already, and there was no reason to ruin it. Wait… maybe the PETE leader has these on purpose? So if she did die, she would at least take down some people with her using the evidence she was carrying?

”That woman was also from the Phoenix Wing Empire,” the Lord Protector continued as he glared at the Duke of Blades. ”Do you have any explanations for yourself?”

Surprisingly enough, the Duke of Blades remained calm despite the accusations as he shook his head. ”I truthfully do not… for I have never worked with any such organizations.”

”Are you saying the accusations of this Courier are false, despite his testimony already having been confirmed as true?” the king questioned in a sharp tone.

”I am not denying he believes they are true… but I fear he has been led behind the light,” the Duke of Blades sighed. ”All the truth-detecting skills can see is if the person speaking believes they are telling the truth, not what the actual truth is. I fear that the Courier may have been fooled into believing we were working with this daughter of the Duke of Flames.”

”And you’re saying you’re not?” the king continued questioning.

”Most definitely not,” the Duke of Blades said in an offended tone. ”Neither would we work with some horrific terrorist organization who targets the innocents. I believe this may all be a plot by the Duke of Flames to undermine my dukedom using his daughter... or, looking at the Duke, perhaps even his own daughter tricked him?”

”I… what are you talking about!?” the Duke of Flames’ daughter had an outburst. ”You promised that-”

”Silence!” the king yelled as he slammed his fist into his chair, sending a shockwave of energy out. The room became even more tense than before, and while Jake remained silent, he was honestly pretty confused about something...

Why are they not just using any lie-detector skills on this Duke of Blades?

It made no sense they weren’t… unless…

”Duke of Flames… do you have any defense against these accusations?” the king asked, looking at the Duke.

”Are you seriously claiming I would have hired a terrorist organization to target my own family and dukedom? That I would willingly commit all sorts of criminal activity simply to acquire some more elementals? Perhaps I have been too zealous in my pursuits, and my subordinates may have taken things too far, and I may even have been blind to the rebellious actions of my daughter, but I am fully willing to submit everything for review,” the Duke of Flames also defended himself. ”I want us to remember I am the injured party here…”

Jake saw the Lord Protector frown deeply, as the king looked like he was deep in thought. ”Hm… this certainly is a matter that must be investigated further…”

”Perhaps, Your Majesty, this is all a plot by this terrorist organization to cause internal strife within the kingdom?” the Duke of Blades chimed in as he looked at the Duke of Flames. ”While I and the Duke of Flames most definitely have our differences, I am certain they are nothing we cannot solve behind closed doors with the royal family as mediators.”

Without any hesitation, the Duke of Flames nodded. ”No one has any interest in seeing us split more than an enemy country, and I, too, am certain we can reach a satisfactory conclusion through negotiation and following proper legal procedures to find out who is truly behind this plot.”

What the fuck is going on? Jake questioned as the entire mood in the hall shifted once more. However, Jake soon realized why things were going so wrong… the king was resolute in sweeping things under the rug, and the two Dukes had given him a golden opportunity to. They just had to play theater, and some faux investigation could discover some fall guys to be arrested and executed while maintaining order.

The two Dukes also knew this as Jake received a message from each.

”What a pathetic attempt… I had high hopes for you, but it seems you are dumber than I thought,” the Duke of Flames said. ”Did you truly think your word was enough? That a mere C-grade could lead to my downfall? You overestimate yourself. Ah, but I must thank you for exposing that I had a snake of a daughter and for getting rid of this annoying pest of an organization that has been bothering me. You have proven most useful despite your idiocy. I would recommend for you to stay and enjoy the rest of the party… for this will be your last.”

”You have proven yourself most unwise. It is sad to see someone I was told was so promising invite his own death through sheer arrogance,”the Duke of Blades also sent.

Jake had no idea what to say… but he realized his plan had been fucked from the beginning. Even if he had truth and facts on his side, it wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, and his strategy of targeting everyone would end with nothing but the death of a C-grade Courier as some fake investigations were carried out, with no one remembering anything about the Courier in a few years.

The king turned to Jake and nodded after the two Dukes had spoken. ”Thank you for bringing all of this to light, and we will be sure to carry out thorough investigations to uncover the whole truth.”

And that was that… the king had swept things under the rug. From the looks of it, this didn’t sit well with the Lord Protector, but he didn’t speak up. They had all made a decision, and Jake could do nothing about it. His protests would be viewed as nothing but contempt toward the king’s decision and land him in even more trouble. Jake had entirely miscalculated how all of this would go, perhaps only highlighting his political ignorance...

”Now, let us not see the day ruined, but continue to enjoy oursel-”

”Is this truly your decision?” the man who had been standing next to Jake this entire time asked.

The king frowned at getting interrupted as the Duke of Flames stepped forward. ”Who are you to question His Majesty’s decision!?”

His aura rolled out of him as the temperature in the room increased, and the Duke attempted to pressure the man he believed was an early-tier B-grade… only to find his aura rebuffed as he coughed up blood from the backlash and stumbled back as the Founder’s aura exploded.

Jake, not missing a beat, smiled. ”Allow me to introduce my client for this job… the Guild Founder.”