A Family Head's Daughter

"I-it's Alice Kilgen...!"

"Isn't she the daughter of the family head...?!"

"She really gives off a different vibe than other Kilgen family members."

The people in the hunting fields were gossiping about the young woman who did not care about the people's stares and conversations. Rather than interacting directly with the Challengers, she elegantly moved forward, her gaze directed beyond the monsters that were rummaging around in the open.

"Alice Kilgen... Isn't she an acquaintance of yours?" Luna asked, after trying to recall where she had heard her name before.

"It's complicated..." Erik replied, forcing a smile.

Jay did not pay attention to his two friends and just stared at Alice. Although he was looking at her closely, his eyes remained indifferent.

It was at that moment that Alice pivoted her head in his direction. Her fierce eyes lost their conviction for a moment and widened.

"Miss Alice?" one of her companions called her out, wondering why she had suddenly halted.

She, however, did not reply and approached the trio. Unfitting for her ladylike image, she lifted her yukata slightly and began to run. Her expression, which had remained cold and intimidating until a few seconds ago, suddenly lit up. Even the corners of her mouth went up.

In just one moment, she turned from an unapproachable woman to a child.

"A-are you..." she stuttered, looking up at Jay hopefully. Her heartbeat rose, her face warmed up, and her earlier facade crumbled.

"L-long time no see, Alice!" Erik chimed in, greeting her kindly when Jay was confused about Alice's sudden approach. The smile that defined his identity was there, but he seemed slightly nervous.

"Erik...?" Alice murmured, as if she were surprised by his presence.

"I-it's good to see you again!" she added, bowing formally. She did not mean any harm, but even though she was greeting Erik, her gaze was still not moving away from the unknowing Jay.

"Looks like you're doing fine since last time." Erik said, sounding like a proud parent.

"Y-yes... It's all thanks to-"

"Miss Alice!"

Perplexed by her actions, her group followed after her.

"Why did you suddenly run off? And who are these people?"

"They are my friends!" Alice declared innocently.

"F-friends...?" a woman in the group repeated. She observed the trio sharply, as if it were an interview for a job.

"B-but, Miss... Aren't most of them just beginners...?" she stated, confused how they could be Alice's friends. From the perspective of her group, Alice was the daughter of the family head. She belonged to the elite and even possessed the strength to call herself one. And yet, she called mere beginners her friends.

"Hm? What are you talking about? They are-"

"A-Alice! Isn't there something more urgent right now...? We can catch up all we want later..." Erik meddled in, steering the conversation to the current situation on the hunting fields.

"Ah, you're right!" Alice gasped. She cleared her throat before she changed back to her previous demeanor and issued a command to her group.

"Split up and help those who are struggling here! I will inspect the forest!"

Although they were weak monsters, they could be dangerous if in groups. New Challengers who managed to prove their strength against Killer Rabbits or even Haunting Trees would quickly find themselves in a dire situation if the inexplicable monster stampede continued.

"Shouldn't at least two of us accompany you, Miss Alice?"

"No need for that. I want you to focus on the people here." Alice replied sternly. However, after finishing her sentence, she rested her hand on Jay's shoulder, who looked at her with big eyes.

"These people will join me, so you don't have to worry about me." she stated, smirking confidently.

Her subordinates were about to retort, but their mouths were forced shut when they looked into Alice's determined eyes.

"W-we understand..."

Following that, her group quickly dispersed from the spot and hurried to the other Challengers in the vicinity. Meanwhile, Alice switched her expression and vibe again as she faced the trio.

"Shall we go then?"

Unable to refuse that innocent smile, the trio followed Alice into the forest.

"Hey...! Is this really a good idea...? We're going deeper than when we hunted a Haunting Tree." Luna whispered to Jay, who was as taken aback as she was. The two were at the back, whereas Alice was leading them.

"I can't say for sure yet. But it seems like Erik trusts her, so let's watch for now." Jay replied, glancing at Erik, who was also whispering something to Alice.

"Huh...?! I thought you knew her, too...!"

"Heck no...! How should I know such a prominent person...!"

What started as mere whispering slowly turned into outright shouting.

"Oh, by the way..."

Thinking that Alice might have overheard them, the two at the back flinched.

"I haven't introduced myself yet, right? I'm Alice Kilgen! Nice to meet you!" she said, bowing formally and composedly.

"I-I'm Luna Park... Nice to meet you, too...!" Luna responded, awkwardly imitating Alice's gesture.

"And I'm Jay. Just Jay..."

Alice stared at him for a while without saying anything.

"D-did we perhaps meet each other once...?" Jay asked nervously. He was not a fool. The way she abruptly walked over to them previously, and the way she was looking at him then and now. There was no way someone of her status would react like this to a new Challenger—unless she knew that person.

Her lips were tightly pressed against each other, attempting to block the flood of words that were seeking to escape.

"No... You just resembled someone I knew... I apologize for my rude behavior." Alice said softly, her gaze directed at her feet.

"I see..."

It was silent for a moment. Despite being in the forest, no monsters dared to cross their paths yet. Was it because they were too scared of Alice, or was it because of another reason?

"Alice, your goal is to look for the reason for the sudden monster stampede outside, correct?" Erik said.

Alice nodded her head.

"I see. Exploring the forest would be the right move, then." Erik added. Monsters, who were usually located inside the forest, were causing havoc outside of it—even acting out of character by moving in groups. There could be plenty of reasons why they acted like that.

And one of them would be that something even more dangerous inside the forest was scaring those monsters away.

"But why did you choose us to tag along?" Jay wondered.

"I don't expect you to do anything. I may not look like it, but I'm pretty strong, you know?" Alice answered, letting out a soft giggle.

"I just wanted to use the chance to talk with you guys." she elaborated.

Jay glanced at Luna.

"She's currently trying to earn money by hunting monsters. Is it fine if she were to hunt monsters during this exploration?" Jay asked, pointing with his thumb at Luna, who in turn flinched.

"H-hold on, Jay...! I thought we'd keep it at Killer Rabbits for now...!" she retorted anxiously, flailing her arms in front of her.

"What do you mean? You won't find them that deep inside the forest. Even Haunting Trees will appear less frequently from now on."

In other words, monsters far stronger than those Luna had encountered before would be located here. And the stronger and more dangerous a monster was, the more money they brought in.

"Shouldn't you be happy? This way you can finish your quest even faster!" Jay laughed as he walked up to Erik's side.

Luna's shoulders dropped down, thinking about the scary monsters she had to fight.

"D-don't be scared... If anything happens, we will help you." Alice consoled Luna, smiling wryly. Without exchanging words, Jay and she switched places, with her now walking alongside Luna.

"Won't we burden you with your mission...?" Luna asked, still hung up on the idea of fighting monsters scarier than she could imagine.

Alice had to track down the cause of the monster stampede and, therefore, entered the forest. If Luna and the others were to hunt monsters as a part of Luna's quest, then Alice had to waste more time.

"I told you that it's fine." Alice chuckled. For her, it was even better that way. The more time she could spend with them, the happier she would be.

Erik, who was leading the group temporarily, noticed the presence of another living being in the vicinity.

"An enemy is coming." Erik declared, unfazed. Neither he nor Jay showed any signs of preparing for combat. Instead, their eyes were on the girls behind them.

"W-wait...! Do you expect me to fight this soon?!" Luna panicked.

Her body was trembling slightly, and her grip on her spear was not tight enough, making it potentially slip away from her hands if she were to act carelessly.

"I will do it." Alice announced. She was smiling gently at Luna as she lowered Luna's spear. Her eyes were calm as if she was unfazed by the sudden turn of events.

The ground beneath them began to shake with each step of the heavy being that approached the group. Its steps were slow, and a constant animal-like growl caused goosebumps on Luna's body.

Emerging from the tall trees and bushes was a white bear. It was taller than a two-story house, muscular and toned—atypical for a normal bear—and had glowing red eyes. Its big fangs were looking at them as if they were prey, with drool slipping out of its mouth.

It let out a deafening roar, causing Luna's legs to almost give out.

"A Hunter Bear, huh? Pretty rare." Erik remarked, even letting out a small whistle.

"I guess that would be too much for Luna." Jay said, shrugging his shoulders.

A Hunter Bear rarely appeared before other people, and hid most of the time in its environment, waiting for its prey to let their guard down. They were unusually quick on their feet and possessed the strength to kill people with just one swift strike. Even Haunting Trees were not a match for it as their branches would break in an attempt to pierce through its hard skin.

"Watch her closely, Luna. This is the power of a family head's daughter." Jay told Luna, his gaze locked on Alice.