Ch 32: Wait, what?

I looked up, startled, and I saw the head of the Hunter Association himself.

Count Darius Halworth.

The man had to be at least seventy, but if you told me he was secretly immortal, I wouldn't even blink. His presence was overwhelming. Broad-shouldered, with a face lined by age but eyes as sharp as the edge of Valerie's sword. His silver hair was tied back neatly, and he carried himself like someone who could still break bones if he wanted to.

He stepped to the podium, letting the silence settle over the stadium like a heavy fog. When he spoke, his voice echoed with authority. "Hunters," he began, "you are the hope of the world."

I rolled my eyes internally. 'Here we go with the dramatic speeches'.

As I was internally talking trash about the Count, I could have sworn we made eye contact. Startled, I averted my gaze, 'What the..? Does he have a mind reading skill or something?', I thought and focused on what he was saying.

He continued, "You are the only ones standing between humanity and calamity. The only ones capable of protecting the people from the horrors that threaten to devour us all."

The murmuring started almost immediately. The hunters around me were exchanging confused looks, whispering under their breaths. I could almost hear the collective, "What is he talking about?"

That's when it hit me—not everyone here knew.

Not all the hunters had been briefed about the cult. About their insane plan to summon a demon that would make even the most hardened warriors wet their pants. This wasn't just a motivational speech. This was THE official announcement.

While the others tried to make sense of it all, my brain went in a completely different direction.

'This is it, isn't it?', I thought. This is the lead-up to Laura Juno's tragic backstory. The demon attack that killed thousands.

Laura Juno was one of Reed's harem members in the novel, Hunter Time. Her backstory was vague, something about being the only survivor of a demon attack when she was a baby and a hunter who was stationed near her, sacrificed their life for her.

My DEAREST and FAVORITE author, in all their infinite wisdom (laziness), didn't bother to specify WHERE or WHEN the attack happened.

"Could you not have given us a little more detail?" I muttered under my breath, mentally trashing the author for the millionth time. 'Like, just a city name would've been nice! Or a hint! But no, let's keep it all vague and mysterious. Great job, buddy'.

I was so caught up in my internal rant that I almost missed the next part of Count Halworth's speech. He was announcing the station assignments.

"Brianna Caleine, Cecilia Aurora, Valerie Ignis…"

I tuned back in fully when I heard my name.

"Serena Bellus. You will be stationed in Emaor." I was the last one to be called and to be honest, 'Emaor?' I groaned internally. Of course, I'd be sent to that city. Emaor wasn't bad, per se—it was just so painfully average that it was almost offensive. The kind of place where nothing exciting ever happened.

The buildings were plain, the streets were dusty, and the only thing remotely interesting about the city was its absurd number of stray cats. I could already picture the underwhelming skyline and the smell of stale bread wafting through the air.

Thankfully, Valerie, Brianna, and Cecilia were stationed nearby. That, at least, was a relief.

As I was about to stand up from my seat, one of the Count's attendants approached me.

"The Count wishes to speak with you, Lady Serena," he said with a slight bow.

Oh no. My stomach twisted into a knot. What did I do? Did someone find out I stole that one cookie from the snack tray earlier? I mean, it was just sitting there, lonely, calling my nam—focus, Serena!

I followed the attendant to a quieter corner of the grand hall, where the Count was waiting. The man himself stood there with his usual composed demeanor, radiating authority.

"Count," I greeted, bowing politely. "You wished to see me?"

To my surprise, the Count chuckled—a deep, warm sound that didn't match the intimidating image I had of him. "Why are you speaking so formally, Serena? Outside of work, you can call me Grandpa, as you always have."

My brain short-circuited. 'Grandpa?', I froze for a moment, my mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. 'Did I mishear him? Surely, he didn't just say that'.

Before I could piece together a response, he reached out and gently patted my head. "You've grown into a fine young lady, Serena. Be careful out there. I'm looking forward to meeting my great-grandchildren someday."

Great-grandchildren?! Was he confusing me with someone else? Maybe I'd been secretly swapped at birth and missed the memo. I forced a smile, though I was sure my face looked more like a rictus of panic.

"Thank you...Grandpa," I said hesitantly, testing the word like it might bite me.

The Count's smile widened, his hand lingering on my head for a moment before he stepped back. "Good girl. Be safe, alright?"

I nodded mechanically as he pulled me into a brief, warm hug. The kind of hug that made my chest ache with the memory of my past life's parents. Before I could dwell on it, he patted my head one more time and turned to leave, his figure disappearing into the crowd.

I stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened. 'Okay, let's think this through, Serena'.

The plot of this world—this ridiculous, trope-filled mess I was stuck in—never mentioned anything about the Count being my grandfather. Heck, he wasn't even on my list of contacts! And I'd definitely checked my family registry before. It was just my mother, father, and…nobody else.

Maybe it's a metaphorical "grandpa"? Like, he sees me as a granddaughter because of some past connection I don't have any clue about. Yeah, that's gotta be it. Either that or the system glitched, which, honestly, wouldn't surprise me at this point.

Still, the warmth in my chest lingered as I shook off the moment and forced my feet to move. 'No time for sentimental daydreams, Serena. Your party's probably waiting for you'.

As I made my way to the parking lot, I muttered under my breath, "Seriously, how does this world keep throwing curveballs at me? Next thing I know, I'll find out I'm secretly royalty or something."

I paused.

"…Okay, now I'm jinxing myself."

==================================

An hour later, I was on the road, heading to meet the party I'd been assigned to. My thoughts were a mix of curiosity and dread.

"Alright, Serena," I muttered to myself. "Let's set some expectations. Hopefully, they're not completely incompetent. Maybe one or two of them will have actual skills. Or, you know, common sense."

Deep down, though, I wasn't optimistic. In novels like this, the "assigned party" was almost always a disaster. Either they were useless rookies who would somehow drag me into danger, or they'd be overconfident jerks who thought they knew better than the S-RANK healer.

"Let's just hope I don't end up babysitting," I said aloud, leaning back in my seat.

Valerie glanced at me from across the car, one brow raised. "Talking to yourself again?"

"Just mentally preparing for the worst," I replied, flashing her a grin.

She shook her head, but I could see the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

As we approached the meeting point, I took a deep breath. Time to meet the team. Please, for the love of everything, let them at least know how to swing a sword properly.