"On top of all that, I’m the Top 1 aspirant in the ranking because of her. She sacrificed so much to put me on top. So, Fried, everything I do for her is the least I can do to thank her."

After several minutes of an extensive monologue, Gregory finally paused for a moment. His gaze shifted back to Fried, no longer wandering across the city view, but the smile on his face remained.

"Finished?" On the other hand, Fried had been counting down every second on the wall clock.

"Yes..." Gregory replied, somewhat uncertainly.

"First of all, let me clarify that you're Top 1 because of your exceptional grades and your talents in leadership and strategy. That’s the only reason. Hound Monique isn’t even in the Top 10 of the best-ranked Hounds at the Academy. She’s merely a mid-to-good S-Class Hound."

"But—" Gregory tried to interrupt Fried, but it didn’t work.

"If you had chosen Soraya, a Magic-Type Hound specializing in single-target damage, or Mylena, a Magic-Type Hound specializing in area damage, you would’ve already earned your official Hunter license six months ago. And to finish..."

After enduring several tedious minutes of monologue, Fried seemed to be venting his frustration as he continued to speak. By bringing up the facts, he began pointing out Gregory's obvious inconsistencies.

Moreover, Fried was annoyed by Gregory’s shamelessness in naturally admitting he took care of Monique as if she were a child. This shouldn’t happen—it’s dangerous and against the rules, especially in Gregory's case.

"This is her job, Gregory. What will happen when you graduate next month? Are you going to leave her there with a hole in her heart that won’t heal?"

While speaking, Fried stood and walked over to Gregory with calm steps. His voice was gentle and solemn, typical of someone questioning another's morals and ethics.

Then, as he approached, Fried leaned down, stared deeply into Gregory’s eyes, and spoke in a much more serious tone:

"Don’t you feel remorse realizing it’s your responsibility if a woman degenerates and becomes a Decayed?"

"..." Gregory’s expression turned pale.

A thousand things ran through his mind, but what took up the most space was the memory of Monique saying, “Don’t abandon me... Please don’t leave me...”

A tightness in his chest made him groan, as if something were corroding his heart from the inside out. For the first time since entering the room, he wore a tense, worried expression. He was afraid.

"Rules don’t exist to deprive people of their choices. Rules exist to prevent people from making terrible mistakes."

Backing away, Fried noticed he had landed a critical blow on Gregory, so he decided to give him some space. To do so, Fried turned and slowly walked to the panoramic window while speaking:

"If you want to make a mistake, fine, but that doesn’t mean you should involve others in it. Pros and cons—isn’t that what you learned to deal with at the Academy? Is it worth letting your partner decay just because you want to feel more useful and capable?"

"Fried..." Rising quickly from his chair, Gregory hurried over to where Fried stood and then—

Thud

Abruptly, Gregory dropped to his knees, bowing his head to the floor.

"What?" Surprised by the gesture, Fried was momentarily speechless.

"Thank you. I’ve been enlightened again, Fried. I was selfish—a fool who chose the path of roses to hell over the steep climb to paradise. I thought I was doing good, but it seems my eyes were closed."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"There’s no need for this. Get up..." Reacting to Gregory’s sincere apology, Fried quickly extended a hand to help him up.

"Fried, I think I got at least one thing right." Accepting the outstretched hand, Gregory spoke as he stood.

"And what would that be?" Fried asked as he adjusted parts of Gregory’s uniform that had gotten disheveled.

"I’m going to form a pact with Monique. I won’t abandon her. I’ll protect her in every way I can. I won’t leave her behind... So, Fried, I’m asking for your help—for the sake of our friendship."

"Sigh Fine. Fine... But it won’t be free."

"Just name the price."

_______________________________

Of the three specific areas within the Domed City of Efflium, the residential area is the greenest and most colorful. Parks, plazas, and green spaces can be found in almost every small block.

To save space, there are no standalone houses or individual buildings in large numbers—only a few affluent and powerful individuals can own a single-story house. Moreover, all single-story homes are located in a single gated community.

The rest of the ordinary citizens live in enormous residential complexes across different condominiums—some more luxurious, others simpler, and many in between. There are various housing options to fit different income brackets.

Of course, there are numerous other criteria that each residential building requires of its residents. For instance, some are exclusive to Parahumans, others to students, others to military personnel, and still others to human women.

Additionally, some buildings are government-subsidized and exclusively for pregnant women or mothers with children up to 5 years old. These are called Nursery Buildings.

Typically, students at the Hunters’ Military Academy reside in dormitories within the Academy's premises. This is the case for 99% of students; however, some prefer to live in their own homes.

Despite the travel time, they don’t trade the comfort of their private residence for the practicality of dorm life. This is the case for Gregory, who owns a mid-class apartment in a neutral-policy residential building.

With two bedrooms, two suites, a large living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a service area, it’s a comfortable space for a family of up to seven people. Yet, only two suites are occupied—one by Gregory and the other by Monique. Speaking practically, however, only one is truly used, as Monique has slept with Gregory every night for the past 18 months.

At this very moment, a few hours after Gregory's meeting with Fried, the two occupants of the house are holding a small meeting at the dining table.

"Are you serious???"

"Fried doesn’t joke, M. You know that very well."

At a wooden table with eight seats, two of the cozy chairs are occupied—Gregory at the head of the table and Monique to his right.

"I know, Greg, but him asking us to hunt two Decayed Rank A is outrageous..." Monique said, her voice filled with clear indignation.

This was her reaction upon hearing Fried’s terms for erasing the footage—a covert hunt for two Parahumans critical to the city’s defense forces who, for some reason, had Decayed without any clear explanation or apparent reason, the two were field research agents sent together on a minor reconnaissance mission to investigate an area with elevated levels of Hormonal Mutation Neurotropic Agents.

Since it was a relatively nearby area, about 10 kilometers from the city's outer perimeter, it wasn’t deemed necessary to deploy Hunters. Instead, two S-Class Hounds were dispatched due to the low-risk assessment.

Fortunately, their trackers were still active and transmitting their locations. The downside was that they weren’t responding to their communicators—only growls and snarls could be heard, which was always a dire sign.

The hypotheses were grim: either some unknown creature ambushed and consumed them, or, for reasons yet unknown, they had Decayed into irrational beasts. Neither hypothesis had been confirmed thus far, which was why Fried called it a "hunt" rather than a "rescue."

Monique and Gregory were tasked with locating their whereabouts to determine the truth. If the first hypothesis proved correct, they were to eliminate the threat if possible or return and request backup.

If the second hypothesis was confirmed—that the two Hounds had indeed Decayed, degenerating into feral, irrational creatures—they were to be subdued and transported back to the city. There, the Hounds would undergo a series of studies and tests to uncover the cause of their degeneration, followed by their transfer to the Parahuman Control and Rehabilitation Center.

"Here are their files. Based on the timestamps and other data, neither of them has gone more than seven days without a dose of Neutritus. Pre-mission tests show no elevated Estronitus levels, and their degeneration rates were under 20%," Gregory said, flipping through one of the Hounds’ profiles.

On the table, stacks of papers were scattered haphazardly. Among them were the Hounds’ profiles, details of their previous missions, specifics of their current assignment, and a report on the possible causes of the high levels of Hormonal Mutation Neurotropic Agents (Mutagenic Agents) in the area.

Additionally, at Gregory's insistence, Fried had provided a detailed list of the monsters and threats cataloged in the region thus far.