"Care to explain your actions, dimwits?!" Alfred's roar echoed through the hall, his deep voice shaking with disappointment and barely contained fury.

Kaiser sat in the corner, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched the scene unfold with amusement. For the first time, his was witnessing Alfred actually lose some of his cool towards Brick and the other Hunters involved in this trouble.

The brawl had died down just before Miss Lina and Maber had come back to the inn only to be greeted by the messed dining hall. Bringing Alfred to scold the doers. Now, twelve Hunters stood in line in the disarrayed dining hall, heads bowed like children, the shame almost palpable in their silence.

Its funny how their leader's presence made them sober, or perhaps was it the bucket of cold water dumped onto them earlier?

"What’s the matter?" Alfred's voice boomed again. "Did all of you go deaf?!"

"N-no, Boss Alfred, we—we just drank too much... And, things got out of hand," one of the Hunters stammered, scratching the back of his neck like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"You fools!" Alfred snapped, "What made you think about getting wasted when one of our comrades just died this morning and let's not forget that there's a f*cking monster lurking out there, waiting to pick us off one by one. And you think another Hunter won’t die just because you idiots decided to drink your worries away?"

"But Boss," another Hunter dared to mumble, "We finished our day duty, didn't we? Don’t we at least deserve to drink for Bara’s sake, He left behind so much booze—"

"Shut it! So now you’re talking back to me?!" Alfred’s glare turned ice-cold.

Every Hunter flinched, shaking their heads in denial.

Alfred crossed his massive arms, his gaze boring into each one of them. Most of them had bruised faces from the fight, but none were as messed up as Brick, whose nose was broken, to the point it hinder his voice.

Alfred sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "A brawl in an inn, ganging up on a teenager, and still losing... and you have the nerve to call yourselves Hunters? Have you no shame?"

The room fell deathly silent, the only sound the shuffling of the Hunters' feet as they stood there, red-faced and humiliated. The villagers outside and Miss Lina's family watched them through the windows, their expressions mixed.

Alfred let the silence stretch, making them stew in their embarrassment as punishment before finally speaking again.

"All right, listen up boys! You dimwits better learn your lesson. I want all of you outside right now! Drop and give me a hundred push-ups, then join the night patrol. And let me warn you, if I see anyone slacking off, you’ll be wishing you’d never been born!"

The Hunters looked like they were staring down a death sentence. They are really sleepy, after a long day of work before chugging mouthfuls of alcohols in their tummy. And the Boss is asking for another Patrol? Instead of letting sleep. Furthermore, drowsing with the mysterious devourer roaming around is far too dreadful.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

A Hunter can't handle it.

"But, but, but Boss, It was Brick who started it! He took advantage of us being drunk!" one of them blurted out, pointing a shaky finger at the culprit.

Brick's eyes wide, his face a swollen mess, turned to his traitorous comrade. His voice came out nasally and rough. "Y-You traitor! I won’t forget this!"

Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, is that so?" His gaze landed on Brick, who froze under his stare. "A hundred and fifty push-ups for you then, better enjoy yourselves there. Get moving! Or I’ll throw you out myself!"

The Hunters bolted for the door, their curses trailing behind them as they rushed to avoid Alfred's wrath.

Soon, the spectators slowly dispersed as well, heading back to their homes. With the night deepening and a monster still on the loose, no one wanted to linger outside any longer. Besides, the main spectacle is over, no point in staying anymore.

As the crowd thinned out, only then did Alfred turned to Kaiser. Who's still lounging in the corner, his cheek resting on his palm, wearing an expression that was half-amused, half-bored. Kai knew he wouldn't be spared from the scolding after having played a big part in their troubles.

'My turn. Hope his not too rough on me.' Kai braced himself.

Alfred’s heavy footsteps approached, each thud on the wooden floor echoing louder in Kai’s ears. The big man soon loomed above him, casting a shadow that seemed to swallow Kaiser whole.

"I won't say your actions were entirely wrong," Alfred began, his tone calmer but still stern. "Defending oneself is only natural... However, I judged you as a kid with more brains than muscles. Was I mistaken?"

Kai shook his head.

"Then, as the only sane person in the room, why exactly did you engage in their stupidity instead of finding a more peaceful solution?" Alfred's eyes narrowed.

Kai leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "And what? Run away? Or are you saying I should've just let them beat me up?"

"That's not what I mean," Alfred replied, his voice steady but firm. "There were plenty of ways to handle that situation without resorting to violence. You know that. They would’ve known that too if they weren’t so drunk out of their minds. So tell me, why stoop to their level?"

Kai fell silent, irritation creeping up his spine. He hated to admit it, but Alfred had a point. As the only sober person in the skirmish, he should've led things toward a better outcome. There were options he could’ve taken if he had thought more rationally back then, instead of jumping headfirst into the chaos.

But still, Kai had no regrets. The satisfaction of landing a solid punch on Brick’s annoying face was worth every second.

Sighing in resignation, he finally spoke up, "Fine... It was to gain respect, okay? I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show them not to mess with me, so... yeah, things happened. Sorry for beating up your wea—uh, men." He added the last part with a hint of sarcasm, unable to hide his smirk.

Alfred stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, he let out a tired sigh, rubbing his eyes. "I doubt you’re the type who cares about respect, not like my idiotic students. Let me guess, this was for your companions, wasn’t it?"

"What are you, a mind reader." Kai said, his irritation shifting to grudging respect. Alfred hit the nail on the head. Personally, he couldn't care less about respect or reputation. But with the two beauties by his side and the dangers lurking around, he needed to establish a line that would make anyone think twice before messing with them. Even in his absence, he wanted to ensure their safety.

The Hunter continues, a hint of pity in his calm eyes.

"No, but the judgement in your eye and the way you look at others with wariness, exceptionally on other men's. It isn't hard to guess. Others have been talking about your glares, I have you know. I don't know how you were raised, no offense, but they sure did a not so decent job... Kaiser, the villagers or hunters don't deserve to be viewed by that judgemental glare, I understand you're just being over protective of your girlfriends. However, the world isn't as dark as you see it."

He leaned his bulky body to the wall, resuming in a wistful tone.

"You must have encountered some of them, stray people that have no care for others and won't hesitate to kill for some penny. I've met my fair share of troubles and made the same mistake you're currently doing. Which took me years to realize that not everyone are undeserving of trust. When my hometown was burned by the bandits, the people of this village helped me recover from the trauma of my past."

"...Why are you telling me this?" Kai interrupted.

"Because you really need it, in my opinion... I'll cut it short, wipe that glare of yours to people that has family, friends and a righteous job they care about. None of them would dare wish harm upon you because those peoples are have a home and loved. You can trust them to some extent. And then, there's the Strays. Lost fools that had nothing in life. Never trust the likes of them. Honestly, you look quite similar to them... Though, I hope you'll prove me wrong."

Kai turned his head to the side, refusing to respond as he pondered over his words. He didn't know what to comment, either. In all honesty, his words hit some of Kaiser's hidden spots. Which made him feel complicated and confused.

After a while, Alfred spoke again, his tone softening just a fraction, "In any case, I’m glad you acknowledged your mistake in the matter. Not many have that level of self-awareness. And I have to admit, taking down twelve of my 'weak' men is a commendable feat."

He turned to leave, pausing only to add, "Since you’re so strong, like it or not, you’ll be joining two night patrols. I expect to see you there. And I won’t tolerate any excuses tomorrow night or else I'll drag you out myself."

Kaiser's jaw suddenly dropped. His eyes twitched in disbelief. After all that talk, his throwing a dangerous job at him.

He didn’t ask for this!