The next day, around noon, the carriage started to enter the gates of Duncan City. Axel and Marie stepped down right in front of a large building—the Mystic Hunter Guild headquarters in the East District, the area where all the guilds, monasteries, and academies were located. Axel looked at the Mystic Hunter Guild building ahead of him.
"Let's go in. You're ready to register, right?" Marie asked, turning to look at Axel beside her.
"Yeah, let's go," Axel replied.
They walked toward the door. Axel pushed it open, and he saw many people inside. Almost everyone was wearing long coats and carrying weapons like swords, spears, and crossbows. They walked toward the reception counter in the middle of the room. Many men and women who looked like Mystic Hunters watched them as they passed.
Axel glanced right and left, feeling uncomfortable from being stared at by so many people, but he kept walking without turning his head. Finally, they reached the front counter. A female receptionist stood there, greeting them with a friendly smile while observing both of them.
"Are you here to register as Mystic Hunters?" the receptionist asked right away.
"Yes, that's right, we're here to register," Marie said enthusiastically.
"Wow... you're good at guessing we were here to sign up," Axel said.
"I see people coming and going in this guild all the time. Alright, please fill out the forms I'm giving you," the receptionist said.
The receptionist handed two forms and two pens to Axel and Marie. Both of them started writing immediately, but Axel felt uneasy because a blonde-haired man kept pacing behind them and then leaned against the counter right next to Marie. Axel could see the man's face and stared at him.
"Hoo... so it's him, Harland, the noble kid who's going to bully Marie in the academy. He should be registering now too, since he enrolls with Marie," Axel thought.
Harland seemed to be observing Marie intently next to him. Axel could tell Marie was feeling a bit uncomfortable, and he suddenly remembered an incident from the game that caused Harland to bully Marie at the Mystic Hunter Academy.
"Which village are you from? Your clothes are really simple. Not suitable for a Hunter," Harland said arrogantly.
Marie ignored him and continued to fill out the form, focusing on her writing. Axel could see that Marie was uneasy, and even the receptionist looked displeased at the scene unfolding in front of her. Even so, Axel kept filling out his form without stopping. Suddenly, Harland took Marie's long blonde hair and smelled it. Marie immediately moved away, pulling her hair back.
"What are you doing?" Marie demanded.
"Nothing, I'm just admiring your beauty," Harland replied, smiling.
Axel instantly remembered that after this, Harland would keep teasing Marie. Then Harland's eyes moved to the beautiful sword Marie wore at her hip. Without hesitation, he yanked it out and began examining it. Marie immediately turned around, trying to grab her sword back.
"Hey! Give that back! That's my father's sword!" Marie yelled.
"Huh? Sorry, but I like this sword, and I intend to keep it for myself," Harland replied mockingly.
"Don't be rude! Give it back now, or I'll make you regret it!" Marie shouted.
"Hoo... you talk big. Fine, if you win a duel against me, I'll give you your sword back. So, for the duel, you'll have to use another sword," Harland scoffed dismissively.
But before Marie could even open her mouth, Axel was suddenly right next to her and caught Harland's wrist, which was holding the sword. He squeezed Harland's wrist until Harland winced in pain. Because his wrist was being squeezed by Axel, Harland dropped Marie's sword to the floor. Marie immediately rushed to pick up her sword and put it back in its sheath on her hip.
Harland dropped to his knees because his arm hurt, and he couldn't break Axel's grip on his wrist. Harland then turned to look at Axel, his face contorted in a grimace.
"Wh-who are you... l-let me go," Harland groaned.
"Hmm... why should I let you go?" Axel asked, tightening his grip and making Harland bend over further.
"Ow... l-let me go, you lunatic... let go," Harland yelled haltingly. His smile and arrogant look vanished, replaced by the expression of a miserable man in pain.
"You want me to let go? Don't bother Marie again, or you'll be dealing with me," Axel countered, squeezing even harder, even though he wasn't using any actual strength.
"Okay... okay... let go... you're going to crush my hand," Harland said, grasping Axel's arm with a trembling hand.
"Huh? You're a half-demon. Even if your hand is crushed, you'll heal on your own, won't you?" Axel asked.
Harland looked at Axel again. He saw Axel's red eyes staring at him calmly, then studied Axel's cold, smiling face.
"You... you know what I am?" Harland asked, enduring the pain and looking shocked that Axel knew he was a half-demon.
"Yeah, so promise you won't bother Marie again, or I'll make sure you don't heal," Axel said, tightening his grip again until a faint cracking sound of bone could be heard.
"Okay... okay... I promise," Harland groaned in pain.
Axel immediately let go of Harland's wrist. Harland instantly dropped his head, still kneeling, and clutched his hand. Axel turned to look at Marie, who was staring at him with a mix of admiration, respect, and something else.
"Are you alright?" Axel asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you, Axel," Marie answered, her face slightly flushed as she looked away out of embarrassment.
Axel shifted Marie aside and picked up his form. He went back to filling it out, noticing all the eyes in the room were now focused on him. He also glanced at Harland, who was still kneeling beside him, clutching his hand with his head down.
"If I kill him sometime, is that okay, Axel?" Sharon asked in Axel's head.
"Depends. If he acts up again, go ahead. In the game, this guy Harland is a bully, and right now, a duel between him and Marie was supposed to happen. In the game, he lost badly to Marie, and after that, he started bullying Marie with his friends," Axel replied.
"Oh, so now he'll bully you, then?" Valerie asked.
"Let him try. I don't think so. He knows the difference in our strength," Axel replied.
"Be careful, Axel. If he starts acting hostile towards you, just send me in. I'm willing to kill him," Bella countered.
"That's right, I'm ready. Even if you commanded it now, I'd kill him immediately," Hailey added.
"He's weak, much weaker than you, but I'll keep watching him, because he doesn't look like the type to give up easily and admit he was wrong," Avery replied.
"Yep, that's true. Just like the five of you in your past lives," Axel thought. "Okay, thanks," Axel replied in his head.
"I'll do anything for you, Axel," Sharon added.
"Me too," Valerie, Bella, Hailey, and Avery replied simultaneously.
Harland then stood up and walked toward the guild exit, holding his arm without looking back. Axel simply smiled and returned to filling out his form.
"Even if it changes the game's storyline, I don't care because I'll do whatever I want without following the script," Axel thought.