Chapter 1

* Cover
* Color Page

## Chapter Guide

**The Red Huntress** (赤 (あか) い狩 (かり) 人 (うど) , *Akai Kariudo*?) is the first chapter of Yuki Kawaguchi's *The Hunters Guild: Red Hood* series.

## Summary

A string of murders in a small village forces the hand of it's Mayor to hire a hunter from the Hunters Guild to investigate.

When the hunter arrives, she's no more than a little girl, but there's more to her than meets the eye; and together with a young village boy named Velou, the two of them discover and defeat the monster hiding amongst the villagers. Thus, Velou and the huntress Grimm, embark on a joint hunting adventure.

## Plot Details

In the tiny hamlet of Kasoka Village, the villagers are getting more and more distressed by the ongoing recent disappearances; a werewolf is believed to be the culprit. A young boy named Velou returns from his hunt and tries to reassure his fellow citizens, much to their dismay. Most villagers don't have hope in Velou, due to his young age and inexperience. He tries to argue that he'll grow up soon, but one of the citizens wonders if there will even be anyone left by the time he does.

The mayor of Kasoka returns from his hunt shortly after, along with his wife. As the villagers greet him, the old man explains that six people were lost to werewolves this year alone. Velou asks the mayor to teach him more ways to fight, to which the old man responds that Velou doesn't yet know the true terror of werewolves.

The mayor says that he can't protect the hamlet alone, so despite the fact that he didn't want to do this, he has requested the Hunters Guild's help. The villagers are skeptical of this action, since they've heard rumors of them being a pack of money-grubbers, and that they fleeced Renat Village for a hefty sum. Kasoka's mayor responds with the fact that every rumor always closes with "they got the job done." When the villagers question how their mayor wants to pay for the hunter services, he explains that he's already sold his house and sheep, making some villagers question his rationale. The old man adds that their hamlet is done for if the hunter won't be able to help them, so there is no point in having sheep or houses.

One week later, the hunter sent by the guild finally arrives. This person introduces herself as Grimm, strangely enough, looking like a child. The villagers of Kasoka immediately panic, losing all hope, before Grimm interrupts them, asking for the first half of her payment. One of the villagers questions if it's even worth paying for her services, to which the huntress responds with a description of all the fees they'd have to pay in case the service is cancelled.

Grimm's mercantile behavior makes Velou furious. He begins accusing the huntress of only caring about the money and not caring about the village. Grimm explains that hunters like her aren't trying to be heroes and that she doesn't care about the villagers' feelings. This makes Velou even angrier, so the mayor grabs him before the young man can attack the huntress.

The mayor's wife apologizes to Grimm on behalf of Velou, explaining that his parents were killed by a werewolf years ago. However, the mayor destroyed the beast and, ever since then, the boy admired him, wanting to be just as strong and kind. The mayor says that he trusts Grimm, before asking the fellow villagers to pack their things just in case, and asking Velou to guide Grimm to the mountain hut.

As Velou leads Grimm to the hut, she stops him and says that the werewolf is probably still in hamlet. Velou tries to argue with her, but the huntress explains that a werewolf is capable of disguising itself as a human being. The young man is still in disbelief at her implication that one of the villagers is the beast terrorizing everyone else, until a loud scream belonging to the mayor pierces the air.

Grimm and Velou rush towards the scream's location, the young man acting as a guide. Velou still doesn't believe that one of the villagers is a werewolf, since he knows them all to be good people, but Grimm explains that werewolves aren't inherently evil, they simply see humans as a food source.

The huntress suddenly stops Velou as she notices a puddle of blood. The young man also notices the mayor's axe lodged in a tree as a trail of blood leads towards the mountain hut that was mentioned earlier. Grimm uses the Hound's Muzzle to analyze the blood and begin her investigation. She concludes that the mayor was likely fighting the werewolf, before heading into the hut along with Verou.

When they break the door down, Grimm and Velou find a pile of bones in the middle of the room, and the mayor's wife hiding in the closet. Velou rushes over to help her, before the old woman says that the mayor is the werewolf. The granny claims that he escaped through the window right before the two arrived. Grimm uses her tools to poke holes in the old woman's theory, finding it unlikely.

As the huntress uses some sort of clock device, Velou is attacked by the granny, who reveals herself to have been the werewolf all along. Before the young man is eaten, Grimm saves him and reveals her adult form. The huntress concludes that the evidence they've found was placed deliberately to lead them into the werewolf's clutches.

Granny's immense size becomes apparent as the dust cloud clears, and Grimm concludes that her and Velou have to pull back. The huntress uses the Pocket Chimney to create a smokescreen and escape the hut before it's destroyed by the werewolf. Grimm jumps into a pit along with Velou as the boy is finally hit with the realization that the mayor is gone. The huntress explains that she needs Velou's help, leading to his breakdown over how weak he is.

Grimm suddenly raises the boy up in the air and tells him that humanity's weapon is their minds, convincing him to stand and fight now instead of waiting until he grows up. Unfortunately, the werewolf finds them shortly after, capturing Grimm and throwing her into it's grotesque gaping mouth. Right before Grimm seemingly gets eaten, she tells Velou to run as far away as he can.

The werewolf does not waste a second as she approaches her next victim. She reveals her true viscous nature, describing how she'd leave Velou for last and make him watch as she devours all the other villagers. She even insults her deceased husband, calling him a fool and saying that humans suffer because they struggle against their fate.

As the werewolf's jaws close down on Velou, she realizes that she can't eat him. The young man used his musket to prevent the beast from chewing down on him. Velou fires the gun, blowing out one of the beast's eyes and escaping it's mouth. The boy remembers how the mayor talked about wanting to do anything he could to protect the hamlet while he was still alive, steeling his own resolve and cutting Granny's stomach open with the mayor's axe.

Grimm falls out of the werewolf's stomach, alive and well. She is surprised to see a kid like him capable of such a feat, before realizing that there's something peculiar about the axe he used. Grimm comments that the setup is complete, using her grappling hook to get herself and Velou away from Granny. The beast panics, before realizing there is something besides food in its stomach. Granny pulls out a basket with an explosive in it, which goes off immediately after, reducing the creature to smithereens.

On top of a mountain above the Kasoka Village, Velou makes a small grave for the mayor, asking if he can oversee the hamlet's safety from there. He thanks both the deceased mayor and Grimm for giving him strength and bravery to stand his ground and not running away. Grimm is seemingly unamused by Velou's gratitude, but she offers him some liquid to wipe his face of blood.

While she uses the same liquid on herself, Grimm asks Velou if he's ever seen a dragon. The boy responds that he didn't, adding that they only exist in fairy tales. The huntress explains that dragons existed a long time ago, but five hundred years ago, hunters like her exterminated the last one, locking those beasts away in the world of books. She adds that until werewolves, witches and vampires are nothing but myth too, they will fight on. Grimm then asks Velou if he wants to become a hunter too.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Grimm
* Velou
* Hech Horlock
* Mialli