I took a seat as he did the same. "The second thing I want to say is," he began, "I am deeply sorry on behalf of the Hunters Association. We failed to send capable hunters as backup against the unknown monster," he said, his tone apologetic as his eyes flickered toward the crimson-glowing mana stone in my pocket.
Hearing this, I chuckled slightly, and his expression shifted to confusion. "No need to apologize. Even if you had sent them, they'd be dead anyway. In a way, you did yourself a favor," I said, watching as his face regained its composed seriousness.
"Does that mean only you two survived?" he asked, his tone grave.
"Unfortunately, yes," I replied. "When I came to Baghdad, I expected the Association here to be advanced and efficient in decision-making. But alas, it wasn't quite what I envisioned."
"I, as the vice-head of the Hunters Association, am ashamed to hear that," he said, his tone heavy with regret as he looked down, a flicker of self-contempt in his expression.
