Epilogue: Let This Grieving Soul Retire!
Having donned their new laughing bonehead masks, they spoke in amazement.
“Wow, cool! Did you design this, Krai Baby?”
“Won’t people be really scared of us if we wear these?”
“Aah, who cares? They’ll be quaking in their boots with or without the masks.”
When they all wore the masks, regardless of stature or personality, they all looked like beasts.
Once upon a time, in a small town, there were six children who admired treasure hunters.
One boy, bravest of all and lover of the sword, aimed to be a peerless Swordsman.
One girl, most curious of all and willing to take the lead, aimed to be the fastest Thief.
One boy, kindest of all and wishing only to protect his friends, aimed to be the greatest Paladin.
One girl, most clever of all and demanding yet more power with her wisdom, aimed to be the apex Magus.
One girl, frailest of all but with a wish to help others, aimed to be an excellent Alchemist.
The whole way, those boneheads laughed. They demanded strength, and their natural talent and effort did not forsake them. Luke was right; the laughing bonehead would become a symbol of equal parts awe and terror.
As for me...
“I had it all wrong.”
In the lounge of First Steps’ clan house, Gilbert looked around at his temporary party members. A full day had already passed since the raid on the White Wolf’s Den, where the group had been mercifully saved from that hellish request.
Gilbert didn’t know about all this until he was told later, as he was carried out of the vault while unconscious, but the injured rescue targets were safely delivered back to the city. One could say that the Association’s request was cleared with flying colors.
The unusual state of the White Wolf’s Den was placed under the supervision of the Association and the empire. They’d likely dispatch some higher-level hunters to check it out later.
“All this time, I thought I was strong. I really thought I was at the top, but I’m obviously not there yet.”
He looked at the Purgatorial Sword leaning next to him. Up to this point, he had had no equals. He had occasionally struggled in battle, but he’d always pushed through with his own power.
Gilbert had confidence. With time, he felt that he could reach the top. Although he had a glimpse of the top before, he had realized during this raid that it was much further away than he’d realized.
It wasn’t that he hated that he had been so thoroughly trounced; after all, Gilbert didn’t even remember it. He hadn’t been inattentive. In fact, he had been straining his nerves the whole time.
And yet, he still couldn’t remember what happened to him. That proved that someone out there was still much, much greater than him.
At first, he had been all alone. As he went on hunts with allies weaker than him, he had grown impudent. But after being alone again, joining a new party with talented allies, and finding new phantoms they had to work together to defeat, he had met someone who could crush him with one hand—a true beast.
The person who led her, Thousand Tricks, was likely even more powerful than her. Despite seeing them in person, Gilbert couldn’t quite comprehend them. Probably because they were on such different levels.
It had all happened in a short time, but the experience had been enough to change Gilbert Bush’s mind and then some. Though it had been a dangerous job with crappy rewards, it still had at least that much value.
Despite knowing them for one short day, Gilbert had a feeling that he understood his comrades to an extent. He looked upon them and said, “The top is still way out of sight for me. As I am now, I don’t think I’ll make it there. So I’m gonna go and, uh, apologize to my last party and start training from the bottom again.”
Tino’s expression didn’t change. “Good.”
Hunters had to grow. They needed to experience battle, to endure failure, and to see the distant peaks. It wasn’t rare for people to fail along the way. Despite the frustration and despair he had experienced, the willpower burning in Gilbert’s eyes was stronger now because of it. He didn’t have much left to say to Tino.
Gilbert stood with a relieved look on his face. He slung his luggage over his shoulder, looked at his comrades’ faces again, and finally spoke to the party leader.
“Sorry. I gotta go thank Thousand Tricks and apologize for what a pain in the ass I was. I’m gonna tell him, ‘Just watch. One day, I’ll be catching bullets, too.’”
“I don’t think you will,” Tino said quietly.
The look on her face clearly showed that she didn’t believe him. Still, he vigorously thrust a finger toward her and yelled, like some sort of public declaration.
“Don’t get it twisted; I haven’t given up on being the strongest! I just gotta change my methods a bit. I’ll catch up to you soon! Later!”
All of the Steps in the lounge looked over at Tino’s table, curious about what was going on.
As Gilbert hurriedly stood up and moved to leave, Rhuda stopped him. “Oh! Gilbert, you forgot something!” She pointed at the Purgatorial Sword leaning against the table.
For a treasure hunter to leave their weapon—their life—behind meant they weren’t thinking clearly. But Gilbert didn’t turn back. His breath quickened, and his eyes grew wider.
“I don’t need it anymore. That weapon’s way beyond my level! It may be powerful, but a man won’t grow stronger by relying on Relics! I’m gonna learn to catch bullets with my bare hands like the Stifled Shadow can!”
“Uhh...”
“Just give it to Thousand Tricks! No, maybe just lend it to him. Have him keep it until I get strong enough! Just you wait; I’ll be back to reclaim it before long!”
“Handin’ it over already? You haven’t even changed yet!” Greg called after him with a bemused expression.
Even leaving aside its power as a Relic, the Purgatorial Sword was a powerful weapon. Without that weapon, which Gilbert had been using ever since he started hunting, battles would likely be much harder.
The man in question was sure to be aware of that. Even so, he had chosen to abandon his weapon. That showed resolve, incomprehensible to any but him. He wasn’t about to let anyone sully it.
Tino deliberated for a few moments, her brow furrowed, before addressing him. “Gilbert.”
“What? Don’t try to stop me.”
“I’m not.”
Gilbert would likely grow much stronger, although Tino couldn’t divine people’s futures. She hadn’t seen anything in him after the party was formed, but her genius master had summoned him for a reason. Thus, she took a deep breath, praying that he would have a bright future.
“Lizzy’s mask was made without any holes for the eyes. When she caught those bullets, she couldn’t see a single one of them. So if you’re aiming for that, err... that’s probably something to keep in mind.”
“Bwuh?!”
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