Prologue: Turning Point
The sky was such a perfect shade of blue I almost couldn’t believe it. A refreshing breeze blew through the wide-open carriage window. I smiled as I watched the mellow scenery roll by.
“Too bad we couldn’t meet up with the others,” Liz said.
I let out a yawn before replying to her.
“Yeah. These things happen.”
Rumors didn’t do justice to the imposing sight of the Level 8 treasure vault Night Palace. In my experience, treasure vaults designated with a high level had an unmistakable aura of danger. Night Palace was no exception.
Its towering figure rested atop a cliff. Billowing thunderclouds coiled about the castle’s numerous spires. Solemn, gigantic walls surrounded the outer perimeter making it look unlike anything produced by nature. But what struck me as the most hellish of all was the constant downpour. The skies were clear just a short distance away from the vault, meaning the rain was most likely a product of mana material.
In spite of the treasure vault’s gloomy atmosphere, not a single monster prowled around outside. This was a sign of just how dangerous Night Palace was. As they were sources of mana material, most treasure vaults would attract powerful monsters to their premises. A Level 8 treasure vault would normally have plenty of monsters skulking around both inside and out. If there weren’t any then it could only be that the vault’s phantoms had killed them.
Simply put, this was no place for a fraudster with an inflated level like me. This was a genuine living nightmare; even with Liz, Sitri, and Tino at my side, I couldn’t be sure I could enter such a vault and come back alive.
Having not seen many high-level treasure vaults, Tino stuck her head out the window and looked like she had the wind knocked out of her. Her fight with Arnold had already left her exhausted, but Night Palace’s aura alone was enough to make her nauseous.
Being accustomed to these sights made a difference, but that wasn’t the true cause of her nausea, nor my lack thereof. The real reason was that people with sharper senses were more vulnerable to external influences. Tino’s reaction was the same as Sitri’s tenured trio of Black, White, and Gray, meaning her reaction was normal for hunters.
“If they’re not here, then we can probably assume they got out just fine,” I said.
“Well, we had already explored the vault in its entirety and thinned the phantom population,” Sitri recalled.
That was right. I didn’t think much of Liz leaving the vault by herself, but Sitri was a thorough girl. She probably wouldn’t have departed from the vault early if she hadn’t deemed it safe to leave the others behind.
Staring avariciously at Night Palace like some sort of maniac, Liz asked me a question.
“By the way, Krai Baby, does this mean we’ve fulfilled our objectives?”
“Hmm, only about half of them,” I said.
“Huh?! Only ha— Uurgh.”
Before Tino managed to finish her sentence, her nausea got the better of her. Perhaps she needed to rest?
Our vacation had three broad objectives. The first was to meet up with Luke and the others, but we had already missed our chance to do this. I knew this one was a long shot, so I didn’t fret when we realized we had missed them.
The second was to go to a hot spring and relax. This was what I planned to do next.
The third was to not be home in time for the Gathering of the White Blade. Needless to say, this was the most important of the three.
In summary, our vacation had no real objectives. No matter what, I wasn’t going to be attending the Gathering of the White Blade! We had been gone for a week and it would take about that long to return the capital. We had to wait yet another week before turning around.
Even if I managed to meet up with the others, go to a hot spring, rest, and thank everyone for all their hard work, I still wouldn’t head back to the capital if there was time remaining. Dancing around a bonfire with Arnold and his party sounded more appealing than going to that gathering of freaks. If I hadn’t had a party and a clan to look after, I would have simply fled abroad by myself.
“It’s your vacation and all, so you can do what you want, but I think Night Palace is still more than T can handle,” Liz said.
“Well, I never planned to enter in the first place.”
If the other members were still inside, I would’ve just waited for them outside. I’d be inviting my own death if I entered a Level 8 treasure vault. I liked to believe even I had that much common sense. I looked at Tino and saw she was pale as a ghost and on the verge of tears.
“We won’t do anything dangerous,” I told her. “I mean, from the start, I never planned on us doing anything dangerous. Ha ha ha.”
“Master, I don’t see what’s so funny,” she protested in a small voice.
I didn’t think it was funny either. But looking back, I felt Arnold was responsible for everything that had happened. We had many close calls on the road, but we only came in direct contact with danger when we crossed the mountains. But if Arnold hadn’t been chasing us, we never would have been forced to brave the mountains in the first place.
“It’s all Arnold’s fault,” I said.
“Shall we dispose of him?” Sitri suggested.
“No.”
All I wanted to do was soak in a hot spring and forget about it all. About a week spent like that seemed like it would be enough. Arnold’s pursuit had me on edge, but I didn’t think I’d be seeing him again. I couldn’t imagine the same coincidence happening again and told Liz not to give him more hints.
I figured if I were to run into him at a hot spring, then I would just have to accept my fate. There weren’t too many Relics I could bring with me into a bathing area.
“Our next destination is a hot spring. We just need to make sure we don’t set foot in the Gladis Earldom,” I said.
We were pretty close to his domain. We had to be careful.
“Hey, Krai Baby, do you have something against Earl Gladis?”
Liz had a funny look on her face. She had probably figured out as much as she could glean off intuition alone. I trusted her and Sitri. I liked to believe I could trust Tino.
“Tell you the truth, I received a named quest from Earl Gladis,” I said.
“Really? From that hunter-hating earl? Wow! What kind of quest is it?”
I didn’t know. I never accepted the quest brief. I never even decided to accept the quest—actually, I decided to do the opposite. I wasn’t going to accept the quest, no matter what. I felt bad for Chloe, but I wanted her to just turn around and go home. Nothing good could come from a named quest issued by a family of warriors.
Unlike Liz, who had a twinkle in her eyes, Sitri solemnly accepted my reasoning.
“Very well. We’ll avoid the Gladis Earldom. Near his territory, there should be a small town famous for its hot springs. However, going there would place us dangerously close to the earl’s domain.”
Sitri unfolded a map and pointed. Just like she had said, the town wasn’t necessarily in the Gladis Earldom, but it came awfully close.
No point in worrying about every little possibility. I guess this is fine since we aren’t actually stepping over the border. Even if they find us, I can just make it clear to them that I don’t want to accept their quest.
“So has this place got mixed bathing?”
“Goodness, Lizzy! There’s nowhere with mixed bathing in this day and age!”
“Ah, whatever. I guess that’s fine.”
I feel bad that Luke and the others can’t join us, but if it turns out to be a good spot then we can just bring them along with us another time. Oh, I should release Black, White, and Gray once they’ve had a chance to relax at the hot spring.
I rubbed my eyes and let out another yawn as I hyped myself up for a long overdue visit to a hot spring.
***
Éclair Gladis sprinted down a carpeted hallway. She narrowly avoided colliding with a maid and received a scowl from a young knight, but she didn’t stop. She reached the furthest room in the mansion and practically slammed into its heavy door as she pushed it open.
The head of the House of Gladis, Van Gladis, furrowed his brow at his daughter’s brazen discourtesy.
“Tell me, Father, is it true you’ve issued a named quest to the Thousand Tricks?!” Éclair shouted.
“Éclair, as a daughter of the House of Gladis, you must show some grace.”
“Please, answer me! Why the Thousand Tricks?”
“I don’t see any need to explain myself,” the earl said. “But, as a man of the nobility, I can not permit myself to remain indebted to a hunter.”
His sharp glare reminded Éclair of her role in creating that debt. She bit her lip.
A named quest from a noble was proof that a hunter was among the best out there. A Zebrudian noble establishing relations with a hunter was a significant thing, all the more so when that noble was famous for despising hunters.
Renown. It was among the most valuable rewards a hunter could ask for and it was what nobles paid out. A quest offered by a large trading house could pay in gold, but clear renown wasn’t so easy to come by.
In the incident with the auction, Éclair became indebted to the Thousand Tricks. In the complicated world of the nobility, it would reflect badly on the House of Gladis if their means of repayment was insufficient. However, a high-level hunter would already have plenty of wealth, power, and renown.
Lord Gladis sunk into a brief silence before continuing.
“But, I can not pretend I have no interest in that man. He became a Level 8 hunter before Ark Rodin. This is a good chance to see just what sort of feats he’s capable of.”
The House of Gladis was well-known for its distaste for hunters, but this wasn’t some blind hatred. They simply had absolute confidence in their strength and that of the knights at their command.
Even hunters would be shown respect by the House of Gladis if they were considered worthy, and, true to form, the house did maintain relations with the House of Rodin. But there was no denying the fact that earning the respect of nobles was very difficult.
“And so you asked that man to exterminate Bandit Squad Barrel?”
“Who did you hear that from?”
“Montaure told me.”
“If there’s one thing I’d change about that man, it’s his weakness towards you.”
Lord Gladis sighed at the thought of his right-hand man. Montaure was most likely just trying to make sure Éclair understood the consequences of her mistakes. Or perhaps he just thought Éclair might find the subject interesting.
Bandit Squad Barrel. They were cruel and bold, strong and cunning, a band of a hundred-some men. Criminals of all sorts chose to avoid the domain of Earl Gladis, but Bandit Squad Barrel ran rampant, attacking towns and villages.
Knights had been dispatched many times to stop the bandits, but each attempt was in vain. If a large number of knights attacked, the bandits would flee. If a small number of knights attacked, the bandits would fight them off. Nothing could be more humiliating for an earl known for his strength on the battlefield. The bandits chose underhanded tactics, but that didn’t mean they were weak. They had even managed to fight off groups of high-level hunters.
Normally, this was no time for a noble to be attending an auction, but Lord Gladis’s status had obliged him to show up. However, at this rate, the reputation of his knights was going to erode.
Previously, the plan was to enlist the aid of Ark Rodin and send him along with the earl’s knights to crush the bandits.
A joint operation with knights would be a good opportunity. It would be a test of both strength and character for the Thousand Tricks. If his strength was genuine, then even the knights who looked down on hunters would be forced to recognize his talents.
For better or for worse, the name Rodan was well-known and carried its own baggage. The Thousand Tricks, however, was a newcomer. A show of his strength just might affect even some like Lord Gladis, who had a deep-seated disdain for hunters.
“Father, when will he arrive?” Éclair asked with some hesitation.
“I received word that he’s left the capital. He should be here shortly,” Lord Gladis said with a smile. “Cast aside your previous animosity towards that man and prepare to offer him a cordial welcome.”
“Yes, father.”
Éclair’s animosity had already faded. What she harbored towards the Thousand Tricks was fear.
As his daughter lowered her head as though trying to make herself smaller, Lord Gladis began to show the first signs of apprehension.
***
We spent a day traveling while making sure to avoid the Gladis Earldom and reached our destination, a town named Suls, without incident. Suls was a small town nestled among some mountains. The distinct scent floating from the town suggested that Sitri wasn’t lying when she said the place had famous hot springs.
We got out of the carriage. Because Arnold was chasing after us, this was the first time in a few days that we stepped inside a town.
For hunters, there was nothing unusual about spending a few days trudging through monster territory. It was a good way to polish survival skills and our Sitri could take every little detail, leaving us wanting for very little. Even still, I was a semiretired hunter and our trek left me fatigued, which was a little pathetic, considering I just sat around in the carriage doing nothing.
I loved taking baths, so much that I had a tub installed in my office at the clan house. Liz and Tino had played in the lake, but I was too afraid of alligators to hop in. All I could do was wipe myself down with a wet towel. When we arrived in Suls, I was ready to get in the water as soon as possible.
I want a manju. Even chocolate would be fine. Just something sweet.
Being a popular tourist destination gave Suls a different atmosphere than the imperial capital. The streets were lined with trees, rocks, and other natural objects that hadn’t been removed. It was sort of exotic. There weren’t many other travelers, which made me think it must’ve been the offseason.
I don’t think anybody here will recognize me. This is a perfect hiding spot. A quiet place like this might not be to Liz’s liking, but we’ve had too much commotion since leaving the capital. Let’s take it easy here for a bit. That way Tino and Black, White, and Gray can all heal.
I walked back to Sitri, who was finishing up the paperwork necessary for our entry.
“Well, what do you think? This town—”
“It’s good. I like it,” I said, cutting Sitri off. “It’s perfect for a short stay and it looks like it’s not too crowded.”
Festivals and other bustling events were nice, but I also enjoyed a quiet town. Really, I was fine as long as fire wasn’t raining down on my head.
We had lost Arnold and company back in the Galest mountains, so I figured there was zero chance of us running into them again.
I watched Liz, that old wild child, drag Tino behind her as she went to see the town. Just a few days prior, she was still bedridden from her battle with Arnold, yet she had already recovered. I decided to expect a souvenir from them.
“I’ve heard the hot springs here are very rejuvenating. Sometimes wounded hunters come here,” Sitri said with a grin.
Next to her, Killiam and Drink were both exuding excitement. They elicited some odd looks from others, but they were far more mellow than Liz. They also did what they were told.
“Rejuvenation. That sounds nice.”
I had never once been critically injured and Ansem would heal the wounds of the other party members. It only made sense that I wouldn’t care about the idea of a rejuvenating hot spring, but something about those words had an appealing ring to them.
Being able to travel on a whim was a privilege enjoyed almost exclusively by hunters. It would be a waste not to take advantage of that privilege.
Sitri and I began to stroll around the town together. Seeing all the different springs made me wonder just how big a water supply the town was blessed with. Just wandering the town was enjoyable. The rising puffs of steam kept the whole place warm and walking around the town felt like enough to heal my fatigue.
It seemed like the sort of land where you could start digging just about anywhere and quickly hit upon a spring. I considered moving to Suls once I quit hunting and was no longer bound to the capital.
Just one thing bothered me: the town was a little too quiet. It wasn’t a large locale, but it still seemed a tad lonely. We might have just come at a bad time, but I felt such a fine hot springs town could do to be a bit more lively.
It would’ve been too much to expect Sitri to have a safe house in Suls, but she did manage to find us lodgings for the week despite our sudden arrival. It was an inn reputed to have fine springs and good food and catered not to hunters but to wealthy tourists.
Unlike the utilitarian inns meant for hunters, there was some effort put into making the building’s exterior look nice. I was angry with myself for not bringing a camera.
“At the front desk, they asked if we’re newlyweds,” Sitri said with flushed cheeks.
I’m pretty sure that was just flattery. I think. Why would newlyweds want a room big enough to host eight people?
I elected to not tell Sitri about the look I received from the desk clerk. The look that said: How’d this guy end up with her? We were just some hunters and some extras.
The inn’s interior lived up to the expectations set by the exterior. Our room was spacious, floored with tatami, and smelled quite nicely—all of which were things you couldn’t say about rooms made for hunters.
Hunters were habitually covered in blood, oil, and dust, so their rooms were meant to be entered with footwear on. They were also designed under the assumption that their tenants would be performing maintenance on their gear.
Even in the capital, tatami rooms were a rare thing. Before I became a hunter, staying in such a room was a dream of mine. After starting my career as a treasure hunter, I stayed in many tatami rooms and it never got old.
What’s so great about tatami flooring? Being able to roll around wherever you want. That’s what’s so great. I once considered having tatami flooring in my room at the clan house, but Eva put a stop to that. She wasn’t in the wrong, it would get dirty in a heartbeat.
I might mention that tatami wasn’t cheap in the empire. Assuming that those mats cost the same in Suls as they did in the capital, our room probably cost ten times what a normal one would have cost. I’m sure Eva would’ve been angry if she learned we rented something so luxurious.
“I’m so glad the room’s to your liking. What luck that it was vacant. Normally something like this would be much pricier and require a reservation,” Sitri said as she watched me give in to my desire to roll around on the floor.
“Hmmm, that is lucky. Is it because it’s the offseason?”
“Indeed. I imagine all the tourists fled because of this town’s proximity to the Gladis Earldom.”
Oh, because of the proxim— Wait, then it’s not the offseason? Does the earl’s territory get closer or farther depending on the season? Ha ha.
“Apparently the earl’s having a fair bit of trouble with a rampaging group of bandits. It appears that caused the reduced number of visitors.”
“Oh, that sounds like a lot of trouble.”
It wasn’t a rare story in the empire. Just as Zebrudia was home to legions of powerful hunters, many of its criminals were also quite fearsome. The knights did a fine job maintaining order, but they couldn’t keep up with the criminals, who popped up like bamboo shoots. Lord Gladis had a capable bunch of knights at his command, so I figured their bandit troubles wouldn’t last long.
“I don’t think we need to worry about those bandits. Really, I think it’s good luck; it allowed us to get such a nice room.”
“Being a tourist destination, this town doesn’t have much in the way of defenses. I bet that made most travelers feel uncertain.”
When Sitri mentioned that, I noticed that the outer walls of Suls were made of wood and very simple compared to those of Elan and Gula. A town like this probably wanted to prioritize scenery, even if that left them vulnerable to dangerous monsters and scoundrels.
Still, those tourists were worrying too much. Bandit squads only really targeted travelers and foolish merchants who forgot to hire guards. Even if it was a small one, a town was still a town and that gave it a layer of defense. If that wasn’t enough, Zebrudia was a powerful empire, you couldn’t attack one of its towns and expect to get away with it. Not to mention there was the possibility of powerful hunters passing by. Attacking a town just wasn’t worth the risk.
“Yeah, but bandits don’t attack towns anymore.”
“Indeed. If you want to wipe out a town, smart application of a poison will do just fine.”
Sitri, that’s just plain and simple terrorism.
It seemed she wasn’t too concerned about the bandits either. I rolled around some more, stopping close to where Sitri was sitting.
I feel like I’m rolling around all the time. Maybe I should add that to my resume. The tatami, it saps my power. My body grows heavy. I can’t do anything. Before I know it, I’ll be one with the floor.
My eyes met Sitri’s and she smiled bashfully while patting her knees.
“Go right ahead,” she said.
I gratefully placed my head in her lap. Sitri’s legs were wrapped in thin stockings and unbelievably soft even though they were thinner than Liz’s. I kept meaning to reward Sitri for all her work, yet here I was the one being rewarded. I yawned and she placed a hand on my head.
“I think we have time. Let’s rest and wait for the right opportunity,” she said in a mellow voice.
“Yeah, uh-huh.”
I was unable to resist my sleepiness, my consciousness drifting away. The last thing I saw was Sitri’s mellow smile.
***
“Y-You’ve gotta be kidding me...”
Dazed, Eigh squinted and looked at the castle resting atop the cliff. Arnold felt the same as his right-hand man. Everyone in Scorching Whirlwind was pale in the face. Gilbert had never let himself be intimidated by Arnold, but even he was wide-eyed with shock. Chloe looked quite grim.
A bizarre, ominous chill had crept over them once they got within a few kilometers of it. Once it entered their vision, their anticipation gave way to certainty. Night Palace. This was a Level 8 treasure vault not found in Nebulanubes and it was beyond anything Arnold could have expected.
“I don’t buy it. You mean that man went in there with such a small party?!”
Night Palace was the result of an immense supply of mana material packed into a comparatively small area. It affected the local climate, causing rain to pummel the ground like a constant waterfall. Blinding bolts of lightning constantly struck the many spires and unidentifiable shadows could be spotted between the gaps in the clouds. They couldn’t spot any monsters nearby, but that wasn’t strange in such apocalyptic scenery.
The treasure vault before them was clearly beyond the scope of what Falling Fog could handle. A member of Scorching Whirlwind was unable to endure the eerie atmosphere and began to vomit as they fell to their knees. No one scorned them for it. Even for the highest-level hunter present, Arnold, this was too much. For a Level 3, looking at Night Palace must have been like getting a glimpse of hell.
“Wh-What should we do?” Eigh asked with a graveness uncharacteristic of him.
The treasure vault before them was something barely manageable to a party of six hunters of Arnold’s level. With their current lineup, they were certain to die. Some of them might even be crushed by the pressure before they even reached any monsters.
The problem was that the same should have been true of the Thousand Tricks. His party also had its share of deadweight. Even at a distance, it was clear Night Palace wasn’t a vault you could get through just because you had a Level 8 with you. If the Thousand Tricks was going through the vault, it meant the levels of those deadweight members were much lower than they should have been.
Arnold recalled how the Thousand Tricks received his attacks without any armor or other defenses, as he let that junior hunter fight for him. Arnold made up his mind.
“Damn,” he said in a strained voice. “We’ll fall back, think up a plan, and prepare ourselves. I don’t believe it. I don’t goddamn believe it!”
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