Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter Dreams of a Hero ~ - Volume 7 - Chapter 1.2

Cindy nodded and said, “I imagine this is meant to be a display of First Steps’s might. A clan of this size probably receives many direct requests. Such a decoration shows just what sort of things they can accomplish. Using a real dragon head feels rather excessive to me, but nonetheless, I think it’s fair to say these hunters are as deft as their reputation would have us believe.”

During her meetings with the Thousand Tricks, Murina had never gotten the impression that man was particularly impressive. It was his aura, you might say. Or lack thereof. Her father, Ark, all the first-rate mentors who she had trained under, they all had a certain aura.

Murina wasn’t the best fighter, but she had developed an eye for gauging threats. At the Gathering of the White Blade, none of the guests lacked that aura more than the Thousand Tricks had. And that made Murina all the more afraid of him.

While the trio was inspecting the dragon head, the Thousand Tricks came hopping down the stairs. Behind him was the vice clan master, who Murina recognized from the Gathering. Looking at the clock, he was right on time. However, members of the imperial family were used to having someone already waiting for them when they arrived. Depending on the circumstances, this behavior could be considered disrespectful.

The Thousand Tricks became visibly panicked when he saw the looks of displeasure worn by Murina’s guards. “Sorry I couldn’t have someone waiting to greet you,” he said. “We’re a bit swamped over here.”

“You have our thanks for accepting this request. I’m Karen, of the Zero Order. This is Cindy. For the duration of Her Imperial Highness’s training, we’ll be looking after her and ensuring her safety.”

Just like their previous meetings, Murina couldn’t sense any aura from this man. Even with full knowledge of his status, she still got the impression he was weaker than Karen and Cindy. And Murina was fairly certain her skills hadn’t gotten rusty or anything like that.

The Thousand Tricks’s eyebrows twitched, then an enormous smile formed on his face. “Oh, the pleasure is all mine. We’re all ready to begin. Honestly, I’m not at all confident, but we’ll do everything we can. I thought about who might be the best fit to mentor Her Imperial Highness, but I had too many eager candidates. So I thought I might as well employ them all.”

“What was that?!” Karen exclaimed.

The young man flinched, but then said, “Ah, I won’t have any complaints. His Imperial Majesty said he would trust my methods. Besides, I’m not particularly good at mentoring people. Don’t worry, I’m sure we can get Her Imperial Highness to a point where she can take part in the Supreme Warrior Festival. But I can’t guarantee she’ll win first place.”

Murina was thrown for a loop. What in the world was this man saying?! He was known for his preterhuman artifice and his infamous trials. What did he mean he wasn’t good at mentoring?

But more than that, why was he bringing up the Supreme Warrior Festival? That was a tournament for the best out there. As far as Murina could recall, you had to be at least Level 6 or so to get in. She knew she was in for intense training, but this beggared belief. In fact, it seemed downright impossible.

Unable to maintain their stalwart expressions, Karen and Cindy both looked befuddled. The Thousand Tricks had looked so diminutive, but his words were bold to an absurd degree.

“By the way,” the Thousand Tricks said, his eyes falling on the dragon’s head, “what’s this dragon? Who put it here? It’s in the way.”

“Hm?! Sir, we discussed it yesterday,” the vice clan master said.

Krai clapped his hands as though it was all coming back to him. “Aah. So this is where they put it? Hmm. I know I asked you guys to take care of it, but it’s kind of a nuisance in a place like this. I know I see lots of dragons, but it’s still a little dreary seeing one every time I enter the clan house.”

“Very well. I’ll see to it that it’s taken care of.”

After just coming to her own conclusions regarding the dragon, Cindy was speechless. Surely nobody of average ability could’ve been so nonchalant about moving a dragon head. It seemed Sir Franz had been right about his deceptive nature. This really was one of the most formidable people in the capital.

Having forgotten about the calm demeanor she had intended to maintain, Murina’s entire body trembled. The Thousand Tricks seemed to almost see into her heart and a vaguely sardonic smile formed on his lips.

“Well then, Your Imperial Highness, let’s waste no time showing you around.”

***

“What? Everyone’s going to help out?!” I blurted.

“Indeed,” Sitri said with a casual nod. “We all talked it over and decided this would be best. After all, we don’t know anything about Princess Murina’s aptitudes.”

I wasn’t in any position to start complaining, but I hadn’t thought my party had many people interested in things like mentoring. Where was all this zeal coming from?

“The imperial bloodline is full of Swordsmen, but there are also many great Magi. At this point, it’s hard to say what might suit her best,” Sitri explained.

Living in an era that placed so much value on strength, all sorts of places were researching how to most effectively hone abilities. It was known that genetics determined a hunter’s aptitude, which was why so many nobles married renowned hunters. The imperial family of Zebrudia took in only the best blood.

But I still didn’t see the need for everyone in the party to be involved.

“There’s not much time. Wouldn’t it be better to focus on one specialty?” I asked.

“Oh, there you go again, Krai. If we do that, she’ll never be able to get ready for the Supreme Warrior Festival in such a short time frame.”

“Yeah. Uh-huh?”

Huh? Really?

I knew we were working towards a difficult goal, but I didn’t see any future for Zebrudia if the imperial princess suffered a humiliating defeat in the tournament.

“All the contestants of the Supreme Warrior Festival are specialized in some way,” Sitri continued. “Even if she gets placed against someone of the same specialty, Princess Murina wouldn’t have any hope of victory. This leaves us with only one option—to train her in multiple fields and combine those skills.”

“Uh, I see.”

I felt like nothing more than a bystander as Sitri energetically told me about her theories.

“One can be both a Thief and Swordsman if they put in the effort, but to simultaneously master both magic and holy rites is impossible for the average person. Ark is as strong as he is because he’s a Magus Swordsman, but even he can’t use holy rites. If we can elevate Princess Murina to someone with such a varied skill set, then she should be able to take on just about any opponent. No, not if. We will elevate her. Your dear Sitri will!”

She was really burning with passion. Maybe she had some sort of empathy for the imperial princess? Long ago, Sitri worried that she lacked talent, sort of like how Princess Murina was now. Not that Sitri actually lacked talent, and I didn’t think the imperial princess was worried, but they still resembled each other.

“And then, once we’re done training her, we’ll put the fruit of my research into action! I’m very grateful, Krai. I never expected to come across imperial blood! There’s a number of things I want to test...”

Sitri looked enraptured, her gaze intense.

Huh? Testing? Are her bad habits at work again?

I was just fine with her getting passionate, but I hoped she wouldn’t forget that we were dealing with the imperial princess.

“The fruit of your research?” I asked.

“That would of course be this potion! Ta-dah!” Making her own sound effects, Sitri presented me with a vial containing a gray liquid. “I suppose ‘level-up potion’ would be a fitting name. By drinking this nifty concoction, you can absorb mana material straight into your body!”

Were you always the type to get so excited like this? Okay. Maybe you are.

A method to gain mana material just by drinking a potion. Sitri’s mysterious alchemical abilities were amazing. Nothing correlated to strength more than mana material, so I could understand why Sitri was so confident if she had made something so miraculous. Though it seemed a little unfair, I still nodded along.

“I see. That’s incredible,” I said with a grin. “With enough mana material, even the imperial princess could rapidly gain strength. I knew I could count on my dear Sitri.”

Even though I was praising her, Sitri twitched. She looked at me inquisitively. She put a finger to her lips and fell into a brief silence.

“I understand,” she said. “Potions are off the table this time. I’ll proceed without them.”

“Huh?!”

I hadn’t suggested anything of the sort.

Sitri clenched her fists and declared, “Indeed, I haven’t conducted enough human trials yet. There still is that minute possibility that the imperial princess might not be able to withstand the mana material and explode. Rest assured, I’ll think of something else!”

No matter how many times I turned that conversation over in my mind, I couldn’t rest easy. Was this really a good idea? As I showed the imperial princess around, I put on a hard-boiled veneer to hide any evidence of the doubts nagging at me. All I could do was trust in my friends.

“The Supreme Warrior Festival is a tournament of beasts who have dedicated their lives to fighting,” I said. “No matter what innate talents you may have, I don’t think simple training will be enough to get you ready for something like that at such short notice. Besides, that’s not the sort of strength you need to begin with. So we thought up a plan that would be perfect for you. We’ll give you multifaceted strength.”

“Multifaceted strength?” Princess Murina repeated in a small voice. “And what was that about being ready for the Supreme Warrior Festival?”

She really was a docile person. I had heard she was friends with Éclair, but their personalities were nothing alike.

“Of course, we’ll do everything in our power, but luck can always factor into a fight,” I said in an attempt to reduce liability. Reducing liability was part of my job. “The Supreme Warrior Festival is an event for the very best. I can’t guarantee your victory.”

“What are you even talking about?” asked the knight who had introduced herself as Karen. “You were asked to train Her Imperial Majesty. However, there’s no need for her to become that powerful when she has us, the Zero Order. All she needs is to be able to protect herself should the occasion arise.”

“Huh? Did you not get the memo?”

“What?!”

Karen glared at me. She was like Franz if he were a woman. Maybe this was just the ideal personality for knights? I didn’t want to insult the pride of a knight, but it seemed there was a misunderstanding here.

Was the emperor keeping it a secret that he wanted his daughter to take part in the Supreme Warrior Festival? It seemed feasible. This was a man who had picked me, the guy who caused a stir at the Gathering of the White Blade, to protect him (most likely in spite of protests from advisors). He also hadn’t shown the slightest hint of trepidation when we ended up in Peregrine Lodge. This might make him seem charismatic and open-minded, but I was sure it was actually because he had a screw or two loose.

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say to win over the imperial princess’s two guards, so I turned from the guards to the quiet princess and said, “Your Imperial Highness, resolve is necessary to become stronger. You’ll never claim victory if you’re satisfied with the bare minimum.”

That was why I would never improve. I gave up too easily.

Princess Murina didn’t respond to my pretentious remark, but she seemed to be deep in thought.

I just hope the emperor doesn’t hear about this. Let’s just try to avoid doing any harm and hope she doesn’t buy too much into what I’m saying.

This job was likely being kept a secret. There were many people who wanted a figure like the imperial princess dead. On top of that, there were probably plenty of nobles who wouldn’t have been pleased to find that a young hunter like me was being asked to mentor her. And I had to wonder if she herself was in favor of this arrangement or not. Someone of her status had responsibilities that dwarfed anything I had to handle. She had been born into power, but that came with its own troubles.

We stood before the door of the deepest of the underground training facilities.

“Your training has been dispersed among my trustworthy allies,” I said to what might be considered a pitiful princess. “But if you have any changes of heart about this, please say so. We’ll do everything we can, but your guards are right. The imperial princess doesn’t need to be that strong.”

So please don’t blame me if this doesn’t work.

“I’ll warn you, even if that displeases your guards, there will be no holding back.” From my friends. “While lessons are being conducted, there will be no considerations of status.” By my friends.

“I’m prepared for that,” the imperial princess answered.

All right, I’ve got her word. Now I can hold her to it.

At times like these, I usually prayed that nothing would happen. But in this case, if Princess Murina received half-hearted lessons, that would be bad in its own way. All I could pray for was that my friends did a good job.

I did the bare minimum and offered a smile as I opened the door. Inside were my pals, standing solemnly. My childhood friends—all members of Grieving Souls—were dedicated to the pursuit of strength. They hadn’t been accepted by great mentors because they had innate talent, but because they had proven themselves worthy.

I had a tendency to forget this, but Liz and her constant smiles, Lucia and her rebellious phase, Luke and his penchant for saying absurd things with a straight face, they were all treading a difficult path. Strength was something they didn’t compromise on.

Tension hung over the chilly room like it did over a battlefield. For this occasion, I had used my privileges as clan master and reserved the whole room. This one was usually empty, but now it was lined with unsettling devices that I didn’t recognize.

“We’ve been eagerly awaiting you, Krai, Your Imperial Highness.”

Sitri was taking the lead as usual. She approached us with a smile, but that didn’t make the room feel any more welcoming. I heard Princess Murina gulp. Her two guards were clearly taken aback.

Liz, as oblivious as ever, smiled viciously and made a fist. “Is this all? This is what we’re supposed to beat into shape? Well don’t worry, we’ll be thorough.”

She was more enthusiastic than I had anticipated. I had planned to stay and watch for a bit, but now I was second-guessing that idea. I reassured myself that as long as Lucia and Ansem were present, things probably wouldn’t get out of hand.

“Okay then,” I said. “I’ve got things to do, so you guys can take it from here. Luke, Liz, be sure not to kill her.”

“Wha?!” Princess Murina wailed.

“I beg your pardon?!” one of the knights said. Both were scowling at me.

I felt really, really bad for doing this, but I was going to die if I stuck around in that room any longer.

“Roger! This is my second pupil, so you can count on me!” said Liz in a cheery voice.

“You don’t need to worry like that, Krai. We’ve got Ansem here, so we’re fine,” Luke said with a grin.

Incredible. I’m not reassured in the slightest. Not even Ansem can bring back the dead.

I had my reservations about leaving like this, but I silenced my doubts and left with a wave before Karen or Cindy could say anything.

I dashed up the stairs and into my office, where the imperial princess and her guards couldn’t reach me. Waiting for me was my brain, Eva, who seemed to be in a bad mood. Being the most conscientious member of our clan, she supported me officially and personally.

“Krai, are you certain about this?” she asked the moment I sat down in my usual spot. “Some of your friends, well, even the other hunters voice complaints about them. And now you’ve left them with someone from the imperial family. The emperor and his kin might be known for their magnanimity, but they still have their pride as nobles.”

She had a point. They were known for being a line of warriors, but that didn’t change the fact they were of the nobility. They could use that against me at any time. It was just like how Éclair had used the power of her status to try and steal the mask from me during the auction.

No matter how superficially, I was still the clan master of First Steps, which meant my decisions could affect the management of this clan. It was only natural that Eva was concerned that I had chosen to leave this task to a party known for being violent.

“That’s it,” I said. I had hit upon an idea. “If something happens, I can just take responsibility and resign from treasure hunting.”

“Huh?”

The job of clan master had been thrust upon me because making this clan had been my idea. But it had long ago swelled into something too large for me to handle.

I was the one who had accepted the emperor’s request. I had been the one to entrust my friends with mentoring the imperial princess. Anything that went wrong rested on my shoulders. Therefore, if anything went wrong, I could take responsibility and resign from my post. After all this time wanting to quit but not being allowed to, I stood to gain whether this went good or bad.

“You’re joking, right?” Eva said.

“Don’t be so pessimistic. If I die, you’ll become clan master.”

“I don’t want that. If that happens, I’ll quit as well. Who do you think all this effort was for...”

Eva sounded serious. I guess it made sense. After all, I was the one who groveled for—I mean, scouted her.

“You really care for me,” I remarked.

“Th-That’s because...”

Hm. I’ve really become Eva-dependent.

I decided to hold off on retirement for the time being. I leaned back in my chair and decided to kill some time with the Relic I had received from Little Sister Fox—my Smartphone.

***

In the center of the capital stood the Imperial Castle. Repairs of the damage caused by the Abyssal Inferno were proceeding smoothly and security was being bolstered.

Franz Argman stood before the current Emperor Zebrudia, Rodrick Atolm Zebrudia. The two had been acquainted since before Rodrick had ascended to the throne. There was a gap in status between the imperial family and House Argman, but the imperial family had a history of picking their right hands based on loyalty and ability to speak up. Franz had been chosen for his straightforward attitude and because he didn’t mince words.

“Her Imperial Highness is accompanied by capable guards, but entrusting her to that man is still too dangerous,” Franz said.

On his imposing body, Franz wore a Relic set of armor that shouldered all damage intended for a specific person, regardless of distance. It was one of the Zero Order’s most valuable assets and it had been passed down from one captain to the next.

“You still don’t trust him, Franz?” the emperor said with a grimace. “That man has already saved us once.”

“But we only needed saving because of his plans. All he did was put out a fire he had started. If nothing else, he shouldn’t have exposed you to such a dangerous situation. That man pays heed to nobody but himself.”

He had been given the opportunity to protect the emperor, the greatest honor a hunter could accept, yet he had shown up in that flippant shirt. He had the gall to bring agents of Fox within reach of His Imperial Majesty. Everything he said and did defied understanding.

Franz had a wealth of experience dealing with merchants, nobles; all sorts of people really. He had also received some warnings in advance from Lord Gladis regarding the nature of the Thousand Tricks. Even still, when Franz considered that irritating him had been a calculated move on the part of the Thousand Tricks, Franz began to abhor the idea of spending any more time with that hunter. At the very least, he wished that man wasn’t so damn irreverent!

“That’s exactly why I believe it’s the right choice to entrust Murina with him,” the emperor said. “That sort of freedom of spirit is necessary to effectively mentor a member of the imperial family. In retrospect, her previous mentors have all been soft on her. Don’t they say that the Thousand Trials test even the best hunters?”

This was a bad habit of his. Emperor Rodrick had always had a tendency to prioritize martial skills over leadership. While that had led to the empire’s friendly attitude to hunters, which ultimately brought the nation prosperity, there were limits to how far that should be taken.

“Ridiculous. Her Imperial Highness is no warrior.”

“Nonetheless, she’s too weak. She lacks the strength to forge her own fate. The Astral Divinarium’s very own Eye of God confirmed that Murina naturally attracts disasters, yet the Thousand Tricks simply dismissed that as a flight of imagination. I expect great things from him.”

Zebrudia’s Astral Divinarium was a special division that handled all matters of mysticism not fully understood. As their name suggested, they specialized in the use of astrology to predict the future and had foreseen many incoming disasters. They couldn’t detect every potential calamity, but when they did, they were never far off the mark.

“Eye of God” was a special accolade for astrologians who boasted exceptional accuracy. It was because of their word that Franz and the emperor were willing to believe in Murina’s inherent bad luck, and also why they kept that fact confidential.

The imperial princess naturally attracted misfortune, but if they kept her interpersonal interactions to a minimum and kept her out of the public, then that misfortune could be held back somewhat. And that was how Murina lived.

She hadn’t voiced a word of complaint despite her existence being so rarely acknowledged. Surely nothing could be more difficult for a member of the proud imperial line than to be relegated to the shadows. This, however, was deemed a necessary measure. Zebrudia was an absolute monarchy, which was all the more reason the emperor needed to put the nation above all else.

“I’m fine with this if there’s even the slightest glimmer of hope for Murina,” the emperor said with sorrow. “Under her current circumstances, she can’t perform any of her duties.”

“As you wish,” Franz said through clenched teeth as he dipped his head.

It wasn’t an easy subject for them. Maybe it was different for commoners or ordinary nobles, but for the imperial family, inability was a sin. If someone couldn’t be of benefit to the empire, then they had to be erased before they could cause it harm. But even an emperor couldn’t remain indifferent towards their very own child.

Franz found it humiliating that they were relying on a man who had put the emperor in danger, but he was helpless to do anything about Murina’s situation. The imperial princess wasn’t fit for fighting—she was too kind.

Rodrick’s expression went from one of sorrow to severity.

“Are you making progress in your investigation of Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox?” he asked.

“We are. We’ve begun by looking into those two agents—the Counter Cascade and Kechachakka. Given the nature of our adversary, I’ve made the team as small as possible to reduce the likelihood of information being leaked.”

Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox was an organization of astounding secrecy. The identities of its members and command structure were all shrouded in mystery. The only reason the name was known was that they had announced it themselves after they had already grown into a formidable force. If not for that, Zebrudia might have remained ignorant of their existence. Uncovering two of their operatives during the trip to Toweyezant had been a windfall for the empire.

Foxes excelled at covering their tracks. But if there was one thing Franz was certain of, it was that someone with the talents and status of Telm Apoclys wasn’t an asset you could discard without good reason. Unfortunately for Franz, the Counter Cascade hadn’t been captured, but he was sure Fox wasn’t anticipating any of their members’ identities to be compromised. This was a massive leap forward from their previous state of being entirely in the dark.

As for Kechachakka, according to the Explorers’ Association, they had shown the Thousand Tricks a list of reliable hunters who might make good candidates for escorting the emperor. Apparently, they had been quite surprised when he chose Kechachakka. In other words, someone within the Association had inserted Kechachakka’s name into that list. They had already begun turning every stone they could in order to find the traitor.

After a long standstill, things were finally beginning to move. Only a select few people had been informed that the Counter Cascade and Kechachakka had turned out to be traitors. They had to act on this before Fox realized two of their own had been uncovered.

“And we’ve finished narrowing down our list of suspects,” Franz said.

“Apprehend them. Though I suppose I hardly need to tell you that. There must be a reason that an organization that’s spent so long in the shadows made such a blatant provocation.”

Quietly, a flame of determination burned within Rodrick Atolm Zebrudia. Using abnormal methods that knights like Franz would never employ, the Thousand Tricks had driven Telm and Kechachakka into a corner. But the empire had its own way of doing things, as did its nobles. They couldn’t simply rely on that hunter.

Franz bowed deeply before taking his leave.

***

Nothing can be gained without payment. Pain is the constant companion of growth.

People of all sorts gathered in Zebrudia, one of the largest nations in the world. Regardless of where they stood in the order of inheritance, all members of the imperial family received lessons from only the very best mentors. Murina followed in this tradition and had been under the tutelage of a number of different instructors. Unlike her siblings, however, she hadn’t exhibited any particular talents. She wasn’t incompetent, but neither did she stand out in any aspect. In particular, she lacked the bearing of a member of the imperial family.

So went the appraisal of Murina Atolm Zebrudia, and she knew it was true. All three of her siblings had the sort of talent befitting the imperial bloodline. Already, they were putting their skills to use for the benefit of the empire. It would be shameful for Murina to remain cloistered within the Imperial Castle on account of her innate bad luck.

And so she fortified her resolve, telling herself that this time she would improve herself. However, before training could even begin, she felt that resolve come close to breaking.

“You thought you could bring your goddamn babysitters? Did you forget what the hell you’re here for?” the Stifled Shadow shouted like some sort of thug.

“Protecting Her Imperial Majesty is our duty. Be assured, we have no intentions of interfering, so long as she isn’t placed in harm’s way,” Karen replied through a strained voice.

The Stifled Shadow was butting heads with Murina’s guards. Karen might have seemed like she was keeping cool, but the imperial princess could tell just how agitated she was. Karen had never been a very well-tempered person to begin with, and now she was all the more fired up on account of having not been chosen to attend the conference.

“Yeah, and I bet she’ll get real fucking strong by staying out of harm’s way! Krai Baby asked me to do this and I’m not gonna let him down!”

“It depends on the degree of danger. I’m very well aware that safe training is an oxymoron! But let me just say that I don’t appreciate the tone you’re taking with Her Imperial Majesty!”

The tension in the air grew thicker. It felt like either one of them could explode at any given moment. Their words weren’t even directed at her, but Murina could still feel her heart pounding.

“She’s not gonna get anywhere on half-assed measures! And what do you know about strength? You’re wasting your time if you’re not putting your life on the line!”

“You’re speaking out of turn!”

“Unlike you, we’ve got things to be doing! I don’t care if she’s a princess or if she doesn’t want to be here! I’m busy at the best of times, so if you’ve got nothing to show me, then at least stay out of my goddamn way!”

Karen took a step forward and Cindy got ready for a fight, but Liz Smart didn’t retreat an inch. Murina didn’t know what to do. Faced with having to either side with one of her new mentors or her guards, she found herself between a rock and a hard place. And what had Liz meant when she said it didn’t matter if she didn’t want to be here?

Clapping her hands, Sitri walked into the cross fire and said, “Now, now, please calm down. We don’t have any desire to harm Her Imperial Highness. However, Liz is right in that we are short on time. With our deadline, getting her to a level where she can compete in the Supreme Warrior Festival simply isn’t feasible using conventional methods.”

“There it is again! What’s this talk about competing in the Supreme Warrior Festival?! We never heard anything of the sort!”

“Indeed. Nonetheless, we’ve been asked by Krai to get Her Imperial Highness to such a level, and I’ve composed a plan to make that happen. In other words, we’ll have to take some liberties that our client may not be entirely comfortable with.”

Sitri’s overpowering grin and mellow voice set Karen at ease, while Cindy shifted her gaze from Liz to the Alchemist.

“Yes, but—”

Before Karen could get any further, there was a rumbling. The next moment, Murina realized the knight was on the ground. Liz lifted her leg and didn’t hold back as she let it drop on the back of Karen’s head. Her head was embedded in the floor and her body twitched. The blood draining from her face, Cindy was about to shout, before Luke the Protean Sword grabbed her in a Nelson hold.

“Wh-What are you—”

“Brother, would you be so kind as to revive Karen before she dies?” Sitri said. “Don’t worry, Your Imperial Highness, we’re limited on time, so we’re simply removing obstacles. If we have to constantly brook complaints, we’ll never get anywhere. This is per Krai’s decision, so please trust that all’s well that ends well.”

“Ahhh, there you go again with the violence,” sighed the black-haired Magus. This was Lucia, the Avatar of Creation.

Murina saw a man so large she was forced to crane her neck to see him entirely. This was Ansem, the Immutable. He let out a stern grunt, but it didn’t seem like Liz was going to let up.

While Murina was doing her best to keep with the situation, Luke swiftly gagged Cindy, and then bound her in chains. Ansem lifted Karen out of the floor and directed a healing spell at her bloodied head. Something about his movements suggested he did this often.

Murina’s legs gave out and she slid to the floor. Her earlier resolve had vanished entirely.

“Well then, Your Imperial Highness,” Sitri the Ignoble said with a broad grin. “Now that we’re free of hindrances, we can’t waste a second between now and the Supreme Warrior Festival. So without further ado, let’s begin the trials.”

Now that it was time to begin her training, the first thing Murina was told to do was leave the training room. Murina wasn’t very eye-catching and she hadn’t made many appearances before the public. Wearing a hood, there was almost no chance of her being recognized.

The most conspicuous member of the group was the giant, Ansem. His footsteps thundered as he walked along, shouldering a bag that Karen and Cindy had been stuffed into. If the Immutable wasn’t known for his kindness, everyone probably would have run from him in fear.

“U-Ummm, Lizzy, what is it we’re doing? And who are—”

“Hm? You don’t need to worry about that,” Liz said to the black-haired hunter they had met up with on the way. “Training two isn’t much different than training one, so I’m dragging you along as well.”

Murina had heard that the Stifled Shadow had an apprentice and apparently, it was this timid, pitiful girl. The girl called Tino looked at Murina and seemed to realize something.

“By that, do you mean that this is Her—”

“T?” Sitri cut her off. “You don’t need to say it. What if we invite unneeded interlopers?”

“Y-Yes, Siddy.”

Sitri’s voice has been perfectly calm, yet it still struck fear into Tino. Still, Tino kept glancing Murina’s way. For some reason, she felt an odd sort of kinship with the hunter. It seemed it wasn’t because she was an outsider that Grieving Souls was being rough on Murina.

Once they exited the building, they entered a carriage that they had arranged for. But after Murina got in, she didn’t hear anyone follow her. She looked out and saw them preparing to run. They said hunters trained every day. Murina still wasn’t sure about Grieving Souls’s violent behavior back in the training ground, but it was clear they were dedicated to getting stronger. Murina found this relieving.

“Shouldn’t I be running as well?” she asked Sitri, the only other person inside the carriage. Murina knew that improving your attributes was more important than learning techniques.

However, Sitri seemed surprised by this question. “Oh, no. At this point, a little bit of muscle won’t make much of a difference. If you tire yourself out, you might not be able to endure what’s to come, so sit tight for now.”

“I-I see.”

Karen and Cindy squirmed in their bag while the carriage slowly rolled off.

“Now then,” Sitri said with a clap of her hands. She was looking Murina dead in the eyes. “Allow me to take a moment to tell you of our plans. That is to say, the plans we came up with to fulfill Krai’s request. Now, it won’t make any practical difference whether or not we tell you...”

“V-Very well.”

It seemed Sitri was the party’s coordinator of sorts. Perhaps Lucia was in the driver’s seat and everyone else was outside so Sitri and Murina could talk in peace. But the imperial princess had questions in droves. What had Sitri meant by that bit about not making any practical difference? Wasn’t Murina supposed to be receiving lessons? She didn’t know where to begin.

“Your Imperial Highness,” Sitri said, “the most important thing for a treasure hunter to become strong is to raise their attributes. But this isn’t a matter of bodybuilding. You see, muscles have a tendency to hinder the circulation of mana. For a Magus, a muscular body isn’t just unnecessary, it’s an inhibitor. This is merely one example, but I hope you now understand that thoughtless and unnecessary effort isn’t really effort at all.”

Her eyes were serious, her words spoken with certainty.

Unnecessary effort. Murina had received lessons of all sorts from many different mentors, all in the name of gaining strength and identifying her talents. She didn’t think those had been meaningless experiences, but maybe this person before her would’ve considered them unnecessary.

Despite everything, Murina was still of the imperial family. She was easily granted lessons from master instructors that would be out of reach even for some nobles. Results not immediately manifesting was no reason to give up. And now an entirely novel idea was being brought before her—becoming strong quickly.

Correcting her posture, Murina made sure not to miss a single word.

“What we need to do isn’t show you sword techniques or teach you magic,” Sitri continued in a low voice. “One simple thing will suffice. Your Imperial Highness, you need to absorb mana material, then make effective use of it.”

To Murina, this sounded incredibly obvious.

“Mana material? Why didn’t you simply say—”

“You don’t understand.” Sitri’s eyes were sparkling. “Your Imperial Highness, merely absorbing it won’t do. Mana material bolsters a person in accordance with their desires. Someone who wants speed will move like lightning, someone who wants to excel in magic will achieve excellent mana flow, and someone sworn to protect will gain overwhelming resilience. You can even make your chest larger. However, strength only comes to those with strong wills. That is what separates a champion from the rest!”

Strong wills. Indeed, that very well could have been what Murina was lacking.

Nobles of the empire were encouraged to venture into treasure vaults in order to receive the benefits of mana material. Most of them did exactly this, and Murina was no exception. However, she knew the effects had been limited. The one time she really felt a change had been apparent was after the encounter with Peregrine Lodge.

But that invited the question: how did you temper something as intangible as will? Still, Murina puffed out her chest, her expectations higher than they had been not long ago.

“And this is where Krai came up with an unprecedented idea!” Sitri said. “Our wills are at their strongest when our survival instincts activate! What this means, is that you can get the most out of mana material by entering treasure vaults beyond your level! The logic is simple, but nobody’s yet tried it despite the many years we’ve lived with mana material. Princess Murina, you will be a living testament to Krai’s suggestion! You have nothing to worry about. We’ll first do a test run on T!”

“Wha?! Huh?!”

A treasure vault?! What is this?!

Murina was fairly sure this hadn’t been done not because it hadn’t occurred to anyone, but rather because it was beyond stupid. The vicious phantoms of high-level treasure vaults could butcher even an expert hunter with a single attack. This sort of training might be safe in a low-level vault, but those weren’t as dense in mana material.

Then, as though passing down a death sentence, the Ignoble said, “There’s nothing you need to do, just hang on with all your might. You may die otherwise.”

After a few hours of travel, the carriage came to a stop. Murina got out and was taken aback by what she saw. There was a dense curtain of falling white petals, flowers of all sizes bloomed across the ground. As though held back by an invisible wall, the foliage all stopped at a set point. It was like something from another world.

“A barrier keeps it in place,” Sitri explained. “It’s too dangerous to let its influence extend any further. Even still, this treasure vault is quite large.”

The blood drained from Tino’s face and she sunk into a silence. Before them was a high-level treasure vault defined by its veritable blizzards of petals. It had appeared a few years prior and temporarily became an obsession across the empire. It had since been conquered multiple times, but it was still recognized as one of the most dangerous vaults in Zebrudia. Even someone unfamiliar with these matters like Murina still knew of this place.

“This is Prism Garden,” she mumbled. “Where Firmamental Blossoms come from.”

“Let’s take this opportunity to train our resilience together,” Sitri said to her. “There really is no better place. Your field of view is low, requiring that you utilize all your senses. And the phantoms are powerful, so you have to fight to the best of your ability. There’s also the pollen, which can temporarily hinder you. This is an easy place to die. Look, Your Imperial Highness, your trembling is proof of your instinctual fear!”

“What?”

Murina hadn’t realized she was shaking. She hadn’t even entered the treasure vault, but her head throbbed, her heart was pounding, her throat was dry, and her body felt weak. However, standing nearby, Tino seemed to be in a similar state. It appeared that an intermediate hunter was no better equipped to handle this vault than Murina was. The thought of that was oddly reassuring for her.

“Well then, how about we start with some Thief skills?” Liz said with a yawn. “If you don’t improve your senses, you’ll die and all that. Oh, right. Your growth might get skewed if you have anything unnecessary, so I’m confiscating your weapons.”

And so began the longest week of Murina’s life.

***

“Achoo!”

Is someone talking about me?

“I think this is going to go well,” I said as I rubbed my nose.

With nothing else to do, I opened up a magazine. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I wasn’t entirely free of my burdens, but I had done everything I could.

“Krai, are you certain about this?” Eva asked. I wasn’t even doing anything, but she still looked at me anxiously. This didn’t directly concern her, but she still seemed more uneasy than I was. Her worries were only natural. I was the clan master and that meant any harm to my reputation affected all of First Steps. But there was nothing either of us could do but go with the flow.

“Don’t worry, I trust my friends,” I told her. “They’ll do a much better job than I could have.”

I didn’t know the specifics of their agenda, but they were hard workers. We might get some complaints that the imperial princess had been pushed too hard, but if they didn’t like it then they shouldn’t have asked for lessons from high-level hunters. Once again, my fortress of reasoning was sound. Though maybe that wasn’t something to be proud of.

She looked at me and said, “That’s not what I’m concerned about. I know how discerning you are in these matters, and I know you won’t let our client’s status stop you from doing what you think is best. It’s the Supreme Warrior Festival that worries me. It’s a renowned tournament, but poor results might negatively affect our clan.”

I see, I see. Do I? 

Whether or not I saw didn’t actually have any bearing on my response.

“Ha ha ha, Eva, you worry too much.”

“Just to be sure, Krai, you are confident about this, aren’t you? Every year, this tournament draws in the very best.”

“Huh? No, not at all.”

How could I be? After all, this was Princess Murina we were talking about. There was only so much you could do in such a short time frame. I hadn’t heard from her since our initial conversation, but it sounded like there was a possibility Liz might be taking part in the tournament. But I was fairly certain the emperor didn’t expect his daughter to take home the championship or anything like that.

“Don’t worry, worse comes to worst, I can always grovel. I’ve done everything I can, so I’ve got no regrets.”

Eva looked at me incredulously.

“Everything?”

Hey, don’t stare like that.

I thought after all this time that she’d be used to my vague statements, but I suppose she wouldn’t really be Eva otherwise.

“Should I look into the other potential contestants?” Eva asked hesitantly.

In the Supreme Warrior Festival, all fights were one-on-one. Contestants were free to use whatever weapons and styles they preferred, which meant many fights were decided by the affinities of different methods. The contestants still hadn’t been publicly announced, but maybe Eva had some connections.

“Mmm. You don’t have to. I’m not that interested in who’s gonna be there, and it’s more fun if it’s a surprise.”

“Huh?!”

I would have felt bad making Eva go to all that effort, and I didn’t think we had enough time to make counterstrategies, even if we knew who Murina might be up against. The matchups probably hadn’t even been decided yet.

“Besides, that wouldn’t really be fair. And the empire sure does love its chivalry.”

Bending the rules might have made Franz like me even less. No point in testing our luck. But Eva didn’t seem convinced.

“It’s my understanding that looking into potential opponents is standard procedure,” she said.

I beckoned her over with my hand and showed her the magazine I was reading. It was a sightseeing guide to Kreat, the town that hosted the Supreme Warrior Festival.

“My concern is that this is my first time going to Kreat. I figure I may as well take the opportunity to do some sightseeing. Do you know any good places?”

Eva sighed. It was a sigh so long I think her soul left with it.

“Krai, why are you like this?”

I didn’t see why she didn’t take the occasional break. But she didn’t need to worry so much. If anything went wrong, I’d take responsibility. It was all I was capable of.

Then, the Relic I’d gotten from Little Sister Fox—my Smartphone—began to vibrate. I handed the magazine off to Eva and pulled it out as fast as I possibly could.

“Sorry, Eva. I’ve got a text. I gotta reply quickly.”

“I’m sorry?”

I was sure this was exactly how the people of the Era of Physical Arms used these things. “Texting” was a convenient means of communication and was used extensively. Somewhat accustomed to the movement, I tapped the icon and saw I had received droves of texts.

The majority of them were from unknown senders and a lot of it didn’t make any sense. Among Smartphone researchers, these were known as “spam texts.” Carelessly opening one of them could cause your device to explode, so you had to be careful.

The most recent text was from Little Sister Fox, who was supposed to be serving as a god in Toweyezant. In fact, she and Big Brother Fox were the only people I had in my contacts. All it said was “Grown” but it came with an attached image of a massive tree. It hadn’t been many days since we had left Toweyezant, but if she was still in that town, it was probably surrounded by trees by now.

“Look. She’s raised all these trees.”

“Oh.”

“I have to reply quickly. Texts need to be responded to in five minutes or less. If you can’t, then you have to say that it was because your battery was dead. Those are the rules.”

I replied with a speedy “That’s nice.” I had been constantly fiddling with this thing since I got it, so a simple action like this was an easy thing for me. The moment I sent the text, a strange melody played from my Smartphone.

“Ah, this time it’s from the older brother. It’s not easy being popular.”

“I have something I need to look into, so I must excuse myself.”

“What’s this? ‘These two are very lively. You could learn from them, Mr. Caution. These are humans!’ Well of course Telm and Kecha are lively! Now I need to reply. ‘More Relics please.’”

There was still a lot I didn’t understand about it, but this Smartphone was a wonderful thing. I could dream of the possibilities. If I could get one for all my party members, we’d never have trouble meeting up ever again. I wish I had been born in such a convenient era.

I began to imagine what those previous eras might have been like when I suddenly remembered I had been talking to Eva. I looked around, but she had disappeared at some point or another. I looked down at the small Relic in my hands and furrowed my brow.

“I see. So this is how civilizations fall. Convenience has its time and place.”

Information gathering was an indispensable part of hunting. Treasure vaults were living dungeons and sometimes became drastically more or less hostile in short time spans. Treasure hunters always kept an ear to the ground, both in the name of profit and for the very thing that defined them—curiosity. For instance, this was how it quickly got around that I had been aiming for that mask in the Zebrudia auction.

When I entered the lounge, I saw that one of our best parties, Obsidian Cross, was occupying a table. Sven Anger got up and waved his arms as he approached me.

“Krai, I hear you’re going to be part of the Supreme Warrior Festival. Is this true?!”

“Who told you that?”

“Who? Ah, Liz. She was running around shouting about it.”

“Liz...”

What an uncontrollable ball of energy. And her information wasn’t even right.

“No, I’m not going to be taking part. I’m just going to watch. Even I want to see what the best have to offer.”

“That so? Well, I suppose that’s surprising in its own way.”

For most Level 8s, there was nothing strange about them wanting to be part of a grand combat tournament. These false rumors wouldn’t have gained traction otherwise. But I wasn’t a normal Level 8. In the right situation, even a Level 1 could best me.

“This is just between us,” I said in a low voice, “but it’s not me that’ll be participating.”

Sven looked at me like he didn’t quite understand. “Oh, yeah, Liz did mention that she and some of your other friends might be making an appearance.”

That wasn’t quite what I had been hinting at, but I couldn’t just outright tell him that the imperial princess would be joining the fray. I sighed, resigned to the fact that everyone was going to believe what they wanted.

“Y’know, we have a lot of hunters with bad timing. Like you. And Ark. You’re never around when I need you.”

“Hm? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I could’ve saved myself a lot of stress if Ark Brave or Obsidian Cross had been available. Honestly, what a pain in the neck. I didn’t want to take such dangerous measures, but here I am.”

Sven undeniably deserved some of the blame for whatever awful experiences the imperial princess was probably having. If he and his party had been around, I wouldn’t have had to entrust Princess Murina to a group that included Liz and Luke.

“Quit being so ominous!” Marietta cried. “And don’t shift the blame onto us!”

“Out with it!” Sven yelled. “What did you do this time?!”

It was too late for yelling. The die had already been cast.

“Well, if you’ve learned your lesson,” I said with a hard-boiled sigh, “then you’ll be in the lounge next time I need you.”

“Sven, don’t you think it’s time we taught our CM a lesson?” Henrik (I think) said. The Cleric and youngest member of Obsidian Cross looked awfully tired for someone making threats.

Good grief, I can’t even tell if that was a joke.

“I’m joking, I’m joking,” he said. “By the way, Sven, will we be at the Supreme Warrior Festival?”

“Hmm. Well, our schedule is clear for the time being. Why don’t we go see what our cocky CM is capable of?”

I just said I wasn’t going to be competing!

Eva, Sven, everyone saw something in me and I didn’t know what. But I was in charge of the imperial princess’s mentoring. Maybe her results could be considered a sign of what I was capable of? Maybe?

Then, a shrill cry rang throughout the lounge.

“Aah! Human weakling! Are you really going to be part of the Supreme Warrior Festival? Sir?”

“You never take a break, do you, Thousand Tricks? As your clan mates, it behooves us to offer our assistance.”

Running in was my savior during the emperor escort job, Kris Argent, and her party leader, Lapis Fulgor. Being Noble Spirits, they were beautiful and their presence alone made the lounge feel a bit brighter. Unfortunately, they weren’t very good candidates for training the imperial princess, as they were what we might call lacking in manners. I knew they were good deep down, but I needed people good on the surface as well.

“Ah, I wasn’t looking for you two,” I said.

“We haven’t met since getting back to the capital and the first thing you do is pick a fight?! Sir?!”

It hadn’t occurred to me that I had been that long. I had also totally forgotten about my offer to go out for drinks.

Kris darted right up to me and pressed her finger against my chest. “Why didn’t you come to see me? Sir? I was bedridden!”

“You were? I would’ve come if you had called me.”

“I’m not gonna do that. I shouldn’t have to go out of my way! We were only party members for the duration of that job. Sir.”

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

I had entered my usual smile and grin mode, having abandoned any hope of understanding what was happening.

“During our job, when you sat on your ass and made me do all the fighting, don’t tell me that was because you were preparing for the Supreme Warrior Festival!”

“Yeah, uh-huh?”

Kris was red in the face and her language was coarse as ever, but her melodic voice softened any impact.

“Are you really going to participate? Sir? I don’t buy that a guy who acts like an ass around the emperor cares about glory!”

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

She was right, I didn’t have much interest in glory. That always came with privileges and obligations that I didn’t have the skills to handle. But I didn’t recall ever acting like an ass around the emperor.

It seemed Kris didn’t care for my response, as she was getting more and more heated. Lapis abandoned her job as Kris’s muzzle and just gave me a shrug. Sven looked resigned. Being oblivious to their reactions made Kris look incredibly childish.

Oh, it’s fine. We’re all used to this.

“The Supreme Warrior Festival is famous even among Noble Spirits! A champion among our kind will be competing! A flaccid dope like you will just get hurt! Sir! Are you sure you won’t just be spectat— Yah?! Wha? D-Don’t touch me! I-I’ll forgive you, so just stop petting me! Ah! Ahaah!”

Kris squirmed in an exaggerated manner. It seemed the thing I understood best was this feline Noble Spirit. Without thinking much about it, I reached out and began rubbing her head. Her silver hair felt like silk and was cold to the touch, making it pleasant to run my hand through.

Tears welled up in her eyes and her face flushed.

“O-Okay! Sir! I’ll go and cheer you on! So just stop that! Stooop! At least be a little more gentle about it!”

Well then, I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she realizes it won’t be me but the imperial princess taking part.

***

Within a certain town was a building decades old. Dozens of shadows were seated around a large table. Despite the building’s age, there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere in the room. This was evidence that while this room was used in secret, it was also used frequently. There wasn’t a single window; the only light came from a single lantern on the table.

“Is it true the plan failed?” asked a low voice from a vaguely illuminated figure.

“The details are unclear, but the conference ended without incident and Rodrick is unharmed. There is one conclusion.”

In height, gender, age, and more, the assembled figures varied widely. But there was one thing they all had in common—everyone wore fox masks. The masks differed in shape, color, and other more subtle details. But these masks were proof of their shared membership of a certain group.

Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox. They were a secret organization that lurked in deep shadows and worked under the cover of darkness. Gathered in this room were some of its members, Foxes as they were called, who had come from all over the world. Now, they were daring to make an in-person gathering.

“To think that the Counter Cascade was one of our own. But I fail to understand how one of the imperial capital’s most capable Magi could have failed. If he had managed to get so close, how did the assassination fail?”

Fox was an organization built on thorough secrecy. The members were divided into ranks referred to as “tails.” The greater the number of their tail, the higher their rank was. This equated to greater access to information and increased authority.

As a general rule, lower-ranked members didn’t know the identities of higher-ranked members. This time, however, information had trickled down because the operation had failed. The attempt on the emperor’s life had been handled by a member of the seventh tail who had been a candidate for Fox’s upper brass. Even in this packed room, only one person had known that the Counter Cascade was a Fox, as he was of the same tail.

“Mmm. The Counter Cascade really screwed up.” Everyone’s gaze fell on the perturbed speaker. It was a large man in a gold mask and the leader of the current operation. “We’ve got other people in high places. We’ve got other people who can get their hands dirty. But he was one of our best assassins. Even high-level hunters were an easy task for him. His skills with magic alone were enough to get him to the same rank as me! People like him aren’t exactly common.”

This was a major loss. Telm had the trust of some of the nobility and a unique spell that could produce clones. An assassin that could make anyone disappear was an asset of indescribable value. But they had an even bigger issue.

“It doesn’t end there. Telm brought the Dragon Caller with him. We lost two irreplaceable hands! You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but this will affect our plans.”

The Counter Cascade had definitely been top brass material, but his cohort the Dragon Caller had also been exceedingly useful to the organization. What better way to throw society into chaos than the power to summon dragons, the strongest of all mythical beasts? Dragons had a tendency to draw attention, which created openings that could be exploited for any number of purposes.

The current operation had been planned with the Dragon Caller in mind, but now that wouldn’t be happening due to Telm’s failure.

“The upper tails aren’t happy,” the man continued. “The Counter Cascade’s operation was of the utmost importance. The death of the emperor would have hindered Zebrudia and their position would have been weakened if the conference had been canceled! But look what happened! The emperor still lives and the conference went on as scheduled! Our operatives probably had their identities compromised as well! It’s the biggest failure in our history!”

The assassination of Emperor Rodrick was so important that Telm would have been welcomed into Fox’s highest echelons if he had succeeded. Fox’s influence and membership was as great as it was because of their accomplishments. A major failure would make their organization less alluring, weakening them overall.

“We’ll continue as planned.” The man slammed his hand on the table. His voice was low and intimidating, his eyes shining brightly. “This is a huge operation. Everything else we’ve done will pale in comparison. The Counter Cascade’s failure was entirely unexpected. We can’t suffer another screw-up.”

“But Galf,” one of the other members objected, “the Supreme Warrior Festival is a gathering of all kinds of deadly people. Isn’t it dangerous to push this operation along when we’ve already been weakened? If there’s a high chance of failure, we should consider a delay.”

The thing they feared most was their identities being revealed. Telm’s greatest error wasn’t that he hadn’t been able to carry out his duties, but that he had been revealed to be a Fox. Cautious planning, evading anything that might fail, and sticking to the shadows was how they operated.

And the leader, Galf Shenfelder, smiled at his subordinate’s very reasonable objection.

“That won’t be a problem. The loss of the Dragon Caller is a shame, but we can procure more pawns on the scene. The success of this operation will more than make up for the Counter Cascade’s failure. This operation was ordered by our boss, and they’ve approved the dispatch of a Maiden. I can guarantee you, we will pull this off. The time for lurking has passed. Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox will make its move! Now, has it been secured?”

“Yes. Just as planned. And it doesn’t seem they’ve noticed.”

Galf’s smile grew. “While we’ve been dragging our feet, there may have been leaks now that Telm’s been compromised. Let’s not waste another minute! The Relic is key to the boss’s plans. If we don’t get our hands on it, the whole operation will be in trouble.”

***

Initially, Murina kept track of how many times she had passed out. But she soon realized that even that was drawing too much of her focus. She didn’t even know how many days had gone by since she had entered this vault. She didn’t feel thirst or hunger because even that was a distraction. She had disposed of everything superfluous, leaving only her will to live.

Flower petals that were such a pure shade of white they almost seemed artificial. Seemingly endless fields of flora that seemed too beautiful for this world. This was Prism Garden, a Level 7 treasure vault.

Within the deepest reaches of this vault bloomed a flower known as a Firmamental Blossom. Its petals were transparent; if taken outside its home, it would quickly fade like melting snow. And yet these flowers sold for a sum so high only the richest buyers could hope to afford one.

The otherworldly scenery of the treasure vault had inspired allure and fascination in much of the nobility for a brief time. Some of them floated the idea of hiring a band of capable mercenaries and exploring Prism Garden, but ultimately, none took the leap. Now Murina knew why. This place was far too dangerous. Even if you were accompanied by guards, it wasn’t a tourist destination.

The ceaseless barrage of petals interfered with all five of one’s senses and the toxic pollen could render even a resilient hunter unconscious. The dazzling foliage was diverse in height and form, obstructing precise movements. But worst of all were the phantoms disguised as flowers. Quiet yet savage, they could make themselves almost indistinguishable from the scenery and knew how to take advantage of a back turned their way.

Environment-type vaults were almost nonexistent, but Prism Garden was the most lethal of them. Even the Zebrudian military would have trouble fighting their way through. And that was most likely the reason Grieving Souls had chosen it for Murina’s crucible. She didn’t have to do anything resembling training. All she was supposed to do was live. What were her previous bouts of misfortune compared to the expedition into hell that she was currently undergoing?

Her first trainer had been Liz Smart. Those lessons began with Murina feeling like she had been set on fire.

“Did I say you can take a nap?! Get up if you don’t wanna die here!”

Being a high-level vault, ill effects such as sleep and paralysis were a constant threat. These were the bane of any hunter, and most nobles who absorbed mana material used it to gain resistance to these ailments.

As a member of the imperial family, even Murina had resilience on par with the average hunter. But it wasn’t until a sharp pain had brought her back that she even realized she had passed out. Her vision wavered. Unable to even cry out, she felt woozy.

“Keep fighting until it stops being a problem! That’s how this shit works! Now let the mana material in! T, you’re making a fucking disgrace of yourself! Call yourself a hunter? How long have I been teaching you?!”

“U-Understood. Lizzy!” Tino yelled in a garbled voice. She was next to Murina and struggling to stay on her feet. Through the dense haze that plagued her mind, the imperial princess was deeply impressed that Tino was still able to raise her voice.

Of course, it wasn’t just the environment they were up against. Taking advantage of the ill effects caused by the petals and pollen, the camouflaged phantoms carried out merciless ambushes. Trees could surreptitiously bind you with vines, toxic flowers shot seeds like bullets, and unidentifiable beasts hid among the tall plants.

To Murina, this was a place of unadulterated malice. Supposedly these phantoms were a bit weaker than those found in most Level 7 vaults, but she didn’t think she could defeat them even if she wasn’t hindered by the pollen.

Resisting the effects of the pollen rendered Murina unable to do anything more. She unknowingly approached a phantom lying in wait. Her instincts told her to dodge, but her reflexes couldn’t match her intuition. Meanwhile, her instructors did only the bare minimum to keep her alive.

When a vine grabbed Murina by the ankle and held her aloft, the Grievers stood and watched. When her guards broke free from their bag, they ran for cover. When she had to endure a horde of phantoms with nothing but her wits, her instructors remained idle spectators.

Being flung through the air by a vine had taught her what it meant to be helpless. The boundary between dreams and reality broke down. The stimuli of her five senses blended together into one. Even life and death no longer felt distinct from one another.

In the end, Murina successfully adapted to the environment. By the time she had managed to stay conscious for a reasonable period, she was drenched head-to-toe in potions.

After being healed by Ansem, Karen was just barely hanging on to life.

“D-Do you wretches always train like this—”

“Hah? No, we sure as hell don’t. These guys are strong and nice enough to put up with a bullshit job like this. You think they’d be able to do that if they took the easy route?”

Murina listened indifferently to Karen and Liz’s conversation. She felt feverish, but that was leagues better than her earlier state of nigh unconsciousness. She had vomited repeatedly, but her stomach didn’t feel empty. She couldn’t feel anything, including despair. If nothing else, she was simply thankful that it hadn’t been any worse, that she hadn’t died. Seeing this bunch stay calm in a place like the Garden had taught her just how fearsome hunters really were.

“No time. We’ll have to cut it here,” Liz said with a click of her tongue.

“Hell yeah, now it’s my turn,” Luke said. “I’m gonna teach you about swords. Swords are important. Not a whole lot you can do without ’em.”

These words filtered into Murina’s ears, stimulating her dazed mind and bringing her back to life.

“Swords!” she said. “I like swords! I love them!”

“Oh, funny you should say that. I like swords too! C’mon!”

Swords! Swords! Murina had never taken much of a liking to swords or the art of swordsmanship, but things were different now. Liz’s trials had been extreme beyond measure, but the worst part of them was that Murina had been forced to face phantoms while unarmed. Even if it wouldn’t have made much of a difference, having to face a powerful phantom without even a knife was uniquely terrifying.

Despite feeling like she couldn’t move even a finger, Murina leaped to her feet and caught the sword Luke had tossed to her. She was about to begin rubbing her cheek against it, when she realized something.

“Hm? This is a sword? It’s wooden.”

“That it is. I’m going to tell you a secret—the best Swordsmen aren’t picky about their weapons. With this, you’ll become a great Swordsman, Your Imperial Highness.”

“What are you saying? This won’t cut anything.”

The question spilled out as it entered her mind. With innocent eyes, she gave Luke a blank stare.

“No, it can cut,” said the most notorious Swordsman in the imperial capital. “You can do anything if you really try. That’s what I’m here to teach you. And the best way to do that is by taking down powerful phantoms.”

“Impossible.”

“Don’t worry, all that mana material will help you.”

Impossible. Not even when being trained by the Sword Saint had Murina uttered that word. As she stood vacantly, a horde of phantoms rudely closed in on her.

Worrying about dying was a luxury only available to Murina in the early stages. After that, the alarms stopped going off. Her vague hope that her guards might help her, and her naive belief that she might survive this, both disappeared quickly.

The petals obstructed her vision. The unexpectedly swift phantoms weren’t even scratched by her wooden sword. She hadn’t been able to take hits like the Immutable could, nor had she been able to keep up with the magic lecture that had started abruptly in the middle of the vault.

It was all beyond her. This wasn’t even a place an intermediate hunter could handle. She knew that she would be undergoing intense training. She knew that the Thousand Trials weren’t to be taken lightly. But she never could have predicted this.

No sane man would have casually entrusted Murina to people like this. This wasn’t a trial, this was suicide. Murina was pleased with herself just for surviving this long. Her guards had supposedly been chosen for their post after passing rigorous training, but they had long ago given up on trying to keep her safe.

She was battered in body and spirit. She didn’t have time to check her condition. If not for Ansem’s healing, she would have died a thousand times over. She no longer cared about learning to handle her bad luck. She just wanted to go home. Her misfortune had never brought her anything worse than this. Was this punishment for her inability? If it was, wasn’t it far too harsh? What could this slice of hell possibly have to offer for Murina?

The constant nausea she felt was probably due to the mana material being far denser than what she could handle. The pain had caused her to cry, but her tear ducts had long since dried up. She wanted to go home, take a bath, and sleep in a clean bed. She yearned for the castle she had once grown tired of. She felt like she had been away for years.

As she wondered how many more lessons she still had left, she reached the depths of despair, where she had a revelation.

To live...is to do just that!

“Mmm,” Sitri muttered while watching the imperial princess dry heave. “She’s not getting as strong as I had hoped.”

Murina couldn’t believe her ears. She fought back her nausea and looked up, where she saw Liz taking a break from haranguing Tino.

“Don’t tell me this was a bust? Krai Baby finally gave us a job, I don’t wanna screw it up.”

“She couldn’t cut anything with the wooden sword,” Luke added. “It looks like there’s no shortcuts to strength after all.”

What in the world were they saying? All this had been for nothing? Once dulled by her waking nightmare, Murina’s brain fired itself up again. She absolutely could not accept that nothing had come from her experiences in this hellscape.

“Are we out of time already?” Sitri said. “I suppose she did absorb a fair amount of mana material, and we did teach her the basics.”

Ansem grunted in agreement.

Murina was wracked with queasiness, but she could no longer tell if that was from the mana material or the stress.

Sitri looked at her with a spiteful glare and said, “Well, we’re busy. So let’s move on to the final lesson.”

Final lesson? There was still more? Sitri was the only one who hadn’t given her any training. But she was an Alchemist, not someone who fought on the front lines. Murina had been convinced she simply managed the party.

Murina told herself to keep it together. Her heart would give in if she didn’t. As she looked at Sitri, there was fear and indignation burning in the young princess’s gaze. Sitri gave her a malicious smile and said something unexpected.

“To still be capable of such strong feelings under circumstances like these requires a spirit pliable, yet unbreakable. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a member of the imperial family. But there’s no need to fear. You can rest easy, because my lessons can hardly be called such. I’ll just be doing a blood test. I need to make sure your body is all right. If something happened to you because of our training, it would be quite a mess.”

***

Generally speaking, phantoms were an enemy to mankind. They were life-forms (except they weren’t technically living) made when mana material coalesced into recreations of the past. Even the ones that were intelligent enough to parse human language were still driven by territorial instincts and had no mercy for intruders. What’s more, some phantoms had a resentment for humanity born from the past events that formed their foundation.

But I might have become the very first human to ever make peace with a phantom.

Relaxing in the sunlight, I fiddled with my Smartphone. I couldn’t even begin to guess just how many features this Relic was loaded with. Despite sharing one name, these devices came in endless varieties, each with different capabilities. I was still getting the hang of it, but Little Sister Fox seemed to have plenty of free time, as she was constantly sending me texts.

According to the manuals that were often found with Smartphones, frequently exchanging texts meant two people were friends, or “phone phriends,” as they were called. In other words, Little Sister Fox and I were friends. That, of course, went for her older brother as well. We were in each other’s contacts.

Man, oh man, have I become an intermediate Smartphone user?

Grinning to myself, I looked at the picture sent to me by Little Sister Fox. It was of that day’s fried tofu. The next moment, the door swung open without a single knock. I thrust my phone into my pocket and saw Sitri entering. Her cheeks were flushed and she had a vial so large she had to use both arms to carry it.

“Krai,” she said before I could open my mouth, “about the imperial princess. I believe we’ve succeeded!”

“Ah, thanks. You guys were a huge help. Where’s Princess Murina now?”

“I wanted to bring her with me, but she refused.”

Should I be worried? What sort of training did you guys do?

A scowl briefly crossed my face, but then I noticed Sitri’s smile. It was the pure and innocent smile of a young girl. This was also the smile she made when she wanted my praise. Upon reconsideration, I decided that if they had put Murina through hellish training, it was only natural that they might have earned her ire. I told myself not to worry. Everything was fine. The emperor knew what she had been signed up for.

“As for her training,” Sitri said, “that was a failure. We simply didn’t have enough time.”

What?! What did you just say? Failure? If you failed, then where’s all this confidence coming from?

I knew they hadn’t exactly been set up for success, but I still found her attitude strange. I couldn’t hand out the compliments she clearly wanted.

“Krai, look!”

Sitri gleefully placed the vial before me. It was filled with a dark red liquid. I couldn’t smell it because the vial was sealed, but I still found the potion unsettling. It reminded me of blood. I sat in silence, awaiting an explanation.

Sitri puffed out her chest and said, “The training may not have gone well, but the results are before you.”

I didn’t think. I just let myself become a praise-dispenser.

“Great job, Sitri. You’re incredible.”

“This is Princess Murina’s blood. Thanks to you, I was able to obtain such a large sample from my blood test!”

Excuse me?

My eyes darted back and forth between Sitri and the vial. Blood test? And who was to thank for this? And why was this vial so big? Princess Murina was a small girl; I was pretty sure this was more than her entire body could hold.

“This is imperial blood, perfectly preserved. This isn’t easy to come by! The imperial princess herself isn’t particularly remarkable, but I’m sure this blood is worth researching.”

Then is it really a blood test? What did you do to the imperial princess?!

Sitri’s eyes were shining. Though I knew she had a mad scientist streak in her, I had always considered that to be one of her strengths. But I had just one question on my mind. Just one.

“Is she alive?”

“I gave her a potent hematogenous potion and we healed her in the treasure vault, so I’m sure the mana material is doing its job! It placed a considerable burden on her, but I followed your orders and made sure her life remained intact!”

Sitri, just because something doesn’t result in a fatality doesn’t necessarily make it okay.

Hadn’t I told her to train the imperial princess? Why was she acting like I had ordered all this? I was at a loss. I was always worried about her, but now it looked like she might be facing the death penalty.

I received a summons to the Imperial Castle sooner than I had expected. I normally would’ve taken one of my brains, Sitri or Eva, with me, but this time I went alone. Sitri was out of the question and I was reluctant to take Eva, given the circumstances.

When Franz saw me, he looked at me with a stiff expression. “Krai Andrey, don’t tell me you always go around dressed like that.”

When I received the summons, it felt like I had been given the date of my execution. So of course I had decided to throw on Perfect Vacation.

I was shown to a room that was robust, just like the empire itself. There weren’t many elaborate furnishings, but it still felt like a place where I could relax. Seated further in was a man who clearly had no equal in the entire nation—the emperor himself.

Maybe I was just uninformed, but I didn’t think the emperor normally showed up when people were summoned to his castle. I saw him a lot during the escort job, but that was inevitable. Being granted audiences with the emperor was usually reserved for special occasions like the Gathering of the White Blade. Which is all to say I couldn’t understand what he was doing here. Did he have nothing better to do?

I tried to keep my mind busy with these inordinately rude thoughts, but Franz brought me back to reality by clearing his throat.

“Oh forget it,” he said. “The reason you were called here is—”

“It’s quite all right, Franz,” the emperor cut in. “We’re not in an audience chamber, so there’s no need for all the formalities. I’ll talk with him directly.”

It had been bothering me for a while, but wasn’t this guy a bit too direct? He was always getting personally involved in things. Maybe he had nothing better to do.

Now, what could possibly cause him to summon me like this? Had he found out about what Sitri had done? I couldn’t think of any other explanation. Talking to her, I had learned about the nightmarish training my friends had inflicted on the imperial princess. I know I had told them that they needed to be harsh, but I had assumed they would give Princess Murina the right to refuse.

If their lessons had produced good results, that would’ve been one thing, but that hadn’t happened. And to really make things worse, Sitri had extracted the imperial princess’s blood. Apparently, Sitri was deeply interested in imperial blood. She had told me herself that she had drawn as much as she could. That girl was bad at resisting her curiosity.

I tried to think of what sort of excuse I could offer, but even the excuse master himself was outmatched here. I was like a fish on a cutting board.

“Allow me to offer my deepest thanks for your protection en route to Toweyezant,” the emperor said in his austere voice. “There were a number of vexing issues, but I doubt there are many assassins more capable than the Counter Cascade. I believe we can relax for the time being.”

Hm? Hold on. This isn’t what I thought he’d say.

If he was going to have me killed, I was fairly certain he wouldn’t have started with words of gratitude. I looked at him and Franz with confusion.

“Furthermore, I would also like to thank you for training Murina.”

He doesn’t know?! 

“You’re too kind, Your Imperial Majesty,” I quickly said before the situation could take a turn for the worse. “With the brief time available to us, I’m afraid we were unable to produce ideal results.”

I’m really sorry about the blood extraction thing. Please forgive my friend. But didn’t Murina have guards? What the hell were they doing?

“Ever since my daughter returned home, she’s been so dedicated to learning sword and spell that she barely takes the time to rest. She’s always lamented her bad luck and let it keep a smile off her face. But it seems your lessons changed something about her way of thinking.”

“She almost seems frantic, Your Imperial Majesty,” Franz said while glowering at me. “I’m actually concerned. And we haven’t been able to learn anything from the two guards that accompanied her.”

Sitri had even silenced the witnesses. She didn’t cut corners.

Y’know, I think being forced to train for days on end, then having your veins milked for all they were worth would change anyone’s thinking at least a bit. I hadn’t borne witness to the training, but it sounded like even if Murina’s life was intact, not everything else was.

“By the sound of it, the training was quite something,” the emperor said. “Murina’s remained mum regarding it, but the change in her is remarkable.”

Sitri, you’re amazing! Nobody else has ever been thanked for wringing out someone’s blood!

Walking the border between life and death while inside a treasure vault inundated with mana material would make anyone stronger. Even still, it seemed the results had fallen short of Sitri’s expectations. It was hard, but I managed to keep a cool face in spite of the fact that this man didn’t know that his daughter had been exsanguinated.

“I’m sure no ordinary person could have endured it. I’m sure she has you to thank for that,” I said passionately. “I’ve brought out her talents. It’s my belief that she should be able to face any disaster that might come her way in the future.”

I took the opportunity to praise the imperial princess and keep things vague.

“You’re too kind, Thousand Tricks,” the emperor said with a nod. “It seems the rumors about the Thousand Trials were true.”

Even this guy’s heard about those? How far are those rumors flying?

“No, Your Imperial Majesty, this was not one of the Thousand Trials. I intended to bring Her Imperial Highness to a level where she could compete in the Supreme Warrior Festival, but that goal proved unattainable. I’ve failed you.”

The emperor’s eyes bulged.

“What are you talking about, Krai Andrey?” Franz groaned.

That’s right. In the end, the lessons had been a failure. She might have gotten stronger, but that didn’t mean anything if she hadn’t reached the goal that had been set. To top it off, the training had been used as a cover to drain her blood. The emperor wasn’t as mad as I had thought he would be, but I could tell he wasn’t pleased with me.

The expressions of both Franz and the emperor darkened. Franz waved his arm, dismissing the guards in the room.

“The Supreme Warrior Festival,” Franz said. “We called you out here to discuss Her Imperial Highness, but we’d like to discuss that as well.”

“You would?”

“I had wondered why you wanted a ticket despite already having priority candidacy. It appears there’s going to be a major event in Kreat, isn’t there?”

“Yeah. You could say that.”

I couldn’t help but stare at Franz. The Supreme Warrior Festival was indeed a major event and I had been under the impression everyone knew that it was an annual thing.

“Just when and where did you hear about it?”

“I first heard about it around ten years ago.”

“Ten years?! Ridiculous. Even the Astral Divinarium’s Eye of God couldn’t—”

“Franz, enough. We have bigger concerns than his veracity.”

None of this made any sense to me. A tournament like the Supreme Warrior Festival was known to darn near everyone in the imperial capital. Did they think I was stupid or something? I didn’t think I was that lacking in common knowledge.

“So, Your Imperial Majesty, what shall we do regarding Princess Murina?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

The tournament wasn’t far off, but Sitri was of the opinion that the imperial princess still had far too much room for improvement. If she were to enter the ring like this, a defeat was all but inevitable. That would reflect badly on her, and us, the people who had been tasked with mentoring her. I didn’t want to say what I did, but I didn’t think I had any other choice.

“Her Imperial Highness has shown herself to be diligent and talented, but we simply haven’t had enough time. With your permission, perhaps we could give her further lessons during the journey to the Supreme Warrior Festival.”

I didn’t want to go out of my way to stick my head into danger, but I had no other choice. We were fine for the moment, but if Princess Murina got in a fatal accident in the tournament, it would be all over for Grieving Souls.

“You wretch!” Franz yelled. “After returning to us, Her Imperial Highness slept like a corpse for a full day. Yet you would have her continue to fight? And why do you keep bringing up the Supreme—”

“Well, you’re right. It’s up to Her Imperial Highness, not me, to decide whether or not she fights.”

Quietly grinding his teeth, Franz looked demonic.

I was standing in silence, awaiting an answer, when the emperor looked at me with his piercing blue eyes.

“Hm? Of course I’ll be participating. You aren’t going to let the others do it but ask me to sit out, are you?”

Lucia scowled at me. It wasn’t quite a glare, but it was still overpowering. We were in my room/Relic vault, and she was charging my Relics like she always did. Once it had been a lengthy process, but that had changed with time. Charging used to leave her gasping for breath, but now she could handle seventeen Safety Rings without batting an eye.

Lucia was a superb Magus. She not only knew a wide array of spells, she was also dedicated to developing new ones. She had even begun to gain recognition as one of the best Magi in the imperial capital. As her older brother, all the attention was a bit worrying.

“After asking my mentor, they agreed to let me participate on certain conditions,” she told me. “I understand this won’t be easy. The arena is wide, but still small enough that a Swordsman would have the advantage. Not to mention the rules against fatalities...”

The Supreme Warrior Festival allowed combatants of all fighting styles. But in practice, those built for close-range engagements were the overwhelming majority. The fights were held in a large space, but it was still a distance a skilled warrior could cover in a few bounds. Meanwhile, powerful spells required incantations or set movements. While an expert could cast quickly, that came with the trade-off of producing a weaker spell. Either way, Magi were at a disadvantage.

But Lucia still seemed eager to take part. She could, after all, be surprisingly stubborn. But I still didn’t like the idea of her doing something so dangerous.

“There’s also, well...” she said, rubbing the bracelets on her wrists. “You did give these to me.”

She had really taken a liking to them. If they had been the Counter Cascade’s trump card, then I had no doubts that Lucia could put them to good use.

“I see,” I said. “If you’re that determined, then I’ll cheer you on.”

“Huh? You say that as though this doesn’t concern you.”

Well, yeah. For one thing, the Supreme Warrior Festival only did single combat and I couldn’t dictate how Lucia fought. I didn’t even have the knowledge to do something like that.

“Um. Do you need some encouragement?” I offered.

“If you’re able to worry, perhaps you should worry about yourself.”

“That’s true.”

But I didn’t think worrying would get me anywhere. It wouldn’t make the imperial princess any stronger. Even though I had gotten permission to give her more lessons, her chances of victory were still low.

“Do I need to remind you that these fights are one-on-one?” Lucia asked. “Isn’t that your least favorite?”

“Hm? Not really. I like the tension that comes with one-on-one battles. Of course, you can’t knock brawls and other spectacles. But it’s not like there’s any point in griping about the format.”

I didn’t like participating in any sort of fight, but I enjoyed watching all sorts. However, when I was going on hunts with Grieving Souls, I got to experience plenty of spectacle fights firsthand. After that, even sitting on the sidelines was something I was willing to live without.

Lucia blinked, then looked at me strangely. “Leader, you’re acting awfully sure of yourself. Do you have another bizarre idea in your head?”

“I’m just hoping this tournament goes well.”

I didn’t want Lucia to put herself in danger, but it was too late to say that when she was already a treasure hunter.

“Oh right,” I said. “Did everyone else manage to secure a spot in the tournament?”

“Yes, so it seems. Though I hear Luke got a thorough scolding from his mentor.”

Nothing is more powerful than a meathead with a clear goal in mind. I wonder what he did.

“By the sound of it, Siddy and the others also had a tough time getting in at the last minute. Even I had to do some bargaining. The only one relaxing is you.”

“Every move I make just seems to make things worse, so I try to move as little as I can.”

I was incompetent, but I was at least aware of it.

“Goodness!” Lucia groaned.

Enduring an icy glare from my sister, I pulled a Relic from a shelf and began polishing it, when Eva stepped in.

She placed a thick stack of papers on my desk and said, “Krai, I know what you said, but I compiled all the information I could regarding the Supreme Warrior Festival. Thanks to preliminary tournaments, I was able to gather information regarding who might be participating. Though I didn’t make a section for Grieving Souls.”

“What? I thought I said that wasn’t necessary. Besides, nothing’s official yet, is it?”

“Please, just look. There was something that caught my eye.”

You sure worry a lot. I’ll tell you right now, I won’t be able to figure out anything just by looking at documents.

Eva was giving me a fierce look, so I went along with it and opened up a file. Inside were detailed profiles of the participants. It was a little scary just how quickly she managed to gather all this info in such a short time. We had only just talked about this the day before.

Flipping through the papers, I saw a number of names that even I recognized.

“Oh? Touka’s going to be there,” I commented.

“Yes, she considers it part of her job,” Eva replied.

I see. Taking part in this might bring in new clients. That sounds like the sort of profit-driven thing she might do.

Kongoin Touka was the leader—or rather, captain—of the Knights of the Torch, one of First Steps’s parties. I had heard that they had returned while I was out protecting the emperor. Did this tournament have something to do with that? I wasn’t sure what to think about the fact that so many from our clan would be in this tournament, but at least we were mostly all friends in First Steps.

“I’ll have to cheer her on,” I said. “I hope she shows me a good fight.”

“Krai, you really aren’t concerned, are you?”

“My brot— Our leader’s always been like this.”

I was a coward, but even I didn’t see any reason to be afraid if I was just a spectator.

As I browsed the list, a line grabbed my attention. My hands stopped, and my eyes opened wide. Eva gulped as she watched me. It was the name of a participant, the name of a hunter, that had caught me. I rubbed my eyes, but it became clear they weren’t deceiving me. I couldn’t stop a smile from forming on my face.

“Hmm? Leader of Bereaving Souls, Krahi Andrihee? Heh. What a coincidence.”

This must’ve been the bit that had caught Eva’s eye. I could see why. Unfortunately, there was no picture included, but his name and party name were just like those of mine. What were the chances of that? If even our faces turned out to be similar, I’d assume he was the real one.

“Thanks, Eva,” I said, handing the papers back to her. “That’s incredible. I haven’t seen anything this funny in a while.”

“‘Krahi Andrihee,’” Lucia grumbled. “We’ll need to contact the tournament’s management. How in the world do you get a participant’s name wrong?”

I had to tell the rest of my friends about this. I was sure they would get a kick out of it. Though I didn’t have any say in it, I thought it would be perfect if Luke or someone got matched up against Krahi. It would be even better if this Krahi guy turned out to be extremely powerful. We’d be laughing about it over drinks for years to come.

“That’s right, Krai,” Eva said, “Branch Manager Gark wishes to speak with you. He said he’ll be waiting at the Hidden Curse clan house.”

“Oh, yeah.”

In all likelihood, he probably wanted to talk about Telm and Kechachakka. I had totally forgotten about them. I was still coming to grips with the fact they were both agents of Fox. But Telm had also belonged to Hidden Curse and I had found Kechachakka through the Explorer’s Association. What they had done wasn’t my fault, but I still had a responsibility to explain what had happened.

I’m sure the Association is being badgered about why they introduced me to a backstabber. Ahh. I really don’t wanna go.

“He said that if you don’t have time, he’ll come to you instead,” Eva told me. “What shall we do?”

He’s resorting to intimidation?! Doesn’t he have any pride as a hunter?!

I didn’t see what other choice I had. I would just have to grovel and be ready to flee at any given moment.

The Hidden Curse clan house was in the central region of the imperial capital. It was a high-class area with extraordinary property values that hosted the residences of people like Lord Gladis. This district was near the Imperial Castle, though “near” was a relative term as it was still a few kilometers away.

The clan house was made of brick and conformed to an older style of architecture. Nearly everyone knew about this mansion and its clock tower. It stood tall over the neighboring mansions and rumor had it that you could see the whole capital from the top. It spoke to this clan’s renown and history that they were able to get away with building something that dwarfed the mansions of the nobility.

I thought back to when I was still new to the imperial capital. I had gone on a little sightseeing trip to see this place. Hidden Curse was among the oldest clans in the capital and recruited Magi. Their headquarters was envied by all hunters, and for some reason, Lucia and I found ourselves being treated to tea at the top of the tower.

Before us was a witch with a sharp glare, a sardonic smile, and an age I couldn’t even begin to guess. Next to her was a bald giant with a scowl on his partially tattooed face. This man was much more terrifying than any hunter I had ever come across. What could I possibly have done to deserve this?

“I’ve been waiting for you,” the witch said with a chuckle. “Oh, the news of you has kept me entertained.”

“You’re always running this way and that to get away from me, but now I didn’t have to twist your arm. Are you sick?” the giant asked.

Without twisting my arm?! Are you for real?! 

What a joke. I would never willingly go to a place that had two members of the capital’s Scariest Top Five Hunters.

I was trying to calm myself down with some escapism, when Arty said, “Gark, what sort of person do you think Krai is? The Thousand Tricks would never run away from someone!”

“H-He’s right!” Mary added. She and Arty were serving the tea. “I’ll remind you that Krai is Lucia’s older brother.”

At first, I didn’t see what that had to do with it. But I guess it was true that I wouldn’t try and run away so long as Lucia was nearby.

Somewhat resigned, I folded my legs and said with as much sarcasm as I could, “Of course I’ll show up if you threaten to come kicking down the doors of my place.”

“Don’t say it like that!” Gark protested. “I didn’t threaten you!”

He had done something close enough. Gark might not have resorted to those sorts of methods, but the pyromaniac lady definitely would have. I wouldn’t call her a pyromaniac if she wasn’t one.

“Thing is, I’ve been meaning to meet with the Abyssal Inferno,” I said. “And I think I know what you wanted to talk to me about.”

“Oh, you honor me. But what’s been stopping you from paying me a visit?”

That should be obvious. I didn’t want to see you, so I was putting it off.

Ideally, I would have never had to meet with her.

The old witch sighed as though coming to terms with something. That alone made me nauseous.

“Never mind that. I’ve got my own matters to take care of, so let’s not waste any time.” The Abyssal Inferno snickered. “One of mine gave you a bit of trouble I hear.”

She didn’t look particularly apologetic.

“I don’t mind,” I said without thinking. “He was a great help on the road. I hear he was an excellent Magus.”

Not only was he a skilled Magus, he had far more sense than the old lady before me.

“However, Gark,” I said, “Kecha was unforgivable. That guy was beyond suspicious. I could understand how Telm got through, but Kecha shouldn’t have made it onto that list.”

That man was so suspicious that it actually made him inconspicuous. What was up with that guy? An assassin shouldn’t be allowed to do that.

“S-Sorry about that,” Gark muttered.

He was absolutely red in the face. Did he hate apologizing to me that much?

C’mon, I’m always groveling before you! Why don’t you give it a try?

Of course, hell would freeze over before I actually said something like that.

“But if you thought he was suspect, you should have said something at the time!” Gark argued. “You need to stop keeping stuff like this to yourself!”

I couldn’t do that. Even now, I was struggling to keep up with the situation.

A few weeks prior, I had borrowed Telm from Hidden Curse so I could take him with me to protect the empire. That turned out to be a poor call, as he was actually a member of an infamous organization!

For some reason, he had loyally protected the emperor for the first stretch of the journey. For some reason, he suddenly revealed his identity. For some reason, he suddenly ran off. And now for some reason, he was Older Brother Fox’s plaything. Why? No matter how many times I looked back on it, I couldn’t figure it out. Why had he suddenly asked if I was one of his comrades?!

“You can’t blame me for that,” I said, nodding to myself. “Even I was surprised when Kecha turned out to be an assassin. I wasn’t expecting to be betrayed by both the vice clan leader of Hidden Curse and a hunter bearing your recommendation, Gark.”

It was easy to accept that Kecha had been a traitor, but I was still wrapping my head around the idea that Telm had been working for the other side. Utterly baffling that the scorched earth lady had a clean record, but Telm was a turncoat.

When I looked up, the Abyssal Inferno was inexplicably smiling at me, her eyes wide open. Gark’s cheek was twitching, a gesture so scary that I would’ve started groveling in any other situation.

“Hmph. No, I suppose you weren’t,” said the witch.

“We’ve begun rooting out and taking care of those involved,” said the giant.

Taking care of?! What does that mean? Am I going to be next?

“Ever since our days at the academy, Telm the Counter Cascade was diligent,” the old lady said, her smile fading. “He never broke the rules, even the most trivial ones. He looked especially good when compared to Noctus Cochlear and myself.”

I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I could tell I was supposed to keep quiet by the reactions of everyone else. The old lady glanced at the Relic worn on Lucia’s wrists and continued.

“If he hadn’t accepted my invitation to join Hidden Curse, there would probably be another powerful Magi clan in the capital. And that would’ve made things around here a bit more interesting. That man did everything properly and without error. If he got on the wrong track, it’s not surprising to see how far he went on it. Heh heh, you see, boy, I’ve got a small regret. Telm the Counter Cascade shouldn’t have walked by my side, he should have been my competitor! Maybe that way he wouldn’t have gone down the wrong path.”

Her voice was dry, but I could tell how much emotion was behind it. It seemed this lady was human after all.

I was wondering what to say when her mouth contorted into a deep, deep smile.

“Tell me, boy. Will Telm come back?”

“That’s, um, up to Telm.”

I couldn’t exactly say no.

“Well, I’m glad he’s not dead. I’ll settle things with my own two hands. While my body can still move, before I make way for the next generation, I’ll make sure Fox and their lackeys are reduced to nothing more than piles of ash.”

She wasn’t yelling, but her voice still shook the table. She may have been smiling, but burning deep in her eyes were tongues of hellfire.

“P-Please calm down, CM!” Arty called.

Without even beginning an incantation, flames began to form around her crimson hair. They said the best Magi could make phenomena occur through sheer will, but I was still pretty sure something about this lady was off.

She wanted to incinerate Telm. She hoped he was alive, so she could carry out the aforementioned incineration. That didn’t sound like the reasoning of a fellow human being. This guy was a former ally of hers. I mean, if Lucia joined Fox, then I’d probably go with her.

Thank goodness the Abyssal Inferno was on our side. It didn’t seem like she was inclined to incinerate me, but I still wanted to get out of that suffocating tower.

“That’s enough,” Gark bravely cut in, causing the Abyssal Inferno to relax just a bit.

Just as I was breathing an internal sigh of relief, Gark made a smile just as vicious as the old lady’s.

“Now for the reason I called you here,” he said. “Thousand Tricks, we’ve got a big task ahead of us. Fox dared to screw with us. We’re going to crush ’em.”

Arty and Mary listened intently. So did Lucia, for some reason. As usual, the only person not being serious was me. I thought for a moment.

“Sorry,” I said with a hard-boiled smile. “But can I use your bathroom?”

When I got to the bathroom, I found that iron bars had been installed over the window. I felt sick to my stomach.

We sped back to the clan house. During the trip, I stayed silent, as did Lucia. Was I crazy for thinking those people were lunatics? Why were they blatantly picking a fight with some maniacal secret organization? Why did they take for granted that I would lend them a hand? Compared to Telm the Counter Cascade’s Fox, I much preferred the phantom fox that had given me a Smartphone in exchange for fried tofu. If Gark wanted help, he should’ve hit up Franz.

Moving of their own accord, my hands pulled out my Smartphone and sent a text reading “I’m screwed” to Big Brother Fox. He immediately replied, “That’s nice.” Nothing nice about it.

At the meeting, I had managed to shake Gark off by telling him I was busy and would have to talk again another time. I had dodged a bullet, but I felt as though my life had only been extended by a matter of seconds. How pathetic that I couldn’t shake him off with the word “no.”

I’m busy. I’ve got things to do, I told myself. I had to go to the Supreme Warrior Festival, and there was that request from the emperor. I didn’t have time for things like criminal organizations!

When we got back, I made a beeline to the vice clan master.

“Eva! Evaaa! We’re leaving the imperial capital immediately!”

“Wh-What? Where’s this coming from?”

I hadn’t been in her office for some time. I made my way through the miscellaneous objects piled about and yelled, “We can’t stick around here, we have to get to the town of the Supreme Warrior Festival! Which town was it again?!”

“B-But Krai, there’s still time until the tournament. Has something happened?”

“Not yet, but we need to get going so it stays that way.”

I was freaking out. When Gark said he was going to do something, he really did it. He had taken care of some of his employees, and I could very well be next.

And then there was the Abyssal Inferno. She had mentioned making way for the next generation, but I was pretty sure she would outlive them. I could tell she would be all too happy to immolate me if I said I didn’t want to help exterminate Fox. Safety Rings weren’t much use if you were in the middle of a blaze.

“Brother, in exchange for getting entry into the tournament, I have something I need—” Lucia stopped and looked the other way. “Oh, never mind.”

“Very well. I’ll begin preparing,” Eva said and stood up. It seemed she realized that I was serious. “However, gathering the clan members on such short notice—”

“Forgot about them,” I said frantically. “But make sure Grieving Souls come along.”

I sure as hell can’t go by myself! I need to call them over. Ah, but I also have to pick my Relics.

“Is it something that serious?” Eva asked.

“Huh? No, not that serious.”

Not even Gark or that old lady would go after someone without good reason. The issue was that they always thought they had a good reason to go after me.

“But what if Princess Murina isn’t ready—”

Before Eva could finish that statement, she abruptly turned towards the window. I walked up next to her and followed her gaze to the ground below. I was dumbfounded. There was a small, nondescript carriage parked outside the entrance to the clan house.

“I see,” Eva said with a small sigh. “What perfect timing. Well then, I’ll make arrangements. Krai, if you would begin your own preparations.”

Sorry for everything I put you through.