Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter Dreams of a Hero ~ - Volume 7 - Chapter 2.2

I heard an adorable scream from Lucia. That didn’t happen very often.

“He’s real?! Oh give me a break,” she groaned.

“Thousandfold Theurgics,” Sitri repeated in a placid voice, ignoring my excitement. “That title doesn’t exist. Must be self-proclaimed.”

Despite his violent rage, Hanneman the Iron Arm was now out cold. As though to show he had lost interest, the Thousandfold Theurgics turned with a billow of his mantle and walked away. He comported himself with pride and austerity, unconcerned with the many sets of eyes on him. He was no ordinary fellow. Even his most minute movements were refined. He was cool. He was hard-boiled.

And then it finally occurred to me—was this the Krahi Andrihee from Eva’s list? There couldn’t have been more than one real me, so there was no mistaking it. How exciting!

“The Thousandfold Theurgics. Krahi Andrihee,” I said to myself. I felt like I was seeing a living legend. “Is he going to be in the Supreme Warrior Festival?”

“So it seems,” Sitri replied in a monotone voice.

Suddenly, Krahi turned our way. Lucia began to tremble. Eyes the color of onyx peeked out from beneath his mask. His hair was the same color. He was dampened by the rain, but that only enhanced his presence. I noticed Sitri and Lucia had both removed their masks without me noticing it. I began to feel nervous.

“That’s a nice mask, young man,” he said to me.

The more I looked at him, the more certain I became that he was the real one. We shared many elements, but every bit of him was a hundred times cooler than me. I recalled hearing a saying about how everyone has three doppelgängers. It was much more likely that I was the copy. But even saying that I resembled him felt presumptuous.

“Hm. My apologies,” he said, “but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Are you three by any chance fans of mine?”

“That’s right!” I told him. “Can I get your autograph?”

“Huuuh?” Lucia said.

“But of course!” Krahi answered.

I wasn’t exactly a fan of his, but I had no choice but to become one. He looked just like me and was super strong.

In this situation, I would’ve smiled uncomfortably, but Krahi was simply nodding. That’s the difference between a real one and a copy. He removed a pen and slip of paper from his pocket and wrote with a fluid motion. I was deeply impressed. At this point, I considered him so great that I could never hope to imitate him.

“Here you are,” he said. “This is my first time coming to this town, which makes you my first fan from here.”

“Thank you so much! You see, my name is Krai.”

Both Sitri’s and Lucia’s eyes threatened to bulge from their sockets. Krai and Krahi. What a funny coincidence.

Krahi Andrihee gulped, then said, “Oh my. What a twist of fate that is!”

He seemed incredibly happy. So how would he react to find that our last names were also similar?

“And I couldn’t help but be interested—”

“Incredible! What a lovely twist of fate! Now, I’d love to introduce you to the rest of Bereaving Souls, but I’m afraid I’ve yet to meet up with them. They arrived before me, you see.”

“That’s a shame. What sort of party are they?”

“Ah, indeed, their names aren’t well known yet. But I see no reason to hide them from you.” Krahi put a hand to his chin, a very hard-boiled pose. “First, a Swordsman of exceptional intelligence who calmly corners his foes—Kule Saicool, the Protean Sortie. He’s the designer of this mask and the brains of our party,” Krahi proudly declared.

I was caught off guard. Not only did Kule sound like an upgraded Luke, but he also sounded really cool.

Sitri’s shoulders were shaking. I hadn’t seen her like this in a good long while. She always wore a cool exterior, but she actually had a really good, but odd, sense of humor. Meanwhile, Lucia’s expression was stiff as stone. The last time I had seen her like this...hadn’t been that long ago actually.

“Next, a quick-witted Thief. She sometimes uses her cleverness for evil, but she’s saved our party on a number of occasions—Elizabeth Smyat, the Eyeful Shadow. Or Izabee, as we like to call her.”

Smyat. Cute in a way. And Izabee. Hmm.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had a doppelgänger. It was an incredible coincidence, but it wasn’t much compared to running into a treasure vault in the sky. And how could a shadow be an eyeful?

I looked at the Smyat next to me, her head down and shoulders heaving, and asked Krahi, “Do you perhaps have an Alchemist?”

“That we do! Kutri Smyat, the Ignorable!”

This was something else. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but Krahi sounded proud, so I was sure she was a good girl, just like our Sitri.

“Isn’t that incredible?” I said, poking Sitri’s quaking shoulder. “I bet she’s not as smart as you though.”

“Ignorable,” my dear friend said in a quiet, strained voice. “Please. Try a bit harder.” Then she hit me.

The very handsome Krahi approached Lucia—who was as loud and bombastic as a statue—and bent down a tad so he could look her in the eye.

“There’s no need to be so tense, young lady,” he said. “You three are my first fans. How about an autograph?”

Without saying a word, Lucia made a fist and in one smooth motion drove it right into Krahi’s face.

When we met up with the rest of the group, they were all bewildered when we told them about our little experience.

“Huuh?! He’s not our fan?!” Liz cried.

“Damn,” Luke said with a tsk, “I was bored, so I thought I might cut him down, but Liz said they might be a subsidiary of ours.”

Ansem grunted, and our not so easily ignored Smyat signaled her agreement with a groan.

Why the hell would we have subsidiaries? 

After talking to them, it seemed that the bandits’ objective had been a Relic placed under tight security at a local museum. The fires had been set to throw the town into chaos, but thanks to the help of people like my friends (and Krahi) the issue had been resolved without any casualties and the Relic remained secure. I wanted to see what sort of Relic would warrant the cooperation of so many criminals, but I didn’t have the time to spare.

Being forced to run all that way, only to then be shoved into an assault team had left the imperial princess and her guard beyond exhausted. Liz was completely unbothered by this; she was far more interested in her sister’s complexion.

“By the way, Siddy,” she said, “what’s up with your face? You’re all red.”

“It seemed something tickled her funny bone,” I said.

“Well of course. Ignorable,” Sitri said. “It makes no sense. What a stupid name. How in the world do you end up with a title like that?!”

“Yeah, uh-huh. Anyway, it seems like we might have some trouble getting along with them. I’ve never seen Lucia deck a stranger like that before.”

The way Krahi took down Hanneman with ease, but then got sent flying by a punch from Lucia had been positively absurd. But Krahi had forgiven her, a sign of his deep magnanimity.

“C-Can you blame me?” Lucia protested. “That was just too much.”

“Ah, I forgot to ask if they had a Lucia look-alike.”

“Krai,” Sitri said, “Lucy loves her brother far too much to allow something like—”

Before Sitri could finish her joke, Lucia’s full-power fist slammed into her. It was an excellent feat of pugilism. It seemed like she was improving with every swing. Soon she’d be able to take on the world.

I ignored my friends’ clamoring and, attempting to initiate Krahi, said in a hard-boiled voice, “I look forward to seeing him at the Supreme Warrior Festival.”

***

A man of average build, clad in a black coat and wearing a fox mask, stood opposite a fearsome hunter. The moment Galf Shenfelder the Bandit King and Fox of the seventh tail saw that, he thought his heart might stop.

The plan had been proceeding smoothly. They had a diversion team and a team to steal the Relic. They even had people on the inside. Failure was all but impossible, and sure enough, they had succeeded in making off with the Relic. Hanneman’s diversion had been a success and nobody had noticed that the item on display had been replaced with a fake.

So why had there been a man in a fox mask back there? Foxes were the symbol of Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox. Most of their members owned a vulpine mask and wore them during operations. But not many members were aware that a white fox mask was proof that someone belonged to the upper echelons. Galf Shenfelder was fairly high-ranked himself, and only once before had he ever seen one such mask.

Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox had been formed after its founder had acquired a mask from a treasure vault inhabited by a god. The mask was beautiful; just glancing at it sent a shiver down one’s spine. And the mask worn by that young man was unmistakably the real thing.

Galf could hardly believe it. Fox’s top members rarely strayed from the shadows, yet this man had been standing out in broad daylight. It was inconceivable. Normal members wore fox masks during missions in order to make their organization known, but this was entirely different.

Even while carrying out the plan, Galf had been without fear, but seeing that white mask sent a shiver down his spine. It was a novel sensation to him. The closest he had come to feeling like this was when Hanneman had been captured, but even that was a minor issue.

Galf stopped himself. He had realized something. The man in the white mask had been talking to that hunter. He had been talking to the Thousand Tricks. That was the man believed to be responsible for stopping the Counter Cascade and the Dragon Caller. Was the boss attempting to gauge the opposition with his own eyes?

The bosses of Fox were no stranger to combat. Some rumors suggested that those at the top were comparable to a Level 10 hunter. It was an extraordinary rumor, but not altogether unbelievable. To Galf, that man in the fox mask had seemed completely defenseless, but that could’ve just been a sign of his confidence.

Nothing seemed to have been settled during their conversation. The boss talked with the Thousand Tricks, and the Thousand Tricks didn’t seem to realize who was in front of him.

Fortunately, Galf and his cohorts were about to begin a major operation. He had a way to welcome the boss, and to verify that he was who he appeared to be. Galf closed his eyes, adjusting his focus. He had to make sure. With that in mind, he ran off.

***

I really did feel safer with the rest of my party around. While batting away monsters and the other usual troublemakers, we made our way to our destination. I had already had one nice meeting, so maybe that luck would continue.

Maybe my negative luck and Murina’s negative luck are combining to make positive luck. Wait. Didn’t I say something like this once before?

“It really is different when you’re around, Krai,” Luke said after cutting down a wolflike creature with his wooden sword.

“How’s it different?”

“These guys aren’t much trouble, but they’re good practice for the tournament.”

Ansem grunted, signaling his agreement with our not-so-cool Luke.

Hey, tell me, what’s different?

I always wondered what my friends did when I wasn’t around, but they always offered to take me with them, so they didn’t seem to think I was much of a burden.

“Don’t think!” Liz scolded. “You don’t need to use your worthless brain, just move forward! If you don’t kill them, the others will beat you to it! Don’t think, just kill any enemies that get in your way!”

Princess Murina let out a cry, much louder than before.

“Your Imperial Highness, be careful!” her guards shouted.

It sure is peaceful. In a way.

I was willing to bet our party was the only one that competed for kills. But maybe Bereaving Souls did?

This festival was known far and wide. We lived in an era dominated by the resources retrieved from treasure vaults. Anyone who could slay powerful monsters and phantoms was bound to draw attention.

The excitement surrounding the Supreme Warrior Festival easily exceeded that of the Zebrudia auction. We were traveling along a road that spanned multiple nations, and as we approached our destination we encountered more and more carriages headed in the same direction.

It wasn’t just hunters gathering for the Supreme Warrior Festival. There were the obvious candidates like merchants and nobles, but there were also groups of people that made hunters look gentle, and carriages that clearly belonged to civilians yet were brazenly traveling without protection. It was a little glimpse into the varied chaos of the world.

“That’s right. Are you going to be participating?” I asked Ansem, who was walking alongside the carriage.

Our stalwart, armor-clad Paladin nodded in response. Even though we were one of many carriages, he wasn’t drawing many gazes. That was because he was using his Relic, Fluctuating Fortress, to make himself about two meters tall, less than half his natural size.

Though it required every inch of him to be covered in armor to be activated, it was an invaluable tool now that Ansem was all but unaffected by Lucia’s magic. The armor seemed awfully uncomfortable, but I didn’t want people harassing our sanest member. But two meters was still pretty big.

“Even if they’re not all participating, there’s gonna be plenty of talent everywhere you look,” Luke said, his burning blood strongly contrasting with Ansem.

“And if you make a good showing in the tournament, you might arouse their interest,” Sitri chimed in, pouring oil onto the fire.

Were we headed into a period of decline? I know I was the one who had suggested going to the tournament, but it was only just dawning on me that I might be in danger. Ark was proof that not all high-level hunters had a thirst for blood, but this was a place where people were gathering to fight for supremacy.

I decided I better hide my face as much as I could. There would probably be other people wearing masks, albeit not many. I didn’t like standing out, but having my face seen was even less appealing.

And so we finally reached Kreat, the host of the Supreme Warrior Festival, the town of blades and battles. There was still some time before the event, but a strange atmosphere already pervaded the town. We had already felt it in small amounts in the towns we had stopped at on the way, but it hadn’t been anywhere near as intense as in Kreat itself.

The streets were packed with seasoned hunters, mercenaries, and other sorts who made their living through violence. You could occasionally spot treasure hunters in the imperial capital, but not like this.

However, the number of tournament participants was fairly limited, so most of these people were probably here for the same reason that I was. They had come to witness clashes between people who had absolute confidence in their strength, and to see the birth of a new Supreme Warrior. There weren’t many opportunities to see so many famous names gathered in one spot.

Any man would get excited to see combatants vie to be the best. I’m so glad I came!

Surrounded by my friends, I wore my mask as I walked through the streets. Anyone could be hidden among the flood of people, so the imperial princess kept her hood up. She seemed frantic, as though this was her first time being in a crowd. But she didn’t have to worry. Ansem was leading the way, which meant even misfortune would turn and run from us.

“Hey, who do you think the strongest challenger is?” Liz asked. “Ah, besides me.”

“There’s gotta be a dragon with a sword. There just has to,” Luke said. “If Krai’s here then I just know there’s gonna be one. Come, blade-wielding dragon!”

“Mmm. Wear and tear has decided winners in the past,” Sitri said contemplatively. “And not every participant has been the honorable sort, so there’s been some underhanded methods. But I imagine all the champions have been beyond reproach.”

She appeared to be calm, but I had to remind myself that she would be joining the fray despite the fact that she was an Alchemist.

“Underhanded methods, huh?” I said in a hard-boiled voice, clenching my fist. “I’m getting excited just thinking about it. Arrows, cannons, dragons, bring it all on!”

“Leader, what are you on about?” Lucia asked.

“Well, everyone’s so excited, I thought I’d join in.”

The town felt like it was in the middle of a festival. There were vendors with stalls, and delicious aromas floated about. I looked this way and that, until I found one that interested me. It was lined with dragons made of chocolate and ice cream. I had never seen anything like this before, but you can’t go wrong with chocolate and ice cream.

“What’s the matter?” Lucia looked at me skeptically when she saw I had come to a halt. Of the two of us, she was the more financially responsible one. Every time I wasted money, I’d get an earful from her.

Yeah, uh-huh. I know, my debt and everything.

“I-I’ll be right back. Wait right here.”

“Huh? Oh. All right.”

I figured they’d forgive me, so off I went.

I was making my way to the stall while trying to avoid the mobs of people, when I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned around and saw I had been stopped by a nice-looking young woman dressed in a robe like what a priest might wear. She had long silver hair and appeared to be a few years younger than me. But the way she comported herself and her wavering gaze gave her an aloof impression.

Needless to say, I didn’t recognize her.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Right this way,” she said.

“Huh?”

Without saying anything more, the girl pulled my hand. It wasn’t a strong pull, but it was still enough to drag me along. To my bewilderment, she took me through the crowds, past the stalls, and down a narrow alley. I managed to turn around just once and saw Lucia looking at me agape.

Usually, when I got abducted, she would gripe and groan but still come to my aid. Except it looked like she didn’t think I was being abducted this time around.

Abduction. It’s not exactly violent, but this is an abduction, right?! Okay, even if it’s not an abduction per se—

“Um, I think you have the wrong—”

“No, I’m quite certain I have the right person. Right this way.”

She definitely had the wrong person. My memory wasn’t the best, but I absolutely would’ve remembered a weirdo like this. But my kidnapper didn’t seem at all interested in my thoughts on the matter.

“I really wanted to try one of those dragons,” I said.

“I’ll have it arranged.”

You’d do that for me?

She dragged me along through the narrow gaps between the buildings. Unlike the bustling streets, there wasn’t a single person in these back alleys. I never would’ve gone somewhere like this alone, but the mysterious priestess moved without hesitation.

Then, halfway down an alley, a door opened beside us. I hadn’t even noticed the battered thing. The girl entered the door without the slightest pause. And because she was still gripping my hand, I came in behind her.

I was beyond confused.

“Right this way,” she said.

That didn’t make me any less confused.

We proceeded through what appeared to be an abandoned building, then down a staircase that appeared out of nowhere. There wasn’t much illumination, causing me to stumble a bit. It seemed someone had been keeping the place clean, as it didn’t smell bad at all.

Underground was a sturdy metal door that was entirely at odds with the dilapidated scenery. The girl whispered something through the door, and the next moment there was a loud clunk as it unlocked.

“Right this way.”

I followed along and was thrown for a loop by what I saw. The room was wide, with countless candles along the wall fending off the darkness. But what brought me to a halt were the figures in the center.

I couldn’t discern anyone’s age or gender. Despite their numbers, I couldn’t hear so much as a breath from them. But what unnerved me the most was that they all wore fox masks. They appeared to have been purchased from a store and their designs were different from mine. There were plump foxes, red foxes, smiling foxes, honestly it was impressive. I was delighted and dazzled.

Just who were these people? I wasn’t sure, but we were in an underground room and everyone had a fox mask on. I thought it over for a moment, then went with my best guess.

“It seems you really do have the wrong person,” I said in a hard-boiled voice. “I might have a fox mask, but I’m not part of the Fox Mask Fan Club.”

***

What the hell is this guy talking about?

Beneath his mask, Galf furrowed his brow. The other members seemed equally confused by the boss’s mysterious remark. Wearing these masks was part of their organization. The masks they wore weren’t authentic, but nobody had ever mocked them with a term like “Fox Mask Fan Club.”

The boss shrugged. He looked entirely unremarkable, but his mask commanded a strong presence. Within Fox, higher-ranked members had to be obeyed no matter the circumstance. If this man said they were the Fox Mask Fan Club, then Galf had no choice but to dedicate himself to such a club.

“Ah. Can I take your photo?” the man asked while removing a slab from his pocket.

Galf had heard rumors of these Relics. They were called Smartphones. This man seemed too flippant to be a leader of Fox, but it wasn’t Galf’s place to decide things like that. He looked at the Holy Fox Maiden he had called out for this plan.

The Holy Fox Maidens held a special place in the organization. They worshipped the gods that had inspired Fox’s foundation. One of their roles was to verify the identities of bosses, something otherwise shrouded in layers of mystery.

The Maiden closed her eyes. Galf didn’t know how she had done it, but he was glad she had brought the boss to them. He had met a number of Maidens before, but this one was on the younger side. Still, that didn’t make her any less deserving of the respect and discretion offered to others of her kind.

The Maiden opened her eyes halfway, as though in a trance. Silently, she looked at the man. Galf felt a pang of uncertainty.

The Maiden’s eyes flew open and she declared, “There is no doubt of his divinity. Kneel, for you are before the White Fox.”

Galf was immediately on one knee, as were his cohorts. Derived from the masks they wore, “the White Fox” was a name given to bosses. If the Maiden deemed him to be genuine, then there was no doubt about it. Galf was fairly high in Fox’s hierarchy, but this was the first time he had ever gotten so close to a boss. It didn’t seem like anyone he had met before, but it was an open secret that there was more than one White Fox.

The boss seemed taken aback by everyone’s sudden display of fealty.

“Wha? Why are you kneeling?!” he said.

“Please forgive my previous discourtesy, O White Fox.”

“Are you referring to this mask? Is it really rare enough to warrant the kneeling?”

The air was tense. Though he sounded oddly genuine, he couldn’t possibly be serious. He must’ve been angry. Galf couldn’t think of any alternative. He probably had been upset by how long they had taken to catch on. They shouldn’t have doubted the authenticity of his mask. But that man’s attitude was bold enough to invite Galf’s suspicions, and he knew what an authentic mask looked like. Maidens were usually composed, but this one looked just slightly nervous.

“I mean, yeah, I guess you don’t see one every day,” the boss continued. “But still, I just don’t understand. I’m not part of the Fox Mask Fan Club, I just came here to watch the Supreme Warrior Festival.”

What he was really saying was that he had no use for people who couldn’t even recognize their boss. Nobody dared so much as breathe after hearing his biting sarcasm.

As the highest-ranking member, it fell to Galf to speak up. He forced his tongue into motion and said, “Boss, we of the ‘Fox Mask Fan Club’ have already begun preparing for the Supreme Warrior Festival. Please, allow us to show you what we’ve done.”

“‘Boss’? Oh, I get it. I appreciate the sentiment, but I came here with my friends.”

Galf hadn’t been informed of this, but it sounded like there was another team. Perhaps some elites were on standby in case his team failed. Or maybe there was another plan also underway. Worst case, the boss was suggesting another team could be taking over. But if he were to be denied the opportunity to run his own plan, not even someone of the seventh tail would be able to quietly sit by and accept it.

“We wait in anticipation,” Galf said. “If you need anything, please call upon us.”

The boss seemed slightly troubled, but then shrugged with resignation.

***

Sora Zohlo the Holy Fox Maiden battled fiercely to hide just how nervous she was on her first job.

Born to a respected line of clerics, it was all but inevitable for her to begin training to be a Maiden at a very young age. The history of the Holy Fox Maidens predated the very organization they belonged to. They underwent special training and were blessed with the ability to see who was and wasn’t connected to the divine foxes.

However, the fact of the matter was that they had few actual opportunities to judge whether a fox mask was authentic or not. The fox gods refrained from stepping into the material world, and the bosses kept their whereabouts a secret. It was said that some Maidens had gone their entire careers without ever laying eyes on a boss.

It was a tremendous honor to stand before a boss of Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox, for they were blessed and bore masks granted by the gods themselves. But it was also a tremendous burden for Sora Zohlo, as she was still new to her position.

The weight of her judgment had caused momentary hesitation. A Fox would never doubt the words of a Maiden, therefore erroneous judgments were unforgivable. The mask of the young man beside her was undoubtedly authentic. She had been certain of it before she had even brought him to the foxhole.

Sora’s eyes were blessed, making it inconceivable that she might mistake a fake white fox mask for the real thing. However, even if she didn’t use her unique vision, she knew that no fabrication could replicate the overwhelming presence that a genuine white fox mask could. Though the man wearing the mask looked unimposing, that had no bearing on her judgment.

No matter how she looked at him, he struck her as one far weaker than what she’d come to expect from other Foxes. The organization’s first boss was said to have received their mask after overcoming a trial imposed by the fox god. After that, everyone who inherited the position had been chosen for their strength. If this man was merely hiding his might, then he was extraordinarily good at it. But what purpose could deceiving a Maiden possibly serve? Their role was one of subservience.

Solidifying her refined poker face, Sora declared in an austere voice, “The White Fox demands a sacrificial dragon.”

“A dragon?!” Galf whispered. He looked at Sora questioningly, but he didn’t actually expect her to have an answer.

Dragons were the strongest of all mythical beasts, but he and his subordinates could take one down if they worked together. That is, if any dragons were in the vicinity. Still, Galf raised no objections to this absurd demand.

He turned around and said, “Are there any dragons nearby?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Sora felt her heart freeze and her poker face dissolve. This was bad. While dragging the White Fox to the lair, she had said she would have a dragon arranged. At the time, she had been in a rush and hadn’t even considered that she might be making a promise she couldn’t keep. No matter what her exact crime was, she could very well be killed for this.

“Ah. Ahhh,” the White Fox said, noticing Sora clench her fist. “If you can’t get a dragon, then one of those ones made of ice cream and chocolate will do.”

“Go buy some! As many as you can!” Galf ordered.

Some of his subordinates dashed off.

Was it safe to assume they were being toyed with? Sora was struggling to recover from her failure. Galf, meanwhile, removed a bag and handed its contents to the White Fox.

“That’s right, boss,” he said. “This is the Relic in question. Please accept it.”