“Huh?! My brother would never lose!” Lusha cried. “And I thought there were rules against party members betting on anyone but their leader—”
“There are always alternatives, and you wouldn’t need me to tell you that if you weren’t so naive. Now, what if Krahi does win? He might just be kicking a hornet’s nest! Krahi might turn out to be stronger than his opponent, but Lusha, you sure as hell won’t.”
Lusha was taken aback by Kutri’s blunt remark. “That’s not true! Besides, you’re no better than Sitri!”
“Nothing wrong with that. Knowledge is what makes a good Alchemist,” Kutri flashed a dark smile, “and I’m ignorable.”
Krahi didn’t quite understand what they were talking about, but he had come to realize his party members had a unique sense of camaraderie he didn’t entirely fathom. He didn’t say anything about this, as he was just glad they got along. But there was one thing he had to make abundantly clear.
“Kutri, I’m not running. I don’t think advancing through the tournament will be simple, but treasure hunting isn’t about taking the easy route. I wouldn’t be able to call myself a hunter if I ran in the face of the unknown.”
Krahi had his pride; he would never consider running or match-fixing. Even if he died, he wouldn’t regret this decision.
Kutri clicked her tongue. “Figured you’d say that. Do what you want. But if you lose, then I want permission to step down.”
“He’s still as serious as ever,” Izabee said in a beleaguered voice. “Meanwhile, we’re over here calling ourselves ‘Smyat.’”
“Heh. Too late to start saying that when we’re looking for a brother, dear sister of mine.”
“That’s because your facsimile is a shallow one.”
Krahi would be the only one taking the stage, but it seemed everyone was on edge. Advancing in the Supreme Warrior Festival would earn them recognition, but an ignominious defeat would make them a laughingstock. Krahi took their unease as a sign that he still hadn’t fully earned their trust.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Yesterday’s battle was the best warm-up I could ask for. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been.”
What was that battle all about? Krahi hadn’t the faintest idea. He had never before been suddenly called up only to then be thrown into a bloody maelstrom. He had had plenty of allies fighting with him, but the same could be said of the guys on the other side. It had been his first time in such a large-scale fight, and there had been a number of close calls, but he was stronger now that he had come out of it alive.
Krahi’s confidence faltered when he looked at the tournament bracket. “I never would have expected to see you in the tournament, Krai. To think you kept this to yourself. The duplicity.”
The first bout would be between two men with nearly identical names. Krahi couldn’t help but feel like fate had played a hand in this. Entrants were determined by the tournament managers. Accepting that Krai got into the tournament, what was the likelihood that he would get put against Krahi in the first round?
What a mysterious man. Despite seeming so weak, he had a plethora of connections and the friendship of many capable people. You might say he was the exact opposite of Krahi. According to Kule and the others, Krai had a title, and not only that, it was one quite similar to his.
“‘Andrey.’ What a funny name,” he chuckled. “Is ‘the Thousand Tricks’ an allusion to me?”
“Hey, Kule, is this guy okay?”
“Krahi’s a warrior, and he rarely takes an interest in others.”
Krahi could barely recall the last time somebody had fascinated him so much. With Krai’s total lack of mana material, Krahi couldn’t even guess how powerful that man might be. However, even if they were acquaintances, even if Krai was a fan of his, Krahi wouldn’t go easy on him. He believed that giving it his best would be the courteous thing to do.
And as this crossed his mind, Krahi realized he had begun to smile. It was a smile that stretched ear to ear.
***
For goodness’ sake, human settlements were such clamorous places. That desert village and the treasure vault she grew up in had been noisy, but they were nowhere near as much as this town, now that its festival was approaching.
The streets were packed, but nobody was looking at a certain silhouette. She was verifiably there, but she simply escaped everyone’s notice. The phantom foxes of Peregrine Lodge practically defined themselves by their ability to trick humans. But now Little Sister Fox was done toying with this town. She had tricked some people into making fried tofu and strung along some strange organization. She would miss the large servings of fried tofu, but she could use the same scheme again if she found herself wanting more.
This divine offspring was fickle; she only involved herself with humans when she felt like it.
Now, what would she do next? Should she return to Peregrine Lodge? Or perhaps to that desert village? She was humming a tune to herself as she strolled down the street when she suddenly came across a scrap of paper on the ground. It was the Supreme Warrior Festival’s tournament bracket.
Little Sister Fox didn’t know much about the human world, but she had gleaned the gist of this fabled tournament through overhead conversations. It was a fighting competition. It struck her as foolish for these lower beings to compete to be considered the strongest when obviously, none of them could hope to match Mother Fox.
Browsing the bracket, Little Sister Fox spotted a familiar name. “Krai Andrey versus Krahi Andrihee?”
Krai Andrey. Human names meant nothing to her, but this was one she would never forget. It was more than that, he was Peregrine Lodge’s nemesis. He had defeated one of the vault’s phantoms in a battle of wits and made off with some of its most valuable parts—two of the tails. Even Little Sister Fox had been affected when he maneuvered her into an armistice.
That man had no respect for her. Her divine lineage wouldn’t let her simply accept defeat, but he was too dangerous for her to oppose alone.
“Interesting,” she whispered after a few moments of staring at the chart. Her quick mind was already formulating a plan. Though she had planned to head home, she now saw her chance to get back at Mr. Caution.
She couldn’t attack him directly, but there were more than a few ways she could get a human to dance to her tune. This time, he would know hell, know what it was to be deceived. She would make him grovel, then have him brush her tail. His renown as a hunter would be tarnished.
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