Treasure Halls that have been certified as high-level often possess a dangerous atmosphere that's obvious at a glance.
[City of Ten Thousand Demons] was no exception — even from the outside, it exuded an alien presence that anyone could understand without knowing anything. The reports that hunters took one look from beyond its perimeter and unanimously gave up on conquering it appeared to be anything but tall tales.
The [City of Ten Thousand Demons] sat atop a plateau on the edge of a cliff. Thick clouds swirled around the countless spires jutting from it, with lightning flashing ceaselessly. The castle walls surrounding the fortress were enormous, making it impossible to peer inside. Despite the dark atmosphere, not a single monster was visible on the exterior — and that fact alone spoke volumes about the Treasure Hall's threat level.
The Mana Material at the core of a Treasure Hall was something that drew monsters as well. That was why powerful monsters often claimed the areas around Treasure Halls as their territory. For a location where a Level 8 Treasure Hall could manifest, it would be perfectly reasonable for powerful mythical beasts like dragons to have staked their claim. Yet no such pattern was evident around the [City of Ten Thousand Demons].
The natural conclusion was that whatever had once inhabited the area had been wiped out — by the Phantoms that had nested inside the [City of Ten Thousand Demons].
And the fact that it still maintained such profound silence meant one had to assume the Treasure Hall harbored highly organized Phantoms.
Phantoms possessing intelligence were terrifying existences. While they appeared only rarely, there was even a theory that, had Phantoms been able to retain their power outside of Treasure Halls, the world would have been consumed by the Phantoms of old long ago.
In other words, this was no place for a high-certification charlatan like myself to set foot.
Perhaps the horse was just as desperate to escape, because it pulled the carriage away from the Treasure Hall at a tremendous speed. The wind and rain were fierce, but Kuro and the others handling the reins were equally frantic.
Tinno, who wasn't accustomed to high-level Treasure Halls, stuck his head out the carriage window, looking utterly drained. He wore the expression of someone about to vomit at any moment.
He'd been crushed by the sheer pressure. I'd been to all sorts of Treasure Halls in the past and was used to feeling like I was going to puke, so I was still holding together more or less. But I understood his feelings completely. That was a perfectly normal hunter's reaction.
At that moment, Liliz — who was decidedly not normal, gazing at the receding Treasure Hall with the eyes of an abandoned puppy — turned around.
"Klye, by the way, did we accomplish the goal of the vacation?"
"Hmm… about halfway, I'd say."
"Huh!? Th-there's still half left — s-sorry… ugh…"
Tinno started to raise his voice, then seemed to be hit by a wave of nausea and quickly fell silent. Maybe we should stop the carriage and let him rest once we'd put some distance between us and the place.
The goals of this vacation could be broadly divided into three.
The first was to pick up Luke and the others. That was no longer possible. Well, it had been more of an aspiration than a firm plan, so it couldn't be helped that our timing had missed.
The second was to visit a hot spring and relax. We'd be heading there next.
And the third — was to make sure we didn't return in time for the "White Sword Gathering" held in the Imperial Capital.
That last one went without saying was the most important. Which meant that, in essence, this vacation had goals that were practically nonexistent.
I absolutely did not want to attend the White Sword Gathering — no matter what! It had taken nearly a week to get here. The return trip would take about the same, which meant I had to kill time somewhere for a week.
Even if we met up with Luke and the others, visited the hot spring, and had a proper rest — even if I'd still have time left over after all that — I had no intention of going back.
I'd rather sit around a campfire with Arnold and the others, dancing, than get dragged into a gathering of monsters. Without a Party or a Clan, I'd be fleeing the country on my own.
"Well, it's Klye's vacation, so you can do whatever you like — but I figured the [City of Ten Thousand Demons] would be too much for Tinno…"
"I never intended to go inside in the first place."
If Luke and the others had still been around, I'd planned to wait outside until they came out. I did have at least enough common sense to know that setting foot in a Level 8 Treasure Hall would get me killed.
I spoke to Tinno, whose face had gone pale and was brimming with tears.
"There's nothing dangerous anymore. Well, it's not like I ever planned to do anything dangerous in the first place… ahahaha."
"I-I can't laugh, Mastaa…"
Tinno whispered his objection in a small voice at my joke.
I couldn't laugh either. But upon reflection, not all of the blame could be laid at Arnold's feet.
There had been several close calls during this trip, but the one truly dangerous situation had been the mountain crossing. Still, if Arnold hadn't been there, we never would have forced that route in the first place.
"It's all Arnold's fault."
"Should I dispose of him?"
"…No, I won't."
Dispose of him? What was that supposed to mean…
All that remained was to take it easy at the hot spring. Maybe taking about a week wouldn't be such a bad idea.
The only thing that scared me was Arnold tracking me down, but surely he wouldn't chase us without a single lead. Coincidences weren't supposed to happen twice or three times over, and the rain would wash away our tracks.
If we happened to run into him at the hot spring, we'd just have to accept that our luck had finally run out. There weren't many Treasure Weapons that could bring a fight into the waters, after all.
"Next destination is the hot spring. Oh — and let's make sure we don't accidentally enter Gradius territory."
It was quite close to our current position. I had to be careful not to forget.
"Huh? Hey, Klye. Is there something in Gradius territory?"
Liliz wore a puzzled expression.
I supposed I could only push through with intuition for so long… I trusted Liliz and Citry. And I trusted Tinno just as much.
"The truth is… I've received a designated commission."
"What? From Gradius, who hates hunters? Klye, that's amaaazing! What kind of commission is it?"
That was — something I didn't know.
I hadn't even received the commission ticket. I hadn't decided to take the job yet. If anything, I'd already decided I wouldn't.
Absolutely not taking it. I absolutely was not taking it. I felt bad for Luda, but she should just accept that I was heading straight back. A designated commission from a martial noble was bound to be something tedious.
Unlike Liliz, whose eyes were sparkling, Citry accepted this smoothly and moved the conversation forward.
"Understood. Then we'll avoid Gradius territory. There's a small town nearby, though, and I believe it had a place famous for its hot springs. It would be right on the border of Gradius jurisdiction, though—"
She spread out a map and pointed with her finger. As she said, the location Citry indicated wasn't technically inside Gradius territory, but it was cutting it extremely close.
There was no point worrying too much about something I couldn't control. If we weren't entering the territory, I'd just have to accept it.
If we were found, I'd just have to say outright that I wasn't taking the commission.
"Is it a mixed bath?"
"Oh, sis! In this day and age, there's no way they'd have a mixed hot spring!"
"Hmm, well, whatever."
I felt bad for Luke and the others, but if the place was nice, I could always bring Luke and the clan members here another time.
Right — I'd also have Kuro and the others released after they'd had a relaxing soak at the hot spring.
The carriage pressed forward, splashing through puddles. Despite the weather outside, I was in a surprisingly sunny mood.
§ § § She sprinted down the carpeted corridor at full speed. Nearly colliding with a maid, drawing a bitter look from a young knight — but right now she had no room for etiquette, and she ran with her breath ragged.
The destination was deep within the mansion — the study of Van Gradius, current head of House Gradius. She burst through the door with enough force to body-check it open, and Van Gradius furrowed his brow at the sight of his daughter appearing before him.
But Eclair had no capacity to worry about that. She shouted in a high-pitched voice.
"Father! Is it true that you posted a designated commission to that 'Thousand Transformations'?!"
"Eclair… if you are a daughter of House Gradius, show some decorum."
"Answer me! Why — why Thousand Transformations?"
"I owe you no answer… but as a noble, one cannot simply leave a debt to a single hunter outstanding."
His sharp gaze seemed to say: this is your responsibility. Meeting those eyes, she bit her lip without thinking.
A designated commission from a noble was proof of elite status, proof that one had connections with the aristocracy. When it was a commission from a noble infamous for despising hunters, the implications expanded greatly. For a hunter, the mere fact of receiving a designated commission from a noble carried tremendous meaning.
Prestige. That was the most valuable thing a hunter could earn from a noble.
Money could be made by taking commissions from large trading houses, but prestige visible to all was not so easily obtained.
Van Gradius was silent for a moment, then continued as his daughter stood biting her lip.
"However… I won't say I have no interest in the man. He's reached Level 8 ahead of House Rodan. This could be a good opportunity to see whether his ability is genuine."
House Gradius had earned a reputation for disliking hunters, but that didn't mean they simply despised hunters on principle.
It was simply that they possessed absolute confidence and pride in their own martial prowess and the knight order under their command. If a hunter proved himself worthy of respect, they would give him due regard — and indeed, they maintained friendly relations with House Rodan's hunters. It was undeniable, however, that their noble status had set the bar for "worthy of respect" quite high.
"So, you've tasked that man with subjugating the Barrel?"
"…Who told you that?"
"Montour informed me."
"…His only fault is that he's too soft on you."
Van Gradius sighed, recalling the visage of his trusted chief steward. He likely intended to make her understand what consequences her own actions had led to. Or perhaps he simply assumed it was a topic Eclair would find interesting.
Gradius territory had recently been plagued by a particular band of thieves.
The Barrel Bandits.
Brutal and bold. A large-scale outfit of roughly a hundred, combining martial force with cunning.
They had rampaged across Gradius territory — a domain previously feared and shunned by all criminals thanks to its renowned knight order — raiding villages and towns across the region.
Multiple expeditions dispatched by the knight order had all come up empty. It was a matter of footwork. When attacked by a large force, the bandits fled; when approached by a small squad, they turned the tables. For Gradius, renowned for martial valor, this was an excruciating humiliation.
Their enemies were far more formidable than their despicable tactics might suggest. Even former high-level hunters among the bandit ranks had turned back attackers. Despite posting a generous bounty, nothing had come of it.
As a matter of noble obligation, they had to participate in the auction event, but at this rate, criminals who had previously avoided Gradius territory might start flooding in. It was a situation that demanded vigilance.
Recently, Gradius had been planning to crush them with the full force of their knights.
In that effort, he had intended to request cooperation from Ark Rodan. But in a way, this was a fortunate opportunity.
A joint operation with the knight order. If that went through, he could gauge the true depth of Thousand Transformations' abilities and his composure as well.
And if those abilities proved genuine, even the knights — who didn't particularly care for hunters — would have to acknowledge his strength.
Rodan was, for better or worse, a famous hunter in the Zebuldia Empire. Many among the order still viewed him through colored lenses. But Thousand Transformations was different.
Acknowledging his power — and by extension, bringing about a change in Gradius, where a culture of looking down on hunters had taken root.
As Van narrowed his eyes, Eclair asked timidly.
"So, Father — when will Thousand Transformations be arriving?"
"We received word that he had left the Imperial Capital. He should arrive shortly. You too — put aside whatever grudges from the past you may have, and prepare a proper welcome."
"…Understood."
Any grudges from the past had long since vanished. The only thing Eclair felt toward that man was fear.
As his daughter shrank back and bowed her head, Van Gradius furrowed his brow with a hint of worry for the very first time.