This world has several urban-legend-like threats.
The uncertain phantom beast cat that is everywhere and nowhere, the Star Demon King who attacks from the far reaches of the sky unreachable by any wings, the mysterious switch that can blow up any location with a single push, and the man who spreads misfortune simply by existing — they all exist.
The wandering Treasure Hall I once encountered was also one of those fundamentally impossible existences. Because it was always moving, because you rarely encountered it, and because most who did encounter it never returned alive, it couldn't even be assigned a Level — the "Lost Inn."
It possessed power close to that of a god. But above all, that Treasure Hall was bizarre. If my sense of danger had gone numb, it was probably from the moment I encountered that Treasure Hall.
We could not conquer that Treasure Hall. Its master was far too vast, and we were too green. No — even if the versions of us from that time had possessed power equal to what we have now, conquering it would have been hopeless. The "Lost Inn" was not at a level humans could conquer.
The core of the Treasure Hall — the extraordinary concentration of Mana Material that caused the phenomenon where a place filled with reserves became the Treasure Hall itself — that Phantom took the form of a "fox."
§ One day had passed since I began serving as the Emperor's bodyguard. With the sun just about to set, we arrived at the town where we would stay for the night.
The journey had been smooth for the first time. No Monsters appeared, nor did Thieves or dragons. Franz also wore an expression of faint relief.
Klyus, riding in front of me, let out a small sigh.
"...Haa. Nothing happened today, did it."
"Maybe a negative times a negative makes a positive?"
Watching me assess the situation with perfect composure, Klyus's voice trembled.
"Th-that's because everything up until now has been abnormal! We've encountered enough Monsters for ten escort missions!"
"...Can《Star's Holy Thunder》take on escort requests or something?"
"I'll punch you."
They look down on humans, but... well, they're all beautiful, so maybe there are people who'd want them as escorts.
Handing the menial tasks over to the accompanying staff, Franz glared at me.
"Hmph... Nothing happened today, and nothing was allowed to happen."
"We're not even halfway through the journey. Complacency is the greatest enemy. Times like these when you feel at ease are the most dangerous."
God always strikes when I feel at ease, as though timing it perfectly. Well, whether I feel at ease or not doesn't change anything for me.
Putting on a hard-boiled expression, I was met with Franz's irritated words.
"I don't need you telling me that. I know."
The town where we'd be staying tonight was slightly smaller than yesterday's, but far more orderly. The inn was suitably luxurious for one frequented by nobles.
Not every town in Zebuldia thrived. They were probably selecting towns like this when planning the route.
Thinking about it, it wouldn't be impossible to narrow down the Emperor's path in advance.
Well, all of that was probably already taken into consideration. Meetings had been held many times before, after all — this wasn't something I needed to worry about.
And then, right at that point, I noticed something important.
I looked at the name on the town's signboard. I felt like I'd heard the name somewhere before, but this town... wasn't this the famous producing region of those nuts that only those in the know were aware of?
Amuse nuts were nuts with a unique sweetness. They had certain properties that made them unpopular among Hunters, but Amuse Nut Cake — made with Amuse nuts — was one of my favorite treats. They were rarely sold even in the Imperial Capital, so I hadn't had any in a while, but since I'd come all this way, I wanted to have some again.
Since we'd been traveling at a leisurely pace, the sun hadn't fully set yet. The shops should still be open.
We'd already arrived in town, and for the escort we had Stillwater and Kill Knight. And Kechachakka too. Klyus... I'd bring her along as my bodyguard.
Cheerfully, I asked Franz for permission.
"Franz, would it be okay if I stepped out for a bit?"
"Hm...? Is something up?"
"Just some personal business. I'll be right back."
I had plenty of funds. Eva and Citry had made sure of that.
Looking at my face, Franz furrowed his brow for a while, then let out a deep sigh.
"Fine. But get back quickly."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Also, can't you do something about that flashy outfit?!"
I can't... sorry.
Using the power of my Treasure Weapon to keep my spirits up, I cheerfully took Klyus and headed into the town.
§ § § The obviously displeased Spiritfolk... Klyus was being led somewhere by Thousand Transformations, who was dressed in that flashy outfit.
Kechachakka watched the scene intently.
He wanted to confirm what they were doing, but he couldn't tail them.
Kechachakka knew what he could and couldn't do. As a Mage, Kechachakka didn't possess the skills needed to tail a Hunter certified at Level 8.
Today, Kechachakka had not launched any curses.
He felt the need to observe.
The "fox" suspicion surrounding Thousand Transformations. The information brought by Stillwater was not something that could simply be laughed off.
Rather, if Termu's hypothesis was correct, then this inexplicable situation, and Thousand Transformations' utterly ridiculous behavior, could all be explained.
"Ke-ke..."
Letting out a small voice, Kechachakka narrowed his eyes.
The Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox — its foundation was thorough secrecy.
Even Kechachakka, who was a member and had used the power of curses to slaughter numerous enemies behind the scenes of his Hunter work, knew almost nothing about it.
He didn't know the headquarters, the scale, what other members were involved in what incidents, and — not even the face of his superior.
The Fox had rules. Upper-ranking members knew the identities of lower-ranking members, but lower-ranking members did not know the identities of upper-ranking members.
Kechachakka's rank was "Five-Tails."
The ranks of the Fox's members were named after the number of tails. Kechachakka knew the identities of members from "One-Tail" through "Five-Tails," but had been told nothing about members from "Six-Tails" through "Nine-Tails."
Of course, he was sometimes briefed when it came to specific assignments, but in principle, anyone could be an ally or an enemy.
For this mission against Zebuldia, he had received contact from an upper-ranking member. As was his obligatory duty, he had submitted a report, but that member in turn had reported to an even higher-ranking member.
Thousand Transformations had evaded every trap, poison, and dragon that Kechachakka had deployed. The mercenary company assault that had been arranged for a hefty sum never materialized.
If Thousand Transformations was truly in control of everything, this too would have been easy to prevent. The little farce before leaving the Imperial Capital might have been a way to buy time to cancel the mercenary company's contract.
Everything being unexpected yet still turning in Kechachakka's favor — now he understood why. It was all being controlled by Thousand Transformations.
The Monster attacks, the dragon Kechachakka had summoned being killed (presumably by Thousand Transformations), which led to the building of trust and ultimately to serving as the Emperor's escort — if all of that was the result of masterful scheming, then it made perfect sense.
That was far more natural than thinking Kechachakka had been selected for the escort team by chance. Perhaps the reason his identity wasn't being revealed was to test him.
If it was the truth, it was a terrifying level of cunning. Kechachakka hadn't even begun to imagine that possibility until Termu had pointed it out.
Above all, as far as Kechachakka could see, there was no lie in Thousand Transformations' behavior. Showing up in that ridiculous, nonsensical outfit that seemed completely unfit for escorting an Emperor, crashing into the gate with a carpet and throwing the whole journey into disarray, suddenly disappearing mid-escort — these were choices that the cautious Kechachakka would never make. Too much self-sabotage. Too risky, and unlikely to succeed.
Was this... the capability of an upper-ranking member...?
But even at this point, Kechachakka still harbored doubts.
So much so that he doubted — Thousand Transformations' movements were too natural, too foolish.
The possibility was certainly high. And if it was the truth, then the Emperor's assassination was practically as good as done. They could assassinate everyone right now and flee.
But what if, by some slim chance, Thousand Transformations was not with the Fox — ?
Suspicious. From where to where were they allies, and from where to where were they enemies?
Termu had said Kill Knight was suspicious, but what about Klyus?
Thousand Transformations was a renowned Hunter. If they were a member of the Fox, that reputation and credibility would surely be put to use in their activities. Depending on the circumstances, not assassinating the Emperor might actually benefit the organization more.
In any case, Termu had said he would verify things. There was still time to act after confirming.
"Hi-hi-hi..."
The escort knights stood watching Kechachakka. Letting out a small laugh, Kechachakka entered the inn.
§ § § "Shopping!? And when I wondered what it was so urgent about, it's shopping!? I'm speechless at this weakling's nerve!"
Klyus crossed her arms and spoke rapidly, fuming with anger. Meanwhile, I was in high spirits.
Being near an inn frequented by nobles, the nearby shops sold all sorts of things.
"Come on, come on, you'll tire yourself out if you're so uptight all the time."
"Give me back my composure! Take this seriously!"
Even back in our room, Klyus's anger hadn't subsided.
Klyus was so energetic... watching her was oddly heartwarming. She was a Spiritfolk, so she was probably older than me, but she scolded me the way Lucia did, so I couldn't help treating her like someone younger.
"It's true that being too tense isn't a good thing. Staying relaxed so you can unleash your full power when the moment comes — that's what the best do."
"You weakling, you're always relaxed!"
That's because you don't eat sweets — that's why you're so irritable. I pulled out the large bag of Amuse nuts I'd just purchased and popped a single nut into my mouth.
The faint, unique sweetness and the nuttiness — even though they weren't roasted — were addictive. The texture was great too.
Smiling, I was about to offer Klyus some nuts but stopped just in time.
Amuse nuts had side effects. That was the reason they hadn't spread widely — they severely hindered the manipulation of magical power.
Eat too many, and for a while you wouldn't just be unable to cast spells — you wouldn't even be able to supply mana to your Treasure Weapon. To be precise, it wasn't impossible, but it apparently caused an excruciating pain. That was why Hunters didn't eat these nuts.
Well, it didn't matter for me. As I munch happily away, Klyus reached into the nut bag with a huff.
"Don't eat them all by yourself — give me some too! ...Hmm... not bad for a human's food."
Before I could stop her, she was already munching away, stuffing her cheeks. She seemed to like them, eyes going wide. Unlike my childhood friend, Klyus apparently didn't have a problem with sweets.
Well, I didn't have any Treasure Weapons that needed recharging today, so I guessed it was fine...
I gave Klyus nuts as she requested. If she ate that many, she wouldn't be able to eat dinner...
"Not bad... but this taste, I feel like I've had it somewhere befo— ugh!?"
Klyus, who had been steadily munching away, suddenly clutched her chest and doubled over. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she glared at me with teary eyes.
"Ugh... wh-what did you feed me... my mana flow is—"
"Am-Amuse nuts..."
"...! ...Guh..."
Upon learning the truth, Klyus shut her eyes tight and trembled. She didn't seem to have the energy to complain. Her outstretched left hand weakly patted my knee.
...It seemed these were something you really shouldn't feed to Spiritfolk.
Well, it wouldn't kill her. If it were a real poison, she'd have made a much bigger fuss. Come to think of it, Lucia had reacted the same way when she'd eaten them before.
Also, I didn't force-feed her — Klyus ate them on her own. I didn't stop her... well, I didn't, but I maintained my innocence.
If only I could use antidote magic, that would solve it, but unfortunately I hadn't brought any Treasure Weapons capable of purging poisons. The symptoms should subside with time.
Should I get her some water — just as I was about to stand, there was a knock at the door.
"Thousand Transformations, we need to talk."
It was Termu's voice. What was this about... the timing was terrible, but maybe he could produce drinking water with magic.
I opened the door, and in came Termu along with Kechachakka — my somewhat suspicious ally — both wearing rather serious expressions.