"Kurahi-san, please be careful."
The worrywart Brain — Cool Saiko's words prompted Kurahi Andrich to nod calmly, as always.
"Yeah, I know."
The prestigious Martial Emperor Festival. Of course he had confidence in his abilities, but he'd never expected to breeze through it easily.
The expressions of his Party members looking his way were more anxious than usual.
The sharp-tongued Alchemist — legs crossed, looking smug as ever — Ktory Smyart of the Sordid Range, puffed on a cigarette and spoke in a surprisingly admonishing tone.
"Couldn't you just run at this point? Just having your name listed among the Martial Emperor Festival participants means the goal's already achieved. Besides, your name's gotten big from the bounty hunts. I don't think you'd lose easy, but there's no more profit in sticking around. Just bolt after this. If you're heading out, I'll put my final bet on you."
"Hah!? There's no way big brother would lose to someone like that! Besides, there's a rule preventing cheating — Party members can only bet on their leader—"
"That's exactly why you're so naive, Rushia. There are plenty of ways around it. And even if he won, that'd be trouble too! Kurahi might be stronger than his opponent, but Rushia, you couldn't win. The only thing you've got in common with the real deal is calling him 'big brother.'"
At Ktory's blunt words, Rushia's eyes went wide in shock, and she shrieked.
"Th-That's not true! Besides, Ktory, you're below Citry, aren't you!?"
"That's fine. What matters for an Alchemist isn't just knowledge. I'm — the lowest, after all."
Ktory flashed a sinister grin.
What on earth was he talking about... He wasn't sure, but Kurahi had long noticed that they shared some kind of camaraderie he wasn't privy to.
Having a Party that got along well was a good thing, so he had no intention of butting in on that front.
But there was one thing he had to say.
"Ktory, I have no intention of running. I'm a Treasure Hunter, after all. Retreating before the unknown would disqualify me as one."
Match-fixing was absolutely out of the question. Kurahi had his own pride. Even if he died at the Martial Emperor Festival, he would have no regrets.
At Kurahi's resolute words, Ktory clicked his tongue.
"...Tch. Figured as much. Do what you want. But if you lose, I'm jumping ship."
"Good grief... As always, this guy never takes things seriously. And here we are calling ourselves Smyart and all."
"Heh heh heh... You were disqualified the moment you started looking for a brother, my sis."
"Ktory's 'lowest' bar is way too shallow."
Zurii spoke in a weary tone.
Only Kurahi would be standing on the grand stage, but it seemed the Party members couldn't stay calm either.
Winning at the Martial Emperor Festival would bring prestige. But the Festival offered more than just benefits.
If Kurahi suffered a humiliating defeat, the Party members would become laughingstocks. Considering that, he could understand their anxiety.
And that, in turn, signaled a lack of trust in him as their leader.
"No problem. I've prepped thoroughly through all those recent bounty hunts. Right now — I'm the strongest I've ever been."
Bounty hunting had been excellent experience. The fox-masked companions he'd fought alongside were at a level he'd seldom encountered before, and every enemy had been a formidable opponent.
But precisely because of that, Kurahi's strength had grown after surviving those fierce battles. Knowing powerful enemies before the main event had been a blessing.
Of course, that also meant his own strength had been exposed, but if that was enough to make him lose, he wouldn't have made it through the Martial Emperor Festival's brutal battles anyway.
With a sigh heavy with emotion, Kurahi spoke.
"But to think — Klye, you were competing in the Martial Emperor Festival too."
Having checked the distributed tournament bracket, Kurahi was stunned.
His first-round opponent was none other than the man who'd claimed to be a fan of Kurahi — Klye Andrich.
Klye had said nothing about entering, but Kurahi couldn't help feeling something fateful in it.
The tournament matchups were decided by the Martial Emperor Festival organizers. Even assuming Klye had planned to compete, what were the odds of drawing Kurahi in the first round?
He was a strange man. Despite exuding nothing but weakness, he had connections in many circles and was well-liked by the powerful. In many ways, he was — Kurahi's polar opposite.
According to Cool and the others, the man even had an epithet. One strikingly similar to Kurahi's, at that.
"Heh heh... Andrich. What a peculiar name. 'Thousand Transformations' — did he copy that from me?"
"...Hey, Cool, is this guy really okay?"
"Kurahi-san is a warrior, so he doesn't take much interest in other people..."
It had been a long time since Kurahi showed this much interest in someone.
He had no idea how powerful that man was — the one who gave off no trace of Mana Material.
But even if they were acquaintances, even if the other party was a fan of his, he would show no mercy.
Believing that giving one's all was the highest form of courtesy — Kurahi realized he'd been smiling, and his grin deepened.
§ § § Lowering his voice, Gaff Schenfelder spoke to his former right-hand man.
"Good work. Were the orders carried out fully?"
"Yep. But dealing with a fake boss is a real pain..."
"The organization's been undermined. Really, we've just managed to take the boss's seat, and already we're drowning in headaches right out of the gate. It's a blind spot."
Imposter operations using a fake boss were running rampant.
A slow success is worse than a quick failure — that awareness, drawn from Gaff's intelligence network, had spread in no time.
This area had always been Gaff's domain, so both the situation and the face reveal had progressed swiftly.
"Thank goodness we had the Shrine Maiden."
"Yeah, truly. The Shrine Maiden's truth-or-falsehood judgment is the organization's official seal of approval."
The existence of the Fox God's Shrine Maiden was one reason the organization maintained its secrecy. Practical benefits aside, nominally, the organization couldn't function without her.
The experience of surviving as a bandit commanding numerous subordinates whispered to Gaff.
Though the details were unclear, something told him the territory needed to be solidified quickly and firmly.
He'd also heard rumors of internal strife in the Central region. If they were just simple rumors, that would be one thing, but he doubted simple rumors would spread that far in the Central region.
Really, the timing of this inheritance was terrible. Or rather — if he couldn't handle even this level of trouble, he had no right to lead the organization.
Or perhaps, since multiple Fox Mask bosses existed, this kind of turnover was simply customary. For other Fox Masks controlling different regions, a boss change in this territory would be a perfect opportunity to expand their turf.
Either way, he'd finally obtained the Fox Mask — proof of being the boss. There was no way he'd just stand by and watch.
The previous boss had said he'd be content to watch from the sidelines. Very well, then. He'd show him.
The imperial strategy of Gaff Schenfelder, once called the Thief King.
"Deep-fried tofu... everyone must make deep-fried tofu. That is the will of the divine —"
Sora spoke as though delivering an oracle. But her eyes were completely glazed over.
§ § § "Oooooooooooooh! An unseen strong enemy awaits us! My sword thirsts for blood, I tell you!!"
"Luke's sword is made of wood, you know."
"I will — at the Martial Emperor Festival — advance to a new stage! A sword may be strong, but a wooden sword is even stronger! The greatest swordsman — cuts the world with a wooden blade!!"
"...Indeed."
Meaningless roars echoed throughout the room. With the Martial Emperor Festival approaching, Luke and the others had reached peak voltage.
It seemed the bounty hunts with Toomo hadn't been enough to satisfy them.
But right now, I had no time to worry about that. Arms crossed, I stared intently at the tournament bracket.
"Hmm..."
"What's wrong, Klye-san?"
Citry looked up at me with those big eyes of hers and spoke.
Klye Andrich, listed on this tournament bracket.
The question was whether this Klye Andrich was me, or a different Klye Andrich.
He'd never heard of two people sharing the same full name, though cases like Kurahi Andrich did exist. Besides, I'd come here to spectate, not to compete.
Who in their right mind would voluntarily enter a festival for muscle-brained fighters? I'd come with Tino and the others to eat popcorn and watch the matches.
"Leader... are you perhaps anxious about the match?"
"You'll be fine, Klye-san! After all, your opponent is a fake!"
Today's sulky Leucia, and encouraging Citry. Judging by their words — "...Huh? Wait, did you think I was actually going to compete?"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Leucia and Citry froze. I laughed it all off.
"Ahahaha, of course not. There's no way I'd enter."
Enter the Martial Emperor Festival? What a ridiculous idea. I was the man who'd barely escaped death countless times through sheer luck?
I couldn't fight, let alone brawl. One-on-one combat was my greatest weakness. Well, one-against-many was just as bad, really.
The Klye Andrich written here was surely a different Klye Andrich.
"W-What are you —"
"The Klye Andrich listed here isn't me."
Besides, entering the tournament required a formal application. Since I'd never submitted one, there was no way my name would appear on the bracket.
Sure, seeing his name there had given him a moment's shock, but once he took a deep breath and thought calmly, it was self-evident.
"B-Brother!? The Martial Emperor Festival!? It's not just some amateur fighting tournament!?"
I dodged Leucia's wide-eyed, intense stare with a smile.
"No, it really is just a fighting tournament."
"Brother!? Are you serious!? Brother!?"
"Poor T-chan..."
Leucia screamed. Citry murmured with a rare look of sympathy.
Hearing the commotion, Luke and the others barged in. And so, the night before the Martial Emperor Festival wore on.
§ § § Truly, civilization was a noisy place.
The desert village had been noisy enough for one raised in the Treasure Hall, but this town's clamor with the festival on the horizon far surpassed it.
No one in the crowd noticed the small figure. Though it should have been there, no one saw it.
For the fox Phantom of the Wandering Lodge, deceiving humans was practically proof of existence.
The game in this town was over. She'd tricked people into making deep-fried tofu, and even toyed with a human organization she barely understood. The massive haul of tofu was a shame to leave behind, but she could always use the same trick again if she wanted more.
The divine kin were capricious. They only engaged with humans when the mood struck.
Now then, what to do next? Should she return to the Wandering Lodge, or head back to the desert village once more? As she hummed a tune while walking, a scrap of paper on the ground caught the little sister fox's eye.
It was tomorrow's Martial Emperor Festival tournament bracket.
The Martial Emperor Festival. The little sister fox didn't know much about the common sense of the human world, but she'd already picked up the gist from the conversations of humans in this region.
A festival where martial prowess was contested. The strongest was obviously her mother, so this business of lesser species fighting amongst themselves was truly foolish.
And then, as her gaze casually fell upon the paper, an unexpectedly familiar name caught her eye.
"Klye Andrich versus Kurahi Andrich...?"
Klye Andrich.
That was a name even the little sister fox, who had no interest in human names, could never forget.
No — it was the natural enemy of the Wandering Lodge itself.
Once, the Wandering Lodge's Phantom had lost a battle of wits to that man, and he'd stolen the tail that could be called the Treasure Hall's true body.
As for the little sister fox herself, she'd been ensnared in his elaborate trap and even bound by a no-contact rule — an old nemesis with a grudge.
That man lacked proper respect for her. Remaining defeated wasn't something her pride as a scion of the divine could tolerate, but facing him alone was far too dangerous. That was what she'd concluded.
Staring at the tournament bracket for a while, the little sister fox murmured.
"...Interesting."
A brilliant mind was already devising her next strategy.
She'd been thinking of heading home, but if this was the case, she could finally get her revenge on that cheeky fool.
She couldn't attack directly, but there were countless ways to deceive humans.
This time, she would show him. She'd trick him, force him to grovel, and make him comb her tail with a proper comb.
The strongest Hunter. Level 8. She'd tarnish his reputation in the human world.