Tino, who had rushed over upon hearing what happened, gasped at the gruesome scene before her.
"What on earth…?"
The lounge of Beginning Footprint—the dream of every Hunter in the imperial capital—was in a terrible state.
The large windows were shattered to pieces, and the chairs and tables that had been neatly arranged were scattered about. The floor, always polished to a gleam, was riddled with cracks and holes, with scorched marks dotted here and there.
Even after they had already cleaned up quite a bit, the destruction told a clear story: the midday assault had been an act of utmost brutality with zero regard for surrounding collateral damage.
Hunters and staff in the lounge were clearing away the rubble. It would take some time to restore this lounge to its former state.
Tino made her way to the center of the lounge, toward the most intense area of destruction, and knelt down.
That was almost certainly the epicenter. Tables and chairs had been blown away, the floor was gouged deep, and there were scorch marks. Someone had collapsed there—a human-shaped silhouette was traced onto the floor.
But that wasn't what drew her attention.
Near the epicenter, there was a section that had been left partially unburned. It was fan-shaped, centered on a single point, as if a thick wall had shielded it. The blast, the heat—all of it had been blocked. Not even soot had settled there, which was a strange sight indeed.
The durability of a high-level Hunter who had consumed vast quantities of Mana Material was on an entirely different level from that of an ordinary person. Depending on the nature of the attack, many could remain unfazed even when hit with something that would instantly kill a commoner. Tino herself was far sturdier than the average person.
The most famous example in this regard was Anthem—the Unmoving and Unchanging—who had poured all of his Mana Material growth entirely into durability. But this mark proved that a Level 8 Hunter possessed durability close to his.
That was when Lyle, a Clan Hunter who had been clearing rubble, spotted Tino and came over.
"Terrible stuff, huh. To attack the Clan House head-on in broad daylight like this—whoever did this must hold one hell of a grudge…"
"…………Is the Master all right?"
"You already know, right? Unscathed. Totally unscathed. It's the unlucky ones who happened to be in the lounge who got hurt instead. Especially Gaark, the Branch Chief of the Treasure Hunters' Guild, who had a bomb shoved in his face by Krai—he's fuming. Seriously though, if a guy can take a point-blank explosion and walk away with just that, he's a full-blown monster."
"Shoved… in his face?"
"Yeah. 'Here you go, Gaark! Pass!' apparently. Seems like bombs aren't exactly something to worry about in Krai's book."
Lyle shrugged as he explained, and Tino couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Mastaa… So his response to the Guild Branch Chief is the same as always. And the fact that such barbarism as shoving explosives onto someone is tolerated—being a Level 8 really is terrifying.
Besides, if he could take it at point-blank without a scratch, why was there even a need to pass it off in the first place? But that question of Tino's was born from her inability to see the Master's true intentions—from sheer foolishness.
"Have they caught the culprit yet?"
"No, this was a professional job. And more than likely, they weren't trying to kill anyone this time. Both the explosives and the arrows—against Krai, the man known for his absolute defense, they were way too soft. Probably a probing move to learn his weaknesses and methods."
That was, admittedly, a logical take. The title of Level 8 Hunter was one reserved only for seasoned veterans who had survived countless inhuman ordeals. They were perpetually on guard at a subconscious level. Simple explosives or arrows wouldn't cut it.
But if Lyle's reasoning was correct, then a second attack was inevitable—one from that professional, backed by the conviction that they could actually kill a Level 8.
They needed to catch the culprit as soon as possible. The unthinkable could happen.
There couldn't be that many death-wish assassins willing to target a Level 8 Hunter. With proper investigation, they should be able to narrow down the suspects— Before Tino could finish that thought, Lyle scratched his head and spoke.
"Krai said he's too busy to worry about it."
"!?"
"Apparently he'd already anticipated an attack. He said he can't afford to waste time just because he was ambushed out of nowhere—and he has too many leads to follow anyway. Seriously…"
"…………I see."
Lyle clicked his tongue with a conflicted expression. Tino understood his frustration all too well.
Nobles and criminal organizations cared about reputation, but it mattered just as much to Treasure Hunters.
It was said that if you let yourself be looked down on in the Hunter business, you were done for. Treasure Hunters tended to be a rough crowd, and Treasure Halls were typically located outside of town, beyond the public eye. Battle spoils could be seized by force, and there were even thieves who specialized in preying on Treasure Hunters.
Sometimes you had to fight even when defeat seemed likely. If you were attacked, you struck back. That was the fundamental rule of the trade, and the Mourning Specter had risen to prominence doing exactly that.
Especially when someone had stormed into your Clan House and you failed to retaliate—you'd be eaten alive. The Mourning Specter had enemies in droves. The recent lull in attacks was only because the sheer ferocity of the Mourning Specter had given thieves cold feet.
Word was spreading that Thousand Transformations had let prey slip away for the first time at the Martial Emperor's Festival. She'd heard there was even a bounty placed on the Master.
If they showed weakness in a situation like that, the criminals who had been staying quiet until now might start going after Thousand Transformations' head.
How many that would amount to, Tino could not begin to imagine—but— Just as a chill of terror began to run through her body, a jolt like a bolt of lightning shot through Tino. Almost on reflex, she shook her head.
—No. That's not it. It's the opposite.
The old Tino would never have caught on. But the current Tino had come just a tiny bit closer to the Master through her accumulated experiences.
So she realized. The Master was surely—by *not* retaliating, planning to lure even more criminals into attacking, and then sweep them all up in one go when the timing was right.
In assassination, the attacker held the advantage—they chose the method and the moment. It was difficult to maintain vigilance against an attack whose timing you couldn't predict, and retreating to a permanently safe location was impossible.
That was why, normally, nobody would think to deliberately invite an attack. Show weakness, and your enemy would press forward with momentum. Dealing with them that way—taking them out as they came, one at a time—was far more dangerous and required far more combat resources.
But at the same time, if you set aside risk considerations—luring your enemies into committing fully and then crushing them all at once was the fastest way to eliminate them in one sweep.
Especially against potential enemies, there was essentially no other way. Once someone had already attacked you, fine—but finding enemies who hadn't yet made a move, whose very existence you weren't even sure of? That was nearly impossible. And if you didn't destroy every single one of them root and branch, you'd be stuck with enemies forever.
The target was a Level 8 Thousand Transformations. No single individual could handle that. If the current attack was a probing move, then the real thing would involve multiple assassins banding together for a large-scale assault designed to kill Thousand Transformations for certain.
The enemy would be assassins with the power to go after high-level Hunters. They'd be beyond anything Tino could handle.
Even among the Hunters of Beginning Footprint—themselves specialized in fighting humans—struggling against such opponents was entirely likely.
Which meant—this was the next Thousand Trials. Without a doubt.
It was war. A coalition of assassins launching an assault, and Beginning Footprint fighting back—this could no longer be called anything less than full-scale warfare.
"!? Tino—hey, what's wrong? You're suddenly shaking—"
"It's nothing. This is… a warrior's tremor."
She quickly scanned her surroundings. She lowered her body and put her back to a wall. She wasn't armed, but fortunately, Tino's greatest weapon was her own body.
The moment you let your guard down, the moment you thought "I should be fine for now"—that was when the Master sent his attacks. That was the standard Mastaa playbook.
"What are you doing, Tino?"
Lyle stared wide-eyed at Tino, who had suddenly gone into a combat stance. That was proof that Lyle had undergone fewer trials than Tino.
You had to stay in a state of complete readiness, prepared to be attacked at any moment.
Yes—perhaps it was time to present this perfect read to the Master.
"……I'm going to see the Master."
"O-oh. Sure. Say hi to Krai for me."
Tino held her breath, took care to make no sound, and slipped out of the lounge.
§ § § "Hey, why not? Let's kill 'em! If we don't crush them properly, it'll be dangerous, you know? Why not!?"
The night after the attack had passed. In a private room in the Clan House, I sat on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands, and Rieds whined in a coaxing voice, pressing herself against me.
I let her do as she pleased and sighed—possibly for the umpteenth time.
They say that when you gain power, you gain enemies as well as allies. That was especially pronounced in the Treasure Hunter profession, and for me—who had only wanted to go on adventures when I became a Hunter—that fact had been a shock.
If you defeated the thieves who attacked you, you earned grudges. If you sold Monster carcasses and Treasure Weapons to one merchant guild, rival guilds might grow jealous. And rival Hunters, many of whom were ambitious, were always looking for a chance to kick you off your perch. And of course, it wasn't just grudge-born resentment—my childhood friends directly angering customers happened plenty too.
Things had calmed down somewhat recently, but it seemed that the whole mess at the Martial Emperor's Festival had changed something.
The windowless private room beneath the hidden door of the Clan Master's office served as a safe zone for situations just like this. In the early days of founding the Clan, we were attacked so frequently that ensuring the safety of staff and myself had been a matter of course.
Contrary to expectations, we had never been breached inside the Clan House before, but… what had I done wrong? I'd declared I was locking myself in my room, and yet I'd wandered out to the lounge like an idiot—that was probably what did it.
When I closed my eyes, all I could see were the incoming arrows and the strapped bomb. Fortunately, thanks to the Barrier Ring, I was unharmed as usual. Eva, whom I'd shielded, was also fine. And Gaark, who'd received the pass, was still alive. But I had no idea what to do. The only thing I knew was that staying in this private room meant I was safe.
I didn't even care about the attackers' identities anymore. There was no telling what might come for me—anyone could. Perhaps a thief I'd missed was coming for revenge. Perhaps Franz and his ilk had finally had enough and hired an assassin.
If it was something time would resolve on its own, fine— "Let's kill every last one of their family as a message! I'll make sure to catch every single one. Okay? Say yes?"
And the biggest problem was my childhood friends.
Rieds flopped onto the bed without hesitation, thumping it with her feet, then leaned in close.
She pressed right up against me, wrapping her arms around front, and whispered into my ear.
"No."
"Why? Hey, if we let this slide, we'll be walked all over! I'll absolutely make whoever targeted Krai regret it. I'll turn them into a blood offering and hang them from the gates of the capital."
Her voice carried an unmistakable simmering fury.
I liked to think I understood the rules of the Treasure Hunter world. But she had a tendency to go a bit far. Repelling the attacker directly was one thing—but Rieds was not the type to stop there. If she found the culprit, she intended to make an example of their family and friends, killing every last one. If you ask me, who's the real criminal here?
Rieds rubbed her skin against me and said: "What Rieds is mad about isn't that Krai was attacked. There's no way Krai could be taken down by a mere explosion—but if you *are* taken down, you have to hit back. That's what it means to be a Hunter. Right?"
"Hmm…"
She was absolutely livid. Last night, Citry had come saying something like "They attacked someone important to me, so I'll attack someone important to them"—and if I hadn't stopped her, she would've become a criminal.
This wasn't a question of "as long as you don't get caught." How on earth was I supposed to face Rieds' and the others' parents back home?
She seemed to be under considerable stress, because her physical affection was more intense than usual. Her limbs wrapped around me without any restraint. I could feel her body heat radiating through, making me break into a sticky sweat.
To make matters worse, she sank her teeth into the side of my neck, and I yelped. Stop acting like an animal!
I shook Rieds off, grabbed her limbs, and pinned her to the bed. Her eyes went wide, and she went limp.
It had been a while since I'd become a Hunter, but my repertoire of excuses in moments like these hadn't grown one bit.
"It's fine. I'm busy right now, so it's fine. Everything's going according to plan!"
Besides, because of that whole incident, Marchis was supposed to come by for the Treasure Weapon appraisal that Elisa had left behind, and now that was ruined.
I'd planned to just tinker with Treasure Weapons and relax without a care in the world—but even after everything I'd been through, I had no desire to exterminate the culprit's entire bloodline. I've been through enough misery as it is! I have a high tolerance for terrible situations.
"Reeeally? You'll really get proper revenge?"
I said flatly to Rieds, who was, unusually, half-doubtful.
"This isn't the time to be thinking about that sort of thing. It's fine—after making such a big commotion, they won't attack again for a while. Even the guards are on the move."
"Hmm…"
She got it. She got it—she was just stressed.
I reached out and stroked the pouting Rieds' neck. Her skin was the same as when we were children—smooth, slightly warm, as if it stuck to the palm of my hand.
She loved physical contact and would frequently cling to me or stand uncomfortably close, which always left me at a loss. More than anything, Rieds loved being touched. She'd been a little jealous back when I used to tie up Lucia's hair, so even combing her hair was effective.
I knew plenty of ways to smooth things over. Our long history together wasn't for nothing.
Smiling as if I'd achieved enlightenment, Rieds blinked, then spoke in a voice considerably softer than before.
"Hm? …Could it be that Krai's stressed? Like, feeling that kind of mood? Want to strip?"
"……When Rieds is guarding me, I really should call Lucia and Citry too."
"Yeah, you know, even if it was for the sake of strategy, holding back from revenge must be super stressful. Mm, sure. Take it out on me."
With flushed cheeks, Rieds said. What was she getting wrong? What exactly did this girl think I was?
I couldn't tell if she was joking or serious anymore, but at this point, beyond embarrassment came exasperation. I wordlessly pinched her soft-looking cheek. Rieds broke into a radiant smile.
……She wasn't holding back at all. I let go and let out a deep sigh.
"Somehow it really rubs me the wrong way to have Rieds worrying about *my* stress."
"Aw, you always let me tag along—this is my chance to return the favor, you know…"
Apparently, Rieds and the others would be taking turns guarding me for a while.
That was both reassuring and something to look forward to, but could I actually handle my powerfully-grown-up childhood friends? I was full of anxiety from day one.
But it seemed the revenge thing had completely slipped her mind. She was simple like that, and I was grateful.
"Well, it's not exactly stress, but I went through a lot at the Martial Emperor's Festival, so I do need a recharging period. Rieds must be tired too, so it'd be nice if everyone stayed calm for a while."
"I mean, I didn't even get to fight in the tournament, so I'm not tired or anything, but… Oh, right! Our master wanted to meet with Krai…"
"……I want to see her too, but I'm busy— locked away resting doesn't mean I have nothing to do."
Every time I met Rieds' master, I had to listen to her brag about and complain about Rieds and the others. I'm not their guardian!
Just how much did they exaggerate when talking about me? I was afraid to find out.
Just then, a sound came from beyond the door. Rieds wiped the smile off her face, put on a somewhat bored expression, got off the bed, walked over, and opened the door without hesitation.
Standing outside was Tino, sitting on her rear, looking up at her big sister with a pale face.
"I had a feeling someone was out here the whole time… Krai, what should we do about this?"
The secret room's cover was blown, but it was too late for that. Tino stared wide-eyed at me, looking frightened.
"Recharging period. L-lure an attack… exterminate… the whole… family?"
Even if she'd been eavesdropping, she'd only caught the most damning parts. I never said anything about luring an attack. Was this Rieds' silent pressure at work?
……Nothing derails a good mood faster than an interruption.
Rieds grabbed Tino by the scruff of her neck and casually tossed her over to me. Tino didn't even try to break her fall, landing at the foot of the bed with a short yelp.
"Hmm, maybe her training's been lacking? She overheard the plan. You should've picked up on it the moment I said 'no training today.'"
Now, now, calm down. The sudden arrival had startled me, but Tino was a good girl. She must have come because she was worried about me after the attack.
Right now, though, Rieds was on a warpath far too intense for Tino to handle. I put on a smile and spoke slowly, in words even the frightened Tino could understand.
"There's no plan… I'm not going to exterminate anyone, and I'm not going to make blood offerings. Right now, I'm just going to lie low and build up strength for the future…"
"Mastaa is… building… strength!?"
Tino murmured the words back in a feeble voice, and her expression twisted even further.
……What exactly did I look like from Tino's perspective?