No matter how busy I am, I never skip maintenance on my Treasure Weapons.
After finishing my conversation with Lapis and the others, I return to my private quarters. My room, which I'd claimed with my Clan Master privileges, was crammed full with Treasure Weapons from my collection.
They were all gleaming, since I polished them on a rotating schedule. None had run out of mana either, since Lucia came by regularly to recharge them.
Preparations are key before a journey. Citry handles supplies, but selecting which Treasure Weapons to bring is my responsibility.
I sit down on Mimmy-kun's self-propulsion frame and take in my long-curated collection in one sweeping glance.
Some held memories, others were impulse buys from Marchis's shop. Some I used all the time; others I never touched at all. Picking out the ones that would be effective for this expedition from among them would be no small task.
But that, precisely, is what demands the skill of a Treasure Weapon collector.
There had been some misunderstandings, but the information Lapis and the others had excitedly shared with me included things I'd never known before.
It seemed that Yggdrasil, our destination, was a remarkably special country even among the Spiritfolk.
It wasn't simply the largest of the Spiritfolk nations—Spiritfolk countries existed in forests all over the world, and Yggdrasil was said to be the root of them all, the Spiritfolk nation that was home to the one and only divine tree in the world: the World Tree.
With lifespans far longer than humans, they probably placed great importance on origins. Some Spiritfolk who lived outside Yggdrasil even considered it an object of worship—which was quite astonishing.
The nation existed deep within a vast primeval forest where countless Ley Lines surged with mana and powerful phantom and magical beasts roamed freely. Even Spiritfolk accustomed to traversing forests could get lost there—it was a true hidden realm, and its paths were concealed. Elisa had casually told me to just come to Yggdrasil whenever, but from what Lapis and the others described, it wouldn't be that simple.
Elisa, honestly... I'd nearly been sent charging in completely unprepared. Well, I was planning to bring Treasure Weapons regardless, and even with them I'd probably be nothing more than baggage—but still.
This time, I wasn't going alone. I was bringing the full roster of the Mourning Specter, and I'd asked Lapis and the others to tag along as well.
On top of that, bringing my Treasure Weapons meant that if things still went sideways, I could at least accept it with the comfort of knowing I'd done everything possible.
I surveyed my prized collection and nodded with satisfaction.
"Hmm... With Luke absent this time, I can bring sword-type Treasure Weapons too..."
When Luke was around, I couldn't bring any sword-type weapons. He'd keep staring at me with that desperate, itching-to-touch look, and it was impossible to relax.
Most sword-type Treasure Weapons held abilities that aided in combat. There were many special elemental attack weapons among them, starting with the Purgatory Sword I'd received from Gilbert, and they could sometimes serve as a Hunter's trump card—but in the Treasure Halls and demon realms that the Mourning Specter tackled, they simply weren't viable.
I still hadn't fully grasped just how dangerous the road to Yggdrasil would be, but I should probably give up from the start on the possibility of being a combat asset. Ever since becoming a Hunter, I'd never once been one...
For now, the top candidate was the single-handed sword with its distinctive transparent blade—the one I'd brought to White Wolf's Den: Star of Silence.
It was one of my absolute favorites among the sword-type Treasure Weapons in my collection. Its artistic appearance was one thing, but its ability was exactly what I needed.
Star of Silence's ability was weight manipulation.
A skilled user could freely change the blade's weight mid-combat, making it a highly technical weapon for toying with opponents. But this sword actually had a hidden feature that was useful even for a non-swordsman like me.
The ability's range of application wasn't the sword itself—it was everything in the possessor's inventory. On top of that, it could activate even while sheathed and strapped to your back.
That's right. As long as I had this sword on my back, even someone as weak as me could carry as much luggage and as many Treasure Weapons as I wanted. Since it could reduce weight to zero, carrying large objects would impede movement and be dangerous—but since my movement was already severely impeded anyway, it didn't matter at all.
You could stack ten Anthems on there and be fine. You'd die if the mana charge ran out, though.
And with that, I slapped my hands together.
"That's it... Since I've got the chance, why not bring out the flashy sword-type Treasure Weapon effect set for the first time in a while..."
The "Flashy Sword-Type Treasure Weapon Set" was a collection of sword-type Treasure Weapons that were pointlessly extravagant. Some had flashy appearances; others had flashy abilities.
For example, Heavenly Star, which would beam divine light down from the sky onto the wielder upon activation. Strange Blade: Light Rain, which would cause a tiny drizzle (up to three millimeters) in the surrounding area the moment it was drawn. And Hero, Do Not Oppress the Weak—a greatsword that looked magnificent but couldn't wound an opponent no matter how hard you swung it. These were the kind of underwhelming blades that would probably fetch pennies on the market even if they did surface (the impressive names were because their discoverers had christened them with grandiose titles to drive up the price).
Blades like these were pitiable things better off not existing, and even I, who didn't fight, rarely had cause to use them.
They probably wouldn't be useful this time either, but they were fun to look at, and you had to let them get some sun once in a while...
"Come to think of it... If we're heading into a forest, there are bound to be all sorts of plants and animals."
Spiritfolk were famously known for living in harmony with nature. Even among those who had ventured outside, I'd heard that many partnered with animals. They likely lived similarly within the forest.
My Treasure Weapon collection didn't discriminate by genre, so naturally—or perhaps inevitably—there were weapons suited for this kind of situation.
For instance, the Beloved Hound's Bond, a flute that indiscriminately attracted canines. Wildcat's Servant, a canned Treasure Weapon that was unrivaled in its ability to attract felines. And a perfume-type Treasure Weapon that indiscriminately emitted the scent of savory meat, irresistible to any beast whether carnivore or herbivore. You name it, I had it.
The abilities sounded potentially useful at first glance, but none of them had any means to actually tame the attracted animals. The gathered creatures would pounce on the wielder as though they'd been forcibly abducted. So they were, in short, Treasure Weapons with very little demand.
Riz and the others had used them for fun for a while, though...
Beyond those, my collection was a comprehensive archive of items that seemed like they could handle any situation but actually couldn't—they scratched the itch just barely short of satisfying it.
Very few were useful for actual hunts, but there were plenty that were meaninglessly rare or simply entertaining to look at, so they might help me make friends with the residents of Yggdrasil.
I spent a while surveying my prized collection, but couldn't reach a conclusion on what to pick. So I stood up from Mimmy-kun and patted its lid.
"Mimmy-kun, take it all."
The superlative Treasure Chest, Mimmy-kun, sprang into action.
Displaying its characteristic silent operation, it leaped up without a single footstep, opened its mouth, and used the arms growing from its sides to gobble up the Treasure Weapons one after another. It was like watching a monster! Mimmy-kun's high functionality knew no bounds.
Then I noticed one of the Treasure Weapons Mimmy-kun was about to swallow, and hurriedly patted its lid again.
Mimmy-kun obeyed the command and halted. The Treasure Weapon it had been about to grab clattered to the floor.
It was a saddle-type Treasure Weapon with a black leather-like texture.
Its name was Black Steadfast Saddle. Its effect was simple: it would never come off unless you wanted it to.
But most saddles were built that way even without being Treasure Weapons, so this was an unpopular, unremarkable item. I'd forgotten I even had one—but now that I thought about it...
I looked back and forth between the obediently awaiting Mimmy-kun and the saddle I'd picked up, then nodded firmly.
"Yeah. Just having Mimmy-kun alone already puts us at Level 8."
Self-propulsion, security functions, even an interior city. There's no other Hunter out there with a Treasure Chest like this.
Lately I sometimes forgot I was even a Hunter, but honestly, did anyone look more like a Treasure Hunter than me?
§ *Clonk-clonk*—with a noisy racket, I made my way down the Clan House stairs.
It felt like opening a new door. The Clan staff I passed gave me stares of fear and astonishment, but I hardly cared.
Bounding down the stairs, I kicked the door open and burst into the lounge.
Every pair of eyes in the room locked onto me at once.
Lyle spat out his drink with a sputtering sound, and the Clan Hunters who had half-risen in alarm stared at me in disbelief.
Tino, seated at his usual spot, let out a small shriek and took a step back.
"H-huh!? M-Mastaa!? What is it this time!?"
"W-what are you doing, Klye!? And—what's with that Treasure Chest—"
"Hah... As it happens, I've thought of a new use for one of my Treasure Weapons."
I maintained comfort with the Patterned Shirt-type Treasure Weapon, Perfect Vacation, and secured stability by equipping the saddle-type Treasure Weapon, Black Steadfast Saddle.
And thus, the world's first Treasure Chest Rider, Klye Andrich, was born.
There was originally no room to place a saddle on Mimmy-kun's flat, hard back, but the Black Steadfast Saddle, which would never come off unless you wanted it to, posed no problem.
On top of that, the swaying that would normally be a major hurdle for riding was neutralized by the power of Perfect Vacation—a brilliant bit of synergy that only a Treasure Weapon collector who knew the properties of countless weapons, including even the junk ones, could have come up with.
Was the weakness that the *clonk-clonk* footsteps were noisy? Before, when it was just Mimmy-kun alone, its stealth was enough to make even a stalking snake jealous. Apparently things were different now.
But even accounting for that, this was still a viable option. Unlike some carpet out there, Mimmy-kun actually listened and moved properly, and as I stroked it, Lyle said to me—with a strained expression— "Hah... Normal people wouldn't actually DO it even if they thought of it!? Do you even realize what you look like right now?"
"W-well... it's, um... very... dashing, Mastaa..."
Lyle gave his characteristically blunt opinion. Even Tino, generally loyal, couldn't meet my eyes.
Hmph... What would someone who actually gets to ride Kaa-kun know about my feelings?
Riding a Treasure Chest was, in a sense, the royal road for a Treasure Hunter. Besides, unlike Kaa-kun, this one had storage functions too. Nothing to be ashamed of.
As I approached with a steady *clonk-clonk*, Tino trembled visibly. Being swallowed or dissolved probably didn't bring back fond memories.
"That said, it actually picks up decent speed. Unlike a living creature, there's no risk of running out of stamina..."
"You don't mean... Mastaa, you don't intend to ride that all the way to Yggdrasil!?"
"...Is that a problem?"
"N-no..."
Tino shook his head vigorously and fell silent. Say something, will you.
Still, this truly wasn't something to dismiss. I could tow Mimmy-kun behind me, but if the charge ran out and I lost self-propulsion, recovery would be impossible. I'd already had the experience of losing Kaa-kun once before.
Besides, the purpose of this trip was to treat Luke's petrification. When asking for the cooperation of a royal family that probably wasn't too friendly toward humans, making a strong impression couldn't hurt.
I was planning to put Luke's stone statue inside Mimmy-kun anyway, so if I was bringing it along, I might as well ride it!
At that moment, Tino swallowed hard and, as if steeling himself, spoke.
"H-however... yes! That's it... if you're riding Mimmy-kun, even Mastaa might be too slow to react in a pinch, right?"
"Not at all."
I mean, Mimmy-kun had better situational awareness and capabilities than I did... And if anything, riding a Treasure Chest seemed safer. I could hide inside in an emergency, and being a Treasure Chest, Mimmy-kun was quite sturdy.
"Oh!? So... so it's true... Mastaa, you really do want to ride a Treasure Chest that badly?"
Tino's face was a complex mixture of fear, exasperation, dread, and pity.
If I could, I'd rather ride the carpet. Tino, who had mastered Kaa-kun in the blink of an eye, made me envious.
"Everything's ready! Let's go—Yggdrasil!"
"I... I'm gonna quit this Clan already..."
Lyle, with a wry laugh, muttered flatly at my exasperated outburst.