The Spiritfolk homeland of Yugdra. Built deep in the heart of an ancient forest and shielded by mysteries, that city was at once a place of abundant natural beauty and a desolate place where almost no one lived.
But now, Yugdra was alive with excitement. Spiritfolk who had been evacuated were streaming back all at once, and the streets that had long been empty of shadows were being prepared for a feast.
Spiritfolk had no love of fire. In its place, the celebration was adorned with water and wind, and flowers and grass.
There was nothing flashy about the decorations themselves, but since every person gathering was a Spiritfolk—beings known for their striking looks—the whole scene gave you the feeling you'd stumbled into a fairy-tale kingdom. Since becoming a Hunter, I'd visited all sorts of places around the world, but I'd never seen anything like this.
The first of Yugdra's warriors who had gone missing to return came some time after the Black World Tree's movements had stopped and we had made it back to Yugdra.
After that, they kept coming back one after another—the warriors who had been flung away when the Black World Tree absorbed and hurled the Mana Material. We hadn't had the luxury of confirming they were all right, but it seemed there hadn't been any problems.
The news of further success following the weakening operation at the Treasure Hall sent Yugdra into an uproar. It was enough to make even the reclusive Spiritfolk who had barely shown themselves since arriving in Yugdra and had never once exchanged a word with anyone do a complete 180 and come flooding back.
Selen narrowed her eyes as though shielding them from a bright light and gazed at the now fully-lit atmosphere of Yugdra.
"It's a miracle. Klein. This is a miracle. To think those who had given up would actually return—I have no words sufficient to express my gratitude."
"Ha ha ha… We just got lucky. If you want to thank someone, thank that Black World Tree."
I mean, from my perspective—someone who had done basically nothing—this was pretty bewildering. But a good result was a good result. If the smiles had come back, that was all that mattered. I really didn't deserve any thanks. Seriously.
Luin folded his arms and heaved a deep sigh.
"The Black World Tree… An ominous name. To try to imitate the World Tree—what blasphemy. Normally, that would be something I couldn't overlook, but since we were saved by it, I suppose I should swallow my anger."
"Let's not get into the details right now. Thousand Transformations, I'm truly glad we believed in you and ignored Elisa's letter. In less than a month, you solved every single problem. We of Yugdra will never forget this debt."
No… Did I solve anything? Well, if you only looked at the results, things had worked out, but the terrifying truth was that I had no memory of having taken any productive action.
Go thank Citry.
I was starting to look like the hero of this whole thing, so I cleared my throat and brushed it off.
"No, it's not like everything's resolved yet…"
At the very least, the Ley Line manipulation had gone more or less successfully, and the missing warriors of Yugdra had returned. But the World Tree going berserk wasn't completely fixed. Well, its destruction was still a ways off, so that was fine, but the biggest problem we couldn't forget was that Luke's curse still hadn't been broken.
Wait, had Riz and the others completely forgotten about Luke? I mean, they probably trusted Selen, but still.
Selen nodded with a serious expression.
"That's right… I'm also concerned about the Night Parade of a Thousand Demons' movements."
"…No, I'm not worried about that. We don't need their power anymore."
They'd either lost their nerve midway through the operation or had gotten fed up with my incompetence and run off. I wasn't particularly interested. Thieves who disappeared were good thieves.
"If that's what you say, Klein, then I'll accept it. For now, let's eat and rest to rebuild our strength. With Yugdra's warriors returned, our available forces have grown. Every single soldier of Yugdra is a warrior worth a thousand. They'll all follow your command."
Going missing together and then claiming to be worth a thousand—a bit generous with the self-assessment. But I had no intention of commanding anyone, so I wouldn't press the point.
"Sure, sure. If I need them, I'll ask."
"There's more—whether it's related to fighting or not, if there's anything we can do for you, please tell us. Many people have come to me saying they want to know if there's anything they can do for their benefactors."
"Hmm… I can't really think of anything, though."
If I really had to say something, I'd love it if they let me set up an Explorer's Guild branch—Gaark would be impressed—but it was probably too much to ask of Yugdra, which had been turning away visitors for so long. Citry and Lucia had already been shown the Spiritfolk's secret texts, and there wasn't really anything else I wanted. Besides, we hadn't come here specifically to help you in the first place.
As I clutched my chest, aching from excessive praise and a twinge of guilt, the Treasure Hall investigation team—led by Riz and Elisa and composed of Yugdra's scouts—returned.
At first, only Tino, Riz, and Elisa had been investigating. Looked like they'd turned into quite the expedition.
"Kleiiiin! The barrier was gone!"
"The pressure had lessened. It doesn't look like the Treasure Hall will disappear anytime soon, but there were hardly any Phantoms around. If we went in now, we could probably get through."
… Citry really was incredible for actually managing to weaken the Treasure Hall. This time, Citry had come through.
The barrier being gone was welcome news. All that was left was to enter the Treasure Hall and have Selen break Luke's curse.
The Phantoms still lingering in the Treasure Hall had surely been weakened by Citry's strategy as well. The only problem was the God's Phantom—the one that had peered at us through the mirror.
"Elisa, do you think the God's Phantom is still there?"
"…There's a high chance it's gone. The boss is always the first to disappear when Mana Material runs out—but…"
"But what?"
At my question, Elisa ran her palm along her bare leg, then spoke with a troubled expression.
"…But I have a really… bad feeling about this."
… Elisa's bad feelings always came true. We'd already been through so much since coming to Yugdra—could there really be more? I wanted to go home right now.
"Klein, we're fully prepared to breach the place, you know? Tino's raring to go too. We could go tonight if you wanted. Might be best to get it over with before anything happens, right? The other side's probably still confused…"
Well, that was one way to look at it. But if we moved out immediately, there'd be less time to prepare…
I was the leader of the Mourning Specter. Opportunities to hunt with Riz and the others had been getting rarer lately, but when I was there, the final decision was ultimately mine.
"What does Citry think?"
"She said she'll follow Klein's lead."
Riz, Tino, and every one of Yugdra's warriors—all of them were waiting for my decision.
Well, it was a coin flip either way with no clear answer.
And when forced into a choice like this, I almost always chose to put it off.
The people who had gone missing had just gotten back and were celebrating. There was no rush to send them into battle immediately. Preparation was needed, and I wanted a little rest.
Well, I wouldn't be accompanying the curse-breaking anyway… There were plenty of people going. They'd let me off the hook, right?
"Tell you what… Let's do it tomorrow. If we give it some time, the situation might improve. And just in case something does come up, make sure you're prepared."
Riz probably hadn't had any rock-solid reason for wanting to go immediately either.
Without a hint of doubt about my decision, Riz chirped happily: "Roger that! Oh, and Klein—you're gonna give me a chance to shine too, right? Right? That whole cursed-artifact mess last time, I was the only one who didn't really do anything. Isn't that unfair? Tino's always going along with you and everything!"
"O-older sister!? That's not…"
Why did she want to be thrown into danger so badly? From my perspective, Riz had been doing an amazing job on recon and who-knows-what-else this time too. Was that not enough for her?
It wasn't that I didn't want to bring Riz along. It was just that she was always on the front lines while I was always at the very back, and the two never quite meshed.
I placed my hand on Riz's head and gave her the most hardboiled smile I could manage.
"Well, I'll have you going all-out tomorrow… So look forward to it."
§ Yugdra's feast began quietly and lasted until dusk.
There were no lavish dishes being served, and no raucous commotion. People enjoyed their meals in peace, conversing with friends and family. That was the Spiritfolk's way—a culture that valued harmony with nature. Riz, who loved festivals, looked a little underwhelmed, but well, the fighting wasn't over yet, and a change of pace like this wasn't bad.
In just a few hours, the way Yugdra's people treated me had changed to that of an old friend. People kept coming to me nonstop, but Riz and Lapis and the others were surrounded the whole time too.
From chatting with them, the people of Yugdra didn't seem all that different from the people of the Imperial Capital.
It turned out they'd actually been quite curious about their first-ever human visitors, and I ended up having all sorts of conversations—about human culture, about the Imperial Capital where I lived, and about the quests the Mourning Specter had tackled so far.
Maybe the idea Gaark had asked me about—setting up an Explorer's Guild branch—wasn't such a pipe dream after all.
While I was drinking a beverage (non-alcoholic) given to me by a Yugdra local I'd passed on the street, Citry approached with flushed cheeks.
"Klein. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Yeah. How about you?"
"Yes! Everyone here is so nice, and I got to hear so many useful stories! Interacting with other races is really what being a Hunter is all about."
Always studying, no matter the situation. That diligence was probably what supported Citry's skill as an Alchemist.
I should, as a leader, have been negotiating with the people of Yugdra and wrapping up at least one beneficial deal. But honestly, I just couldn't muster the motivation…
"This time I ended up causing so many problems, but it was truly a great learning experience… Next time, I'll work hard so I won't have to trouble you, Klein!"
"…Huh? No, you didn't cause any trouble at all. If anything, I'm the one who kept relying on Citry the whole time, and I'm sorry about that."
Well, it was a little late for apologies. The incidents the Mourning Specter got dragged into had already reached a level I couldn't handle. From here on out, it wouldn't just be Citry—I'd keep burdening everyone.
I wanted to retire soon.
"Oh no, not at all… Actually! What should we do about negotiating the reward for this job? Selen seems to have understood just how terrifying—er, amazing—Klein is, so I think most demands would go through…"
… I was curious where exactly she'd seen my "amazingness," since I'd done practically nothing.
"Hmm, demands. I can't really think of any… From your perspective, Yugdra's technology is probably a treasure trove, but from mine…"
My foundation of knowledge was so lacking that even if I tried to learn something from them, I wouldn't understand what they were talking about. Our team members were all top-tier, so they'd been taught in various fields countless times, but not a single skill had ever truly stuck. The gap in baseline ability was just too wide.
Citry kept smiling at my words, frozen in place, then whispered after a moment: "…Klein. If you want, it doesn't have to be something material. For example… a bride, maybe? If you found a spouse in Yugdra—a land that's been unknown for so long—and brought her back, everyone would really look up to you."
… Sometimes Citry said the most outrageous things.
"Whoa, whoa, that's basically human trafficking—"
"Klein is Yugdra's benefactor. Right now, you could take your pick of any beautiful woman you wanted. The Spiritfolk are surprisingly passionate, you know. Can't you feel those heated stares? Selen probably wouldn't stop you, either."
Her words pulled my gaze to the surroundings. The Spiritfolk were gorgeous, every last one of them—men, women, young, old.
You barely ever encountered them in human settlements, so there was virtually no chance of meeting one, but as a race you'd want to marry, they were unquestionably number one by a landslide. And the haughty attitude of looking down on humans was apparently part of their appeal too—go figure.
I glanced around casually, and my eyes met those of several Spiritfolk. Some even smiled and waved at me. It seemed the affection was real. Just a few hours ago, they would have looked away if we'd crossed paths on the street. The change was so drastic I couldn't keep up. A Spiritfolk bride, huh…
Still, I'd thought the same thing when we rescued Selen from being swallowed by Mireth—the Spiritfolk really were extreme in both directions.
As I was looking around, Citry had put on a pouty expression.
I wasn't looking for a bride!? Citry had said something weird and I'd just glanced, that's all.
"N-no, I'm not really interested. You know, I've got stuff to do…"
"…But over there, it looks like they're very interested in you, Klein. My brother gets that kind of attention too, you know."
Anthem was a guy who excelled at both brains and brawn! Of course he'd be popular! …Or so I'd like to say, but Anthem was broad-minded, sure, but his sheer size was a bit much. It might indeed be rare for someone like him to be surrounded by people he'd basically just met.
Being the object of interest was flattering, but also a little troubling. Just moments ago I'd thought nothing of it, but now that Citry had said something, I'd become strangely self-conscious about the stares.
I might be overthinking it, but in times like these, the best move was to escape quickly.
"…Sorry, Citry. I'm going to step out for a bit."
"Oh…!"
I apologized to Citry and hurried away from the scene, avoiding the gazes as I headed toward the less populated end of Yugdra.
I hadn't had a particular destination in mind, but before I knew it, I'd arrived at the park on Yugdra's outskirts.
One of Yugdra's top power spots—the place where Selen had been meditating before Luke's curse-breaking operation.
The quiet sound of water. Cold air. There were no streetlights, so nobody was in this nature-filled open space.
Maybe I'd kill some time here until I cooled down…
Just to be safe, I checked behind me. No one had followed. I let out a breath of relief and turned forward.
And then—for an instant, my heart nearly stopped.
Without my noticing, three figures had appeared in the darkness, standing right in front of me.
Their faces were hidden behind masks and they wore jet-black cloaks, but I could tell who they were from their builds and the weapons in their hands.
"Adler… You're alive."