The High-Mobility Fortress City Code. It was a miraculous city that had been separated from a Treasure Hall of the High Physical Civilization era.
A certain man activated it in the deepest reaches of that High Physical Civilization Treasure Hall, and the city that rose into the sky possessed all of the previous civilization's urban systems and weaponry intact.
The unfortunate part was that this man was not a legitimate Treasure Hunter—he was a Red Hunter.
The man who activated the city proclaimed himself king of a new kingdom, and together with his companions, used the onboard weaponry to burn away every nation within the city's attack range, forcibly absorbing them all.
And that terrible city still continues to dominate the land from high in the sky to this very day.
The information delivered by the chairman indicated that the situation was the exact opposite of what I had hoped for.
They're the enemy! I'm saying I want to sightsee a High Physical Civilization city (not really), and Code is the enemy! This is basically fraud.
But I couldn't exactly claim now that I had thought the High Physical Civilization city was the client.
Kaiser and Saya seemed to know about this, and Treasure Hunters operate at their own risk. My ignorance was my own fault.
All I could do was listen blankly to the chairman's grave explanation.
The Explorer's Guild had accepted the commission and engaged Code in battle on two occasions in the past.
The first engagement was right after Code activated.
Having received requests from the nations that had been attacked alongside a one-sided surrender notice, the Explorer's Guild gathered high-level Hunters and launched an assault on Code.
To put it simply—the Explorer's Guild failed to stop Code.
The Guild lost nearly all of the Hunters it had mobilized, and then—barely managed to seize one critical function that Code had equipped.
Yes—the mobility function that had been installed on the city itself.
The weapons of the High Physical Civilization era equipped on Code boasted power far beyond even the most advanced modern weaponry.
One of them was an energy weapon capable of incinerating a vast area from hundreds of kilometers away.
If the Guild hadn't been able to destroy Code's mobility function—which enabled attacks from extreme range—every nation in the world would have had to live in perpetual fear of that threat.
The destroyed function has never been repaired. Code is currently a floating city suspended over a single point.
And the first battle was indefinitely postponed once every nation within Code's attack range had been eliminated.
The second battle came a hundred years later, when the first king—who held full authority over Code—died.
The trigger was a commission brought in by a person who had escaped from Code.
Apparently, Code experiences a moment of system instability each time the king changes.
Seizing that brief window, the Explorer's Guild launched a pincer assault on Code from both outside and within—and suffered a catastrophic defeat.
In the second attack, the Guild gained nothing.
The Hunters who attacked from the outside, the Hunters who infiltrated the city alongside the client—not a single one returned, and Code was restored to full functionality under the hand of the newly enthroned king.
Since then, the Explorer's Guild had maintained a strict non-interference policy toward Code, and the city's name gradually became something that was never spoken of openly.
Attacks from outside were futile against the city's defensive systems, and infiltration from within had also failed.
There were no longer any nations within Code's attack range, and it was deemed better not to approach than to needlessly endanger the lives of high-level Hunters. It was, in effect, a declaration of defeat.
Treasure Hunters, unlike knights, are free agents. They tend to avoid risks, and brokering jobs that would produce needless casualties would erode trust. It was probably a reasonable judgment, and I can understand it.
But now, roughly a hundred years later, the situation had changed. A reason to challenge Code had finally emerged.
"The restoration of Code's movement function, huh? Truly, a crisis for the world. Hahahaha—here I came just to take an exam, and I end up running into something like this."
After the examination ended. The top floor of the Explorer's Guild headquarters.
The three of us who would be accepting the commission together sat around a table, and Kaiser wore a bright smile as he spoke.
The view from the all-glass room was spectacular—a nightscape that rivaled even the Imperial Capital's.
Apparently, this was a VIP room that only an extremely select few guests at headquarters were permitted to use. When we'd requested a room to talk (Kaiser had), they brought us here—was the nightscape supposed to help us escape from reality?
Despite having been saddled with a dangerous and awful commission, both Kaiser and Saya were perfectly composed.
I let out a small sigh, and Saya responded to Kaiser's words in a calm voice.
"I agree. But it's still much better than attacking an impregnable city fortified with superweapons from the outside. If we can infiltrate the interior, there are options."
If there was one fortunate thing about this commission, it was that there existed a means of entering the city.
Of course, without that means, this commission wouldn't have become a Level 9 Trial in the first place, so whether you could call it "fortunate" was debatable.
Infiltrate the High-Mobility Fortress City Code and rescue the royal family held captive within.
That was the commission presented as the Level 9 Certification Trial.
Infiltrate the impregnable city, secure all members of the royal family who were apparently confined by Code's nobility, and smuggle them out of the city.
The royal family in Code held a different position from those in other nations.
Code was a city that repurposed an ancient civilization's systems. The city possessed various capabilities, but operational authority belonged solely to the king who had first activated the city and his bloodline—without a king, it could not be properly operated.
According to information from the client, in present-day Code, power had been seized by the nobles beneath the king, and the royal family—who advocated for peace—had been placed under house arrest and forced to operate the city.
Even if the movement function was restored, only the royal family could move the city. In other words, as long as all members of the royal family could be evacuated, Code would be unable to move and launch invasions of other nations.
...Wait, isn't this way beyond a Hunter's job?
Sure, Treasure Hunters were accustomed to infiltrating dangerous places in the course of clearing Treasure Halls, but this time the fate of the world was at stake. Wasn't this far too heavy a burden to place on Treasure Hunters?
My motivation had plummeted ever since I heard the commission details, and as I grumbled internally, Kaiser nodded broadly and looked at me.
"Saya-kun is absolutely right. This Army-Breaking Celestial Dance has no experience attacking a city floating in the sky, and neither do I. Thousand Transformations—do you have any experience conquering a floating city?"
"Well... I've been through my share of things, but conquering a flying city... only once."
"!?"
Well, strictly speaking, the Wandering Inn wasn't a city, and I didn't exactly conquer it, but—why do I always end up in these awful situations?
All the helpless me could do was flash a hard-boiled smile.
"You... you have? How did you do it?"
"...That time, I crashed an airship straight into it. I really didn't know what would happen."
"!? An airship!? As expected, Zebuldia's Hunters are on another level... Even this Army-Breaking Celestial Dance has never done anything that flashy."
Even now, just thinking about it, I never want to relive that experience.
But come to think of it calmly, while this commission was certainly dangerous, I was in danger pretty much everywhere I went. Having Kaiser and the others along might actually make things better.
The pinnacle of the High Physical Civilization. An impregnable floating city.
"Which is more dangerous—the Temple-type Treasure Hall or this...?"
"Hmm... an interesting comparison. I hear a Phantom of God wields tremendous power. But even I have never seen one myself..."
"Huh... Kaiser, you've never seen a Phantom of God? That's kind of surprising. I've run into them three times in five years..."
"!?"
Maybe Zebuldia as a place just didn't agree with me? But I'd already made the Beginning Footprint there.
If it were just forming a Party, relocating would be easy, but moving an entire Clan was a completely different matter. Eva had been running the Clan at full capacity all this while, and I couldn't undo all that effort.
To think the day would come when the Clan I'd created to make things easier would become shackles...
But what could I do? This time, more than ever, I couldn't envision things going well.
The previous trials had all been relatively straightforward. Defeat a specific Monster, clear a Treasure Hall, obtain rare materials, provide an escort—the tasks had been clearly defined.
But this time was different. The very fact that the opponent was a city meant this wasn't the kind of job a Treasure Hunter should be handling.
There was almost no advance intelligence, and no clear means of approach had been prepared. As expected, the Explorer's Guild was offering a Level 9 position as a reward for good reason.
Being told that the means were "left open" meant they expected you to improvise, which also meant that since there was no precedent, nobody actually knew what would work. This was a complete mess.
As I frowned in thought, Saya suddenly spoke.
"Thousand Transformations—you should be the leader. For this commission, I will follow you. As a temporary Party member."
"!? ...Just to confirm—why?"
"I've never done an infiltration mission, and you're the most suitable person to lead. Besides, I... wanted to be part of a Party at least once."
Saya said something absurd with a completely serious expression.
What about me was suitable to lead? I wouldn't tell Saya to lead, but surely Kaiser would be better in every way.
"I've never done an infiltration mission either. ...Well, I have accidentally ended up infiltrating places before, but..."
"..."
I was saying something ridiculous even by my own standards, and Saya fell silent with a complicated expression.
When Sora's carelessness came to light, it really was a shock. Even the fox boss got angry at us. That was rough.
Come to think of it, I wonder how Sora and the others are doing...
"Normally, I would volunteer to lead, but I'll defer to Saya-kun's opinion this time. This Army-Breaking Celestial Dance has no intention of trying to outwit Thousand Transformations, who serves as both Clan Master and Party Leader. After all, I'm a dancer, not a strategist."
Wait, Kaiser was a dancer? To reach Level 8 as a dancer—Tempest Dancing really was something.
But being expected to serve as a strategist was a problem. The only reason I'd managed to keep going as a Hunter so far was thanks to my companions' efforts, nothing more.
If anything, I was a reverse-strategist (?) who ensured everything went wrong.
I agonized for a while over which carried more risk—giving orders or receiving them—before letting out a small sigh and speaking.
"Fine. You're all Level 8 Solo Hunters, so I think it's best if everyone moves freely and we only discuss things when coordination is needed. But let me at least confirm what each of us brings to the table. Saya, what can you do?"
If I didn't know who was strong where, I couldn't assign escorts.
Without a moment's hesitation, Saya answered immediately.
"I can do pretty much everything."
Treasure Hunters typically had defined roles, so for a girl to declare she could do everything was frankly terrifying.
...Wait, was she older than Kaiser?
"And Kaiser?"
"Hahaha, if we're putting it that way, this Army-Breaking Celestial Dance can do most things too! Solo Hunters have to handle everything, after all! I can even be a Healer! My specialty is dancing, but I'm quite proud of my healing abilities too."
Level 8 Hunters were insane... The gap between them and me, who couldn't do anything, was enormous. But his specialty being dance—that meant he had a straightforward core. Nice.
As I hesitated over how to respond, Kaiser flashed a playful grin and spoke.
"But, even if it's temporary, we're forming a Party. Leader, I should mention one thing—this Army-Breaking Celestial Dance does have weaknesses. They are—tight spaces. My Tempest Dancing relies on momentum, you see... If the stage is too narrow, I can't show my true ability. Also, I'm weak against tough opponents. Conversely, my strength lies in—annihilating enemies across a wide area."
I see... Weak against tight spaces and tough opponents. Strong at annihilating wide-area enemies.
Since I'd been told, I reluctantly committed the information to memory.
But revealing one's own weaknesses to people you'd just met—that was unexpected. Hunters were supposed to keep their cards close to their chest.
Then Saya, as if struck by Kaiser's words, opened her eyes wide and spoke.
"Leader, I have a weakness too. It might become a problem when planning strategy, so I'll mention it now."
"...No, it's fine... You don't have to force yourself..."
Treasure Hunters had many enemies. I had no intention of leaking her weaknesses to anyone, but there was also a non-zero chance we were being bugged.
Apparently countermeasures had been taken, but this world still contained unknown powers. Adler's "Living Mirror" was a perfect example.
Kaiser looked at Saya with wide eyes.
"You have a weakness? The one who single-handedly fought off an endless horde of Monsters for seven days and seven nights? That's surprising—when we talked before, you never mentioned it."
"I do. I just didn't feel the need to mention it at the time."
Saya took a deep breath, then spoke as if steeling her resolve.
"My weakness—it's morning and daytime. My ability can only be activated at night."
Incredulous, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
Hunters were human too, and strengths and weaknesses existed for everyone, but a Hunter who could only use their power at night was something I had never heard of.
I knew that some forms of magic varied in power depending on the time of day—but how had she reached Level 8 if she could only fight at night?
Kaiser must have felt the same. He furrowed his brow and said: "That's... quite an extreme ability. But that's odd... From what I heard, Saya-kun fought a Monster army alone for seven days and seven nights—"
"That's... not a lie. Your research was quite accurate."
Saya shrugged and said, as if stating something perfectly obvious: "While my ability is active—night doesn't break."
An offhand tone, with no hint of intimidation. And that was precisely why those words carried an uncanny persuasiveness.
I'd always thought the old hag who burns things was terrifying, but Level 8 Hunters really were all monsters... Night doesn't break? What did that even mean?
"So that's the reason behind the 'Night Banquet Temple' epithet... Doesn't sound very useful for a mission like this where standing out would be a problem, though. Though I suppose I'm in the same boat."
"My mother-in-law—the branch chief at Terrace—told me not to fight too openly. Because I... scare the people around me."
"Hahaha, I'm in the same boat. Those with power must show restraint."
Luke and the others could probably learn a thing or two from Kaiser.
Maybe this kind of non-combat ability was one of the reasons Level 8 Hunters had been selected for this commission.
Watching the two of them gave me a small boost of morale.
It was said that Hunters grew stronger year by year. The quality of Treasure Hunters today was completely different from a hundred years ago.
No matter how impregnable Code was, it had to be vulnerable from the inside.
Even if we couldn't extract every member of the royal family, if worst came to worst, letting Saya and Kaiser rampage for seven days and seven nights should be enough to discourage any thoughts of invasion. Probably.
And just because the enemy was a city didn't mean my original goal was impossible to achieve.
Getting into the city was a certainty. Without knowing the city layout, rescuing the royal family would be impossible anyway, and if luck was on our side, I might even be able to buy Treasure Weapons.
At that point, Saya turned to me and asked.
"By the way—Thousand Transformations. Do you have any weaknesses?"
"My weaknesses... there are plenty, but the biggest one is that nothing ever goes right no matter what I do. But with Kaiser and the others here this time, I'm not too worried."
"Hahaha—the Thousand Transformations with a one hundred percent commission completion rate, saying something like that."
Kaiser laughed, probably thinking I was joking.
But all I could ever do was pray.
Saya spoke, looking slightly displeased.
"However, this is no laughing matter. This commission has too many unknown variables. The biggest problem is—the client's identity."
"Exactly. A suspicious commission like this would normally be rejected the moment it was presented. Now I understand why the Guild didn't pass this commission on to other high-level Hunters as a standard request."
This commission had apparently been found near the Explorer's Guild headquarters, enclosed in a capsule made of an unknown metal.
The capsule contained details about the commission and Code's current status, but no information about the sender.
The only thing known was that the client held a significant position within Code.
The proof of this was the pass card for entering Code that had been enclosed with the commission.
That same card also served as the headcount limit for this mission—these metal cards, issued by the city's system, were the only legitimate means of entering Code, and the authority to issue them was apparently held only by those of very high rank within Code.
After examining the capsule's contents, the Explorer's Guild determined the information to be genuine and decided to accept the commission as an emergency mission where failure was not an option.
"But I can understand why they had no choice but to accept. And why they're mobilizing the few Level 8 Hunters they have. If they ignored the capsule and Code started moving, who knows how many nations would be destroyed—in the last battle with Code, even the client who accompanied the Hunters and assisted with the infiltration never returned. For the Guild, this is the lowest of disgraces. They probably want to redeem that indelible stain as much as possible."
I understood the reasoning... but from the perspective of someone being dragged into this, it was anything but pleasant.
As I sighed, Kaiser suddenly dropped the serious expression he'd been wearing and said to me with a pleasant smile: "So, Thousand Transformations. I have a favor to ask of my new friend."
"A favor...?"
What was he suddenly going on about? As I widened my eyes, Kaiser spoke in a light tone: "Nothing difficult. If this commission goes as planned—would you introduce this Army-Breaking Celestial Dance to Emperor Radrick? A Hunter who would normally reach Level 9 might already be known throughout the world, but this is an irregular path to Level 9. It would be prudent to establish a connection with the Emperor of a great empire, wouldn't you say?"
"!!"
His words made me open my eyes wide in surprise.
...So the person who spoke at that examination was the Zebuldia Emperor? I'd need him to properly confirm he was the Emperor, or I'd be in trouble.
If it would help him work hard for the commission's success, an introduction was no problem at all.
I wasn't close enough to the man to know how I'd go about it, but I had Franz.
"Consider it done... Shall I throw in the Yggdra princess as a bonus? If you distinguish yourselves, that is."
"!! That's more than enough compensation to motivate a Level 8, my friend."
Being called "friend" this many times—were we close enough to call each other best friends now? A bit eccentric, but way better than the old hag who burns things.
Perhaps inspired by Kaiser, Saya fixed her gaze on me and spoke.
"I... when this commission is successfully completed, I'd like you to introduce me to your Party members. I'm interested in Level 8 Party members."
"Sure, sure. This one sounds like it's going to be pretty rough, so if you perform well... Maybe Saya could become good friends with my little sister. You two seem like similar types..."
Actually, maybe she could befriend Liliz and the others too. They all loved strong Hunters...
"!! That... is the finest compensation imaginable for this Night Banquet Temple."
Saya's composed demeanor vanished in an instant, and she spoke almost greedily.
Night Banquet Temple—cheap!! Just an introduction to my Party members? I'd introduce her to anyone and everyone if she'd just serve as my bodyguard.
"...Shall I throw in the Yggdra princess as a bonus?"
"That won't be necessary."
Selen... poor thing.
Oh well. Regardless, the fact that I'd come to an understanding with my companions before the mission even started was a blessing.
How would we overcome the monumental task of infiltrating Code? I would witness the power of these Level 8 Hunters from other nations with my own eyes.
Do your best, do your best!!