"Thousand Transformations" had been arrested.
That information was spreading quietly, yet steadily, throughout the Imperial Capital.
The Empire itself hadn't wanted to apprehend the man who had achieved such remarkable exploits. But they had no choice.
After all, Thousand Transformations had confessed. He had openly declared his own crimes. Whether there was any room for leniency in consideration of mitigating circumstances was beside the point — if they didn't move to arrest him, they would be looked down upon from every quarter, and their credibility as a nation governed by law would hit rock bottom.
The act Thousand Transformations had committed this time warranted one of the Ten Gravest Offenses under Imperial law. Turning the Imperial Capital into an extension of the Treasure Hall and creating an environment where Phantoms could roam freely was absolutely unforgivable. That it might have happened eventually even without Thousand Transformations' intervention, or that the Phantoms had raised a white flag so the damage was kept to a minimum — those were separate issues entirely.
The crime Thousand Transformations had committed, if made public, could throw the entire Imperial Capital into chaos. Information had been tightly controlled, so only a very select few knew the details.
Because of this, with nothing more to go on than the fact that Thousand Transformations had been arrested, a flood of complaints had poured into the Empire.
The Explorer's Guild had been informed about what Thousand Transformations had done as well as the negotiations with the Lady, so no complaints had come from them — but even so, the total number was staggering.
In a room within the Zebuldia Empire's imperial palace, Franz threw down a massive stack of reports painting a picture of the increasingly muddled situation and spat in disgust.
"Damn it, every last one of them — they don't know the first thing about our situation..."
"A Level 8 Hunter is a hero, after all. They haven't released the reason for the arrest."
"Yeah, I know. I know. But there's no way we can make it public!"
Doing so would create far too great a ripple effect. The fact that Thousand Transformations had merged the Treasure Hall with the Imperial Capital was one thing, but they certainly couldn't disclose the matter of the Phantoms having made contact with them either.
If they hid only the latter and published the details of the crime, the Empire would be forced to execute Thousand Transformations. Or perhaps exile him... but if that happened, there was no telling how many Hunters would turn against them.
Under normal circumstances, no one would side with a Hunter who had violated one of the Ten Gravest Offenses. But this was a man who constantly created abnormal situations.
Before the kind of divine foresight and diabolical cunning said to allow him to see even the future, nothing should surprise anyone.
And so, after extensive deliberation, the Empire had — through their contact with the Lady — arrived at a decision: it was the natural course of action to throw Klye Andrich into prison.
Thousand Transformations had achieved great exploits, but he had also committed crimes so gravely heavy they couldn't be made public. The achievements and offenses balanced out enough to spare him execution, but in exchange he would be confined to a prison island designed to hold criminals of the ultra-high-level Hunter class. Well, anyone who heard the situation would find it fairly reasonable — the natural course of events.
"Once Thousand Transformations is gone, I imagine the Imperial Capital will get noisier."
"That's true. There's no denying he played a role in suppressing crime, but... that too was warped. Maintaining public order is supposed to be the duty of the Knights."
Currently, the Imperial Capital's public order was remarkably good for a city of its size. Dangerous organizations that had been lurking in the shadows had been wiped out, or had fled. It stood to reason — an exceedingly rare Hunter who had reached Level 8 through brainpower rather than brawn was running roughshod alongside the notorious Mourning Specter.
With those troublesome Hunters gone, new organizations would inevitably try to put down roots in the Capital. The mass disappearances incident had been more or less settled, but now they had to deal with that as well.
"I swear, it's one thing after another, with no chance to rest. And every single one of them is a headache."
Franz grimaced as he sipped his tea — and at that very moment, another headache arrived.
"Commander Franz, Princess Seryn of Yugdra is here. She demands that Thousand Transformations be released immediately."
Here she comes... He had known this was coming. He knew about Princess Seryn's abnormally light footwork and the fact she was firmly in Thousand Transformations' corner.
In any decent nation of the human race, it would be unthinkable for a head of state to show up without any prior notice. Nor would anyone demand the immediate release of a detained individual without going through negotiations.
But Seryn Yugdra Frestel would do exactly that. She feared no human noble, and not a single Spiritfolk in Yugdra would attempt to restrain her actions.
Because her personal decisions were the nation's decisions, her speed was so great that even the Empire couldn't keep up.
She was the type to announce, "Then let's begin diplomatic relations starting tomorrow!" And vice versa, of course.
Franz, who had dealt with Princess Seryn to some degree, was certain of this.
She was the kind of Spiritfolk who would cheerfully say, "Actually, let's cancel diplomatic relations," and wipe everything clean.
"The Explorer's Guild made absolutely sure to impress upon us that we must not offend her..."
"...The one who committed the crime was a Guild-affiliated Hunter, you know?"
But he had also been instructed by His Imperial Majesty himself to exercise extreme caution in all dealings with Princess Seryn.
The prospect of diplomatic relations between the Empire and Yugdra had already spread to other nations. If everything were to be wiped clean now, it would be far more than a laughing matter.
As he pressed his throbbing head and tried to endure, the commotion outside his door grew louder.
"P-Please stop, Princess Seryn! I will announce your arrival, so please wait—"
And then, the door burst open.
Her long hair, a pale shade of green that evoked the depths of a primeval forest, and features so perfectly sculpted that no one could believe their eyes — this was a woman of such breathtaking beauty that even Franz, well-acquainted with the troublesome nature of the Spiritfolk, couldn't help but groan internally. She fixed Franz with an icy gaze and spoke.
"Franz, is it true that you arrested Klye? If it's true, release him. Immediately. He is Yugdra's benefactor."
Complete interference in domestic affairs. On top of that, she was issuing orders to a foreign noble. In any human nation, this would only be tolerable in an extremely barbaric one — but Franz knew that Seryn meant no malice.
This was simply how the Spiritfolk were.
Franz responded with a resolute demeanor, meeting her eyes directly.
"It is true, but I'm afraid that's not possible. Klye Andrich has violated Imperial law. If you'd like to know what he did, I can tell you."
"He hasn't violated Yugdra's law. Franz, listen. Let me say this once more: I am *asking* you to release Klye. Otherwise, diplomatic relations are off."
Ah, his head was throbbing so hard he felt like vomiting. Damn it.
"This isn't just on the Empire's side. Many people from Yugdra must have been working toward the start of diplomatic relations as well. Diplomatic relations benefit both parties in the first place. Are you really saying you'd throw all of that away, Princess Seryn?"
"I never say the same thing twice."
You never say the same thing twice, but you do break your promises.
Princess Seryn's face bloomed into a radiant smile at that point. The knight standing stiffly behind her caught her breath at that expression that stirred one's emotions.
Seryn spoke in a tone, as if explaining something to a child.
"Listen, Franz. Unlike humans, the Spiritfolk never forget a debt of gratitude. Even if it benefits the nation — if I abandoned Klye and initiated exchanges with your country, I would not be able to face the历代 kings who have protected Yugdra throughout history. Do you understand?"
"Would the people of Yugdra accept that?"
"Spare me the pointless arguments. Release him. One second sooner is better. This is my final warning."
Seryn narrowed her eyes and issued her threat. The magical energy swirling around her was so powerful that even without killing intent, it was already ominous.
The Spiritfolk were born Mages. And high-ranking Spiritfolk — their power was something human Mages couldn't hold a candle to. She even had the highest-tier spirit at her side.
"Thinking of Klye's suffering, I should have acted immediately. Yet I made a concession and came here to talk first, Franz. You're not a fool, I trust."
The idea that this counted as a concession was... absolutely absurd.
But every institution in the Empire had been clamoring for exchanges with Yugdra without the slightest awareness of Franz's struggles. He understood there was no choice when it came to national interest, but it was still infuriating.
Franz clicked his tongue involuntarily. It was unthinkable to click one's tongue before the head of a foreign nation, but he knew Seryn wouldn't care about such things.
For better or worse, the princess before him was far too free-spirited. And why wasn't she accompanied by a single bodyguard?
He spoke as though spitting the words out.
"...Suffering? Would a man who's truly suffering request chocolates while in detention?!"
"Oh, could it be that you weren't wearing a patterned shirt?"
"I was not."
"...Is that so, is that so. Well, that's... understandable then."
It's NOT understandable!
He couldn't fathom what kind of favor the man had done to win over Princess Seryn so thoroughly. True, after the prophecy-related incident, he had sent him to Yugdra to handle the aftermath in hopes of establishing diplomatic relations — but it had gone too far.
That man always went too far, no matter what he did.
In the end, convincing Princess Seryn through human diplomacy was impossible. Franz furrowed his brow and decided to play his trump card.
"Besides, Princess Seryn, you're mistaken. The man turned himself in voluntarily."
"...What do you mean?"
If he hadn't made such a blunt, fatally candid confession in front of everyone, Thousand Transformations would never have been charged with a crime. The man had disregarded even his own interests and provoked Franz and the others to the fullest.
That such a confession would lead to arrest, and that the act warranted not merely Imperial law but one of the Ten Gravest Offenses — even without any divine foresight, that was abundantly clear. And yet, the man had spilled everything right there on the spot. As if mocking Franz and the others.
"East Seal Prison Island. When a Level 8 confesses to a crime, it's obvious that he'd be confined in that prison designed for the most dangerous criminals. Surely he understood that."
"I see... that makes sense."
"So, respecting Thousand Transformations' own judgment, we decided to quietly imprison him. Stop getting in the way. That place already holds numerous ultra-high-level Hunter-class criminals. That man is probably already scheming something else anyway."
Code and the captured Empty Tail and Sword Tail were being held there as well.
East Seal Prison Island was no ordinary prison. It was where the most dangerous criminals — those possessing extremely perilous power — were confined. With a track record of Level 8 exploits, no ordinary crime would land you there.
Normally, committing a crime in order to infiltrate a prison would be absolutely unacceptable. But this time, if they tried to deflect from the original plan, it would only trigger an even more troublesome situation, so they had no choice.
Admittedly, merging the Treasure Hall with the Imperial Capital had been going too far — but the real problem was that he had carried it all out on his own initiative without telling anyone. What kind of high-level Hunter in any world would merge a great nation's capital with a Treasure Hall without permission?
Princess Seryn had been wearing a contemplative expression, but she nodded as if convinced, smiled, and said: "Understood. You are right, it seems. As expected of Klye's left hand."
Stop calling me that.
"If he's infiltrating of his own free will, then I can't very well stop him. That would be biting the hand that feeds me."
The intense, tense atmosphere from before had completely dissipated. He had managed it somehow...
As Franz let out a sigh of relief, Princess Seryn spoke with a cheerful smile: "Then, I'll leave the arrangements for Klye's comfort to you. Let's consider the matter settled."
"Com-fort...?"
What was she talking about?
Princess Seryn, seeing Franz's eyes widen involuntarily, made her unreasonable demand in a beautiful voice like the tinkling of a bell.
"Comfort. That prison island must have many inconveniences. Make sure that Klye has everything he needs and wants for nothing. Consider that the debt that cancels out the threat to void diplomatic relations."