I made it back to the prison entrance. It looked like nobody new was being locked up today—the area around the entrance was dead silent.
At the far end of the corridor, a number of people sat slumped in a heap, and it was impossible to tell whether they were alive or dead. It drove home the fact that this place really was hell.
I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, but… where was Jin?
Forget Jin—I couldn't spot a single guard anywhere. What the heck was I supposed to— Knowing that Lucia was backing me up with magic had restored some of my composure, but the unease didn't vanish. There were way too many scary-looking people around here.
That said, if Lucia was watching me, I couldn't very well keep making pathetic faces the whole time.
After all, I'm supposed to be the tough, hard-boiled big brother here.
Jack, who had tagged along with me, scanned the surroundings and muttered: "Still, there's fewer people than usual today. According to Grand's data, there are supposed to be losers packed in here nonstop… Tch, his data is useless."
"Come on, don't say that. The data is valuable. I've been helped by it too."
For the record, the people actually gathering the data were Eva and Citry. I was just on the receiving end.
And by the time it reached me, it was already compiled into neat reports, so all I had to do was look them over and nod.
Jack pleaded as though his life depended on it.
"Could you maybe lend a hand? Everything hinges on how many people Grand can round up."
Grand had gone off somewhere after breakfast to assemble his subordinates. I couldn't even stop him.
Even if he asked for help, there was nothing I could do—and honestly, if he actually managed to amass a crowd, that would be a problem.
Why did everyone keep trying to make a flag-bearing leader out of a pacifist like me?
I dodged the question the way I always did.
"Easy, easy. Give the guy a little more faith. If things go south, I'll step in."
"………Ah, understood. But you're promising, yes?"
You think that was half-assed? I've been playing this exact game for five years now.
There was no sign of Jin coming to pick me up, and while I stood there wondering what to do, a voice called out from behind me.
"Huh!? Y-you—Thousand Transformations!? What are you doing here!?"
"………Who are you?"
"Oh, so you've forgotten about us—the Dontan Family!? Like hell we'll let you forget!! We got thrown in here because of you!!"
Five rough-looking, undersized thugs. Even after they named themselves, I had absolutely zero memory of them.
Still, the odds of never having met them were pretty low. I just hadn't found them the slightest bit interesting.
"Heh heh… Face it, you're done for! That空尾 guy is seriously furious with you!"
"?? Thousand Transformations, these guys are—"
"Hold on… I'm trying to remember."
It had been just over five years since I became a Hunter—approaching a full six. In all that time, there wasn't a single year the Mourning Specter hadn't fought thieves, and there wasn't a single year I hadn't fought thieves either.
Since they knew my face, we'd clearly met at some point—but they really needed to make more of an impression if they expected me to recall them. I make it a point to forget anything unpleasant; that's the secret to enjoying life.
The man at the front jabbed a finger at me.
"You seriously don't even remember us!? Hey, pull out that sarasara thing of yours again, damn it!"
"Oh—the Sasara people I met at the code!"
"!?"
My first encounter with Sasara during my Hunter career had been this year.
Saya's Sasara had been protecting me, but only for a very brief period—so I actually remembered this one.
Well, not really.
"That's a relief."
"Nothing's relieving about this!!"
The Sasara people protested in trembling voices.
I was going to have to start using my brain a little more. That was the conclusion I'd reached.
Just then, an even rougher-looking, massive man walked out from behind the Sasara people.
"Oi. You're in the way."
He was a giant—well over two meters tall. And his eyes held a peculiar, unsettling intensity that set him apart from the run-of-the-mill thieves scattered around the place.
The big man gave a casual wave of his hand. That was all it took. One of the Sasara people went flying and slammed into the wall.
There was no chance to brace, no chance to block. The sudden intruder left the Sasara people speechless.
The Sasara person who had slid to the floor lay completely still. The big man didn't so much as glance in that direction. He looked only at me and spoke.
"Thousand Transformations. It's been… a while."
"………Thousand Transformations, this guy is—"
"………Hang on, I'm trying to remember."
A rough-faced big man, huh. Both Hunters and thieves tended to be either big or ugly—or both—so those weren't exactly distinguishing features.
I had no memory of him whatsoever. If he'd at least been carrying a distinctive weapon, maybe it would have rung a bell.
"………First things first—ally or enemy?"
"………………………………"
The big man's expression tightened. Without a word, he turned his back.
Clinging all over his back were colorful tree frogs.
"………You like frogs?"
"………………"
The big man stayed silent, fixing me with a murderous stare. Would you quit the silent-pressure thing.
Frogs… frogs, huh. If they were just ordinary tree frogs, maybe he was simply a frog enthusiast—but these were multicolored tree frogs. Could it be—some kind of tree-frog research group?
The first time Lucia had shown me the frog-transformation magic was at the start of this year. And the species involved were tree frogs, not toads, which… hmm?
Could it be that this man had merely had his comrades turned into frogs by Lucia and had never actually crossed paths with me?
The Mourning Specter carried on without me—completing commissions, exploring the Treasure Hall, capturing thieves. The possibility of a grudge from someone I'd never met was actually pretty high.
I closed my eyes, rubbed the bridge of my nose for a moment, then looked up at the big man and said: "Ahh, right, you! I remember, I remember—just kidding. How've things been since then?"
"Gkkh… How have things been since then!?"
Think I could bluff my way through this?
Being locked up on Prison Island meant he was, at minimum, a seriously dangerous criminal.
Jack's face was strained too. But hey—it wasn't me who did it, it was Lucia…
The giant loomed over me at close range. The sheer intimidation was suffocating.
"Don't play dumb with me. Because of you, my subordinates have been stuck as frogs ever since. You'd better make this right."
Well, when you put it like that, I mean…
I glanced at Jack. He didn't have the eye to judge someone's fighting strength, but… somehow this guy seemed even stronger than Jack.
At least he didn't seem about to attack immediately. That was a rare type.
Just what exactly did he want as "making it right"… If he wanted me to grovel, I'd do it.
The mysterious big man cracked his knuckles, looking down at me as I blinked rapidly.
"Tell me how to turn these frogs back. If you cooperate and tell me honestly, I'll let it slide—just this once."
"Huh? You think you can take on Thousand Transformations even though you've got some skill—"
"Wait, is that all? I don't mind telling you, actually."
"What!?"
Honestly, the real miracle was that they'd stayed as frogs this whole time. Lucia was truly impressive.
I didn't know who this man was, but fortunately I did remember the reversal method. It had made quite an impression.
I raised my index finger toward the big man towering over me.
"To turn them back, you just have to kill them. I don't know the logic behind it, but that's how it works."
"!? Kill… them?"
Well, yeah. That's about right.
But the only method I knew for turning frogs back into people was exactly that. Lucia had explained the reasoning too, but I'd forgotten it.
"…Thousand Transformations—you expect me to believe such a ridiculous lie—"
"No, it's not a lie…"
If he killed one, he'd see soon enough that I was telling the truth—but understandably, that wasn't exactly something you'd be eager to try.
The man's forehead was bulging with veins that looked ready to burst at any second. Jack flashed a grin and spoke with supreme confidence: "Hey, cool it there, Barrel's leader. You think you can beat someone even Absolute Ice couldn't get close to? Huh?"
"……………………"
The big man slammed his fist into the wall with all his might.
A heavy, reverberating boom. A small crack ran through the metal wall.
To put even a dent in a metal wall like that—if it were me, my hand would absolutely be killing me right now.
The man Jack had called Barrel's leader glared at me with savage, predatory eyes, then turned on his heel and disappeared down the corridor.
The Dontan Family thugs scurried away in a panic too.
I'd thoroughly pissed them off, but it seemed I'd survived. Thank god.
"Know that guy?"
"He's the one who came with Absolute Ice last night! According to Grand, he's the head of a notorious thieves' guild called the Barrel Thieves. You seriously don't know!?"
"Hmm… Nope, no idea."
See, bad guys tend to be big. There's just too many of them.
Besides, the Mourning Specter had fought more thieves than there were stars in the sky. We'd fought so many that theft in Zebuldia had actually declined.
There was no way I could remember every single one—and who knew, maybe Rue and the others were fighting in places I didn't even know about.
"………There's nothing we can do about it, is there. More to the point, Thousand Transformations, you've made too many enemies. I was hoping we could somehow lure some of the Serpent's or Fox's people over to our side, but—"
"What do you want me to do about it… I'm not trying to make enemies in the first place."
Also, what did he mean, "lure over"? I just wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.
Jack continued with a dejected expression.
"If we could at least bring Barrel on board—if you'd tell him how to turn those frogs back into people? I saw what you can do last night, Thousand Transformations, and the more people we have, the closer we get to a breakout. If Barrel joins us, others will follow. Right?"
No, no, no… There were so many things wrong with that statement I didn't even know where to start.
Needless to say, that opinion had nothing but problems.
The goal, the method, everything about it was the polar opposite of what I wanted.
Why was I supposed to be the one bringing the Serpent's and Fox's people into the fold?
And sorry to say, but I was merely an observer. They'd let me out without needing to break out—and even if I could escape, I wouldn't. People were going to get the wrong idea.
Besides, that Barrel guy—hadn't I told him nothing but the truth? But he clearly didn't believe me.
Was I really that unconvincing…
For now, agreeing to Jack's proposal was out of the question. But disagreeing was equally bad.
Just a little longer. Just a little longer, and Jin should be coming back.
"………I understand your position. How about I take some time to think it over at a relaxed pace?"
"…………Yes."
Jack's voice was through gritted teeth. But the look in his eyes said he was far from convinced by my words.
I glanced around. The criminals were glaring at us from a distance. I was starting to feel like I was going to throw up.
Jin, you better get back soon, or I'm going to end up as the figurehead of a prison break.