Liliz seemed to have been completely overcharged with boost.
It felt like watching a dragon that had gone on a rampage. Her figure, scattering energy like the blazing sun, left everyone stunned. Stopping her once she'd gotten like this was going to be very difficult.
She kept saying it was a vacation, so why was she so full of enthusiasm? I'd say it again — I had absolutely no intention of going anywhere dangerous.
I watched Liliz spinning around in a whirl in the lounge for a while, completely speechless, but I couldn't exactly drag members along who said they didn't want to go.
Having only Liliz as an escort made me a bit uneasy, but if I called out to Citry, she'd probably come along.
Having spun to her heart's content, Liliz nimbly made her way in front of me, crouched down, and looked up at me with pleading eyes.
"Hey hey, Klye-chan! Can I bring Tee along?"
"..."
That was a tough question. I was in an awkward situation with Tinno over the "Evolving Demon Mask" incident.
If we're talking about whether it was permissible, of course it was, but thinking about that earnest junior of mine, I felt she could use a little more time.
As I stayed silent, Liliz suddenly lowered her eyes and wore a worried expression.
"Huh? Could it be, Klye-chan, that you've lost faith in Tee because of what happened before?"
Isn't that a strange way to think?
How could I have lost faith? Tinno hadn't done anything to me.
I recalled Tinno's behavior while wearing the mask and let out a small sigh.
If anything, I was more worried about whether Liliz and Citry had any resentment toward Tinno, who was usually so obedient but had stood up to them (even if it was because of the mask).
The "Evolving Demon Mask" had the unique effect of releasing both the wearer's latent abilities and their subconscious. The released emotions and the omnipotence brought out by the drawn-out power made Tinno slightly more proactive than usual — more assertive.
Specifically, she had stood in front of me as if to shield me, raised her fists at her two seniors, and berated them. Liliz and Citry's expressions at that time were honestly quite amusing.
Liliz wasn't the type to take being scolded lying down, so of course a commotion followed, but Tinno was a good, honest kid. I was the one who had forced the mask on her, and I couldn't accept Tinno suffering because of that. I had ordered them to pretend the mask incident never happened, but it was impossible to completely erase the impact of events that had actually occurred.
Strangely enough, Liliz didn't seem to be holding a grudge, so I hadn't been too worried, but how were things between them now master-and-student-wise?
As I thought silently, Liliz spoke in a rare, sorrowful tone.
"...Sure, Tee's a small fry, and she stood up to me and Citry without knowing her place. But, but, that was all for your sake, Klye-chan! She was just following my orders! It might look pathetic from your perspective, but... please, don't abandon her?"
The emotional whiplash was confusing.
I had never thought of Tinno as a small fry, and the thought of abandoning her had never even crossed my mind. If anything, I was the one who could be abandoned. Not knowing how to react, I opened my eyes wide, managed a half-hearted smile, and nodded.
"Abandon her? I've never even thought of such a thing. There's no need to worry. Yep, Tinno is an excellent Hunter. You've been doing great too, Liliz."
I thought she should probably be a little gentler with her though...
My hollow words of comfort transformed Liliz's worried expression into a radiant, blooming smile.
"So then... I can bring her?"
"...Sure."
Being met with that full-faced smile, there was absolutely no way I could refuse.
...Well, it was just a vacation after all...
"Yay! Klye-chan, I love you! Don't worry, even if Tee dies from being too weak, I'm sure she'd consider it a fitting end for your sake!"
"Okay, I'll go talk to her then," Liliz said, and left the lounge with buoyant steps.
Don't think dying for my sake is a fitting end... What exactly did Liliz think my vacation was?
It was true that I was unlucky. Even before reaching Level 8, I had repeatedly gotten caught up in various incidents. When I went to see the cherry blossoms, a Treasure Hall appeared. When exploring a cave, a massive earthquake hit and everything collapsed. When sneaking into the Treasure Hall, I had a high probability of encountering a boss that was supposed to have an extremely low spawn rate. And once, while walking in a massive storm, lightning suddenly struck (incidentally, it hit the largest Anthem standing nearby).
But even that had its limits. This time, I was leaving the capital specifically to avoid trouble. I had no intention of fighting Monsters or Phantoms, and certainly no intention of killing anyone.
I looked around, but almost no one remained in the lounge. They had all fled because of the commotion Liliz had caused.
I had just wanted to invite a few people out for some fresh air, but I had a bad feeling this was going to turn into something big.
Troubled by this unexpected development, Eva came trotting up from behind.
"Klye-san, preparations for the carriage are complete. It's a large armored carriage drawn by six Platinum Horses."
Platinum Horses were Horse-type Monsters with several dozen times the strength of normal horses. As their name suggested, they had platinum-like coats and possessed the stamina and endurance to charge through any rough terrain — the highest quality breed of horse.
That quality came with an extraordinary price tag, but the real issue right now was that the carriage was drawn by six of them. A single Platinum Horse could pull a large carriage with ease.
"...Isn't that a bit too extravagant?"
Neither the Platinum Horses nor the large armored carriage were things the clan owned.
With some trepidation, I raised the question, and Eva blinked.
"Well... however, with Platinum Horses, we should be able to outrun even a pack of dragons."
Nobody was planning to be chased by dragons!
Well, I couldn't exactly explain the vacation concept to Eva, so it wasn't surprising she had these misunderstandings... but a six-horse Platinum armored carriage — even an emperor wouldn't casually use one. I was almost curious how she'd managed to arrange it.
I placed a hand on my chin, pretending to think, and said: "I'd rather not attract too much attention. I don't need Platinum Horses, and I don't need armor. A regular carriage will do. Actually, something a little run-down would be just right."
Just coming here for a vacation was already imposing on Eva. I couldn't bear to add the cost on top of that.
"However — ...Understood."
Eva started to say something, but ultimately nodded with a reluctant expression. I managed a half-hearted smile and said, somewhat jokingly: "See, we need to save money."
--- "Eh... a vacation? ...Of course, I'll accompany you!"
Citry, who had been in the Clan House research lab, agreed without making a face despite the sudden request.
She seemed happy, but not to Liliz's level of excitement, which put me at ease.
This was it. This was the reaction I wanted.
"Do you need weapons?"
"No, it's just a vacation, so there's no need. ...Ah, well. At minimum, I'll need enough armament to protect myself."
"Understood."
A prompt, pleasant response — the kind that echoed perfectly when struck. I wished the other members would follow her lead.
It was then that Citry's cheerful expression clouded over. She looked up at me, peering cautiously.
"...Ah, but — right. The investigation related to Akasha is still in progress..."
...An Akasha-related investigation? So this was what A-ru and the others had been talking about?
As expected, it wasn't that Citry was incompetent — she had apparently been working on something after all.
I couldn't fully follow Citry's activities, so there wasn't much I could say, but if she was going to do something dangerous, I'd have appreciated a heads-up.
Well, it was too late to say anything now.
"Ah, I've already asked the Magic Staff to handle that, so it's no problem."
"!! Thank you! And I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble..."
"No, it was just a coincidence..."
The Magic Staff was a veteran clan. I didn't think Citry's abilities were inferior to their members, but when it came to organized investigation, they would be superior. I had no interest in Akasha to begin with, and I didn't want Citry doing anything dangerous either.
The only thing that had worried me was whether I'd overstepped by asking them on her behalf without permission, but it seemed that wasn't an issue.
For a while, I let myself be soothed by Citry's smile. In the distance, Talia, who had been heating a flask, was also smiling at me. Here was the true comfort I'd been looking for.
"By the way, what's the purpose of this vacation?"
Citry asked as she pulled her arm out of her protective robe.
Purpose? Was there a rule that you couldn't go on vacation without a purpose?
But unlike idle me, Liliz and Citry were busy. Maybe the question wasn't unreasonable.
"Let me see... hot springs?"
"Understood. Heat resistance, right? Magma?"
"There's actually a little fleeing involved too."
"I see... the possibility of being chased by a strong enemy."
"Right. Eva was actually trying to prepare a Platinum Horse carriage. Ha ha ha, how excessive. It would've been so conspicuous."
"Mm-hm, high stealth required. By the way, is it just us in the party?"
"I asked everyone, but they all ran off. What a pickle."
At my words, Citry turned her contemplative expression into a smile and clapped her hands together — her usual gesture.
"That's actually perfect. I have three people I've been wanting to try out. We just secured their cooperation, so I'm still a little uncertain about their abilities, but they should be able to handle it... and they wouldn't be a great loss even if we lost them. Leave the preparations to me!"
It seemed Citry had her own plans. As expected, unlike friendless me, Citry knew plenty of people.
Her phrasing was a little peculiar, but leaving things to Citry would be no problem.
And then, I had a good idea.
"While we're at it, why don't we pick up Luke and the others on the way? They should have come back partway, right?"
It had been a while since we'd gone on a long trip. I wasn't planning to go all the way to the Treasure Hall, but it would be nice to go greet them instead of just waiting for once.
At my suggestion, Citry clenched her fists in agreement.