The Imperial Capital Zebuldia was one of the most prosperous cities around, surrounding nations included.
Well-maintained roads lined with streetlamps. There were plenty of people about, and with the exception of certain districts like the Decadent District, you'd have no trouble seeing at night. Since there were so many rough hunters around, the Knight Order conducted patrols relatively often.
But take one step outside the walls surrounding the imperial capital, and it was a world where the strong devoured the weak—no different from any other country.
There was no artificial light, and monsters appeared with alarming frequency. Just like last time at the White Wolf's Den, Phantoms could leak through to this side, or you could be attacked by human thieves.
Even so, the road connecting to the imperial capital was better maintained than those of other cities—which made it all the more terrifying.
Leaving through the gates of the imperial capital, I sat inside the carriage as it moved at a leisurely pace, already nursing my first regret of the vacation.
Beyond the gates lay true darkness. Thick clouds blanketed the sky, hiding the moon.
I should have at least waited until morning to set out. This time was different from when we went to the White Wolf's Den, or when I accompanied Liliz. I had the final say, so why on earth had I agreed to a nighttime departure? I wanted to go back a few hours and slap some sense into my past self.
As a general rule among Hunters, you set out in the morning unless you had a specific reason not to. Monsters and Phantoms tended to have superior night vision.
Liliz and Citry, and even Eva—all of them should have known that. I just wished one of them had checked with me.
If they had, I would have changed the departure to morning... Maybe Liliz and Citry didn't worry about it because they could see fine in the dark, and the fault was entirely mine. But still, didn't they trust me a little too much?
It had been a while since I'd ridden in a carriage. Normally I hardly left the Clan House, let alone the imperial capital.
The peculiar vibrations running through my body brought with them a faint sense of nostalgia.
Treasure Hunters often started using carriages once they had a decent amount of money. Not for travel, mind you—mostly for hauling the items they'd acquired. But once you could afford a carriage and had the strength to protect it, a Hunter's income would skyrocket.
The Mourning Specter had used a carriage too. Anthem was too big to fit inside, and Liliz and Luke always ran outside, so the only ones riding were me (and occasionally Lucia). But looking back, those had been enjoyable times in their own way.
Present-tense death traps were one thing, but past adventures made for good memories.
The box-shaped carriage Eva had prepared was a medium-sized one.
It was probably designed with Hunters in mind. There wasn't quite enough room to stretch out your legs and sleep, but it was sturdily built, with an observation seat on top. The suspension system also reduced the vibrations considerably.
Inside, there wasn't enough room for an entire Party if you factored in luggage space. But that was just how carriages were for Hunters.
While I sat there regretting our departure, the carriage pressed steadily onward, and the scenery visible through the windows on either side shifted from darkness to more darkness.
Without light, everything was completely different. Shiro and Kuro, sitting up on the driver's seat—how on earth were they managing to drive the carriage through this pitch-blackness?
Was I the only one who couldn't see in the dark this time too? ...The Owl's Eye was fully charged, but now wasn't the time to use it.
Suddenly, Citry, who had been spreading out a map across from me, glanced over at Liliz beside her.
"Big Sis, why aren't you running today? You're always running..."
"Huh? You think I'm gonna leave you alone with Klycee and let you get handsy? Like hell I'm letting that happen."
"...I was just a little worried with only Shiro, Kuro, and Haiiro out there. I was hoping you'd run outside, Big Sis..."
"*I'm* the one who's worried! Citry, you're always driving—so why are you inside today?"
"Well... partly to give Shiro, Kuro, and Haiiro a trial run—"
In the darkness, Liliz and Citry argued back and forth, their eyes gleaming.
Off in the corner, Tinno sat with her knees drawn up in an outfit just like mine—having been dragged along by Liliz more or less against her will. Was she still hung up over the whole mask incident, or was this some kind of countermeasure against Liliz and Citry?
Aside from the initial greeting and opening apology, Tinno had been like this the whole time. It was lonely having no conversation, but being rejected so thoroughly made it hard to approach her.
The three people Citry had hired were up on the driver's seat and observation post, so at least they weren't visible. But looking at this scene, no one would believe we were heading out on vacation.
If only it weren't night, the mood might have been a little more upbeat...
"Klye, which route should we take?"
Citry set a bottle of light beside the map she had spread out. The dim, minimal glow illuminated the map.
The map covered the imperial capital and the surrounding regions, dotted with Citry's handwritten annotations.
The purpose of this trip was threefold: to buy time, to vacation, and to pick up Luke and the others. The City of Ten Thousand Demons, where Luke's group had headed, was located in the borderlands of the Zebuldia Empire. Even traveling straight there by carriage would take a good amount of time.
"Any opinions?"
"I'll go wherever Klycee goes!"
Liliz answered immediately with a cheerful smile, and Citry nodded along with a grin. That was how it had been ever since I became a Hunter.
Despite the fact that they'd suffered miserably because of my poor decisions, should I say their mental fortitude was too strong, or should I be grateful for their trust...
Tinno, who I hadn't thought was asleep, raised her face slightly and looked toward me with just her eyes, speaking in a small voice.
"I'll... follow... Mastaa..."
"Sorry about that! Tee seems to have lost her confidence or something!"
"Yeah, yeah, that happens sometimes..."
Liliz's words to her dispirited disciple were gentler than usual.
Recently, Tinno hadn't been showing any of her good qualities at all. I couldn't abandon her, so I needed to prove that Mastaa could still deliver when it counted.
I raised my arm and extended my finger, drawing a large circle around a section of the route between the imperial capital and the City of Ten Thousand Demons.
"For now, we're not going through here."
"Understood. Not going through here... May I ask why?"
"It's a gut feeling. Let's not set foot in there even for a step."
The area I had circled was the Gradius Barony.
I had no talent, but I did have experience. My Thousand Transformations left no openings. After the trouble with Lady Eclair, I had looked up the location of her territory.
Passing through briefly probably wouldn't cause anything to happen, but I'd already received a targeted commission for it. Not that I'd accepted it yet, but better safe than sorry.
Even staying away, trouble found you. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if I actually went in.
Citry, receiving my answer without any logical basis, didn't so much as make a face. She simply flashed a warm smile. It was soothing.
If we weren't going to set foot in the Gradius territory at all, the route to the Treasure Hall would be a considerable detour.
Well, worst case, we'd miss Luke and the others. But if we were prioritizing safety, there was nothing to be done.
"Understood. Then we can either cross the northern mountains or cut through the western forest—mountains or forest. ...Tee, just for reference—between the Thunder Dragon and the Wandering Giant Ogre, which would you prefer?"
"...Eh!?"
Tinno raised her head, and for some reason looked not at Citry but at me. Her expression was like a small, frightened animal.
The Thunder Dragon went without saying—it was a powerful and rare dragon that commanded lightning. The Wandering Giant Ogre... I had never even heard the name, but if it made Tinno go blank like that, it must have been an incredibly dangerous monster.
"No way either of them shows up!"
Naturally, I denied it.
First of all, Thunder Dragons rarely appeared. I'd heard they inhabited mountains, and I had even encountered one once, but as one of the rarest dragon species, their numbers were even fewer than their danger level would suggest. They were beings you couldn't find even if you wanted to.
As for the latter—I had never even heard the name, so I couldn't say. But I was reasonably knowledgeable about dangerous monsters you might encounter in a forest. If I hadn't heard of it, the encounter probability couldn't be that high.
Logical, reasonable, and sound. Citry was worrying too much.
At her sister's words, Liliz puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Citry? Like either of them would show up! Klycee said the enemy is human! Stop throwing out random guesses!"
So I said nothing's going to show up!
Both Liliz and Citry were undoubtedly on my side, but they clearly didn't trust me.
"...What's wrong with at least trying to understand Klye's thinking? Sure, the hit rate is still low, but the lineup seems reasonable to me... Klye, am I off base?"
Nothing's going to show up. Absolutely nothing. This was a vacation, not an adventure! But if she was going to push it that far, then I would—I'd make doubly sure.
Without answering Citry's eagerly expectant words, I slid the finger that had been pointing at the map further down.
"The mountain range that we absolutely have to cross is one thing, but the forest—we can just go around it, can't we?"
"But that would make the trip to the City of Ten Thousand Demons take far too long... The likelihood of powerful monsters appearing on the plains is extremely low. There'd hardly be any profit. I know this might be presumptuous—but there's no need to hold back when it comes to Shiro, Kuro, and Haiiro. Perhaps we should accept a modest amount of risk?"
These were logical, well-reasoned words from Citry, who so rarely said no. "Profit"—what was she talking about?
Even scholarly Citry was, at heart, a Treasure Hunter. Whenever she spotted something dangerous or intriguing, she'd drift toward it like a moth to a flame.
Normally I would have been swayed by her argument, but today was different.
I looked back into Citry's calm, still-lake eyes and declared firmly.
"It's fine. There are towns along the way, and the whole point of this trip is a vacation! Look, Tinno, don't be scared. I just want you to trust me for once."
"Mastaa..."
I turned my gaze toward Tinno, whose eyes were filling with tears, then looked around at the other two and let out a small breath.
"I really don't have any ulterior motives. Things have been rough lately—and not just for Tinno. Liliz, you too, and Citry—you've all been working too hard. I know it's weird of me to drag you outside the imperial capital, but I think it's about time we rested our bodies and got back in shape. It's just a trip. A trip! A vacation! Monsters and Phantoms are off duty. We'll eat good food, take it easy, do fun things—and there won't be a single dangerous thing. I mean it, okay?"
I knew there was no persuasive power in hearing this from someone who'd been doing nothing but resting. But it was the honest truth.
I decided to forget about how I'd stuck Tinno with that punishment game. Both the part of me that handed out work and the part of me that wanted rest—that was the truth.
Hearing my heartfelt words, Tinno's shoulders trembled as she stared into my eyes.
"Is it... okay to believe you? Mastaa."
Yeah. It's okay to believe me... Tinno.
I nodded strongly. Right at that moment, my ears caught the sound of light rain.
I checked the window. The droplets on the glass multiplied in an instant, and what had been clear moments ago turned into a torrential downpour.
The roar of tremendous wind and rain. The horses, startled by the sudden shift in weather, jerked the carriage violently.
The carriage body was sealed, so rain couldn't get in, but the horses pulling it were living creatures. If they had been Platinum Horses, a storm wouldn't have been a big deal, but driving ordinary horses through this downpour was asking for trouble.
Marching through rain was far more dangerous than marching at night— Mixed in with the sounds of wind and rain, a small, irritable voice came from outside.
Were Shiro, Kuro, and Haiiro all right out there?
Bewildered by the sudden collapse of the weather, I was caught off guard when a bolt of lightning flashed. The thunder followed a moment later. The carriage bucked violently and came to a halt.
I barely managed to swallow a scream. It would have been too embarrassing to scream when nobody else was frightened.
The wind and rain battering the carriage body were fierce. It didn't look like they'd subside anytime soon.
What could I do? We'd be stuck here. If only the storm had come a little earlier, I would have pushed departure to tomorrow. The timing was just awful.
My body was growing cold. I pulled on my coat and fastened the buttons securely.
Citry, Liliz, and I—none of us were strangers to getting caught in a fierce storm outside.
As it turned out, I was actually—cursed with rain. Tough luck.
"That's some serious rain all of a sudden..."
"Maybe we should step outside for a moment... Those horses are borrowed, so we need to take care of them."
At that moment, Liliz, who had been staring intently out the window, spoke up.
"All right, Tee... We're running."
"...Eh?"
Tinno wore a stunned expression as Liliz briskly stripped off her coat.
Perhaps because of the low temperature, a faint steam rose from her skin. She checked outside the window one more time, then nodded with satisfaction.
"What a storm... Perfect for training, right? Klycee, you're the best! Citry, you've got potions, right? Oh, and throw in a Lure Lightning Potion too—I want to test lightning resistance while I'm at it!"
"Sure, sure."
Come on—blaming me for the weather was a bit much.
Citry pulled a white-glowing potion from her bag.
The Lure Lightning Potion... I had seen it before—a crazy potion that attracted lightning. I had a vague memory of hearing the principle behind it, but I couldn't recall.
Along with it, she quickly assembled several other potions, packed them into a special circular case, and handed it to Liliz.
Tinno had gone completely rigid. Her wide-open eyes were fixed on Liliz as though she were watching a dream.
Even Tinno hadn't expected this turn of events. Perhaps a montage of her life was flashing through her mind right now.
"Liliz—"
I called out to try to stop this madness, and Liliz gave me the brightest smile of the day.
"It's okay, Klycee! Tee's absorbed plenty of Mana Material by now, and she's been training properly. One hit probably won't kill her! Watch over Tee's brave form for me!"
"Wait a—"
By the time I'd started to speak, Liliz and Tinno had already vanished into the storm.
Just a second ago, they'd been close enough to touch. It seemed Liliz had grabbed Tinno by the arm and dragged her out. Strong wind and raindrops blew through the open door, drenching me completely.
I couldn't see Liliz and Tinno's figures in the darkness. And burned clearly into my mind was Tinno's expression just before she disappeared—the look of someone whose faith had been betrayed.
Precious things always slipped through my fingers. Always.
"..."
"Oh, Big Sis! Take Shiro, Kuro, and Haiiro with you too while you're at it! ...Honestly! Why do you always, always ignore what I say—and leave the door wide open! ...Here, I'll get the tent set up right away. Klye, please wait inside for a bit."
Citry began setting up camp for the night, grinning as if nothing had happened. For high-level Hunters, this was probably nothing.
There was no way I could catch Liliz. The only one I could count on now was Citry.
"Could you call Liliz and the others back?"
"Um... that's impossible, but... is something wrong?"
Right...
As if to drown out my thoughts, the tremendous crack of lightning struck.
Let's enjoy a relaxing vacation!