"Well, it may be unfortunate for you, Lord Arnold, but one could call this the greatest fortune this town has ever seen. To think that a Level 7 certified hunter would visit by chance..."
"......"
The portly mayor spoke with a bright expression, and Arnold nodded magnanimously without letting his true feelings show.
The VIP room of the city hall, situated at the center of the town of Gra. There, Arnold and his party were being welcomed as the hunters who had saved the town.
The mayor's expression, and those of all his subordinates, were uniformly bright.
Arnold settled into what appeared to be an expensive sofa, and the mayor directed unrestrained praise his way.
"And to think that just eight of you overwhelmed that wretched horde of orcs — truly worthy of being Level 7! I heard you arrived from abroad recently, but you are nothing less than a savior for this city!"
"Mayor, it wasn't just a horde of orcs that appeared—"
"Ah, that's right—"
By the time they had crossed the battlefield and arrived in town, their blood-soaked appearances had already been cleaned up and their wounds healed with potions.
But in Arnold's heart, an unquenched fighting spirit and a boiling rage still remained. The mayor didn't notice, but his companions — who knew the taciturn Arnold well — could sense the explosive energy lurking in the depths of his gaze.
The reason he didn't unleash that anger on the mayor chattering away before him was that he understood all too well there was no point in venting his frustration at those in power.
A first-rate hunter excelled in every ability — and that included patience.
But even so, recalling the incident at the gate — the act of Peerless Shadow, aimed at the stunned Arnold — made his guts churn with fury.
If he let his guard down, he'd want to drop everything and give chase. What held him back was partly his companions' injuries and their lack of preparation, but above all was the fact that his quarry was an extraordinarily troublesome prey.
A first-rate hunter never forgot the balance of power between themselves and their enemy at any given moment.
The mayor widened his eyes and trembled, as if standing before a raging hero.
"The 'Spirit of Flame' — appeared, I heard?"
Yes. Arnold narrowed his eyes.
A living flame descending from the heavens, blazing like a second sun.
What had appeared before Arnold and his party as they fought a desperate battle against the horde of orcs and other enraged monsters was, of all things, a being on par with the spirit they had fought in Elan just two days ago.
If this was truly coincidence, then Arnold was probably having the worst luck of his entire life right now.
That Arnold and his party had survived intact was nothing more than sheer luck.
The blazing flame spirit had toyed with them — burning the horde of orcs, the mass of monsters, and Arnold's party alike — before simply flying off.
The power of a high-ranking spirit fighting in earnest surpassed the offensive magic of even the most elite mages. The reason Arnold and a portion of the monsters had survived the conflagration was that the spirit's attack had been nothing more than a game.
Even so, the area — including the highway — had been reduced to a scorched wasteland. If anyone were walking the road to the town of Gra now, they would be stunned by the devastation — the countless monster corpses blanketing the burned earth.
As if recalling the battle, Ei, who had been standing beside him, pulled a grim face and complained.
"......Tch. We don't know much about this area, but... are 'Spirits' just hanging around everywhere here? Even for us, running into spirits twice in such a short span is a first."
"N-no, that can't be — even here in Zebuldia, spirits only reside in untouched wilderness. Or perhaps a first-rate mage might summon one, but showing up near a human settlement like this — I've never heard of such a—"
"I know. We get it. If spirits popped up all the time, we'd be out of business. Right, Arnold?"
At Ei's words, Arnold gave a heavy nod. But his attention had long since left the mayor.
The spirit and the powerful Orc King — all of that was over. It had been a death struggle, but the one who had prevailed, the one who had survived, was the Thunder Dragon of the Mist. There was no point dwelling on what was already done.
But separately from that — he could not forgive the contemptuous behavior of Thousand Transformations, who had looked down on them so brazenly.
Judging from everything that had transpired, it was clear that Thousand Transformations had dumped the blame for the monsters onto Arnold's party and laughed in their faces.
He didn't know what they were planning or how they had caught wind of the incident, but it was an unmistakable violation of the Treasure Hunter's code. No — even if it weren't — if he stayed silent now, the name of Mighty Thunder Flash would be tarnished.
He gritted his teeth so hard they creaked from the force. The mayor, beaming with an thoroughly unpleasant smile, said: "In any case, the horde of orcs that was threatening the town of Gra is gone. The casualties among the knights and hunters we rallied were kept to a minimum. It may be modest, but we'd like the whole town to host a reception in your honor. Of course, your reward as well—"
"No... we're leaving immediately."
"!?"
At Arnold's words, the mayor, the townspeople who had crowded in, and the other party members waiting behind — all of them stared wide-eyed.
For a small village or town, it might be one thing, but for a town of Gra's scale to host a town-wide welcome was exceedingly rare. It was also a matter of honor for a hunter.
Under normal circumstances, Arnold would have accepted the offer, but after that provocation from Peerless Shadow, he wouldn't be able to relax even while being feted.
Judging by Peerless Shadow's attitude, Thousand Transformations probably wasn't wary of being pursued by Arnold's party. They may have been aware, but they weren't on guard.
People call that letting one's guard down. Arnold intended to make them regret underestimating the Thunder Dragon of the Mist.
But even if they hadn't bothered covering their tracks, the longer the pursuit was delayed, the more difficult it became.
With renewed resolve toward the bewildered mayor, Arnold spoke.
"I'm sorry, but... I have something I need to do. I can't stay long."
The mayor widened his eyes in surprise and pulled a grimace — the best he could do to suppress his irritation.
"I-I see... A Level 7 hunter has no time to rest, I suppose. Perhaps you're in the middle of a quest?"
"A-Arnold, it's too dangerous to push deeper into this with the party in its current state. Three of us nearly died. At minimum, we need a day or two to rest our bodies — our consumables are completely depleted, and our equipment is wrecked. Even the uninjured members haven't recovered from their fatigue."
Ei reported in a lowered voice.
The horde of orcs and the Spirit of Flame — the flame spirit — had inflicted devastating damage on Arnold's party, who still hadn't fully recovered from the battle in Elan.
The carriage they had just purchased in the Imperial Capital was half-destroyed, and the horses pulling it were already dead. Their weapons and armor were battered to scrap, and rather than fighting powerful enemies, even traveling would be difficult in their current state.
Perhaps misunderstanding Arnold's intentions, the mayor said with a serious expression: "Please, allow us to assist in any way we can. If you need anything, we'll arrange it."
Arnold considered.
The mayor's offer was appreciated, but while restocking consumables was one thing, repairing their equipment was painful. The carriage they had just bought in the Imperial Capital was totaled, and the horses had been used as decoys in the death struggle, so they needed to be replaced.
A full overhaul would be difficult in a town of this scale, and it would take time. The kind of patchwork repair they had managed in Elan wouldn't cut it anymore.
Arnold was silent for a while, then clicked his tongue loudly and turned to his companions. His bitter expression made them take a step back.
"......Damn it. Three days — no, I'll make it work in two. Ei, make the arrangements. Stock up on extra consumables. Get a bigger carriage — and upgrade the horse rank. Next time... we settle this."
"R-right!"
No matter where they fled, Arnold would hunt them down and make them pay for everything.
The one who had turned away without a shred of interest, despite their eyes meeting — Thousand Transformations.
The one who had hurled insults at the exhausted Arnold and his party in front of everyone — Peerless Shadow.
Even after two grueling battles, Arnold Hale's will to fight would not waver.
§ § § "Master is God. Master never turns a blind eye to trouble or to the weak. So if you follow trouble, you'll naturally arrive where Master is. Understand?"
I didn't understand at all. Those were the words of my "friend," spoken matter-of-factly but with extraordinary intensity — and that was what Luda had thought at the time.
But now, Luda vaguely understood their meaning.
"A thunder... spirit...? What on earth is going on?"
"The cause is currently under investigation. But that individual left the city about two days ago."
The young soldier managing the town entry looked at Luda with a puzzled expression.
It was the real deal. A genuine troublemaker. And from what he'd heard, one who conveniently deflected trouble onto others.
When she had heard "Thousand Trials," she'd been surprised — but this was worse. When they had first met at the Beginning Footprint member recruitment venue, she had been taken aback by how thoroughly unheroic he seemed — but if this was being deliberately caused, even if the purpose was to train, then Klye Andrich was nothing short of a devil wearing human skin.
"I see... Did anyone ask where he was headed?"
"He wasn't registered, I'm afraid. Well, it's not exactly uncommon for hunters to go unregistered."
A missed encounter — and his whereabouts unknown. If she could have caught him at the first town, it would have been simple, but things were never that easy, were they?
Luda had received the message from the branch director right in the middle of reviewing quests.
The reason she had been entrusted with the letter was that she possessed at least a minimum level of skill and trust, knew Klye's face, and — however briefly — had some experience adventuring alongside him.
At first, she had wondered why her of all people, but the reward was so generous it seemed far too much for a simple letter delivery, and there was no reason to refuse.
Letter deliveries were occasionally issued as quests. They required a hunter with a certain level of trust, which was why Luda had never taken one before — but viewed as a quest that doubled as a trip, the payout was unbelievably generous.
Still, when it also involved tracking someone down, it would normally be a pain — but this time, the destination was known. The Gradius Baronet's domain. All she had to do was contact the departments managing entry and exit in the towns along the way and trace his movements.
It should have been a simple quest. But already at the first town, things were looking ominous.
A spirit — something that virtually never appeared in human settlements — had attacked the town. Even though it was over now, it was far from reassuring.
She had a bad feeling.
She wasn't sure if it was a thief's instinct sounding an alarm or just a false sense of unease, but she was frowning in deep thought when a voice called out from behind her.
"......What, you missed each other too? Where'd he go?"
"I don't know."
At the slightly elevated voice, she let out a deep sigh.
This time, Luda wasn't the only one who had accepted the quest. By coincidence, another party had also picked it up — one that had been studying the quest board at the same time.
Luda, who always operated solo, had on occasion joined temporary parties before — but when the members were the same ones who had been with her during that terrible ordeal at the White Wolf's Den last time, it was hardly surprising that her mood soured.
Gilbert Bush, showing no particular signs of being upset, stepped forward in front of Luda and addressed the young soldier in a loud voice.
"I see... Well then — hey, do you know of any places around here where trouble has recently popped up? Somewhere a Level 8 hunter might drop by?"
"Hey, don't just go doing things on your own."
"Tinno said that, right? I don't have any tracking skills! Our party specializes in conquering Treasure Halls, you know!"
I told you I could handle this alone — so why are these people tagging along?
Seeing Gilbert's party members approach with apologetic looks, Luda let out a deep sigh.