After spending a day making a wide detour around the Gradius territory, we arrived at our destination town — Surus — without incident.
Just as Citry had relayed beforehand, it was a small town nestled among the mountains. The hot springs were said to be famous, and sure enough, a distinctive mineral scent drifted through the entire town.
Stumbling with exhaustion, I climbed down from the carriage. We'd been running from those thugs in Arnold's group for days, so this was the first time in several days we'd actually stopped at a town.
For Hunters, spending several days trekking through Monster habitat was nothing unusual. Your survival skills sharpen accordingly, and on top of that, having Citry — a perfectly capable companion — made outdoor life quite fulfilling. But even so, for a semi-retired Hunter like me, these past few days of forced marching had really taken their toll. Pathetic, considering I'd spent most of it just sitting in the carriage.
I love baths. I love them so much I once considered installing one in my private room at the Clan House. Riz and Tino had been bathing heartily in the open, but I was too afraid of the crocodiles, so all I could do during our outdoor days was wipe myself down with a damp towel. Not exactly luxurious.
I wanted to sink into hot water as soon as humanly possible. I wanted hot spring manju. Chocolate would do too. I just wanted something sweet.
Maybe because it was a tourist destination, Surus had a different atmosphere from the Imperial Capital. Rocks, trees, and other natural elements were scattered throughout the town, giving it an exotic feel.
Perhaps the season was off, because there weren't many travelers around. In a place like this, nobody would probably recognize me. The perfect town to lay low.
Riz, who loved a good commotion, might be disappointed, but way too much had happened since we left the capital. Maybe we'd spend a relaxing week or ten days here. Even Cro and the others, along with Tino, could recover from their fatigue in a place like this.
Citry returned from handling the entry手续 at the gate.
"So? What do you think of this town?"
"I like it. I've taken a fancy to it. It's perfect for a short stay — and there don't seem to be too many people around, either."
I loved festivals and their boisterous energy, but I also loved quiet towns like this. In other words, as long as no fire and brimstone rained down on me, I was happy with anything.
We were a good distance from the Galest Mountains where we'd shaken off Arnold, so the chances of running into them were practically zero.
Riz had already dragged Tino off to explore the town. I'd just have to hope for souvenirs.
With me in a good mood, Citry smiled brightly and said, "I've heard their hot springs are also excellent for therapeutic bathing… Apparently Hunters with injuries come here for treatment sometimes."
"Therapeutic bathing, huh… sounds nice…"
Well, I'd never had any serious injuries, and all of Riz's group's wounds had been perfectly healed by Anthem, so it didn't really concern us. But there was something appealing about the mere sound of the words.
Being able to travel freely to other towns was a Hunter's privilege. I missed Luke and the others a bit, but I was determined to make the most of it.
"There's no safe house in this town, so we'll need to rent an inn somewhere… How many nights are you thinking?"
"Hmm… ten days to two weeks, I'd say. Might extend a bit depending on the situation."
I had no intention of returning to the Imperial Capital until the White Sword gathering was definitively over.
Citry's expression turned thoughtful for a moment, but she quickly recovered her smile.
I felt bad monopolizing Citry's and Riz's time, but my life was literally on the line. She'd tell me straight if it was too much.
"Understood. I'll make the arrangements, then."
Citry scurried off. She probably handled things like this whenever I wasn't around, but seeing it up close really highlighted the gap between her and her sister.
We had time, and it might be nice to take it easy and treat Citry to something for her efforts.
This was finally starting to feel like a vacation… I'd kick back and relax, then brag about it to everyone once we got back to the capital.
§ I took a stroll around town with Citry.
Surus must have had abundant hot spring water, because they bubbled up all over the place — just looking around was entertaining. Thanks to the steam rising from every direction, the whole town felt warm, and simply walking around melted my fatigue away.
Apparently, if you dug anywhere nearby, hot springs would spring right up. Once I was done being a Hunter and had no reason to camp out in the capital anymore, settling down in this town wouldn't be half bad.
There was one thing that caught my attention, though. The town was — far too quiet.
The town itself wasn't large to begin with, but even so, it looked somewhat desolate with so few people. It might just be the off-season, but the town's facilities were quite well-maintained, and you'd think there could be a bit more bustle.
As for the inn, despite our sudden long-term stay, we got a room right away. It was a traditional ryokan with a reputation for its hot springs and cuisine — more geared toward wealthy tourists than Hunters. Unlike practical Hunter-oriented inns, they put real care into the exterior, and I regretted not having my camera.
"They asked if we were on our honeymoon."
"…"
Citry said, blushing slightly and smiling. Flattery, I'm sure. What couple on their honeymoon books seven rooms?
And I'd better not mention the looks I got — the "why is this guy with her?" stares. Just a Hunter and his… companions, that is.
The interior of the ryokan was every bit as impressive as the exterior.
The room we were shown to was spacious, and to top it off, it had tatami flooring. This was something you'd never find in a Hunter-oriented inn.
Hunter inns, perpetually stained with blood, grease, and dust, were basically designed as no-shoe-off establishments where you'd do equipment maintenance right in your room.
Tatami-floored rooms were rare even in the Imperial Capital. Before I became a Hunter, tatami rooms had been one of my dreams.
I'd experienced them a few times since becoming a Hunter, but no matter how many times I saw them, they were still wonderful.
What made them so great? The fact that you could lie down and roll around anywhere.
Incidentally, I'd once considered having tatami installed in my private room at the Clan House, but Eva talked me out of it. Yeah, I'd just get them dirty immediately.
Also, in Zebuldia, tatami rooms were expensive. If prices were comparable to the Imperial Capital, one of these would cost roughly ten times more than a standard room. If Eva found out I'd rented one of these, she'd scold me for sure.
"I'm glad you like it. We were lucky the room was available. The rate was quite reasonable too — apparently it's usually fully booked."
As I was helplessly rolling around, drawn by the tatami's irresistible magic, Citry spoke with genuine delight.
"Oh? That is lucky… Is it the off-season?"
"Yes. Apparently, with the Gradius territory being so close, all the guests have fled…"
Right. Because the Gradius territory was nearby — that wasn't so much the off-season as a crisis.
So the Gradius territory shifted closer and farther depending on the time of year? I laughed.
"Apparently, some troublesome bandits have been running rampant in the Gradius territory… Guest numbers have plummeted."
"Huh… That does sound like a nasty situation."
Well, it was a common enough story. Zebuldia had plenty of Hunters, but that also meant the caliber of criminals was remarkably high.
The Knights maintained public order, so it wasn't like lawlessness ran rampant, but criminals kept popping up like bamboo shoots after rain, and they couldn't always keep up.
The Gradius territory was said to have a particularly strong Knight order, so things would probably settle down quickly.
"There's no need to worry that much. Besides, it worked out in our favor — we got the room."
"This is a tourist town, after all, but its defenses are quite thin… They were probably anxious."
Come to think of it, unlike Elan and Gra, which were surrounded by thick, towering stone walls, this town's walls were made of wood and strikingly flimsy.
That was probably to preserve the scenic view, but any powerful Monster or human could breach them easily.
Still, they were being way too paranoid.
The kind of bandits that would target a town like this were the ones preying on carefree merchants without escorts or lone travelers. Even the smallest town had some defensive capability, and even if bandits got past that, the Zebuldia Empire was a major power. Attack a town and the nation wouldn't stand for it. There could even be powerful Hunters in residence. The cost-benefit ratio was absurd.
"Nobody's going to raid a town these days."
"True… Though if you just wanted to wipe a town off the map, you could probably manage it with the right Poison Potions…"
That's just terrorism…
Citry probably didn't truly believe bandits were coming either.
I rolled over toward where Citry had sat down. I felt like I'd been rolling around constantly lately. Maybe I should add it to my repertoire.
The tatami… the tatami was draining every last ounce of my energy. My body felt impossibly heavy. I couldn't do anything anymore. And before I knew it, I would probably fuse with the tatami itself.
Our eyes met, and Citry smiled bashfully, tapping her knees twice.
"Go ahead."
I gratefully borrowed her lap, lifting my head and settling it there. Her knees, sheathed in thin stockings, were a touch slimmer than Riz's — who fought primarily with kicks — but they were unbelievably soft.
I'd been planning to comfort her, but she'd ended up comforting me instead.
Placing a hand on my head as I yawned enormously, Citry said in a quiet voice, "I think… we have time. Let's rest easy and wait for the right moment."
"Mm-hm… yeah…"
A powerful wave of sleepiness washed over me, and my consciousness slipped away gently.
The last thing I saw in my vision was Citry's gentle smile.
§ § § "Wh— no way…"
Ei stood dumbfounded, squinting at the castle perched atop the cliff. Arnold's thoughts were exactly the same.
《Flame Gale》stared at it with a pale expression.
Even Gilberto, who had maintained a fearless attitude toward Arnold this entire time, now had his eyes wide open in stunned disbelief.
The moment they entered a range of several kilometers, a strange chill had crept over them. The moment it came into view, that premonition had solidified into certainty.
[City of Ten Thousand Demons]. This Certification Level 8 Treasure Hall — one that hadn't existed in Nebulnes — was far beyond anything Arnold had imagined.
"That's impossible… He went there with that tiny group?!?"
The concentrated Mana Material had warped the weather, and rain hammered the ground like a waterfall. Around the many towers, countless bolts of lightning flashed without cease, and through the gaps in the thick clouds, some manner of shadow could be glimpsed.
There were no Monsters anywhere around — and that made perfect sense. No Monster would dare settle near a hellscape like this.
This Treasure Hall was — clearly beyond the effective range of the current 《Thunder Dragon of the Mist》.
One of 《Flame Gale》's members couldn't endure the abnormal atmosphere any longer and vomited violently onto the ground. But seeing that, Arnold felt not a shred of contempt.
Even from the perspective of Arnold — the highest-Level Hunter among them — this was a Treasure Hall above their pay grade. For a Hunter around Level 3, stepping inside would be like glimpsing hell itself.
"What… what do we do?"
Ei asked with a grave expression. The shift from his usual flippant demeanor said everything about how dire the situation was.
The [City of Ten Thousand Demons] was likely a Treasure Hall that required six Hunters of Arnold's caliber to even have a fighting chance. If their current group entered, they would die without question — no, several of them would be crushed by the oppressive aura alone and become useless before they even encountered a Monster.
The problem was that the same had to be true for 《Thousand Transformations》's group as well.
That party also had dead weight among its members. From what they'd observed from a distance, this Treasure Hall was not something a single Level 8 Hunter could handle on their own.
If — hypothetically — 《Thousand Transformations》had dragged those burdens into that Treasure Hall under the guise of a trial, then there was only one word for it: 'We're outclassed.' Recalling the expression of the man who had taken Arnold's attacks without flinching, Arnold wrung out his words.
"Damn it… Fall back for now. We'll regroup and make a plan. This is insane — who does something this insane?!"