Tino followed Citry into the men's bath, and the scene that greeted her was utterly incomprehensible.
Mastaa was soaking in the hot spring with a light-blue dragon. Forgetting her tension entirely, she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating — but it was no illusion.
Mastaa, with only her upper body above the water, wore an expression devoid of any panic. She simply wore a serene, knowing smile.
The light-blue dragon, unlike anything they'd ever seen, growled upon spotting Citry and Tino.
Mastaa... You weren't calling for help after all...? What are you doing...?
Thinking about it calmly, there was no way a powerhouse like her would cry for help to weaker beings.
Looking back, that scream hadn't actually contained any word like "help." She'd assumed it was a plea for assistance the moment the dragon appeared, but Thousand Transformations held the title of Dragon Slayer after all.
All the embarrassment she'd been feeling moments ago evaporated. Ready for the dragon to strike at any moment, she took a step back.
Tino was practically naked. She had a short towel wrapped around to cover herself, but she didn't even have the knife she usually carried, let alone shoes. After all, no one expects a dragon to show up in a hot spring.
Still, despite her defenseless state, Tino's mind remained relatively stable. That was thanks to Citry being right beside her.
When she'd been preparing to bring potions into the hot spring, Tino had no idea what Citry was thinking, but this was clearly the composure of a seasoned Hunter.
The potion that had blown apart the wall had威力 far beyond what any normal potion should possess. Alchemists typically had a reputation for being poor at combat, but at the highest level, apparently that changed.
Even so, even such a seasoned Hunter hadn't anticipated this situation. Citry blinked and gave voice to Tino's question.
"...What are you doing?"
"...Can't you tell just by looking?"
No, I can't, Mastaa.
Dragons generally grew stronger in proportion to their size. The light-blue dragon was small by dragon standards, so in that regard it probably wasn't among the stronger ones. Perhaps this was the hot spring dragon Citry had gone looking for a nest for.
But still, it was a dragon. Even a rotten dragon was a dragon. The king among Monsters, the ruler of mythical beasts. Throughout history, the title of Dragon Slayer had been known as proof of true strength.
To calmly soak in a hot spring alongside such a dragon — in all the wide world, only Mastaa would do something like that. In the first place, such a situation simply never arose normally.
The dragon apparently decided Tino and the others were worth being wary of, rising from the spring and spreading its wings. Hot water splashed everywhere, and its wings gleamed lustrously. Its scales were dazzling too.
The "dog chain" coiled around its body gave up and stopped trying to wrap tighter.
Citry thought for a moment, then clapped her hands together and said to Tino: "I understand. Then, Tea-chan... Take care of it, okay?"
"Huh!?"
The dragon approached on two legs, inching closer with each step. Citry, who had been standing right beside Tino, grabbed her shoulder and hid behind the bewildered Tino.
In the next instant, the light-blue dragon swung its tail with force.
Compared to its body, the tail was long and supple, lashing at them like a whip. As Tino panicked, Citry whispered in her ear: "A dragon this size should be manageable even for you, Tea-chan?"
"Huh? Huh?"
Tino dodged backward almost on reflex. She'd retreated several steps, yet she never collided with Citry, who should have been using her as a shield. Citry must have predicted her movement, sidestepping to avoid her.
Citry sailed past the edge of Tino's vision. Without breaking stride, she slipped past the dragon — whose tail swing had left a tiny opening — and dove dramatically into the now-depleted hot spring bath.
"Citry!?"
"Do your best, Tea-chan! I'm cheering you on!"
Tino let out a short scream, but Citry clearly had no intention of listening anymore.
From the very beginning, nothing had changed. She clung to Mastaa's arm and smiled sweetly at Tino.
Betrayed. Realizing it now was far too late.
The speed of the tail sweep was considerable. Tino wasn't sure if the dragon could fly, but it had claws, fangs, wings — every external feature of a dragon was present.
Its movements weren't especially fast, but fighting while keeping her towel from falling was extremely difficult. Kicks were out of the question too — though whether a kick would even work against a dragon was dubious at best.
If she were in top condition, fighting it might not be impossible. But Tino right now was essentially carrying a heavy handicap, and more importantly, this was her first time fighting a dragon.
Carefully gauging the distance, Tino put all her strength into a shout: "Mastaa, wasn't this supposed to be a vacation!?"
"What are you talking about, Tea-chan? You got to enjoy the hot spring, didn't you?"
"I haven't gotten in yet!"
Her head was full of tension, confusion, and a touch of embarrassment when the dragon reared its head high.
A prelude to a breath attack. She hastily rolled across the floor to dodge.
And then — Tino saw it.
What the dragon spewed from its mouth was hot spring water.
The scorching water, ejected under tremendous pressure, tore through and destroyed the very spot where Tino had been standing.
Water droplets scattered everywhere, leaving a large gash in the floor. Tino scrambled to her feet from the momentum of her dodge and couldn't help screaming: "What is this thing!? This ridiculous dragon!?"
"Stop whining and just beat it already! It's just a hot spring dragon!"
"!?!"
Shocked by Citry's cutting words, Tino had no time to stand around.
The ridiculous dragon that had fired hot spring water from its mouth now stood with its chest puffed out, exuding an almost regal dignity. Even if she beat a dragon like this, she'd be too embarrassed to claim the title of Dragon Slayer.
Her only hope, Mastaa, sat frozen in place with a beatific smile plastered on her face.
Tino steeled herself.
This was — a trial. Probably. Most likely. Just as Citry said, it was a trial. A kindness from Mastaa.
This is too much, Mastaa...
Tino held back her tears and, driven by desperation, stepped forward toward the ridiculous dragon.
§ § § The light-blue dragon slid across the ground, flipped onto its back, and lay there defeated.
Beside it, Tino crouched down, covering her body with her palms, letting out quiet sobs.
"Ugh... Sniff... This is awful, Mastaa... I can't..."
Tino was incredible. Had she always been this strong?
She was clearly more powerful than when she'd fought Rabi-ken. Watching her kicks and punches send the rotund dragon flying was almost comical.
Nearby lay a tattered towel, snagged and torn to shreds. She'd eventually been unable to hold on and had tossed it aside — and from that moment on, Tino's movements had erupted with fierce intensity.
I'd been planning to intervene if things got dire, but in the end, that moment never came and the fight was over before I knew it.
It's okay... I was careful not to look in your direction. When it comes to not looking, I'm a professional.
Citry returned from the changing room carrying a towel. She was the culprit behind all this.
Tino said it was my fault, but I'd fully intended to have Citry handle it. This wasn't my doing.
...Well, I guess I bore some responsibility too.
I comforted Tino.
"No, no, that was actually a pretty spectacular fight. Well done, well done."
"!? ...Sniff... Mastaa, I hate you..."
Tino hugged me tightly, though it didn't really accomplish much.
Citry draped a large bath towel over Tino, hiding her. Then, once her junior had calmed down somewhat, she delivered another sharp remark: "Understand the importance of preparation now?"
"..."
Tino nodded desperately with tears still in her eyes. Citry was patting her head, but would such a gesture truly atone for today's misdeeds?
I surveyed the extensively damaged bath hall, confirmed that the hot spring dragon was rolling around trembling in fear, and let out a sigh.
"...But normally, you don't have to worry about dragons when you go into a hot spring."
"!?"
Tino looked at me as if I'd said something utterly unbelievable. Even if you look at me like that... even an avid hot spring lover like me wouldn't have gotten in if I'd known there was a dragon in there.
I'd be sticking to the open-air bath in the room for a while.
§ § § "...Let's go."
"Ooooooooooooooh!"
At Arnold's brief command, the party members roared.
On their faces was a trace of fear — and unwavering fighting spirit.
After two days of rest, their stamina had recovered. They'd stocked up on equipment and items from a nearby village as best they could.
If that was the case, then all that remained was to challenge this place with skill and courage.
This might be their final hunt. But even so, they could not afford to stop.
That was the nature of those who had taken up the life of a Treasure Hunter.
Alongside them stood the members of the Blazing Gale, even paler than the Thunder Dragon of the Mist, as well as Ruda Lundeberg.
Judging by ability, it would have been wiser to split up, yet they still followed — not because their goal lay within this Treasure Hall, but because they too, despite their low levels, were Treasure Hunters.
In Arnold's mind, the grudge against Thousand Transformations was already gone. The City of Ten Thousand Demons was no simple Treasure Hall where one could afford to carry such trivial distractions.
What Arnold harbored was sheer stubbornness. It could be called conviction. It could be called pride.
The castle loomed before them, its majesty unchanged from days ago.
The swirling thunderclouds, the suffocating silence — nothing had changed.
In other words, this was — the norm for a Level 8 Treasure Hall, the kind that simply didn't exist around Nebulnes.
He had no intention of being buried here. His instincts told him so. Clearing it was probably impossible.
But by stepping inside and experiencing firsthand the difficulty of a Treasure Hall that Thousand Transformations had likely entered with only a small group, he could come to terms with reality.
This was — settling a score.
Suddenly, Ei furrowed his brow and spoke with suspicion. Arnold scanned the surroundings, but all that stretched out was a flat plain without a single obstacle — not a Monster in sight, let alone a carriage.
"...There are no carriages. Are they really here?"
"...They should be. Up to this point, their movements have never been a bluff. But that no longer matters."
"Of course. I understand perfectly. I do believe in our leader."
Ei forced his lips upward into a smile.
As if it had been waiting for Arnold all along, the massive gate swung open. A chill air enveloped Arnold and his companions.
And so began the Mighty Thunder Flash's challenge of the Treasure Hall.