My grand dark pot plan had already run aground.
Gaark was shaking with rage, slamming the desk with a force I hadn't seen from him in ages. Only Kaina's wry smile offered any comfort.
"Klye, this is the escort for the summit! Take the selection seriously! I mean it—absolutely no incidents. Your performance here will determine how the Hunter's Guild positions itself in Zebuldia going forward."
"Ah, yes."
"I already quit being a Hunter! I haven't absorbed any Mana Material either. You might have been trying to consider my feelings, but think about it calmly. Am I really suited for this?"
I wasn't considering his feelings. I just wanted to drag him into it. But apparently that approach didn't fly with Gaark.
Then again, if we were talking about being suited for it, I wasn't exactly qualified either.
I folded my arms and pretended to think for a while, but Gaark was huffing through his shoulders and showed no signs of calming down.
So I snapped my fingers.
"That's it—I've decided on you, Kaina! Please join the escort detail!"
"Wh-what!?"
Brilliant idea. Escorts needed some healing too, and I'd always thought Kaina was no ordinary person.
"The—the—the Emperor!! Stop messing around!! Do you have no brakes?!"
Gaark screamed at me with a trembling voice. And just like that, I was unceremoniously thrown out of the branch manager's office.
*** How unfair. He was always dumping work on me (whether I'd actually do it or not), but the moment I made a request, he turned me down... I had misjudged him.
Kaina, who had followed behind me, gave me a helpless, apologetic smile and handed me a list.
"I'm sorry, Klye. The branch manager didn't mean any harm. This is a list of high-level Hunters at the Imperial Capital branch. I thought it might help with member selection."
"Ah, thanks. Honestly, I'm the one taking this seriously here..."
"If need be, I can reach out to some of them on your behalf. Just let me know."
That helped lift my spirits a little.
Admittedly, including Kaina might not have been the best idea. And it wasn't fair to take my frustration out on her, either.
One slot that Gaark would have filled was now empty. I needed to find someone to take his place...
I checked the list, but every name on it was someone I already knew. All the members of the Mourning Specter were listed there too.
The Imperial Capital really did have a lot of high-level Hunters.
And that's when I spotted one name. A man with a distinctive name, apparently a Level 6 Hunter. I'd never seen him before, and we weren't acquainted.
...Well, I still had four slots left, so this guy could be the first. Momentum was key in these things.
"Kaina, could you reach out to this person named Kechacchaka for me?"
"...Fine."
Perhaps my immediate response caught her off guard, because Kaina's eyes went wide.
*** When it came to an escort detail, what mattered most was wide-area firepower capable of handling a large force.
Especially considering that Monsters could attack from every direction, powerful Mages were absolutely essential.
It wasn't a topic I was eager to broach, but aside from Lucia, the pool of powerful Mages was fairly well-established.
The next place I visited was the headquarters of the Mage clan, Magic Staff.
The mission this time was to escort the Emperor. And word that member selection had been entrusted to me would surely spread.
Given that, it would be unthinkable not to reach out to Abyssal Flame Annihilation, considering my weak position.
That old woman was unpredictable when she was displeased. If this had been an ordinary commission, it would be one thing, but if she found out she'd been slighted, I might very well get burned alive. Putting that aside, she was Level 8, so there was no shortage of combat ability.
Unlike Footprints, which had a cutting-edge Clan House, the headquarters of Magic Staff was a weathered old mansion.
The mansion, which apparently dated back to the clan's founding, had been renovated repeatedly over the years and now possessed both a charming appearance and practical functionality.
As I stood hesitating at the entrance, a familiar young man emerged from inside.
A Mage with cold eyes, wearing an indigo robe.
"Oh, Klye. This is rare. What brings you here?"
"A-run, hello! How've you been?"
"...Um, that nickname is only used by Mary... If you could call me Aruto, that would be..."
When I deliberately greeted him in a friendly manner to make a good impression, A-run shrank back shyly—which was unusual for him.
I thought it was a fine nickname, A-run. If I'd had an extra slot, I would've thrown him straight into the dark pot.
"I have business with Abyssal Flame Annihilation. Is she in? If not, I'd like to leave a message..."
Abyssal Flame Annihilation was probably busy, one way or another.
If she wasn't in, that would be ideal... If I could say I'd already come by once and she wasn't there, sending a participation request via message probably wouldn't get me burned.
Alas, my wish went unanswered. A-run blinked, then cheerfully opened the door for me.
"Ah, perfect timing. We were just talking about this. Come in."
*** The Magic Staff clan master's office was like the parlor of a noble's estate.
A thick carpet, aged lamps, and bookshelves lining the walls, with portraits of successive clan masters hanging above them.
Abyssal Flame Annihilation looked the same as ever—like a witch straight out of a fairy tale. The wicked kind, of course.
She was slender, but tall, and facing her was an overwhelming experience.
Abyssal Flame Annihilation—Rosmarie Pyrobos—heard my words and narrowed her eyes.
"Ku ku ku... I'm honored that you'd think of me, Thousand Transformations."
"..."
"But as you well know—I've been placed under suspension by the state. I can't leave the Imperial Capital. The fallout from that incident with the Tower of Akasha has been a real headache. I burned them all to a crisp, you see."
"I see... I-I didn't know that."
I furrowed my brow, wishing I could flee on the spot.
Being under suspension was her own fault, but I'd never imagined this was someone who'd actually care about a suspension.
At my words, Abyssal Flame Annihilation's eyes gleamed with a fierce light.
"Ku ku ku... You think you could've handled it better? That's just a matter of aptitude, dearie. All I know how to do is destroy."
That's not what I said at all. Please don't burn me...
I rubbed my Barrier Ring and took a deep breath. The Ring could block magic itself, but fire magic had significant environmental effects.
If the oxygen was consumed, I'd die. That's why I was currently equipped with the Oxygen Ring. If heat reached me, I'd also die. So I was also equipped with the Cold Air Ring.
But even with all that... blocking fire with a barrier didn't actually extinguish it. It could still spread and burn me anyway.
But what could I do... The second slot was now empty too.
That was when A-run, who had been present the whole time, spoke up. It seemed A-run wasn't afraid of Abyssal Flame Annihilation. She was his clan master, so that made sense, but I certainly envied his nerve.
"Master, let's get to the point. Even if your participation is impossible, there are surely several powerful Mages in Magic Staff who are worthy of this honorable mission."
"Hmm... That's for Thousand Transformations to decide... Tell you what, Altobalan, since you brought it up, why don't you go? If you bring Mary along, you should manage somehow."
Mary, huh. She was the girl who, along with A-run, had given Arnold an earful at that café before.
Both A-run and Mary seemed remarkably young, but since they were Abyssal Flame Annihilation's chosen members, they had to be legit. Personally, I had a better impression of them than of Abyssal Flame Annihilation herself.
A-run's eyes went wide, as if he hadn't expected this.
"Certainly, Mary and I could handle most things. However, since you came here to invite the Master, the slot would only be... one, wouldn't it?"
"...Is that so?"
Abyssal Flame Annihilation looked at me. That alone was enough to send a chill down my spine.
I'd only intended to fill one slot, but if that was the arrangement, having two people for one slot wasn't a problem. I happily accepted.
I nodded with a convincing air and decided to do them a favor in return.
"Sure, I can make it work. If you two can handle it, we'll count A-run and Mary as filling one slot. How about that?"
"..."
Abyssal Flame Annihilation fell silent, and A-run's eyes went wide.
Could I pull this off? Probably not. Well, the other slots weren't all filled yet anyway, so it didn't really matter.
Just then, Abyssal Flame Annihilation burst into a thunderous laugh. The furniture in the room rattled, and I couldn't help but flinch.
"Hi hi hi!! Are you saying that our Altobalan and Mary are only half-baked?"
"No, I never said—"
"But you're right. All things considered, sending Altobalan... I'll hold off on that."
The conversation was moving along without my input. A-run seemed like a perfectly decent person, and I would've been fine with him, but Abyssal Flame Annihilation was the type who didn't listen to others.
She struck the floor hard with her staff and spoke in a commanding voice.
"Our internal matters are our own affair. I'll send our Sub Clan Master, Termu Apocris. You know him, right? He's a Level 7 Mage, so there shouldn't be any problem."
"Ah, yes."
I knew the name but had never interacted with him. Didn't even know what he looked like.
But there was no way I could object. I just nodded like a puppet.
*** Having finished two mentally draining encounters—one with Gaark and one with Abyssal Flame Annihilation—I returned to the Clan House.
I spotted a familiar face lounging by the window in the lounge—Lyle—and went over to talk to him. My eyes went wide.
"Huh? Ark isn't here?"
"You didn't know? Apparently he's off on some top-secret mission and won't be back for a while."
That pretty boy was really useless. He was always conveniently absent exactly when I needed him, which was beyond frustrating.
To endure being sandwiched between Termu and Kechacchaka—two people I barely knew—I absolutely needed a strong ally like Ark. But if I couldn't reach him, there was nothing I could do.
Finding someone to fill Ark's role wouldn't be easy. Forget his strength—as a source of emotional stability, Ark was invaluable.
I dropped into a chair and crossed my arms, tapping them rhythmically with my fingers as I thought.
Two down, three slots remaining... Three. The number three felt right.
"The old dark pot party, huh... But that would leave Tinno out. That actually stung."
"Wh-what are you thinking, Boss..."
I was starting to feel exhausted. After visiting just two places, I felt like I'd burned through my entire day's worth of energy.
Maybe I should just stop caring... We were only the backup plan anyway. Maybe a miracle would happen and nothing would occur at all.
I turned to Lyle, who was sitting across from me.
"Lyle, wanna come? It's an escort mission for the Emperor."
"*Pff*...*cough cough*...I-I'm not going!! Absolutely not! Don't invite me with the same energy as 'wanna grab lunch?!'"
Was escorting the Emperor maybe not as prestigious as I thought?
I looked around the lounge, but everyone was vigorously shaking their heads. Was this perhaps a sign of just how unpopular I was?
Still, I was in a bind. If I didn't round up some people, I'd get chewed out. Being told to gather five and coming up short was not an option.
I needed to fill those slots with whoever I could, no matter what... Of course, the higher their Level, the better.
There was one other Level 8 in the Imperial Capital, but unfortunately, I had no acquaintance with them.
Sven? Maybe one slot should go to Sven? The Black Gold Cross was valued for its stability as a Party, but his individual combat ability wasn't lacking either. More than anything, he was the most considerate person after Ark.
I couldn't think of anyone else suitable... As I was mulling this over, I suddenly spotted two figures entering the Clan House through the window.
"!!"
This clan had two exceptionally troublesome Parties.
One was my own Party, the Mourning Specter. The other was a Party composed entirely of Spiritfolk—who naturally looked down on humans—and was troublesome by its very nature: Star's Holy Thunder.
Due to their nature, Star's Holy Thunder rarely visited the Clan House, so opportunities to cross paths were few and far between. But right now, walking through the door were the leader and a member of Star's Holy Thunder.
It was as if God was telling me to go to hell.
With few exceptions, every Spiritfolk was a powerful Mage.
Star's Holy Thunder was also top-class among Mage Parties in this Imperial Capital. Their strength was well established.
Given their race, their personalities could be... particular, but they weren't bad people, and for someone without much pride like me, they were actually fairly easy to deal with.
Incidentally, the Spiritfolk reserved their respect for the one kind of human who had deep knowledge of magic, and as Lucia's brother, I was treated quite leniently.
Granted, whether they'd get along with the Emperor was highly questionable, but their temperament was well known, so people would probably just shrug it off with "Oh well, they're Spiritfolk—what can you do."
Besides, they were the type to draw attention wherever they went, so if I added them to the group, all eyes would shift their way.
This... having two unexpected slots had me worried, but things seemed to be coming together nicely.