The one lying crumpled there like a tattered rag was Tino.
When I rushed over, I could hear a small groan tangled with pain and anguish.
Her body, curled up as though trying to make herself appear even smaller, trembled. Her hair, strewn haphazardly across the floor, shifted slightly as she started to raise her face toward me.
Right in front of her, Liliz brought her foot down.
A rumbling like an earthquake shook the entire building. Tino's body spasmed.
Liliz's leg strength — enough to conquer even a Level 8 Treasure Hall — was already beyond human limits.
Her footprints were firmly imprinted in what should have been a sturdily constructed floor. Where did such power sleep in that petite frame...
"What's up, Kly? I'm in the middle of training Tino, you know?"
Liliz turned toward me, her voice light and casual. Her pale pink eyes, beautiful as gemstones, pierced right through me.
Liliz was abnormally quick to anger, but she was by no means a careless person.
When it came to strength, she was utterly sincere. She herself had overcome countless trials, sometimes nearly dying, to hone her power.
She had a tendency to demand too much, but Liliz trained Tino in earnest and hated nothing more than being interrupted.
It had been several years since the Clan was founded. The veteran members of the Party had a long history with Liliz, yet nobody dared to intervene — that fact had been deeply ingrained in everyone.
"Tino has talent, you know. Maybe even more than me. But she's weak. I wonder why — back when I was about Tino's level, I was... way stronger?"
"Mm-hm. Yeah."
You're all strong enough already. Everyone's strong. Isn't that fine? Everyone's different, and that's wonderful.
I forced down the grimace threatening to cross my face and stepped in front of Liliz.
Sven and the others had stopped at the entrance, silently watching how things would play out.
I couldn't really tell the difference between Tino and Liliz, but what Liliz said was probably right.
Saying that someone might have more talent than herself — that wasn't the kind of thing Liliz would say lightly, given her personality.
But that wasn't a reason to beat her adorable junior half to death and crush her spirit.
"She's still too soft. You might let it slide because you're kind, Kly, but if it stays like this, she might cause trouble again, right? She's my disciple — she needs to acquire at minimum the strength befitting that role. If Tino turns out to be a nobody... I might get looked down on too..."
Liliz wore a faint smile that sent a chill down my spine.
The violent aura concealed in her voice lowered the temperature of the room.
At this point, she wasn't a nobody, and nobody was looking down on her.
Especially in this Imperial Capital, Liliz's name was spoken with fear. She was a regular on the Capital's Most Dangerous Hunter Rankings.
Liliz then turned her gaze toward the entrance, looking at them as though they were insects.
"Some of you tried to stop me, but that's none of your damn business. Unlike you lot, Tino has an obligation to get strong. She won't get strong unless she pushes herself to the point of death. There's no time to rest. No time to play around. You think you can turn Liliz's disciple into trash? I'll kill you."
It wasn't just words. There was genuine killing intent there — a ferocity that wouldn't have been out of place had she actually followed through.
Her methods were twisted, but her passion for training her disciple was plain to see.
Tino remained face-down, her body curled up, trembling violently.
Liliz narrowed her eyes and looked up at me from below, as though peering in.
Her voice was sweet, but it gave the sensation of a blade pressed against one's throat.
"If it's you, Kly — you understand, right?"
I kept my expression locked in a smile and answered.
"Mm-hm. Yeah. But, I get that you're enthusiastic, but Tino seems like she's at her limit, so let's call it a day?"
"!?"
I didn't know how many hours she'd been worked, but Tino lying on the floor was proof enough that she'd reached her limit.
With no Healer — Anthem — around, pushing too hard could leave lasting injuries.
It was one of the biggest reasons Hunters retired. Neither magic nor potions were all-powerful.
I didn't want to get on Liliz's bad side either, but there was nobody else who could stop her, so it had to be me.
For a moment, Liliz blinked as though she hadn't quite heard what was said, then tilted her head slightly and spoke.
"Hmm? Wait — Kly, are you... stopping Liliz?"
"Mm-hm. Without a doubt, yes."
Her eyes went wide. Deep within the transparent, captivating pink of her irises, a powerful energy seethed — the kind that could erupt at the slightest provocation.
Several seconds of silence passed. Liliz peered into my eyes as though trying to gauge my true intentions.
The air groaned under the intense tension. Her hand slowly reached out and touched my cheek.
And then, Liliz broke into a beaming smile.
"Well then, that's it for today!"
A bright, cheerful voice — utterly different from the one that had chilled me to the bone moments ago.
She spun around and looked down at Tino, who was still lying on the floor.
"Sorry about that? I was holding back so I wouldn't kill you, and you're still twitching and all, so I thought you could keep going — but if Kly says that's your limit, then I guess it is?"
"Ma...ster...?"
Why was she calling my name instead of Liliz's?
Slowly, Tino raised her face.
There, Liliz's mask had been placed upon her.
The Mourning Specter's Party symbol. A grinning skull mask. No matter what, tears would never overflow from the pitch-black painted eye sockets, and no expression would ever show on its face.
But why had she been made to wear the mask...
As though sensing the question that had just crossed my mind, Liliz smiled — an expression far too cheerful for someone who'd been disciplining her disciple.
"I thought if I let Tino join, maybe she'd improve, maybe she'd grow, maybe she was ready — so I tested her. But she failed. If she can't do anything just because her vision is blocked by a mask, she can't join us, right?"
There was no such rule, was there?
If that condition existed, I wouldn't have been able to join the Party in the first place.
The Mourning Specter's Party admission requirement was simply a recommendation from an existing Party member. That was all.
Well, but... it was probably still too early to let Tino join. Bringing in new members was something I'd always wanted, and it wasn't as though Tino had done anything wrong, but throwing her into a high-difficulty Treasure Hall and letting her die would defeat the entire purpose.
Maybe it could work with support from the existing members, but I was the cautious type.
"Mm-hm. Yeah. It might still be too early."
"Kly, how strong would she need to become before you'd let her in?"
Don't ask me that. What would I know?
I was half a figurehead as a leader — I didn't even know what the Party's current situation was.
I pretended to think about it while thinking about absolutely nothing, keeping my smile firmly in place.
"About the same as Liliz?"
"Eh...?"
From deep in Tino's throat, a thin, strangled sound like a scream escaped.
There was no need for such a desperate sound... It was only a joke.
Liliz was a proper teacher, after all. She'd propose it when the time was right.
It wasn't as though she even needed to ask my opinion.
"Kyaa, Kly, you sadist! If you say something like that, she'll never be able to join!"
"...No, no, that's not true at all."
Liliz suddenly, and for some reason happily, hugged my arm.
I was looking forward to the day Tino could join the Party too.
And having witnessed the recent exploration of the White Wolf's Den, I was convinced that day would come soon.
Of course, that was entirely up to Liliz, so I kept that to myself.
"So, what did you come here for, Kly? Did you come to see me?"
"Gaark wants to hear about the White Wolf's Den from Tino, so I came to let you know."
"Kly, you're so well-mannered. You could've just sent someone to call us... Actually, someone go already."
I ruffled Liliz's head as she grumbled under her breath, redirecting her attention elsewhere.
The silky texture of her glossy hair. Liliz beamed a smile at me.
It was fine. I'd wanted to come myself, anyway.
Besides, I was the one who'd been called directly... and this way, I didn't need to send anyone.
Learning restraint and actually practicing restraint were apparently two different things. I genuinely wished she'd lighten up a bit.
Liliz pressed a finger to her lips and looked down at Tino, who hadn't moved an inch on the floor.
"Is that urgent? If it is, I'll toss her straight to Gaark right now."
I really didn't understand why Tino both feared and adored Liliz, when she was always dealt with like this.
Gaark couldn't be so harsh as to summon Tino in this state.
"It's not urgent. She can go after she recovers. Tomorrow or the day after would be fine."
Actually, maybe she didn't need to go at all. Right! Let me pretend I'd forgotten something.
"Tino, did you hear that? You're listening, right? Got it? If you can hear me, nod big."
At Liliz's words, Tino's head bobbed slightly up and down, still face-down. She looked even worse than when she'd explored the White Wolf's Den.
I narrowed my eyes, looked down at Tino, and sighed.
At this point, I felt nothing but pity for her.
Tino was a Hunter, Liliz's disciple, and also my junior.
Maybe I should separate her from Liliz for now... Tino needed time.
It was a bit different from a Hunter's work, but couldn't this be considered a proper leader's job?
I went around behind Liliz, grabbed her shoulders, and started pushing.
Her slender shoulders — hardly the shoulders of someone who regularly bludgeoned the hordes of Phantoms in the Treasure Hall.
"Alright. Liliz, let's go somewhere else."
"Kly... you don't think of me as a child, do you?"
"I don't. Good girl, good girl."
Soothing someone must feel like this.
The fellow Clan members who had been watching with bated breath near the entrance were visibly shaken, their faces contorted.
It wasn't for nothing that I'd been Liliz's childhood friend for so long.
Liliz didn't seem to mind too much.
She might have taken on an apprentice now, but fundamentally, Liliz was self-centered.
"Ehh... where are we going? A date?"
"Uh... well... to get ice cream?"
But Liliz didn't do well with sweets. Citry, Lucia, and Anthem all couldn't handle them either. Out of all my childhood friends, I was the only one with a sweet tooth.
Sure enough, Liliz's expression clouded over.
And just as she was about to say something, Liliz's gaze dropped downward.
A worn, tattered palm was gripping her ankle — the one covered by the boot-shaped Treasure Weapon she always wore, Origin of the Heavens.
Liliz's large eyes took on a dangerous glint.
"Hmm? What do you think you're doing, Tino? Liliz is talking with Kly right now, you know?"
Tino didn't move a muscle. Her grip on Liliz's ankle was limp — one could easily shake it off.
But with her head still lowered, Tino spoke in a ragged, breathless voice.
"N-not... yet... can't... move... Mas...ter..."
Her expression was invisible. The airtight mask transformed every emotion within into a grin.
Honestly, I was thinking we should have picked a different Party symbol.
Liliz touched my hand resting on her shoulder, gently moved it away, and turned around.
Huh? Was this about to go south?
That thought flashed through my mind for an instant, but what came out was a voice full of admiration.
"Amazing! She couldn't move at all just a moment ago. I definitely broke her! There's no way she could recover this quickly! Look, Kly! My Tino finally did it!?"
Despite being interrupted, Liliz was, unusually, in a good mood.
Was I allowed to wonder why she looked so happy?
Liliz's eyes were shining with excitement, but I was completely taken aback.
She clearly couldn't move, and it looked like she needed treatment right away.
But Tino staggered and wobbled to her feet. She was so unsteady that even I could have knocked her over. Thanks to the mask, her expression was hidden, but in that moment, I was genuinely grateful for the mask from the bottom of my heart.
"As expected of Kly! No matter what I did, I was always one step short — I'm jealous! Yes, yes — she's still weak, but that's what was missing!"
What had been missing? I wanted to ask but couldn't.
Liliz was fired up. Her eyes blazed with intensity, and her skin flushed.
Her life was burning. Even from the outside, the overwhelming energy was unmistakable.
The epithet given to her — Peerless Shadow — was originally the name of the most famous Thief in Zebuldia. Having apprenticed under that man and achieved full mastery within a few years, Liliz had inherited the title as his successor.
Rumor had it that Peerless Shadow lived on a different timescale from ordinary humans.
I didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but there was no denying that it was decidedly inhuman.
Liliz casually stretched her arms and legs as she spoke.
"So, I'm really sorry, but Kly, would you mind stepping out?"
"What..."
Huh? She was going to resume training? Tino could barely move! No way...
Their actual skill levels were still worlds apart. The gap between Tino — broken, masked, and tattered — and Liliz at full power was so vast that calling it "childish" would still be an understatement. There was no way this could be a contest.
But Liliz didn't seem to have any intention of going easy. Her eyes, as she gazed at the swaying Tino, shone the way a child's would upon receiving a new toy.
"It's not that you can't stay, Kly... but Tino's got it rough, doesn't she? I can't see her face, but she's about to be coughing up blood, vomiting, maybe even wetting herself — and since there's no one here to heal her, I can only go halfway without putting her in real danger. Having all those pathetic moments seen? I couldn't handle that. Right? You can watch next time, but since this is the first round, show some mercy, okay? Please?"
"Ah, yes."
Incredible. Whether Liliz was angry or excited, the intensity was exactly the same.
All I could do was nod at that sunflower-like smile.
I checked on Tino, and it seemed she had the will to continue training too.
What drove them like this... I really didn't understand Hunters.