"That's... half!? Impossible!"
"There are situations where Ark is needed, right!? Besides, can you really solve everything just by throwing numbers at it!?"
What on earth had happened here?
I couldn't conceal my confusion at the uproar that had erupted right before my eyes.
Eva was staring at me with a look of utter exasperation.
I watched the members launch into a heated debate, unable to say a single word.
No... had I said something wrong?
I'd hate to toot my own horn, but "Beginning Footprint" was among the top-tier clans headquartered in the Imperial Capital, boasting impressive size. Its members' abilities were also well above average.
There had originally been two reasons for founding this clan.
The first was to use clan management as an excuse to step back from the front lines.
The second was to strengthen interactions with other parties and hone the social skills of the "Mourning Specter" members.
Having too much talent is its own kind of loneliness. Outstanding ability drives away the vast majority of those who lack it.
In "Mourning Specter's" case, every member besides me was blessed with unparalleled natural gifts, so there was no loneliness per se—but that was precisely why exchanges with outside parties had stagnated. Even back then, I'd been aware of it.
And so, when I decided to establish "Beginning Footprint" and gathered the founding members, I used talent and age as my selection criteria.
If they were hunters close in age and at least as skilled as Luke and the others, I figured Luke's group would accept them too.
Through these interactions, I hoped to cultivate the social skills of the "Mourning Specter" members (mainly Luke and Liliz), and ultimately, have someone from the outside replace me as the one holding the team back.
I harbored these modest hopes and approached every party that had been making a name for itself in the Imperial Capital at the time.
The "Black Gold Cross," where every member possessed high healing capabilities and could clear high-difficulty Treasure Halls with virtually no casualties.
The "Star's Holy Thunder," which fielded multiple powerful attacking Mages and boasted unrivaled wide-range annihilation capabilities.
The "Lantern Knight Order," whose strict discipline and systematic training kept all ten-plus members at consistently high ability levels.
And above all, the "Holy Spirit's Children"—the very rival of "Mourning Specter."
The negotiations went surprisingly well. All the other members backed my proposal and each volunteered to handle negotiations with their respective parties.
We hadn't fully achieved our goals yet, but progress was excellent. I'd managed to step back from the front lines, and Liliz and the others were—well, I'd like to think they were better off than if we hadn't started a clan.
Setting that aside, the members of this clan—which had launched with great fanfare and an impressive roster—were naturally outstanding.
It must have been a good source of stimulation. For the second wave and beyond, we'd admitted parties somewhat randomly regardless of ability, yet "Beginning Footprint" still maintained its reputation as an elite clan and was regarded as one that was still growing.
Even the members gathered here now couldn't be that bad—certainly not worth causing this much fuss.
Ark was exceptionally strong, but I'd chosen him because he was the most reassuring and the easiest to rely on—not because I considered him absolutely indispensable.
Seriously, think about it calmly. A situation where Ark is absolutely essential? That's way too dangerous. What kind of situation would that even be?
I glanced over at Eva, who had somehow managed to gather this many hunters in such a short time.
Even the deal where Gaark agreed to fully cooperate had been more of a diplomatic pleasantry, but she'd taken it far too seriously. How had she managed to gather so many...
Well, I already knew Eva was exceptional. The only concern I had was one thing.
Mobilizing hunters cost money. Where was all this funding going to come from?
I'd been the one who offered full cooperation. That was also why I'd suggested halving the numbers.
Eva met my gaze, nodded once with a serious expression, and then spoke in a voice that rang throughout the entire entrance: "Everyone, please be quiet. It seems Krai has something to say."
At her words, everyone immediately stopped their discussion and turned to look my way.
Under the painful weight of all those stares and the suffocating silence, I cleared my throat to buy myself a moment.
Seriously... Krai has something to say... Which Krai are they talking about?
No, it's fine. It's fine, but...
Not knowing quite what to say, I forced a smile to mask my inner turmoil.
"Now, now, calm down, everyone. Think about it rationally—the Treasure Hall in question was originally a Level 3 dungeon. There's really nothing to worry about."
"You liar!"
The hunter at the very front—a figure in a black robe who looked every bit the part of a Mage—shouted out.
He was a hunter far stronger than me, and his eyes narrowed with something like dread as he glared at me.
I'm not lying. I never lie. I've never lied.
"Besides, Director Gaark must be mobilizing other parties too. It's not just our problem. True, the current 'White Wolf's Den' is more dangerous than usual. I can understand the anxiety, but..."
Razing a Treasure Hall with sheer firepower wasn't supposed to be every hunter's ultimate dream. They were adventurers, after all.
Despite my logical persuasion, everyone's expressions remained unchanged. Not a single person believed me.
Even Tinno's gaze had turned ice-cold. Well, she did have the recent incident at "White Wolf's Den" hanging over her, so I couldn't really blame her...
Had there been something wrong with what I said?
I tilted my head again and studied everyone's faces, but they averted their eyes.
It had been a while since I'd been active as a hunter. Had my judgment gotten too soft?
Being rejected so aggressively made me feel like I must be in the wrong. I'd never been particularly confident in myself to begin with.
I turned briefly to Eva beside me.
"What do you think?"
"...Given the circumstances this time, I think it's better to give them some breathing room."
"Hmm..."
It seemed Eva was more or less on their side too.
I scanned the members gathered around me.
Looking more carefully, I noticed that while the numbers were large, none of the top-tier members were here. Ark, naturally, had gone to the nobility, and neither the Black Gold Cross nor the Star's Holy Thunder were present.
Well, that just meant our top tier was that busy—it wasn't unusual.
But even so, this felt like overkill...
If this many parties charged into "White Wolf's Den" with full enthusiasm, not even a weed would be left growing there.
"Hmm, what about dropping a few parties?"
Setting aside the reward issue, if every party in "Beginning Footprint" left, I'd have no one to turn to if something came up.
Of course, I couldn't openly admit something so pathetic...
Seeing my indecisive attitude, one hunter protested hotly: "Master, we're not saying we want more! The numbers are fine as they are, right?"
"Hmm..."
"Look, we're all in the same clan but different parties. We cooperate, but we're not obligated to follow every order. Unless there's some reason we absolutely have to reduce numbers—tell us!"
"Hmm... that's a fair point."
Behind me, several hunters nodded in agreement. You guys really don't want to reduce the numbers, huh?
They were always so brave and fierce—what were they so afraid of this time?
But they had a point...
This time, I'd offered to cooperate with Gaark as a diplomatic gesture, but it wasn't supposed to be a volunteer mission. Well, our guild's motto was freedom, so accepting requests was left to individual discretion—but as Clan Master, I had to handle things properly.
"Eva, is the pay confirmed for everyone? Their budget isn't infinite. I can't believe they can afford this many people."
The investigation request had come from the Empire. The budget was determined by the estimated difficulty of the investigation.
Even with the major anomaly at the Treasure Hall, I couldn't see how they'd be able to afford half of "Beginning Footprint."
Eva answered my stubborn skepticism with a composed expression: "There's apparently no issue. Director Gaark managed to secure additional funding from the government. I've verified it, and the amounts seem appropriate."
"Seriously? He managed to wrangle a budget large enough to mobilize high-level hunters on this scale... What kind of powerhouse is he?"
The Empire wasn't exactly stingy, but there had to be solid justification to push for a budget increase beyond what they'd originally proposed.
That meant... the hunters sent ahead on the initial investigation had brought something back?
When she'd come to talk to me, she hadn't seemed to know anything specific, but it was possible new information had come in while I'd been out on a date with Liliz.
And it was precisely this concern that had made our elite members so nervous about reducing manpower.
Yes—that was the most likely explanation.
It was like the last puzzle piece clicking perfectly into place.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief, making sure no one noticed.
I was glad our members weren't the type to blindly swallow whatever I said. I'd almost made the same mistake as the Tinno incident.
But if there was new information, I wished they'd told me beforehand. Well, knowing wouldn't have changed what I did, but still.
I glanced at Eva, and she gave a small nod with her glasses glinting as usual.
"Yes. It appears Director Gaark used information obtained from Krai as the basis."
"Oh."
??? I had no idea what she was talking about.
Not knowing what to say, I gave a noncommittal nod to maintain appearances.
Was there another "Krai" in this city besides me? Some kind of super-capable information broker... If such a person existed, I'd love to learn from them.
Had I really provided information that important?
I furrowed my brow and wracked my brain.
I had no clue. I'd cooperate, sure.
I'd said I'd send Ark if he were available, but he wasn't, so that was all I'd said.
I hadn't mentioned anything specific—so how on earth had it been transmitted in a convincing enough way to persuade the government...
Ugh, I shouldn't have offered to cooperate. I'd had no obligation to. I should've just said I was busy with other things and couldn't help.
Truly, regrets always come too late.
...Ugh, I felt like throwing up. If nothing happened to justify all this, would it end up being my fault?
I pressed my forehead and sank into self-loathing.
Why was my mouth so flippant? It was because I spoke without thinking... Well, I also had to admit that Kaina and the others had a problem with how they interpreted my words.
Now then, what was I supposed to do... Given that they were going all-in even at the cost of an increased budget, there was no way I could smooth things over now with my trademark high-level groveling apology.
Before me, every single one of the gathered clan members had their eyes locked on me.
Everyone wore a grave expression. Since they clearly weren't being shortchanged, there was no longer any reason to reduce numbers.
And even if our members were cut, as long as the budget existed, they'd just fill the gaps with other hunters.
Hmm... was I stuck?
I endured the serious stares for a while, but came up with nothing and gave up.
"...Eh, whatever."
"Huh!?"
I hadn't even said anything yet. I hadn't intended to make this a big deal.
I'd only said I'd cooperate. It was Gaark who'd decided on the increased budget.
If the Empire complained, Gaark could deal with it. And even if they came at me, I'd just use my high-level evasiveness skill to brush them off.
"So... it's okay? Master? Everyone really goes?"
"Well, if that's what you want, I don't have the authority to stop you."
Do what you want. Do whatever.
At my completely checked-out attitude, the gathered members wore looks of bemused disappointment.
And even if the mission's difficulty turned out to be far below expectations, don't come complaining to me.
I was the one who'd said we could reduce numbers. I said it.
Then, at that moment, a voice I really didn't want to hear came from behind me.
The expressions of the lined-up hunters stiffened.
Without making a single footstep, a soft warmth pressed against my back, and slender arms wrapped around the front of my body.
"If you've got nothing better to do than mumble useless things, why don't you just quit being a hunter if you love crowds so much?"
"Liliz, could you stop saying things that make it sound like you're mocking me?"
Having finished our date, she was in an unusually good mood today.
Tinno instinctively slipped behind the large hunter standing next to her.
I couldn't see Liliz's face since she was behind me, but she was almost certainly smirking right now.
"Make it sound like I'm mocking you? I am mocking you. I can't even work up the energy to yell. Because, right?"
In a syrupy, drawling tone, she addressed the entire crowd as if lecturing everyone present.
Her voice wasn't raised, but the intimidation it carried was no less than usual.
"Sure, Krai-chan's demands are always set to absurdly high, but you can't be a hunter if you're afraid of death. If it were me—I'd never, ever turn it down."
And then I heard words I couldn't ignore.
...Wait? Hold on... Absurdly high? Seriously?
Liliz was a musclehead, but as a hunter she was absolutely top-notch. If even she judged it to be absurdly high, it meant my own assessment was fundamentally off.
"...It's not that high," I muttered in a small, quiet voice. The arms wrapped tightly around me squeezed a little harder.
"That's because... 'Peerless Shadow,' you're just that strong."
At one hunter's retort, Liliz let out a soft chuckle.
"I get why Krai-chan gets exasperated... That's exactly why, no matter how long you wait, you never move forward. Hey, is that really what you want?"
Exasperated? No, I wasn't exasperated. When had I ever been?
I was fairly satisfied with the current "Beginning Footprint." True, I'd wondered what everyone was so afraid of, but if Liliz judged it to be absurdly high, I could understand their caution.
Being careful was a good thing. I'd quit being a hunter because I didn't want to die.
"Well, whatever. It doesn't concern me anyway... If anything, I'd prefer it if you turned it down."
Then, meeting everyone's gaze, Liliz spoke to me in a sweet, wheedling voice: "Hey, Krai-chan? Tin and I are going to take this request, okay? The Phantom in 'White Wolf's Den' would be perfect for training. We don't need anyone else."
"Wha—!?"
The elite members, accustomed to most things, murmured in alarm at Liliz's words.
Tinno let out a shriek of pure shock. Tinno, you'd been having way too much bad luck lately.
Liliz traced lazy circles on my chest as she continued: "And since a mission that requires Ark would put Tin in real danger, I want you to share one with me. Anthem isn't here either, and there's no Healer, so if you lose an arm or a leg, or a few internal organs, it'd be hopeless. You've got one Divine Creation Potion on you, right, Krai-chan? Please?"
The whispered words in my ear were sweet and warm.
This girl was planning to fight even if she lost limbs...
Tinno was trembling like a frightened puppy. I put on a smile and said firmly: "No."
"Aww, why not?"
Besides, you can't handle group operations to save your life. Rejected, rejected. There were other hunters headed to "White Wolf's Den" besides ours—I couldn't possibly send them.
It wasn't just about being strong enough. Liliz, whose "social skills" at best meant going from a full massacre to a half massacre, was at times more terrifying than a Phantom.
And I wasn't going this time either.
Besides, no matter how you looked at it... it was just too cruel to Tinno.
I stroked Liliz's arm to soothe her disgruntled complaints, then put on a serious expression: "I'm sorry, but the situation has just changed. We were talking about cutting numbers in half, but I'm taking it back. As Eva selected, everyone here will go."
"...!?"
"Just because it's a Treasure Hall of a not-too-high level doesn't mean you can let your guard down until the very end. Be careful."
At my sudden reversal, everyone exchanged bewildered looks. Some were even trembling and clattering their teeth for reasons I couldn't fathom.
Later, I'd have to ask Liliz exactly which parts of this request she'd found "absolutely terrifying."