At my words, Riedz began checking the files once more.
The Treasure Halls I'd listed numbered ten. Seven of them were Level 1, and the remaining three were Level 2 — but barely, the kind of simple Treasure Halls that apprentice Hunters would visit.
These were the kind of Treasure Halls that even a talentless Hunter could conquer after two or three years of experience.
On the flip side, at Riedz's level, they offered so little benefit that she'd never set foot in one. In a sense, they might count as rare.
As she flipped through the files over and over, Riedz's expression grew increasingly furrowed.
The Treasure Hall information compiled in the Clan's archive room had been assembled by the office staff from materials obtained from the Explorer's Guild and intel that participating Hunters had brought back. It was well-regarded even among the members of the Footprints, and the accuracy was high.
Riedz looked up at me.
Had some elite Hunter's instinct picked up on something concerning?
"Hey, hey, Klein… so what's actually going to happen here?"
"Hm?"
I was hoping nothing would happen.
"I'm not doubting you or anything… but you said you wanted me to do this, right? Which means it's in a worse state than the White Wolf's Den those guys went to, yeah?"
"…Yeah, that's right."
"Hmm… but there aren't any powerful Monsters living around here, and there are barely any gimmicks. The Mana Materials you'd get from a Level 1 or 2 Treasure Hall wouldn't even be enough to trouble Tia… hmm…"
"Yeah, yeah, that's right?"
Riedz tilted her head repeatedly, muttering in a low voice.
I really thought she should break her habit of charging headfirst into danger.
After pondering for a while, she nodded as if convincing herself.
"…Well, it's what Klein said, so it's probably not wrong…"
"Yeah, yeah… that's right."
She really lets her own people off easy.
Just then, Tino returned.
She'd apparently showered and changed — her hair was still damp. She came to stand before me and Riedz, snapping her hands to her sides and standing at attention.
"I have returned. My lady, Mastaa."
"You're not tired, are you? You okay?"
At my words, Tino glanced at Riedz before answering.
"…Yes. I have no issues."
"Of course there's no issues with that level! I was going easy on her!"
Riedz puffed out her chest proudly, but Tino remained expressionless.
However, just before straightening up, I'd clearly seen her wobble on her feet.
She's pushing herself. She's totally pushing herself.
It's always too much. Tino's too serious to push back, so there's never any braking mechanism.
As the Mastaa's fellow student and as a senior Hunter, I absolutely needed to make her rest.
I'd send her to a simple Treasure Hall, and — wait, no, I really should just send Riedz alone after all. Having no check on her was worrying, but…
"Actually, Tino does seem tired, so I think I'll just have Riedz go by her—"
Mid-sentence, I noticed Tino staring at me with tears welling in her eyes.
She looked like an abandoned puppy.
No, this isn't a benching notice! It's absolutely not a benching notice!
"…On second thought, I think I'll have Tino go too. Here, I've picked out a few, so choose whichever ones you like."
"Y-yes! …Picked… out?"
Tino began flipping through the files she'd been given.
Riedz watched her intently from the side, wearing a smug grin for some reason.
The pressure was killing Tino's concentration.
She shrank in on herself like she was being crushed, her eyes darting desperately across the files.
Come to think of it, I once asked Tino how it would be to become Riedz's disciple. She'd answered "constant training," but maybe this was what she meant.
Tino glanced cautiously toward Riedz.
"Um… my lady?"
"What?"
"N-no, it's nothing."
As if driven down by Riedz's gaze, Tino began flipping through the files with renewed desperation, going through them from the first page over and over again, just like Riedz had done.
There's no right answer here. I literally told you to pick whatever you like.
"Riedz."
I beckoned her over, then cupped both hands behind my ears to signal.
With a puzzled look, Riedz mimicked me and covered her own ears.
I grabbed her shoulders, spun her around, and lightly pushed her a few meters away from Tino.
Tino couldn't choose at all with her there, so I needed her to behave for a bit.
The young disciple watched her Mastaa go with wide eyes. Now the obstruction was gone.
"Alright, take your time and pick whatever you like. I won't let Riedz interfere."
"…But, Mastaa… I can't… make the judgment."
Judgment… so she really was looking for the right answer… what even is the right answer.
I wished Tino would share that earnestness with Riedz. …Well, Riedz was serious about hunting too, I suppose.
I declared with full confidence, absolutely certain, based on nothing whatsoever: "It's fine, it's fine. Whichever one you pick will be fine. It'll work out… probably."
"!?"
For some reason, a short, scream-like sound escaped Tino's lips. She stumbled back a step as if recoiling.
The look in her eyes was like she was staring at a monster.
For some reason, Tino's reactions to me were often worse than her reactions to Riedz — and not just today.
I said it was fine, so what was she so worried about?
In a thin, trembling voice, Tino spoke.
"Um, Mastaa… I'm still only Level 4—"
"Hm? Yeah, yeah, that's right?"
"…………"
"Yeah, yeah, that's right."
I was getting the weirdest sense of déjà vu. The only reason Tino hadn't bolted was probably because her Mastaa was nearby.
Tino's hands holding the files were shaking completely. Her lips were pressed tightly together.
Her face had gone white too, wasting what was otherwise a lovely face.
Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea what she was scared of. This wasn't a bone-picking mission — it was the top ten easy-mode Treasure Halls I'd selected for timid people like myself. I didn't think there was anything to worry about…
Riedz was waiting with her ears covered, facing away, idly tapping the floor with her foot.
"Maybe you should rest after all…"
"N-no… I'll do it."
So earnest. She didn't have to push herself.
Tino looked up from the files, peering at me with upturned eyes.
"…So, um… anything is fine, right?"
"Yeah. Anything's fine."
"…………Even if it's not on this list?"
Hm…?
Those were words I hadn't expected. Tino's expression was dead serious.
I'd gone out of my way to pick simple Treasure Halls for her… but well, I'd only selected ten easy Treasure Halls with Tino in mind. There wasn't any deeper reasoning behind my choices, so it wasn't like my feelings would be hurt.
Suddenly the ground shook. The metallic sound echoed through the vast space, and Tino flinched.
Riedz's foot had punched through the metal-plated floor. The metal tile had caved in and crumpled. Great, now we'd have to replace that too.
Without removing her hands from her ears, Riedz turned toward us, looked at Tino, and gave a bright smile.
She definitely heard that. I told her not to intimidate people.
Tino looked like she was about to die. Her feeble side-to-side head shake was a desperate, pitiful resistance. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.
I gave the poor Tino a reassuring smile.
"Of course that's fine. Actually, that's exactly what I was waiting to hear."
"…Huh?"
Tino's expression froze. The files slipped from her hands and scattered across the floor.
§ § § No emergency whistle sounded. Time simply continued to pass.
The sun had already sunk halfway, and the temporary base established in front of the White Wolf's Den was tinged faintly crimson.
After hearing the returning Party's report, Sven cross-referenced it with the map spread on the ground.
The White Wolf's Den was never particularly high-difficulty to begin with, and an almost-complete map was in circulation.
He marked the areas they'd surveyed on the high-accuracy map they'd brought. Their cautious approach meant progress was slow, but even so, they'd already confirmed roughly seventy percent of the countless branching paths.
Sven's brow was furrowed.
Night would be here soon. They'd prepared lighting, but he'd rather wrap things up before that.
"No abnormalities, huh?"
"The Phantoms that show up are still high-level, though."
At his companion's words, Sven crossed his arms.
The Party had charged in prepared to die, but so far everyone had returned without a single casualty. A few people had sustained light to moderate injuries, but there were no dead, and those who were hurt had already recovered.
The boss room — where they'd predicted slime generation would be most likely — had already been cleared as well. They'd instructed a thorough inspection, but nothing unusual had turned up.
The remaining thirty percent was still unexplored dead ends. Even those should be done in another two or three hours.
The sense of crisis they'd felt at the start had long since dissipated. Of course, Sven wasn't letting his guard down — a sudden strike during a moment of relaxation was the Thousand Transformations' signature move — but sustaining that level of tension wasn't possible forever.
"So Klein's keen eye has gone cloudy too, huh?"
"What if nothing happens after all this?"
"Then we got lucky."
Sven answered his companion's words with a wry smile.
As the investigation progressed, some Parties had begun shooting looks of outright contempt at the Black Gold Cross, as though they were laughing at a joke.
Henrik glared back, but the other side only smirked, so there was nothing Sven's group could say.
The reason they hadn't openly confronted him yet was probably that they intended to do so after the remaining thirty percent was finished.
Talia and the others — the slime-countermeasure Party who, like the Black Gold Cross serving as the command unit, hadn't entered the Treasure Hall once — also looked uncomfortable.
He felt a bit guilty, but he didn't believe he'd misjudged the situation.
"The investigation's not over yet."
"Would've been done by now if you lot hadn't done anything unnecessary."
At the mocking tone, Sven looked up. The source was the brown-haired Hunter's Party — the one that had been complaining at every opportunity.
Earrings in his pierced ears, hair streaked with highlights. He looked like some punk at first glance, but he'd followed Sven's orders despite his displeasure.
His Party members seemed to agree, directing gazes laced with hostility and wariness at Sven's group.
Sven cracked his neck and sighed.
"You can file your complaints later. Your turn just ended. Cool it."
"…Tch. Just pray to that dangerous Mastaa or whatever of yours who didn't even bother showing up."
Suppressing his anger, the brown-haired Hunter threw out a parting shot and his group moved off.
But honestly, Sven could understand the impulse.
If it weren't for Sven's group, and if they hadn't taken the cautious approach, the remaining thirty percent would've been finished long ago.
They'd probably be at a tavern in town having a post-mission drink by now. Assuming, of course, that nothing happened in the remaining thirty percent.
Then, catching sight of the brown-haired Hunter who'd wandered away from his Party and headed toward the underbrush, Sven shouted: "Hey! Don't leave your post!"
"Shut up! I'm taking a piss! I'll be right back. Got my weapons on me."
Patting the sword at his waist, the Hunter disappeared into the trees. Sven let out a deep sigh.
Well, the rest of the Party was still here, and he hadn't gone into the White Wolf's Den itself. He should know this was a danger zone. As long as he came right back, it would be fine.
"That guy's dead," Henrik muttered.
"Hey now, don't say something so ominous."
At Henrik's offhand joke, Sven managed a bitter smile.
Even the rookies who'd initially been suspicious of the Thousand Transformations' words had gradually come around as Sven's position grew more precarious.
Henrik smiled bashfully at the emotions carried in the glances directed their way.
"I don't know anything about Klein, but I do trust Sven and the others."
"…Then I guess I'll pray that we can live up to that trust. Now then—"
Just then, a sound reached them from the forest.
Sven rose to his feet. The waiting Party members tensed up, drawing their weapons and directing their gazes toward the sound.
What emerged was a large horse-drawn carriage — a fine vehicle that wouldn't be out of place beside the one the Footprints had used.
Sven's eyes went wide at the symbol carved into the canopy. Under the weight of converging stares, the door opened.
A giant of a man clambered down with the heavy, lumbering gait of a bear.
Crimson armor, and under one arm a spiked shield of the same deep red.
He was roughly the same height as Sven, but where Sven had a comparatively lean build, this man's stocky frame made him appear even larger than he was.
A face marked with tattoos and old scars scanned the surroundings without lowering its guard, and those eyes locked onto Sven.
At that familiar face — that unexpected face — Sven blinked.
"Branch Chief Gaark? What brings you here, dressed like that?"
From behind the carriage, two fair-looking men in Relic Investigation Institute uniforms stepped gingerly onto the ground.
The former War Demon snorted at the still-uncomprehending Sven and spoke: "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sven. I came to check on things."