Perhaps because the Zeburdia Auction was approaching, the Explorer's Guild was even more crowded than usual.
The auction was a major event. During that week-long period, the Imperial Capital became even more bustling with tourists and merchants visiting from other countries.
For hunters who normally collected Treasure Weapons based in the Imperial Capital, this was a big opportunity—even Treasure Weapons that normally wouldn't sell could fetch large sums. It was also a chance to compete for useful Treasure Weapons being put up for auction and significantly boost their combat power.
The crowd in front of the quest board was twice its usual size.
There were hunters who came to gather information about Treasure Halls in order to collect Treasure Weapons for the coming day, and those who immediately picked up external quests to squeeze out whatever extra funds they could.
Tino, too, was among the tall hunters, stretching on tiptoes to glare at the quest board posted on the wall.
The auction date was already approaching, and almost no worthwhile quests remained. Subjugation quests for nearby Monsters had been snatched up one after another, and the only ones left were troublesome jobs that would be impossible to finish before the auction started.
The hunters crowding around were all murderously focused, their bloodshot eyes scanning for any Explorer's Guild staff who might be arriving to post new quests.
*These hunters here are third-rate,* Tino thought.
The auction date was set well in advance. Whether it was gathering Treasure Weapons or securing funding, first-rate hunters had taken care of it long ago and would be laughing at the hunters swarming the quest board.
Tino had no interest in the auction. He had little desire for material things and didn't waste money.
And yet, why did he have to be regarded with the same eyes as these other unprepared hunters?
Just as Tino's spirits couldn't be raised no matter what, a voice suddenly called from behind.
"Hey, Tino. Is this okay?"
"............"
He turned around. The one who had called out to him was a Thief he'd once formed a Party with at the White Wolf's Den—Luda Lunder.
As always, she had silky brown hair and an enormous chest that seemed to assert itself. Having recently leveled up to Level 4, Luda and Tino had become the kind of acquaintances who chat when they run into each other, ever since that day they formed a Party.
Being the same class of Thief, they got along well. She had even tagged along for his training with his master. Tino rarely visited the Explorer's Guild so they didn't meet often, but their relationship could be described as more than acquaintances but less than friends.
Facing Tino, who silently stared at her, Luda let out a wry smile.
"You're looking well as always... Are you done with your training?"
"...Big Sister said she was going Treasure Hall hopping... said I was too slow and left me behind."
"...Ah, as always..."
The magazine thrust in front of Tino was a gossip publication covering Treasure Hunter-related matters.
It was the sort of magazine that would shamelessly publish anything hunters might find interesting—articles about some hunter acquiring a bizarre Treasure Weapon, features on unusual Treasure Halls in other countries, and most recently, a dialogue with a shady critic speculating about the anomalies of the White Wolf's Den.
The open page featured a summary of a certain Treasure Weapon that was to be put up for auction.
Normally, Tino never read magazines. All the information he needed was gathered in sufficient quantity in "Footprint."
He took the magazine and let his eyes glide over the text.
A certain famous hunter was scrambling to scrape together money by any means necessary to obtain the strongest Treasure Weapon at the auction.
Not only other hunters, but even a certain noble was also obsessively targeting the same Treasure Weapon. The weapon was apparently a secret treasure that a Level 7 Hunter from another country had risked his life to obtain and bring back. The noble was apparently close with none other than Ark Rodan. Several merchant guilds had also begun moving to acquire it. Those in the know understood—this would likely be the centerpiece of the auction.
"This is about Clie, isn't it?"
How much was true and how much was false. There were speculations about the Treasure Weapon's power and even predicted winning bid prices. If a hunter could obtain it, a Level increase was practically guaranteed, it stated.
It was ultimately an unreliable gossip magazine, but Tino frowned at the sheer audacity of its fabrications.
"...That's wrong..."
"...Eh?"
"For one, Mastaa... couldn't get anyone to lend her money..."
"Tino!"?!"
Tino had only followed along partway, but as far as he knew, Mastaa had been turned down for every single loan request.
Money transactions between Treasure Hunters were nearly impossible without considerable justification, so it couldn't be helped, but the spectacular way every attempt had been rejected left Tino speechless.
The magazine claimed Clie was amassing hundreds of millions of gold, but where on earth had those numbers come from? As Tino tilted his head, Luda blinked in surprise.
"Huh? Wait, this... maybe isn't about Clie after all...?"
"............"
That was certain. In this Imperial Capital, there was no other high-Level Hunter who served as a Clan Master and was also a collector of Treasure Weapons. Just by sitting firmly in the Imperial Capital, she was at the center of all kinds of talk.
After skimming through the magazine's contents, Tino let out a deep sigh and handed it back to Luda.
The magazine contained content that mocked that certain high-Level Hunter.
It said she was the epitome of a hunter who would even go begging for money to get her hands on Treasure Weapons. That she was fully wielding her authority as a Clan Master. That she was making a woman in the same Party financially support her—these roundabout jeers were nothing short of suicidal.
Abandoning the crowded quest board, Tino took a seat at one of the tables in the meeting space. Luda followed and naturally sat across from him.
How should he explain this... Luda was a person Clie had gathered for Tino's sake. Even if it was temporary, she was an involved party, and he couldn't just brush off someone who had deliberately called out out of concern for Mastaa.
It was also partly because he felt it was just too pitiful for her to be danced around by such nonsense. Tino was a person of deep feeling.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Tino spoke clearly and concisely.
"...Mastaa already has prospects for obtaining the Treasure Weapon she's after. The loans are... there's no need to worry."
"...Eh? Is that so?"
Luda's eyes went round.
Mastaa's treasure collection was, as far as Tino knew, the greatest in the entire Imperial Capital.
For most hunters, it was the stuff of legend, but Tino had actually followed his master into Mastaa's private room, which was decorated with hundreds of Treasure Weapons.
The count was in the hundreds of pieces—from relatively common finds to items whose existence was the stuff of rumor. In terms of variety alone, it likely surpassed the Treasure Weapon specialty shops in the Imperial Capital.
Treasure Weapon prices fluctuated greatly based on supply and demand, but if one were to convert them to money, it would easily run into the tens of billions.
A Treasure Hunter was one who pursued treasure. Tino's master was the man who best lived up to that name.
The loans were... without question, no problem at all.
Tino thought of Big Sister Citry and shuddered.
Big Sister Citry's devotion to Mastaa might even exceed Big Sister's own. As expected of sisters... Even Tino, who didn't know Citry all that well, could clearly see that she would not only tolerate any number of loans but would gladly lend the money.
He shook his head to banish the memory of the looks Mastaa would direct at him whenever he got too close, and continued his explanation.
"Mastaa always gets the Treasure Weapon she targets. So if this kind of nonsensical information has spread—it was all Mastaa's doing on purpose."
"Eh? ...Really?"
"...It... has to be."
Right. Otherwise, there was no way she would have publicly asked Ark Rodan for a loan, or gone around the lounge begging for money.
Besides, with a patron like Big Sister Citry, there was no need to run around everywhere chasing money.
Tino couldn't begin to fathom Mastaa's cunning strategies, but he knew she was extraordinary. In any case, she was incredible. He didn't really understand how, but she was incredible.
Luda had been watching Tino's expression with a puzzled look, but she seemed to steel herself and leaned forward.
Glancing around cautiously, she lowered her voice.
"So, Tino. This Treasure Weapon that Clie is after—what is it?"
"...A strange mask. It's similar to a Treasure Weapon Mastaa used to have, but... I think it's probably something different. I don't know what kind of power it has."
"Awww. I was kinda curious about it..."
The Changing Human Face had been one of Mastaa's favorite Treasure Weapons until recently.
It was a peculiar Treasure Weapon that changed one's face.
But this time, the weapon was surely something different. That Treasure Weapon's reputation had been so bad that Big Sister had destroyed it, or so he'd heard.
Tino himself hadn't liked it either, and whenever Mastaa would indiscriminately change faces all over the place and say things like "Now this is real Thousand Transformations!" nobody around her looked too happy about it.
Even Big Sister Citry's smile had clouded over, which said something. It was only natural. Even if the contents hadn't changed—who would be happy about the face of the person they adored constantly shifting?
Mastaa was incredible, but there were aspects of her that were so incredible they were beyond Tino's understanding.
"Well, if there's no problem, I guess it's fine. I also... you know, everyone's been talking about those crazy rumors? I figured it was probably okay, but since we're acquaintances and all..."
The part about nobles and merchant guilds getting involved was probably true. Setting aside the gossip magazine, other hunters were talking about it too.
That Treasure Weapon prices would skyrocket was also the truth. At the Zeburdia Auction, there had been several similar cases in the past.
What would begin was a battle among the elite. The only hunters who could stand up to merchant guilds and nobles were the super-first-rate ones.
But why was everyone so worried about Mastaa?
She might look a bit unreliable, but that was all a bluff—her certified Level 8 was proof of her true ability.
As the lowly Tino, this was completely incomprehensible.
"Come to think of it, what were you doing, Tino? Because of the auction, the quests are really crowded it seems..."
"...I c-can't train, so I thought I'd earn at least a little money and help Mastaa..."
Tino lowered his gaze and answered in a voice so faint it seemed to disappear.
§ § § In the Clan Master's room, Citry and Eva were locked in a heated debate.
The person in question—yours truly—was completely out of the loop. I kind of felt like going to eat something sweet.
"So, if I declare that I'll stop selling Potions and that 'Footprint' will stop releasing materials, most merchant guilds will cooperate."
"Setting aside the Potions, are you planning to pick a fight with the merchant guilds!? We'll be the ones in trouble if trade breaks down!"
"Well, that would be your job to figure out, Eva. In the worst case, I'd be willing to relocate to another country for Clie's sake, so I don't care about the relationships with this country's merchant guilds. Big Sister and Luke and the others would say the same thing."
She's radical.
While Eva faced her with a resolute attitude, Citry maintained her composed smile throughout.
With elegant movements, she took a sip of tea and let out a soft sigh.
"After all, I always thought the Clan was getting a bit too big. Before being a Clan Master, Clie is our leader—"
She showed absolutely no concern for the Clan that had grown so large.
After all, it was yours truly who had proposed establishing the Clan in the first place, and the members' evaluation had been lukewarm at best, so there was nothing to be done about it.
Recently, with yours truly completely retired from Treasure Hall exploration, there had been some grumbling as well.
At such words, Eva—who was usually worked to the bone—was trembling with anger.
Before she could glare, I decided to step in.
"Don't do that, Citry. Putting pressure on the merchant guilds is off the table. I know negotiations can have that aspect to them, but they've been helping us all this time—it would be inhumane."
If Eva disappeared, what would happen to this Clan?
I'm entrusting her with everything, including external relations.
"...Understood. However, if spreading rumors and persuading merchant guilds are both off the table—"
"...For the record, both would be in violation of Imperial law."
Eva said with a bitter expression.
Right. It's a crime. Forget it, my bad. I don't need that kind of mask anymore.
Citry broke into a blossoming smile and looked up at me.
"Then, shall I negotiate with the seller one more time? If we don't mind the methods, we could get it at a bargain price. If we frame it as her having fled the Imperial Capital in disgrace because things got too big, it wouldn't be strange for her to disappear."
"Huh? That'll get rejected. Nobody would buy that. It's pointless."
I didn't really understand, but there was no way Arnold would agree even if offered a slightly higher amount at this point.
Citry continued with a thoughtful expression.
"Hmm... It would cause a bit of a stir, but if that Eclair woman were to disappear, things would be much simpler... What do you think?"
"Eh...? I don't think she'd disappear, would she? She seems to have it in for me for some reason."
Had I done something wrong...? Or maybe it was because she seemed to favor Ark.
My relationship with Ark wasn't bad at all, but in Zeburdia, the top young hunters were apparently split between the Clie faction and the Ark faction.
Incidentally, I was in the Ark faction. Didn't even need to think about that.
"But... some hunters are pretty rough, and it's clear she has money. Plus, she's famously anti-hunter... I think there's a possibility she could be kidnapped. Some hunters will do anything for money... What do you think?"
"Eh...? She'd have guards, wouldn't she? I don't think so."
After all, she was a noble lady. In Zeburdia, where hunters reigned supreme, the quality of noble guards was maintained at a level that could rival hunters. Citry crossed her arms and grunted with a "hmmm."
"But, I don't think they'd have resistance to my original [formula]. To build resistance to it, you'd need to use the power of Mana Material to redirect their growth toward that."
Citry had once been deeply invested in developing an original Poison Potion that worked on Phantoms and Monsters as well.
It was true that if it worked on Phantoms and Monsters with poison resistance, it might work on human guards too, but since only Citry could make it, the chances of it circulating outside were basically nil.
"Mhm, mhm, that's right. ...Well, anyway, there's no way a Potion that only Citry can make would leak out."
Citry pressed her palms together as if to say "precisely my point."
"Don't worry—just in case, Talia-chan also knows how to make it."
Eh? ...What was okay about this?
I recalled the image of Talia, who had been researching together with Citry in the lab as if they were real sisters. There was no way Talia would betray Citry.
"...No, no. Just because Talia knows doesn't mean it would leak from there."
"...I see. Yes, you're right."
Citry pondered. She was a bit of a worrier.
At that point, Eva, who had been listening to their conversation with wide eyes, cut in.
"W-wait a moment. You're not... serious, are you?"
"Eh? ...About what?"
Did I say something? The conversation had jumped around.
At the end of Eva's gaze was Citry, tilting her head with a troubled expression.
"What do I mean... well, well, I know Clie isn't that kind of person. I... believe in that."
"If both the client and competitors are off the table, then what remains... the risk is high, but... preemptively dealing with the Treasure Weapon itself is about the only option—"
Citry was mumbling to herself. From her serious expression, it was clear she was determined to obtain the Treasure Weapon for my sake no matter what.
But I had no intention of acquiring the Treasure Weapon through underhanded means. I would face the auction fair and square, and if that didn't work out, so be it.
If anything, at this point, it might be better not to get it. Please use the marriage funds for yourself.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but you don't need to do anything extra. I'll face the auction fair and square, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. It's not like... I absolutely need it."
"...If Clie says so. Then I'll do my absolute best to raise the funding."
...You don't need to raise funds either. Eight hundred million should be more than enough.
This was the first time since coming to the Imperial Capital that I wanted the auction to end quickly.
I looked at Citry, who was burning with motivation, and Eva, who was making a sour face, and could only pray that the auction would end without incident.
§ § § On a night when not even the moon was out, three men whispered in the darkness of an alley.
In the Imperial Capital, the main roads were paved and streetlamps were installed, keeping things bright even at night. But just a few steps off the beaten path, there was an engulfing darkness and silence.
The already narrow street was deserted. As if melting into the dark, one of the men stared up at a signboard.
In the near-total darkness, he could barely make out the letters "Magic Tail" written on the sign.
"So this is the shop appraising that Treasure Weapon... Quite a rundown place."
"They say it's a famous Treasure Weapon specialty shop—known to those in the know."
"A Treasure Weapon shop on a deserted street at night like this... How careless..."
Wrapped head to toe in black cloaks that merged with the darkness, their figures would be undetectable even if a patrol of knights happened upon them at this very moment.
The specialty shops that bought and sold Treasure Weapons from hunters were among the wealthiest stores in the Imperial Capital.
Their merchandise wasn't bulky, and depending on the item, could sell for far more than gems. In a capital where many hunters-turned-criminals lurked, most of these shops existed along the main streets that remained lit even at night, never neglecting their defenses against robbery.
Opening a shop in an alley like this was practically inviting trouble.
The strongest Treasure Weapon. Something even nobles were after.
The ones who had worked themselves into a frenzy over that information weren't limited to hunters and merchants alone.
In this Imperial Capital, there were plenty of people who lacked money and status but possessed more than enough power.
The men were criminals who took commissions and carried out thefts—members of the Party known as "Shadow Lynx."
As always, one stood watch while the other two crept silently toward the unguarded store.
Their advance intelligence had been perfect. The shape of the target Treasure Weapon, the number of guards protecting the shop. This was far easier than risking one's life to clear a Treasure Hall.
Being a private shop, Magic Tail's security was unbelievably lax.
There was only a single guard. One dedicated guard who couldn't leave the shop—and he probably hadn't even received proper reinforcement from Mana Material.
The man was confident in his physical ability. Perhaps he could even rush in through the front during the daytime and seize the goods outright.
The reason he hadn't done so was to maximize the success rate of the theft.
One of the men—the leader—approached the door and set to work on the five-layered lock.
It was reasonably difficult, but for a man with considerable Treasure Hall exploration experience as a Thief, it was hardly enough to stop him in his tracks.
Holding his breath, he kept watch in all directions for any approaching person. With a soft click, the lock opened.
The man let a small smile creep onto his face in the darkness, and slowly opened the door.