Eclair Gradius first met that strongest Hunter a year ago.
House Gradius was a martial family that had long guarded the Imperial Capital.
Their knightly order was renowned for its strength and had protected the Zebuldia Empire for ages from foreign nations, Monsters, and Phantoms.
The Empire had risen to become one of the great powers by incorporating a large number of Treasure Hunters. But precisely for that reason, they could not afford to neglect preparations for when the time came. That was the house doctrine of House Gradius.
In the Empire, the strongest fighting force was not knights, but Hunters.
Absorbing Mana Material enhanced one's fundamental abilities above all else. No matter how grueling the training or how refined the technique, there would always be a performance gap between knights—who had to protect their territories—and Hunters, who continuously challenged the Treasure Hall.
To Gradius, who prided itself as the Empire's sword, high-level Hunters that even the knightly order might not be able to suppress were worms within the lion's body—targets to be wary of.
The reputation of hating Hunters also stemmed from the harsher gaze Gradius directed at Hunters compared to other nobles. Among the Empire's aristocracy, there were not a few who called Hunters grave-robbers and looked down on them, but Gradius's stare was just slightly fiercer than theirs.
For years, they had harbored extraordinary rivalry.
Eclair herself had taken up the sword from a young age and received instruction from renowned sword masters so as not to fall behind the Hunters. Even though it was with an escort, she had regularly infiltrated the Treasure Hall, and her ability was already remarkably high despite being a child.
The one entity among Hunters that Gradius acknowledged above all others—was House Rodan.
House Rodan was spoken of again and again.
A family of Treasure Hunters who had once achieved great deeds in Zebuldia and been granted the right to call themselves Heroes.
Even now, centuries after the completion of the Imperial Capital, when Zebuldia had come to be called a holy land for Treasure Hunters, they stood at the top among the multitude of Hunters—proud warriors of Zebuldia.
Despite being Treasure Hunters, like Gradius, they had long protected Zebuldia and devoted themselves to its development, even earning peerage at one point. In the end, Rodan declined the peerage, but they were undoubtedly comrades-in-arms.
Whenever the topic of Hunters came up in House Gradius, that name would invariably be raised.
The Rodan family was known across generations for their versatility, but the next head candidate was particularly exceptional—despite his youth, he had already been given two titles, received high-level certification, and was conquering one Treasure Hall after another. His strength overwhelmed other Hunters, and his name would surely go down in history as a hero.
Every time Eclair heard these stories, her heart raced with anticipation about what kind of person he might be.
When she actually met Ark Rodan, he was an existence that far surpassed her expectations.
He was the complete opposite of the rough image one might have of a Hunter—his manner was refined and elegant. His body was lean but well-trained, and his deep blue eyes, reminiscent of a calm lake surface, carried a somewhat transcendent quality.
And above all—his strength. During a practical training exercise conducted at a reduced scale, Ark Rodan single-handedly subdued the famed Gradius knightly order without a single injury.
He had instructed her in swordsmanship. He had assisted in exploring the Treasure Hall by accompanying her Party. Each time they acted together, Eclair's admiration only grew stronger.
Silver Star Ten Thousand Thunders—a Hunter worthy of the name of a hero who had mastered both sword and magic, two domains that should have been incompatible, and fused them at a high level.
Someday, she wanted to stand by his side.
Trembling with an intense intoxication, Eclair—who continued to obsess over his adventure tales even after parting—received word of a Hunter considered the rival of that hero.
§ § § House Gradius's base in the Imperial Capital was located in the central district—an area where noble mansions lined the streets.
It was a refined quarter, different from the bustling main avenues. Ornate carriages with excessive decoration rolled across perfectly maintained cobblestones, and knights in armor polished to a mirror sheen stood at regular intervals to maintain order.
There were almost no commoners or Hunters in sight. Not a single piece of trash lay on the roadside, and even the air seemed to smell different from the districts where we usually lived.
Earl Gradius.
The title of Earl might not sound like much in terms of peerage, but in the Zebuldia Empire, noble rights were quite powerful. Even a Level 8 Hunter was still fundamentally a commoner. The rank decided by a mere guild was like dust before that kind of authority.
And to make things worse, the person I was about to visit was a noble famous for hating Hunters. On top of that, she belonged to a famous martial family. It wouldn't be strange if I were cut down the moment we met.
My stomach was already churning. I was, technically, the Master of Ark's Clan, but how much would that fact even matter to that young lady?
"Damn it. Are commoners always destined to be oppressed by nobles?"
As I walked, the gazes of the security knights followed me. Citry and I, conspicuously on foot, were the center of attention.
At the very least, I should have arrived by carriage. But in this district, carriage use was restricted to nobles and merchants with permits.
Citry squeezed my hand tightly. Her slender white fingertips were slightly cool.
"It's all right. We're just going to have a little conversation... there's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, yeah, you're right."
Harming an unarmed person was a crime even for an Empire noble. The biggest problem was that the fact of the harm could be covered up.
Citry continued with a cheerful smile. Even though I felt like I was about to throw up, for some reason my childhood friend was in high spirits.
"If it comes to that, we'll oppress them right back. I've actually been curious about whether noble blood carries a significant advantage over common individuals. This would be an extraordinary feat—even if I proposed it to Akasha, they'd probably dismiss me as a lunatic, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, you're right."
I couldn't really understand what she was saying, but was she invincible? Was there nothing Citry was afraid of? Well, I was grateful just for her company...
The Earl Gradius mansion was a grand estate enclosed by high walls.
The large coat of arms of House Gradius hung prominently, and over a dozen knights stood before the gate.
They were likely House Gradius's private soldiers. The knights frowned and clicked their tongues upon seeing me. The atmosphere was such that they might draw their swords at any moment. If Eva hadn't arranged things in advance, I would have been arrested on the spot.
I had almost no direct involvement with Gradius, but apparently the Hunter-hating reputation was real.
The leader—a dark-complexioned, fierce-looking man—narrowed his eyes at me.
"Surrender your weapons. Hand them over."
"...Huh...? I don't have any..."
"............"
Anyone could see that, couldn't they?
The leader scowled as he searched my body, and once he confirmed I truly had nothing, he finally placed a bracelet on my wrist.
It was a magic-sealing bracelet that disrupted magical power manipulation and restricted spell activation. Of course, it didn't matter to me since I couldn't use magic anyway.
The leader huffed in frustration at my nonchalance. Looking closely, his eyelids were twitching.
"With this state, that composure—don't push your luck. If you Hunter scum pull anything funny, I'll cut you down on the spot."
...Were they bandits or something? I just wanted to talk in good faith...
I was getting a bit fed up. I was used to being threatened, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it.
I sighed and pointed at Citry, who stood beside me with a gentle smile.
"Oh, Citry is a girl, so I'd like a female officer to search her."
§ We were escorted through the mansion as if we were criminals.
As expected of a noble residence, the furnishings were first-rate. Glittering chandeliers, crimson carpets. Maids who had been doing housework scrambled out of our path as we were led through, surrounded by imposing knights.
We were shown to a particularly spacious room. A large, luxurious sofa and a heavy, imposing table.
Portraits and silver armor adorned the walls. They were supposed to be a martial family, but they were even wealthier than I'd expected. No wonder a young lady who wasn't even an adult could produce a hundred million for a Treasure Weapon she'd never even seen before.
The young lady sat with her legs crossed, smiling as she watched us being brought in.
Miss Eclair wore a light blue dress today. The only thing unchanged was the sword at her waist.
Her attitude was imposing, but her body was small for her age, so even I wasn't frightened.
"To visit this house so brazenly—you've got admirable guts, Thousand Transformations."
Well, it wasn't like I was being hostile. I had no desire to make an enemy of a noble.
The young lady herself wasn't scary, but the line of escort knights standing behind her certainly was. The knights arrayed behind us were equally terrifying.
I reluctantly followed Citry's lead and put on a smile. Miss Eclair's expression froze rigid.
"K-... To be surrounded like this and still wear that composed look—I see, your nerve rivals Lord Ark's."
Hmm? I didn't quite understand, but could this possibly... be a compliment?
I had already informed them that I wanted to discuss the aforementioned Treasure Weapon. I just wanted to say what needed to be said and go home, but nobles were hard to figure out.
"No, no. The only thing I have over Ark is my Level."
"K—!?"
Come to think of it, Ark Rodan was incredibly popular. He was beloved by people of all ages, but he enjoyed especially great popularity among the nobility of Zebuldia.
With strength, character, good looks, and a distinguished family that had contributed to Zebuldia for generations—his popularity was entirely understandable.
Even the famous Hunter-hating Gradius acknowledged Rodan, so all I could say was "impressive."
Occasionally, there were rumors that I—whose only advantage was a high Level—was Ark's rival, but that was absolutely ridiculous.
Could it be that Miss Eclair had believed those baseless rumors? Was that why she was being so hostile toward me, someone she'd never even met? Surely not. This was pure collateral damage.
Miss Eclair glared at me with a hostile look. Let me set the record straight.
"Miss Eclair, have you perhaps heard that I'm Ark's rival? That's completely absurd."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Ark and I are on entirely different levels in every way. It's a baseless rumor—at the very least, I don't think of Ark as a rival. He's just a friend, a friend."
"Wh—what... did you say...!?"
Miss Eclair's tightly clenched fist was trembling. Her lips quivered and her cheeks flushed red, as if she were suppressing fury with everything she had.
Had I said something wrong? The Imperial Capital was vast. This country had long housed a number of incredibly powerful Hunters. But even so, Ark was undoubtedly among the strongest in the capital, and someday he would surely be called the strongest.
"Ark is... not your... rival?"
That's right. Not my rival. Rest easy. There's no reason for him to see me as an enemy.
I couldn't understand why her expression kept growing harsher. The guards behind her were also gritting their teeth and glaring down at me.
Did they think I was lying? ...Oh, I see. I made a calculated move.
"Ah, to be precise, he's not my rival, but a rival of one of our Party members. Not to praise myself, but she's extremely capable—and Ark would surely agree with that. Right, Citry?"
At my words, Citry smiled bashfully and said: "Yes. Ark is my rival. As it stands, when you consider everything, I'm ahead—but I'm always amazed by Ark's growth rate. Someday, I might end up losing."
Hey, hey, don't say stuff that's just going to provoke her.
Citry's condescending words—delivered in a tone that somehow didn't sound condescending at all—made the young lady's face turn completely red. I quickly jumped in to smooth things over.
"Well, I actually think Ark is the better one. Sure, he's conquered more Treasure Halls, but—"
"No way... Kly, whose side are you on—Ark's or mine!?"
"Well, I'm on Citry's side, but... know when and where to speak your mind."
This was so unlike Citry, who was always calm and composed and could read the room perfectly.
I felt like a middle manager caught between a boss and a subordinate.
The truth was, ranking Hunters was difficult. Ark was the strongest. His power stood out among the younger generation, and at this point, there was probably no one who could beat him one-on-one.
But if we were talking about a battle between the Parties of Holy Spirit's Children and Mourning Specter, we would definitely win.
That wasn't an issue with Ark—it was a matter of party members.
Mourning Specter was ridiculously strong outside of their leader, while Holy Spirit's Children had the strongest leader but the other members were mediocre. It wasn't that they were weak—they had first-rate abilities—but to put it bluntly, they were unremarkable.
Even with excellent members, an inferiority complex toward the leader meant they wouldn't last long. Especially the men—they'd leave quickly. It wasn't an absurd thing to say, I thought... though it was a bit harsh and tricky to bring up at the right moment...
If I told that story to the young lady, would I get a laugh? No, probably not...
As I was smirking, the young lady suddenly drew her sword and slammed it into the table.
Wood chips flew up and scattered everywhere.
I instinctively froze at the sudden action. Miss Eclair planted her right foot on the table without a shred of dignity and spoke in a trembling voice.
Her face was completely red. Tears pooled in her perfectly shaped eyes.
"I-I understand what you're trying to say! That you're mocking Lord Ark and my family!"
"Huh? We're not mocking any—"
"If I had the authority, I would behead you both right now!"
Behead!? Did she just say behead? Come on, what did I even do?
All of Miss Eclair's bodyguards had their hands on the swords at their waists. If given the order, they would pounce immediately. The knights behind us were surely in the same posture. I never thought coming to talk in good faith could get me killed.
Unlike me, whose face had gone rigid, Citry's expression remained a gentle smile.
It was nice that she was always calm, but that expression really didn't fit the current situation.
Oh, right... compared to the Treasure Hall, this was nothing.
Miss Eclair pointed her index finger at me. Not that it mattered, but with her foot on the table, her panties were almost visible.
"But your arrogance ends here! I'll make you regret making a fool of Gradius! I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely obtain the strongest Treasure Weapon!"
"...No, that's a dangerous Treasure Weapon. The appraisers have reached the same conclusion. You should really give up on it."
Still bewildered, I proceeded with the persuasion as originally planned. She already had power and money, so why bother doing something unnecessary? If I were an earl's daughter, I'd just lounge around doing nothing.
But Miss Eclair showed no signs of listening whatsoever.
"My investigation shows that you've been hoarding Treasure Weapons! You must have used those to reach Level 8! Your strength is nothing but borrowed—it's a counterfeit!"
"Hm? Uh...? ...Yeah, you're right?"
She was both right and wrong. My strength did indeed come entirely from Treasure Weapons, but even with hundreds of them, my actual ability fell far short of Level 8.
I didn't understand. Why was this young lady getting so worked up?
And then Miss Eclair screamed: "The strongest Treasure Weapon will be given to Lord Ark! That's final! Your reign ends here!"
That would... actually be a problem even if he got it.
Ark already possessed powerful Treasure Weapons as the heir to House Rodan, and adding more options didn't necessarily translate to greater strength.
He was strong. He was strong even without Treasure Weapons. Just as Luke could easily kill me with his bare hands, the truly strong didn't need Treasure Weapons. And no matter how I fumbled around, I remained weak. That was the truth.
"It's meaningless. The strong are strong even without Treasure Weapons, and the weak remain weak even with them. Just as I am weak."
"What!?"
"That's the truth. Even if you got your hands on that weapon, it would never match Ark's strength. Besides, as his friend, let me say—Ark wouldn't be happy growing stronger with some counterfeit power."
So please give up and hand that Treasure Weapon over to me.
Ark was fine as he was. He was good-looking, so there was no need to change his face. He could fight his way out even if ambushed, so there was no need to hide his appearance.
Miss Eclair's expression went blank for an instant, and her face changed.
She trembled for a moment, then burst into tears: "Gu—... S-shut up, shut up! You idiot, you idiot! I will absolutely, absolutely never hand it over to you!! Go away! Just go already!"
"What—M-Miss, please calm down!"
A butler rushed in from outside the room, having apparently heard his mistress's outburst. He tried to calm her down, but Miss Eclair shook her head violently and wailed.
Wait... wasn't this making it look like I was the one making her cry? Was this bad? Could I be charged with insult or something?
Next time, I'd ask Eva to send her some cake.
Then, Citry—who had been quietly watching the situation unfold—stood up.
"Miss Eclair, we came here today to have you give up on that Treasure Weapon."
"Sniff...Wh-what did you say!?"
Miss Eclair rubbed her eyes and looked at Citry.
Well, yes, that was true, but was there really a need to say that now? Besides, hadn't I said the same thing just moments ago?
"That Treasure Weapon is something neither you, Miss Eclair, nor Ark can handle. It would be wise to give up on it."
Why was she deliberately provoking her...?
Blood rushed back into Miss Eclair's head. Her lip, bitten too hard, began to bleed.
And then, before everyone's eyes, Citry placed her hand on her cheek and declared with a bright smile: "Miss Eclair, you previously mentioned one hundred million at a tavern. Well, we've gathered—two hundred million Gill."
"Tw...o hundred million...?"
Miss Eclair murmured. Citry nodded firmly and declared: "This is truly our absolute limit. No matter how much of a noble's daughter you are, there must be a ceiling to the amount you can spend—That Treasure Weapon is meaningless to you. However, if you truly desire that weapon—gather more than two hundred million Gill! If you can do that, Miss Eclair—as much as it pains me to say it, we will admit defeat."
Citry...