I'm a born good-for-nothing. Things always fall apart at the crucial moment.
Take, for example, when I created a Party. Because of the name I gave it, the Mourning Specter was mistaken for a criminal Party, and I was constantly targeted by criminal organizations and rival Hunter Parties across the entire Imperial Capital.
Take, for example, when I set up a Clan and we all went out for cherry blossom viewing. For some reason, a tectonic shift occurred and a high-level Treasure Hall appeared.
Even recently, when I sent Tino to the White Wolf's Den, an unforeseen event occurred. Almost nothing I decide ever works out.
I was never particularly lucky to begin with, but my decline in fortune since becoming a Hunter has been especially pronounced.
I've managed to scrape through all of it with bravado, the help of those around me, and a bit of groveling. But that doesn't mean I'm fine with whatever bad hand I'm dealt, nor that I've gotten used to it.
Several days had passed since the disastrous auction, and I still hadn't recovered my energy. I was sprawled across the reception sofa in the Clan Master's room, throwing a passive-aggressive tantrum.
I was never one brimming with vitality to begin with, but the blowback from all my recent struggles turning to nothing had hit me hard.
When Eva told me that the Changing Human Face had been won by Eclair, I managed to put on a brave face, but the longer time went on, the more it gnawed at me.
It's not that I regret losing the item Citry wanted.
Most of the money was hers anyway, and I truly meant it when I said I'd rather make her cry than get the Treasure Weapon. I'm used to Lucia getting angry at me.
But those two things are separate matters — it would take some time before I could make peace with that.
I had no motivation to do anything anymore. I didn't want to go outside, and I didn't want to go eat anything sweet.
Everyone knew I'd been after that mask. Naturally, they also knew I'd slunk away like a beaten dog without even putting up a fight.
If I were exposed to curious stares right now, I'd surely behave in a manner unbefitting the master of a top-tier Clan. I had to avoid that at all costs.
The reason the floors above the fourth floor of the Clan House were off-limits to Hunters was partly to keep me from being seen during my periodic bouts of spiritual exhaustion.
As I rolled around on the sofa, twisting and squirming, I accidentally tumbled right off onto the floor.
The impact made me let out a small breath. What a miserable state — perfectly befitting a loser. That thought flickered through my mind, and ironically, it made me laugh.
Right about now, Eclair was probably mocking me as a pathetic man who ran away without even putting up a fight. Perhaps I'd even set back Gradius's anti-Hunter prejudice even further.
And the mask I'd wanted so badly was going to be handed over to Ark, who probably didn't even need it. Ah, how cruel life could be.
I continued rolling across the Clan Master's room floor, following whatever instinct whispered to me. Eva had thoughtfully laid down an expensive carpet, so it didn't hurt.
I just wanted to keep crawling on the ground like a caterpillar for the rest of my life.
If there were a hole to crawl into, I would. Not because of shame or anything like that — it's just that underground seemed like it'd be more peaceful. The concept of shame doesn't exist for me.
While I was engaged in this extremely meaningless activity, I suddenly heard a knock on the Clan Master's door.
I spread out my limbs, maximizing my surface area to reduce the burden of gravity, and turned only my face toward the door to respond.
"Yoo-hoo."
"Excuse me. Kly-sa— What on earth are you doing!?"
Eva's expression twisted in shock at the sight of me lying on the floor like a corpse.
The number of people allowed into this room was limited. Eva already knew about my fragility, so being seen by her wasn't a problem.
In truth, it had been none other than she who'd been bringing me food these past few days while I holed up in either the Clan Master's room or my private quarters.
"…Can't you tell by looking?"
"I—! ……No, not at all."
"……Really? I was rolling around on the sofa and fell off."
"Oh, honestly! You'll get dirty if you go rolling around on the floor like that! You're Level Eight, aren't you!?"
Eva took my arm, lifted me up by the shoulder, and got me to my feet. Then, still completely limp, I was deposited upright onto the sofa.
I'm really sorry for all the trouble.
Unlike me, Eva's outfit today was immaculate as always. The white uniform of the Beginning Footprint suited her perfectly. It was hard to believe she was handling several dozen times my workload.
…Well, zero multiplied by anything is still zero. Ah, how rude of me to compare myself to Eva.
"What's wrong with you? You've been completely out of it these past few days!"
"I'm the same as always."
"That—! Well…"
Eva made a troubled expression.
My reliable Sub Clan Master hadn't so much as let out a sigh when she heard I'd spent a billion Gil, or when she heard I'd lost the mask due to an unexpected expense.
She was so patient, it almost made me want to push her limits just to see how much she'd tolerate.
"……If it's alright coming from me, if you have something troubling you, I'm happy to listen?"
I had so many troubles that if I received one Gill for each, I could pay off my entire debt.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
"I can't take it anymore. It's time to call it quits. I'm not cut out for this. Life never goes the way I plan. I want to retire."
"Wh—!?"
At my customary complaint, Eva's eyes went wide and she took a step back.
It seemed I'd finally reached the level of good-for-nothing that could turn off even an excellent Sub Clan Master.
That's right. I'm a good-for-nothing. It's over. I'm done. I want to live quietly on the ocean floor like a shellfish. And surely I'd be attacked by an octopus or something and eaten without any means of resistance.
"……Is that… you still haven't gotten things sorted out?"
"On a scale of one to a hundred, I'd give myself maybe fifteen, with a bonus. I didn't get the mask either."
"Fifteen!?"
Eva was thrown off by my flippant answer, delivered with what remained of my soul. I'm truly sorry for always causing you trouble.
Someday I'd like to properly thank her, but even that would inevitably backfire.
"I heard that not obtaining the Treasure Weapon was… expected, though?"
Who had she heard that from? Her expression was serious.
I'd said that entirely out of bravado. Surely not a single person in that room had believed my words.
Expected… As in, it was expected that I wouldn't get the mask I wanted? That was the furthest thing from the truth.
Everything from Akasha's items to the final outcome was beyond my expectations. From start to finish, I'd been drifting along like kelp rooted to the ocean floor.
I averted my gaze and let out a deep sigh. Shellfish get eaten, so maybe I'd rather be a rock or something.
"Well, that's true, but… things should have gone better. Life really doesn't cooperate."
"……Shall I make some tea? There's a herbal tea that's good for mental exhaustion."
"……"
Without waiting for an answer, Eva began preparing the tea.
That was the kind of thing that made me want to die. There were far too many good people around me.
I mustered a sliver of the will to live and moved my limbs to sit up on the sofa with my knees drawn to my chest.
"……Don't worry about me. I just need to wait for things to settle down."
"……Yes."
"I think I'll be back to normal soon enough."
The weak-willed part of me couldn't help but lean on those around me.
Everyone near me was self-sufficient. Citry and Anthem went without saying, but even Riz and Tino were living splendidly, and even Luke, who never seemed to think about anything, had a strength of character that was off the charts — someone worth respecting. If I were left on my own, I'd probably die. I was the only one like that.
Looking back now, the reason the Mourning Specter had achieved extraordinary strength as a Party might have been precisely because I — the dead weight — was there. I made them stand out.
As proof of that, the Holy Spirit's Children, whose leader was too powerful, were unremarkable apart from Ark.
There's no way I could say that was my contribution even if my mouth split open.
A delicate teacup was placed in front of me. The tea was a pale lime color. A faintly sweet aroma wafted up.
"However, you should go outside at least a little… Everyone is worried about you. It can't be good for your health, either… I don't know what you're thinking, but…"
Eva's expression was one of concern for me. "I don't know what you're thinking" — I'm not thinking about anything.
It's all right. I'm sensitive and easily swept up in circumstances, but that's precisely why I don't burden myself with deep worries.
I felt bad for causing everyone concern, but it wasn't a lie that I thought I'd be back on my feet soon.
No one knows me better than myself.
I picked up the teacup and slowly brought it to my lips. The faint tartness and sweet aroma, just as Eva said, seemed effective for recovering from mental strain. Not that I was strained or anything.
Once I'd regained a measure of composure, the very questions I'd been asking myself over and over came flooding back.
Ah, why hadn't I saved up?
Two hundred million. If I'd saved more than two hundred million, I could have bought that Golem Citry wanted and still gotten the mask.
I'd probably never get my hands on the Changing Human Face again.
Even if I tried to negotiate, Eclair hated me. A beaten-down, wallowing loser like me could grovel all day and she still wouldn't sell. Besides, Eclair was going to give that to Ark anyway— And then, a revelation descended upon me.
Shocked as if struck by lightning, I shot upright, straightened my posture, and looked at Eva.
Ah, why hadn't I thought of something so simple until now? It seemed that all that time rolling around had truly been wasted.
The time had come. I snapped my fingers with a flourish.
"Wh-What happened all of a sudden!?"
"……Where is Ark right now?"
Yes. That was it. If buying from the young lady was off the table, then I could just negotiate with Ark.
Ark Rodan was a powerful magic swordsman. He already possessed a Holy Sword, and as I'd conveyed to the young lady during our previous negotiation, he had no need for a half-illegal mask.
Which meant — I could buy it from him.
People out there called Ark and me rivals, but in reality, we weren't rivals at all. We were fellow members of the same Clan.
We had a good relationship, I thought. If I negotiated sincerely, that handsome guy wouldn't say no. I could even offer to trade him something from my collection.
Heh heh heh. Eclair, you're beaten.
Even if I'm a small fry, I'm still the Clan Master. You weren't defeated by me — you were defeated by my network of connections.
It was worth being a Clan Master after all.
Eva, though puzzled by my sudden question, answered.
"Huh? Well — House Rodan has had him running all over the Imperial Capital these past few days, I believe."
"……Ark works hard too, huh."
He'd only just returned, and I had to bow to his work ethic.
Eva furrowed her brows and stared at me at my words, which had come genuinely from the heart.
"……Incidentally, Kly, as the master of a large-scale Clan, you've been receiving invitations from various quarters. I've been handling it all on your behalf…"
"……R-Right."
"Everyone's gotten used to your absence, but it would really help if you could show your face at least once. Please?"
"……I'm always grateful, Sub Clan Master. Someday I'll arrange the position of Beginning Footprint Clan Master for you."
"No, thank you."
I averted my gaze.
Even if you weren't a Hunter, nobles and heads of merchant guilds were often intensely imposing people.
There were surely no shortage of cunning strategists among them, and even if I showed up, I'd just be played like a puppet.
However, if she'd been running around for days, the young lady probably hadn't been able to deliver the Treasure Weapon she'd won to Ark yet.
Timing was everything in situations like these. The Changing Human Face had a bizarre appearance, but if you lived with it long enough, you might grow attached to it. I'd been like that myself.
I had to transfer ownership of the Changing Human Face to Ark before Eclair had a change of heart.
"Can you get Ark here?"
"……I don't think it's impossible, but House Rodan is quite a difficult family to deal with…"
For once, Eva looked troubled.
House Rodan was the kind of family that had once turned down a title granted by the Emperor.
High-level Hunters were often eccentric, and House Rodan was no exception.
But I couldn't back down here. This might be my first and last chance.
I lowered my legs, put on a serious expression, and said to Eva: "This is urgent. You can use the name Thousand Transformations if you need to. Whatever it takes — I need Ark brought here immediately."
This was the moment of truth.