Let This Grieving Soul Retire: Volume 6 (Light Novel) E-Book

Tsukikage

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

All in all, Krai had a pretty good vacation.

But with the Gathering of the White Blade over, it’s time for him to return home. Passing through its gates for the first time in a month, he finds the imperial capital looking like it had been carpet-bombed. Apparently, a battle had broken out between Hidden Curse and the remnants of Akashic Tower while he was away.

Krai learns the wanton destruction has caused the Gathering of the White Blade to be put on hold for the first time in its long history and he’s arrived just in time to attend. Unable to run away a second time, he has no choice but to face that hellish party of pompous nobles and freakish hunters.

But that turns out to be the least of his concerns and the Thousand Tricks finds himself with a quest issued by the emperor himself. Normally, he’d want nothing to do with this, but he’s unable to say no when he sees the payment being offered—a rare Relic from the imperial family’s collection.

Leseprobe

Prologue: Returning Home

It was a beautiful day. Our vacation in Suls was over and we had spent the past few days uneventfully rumbling along in the carriage. A refreshing breeze passed through. Then for the first time in a month, I was at the gates of the Zebrudian imperial capital.

Overall, I’d say it was a wonderful vacation. There was the matter of Arnold chasing us and the attack by the Cave People, but that was all just a memory now. Turning all of my memories into good ones might have been my only way of responding to all the trouble I kept finding myself at the center of.

At the very end of it all, I was reunited with Luke, Ansem, and Lucia. Asking for anything more would just be greedy.

The carriage was filled to the brim with souvenirs I had bought in Suls. All purchases were made to aid me when I bragged to Eva and the rest of the clan about what a great time I had. It was mostly hot spring dragon manju, hot spring dragon eggs, and hot spring dragon bath products.

There was also a souvenir from the princess of the Cave People (according to Sitri, her name was Ryuulan). It was a pendant inlaid with a strange stone. I didn’t know if it was worth anything, but there was still so much unknown about Cave People, maybe someone could tell me if it was a rare item or something.

Even though our party used carriages, most of us never rode in them. It was usually only Sitri, Lucia, and myself riding, and even then those two sometimes would choose to run along outside. I had been reminded of the old days when I watched Luke, Liz, and Ansem (and Tino) run along the carriage as a way of getting some training in.

The gates of the imperial capital were damaged and being repaired. An imposing line of knights was outside the gates, quite unlike how it was back in Suls. Lucia had mentioned that there had been a commotion going on in the imperial capital and it seemed it hadn’t entirely settled down just yet.

There’s danger here, danger there. What a dangerous place this is. Well, as far as I can tell, it doesn’t seem like there’s any chaos at the moment.

“I’m gonna take it easy and nap once I get home,” I said with a yawn as I stretched my back.

“I haven’t seen you do anything besides taking it easy,” Lucia commented.

Of course I had been taking it easy, we had been on vacation. However, no matter how much you try to relax, when you’re on a trip, you can’t help but be a little bit on edge. Taking it easy on a trip is a different species(?) than that done in one’s own home.

Lucia pressed her temples and sighed. “After my absence, I’ll have to charge all those Relics...”

“Hm? Ah, I had most of them charged, so I don’t think it should be that bad.”

“It shouldn’t?”

Lucia looked at me like I had gone crazy. I’m sure what I said had come as a shock to her; I usually relied on her for all my charging needs. But I could manage when I needed to.

“Per...Sitri’s request, Kris and the others charged my Relics.”

“They did?!”

Lucia let out an enormous sigh. Judging by the look in her eyes, it seemed she wasn’t too thrilled by this.

“What were you thinking having other people charge so many Relics?! You shouldn’t place that burden on others!”

“Th-They were all happy to do it. They thought of it as practice.”

I was pretty sure I understood what a burden it was. I hadn’t planned to get all those Relics charged, but Sitri was a fearsome dealmaker.

The glare in my sister’s eyes wasn’t going anywhere.

“A-And it’s fine,” I said, making another attempt to placate her. “There’s still plenty of Relics left for you to charge.”

“I’m going to hit you.”

It wasn’t just the front gate. Most of the imperial capital wasn’t as I remembered it. It was almost like the city had been bombed. Roofs were half destroyed, streets had been ripped apart, and knights were desperately controlling traffic. Even the trees in the streets and a favorite café of mine hadn’t gotten out unscathed. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought we were at war.

I had heard a bit about Akashic Tower and Hidden Curse butting heads, but it seemed the Hidden Curse clan master, the pyromaniac lady, had gone on a rampage. Akashic Tower was a fearsome magic syndicate, but Hidden Curse was a force to match. If that clan of Magi had been using wide-area magic spells throughout town, then I was hard-pressed to say which one was supposed to be the criminal organization.

But, looking around, I didn’t see any corpses. It was possible they had just been turned to ash, but I knew the citizens of the imperial capital were all used to handling these situations. Not to mention the war did seem to be over.

This is something no hunter should say, but I couldn’t handle the sight of dead bodies. All the more reason to be glad I had been out of the imperial capital at the time. Not that I could have done anything even if I had been present.

I left Sitri to take care of the carriage, as I always did, and bounded up the stairs to the clan house, a box of manju in my hands. I had tried a few on the road and found that hot spring dragon manju weren’t half bad.

They weren’t actually made with dragon, but their blend of sweet and sour flavors did mean that they could be enjoyed even by people who didn’t usually care for sweets. I never did learn what they had to do with hot spring dragons, but I did recall seeing the hot spring dragon gleefully partaking in them.

“I’m baaack!” I yelled as I entered the lounge. “Huh?”

I stood frozen, smile and all. The usually tidy lounge looked like a tornado had passed through. A number of tables had dead-eyed hunters resting their heads against the surface and beer bottles were scattered across the floor.

I felt like I had seen something like this just recently. Lucia looked at the lounge with wide eyes and Luke scowled, (probably) thinking nothing good. To make things worse, at one table was Obsidian Cross, undeniably one of our foremost parties. Their leader, Sven, froze when he saw me, his eyes like those of a zombie.

Oh yeah, I think I heard something about our clan members getting dragged into the commotion.

Smiling, I approached their table and placed a box of souvenir hot spring dragon manju in front of Sven. Sven’s shoulders shook and his cheek twitched when he looked at the box and the cutesified dragon drawn on it. I patted him on the shoulder, turned on my heel, and made a break for it. Behind me, I heard a clatter as he stood up.

“Ah! Hold it! Stop, damnit...”

“Luke, I’m busy, you can take care of the rest!” I told my friend.

“All right, let’s go! The training hall awaits, Sven. I’ll show you my new techniques!” Luke said, eyes shining brightly.

We just got back and he’s got that much energy. My apologies, Sven. I don’t have time for your grumblings, I’ve gotta give a souvenir to Eva.

“Shit! Hey, you bums, don’t let Krai get away!”

Sven’s screams almost made me feel sorry for him. Like corpses rising from their graves, the other hunters all looked up with predatory glints in their eyes. I patted Lucia on the shoulder as I passed by her, eliciting a series of curses from her.

I heard a scream from the lounge as I eagerly dashed up the staircase.

While the blood drained from Sven’s face when he saw me, the vice clan master, Eva Renfied, greeted me as she always did.

“Welcome back, Krai. How did you enjoy your vacation? I’ve heard...rumors.”

“We had our ups and downs, but it was fun. Here, a souvenir,” I said with a grin.

Eva accepted the manju with a look of exasperation. This was what I was looking for. I felt my wounds being healed. What was Sven’s deal anyway? The man had looked at me like I had killed his parents or something. He’d had his opportunity to come on a vacation and he’d turned it down! Well, if he had come, that would’ve created trouble in its own right.

“I understand you had your hands full with Bandit Squad Barrel, but with you gone, we’ve had our fair share of troubles here. A few words of thanks to the clan members would be greatly appreciated.”

I already gave them a box of manju.

“Now that you mention it, you do seem a bit worn down.”

She didn’t have bedhead or anything, there wasn’t a thread out of place on her uniform, and her glasses were spotless. Yet something about Eva was different than how I remembered her. She wasn’t a hunter, but Eva was the effective top dog of our clan. If the other members were that exhausted, then it wasn’t strange she would also feel the strain.

I was just an ornament, so it didn’t really matter whether I was or wasn’t around, but I supposed it was stressful not having someone to take responsibility if something went wrong.

“I’m sure my absence created plenty of headaches for you,” I said. “If there’s anything that needs to be done, I’ll take care of it. Go get some rest.”

Managing a clan was a big job and I didn’t have a clue how to do any of it, but I was sure I’d be fine as long as Lucia and Sitri were around to help out. The two of them had respect among Eva’s subordinates; Sitri, because she could do anything, and Lucia, because she was always helping out. She probably just couldn’t stand to see her brother make a fool of himself.

Eva eased up a bit and sighed as she shook her head.

“It’s quite all right. The trouble here has already settled down. There’s a report on your desk, but a battle between Hidden Curse and the remnants of Akashic Tower wreaked havoc throughout the capital. I called them remnants, but it seemed Akashic Tower still had quite a number still in hiding. As such, emergency assistance was requested from First Steps and we had to mobilize quite a number of members.”

“That, uh, that sounds like quite the ordeal.”

Now I was really glad I had gone on that vacation. The leader of Hidden Curse, the Abyssal Inferno, was a terrifying Magus. How terrifying? So terrifying that the mere mention of her name would bring a look of displeasure to Lucia’s face. In my head, I referred to her as the pyromaniac lady because she burned everything in sight. If anyone could be described as a witch, it was her.

Not to mention she had a bone to pick with me. The matter had already been solved at this point, but when Grieving Souls was first founded, we reached out to a party that Hidden Curse already had their sights set on. Then, for some reason, said party chose to join up with us. That party ended up being our second most troublesome one—Starlight. After that, I was never again able to walk confidently through the streets of the imperial capital.

If that scary old hag was involved, then it was perfectly natural that Sven Anger came out looking like a corpse. There was no way I could handle a person who treated even Ark like a mere child and took joy in immolating people. It was a genuine mystery how she was still allowed to walk the streets as a free woman.

“To make matters worse, the other Magus was a real monster,” Eva said, layers of fatigue coloring her voice. “Can you believe it? I hear they tried to summon a lightning elemental. A lightning elemental in a crowded space!”

Sounds like hell.

Elemental summoning was one of the most challenging feats of magic possible. We just made Lucia summon a water elemental so she could create waterfalls, but some were powerful enough to be classified as a strategic offensive arm. Even I knew that those weren’t something you should use in a place packed with bystanders. That’s a magic syndicate for you.

What a disaster. I remembered that Arnold had apparently defeated a lightning elemental, but an elemental following the directions of a skilled Magus was magnitudes stronger than a wild one.

“And what do you think the Abyssal Inferno did when she heard about it?!” Eva asked. “She summoned the fire elemental she’s contracted with! She responded to force with more force! In the middle of the imperial capital! Completely unbelievable. This is the issue with Level 8s...”

I feel like I should apologize.

“Good thing the imperial capital’s still standing,” I offered.

Eva looked quite aggrieved.

When I first saw the damage to the imperial capital, I wondered if a war had broken out or something. But that all changed when I heard that the Abyssal Inferno summoned an elemental. Instead, I thought it was a miracle that the damage was this limited. There were rumors that that old lady had torched entire treasure vaults and it wasn’t too hard to believe.

“I’m not up to date on the specifics, but I heard that summoning elementals was quite taxing for both sides,” Eva said.

“Hmm, that’s fortunate.”

“They say the lightning elemental was especially draining on its summoner and the duel was resolved quite swiftly. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky.”

Elemental summoning involved summoning an existing elemental and then commanding it. The resulting force was dependent on both the capabilities of the caster as well as the condition of the elemental.

Naturally, the elemental was free to do as it pleased when it wasn’t being commanded by its Magus. Plus there was a delay between when it was summoned and when it actually showed up, making it a very finicky sort of magic. There were even tales of elementals being wiped out and not showing up when their Magus summoned them.

Lucia, by the way, used hers for making waterfalls, so she kept her elemental in a bottle that she carried on her. That was no easy accomplishment, but she had always had a knack for training animals. She was the one who’d taught my Hounding Chain how to shake.

But now that it was all over, this conflict was none of my business. I brushed aside the report on my desk and opened up my personal box of hot spring dragon manju (it was a twenty-piece box). I had purchased as many boxes as I could so I still had around thirteen left.

As I stuffed my cheeks with a strawberry-flavored manju, Eva said something quite strange to me.

“Oh, Krai, about the Gathering of the White Blade...”

“Hm? Mmgh. Ack, ack. Ah, that. Sorry that I missed it. But it’s not like I was playing arou—”

Eva looked at me and blinked, puzzled.

“Hm? Oh, no, it was put on hold. It’s in three days. I was worried about whether or not to notify them of your absence, but now I don’t have to worry about that. I can’t tell you how relieved I am.”

Chapter One: The Gathering of the White Blade

“Huh?! Master’s going to the Gathering of the White Blade?!”

For Tino Shade, this came as quite a shock.

“Hm? You didn’t know? Apparently, he got an invitation and the VCM’s been running around with her hair on fire.”

“B-But, Master was just with me, working on a quest...”

Tino hadn’t heard a word about this. Even during the Trial-disguised-as-a-vacation, he never showed the slightest hint that he had been invited to the Gathering of the White Blade.

Invitations to said event were one of the top honors a hunter could receive and proof of their contributions to the empire. Outside of exceptions like Ark Rodin, whose family had served the empire as hunters for generations, it was unheard of for someone as young as Krai to be invited.

But the Gathering of the White Blade should have already passed. Looking back on his escapades-slash-hot spring trip, Tino never would have imagined he had been bestowed such an honor.

“The VCM was certain he would return, but I don’t think she anticipated the event being put on hold,” the other hunter said casually.

Tino, however, was trembling. She had been by her master’s side and seen it all. She knew it was no coincidence that they made it home just in time for the delayed gathering. Even while being so far away, while causing all that mayhem, he had managed to fit the Gathering of the White Blade into his schedule. If he couldn’t have, would he really have chosen to stop at a hot spring?

After witnessing such a display of temerity and foresight, Tino gave up on even trying to read her master’s intentions. If Tino had been in his position, stopping at a hot spring before such an esteemed event would have been unthinkable, even if she had been aware that it was being put on hold. Her head began to spin as she struggled to figure out what possible meaning there could be behind his actions.

“Still, I wonder who the CM is gonna bring. I’m pretty sure they’re permitted a companion...” the other hunter said as though it was perfectly natural.

Oh, that’s right!

The other hunter was remembering correctly. Attendees of the Gathering of the White Blade were indeed allowed to have someone accompany them. Most hunters did as the nobility did and brought their most trusted acquaintance from the opposite sex. Naturally, that excluded Tino from being a candidate. She didn’t think she was so conceited as to let herself believe otherwise.

And yet...

Grieving Souls was a tight-knit party. At the very least, Lizzy, Siddy, and Lucy were all potential companions. It wasn’t at all hard for Tino to imagine the Smart sisters fighting for that position. But did that mean she had a chance?

If Lizzy and Siddy got into a spat, Krai most likely wouldn’t choose either of them. That would leave Lucy, but she was such a kind person. Surely she would cede the position to Tino. She was, after all, Krai’s younger sister. Tino gulped. It was shallow thinking on her part, but she wouldn’t succeed if she didn’t try.

The future is something you take with your own hands. Her master had taught her that during their vacation. Expediency was key. She would claim her victory before the others even realized what was at stake!

There was a dress code for the Gathering of the White Blade. If she approached Krai in a stunningly beautiful dress, the meaning would be plenty apparent and he would extend the invitation to her. And once he said yes, Lizzy and the others couldn’t argue with him. Such audacious thinking had set Tino’s heart pounding like a drum.

But I know. Today, I’m on fire.

“Don’t tell anyone else about that,” she told the other hunter in a low, threatening voice.

“O-Okay?”

Tino dashed off. She needed to get a dress ready.

***

The Gathering of the White Blade was the most famous and most esteemed meeting among hunters of the empire. It was sponsored by the emperor himself and meant for a small number of hunters who had made contributions to Zebrudia. This was my first time, so I didn’t know much about it, but apparently, there would also be lots of the empire’s bigwigs and only the most accomplished hunters had even been allowed to attend.

According to rumors, this had all started after Ark’s ancestor fought a grueling battle and cleared the Level 10 treasure vault that once rested on what would later become the site of the imperial capital. After that, the emperor wanted to meet with said hunter and began this tradition. Apparently the “Blade” in “Gathering of the White Blade” referred to the holy blade passed down through House Rodin.

Attending the Gathering was an undeniable honor, but I was looking to retire ASAP. I wasn’t excited at the idea of attending an event where the emperor would be present and I lost all reason to go when I remembered that there would be droves of hunters there as well. Compared to those storied veterans, I was practically a bug. Not to mention, I didn’t know anything about etiquette, so I always ended up doing something rude whenever I went to these sorts of events.

With the event right in front of my eyes, I couldn’t even revel in the afterglow of my vacation and spent the whole day trying to think up a plan of action. However, my empty head availed me nothing.

Three days. That’s way too soon. No, wait, a day’s passed, so it’s two days.

I was determined not to go. My stomach hurt.

“I don’t wanna go. My stomach hurts,” I moaned as I planted my face on my desk.

Eva sighed. “You must go,” she insisted.

I go on a vacation so I can avoid this event and then it just gets delayed. Is that fair? No, it’s not.

It was all because Hidden Curse and Akashic Tower had gotten carried away during their little schism. What terrifying things Level 8s were if they could cause the Gathering of the White Blade to be delayed for the first time in history.

Going on another vacation seemed out of the question. Eva was already exasperated by my first blatant attempt to flee; if I tried that again then she’d be the one heading for the hills.

I snapped my fingers.

“I’ve got it. I’ll make Ark go.”

“As I’m sure you’re aware, Ark received an invitation of his own.”

Of course he did. He was a Rodin and a regular attendee. I had already heard something about him attending a number of times prior.

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

“I don’t believe there’s a dress code for hunters, but we do have something prepared for you. It’s tailor-made.”

Classic Eva, always prepared for anything. She brought out a finely made tuxedo.

A tuxedo. I’m going in a tuxedo? No way. Impossible.

“I don’t recall getting my measurements taken.”

“Sitri had them on record. Some hunters attend in their armor, but, well, you don’t typically wear armor.”

That seemed like it would attract no small amount of attention.

Let’s think about this calmly. First and foremost, I don’t want to attend. Under no circumstances do I want to find myself there.

“Well, I’m fine with going, but something’s bound to go wrong if I bring one of my party members,” I warned Eva.

“You’re the only one invited. You’re to go as the representative of Grieving Souls.”

“There’s something wrong with that.”

I didn’t wanna step into that circle of hell. The pyromaniac lady was going to be there and that alone was too much. I desperately began to think of solutions, like maybe making Ansem go in my stead.

Eva adjusted her glasses and looked at me. “You are permitted to have one person accompany you,” she said.

“Right. I’ll bring Ark.”

“You can’t.”

“I’ll bring Ansem.”

“He...won’t fit into the venue.”

Eva’s tone was incredibly serious, I felt she was chastising me. I wasn’t so sure she was right about Ansem, but bringing him along could cause trouble. He was a man with an overwhelming presence and that might needlessly agitate the nobles and muscles-for-brains hunters.

If running wasn’t an option, then I could just lower my head and hide in a corner where nobody would look my way. I was second to none when it came to letting time pass by. If I had to, I wouldn’t even discount groveling. Which meant I needed a partner who wouldn’t discount me for not discounting groveling (I don’t know what this means).

My options are looking slim. I guess I’ll have to go with Ark after all. I’ll have him decline his invitation and then he can—

“I understand Ark is planning to bring one of his party members. They say it’s incited a fierce battle,” Eva said.

“Oh yeah, something like that’s bound to bring out the murderous rage.”

Strong, handsome, and a party free of troublemakers. What an overachiever. Some people are just born with all the luck.

After working my brain so hard, I let out a yawn. I was tired of thinking about it. With so little time left until the Gathering, I decided I’d just bring whoever happened to be free that day. I had nobody I wanted to butter up and no greater ambitions. I’d just read the room and spend it quietly like the country bumpkin I was. That way, it’d all be over in an instant.

That’s it. I’ve got Mirage Form. I can hide my face and hide among the nobles. If I’m in a tuxedo, nobody will guess that it’s me. Man, I’m on fire today.

I grinned, pleased with such a good idea, when the door suddenly opened. It was Liz. I was glad to see her so upbeat even though we had just gotten back from a trip, but I was caught off guard by her outfit. Eva, likewise, stood frozen.

Liz was wearing a red dress, one with a slit that ran up to her thigh. The tight collar and formfitting dress perfectly matched her slender figure. The sight of her suntanned leg peeking out from the slight was undeniably stunning. But any allure she had was nullified by Apex Roots still covering her legs.

She did an enthusiastic twirl. “Does it fit me?” she asked bashfully.

“It does. But what’s it for?” I said.

“Hee hee hee, you can take someone with you to the Gathering of the White Blades, right? I thought I had to pick an outfit that wouldn’t embarrass you and so I had this prepared.”

Huh? No, no, no, no, no. I can’t bring you. The dress is nice, but you’re the last person I’m bringing to that event.

It was such a flashy dress, we’d be picking fights without even meaning to. We’d be picking a fight with the emperor. She sure was, uh, well prepared. Did she realize this wasn’t a game? And how was I supposed to respond when she acted like her invitation was already set in stone? I was more than happy to bring her to an event, so long as it was one of no real consequence.

Eva looked similarly taken aback. Sure, there was no dress code, but a deep red dress was still out of the question.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to look at me like that, Eva. I won’t bring her.

And then, through the door Liz had left open, entered Sitri. She was in a long black gown. In a sight quite different than her usual robe, the porcelain skin around her shoulders and collarbone was left exposed. It was refreshing on the eyes (never mind that we had just been at a hot spring). I couldn’t help but notice the tasteful accessory in her usually unadorned hair.

Sitri scowled when she saw who had arrived before her, but she smiled after looking at her own reserved appearance. She turned towards me and grinned from ear to ear.

“What do you think, Krai?” she asked. “I had this prepared for the Gathering of the White Blade. Surely, you won’t have any reason to be embarrassed by an outfit like this!”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean, Siddy?” Liz asked.

“Naturally, I’m also prepared for potential combat scenarios. I may not be able to hide my arms, but...”

Cheeks flushed, Sitri rolled her skirt up to the top of her legs. At the top of her white, veiny thighs was a belt carrying a number of small potion vials. Liz was quick to respond to the obvious provocation.

“Siddy, can you even do anything if a fight breaks out suddenly? Step aside, I’m going with Krai Baby!”

“Lizzy, you don’t know the first thing about etiquette.”

“What the hell would I need that for?”

A lot of things, I’d imagine.

If I had to pick one of those two, I was going to go with Sitri. Her dress wasn’t too gaudy and looked really good on her. Sure, she wasn’t going to be useful if we found ourselves in close-quarters combat, but I could count on her to back me up if I made any faux pas.

Tino tepidly poked her head in.

“Ah, um, Master, if you have a mome—never mind!”

Seeing the bickering Smart sisters, she quickly ran off before even entering the room. Perhaps she, too, had heard that I was attending the Gathering of the White Blade? Except I wasn’t going.

Luke then dashed in, eyes aglitter.

“Ah, Krai! Is it true you’re off to fight some tough guys?! Take me along!”

He didn’t even have the right info. Besides, Luke cut down anything and everything, so he was a no-go for the same reasons Liz was.

If I was going to take someone, it would be Sitri or Lucia, or maybe Eliza as the dark horse option. But taking Sitri along would incur Liz’s wrath, Lucia was in her rebellious phase, and I didn’t even know where Eliza was. As the number one free spirit in the party, she was always going missing. The first time we’d met her, she had collapsed in the desert. Her moniker was, after all, Vagabond.

“You’ll take me, won’t you, Krai Baby? I promise I’ll behave.”

“Pshh. Krai, make it clear to her that this isn’t her place!”

Liz and Sitri both spoke with total confidence.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Regardless of what I did, Ark would still be at the Gathering and I could just rely on him should anything happen.

“I hate to ask this of you, Eva, but could you make preparations for the Gathering? I want you to come with me.”

“Excuse me?” Eva said, eyes wide with disbelief.

***

The day of the Gathering of the White Blade had arrived. I prayed and prayed that a lightning bolt might demolish the imperial capital, but, much to my dismay, I saw nothing but clear skies outside my window.

Something about me attracted rain clouds. Any time I went to the beach or hiking or some other outdoor activity, there was a good chance I’d get rained on. But, almost like god had it out for me, rain never came to cancel unwanted events.

Surrounded by hunters and nobles, it would only take a few hours before I would begin to wither away and dissolve. I knew Ark would save me, but as time went on I became more and more queasy.

“What’s the matter, Krai?” Eva asked with exasperation. She was still in her usual uniform as the event didn’t start until later in the evening.

“I can’t do it. I don’t wanna go,” I said, as I collapsed on my desk.

“I’m not even one of your party members and I’m being forced to come along. How do you think I feel?”

She was quite right to feel that way, but bringing her was my only option.

“You agreed to this, didn’t you?”

“Have I ever turned down a request of yours?”

“I still don’t wanna go,” I said, pressing my cheek against my desk.

“You must,” Eva said, turning towards me. “And that wasn’t a request!”

“Well, let’s be serious about this. Who knows what might happen if I bring Liz along with me?”

“That’s true,” Eva said, looking surprised. “I didn’t know you considered those sorts of things.”

Just what type of person did she think I was? I wasn’t proud of it, but gauging people’s expressions was how I got by in life.

“This is no minor get-together. If I brought Liz then the results might not be pretty,” I said, trying to at least seem hard-boiled.

“Not pretty...” Eva repeated with a look of exasperation.

Then I remembered something I needed to ask her.

“Right, Eva. Before we go, could you teach me about etiquette? I’ve never studied it, you know.”

Being a Level 8 brought in all sorts of invitations, but I almost never chose to accept. Being the clan master of a large clan also brought in invitations from nobles and merchants, but I foisted those onto Eva for her to deal with. Outside of hunters, the most esteemed person I even occasionally met with was branch manager Gark.

I didn’t want to cause any trouble! I could’ve done worse and brought Liz or someone from my party, but the sad reality was that living harmlessly wasn’t allowed when politics became involved.

“Well, as long as you don’t get too casual, I don’t think hunters are required to be versed in etiquette,” Eva said, slightly put off by my request.

I knew that, but, in spite of how I seemed, I still wanted to come off as someone with their act together. I spoke formally, I was as humble as I could be, yet I still kept making people angry. Surely this was because everyone preferred big macho guys and didn’t care for skinny people like me. What’s that you say? Ark’s plenty popular? Yeah, uh-huh!

“But, now that you mention it,” Eva said, “if you want to get on a noble’s good side, perhaps you could give them a present?”

“A present?”

So bribery? I hadn’t thought of that.

I wasn’t too keen on developing any relationships with nobles, but it might just work. It would be better than pissing people off. As I thought it over, it began to seem like this would be Sitri’s domain (very prejudiced of me).

“It doesn’t have to be something expensive,” Eva explained. “Trinkets that can only be found in high-level treasure vaults have become status symbols among the nobility. Remember, Ark recently grabbed everyone’s attention when he gave someone a Firmamental Blossom.”

“Ah, that useless flower. Hmm, what should I go with?”

It was a flower with transparent petals made of mana material. Some of my friends had picked them before, so I remembered it well. It certainly was pretty and otherworldly, but it didn’t have any powers and wasn’t stable so the poor things couldn’t survive long outside their treasure vault.

In that regard, it was similar to the portraits found in castle-type treasure vaults. It wasn’t an item, but rather a part of the treasure vault itself, so if you brought it out, it would dissipate in the same way a dead phantom would.

Liz and Sitri had once given me a bouquet of them as a present, but I never figured out a good use for it. In the end, I put it in a vase in the clan house lounge and they faded away at some point or another.

I didn’t get it in the slightest, but I guess I could see how their rarity made them a status symbol.

“It’ll get people talking, so if you have something...”

“Good grief, I’ll never understand what goes on in the minds of those rich folk. Hmm, what could there be? I’ll give it a look.”

Conveniently for me, our party had just come back from Night Palace, a high-level treasure vault. They typically only brought back Relics and drops from phantoms, but the Grievers were prone to doing as they pleased; it was possible they had brought back something like a Firmamental Blossom.

It was a pain in the neck, but it was in the name of staying out of trouble. And so I began to look around for something that might aid me during my upcoming social call.

As the sky began to turn crimson, a carriage pulled up in front of the clan house. I put on my tuxedo and sat in my office, clutching my aching stomach all the while. The fingers of both my hands had Relic rings, a Relic pendant was around my neck, a Relic chain around my belt, and I wore Relic earrings just for good measure. On my arm, I had the bracelet Mirage Form, and in my breast pocket, I carried the rings that I didn’t have room for on my fingers.

I was ready for any form of attack, whether it be poison, magic, or physical, yet that didn’t make me feel better in the slightest. Only super high-level hunters were invited to the Gathering of the White Blade. Before such freaks, a normal person wasn’t going to be any less helpless just because they had a few Relics. The only option left to me was simply praying to the heavens.

Don’t worry, Krai. You’ll have allies. Ark will be there and so will Eva. You’ll be perfectly safe.

Not to mention, I had a trump card. I looked at the present atop my desk and told myself that everything would be all right, that I needed to be calm, and that the event would go just fine. Even hunters knew to behave themselves when they were around the bigwigs of the empire. Then, while I was mumbling to myself, the door opened.

“Thank you for waiting. That’s quite a face you’re making, Krai.”

What I saw momentarily caused me to forget the pain in my abdomen. Eva was in a long navy blue dress. I saw her just about every day, and even though she still wore her usual glasses and hairstyle, simply donning something besides her usual uniform made her look like a completely different person.

It wasn’t flashy in the slightest, but it looked quite nice on her. Unlike her usual neat uniform, the gown left much of her shoulders exposed and her pale skin contrasted blindingly with the dark fabric. She also wore some subtle accessories and I couldn’t help but look her up and down a few times.

With my childhood friends like Liz, I still continued to look at them with the same eyes as I had when we were young. But Eva was different. We were separated by only a year, yet at that moment she had an air of serene dignity.

Uh-oh. This might draw some attention if I’m next to Eva. I just need to focus, and not let her distract me.

“You look really nice, Eva. I’m already glad I invited you.”

My heartfelt compliment didn’t elicit any blushes from Eva, just a glare.

“You’re always leaving your duties in my hands and you never accompany me to any events. You could’ve seen me like this any number of times if you just came along.”

“Ah. Aha ha ha.”

“Hold on, your necktie is crooked. Honestly...”

Eva quickly stepped forward and adjusted my tie. It couldn’t have been any more obvious that I wasn’t used to wearing one. I noticed Eva had a very nice scent, like she had put on perfume. Once my necktie was straightened out, she took a graceful step back. At that moment, I felt extremely lucky. I wanted to take a commemorative photograph.

“Now, let’s get going. The carriage has already arrived. You’ll escort me, won’t you?”

“You bet I will.”

It might have been shallow of me, but I was feeling a lot better after being treated to such a nice sight. With my present in hand, we exited the clan house. Outside, a carriage with the crest of the Zebrudian empire was waiting for us. It looked nothing like the sort of carriages used by hunters.

I felt a number of gazes on us. I took Eva’s hand, not completely certain if this was the right way to escort her. Once we were seated, the carriage departed. Its bouncing and rumbling were almost imperceptible. I was nervous, but because I was technically the clan master, I didn’t want to do anything pathetic in front of Eva.

The carriage moved along, almost as though it were flying. We approached the majestic building that symbolized the empire itself—the emperor’s castle. The emperor was hosting the event, so it was being held in his abode. Naturally, I had never entered the castle before now. I took a deep breath, calming my nerves. Eva, meanwhile, was relaxed as could be.

“Krai, may I ask what that box is?”

“Oh, this? I did as you told me and brought a bribe. I thought I might as well try and leave a good impression. Our party doesn’t have the best reputation, as I’m sure you know...”

Eva looked quite surprised, like she hadn’t actually expected me to bring anything.

“A bribe? Be sure not to use the phrase at the Gathering, all right? Is that something from Night Palace? If you have no objections, could you tell me what it is?”

I smiled and stroked the box. I had zero objections.

“No, it’s a souvenir I bought during my vacation. I couldn’t find any potential gifts from treasure vaults...”

It wasn’t anything rare, but it was still better than one of those Firmamental Blossoms. It was delicious and undoubtedly better than giving away nothing at all.

Eva was stunned for a moment, then she looked me straight in the eye.

Stop that, you’re embarrassing me.

“Did I hear you correctly? That’s a souvenir from your trip? Are you serious? It wouldn’t be a box of manju, would it?”

“No, it’s a box with a hot spring egg. They’re a local delicacy of Suls and they’re really good.”

Not to mention the hot spring dragon eggs were worth more than the hot spring dragon manju.

Eva’s cheek twitched and she looked at me in disbelief. “Krai, aren’t you nervous in the slightest?”

Huh?

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the castle. It had been some years since I first arrived in the imperial capital, but I had never seen the castle up close. Zebrudia boasted greater strength than any of the neighboring countries and the towering castle in the center of the imperial capital symbolized its strength with its grandeur. I had seen the castle from a distance plenty of times, but I couldn’t help but gulp when I found myself looking at it up close.

The surrounding moat was almost as big as a lake. As we crossed the massive bridge spanning the moat, the castle in its entirety came into view. The surrounding walls were low, or rather, they looked low. According to rumors, the castle was at all times protected by barriers emplaced via Relics and magic spells. It made sense; a wall a few meters high couldn’t keep a hunter out.

There were soldiers in polished black armor on both ends of the bridge. Even as a carriage bearing the crest of the empire passed by them, they didn’t even bat an eye. The Zebrudian Empire placed great value on strength and fortitude.

I let out a small sigh and turned my attention away from the window.

Well, it looks like I won’t get a chance to throw this souvenir away.

During our carriage ride, Eva had convinced me that the hot spring egg wasn’t a great gift idea.

“This is a time-honored event! Please think these things through a bit more,” she said in a low voice, so the carriage driver wouldn’t hear us.

“You’re the one who suggested I bring a present...”

“Krai, what would you think if you were suddenly handed a hot spring egg during a party?”

I paused. Honestly, I’d be pretty stoked. But it didn’t seem like that was the right answer.

These eggs had a pretty cool name to boot. But they weren’t actually dragon eggs or anything, just chicken eggs. So maybe there was some false advertising going on?

Whatever the case, I had brought it with me and I had lost my chance to get rid of it. I had no choice but to give it to someone.

“Who, by the way, were you planning to give it to?” Eva asked.

“I thought I’d give it to the emperor.”

If you’re gonna curry favor, then of course you might as well go for the top dog. Wouldn’t it be rude to start with someone lower?

The remaining blood drained from Eva’s already pale face.

“You have to stop this, Krai. Are you taking this seriously? What you’re doing is completely unheard of!”

“I hear the emperor’s a pretty lenient guy.”

“There are limits.”

Okay, I get it. I realize what I’m doing is abnormal. Good thing I brought you along, Eva.

But then I had an idea! I could give it to Lord Gladis if he was at the Gathering. I had a tentative acquaintanceship with him through the Suls incident and I seriously doubted his knights had brought back any souvenirs for him.

I took a deep breath. I was so nervous I actually felt like things might work out somehow.

“Should we be worried about the expiration date of that egg?” Eva asked.

“I’ve got that covered. I had Lucia place a preservation spell on them.”

“Aah, I can’t tell if you do or don’t know what you’re doing.”

I don’t know what I’m doing, so help me out here. If we combine your competency with mine and divide it by two, we’ll be just fine.

Countless soldiers watched our carriage as it passed through the gate. Security was just as thorough as you might expect from a place like the Imperial Castle. The driver told us this was where we were to get out, and we did so, even if it made me nervous. From there, we were guided through the castle on foot.

Contrary to the tales I had heard about how tight security was, we weren’t patted down. I asked Eva about this as she strode through the corridor.

“It’s tradition,” she said with a furrowed brow. “At the first Gathering of the White Blade, the emperor at the time trusted the hunters and permitted them to keep their weapons. To this day, that exception is made only for the Gathering. Didn’t I tell you? Some hunters come in their combat gear.”

I see. What a bold man that emperor must have been. Then again, isn’t the current emperor also a famous warrior?

The castle had a spacious interior and a red carpet was rolled out across the corridor. Even the air felt different from the rest of the city. I wanted to look around, but I resisted the urge and did as Eva did. We weren’t tourists.

Eventually, I began to see nobles and hunters. The former looked haughty and the latter looked powerful and they were, in fact, haughty and powerful. I was ready to go home.

Unlike the black-clad soldiers outside, the guards inside wore white armor. They were probably the elites. I stood around and absentmindedly let my eyes wander, when I suddenly heard a very familiar voice.

“All right! Here I am in the most esteemed castle in the empire! Not half bad!” they said.

“S-Stop that! Be quiet! Do you understand what you’re here for?” a guard replied.

“Sure do. I’m here to cut down bad guys. So, where are they? Is it that bunch? Or those guys? Is it everyone here?”

“Quit pointing! The only bad guy here is you! Damn it, why did they decide to let outsiders help guard an event like this?”

“What can we do? Our orders came from the top,” said another guard. “Apparently the Sword Saint pulled some strings. Even if he’s got a good arm, even if it’s only temporary, I can’t believe they’d let the Man Cutter wear the esteemed white armor...”

“I’ve got no need for armor. I can just cut my foes before they cut me! The very thought is exhilarating.”

“Do you really understand what you’re doing here? Listen, your job is indeed to cut down bad guys. But we haven’t had any bad guys here in decades. Hey, quit taking off your armor!”

Eva turned to me with a wild look in her eyes. I pretend not to see anything. I decided it was fine if he had gotten in through the proper channels.

By the way, that Sword Saint was Luke’s mentor. He was considered the strongest Swordsman in the imperial capital, but he couldn’t manage someone as uncontrollable as Luke. I heard many grievances from the man.

Luke enjoyed cutting, but he also enjoyed being cut, so I could only imagine how much stress he caused for his mentor. Mostly, I was just worried that my friend might find himself on the lam once the Gathering was over.

From the entrance, I peeked into the massive hall where the event was being held. I found myself wondering what the place was normally used for. There were tables lined up and a chandelier hung from the ceiling. Yet for such a large hall, there weren’t very many people.

Eva came up next to me and whispered an explanation, “It’s tradition.”

I see. Tradition, huh? What a convenient word. I’ll have to use it myself.

I looked over the hall. Even for me, it was obvious who was a hunter and who was a noble. I had next to no knowledge of or interest in the empire’s nobles, but I could tell who was a hunter by the atmosphere of those who had absorbed mana material.

Any hunter who got invited to an event like this had to be among the best, even in the hunting holy land. This made it easy to tell who to avoid. With that in mind, a quick glance around told me that I was far safer than I had expected. Nobody was turning violent.

Watchful knights lined the walls and maids in fine white apron dresses stood near the entrance alongside butlers in refined black suits. Working in the Imperial Castle was a dream job for many ordinary people. Most who served here were well-educated relatives of nobles.

Then I saw something that threw me for a loop.

“Not a bad place. I know, I know. Can’t forget to say hi.”

A hunter went over to the servants by the entrance and began saying hello. He was a powerful-looking man with tan skin, most likely the sort of hunter who fought with their bare fists. His hair was dark brown and he had rugged features. I didn’t know his name, but he was clearly someone exceptional.

As I watched, I saw that nobles were also heading straight for the servants to give their regards. Some of them were even happily chatting away with the servants. So nobles of the empire even enjoyed chatting with servants. I had assumed most of them to be arrogant, but it seemed they were only true ladies and gentlemen when you got to the top.

And it seemed the hunters were all decent people as well. When I stopped to think about it, it made sense. All the hunters invited to the Gathering (except me) were people comparable to Ark. I very well might have been the only one to enter without offering a greeting. My poor education was showing. Good thing I had chosen to sit back and watch.

“Krai.”

“Mmm, I know.”

I could mold myself to match the situation better than anybody I knew. I slipped in behind a noble and nonchalantly waited for my turn to say hello. I took a good look at the servants and noticed they were all quite attractive. I was in the tuxedo Eva had prepared for me, so I wasn’t dressed any worse than them, but they still had the advantage when it came to looks. On top of that, some of them were clearly younger than me.

The most striking of them was a girl with light blue hair. She seemed younger than Tino, but the pleasant girl wore the apron dress as well as any of the other servants. I thought about how a girl her age was doing such a good job, while I was, well, me. I stood up straight and put on a smile.

I had nothing to be nervous about. Eva seemed unusually tense, but I told myself to keep calm. This wasn’t like dealing with hunters or nobles; these servants were supposedly aware that I didn’t know a lick of manners. As Eva had said, hunters weren’t expected to know much about etiquette.

The servants had mellow expressions, but their eyes were serious. I noticed that for some reason the knights on guard were also looking at me strangely.

I cleared my throat and tried to look as confident as I could.

“Um, thank you for having me?” I said.

“Krai, it’s the emperor who’s hosting us,” Eva whispered to me.

Then what am I supposed to say?

“Oh, that’s right. How silly of me. Forgive me for my poor education. Good evening, it’s an honor to meet you.”

I received a number of cold glares. I knew that glare, the one that said “Who’s this bumpkin?” I cleared my throat and snapped my fingers. This was a good time to ditch my souvenir. My chance to show my humility.

“Right, here’s a gift for the hardworking young lady.”

I handed the box with the hot spring dragon egg over to the maid with the light blue hair.

“Ah...” she said. She sounded completely bewildered, but she had nothing to worry about—I could personally vouch for the taste.

Eva stood stock-still. It seemed the other servants were also taken aback by my display of humility, because they all looked at me in disbelief.

Don’t worry, I’m uneducated, but I’m also harmless.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing special,” I said, showing just how friendly I was. “That’s a hot spring dragon egg. They’re really tasty, so you can share them with—”

“A dragon egg?!” the girl shrieked before I could say “your friends.” The next moment, I was surrounded by knights. It was so fast, it was almost like they had been keeping tabs on me. Still smiling, I froze as blades were pointed at me from every angle.

The maid handed the box with the hot spring dragon egg to a knight, who fearfully held the box up and put his ear to it. There wasn’t anything dangerous in that box, it wasn’t the egg of a dragon. Hot spring dragon egg was just a product name, the contents themselves were just a chicken egg.

Everyone in the hall looked at us. Eva was pale as a sheet.

“You there!” screamed a large man in exceptionally ornate armor. “What are you doing?! Are you aware of who that is?”

No. Who is she?

I didn’t understand what was going on, but everyone else stared at me in disbelief. Eva’s complexion only grew worse, but I was managing to maintain a smile.

“Before you is the imperial princess, Murina Atolm Zebrudia, daughter of His Imperial Majesty Rodrick Atolm Zebrudia,” the man said in a booming voice.

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

I see. So that’s how it is. That’s a good degree more exalted than I had expected when those swords were pointed at me.

This was real bad. I kept a smile affixed to my face and kicked my brain into high gear. I had thought she was awfully young and something about her had set her apart from the rest of the group. I knew the imperial princess would be present, but I didn’t know her face. But it looked like everyone else knew. It explained why even the hunters were being so polite to her.

The young lady herself was looking at me, completely stunned. I wished someone had told me about this earlier, but it was probably common knowledge. Still, wasn’t she the imperial princess super important? Who would expect her to be mixed in among the servants?

Tradition? Is this also tradition? My stomach hurts.

“And you brought a dragon egg?! To bring such dangerous objects before Her Highness... You may be here per invitation of His Imperial Majesty, but that is no reason for you to do as you please!”

“Y-You don’t have to get so worked up, it’s all fine. Those aren’t anything special and they aren’t dangerous.”

It wasn’t a dragon egg; it was just called a hot spring dragon egg. The modifier for “egg” was “hot spring” not “dragon.”

I took a deep breath and half-raised my hand. “Sorry, may I go to the bathroom?”

“Krai, aren’t you afraid of anything?” Eva asked.

There were blades pointed at my throat, preventing me from taking a step. Luckily, it didn’t seem like the knights would kill me without provocation. But they still had a pretty low opinion of me.

Getting kicked out seemed a very real possibility, except I would be all too happy if they were to do that. But it seemed just as likely that I might get arrested for defamation of the imperial princess (provided that was an actual crime). If that happened, I’d spend the rest of my life being hunted for being the guy who tarnished the reputation of Zebrudian hunters.

“W-Wait,” said a sharp-voiced woman, just as I was trying to look away from reality.

Some of the blades quivered slightly and a break formed in the ring of knights. The owner of the voice was someone I had encountered about a month prior—Éclair Gladis. Unlike our last meeting, she wasn’t armed and wore a frilly evening gown. Her voice carried the impact of an adult, but there was panic in her eyes.

“Th-That’s the man whose endeavors saved the imperial capital from Akashic Tower,” Éclair continued. “I’m well aware of your duties as knights, but the Gathering of the White Blade is an event for hunters, and going into a frenzy over a souvenir is...unwarranted.”

“Y-Yes, but...”

Table of Contents

Cover

Prologue: Returning Home

Chapter One: The Gathering of the White Blade

Chapter Two: The Preterhuman Artificer’s Wall Spaghetti

Chapter Three: Protecting the Emperor

Chapter Four: The Abyssal Spaghetti and the Sheetwraith Swarm

Chapter Five: The Peregrine Lodge and the Lost Children

Epilogue: Let This Grieving Soul Retire, Part Six

Interlude: The Supreme Warrior Festival

Side Story: Fortune and Misfortune

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents