If I had to go through something like this, I would rather be captured as a “Red Hunter (Criminal)”.
That was now the common understanding from Black and the others.
I was angry when they put shackles on me. When I found out that I was going to be taken as a coachman to go on a vacation, I was thinking of removing the collar and rebelling if there was an opportunity. But now, all I have is a profound feeling of despair and resignation.
White, Black and Gray have been dealing with Hunters and knights as Red Hunters since a long time. They have been through more than a few battlefields. They can’t remember how many people they have killed and there were also times where they were laughing when they cracked the heads of people who were crying and begging for mercy.
However, even from their point of view, the infamous 《Strange Grief》 in the Imperial Capital was insane.
We already don’t have the energy to resist. The battlefields they have been through were too different. Now we can understand why we were captured so easily.
Gray was suddenly thrown out of the carriage and just that had made his exhausted expression seem like he took ten years at once. As for White and Black, although they were better than him ―― They were already at their limits, both physically and mentally, from dealing with the Monsters that were constantly attacking them. Their swords were smeared with blood and greases and had lost their sharpness and had become mere blunt weapons, while their cloaks were soaked with blood that no amount of washing would ever remove the blood and smell.
The next time we find ourselves in a similar situation, someone will undoubtedly die. No ―― It wouldn’t be surprising if all three of us died.
And even if Black and the other three died, the carriage would continue as if nothing had happened. I was convinced of that. For some reason, that makes me extremely afraid.
I knew that 《Infinite Variety》 was a Level 8 Hunter and had resolved many serious incidents.
As if to confirm that, the 『Vacation』 that Black and the others were caught up in was like a Shura’s1 journey of breaking through powerful Monsters and problems.
Lightning Spirit. Large number of Orcs gathered to the point of building a fort. On the way to the Garest Mountains, an abnormal number of Monsters attacked us and the worst Monster that indiscriminately attacked all Monsters ―― The 『Lost Giant Demon』 attacked us too. If it was a normal situation, even if they needed to take on only one of them, Black and the others would have chosen to flee.
However, 《Infinite Variety》 and the other Member of his Party, 《Absolute Shadow》, dismissed it as a vacation.
Sometimes he avoids the problems, sometimes he pushed it to other Hunters and sometimes he forced his way through. He passed through while laughing at the path Black and the others had opened with the determination to die and without hesitation, he tried to use Gray as a bait.
From his course of action, Black sensed a strong 『Used to it』 from him.
《Absolute Shadow》 and her companions are used to deadly battlefields like those ones. No, they have probably experienced something more deadly than those.
That’s why she laughed, that’s why she doesn’t stop. 《Absolute Shadow’s》 certification should have been Level 6, but it was clear that her experience and ability didn’t fall into that category.
" "
There was no way we could compete with them. Their power, experience, determination and even malice were so far apart from us that it is hard to imagine it from their appearance.
No matter how many times I imagine it, I can’t get an image of us winning against them. There is no way out of this despair. The only ray of light is ―― To end everything with our own death.
But will that woman, the woman who put the collars on Black and the others, the woman who always smiles and shows no remorse or fragment of guilt towards Black and the others, allow such salvation for us?
Hugging my knees, I complain in a small voice and ruminate as if to escape from the reality. And at that time, a voice suddenly called out from behind Black.
“Anooo2…… Are you alright?”
“Hih!?”
I involuntarily let out a small scream as my dazed consciousness was called. White, who had been lying dead up until now, and Gray, who I wasn’t sure if he was awake or not, jumped up as if they had been called by the god of death.
A powerless voice. An undignified voice. This voice is, the most terrifying one.
Cry Andrich. 《Infinite Variety》. 《Strange Grief’s (The Lamenting Ghost)》 Leader and the man who 《Absolute Shadow》 and 《The Worst of the Worst》 are fully obeying to.
He was also the only one whose strength wasn’t demonstrated during this vacation trip.
From his appearance, you can’t see that he is strong. His body is weak and untrained for a Hunter, and he doesn’t have an aura of supremacy coating him, something which is peculiar to those who have absorbed large amounts of Mana Material.
He was unarmed and his appearance only showed openings. If I had seen him in a town, I would have dismissed him as a mere civilian who isn’t making a living through fighting.
But that is why he was so terrifying.
His black eyes were deeply calm, not screaming in anger like 《Absolute Shadow》, nor smiling no matter what happened like 《The Worst of the Worst》.
Along the way, he was watching us. He was observing us.
He didn’t do anything in particular. He didn’t care about his companions when they jumped out in front of a crowd of Monsters, there weren’t any noticeable actions or emotional changes in him. He was such an ordinary man.
However, it was unmistakably this man who is deciding on the destination of this vacation.
《Absolute Shadow》 and 《The Worst of the Worst》 are this man’s mistress. When they talked to him, the expression on their face had a glossiness in it and every one of their actions showed that they were trying to not be disliked by him.
I remember the expression in the beginning when they almost got rid of us before we could do anything. He was the boss of those two, there was no need to think about what would happen if we were to go against him.
They wouldn’t finish us in a quick and easy death.
“Wha… What is it…… 《Infinite Variety-sama》.”
Before departure. Gray, who had such an arrogant attitude, crawls in front of him.
Come to think of it, it was this man who advised them to save Gray when he was thrown out. However, it wasn’t a deep feeling of gratitude you could feel from Gray’s attitude, but a strong fear towards him.
I know how you feel. What’s really scary aren’t the ones who are quick to explode when they are angry.
Black follows Gray’s example and slightly bows his head as well. So that we could escape from his consciousness as much as possible. So that we don’t get registered in ―― His sight.
“………… You don’t have to take that atti… ―― I will go straight to the point. I decided to ―― Release Black-san and the others. I have gotten permission from Sytry.”
“!?”
I raise my head at the unexpected words. Both White and Gray looked up at 《Infinite Variety》 with stunned, wide eyes.
Release? Did this guy just ―― Did he just say release?
《Infinite Variety》 twitched his eyebrows for a second and squinted his eyes. In his hand, there was a small key. It was the key to the collar that binds Black and the others.
He was full of openings. From Gray’s position, he could steal it from him in the span of a single breath. But Gray didn’t try to move at all.
“Of course, I am not going to release you right now. It is dangerous here ―― I heard, Black-san and the others are…… Criminals, isn’t it? If I were to release you so easily, you wouldn’t be able to atone for your crime, right?”
You aren’t in a position to talk…… I swallowed the words I was unintentionally about to let out.
Indeed, Black and the others are criminals. They have violated the imperial law countless times and if all their crimes were to come to light, they wouldn’t be able to get away with it.
But clearly, Liz and Sytry have gone above and beyond that.
There, 《Infinite Variety》 smiled slightly. It didn’t look like an act at all ―― A natural smile. He lifted the small key and shook it in front of us as if to show it off.
“But, I know. Your crimes aren’t that serious. For the past few days, Black-san and the others have been following Sytry’s instructions very well. And because of that, I think that Black-san and the others have atoned well enough for your crimes. If you stay quiet until we are in a safe place ―― I will take off that collar and let you go.”
If taken at face value, his words were too good to be true. However, from Black’s position, he could see White’s cheeks tense up from fear.
Black and the others are “Red (Criminal)” Hunters. They are Hunters who have committed all sorts of crimes and lived on the other side of the law. Even Black and the others are aware that they had committed heavy crimes. And he ―― Said that those crimes weren’t that serious.
Maybe he didn’t know how to react to Black and the others’ silence, 《Infinite Variety》 waved his hand as if he was in panic.
“Aaah, don’t get me wrong. From now on, I don’t intend on having Black-san and the others fight like you did earlier. Because from now on, it is relatively safe and Black-san and the others are probably tired…… We aren’t in a hurry, so I want you to take it easy. Weeell, I guess that the coachman still has to do his part though…… But it is a vacation, you know. Understood?“
Vacation. Hearing that abominable word, my body shivered involuntarily.
Kind words. They are words that blatantly encourage you to hope. However, from the start, Black and the others didn’t have a choice. They just nodded like loyal soldiers.
Both White and Gray *kokukoku* nodded their heads in silence. And Black followed suit.
《Infinite Variety》 saw the expression on Black and the others’ faces and relaxed his shoulders as if he was relieved.
As if it was waiting for this ―― My field of vision suddenly turned white and a roar echoed in the distance.
If I had to go through something like this, I would rather be captured as a “Red Hunter (Criminal)”.
That was now the common understanding from Black and the others.
I was angry when they put shackles on me. When I found out that I was going to be taken as a coachman to go on a vacation, I was thinking of removing the collar and rebelling if there was an opportunity. But now, all I have is a profound feeling of despair and resignation.
White, Black and Gray have been dealing with Hunters and knights as Red Hunters since a long time. They have been through more than a few battlefields. They can’t remember how many people they have killed and there were also times where they were laughing when they cracked the heads of people who were crying and begging for mercy.
However, even from their point of view, the infamous 《Strange Grief》 in the Imperial Capital was insane.
We already don’t have the energy to resist. The battlefields they have been through were too different. Now we can understand why we were captured so easily.
Gray was suddenly thrown out of the carriage and just that had made his exhausted expression seem like he took ten years at once. As for White and Black, although they were better than him ―― They were already at their limits, both physically and mentally, from dealing with the Monsters that were constantly attacking them. Their swords were smeared with blood and greases and had lost their sharpness and had become mere blunt weapons, while their cloaks were soaked with blood that no amount of washing would ever remove the blood and smell.
The next time we find ourselves in a similar situation, someone will undoubtedly die. No ―― It wouldn’t be surprising if all three of us died.
And even if Black and the other three died, the carriage would continue as if nothing had happened. I was convinced of that. For some reason, that makes me extremely afraid.
I knew that 《Infinite Variety》 was a Level 8 Hunter and had resolved many serious incidents.
As if to confirm that, the 『Vacation』 that Black and the others were caught up in was like a Shura’s1 journey of breaking through powerful Monsters and problems.
Lightning Spirit. Large number of Orcs gathered to the point of building a fort. On the way to the Garest Mountains, an abnormal number of Monsters attacked us and the worst Monster that indiscriminately attacked all Monsters ―― The 『Lost Giant Demon』 attacked us too. If it was a normal situation, even if they needed to take on only one of them, Black and the others would have chosen to flee.
However, 《Infinite Variety》 and the other Member of his Party, 《Absolute Shadow》, dismissed it as a vacation.
Sometimes he avoids the problems, sometimes he pushed it to other Hunters and sometimes he forced his way through. He passed through while laughing at the path Black and the others had opened with the determination to die and without hesitation, he tried to use Gray as a bait.
From his course of action, Black sensed a strong 『Used to it』 from him.
《Absolute Shadow》 and her companions are used to deadly battlefields like those ones. No, they have probably experienced something more deadly than those.
That’s why she laughed, that’s why she doesn’t stop. 《Absolute Shadow’s》 certification should have been Level 6, but it was clear that her experience and ability didn’t fall into that category.
" "
There was no way we could compete with them. Their power, experience, determination and even malice were so far apart from us that it is hard to imagine it from their appearance.
No matter how many times I imagine it, I can’t get an image of us winning against them. There is no way out of this despair. The only ray of light is ―― To end everything with our own death.
But will that woman, the woman who put the collars on Black and the others, the woman who always smiles and shows no remorse or fragment of guilt towards Black and the others, allow such salvation for us?
Hugging my knees, I complain in a small voice and ruminate as if to escape from the reality. And at that time, a voice suddenly called out from behind Black.
“Anooo2…… Are you alright?”
“Hih!?”
I involuntarily let out a small scream as my dazed consciousness was called. White, who had been lying dead up until now, and Gray, who I wasn’t sure if he was awake or not, jumped up as if they had been called by the god of death.
A powerless voice. An undignified voice. This voice is, the most terrifying one.
Cry Andrich. 《Infinite Variety》. 《Strange Grief’s (The Lamenting Ghost)》 Leader and the man who 《Absolute Shadow》 and 《The Worst of the Worst》 are fully obeying to.
He was also the only one whose strength wasn’t demonstrated during this vacation trip.
From his appearance, you can’t see that he is strong. His body is weak and untrained for a Hunter, and he doesn’t have an aura of supremacy coating him, something which is peculiar to those who have absorbed large amounts of Mana Material.
He was unarmed and his appearance only showed openings. If I had seen him in a town, I would have dismissed him as a mere civilian who isn’t making a living through fighting.
But that is why he was so terrifying.
His black eyes were deeply calm, not screaming in anger like 《Absolute Shadow》, nor smiling no matter what happened like 《The Worst of the Worst》.
Along the way, he was watching us. He was observing us.
He didn’t do anything in particular. He didn’t care about his companions when they jumped out in front of a crowd of Monsters, there weren’t any noticeable actions or emotional changes in him. He was such an ordinary man.
However, it was unmistakably this man who is deciding on the destination of this vacation.
《Absolute Shadow》 and 《The Worst of the Worst》 are this man’s mistress. When they talked to him, the expression on their face had a glossiness in it and every one of their actions showed that they were trying to not be disliked by him.
I remember the expression in the beginning when they almost got rid of us before we could do anything. He was the boss of those two, there was no need to think about what would happen if we were to go against him.
They wouldn’t finish us in a quick and easy death.
“Wha… What is it…… 《Infinite Variety-sama》.”
Before departure. Gray, who had such an arrogant attitude, crawls in front of him.
Come to think of it, it was this man who advised them to save Gray when he was thrown out. However, it wasn’t a deep feeling of gratitude you could feel from Gray’s attitude, but a strong fear towards him.
I know how you feel. What’s really scary aren’t the ones who are quick to explode when they are angry.
Black follows Gray’s example and slightly bows his head as well. So that we could escape from his consciousness as much as possible. So that we don’t get registered in ―― His sight.
“………… You don’t have to take that atti… ―― I will go straight to the point. I decided to ―― Release Black-san and the others. I have gotten permission from Sytry.”
“!?”
I raise my head at the unexpected words. Both White and Gray looked up at 《Infinite Variety》 with stunned, wide eyes.
Release? Did this guy just ―― Did he just say release?
《Infinite Variety》 twitched his eyebrows for a second and squinted his eyes. In his hand, there was a small key. It was the key to the collar that binds Black and the others.
He was full of openings. From Gray’s position, he could steal it from him in the span of a single breath. But Gray didn’t try to move at all.
“Of course, I am not going to release you right now. It is dangerous here ―― I heard, Black-san and the others are…… Criminals, isn’t it? If I were to release you so easily, you wouldn’t be able to atone for your crime, right?”
You aren’t in a position to talk…… I swallowed the words I was unintentionally about to let out.
Indeed, Black and the others are criminals. They have violated the imperial law countless times and if all their crimes were to come to light, they wouldn’t be able to get away with it.
But clearly, Liz and Sytry have gone above and beyond that.
There, 《Infinite Variety》 smiled slightly. It didn’t look like an act at all ―― A natural smile. He lifted the small key and shook it in front of us as if to show it off.
“But, I know. Your crimes aren’t that serious. For the past few days, Black-san and the others have been following Sytry’s instructions very well. And because of that, I think that Black-san and the others have atoned well enough for your crimes. If you stay quiet until we are in a safe place ―― I will take off that collar and let you go.”
If taken at face value, his words were too good to be true. However, from Black’s position, he could see White’s cheeks tense up from fear.
Black and the others are “Red (Criminal)” Hunters. They are Hunters who have committed all sorts of crimes and lived on the other side of the law. Even Black and the others are aware that they had committed heavy crimes. And he ―― Said that those crimes weren’t that serious.
Maybe he didn’t know how to react to Black and the others’ silence, 《Infinite Variety》 waved his hand as if he was in panic.
“Aaah, don’t get me wrong. From now on, I don’t intend on having Black-san and the others fight like you did earlier. Because from now on, it is relatively safe and Black-san and the others are probably tired…… We aren’t in a hurry, so I want you to take it easy. Weeell, I guess that the coachman still has to do his part though…… But it is a vacation, you know. Understood?“
Vacation. Hearing that abominable word, my body shivered involuntarily.
Kind words. They are words that blatantly encourage you to hope. However, from the start, Black and the others didn’t have a choice. They just nodded like loyal soldiers.
Both White and Gray *kokukoku* nodded their heads in silence. And Black followed suit.
《Infinite Variety》 saw the expression on Black and the others’ faces and relaxed his shoulders as if he was relieved.
As if it was waiting for this ―― My field of vision suddenly turned white and a roar echoed in the distance.
