Top floor of 《First Step (Footprint of the Beginning)》 Clan House. I was looking down at my desk while grinning in the Clan Master Room, where among all Clan Members, only clerks and Clan Master are allowed to enter.
On my desk, a scene with five small humanoids of about five centimeters in length running around was unfolding in front of me.
The small humanoid was so elaborate that you could think that it was a human being reduced to that size.
Each of their appearances was divided to look like a Mage, a Monk, a Swordsman, a Thief and an Alchemist. I cheated a little bit on the details for their robes and armors but it was so well done that I feel like complimenting myself.
While rubbing the hot bracelet, I let the humanoids walk around the edge of my desk.
They aren’t real dolls but they come from the Relic I had just obtained ―― They are illusions I created by using 『Mirage Form』. The border lines and small mountains reflected on my desk are also an illusion.
In the beginning, I couldn’t set the shape and the coloring very well but over my last few days of practice, I have managed to create a rather successful vision of my small humanoids.
Most likely, the Relic itself may have a function that complements the image I have to some extent.
However, even with this, it is still very fun to practice forming an image like this. At first look, it does look mundane and regardless of whether it is useful or not ―― If I use it as a pastime, there probably isn’t another Relic as fun as this one.
At the same time as I poke one of the illusions with my finger, I make it move as if something pushed its waist. I make the other illusions act like they were protesting against me. Everything was operated by me but it is as if I am interacting with small spirits. I can’t stop *niyaniya* 1 grinning.
I want to show it to someone but I can’t do it because if it becomes known that I am playing with small dolls like this, my image of being a badass would collapse, it is a pity.
Next, I try to add an additional small dragon of the size of my hand. It isn’t just one or two, three, or even four as it keeps on increasing. Of course, each of their colors are different.
When I was still going around with my Party, I had many encounters with dragons. The details are a little off but there isn’t any shortage of illusions to make up for it if it is just approximate.
A dragon is flapping *patapata*2 above me and spinning around me. I concentrate and try to find a more realistic way for it to fly.
The only weakness of this Relic is its limited range of one meter and twenty centimeters. If it were a little wider, my range to play would have spread way further. I am curious if there is a superior Relic available with a configurable range.
As it is an illusion it isn’t affected by physical objects. When I operate the dragon to fly out of the window, it became out of range and disappeared by melting out of thin air.
“What a weak dragon.”
Weeell, it isn’t the fault of the dragon though.
Suddenly the door of the Clan Master Room opened while I was grinning and playing with the flying dragon. I spontaneously jerk my body. It is Eva.
I have no immediate work to do but it is embarrassing to be seen playing in such a childish way. I hurriedly erased the dragon that was flying.
Perhaps I made it just in time, behind Eva’s glasses, her eyes are wide open.
“!? ???? Wha, what was that, just now?”
“… It was nothing. I was just surprised because you came in so suddenly.”
I am used to Liz suddenly jumping in but it is rare for Eva to not knock.
Eva mysteriously blinks when she hears my words.
“Eh…? I have knocked though.”
… I was so busy flying the dragon that I didn’t notice it at all. After all, this playing shouldn’t be done in this room.
Needless to ask her what her business was. There is an unpleasant amount of letters on the hands of the now approaching Eva.
Initially, 《Strange Grief》 had less contacts from nobles than other High-Level Parties but for some reason the number of letters addressed to me has increased since I was involved with Gladys-kyo3 at the auction.
Mysteriously, it seems there is a rumor about me saving Éclair-jou4 in the neighborhood. I wasn’t the one who saved her, it was Ark…
Any Hunter who is seeking for a status or is looking for a connection will gratefully accept a letter sent from nobles. Unfortunately for them, I am in the category of Hunter who wants to retire. I will just politely refuse the letter.
In reality, I also plan to escape from Zebrudia if it becomes really dangerous.
As I rest on my chair and calm my breath, I suddenly notice Eva’s line of sight pointing at the direction of my desk. If I am more specific ―― It is pointing at the small humanoid I had forgotten to erase.
Eva raises her face and looks at me. It was as if she was suspicious of her own sanity.
The small humanoids run across my desk in a hurry and jump down from my side of the desk. I clear my throat a little and lean back on my chair with my legs crossed.
“… So, what do you want?”
“??? Do you think you can deceive me with that? What was that just now!?”
Eva goes around me and looks under my desk but the small humanoid has already disappeared. There is no way you can find them.
I decided to aim to be a mysterious being while also being badass. I cross both of my arms and make a nihil smile.
“Fuh… Even I have secrets, you know.”
“That… I already knew but…”
Eva repeatedly tilts her head but nods strongly as if to convince herself.
She makes a small cough to recover her calm.
“This time, it seems there are many letters from nobles. If it is possible I want you to read them at least once ――”
On my desk, she sees a miniature person looking just like me, who wasn’t there just a second ago, he was holding his hands above his head in an attempt to receive a letter, Eva’s expression hardened and slowly looked at me.
When I nod, she fearfully tries to place the letter on its hands and ―― The weight of the letter crushed the miniature Cry into dust.
Eva’s face turned pale in a flash and hurriedly picked up the letter, but of course there was nothing left beneath it. Miniature Cry disappeared like an illusion.
Rather than like an illusion… It was an illusion.
“Eh?? Ano5? I ――”
“Aah, you don’t have to worry about it. So what was it?”
" "
I gave a gentle smile to Eva who was unusually flustered. This, is really fun…
§ § §
『Zebrudia Southwest Abandoned Metropolitan Area』. In a corner of a dark alley where if you are a decent person you won’t enter, Liz Smart irritatingly clicks her tongue.
“… Ahー, Haaa. This is why Magic Society is a big no no. It is because they never come from the front…”
“Because the surviving illegal Magic Society are usually cautious… Even among them, I think that the Tower of Akasha is a particularly troublesome one…”
The one who answered is Sytry who is hiding her face as much as she can with her hood that goes up to her eyes.
Liz and Sytry were looking for traces and information on everything around the auction off Akasha.
Find out about the one who bids at the auction, then investigate the seller and finally investigate everyone who would come into contact with Greg ―― The Hunter who bid off 『Akasha』.
Liz and the others from 《Strange Grief》 are all used to deal with criminal groups. It used to be a daily occurence to get involved with Red Parties and this isn’t the first time they destroyed a Criminal Organization or a Magic Society.
However, the opponent this time is at a different level than the small fries that Liz and the others had taken so far.
In front of Liz, there are three men with a good constitution who are kneeling down.
From their bodies that have been trained with multiple real fights, are releasing an intimidating aura that is only possible by people who have absorbed a large amount of Mana Material and their abilities can be seen even from their used armor. The fallen Daggers, Katanas and Wands painted in black on the roadside are all high-quality and if you were going to buy new ones, it will easily exceed ten million Gils.
The Imperial Capital is the holy place for Hunters. But if there is light, there is darkness as well.
Those guys were mercenary, fallen Hunters that Liz found after tracing back the little thread she had. They are dark Hunters who are good at interpersonal fights and including violence, they take on jobs that are violating the laws. Their abilities are well above the level of the Hunters’ average and are often a problem for the Explorer Association in the Imperial Capital.
However, from Liz point of view, these guys are just a bunch of drop out Hunters. Losers who had forgotten Hunter’s true responsibilities, ran away from Shrines where Monsters, Phantoms and frightening Trap spawned and chose to exploit the weak to live.
It isn’t like she is denying the fact of exploiting the weak but there is no reason to be afraid of a bunch of losers who are hiding and are only dealing with weaker people.
*Niyaniya*: Japanese sound for smiling. When something is between asterisks it will be the Japanese sound of the action. *Patapata* Wings flapping sound Kyo: Japanese suffix meaning Lord Jou: Japanese suffix meaning Miss Ano: it means something like excuse me
Top floor of 《First Step (Footprint of the Beginning)》 Clan House. I was looking down at my desk while grinning in the Clan Master Room, where among all Clan Members, only clerks and Clan Master are allowed to enter.
On my desk, a scene with five small humanoids of about five centimeters in length running around was unfolding in front of me.
The small humanoid was so elaborate that you could think that it was a human being reduced to that size.
Each of their appearances was divided to look like a Mage, a Monk, a Swordsman, a Thief and an Alchemist. I cheated a little bit on the details for their robes and armors but it was so well done that I feel like complimenting myself.
While rubbing the hot bracelet, I let the humanoids walk around the edge of my desk.
They aren’t real dolls but they come from the Relic I had just obtained ―― They are illusions I created by using 『Mirage Form』. The border lines and small mountains reflected on my desk are also an illusion.
In the beginning, I couldn’t set the shape and the coloring very well but over my last few days of practice, I have managed to create a rather successful vision of my small humanoids.
Most likely, the Relic itself may have a function that complements the image I have to some extent.
However, even with this, it is still very fun to practice forming an image like this. At first look, it does look mundane and regardless of whether it is useful or not ―― If I use it as a pastime, there probably isn’t another Relic as fun as this one.
At the same time as I poke one of the illusions with my finger, I make it move as if something pushed its waist. I make the other illusions act like they were protesting against me. Everything was operated by me but it is as if I am interacting with small spirits. I can’t stop *niyaniya* 1 grinning.
I want to show it to someone but I can’t do it because if it becomes known that I am playing with small dolls like this, my image of being a badass would collapse, it is a pity.
Next, I try to add an additional small dragon of the size of my hand. It isn’t just one or two, three, or even four as it keeps on increasing. Of course, each of their colors are different.
When I was still going around with my Party, I had many encounters with dragons. The details are a little off but there isn’t any shortage of illusions to make up for it if it is just approximate.
A dragon is flapping *patapata*2 above me and spinning around me. I concentrate and try to find a more realistic way for it to fly.
The only weakness of this Relic is its limited range of one meter and twenty centimeters. If it were a little wider, my range to play would have spread way further. I am curious if there is a superior Relic available with a configurable range.
As it is an illusion it isn’t affected by physical objects. When I operate the dragon to fly out of the window, it became out of range and disappeared by melting out of thin air.
“What a weak dragon.”
Weeell, it isn’t the fault of the dragon though.
Suddenly the door of the Clan Master Room opened while I was grinning and playing with the flying dragon. I spontaneously jerk my body. It is Eva.
I have no immediate work to do but it is embarrassing to be seen playing in such a childish way. I hurriedly erased the dragon that was flying.
Perhaps I made it just in time, behind Eva’s glasses, her eyes are wide open.
“!? ???? Wha, what was that, just now?”
“… It was nothing. I was just surprised because you came in so suddenly.”
I am used to Liz suddenly jumping in but it is rare for Eva to not knock.
Eva mysteriously blinks when she hears my words.
“Eh…? I have knocked though.”
… I was so busy flying the dragon that I didn’t notice it at all. After all, this playing shouldn’t be done in this room.
Needless to ask her what her business was. There is an unpleasant amount of letters on the hands of the now approaching Eva.
Initially, 《Strange Grief》 had less contacts from nobles than other High-Level Parties but for some reason the number of letters addressed to me has increased since I was involved with Gladys-kyo3 at the auction.
Mysteriously, it seems there is a rumor about me saving Éclair-jou4 in the neighborhood. I wasn’t the one who saved her, it was Ark…
Any Hunter who is seeking for a status or is looking for a connection will gratefully accept a letter sent from nobles. Unfortunately for them, I am in the category of Hunter who wants to retire. I will just politely refuse the letter.
In reality, I also plan to escape from Zebrudia if it becomes really dangerous.
As I rest on my chair and calm my breath, I suddenly notice Eva’s line of sight pointing at the direction of my desk. If I am more specific ―― It is pointing at the small humanoid I had forgotten to erase.
Eva raises her face and looks at me. It was as if she was suspicious of her own sanity.
The small humanoids run across my desk in a hurry and jump down from my side of the desk. I clear my throat a little and lean back on my chair with my legs crossed.
“… So, what do you want?”
“??? Do you think you can deceive me with that? What was that just now!?”
Eva goes around me and looks under my desk but the small humanoid has already disappeared. There is no way you can find them.
I decided to aim to be a mysterious being while also being badass. I cross both of my arms and make a nihil smile.
“Fuh… Even I have secrets, you know.”
“That… I already knew but…”
Eva repeatedly tilts her head but nods strongly as if to convince herself.
She makes a small cough to recover her calm.
“This time, it seems there are many letters from nobles. If it is possible I want you to read them at least once ――”
On my desk, she sees a miniature person looking just like me, who wasn’t there just a second ago, he was holding his hands above his head in an attempt to receive a letter, Eva’s expression hardened and slowly looked at me.
When I nod, she fearfully tries to place the letter on its hands and ―― The weight of the letter crushed the miniature Cry into dust.
Eva’s face turned pale in a flash and hurriedly picked up the letter, but of course there was nothing left beneath it. Miniature Cry disappeared like an illusion.
Rather than like an illusion… It was an illusion.
“Eh?? Ano5? I ――”
“Aah, you don’t have to worry about it. So what was it?”
" "
I gave a gentle smile to Eva who was unusually flustered. This, is really fun…
§ § §
『Zebrudia Southwest Abandoned Metropolitan Area』. In a corner of a dark alley where if you are a decent person you won’t enter, Liz Smart irritatingly clicks her tongue.
“… Ahー, Haaa. This is why Magic Society is a big no no. It is because they never come from the front…”
“Because the surviving illegal Magic Society are usually cautious… Even among them, I think that the Tower of Akasha is a particularly troublesome one…”
The one who answered is Sytry who is hiding her face as much as she can with her hood that goes up to her eyes.
Liz and Sytry were looking for traces and information on everything around the auction off Akasha.
Find out about the one who bids at the auction, then investigate the seller and finally investigate everyone who would come into contact with Greg ―― The Hunter who bid off 『Akasha』.
Liz and the others from 《Strange Grief》 are all used to deal with criminal groups. It used to be a daily occurence to get involved with Red Parties and this isn’t the first time they destroyed a Criminal Organization or a Magic Society.
However, the opponent this time is at a different level than the small fries that Liz and the others had taken so far.
In front of Liz, there are three men with a good constitution who are kneeling down.
From their bodies that have been trained with multiple real fights, are releasing an intimidating aura that is only possible by people who have absorbed a large amount of Mana Material and their abilities can be seen even from their used armor. The fallen Daggers, Katanas and Wands painted in black on the roadside are all high-quality and if you were going to buy new ones, it will easily exceed ten million Gils.
The Imperial Capital is the holy place for Hunters. But if there is light, there is darkness as well.
Those guys were mercenary, fallen Hunters that Liz found after tracing back the little thread she had. They are dark Hunters who are good at interpersonal fights and including violence, they take on jobs that are violating the laws. Their abilities are well above the level of the Hunters’ average and are often a problem for the Explorer Association in the Imperial Capital.
However, from Liz point of view, these guys are just a bunch of drop out Hunters. Losers who had forgotten Hunter’s true responsibilities, ran away from Shrines where Monsters, Phantoms and frightening Trap spawned and chose to exploit the weak to live.
It isn’t like she is denying the fact of exploiting the weak but there is no reason to be afraid of a bunch of losers who are hiding and are only dealing with weaker people.
*Niyaniya*: Japanese sound for smiling. When something is between asterisks it will be the Japanese sound of the action. *Patapata* Wings flapping sound Kyo: Japanese suffix meaning Lord Jou: Japanese suffix meaning Miss Ano: it means something like excuse me
