Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter Dreams of a Hero ~

Chapter 24: Escape?From?Reality

Chapter 24

Escape From Reality

The 【Imperial Capital Zebrudia】 was always bustling.

Well maintained streets. The main roads were broad and interwoven, there were always countless carriages and people busily coming and going.

It was to the extent that people hailing from other districts would say that there was always a festival in Zebrudia.

When people gathered, things gathered, and that’s what grew the city.

The 【Imperial Capital Zebrudia】 was currently said to be a large world leading city, and that there was nothing you couldn’t find there.

Powerful weapons and armour, a delicacy originally only found in particular towns facing the ocean, rare books with only a few existing volumes in the world, expensive potions that could cure any illness, and ―― profound and mysterious Relics produced from the surrounding Shrines.

Wealth to prestige. And also, power. The Imperial Capital Zebrudia that took pride in it’s splendour could be said to be a representative of cities with active hunters in the modern age.

And, it was still unknown whether it’s growth would stop.

For us, the members of 『Strange Grief』, that the first city we chose to visit was the Imperial Capital was our most extreme case of good fortune.

Of course I wouldn’t ever say anything against the amount of effort my childhood friends put in, but the abundant resources and superior teachers gave us a big leap forward.

And so, we took that momentum and 『Strange Grief』 ran up what regular people

saw as the glorious path of Treasure Hunters.

Actually, in the five years since we had come to the Capital, our party (except me) had already finished overcoming most of the Shrines in the vicinity.

But still the capital was our hometown, it was convenient and there was also the pretext of making new friends. And it wasn’t like I didn’t have any thoughts of contributing to the development of the city a little if possible.

But at the moment – this Imperial Capital that we owed a great debt to was facing an unprecedented crisis because of me.

The Clan House top floor.

After spending an hour searching my private room, I was clutching my head in my hands.

Sytry’s slime was – nowhere to be found. No matter how many times I searched. Searching every nook and cranny it didn’t appear.

From the gaps between the countless Relics that decorated my room, to underneath my bed. I searched everywhere, but there were no traces of it.

I sat on my bed with a flump, and muttered alone. My throat was parched.

It was a pleasantly warm afternoon. Usually I would take a stroll outside with a suitable escort, or sit in my chair in the Clan Master’s room and take a nap, but I absolutely couldn’t feel that way right now.

“Crap... what do I do. It’s not anywhere....”

The thing that should have been inside the metal capsule, I had noticed it wasn’t there before throwing it in the White Wolves Den.

Fortunately we were able to manage the Hunt itself with the help of our adorable Genocidal Monster, but there was still a big question that remained.

That was, where was Sytry’s Slime?

I swear, I had never opened the capsule before even once.

After it was entrusted into my care, I put it in the safe and always left it there. It was treated as a half-way toxic substance. I had made it a rule to run away from dangerous things to the best of my ability.

Sytry’s Slime was created by a member of 『Strange Grief』, Sytry Smart. The Slime was known as the weakest monster of them all.

Against heat, cold, magic, physical attacks, and also shocks, it was weak.

If you were a child in the countryside, at one time or another you probably played

around by stepping on field slimes.

It was also famous for being able to be created through special techniques, and was often used in experiments because it’s nature changed according to the mana in it’s surroundings.

Just one slime going missing by all rights shouldn’t give off a sense of impending doom. But it wasn’t surprising to feel when one went missing on this occasion.

Sytry had said it was a good thing to create, but to be careful with it since there was a little danger that the Imperial Capital would be destroyed if it was released, so take care of it.

And her ‘little’ doesn’t mean just a ‘little’. (Saying ‘a little’ when the Capital could be destroyed is a little bit little....)

Sytry is a genius. Her body wasn’t very strong, but she more than made up for that in intelligence.

And she was the most matured among the collected monsters of『Strange Grief』. But at the beginning she was a child just like me, that was worried about her own weakness. (Although I should mention at that point she was much stronger than I was.)

From the start, she must have been a late-bloomer type.

All the members of Strange Grief showed outstanding talent from the outset, so I was the only one that understood that kind of suffering.

Now she had become strong. With knowledge and experience, her position had rapidly grown, but the sympathy she held towards me didn’t disappear.

Perhaps that was why Sytry often handed me “deliverables”. To her perfectly well intentions, I couldn’t turn them down. (Or should I say, they would become litter if I didn’t accept them, so I had to even if I didn’t want to. For some reason Sytry wasn’t interested in the “deliverables” I didn’t accept.)

And for all that, Sytry-chan had some small bits missing in her, so she often left out important information that lead to me making mistakes time and again.

a

Yeah. Exactly like – this time it seems.

a

“.........No no no no no. This time will be different. It’s been in the safe this whole time, and I never opened it.”

Calmly think.

I definitely paid meticulous attention to that Slime.

Sytry’s Slime was inside the metal capsule.

Even as stupid as I was to drop a Relic without noticing while moving, I wasn’t skilful enough to only lose the contents of something.

I wasn’t, I think. Just to say so would be going too far.

The metal capsule had already been destroyed unfortunately, so I couldn’t examine it in detail, but the capsule hadn’t had a single scratch on it. There were no holes in it, and it was difficult to imagine that only the contents would be stolen from the safe.

The safe was on the top floor of the Clan House – it was guarded perfectly, and in the first place the safe that it was kept in – was a Relic.

I wouldn’t say for sure that it would never be able to be opened by a third party, but if it was opened I would surely be aware of it.

That is to say there is only one conclusion.

-Originally, the contents had been empty. It’s that!

I convinced myself, and got on my bed and laid out flat on my back. “Good grief, so Sytry can be mischievous too. Ahahahaha...”

Sytry wasn’t a foolish person like me, or someone that would pull a practical joke like that, but it wasn’t unimaginable.

...Anyway, that was enough.

It was becoming troublesome to think about, and when I did I felt like throwing up.

The Capital was at peace today. Everything was fine. Lets just pretend the Slime never existed.

In the first place, even though it was something specially made by Sytry, it was a slime after all. It was the weakest monster. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

That’s right. Saying the Capital would be destroyed was obviously an exaggeration,

....since there are plenty of amazing Hunters living here. I’ll think about something more enjoyable.

§

A desk and chair that were pointlessly grand and elegant.

The large window in the Clan Master’s room let in a lot of sunlight. It made you sleepy, particularly in this season approaching the end of winter.

I didn’t have any work to do, so I was sitting in my chair absentmindedly polishing my Relics when the Deputy Clan Master Eva entered the room.

I’m a decorative Master, so Eva acted in my place taking charge of all Clan administration. She looked busy today as well.

Dressed in a uniform crisp from top to bottom, and sharp eyes that peeked through red framed glasses.

If you lined us up as a pair next to each other I’m sure we’d be the dim-witted Master and competent secretary. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly how it is in reality.

“The Explorers have contacted us to hear in more detail of the matter concerning the White Wolves Den.”

Eva looked at me, and without scolding she went straight into the main topic.

She truly is the Deputy Master. Even though when she first entered the clan she would often give her frank opinion, before I knew she had started not saying anything. Maybe she had given up.

I let out a big yawn while I rubbed my eyes and listened. I hadn’t slept much since losing the Slime, so it was unavoidable that I’d be sleepy.

“Has Ark come back yet?”

“...As would be expected, it would be difficult to entrust this to Ark-san who hasn’t even been there.”

Ark was... Ark wasn’t enough. Eva shrugged in exasperation.

He is strong. Strong enough to be above the others. He’s popular too.

A companion from the same clan, it truly couldn’t be helped that I would end up relying on him.

The main thing, was that the number of Hunters with screws loose became even more frequent among the strong.

From the experience of making a clan, I knew that if something came up, if you threw Ark at it then it would work out some way or another.

Well, an outcome of that was having to go through a bitter experience at the White Wolves Den.

Surely if it was Ark he would be able to do something about the Slime.

“Tino was the Leader so Tino should do the report. I just chased after them from behind.”

I went to help, but I didn’t defeat any Phantoms or rescue Tino and the others.

Liz-chan had come running after me so I was of some help indirectly, but looking back on it calmly it didn’t appear that great.

In the old days I once wished to be a Hunter that could cooly rescue someone in a pinch and be praised. Now I didn’t hold such overambitious desires.

Whatever the details were, above all the result was that Tino and the rest were safe.

Sighing with a somewhat philosophical feeling, I was suddenly struck with an idea I could verify with Eva.

“By the way, have their been any changes lately in the Capital?”

“? Changes, as in, what do you mean exactly? What are you saying?” Eva Renfeed was excellent.

Unlike me she had the skills to manage this clan that had swelled on a large scale –

『First Step』.

This included the ability to gather information. Though with the exception of me, all our clan members were excellent.

If there were news of strange occurrences in the Capital, there was no way she wouldn’t have heard about it.

In short, it meant that I hadn’t missed Sytry’s Slime.

Also I didn’t feel impatience in Eva’s tone when she asked for more clarification. End of verification.

I settled back into my chair and breathed a sigh of relief. It’s ok. It’ll surely be ok. “No, it wasn’t anything in particular so it’s fine.”

“...I’ll investigate immediately.”

“No, it’s fine. That much is unnecessary. It’s fine, it’s fine... probably. It’s just me imagining things. So, just take it easy, don’t worry.”

“...”

Eva looked at me suspiciously. Her sole weak point might be that she was too devoted to her work.

I shouldn’t stir up trouble for myself.

Most things in the world could generally be made to work as you went along.

...Sytry, please hurry back before it’s too late.

“Afterwards, Liz-san made Tino-san work herself hard so it seems right now she is unable to move.”

“Really? She’s working hard isn’t she.”

Despite only just finishing a hunt where she put her life on the line, wasn’t it quite a considerable thing to immediately go and train?

As expected of Tino. That’s just like her.

The Tino that was just a girl when we first came to the Capital could already be called a fine Hunter.

And Liz also seems to be a fine teacher. That’s right...

A sudden surge of drowsiness rose up and I let out a big yawn. If I kept sitting like this I’d end up falling asleep.

The clan would keep functioning even if I took a nap.

But it wouldn’t be good to show that appearance in front of Eva who was working hard.

I wouldn’t mind if I was expelled, but it would be a problem if Eva quit.

“Well, I’ll think about our talk while I go make an appearance. The training range?” “...That should be fine. The second floor underground training range.”

“Ok-. Well until later then.”

As I stood and waved at her, Eva never dropped her serious expression even once.

§ § §

“Go collect any new information at once. Gather up any incidents occurring in the Imperial Capital, no matter how trivial – scrape it all up.”

“Y-Yes. Understood!”

At Eva’s calm yet somewhat intimidating voice, one of her subordinates left the room running.

Eva Renfeed was originally a merchant.

Before becoming the Deputy Clan Master she was a member of a trading company competing for the first and second spot as a major power of the Empire – The Wells Company.

Although she was still in a lower position in those days, after she resigned she still continued to keep her connections.

『First Step』 is a huge clan.

Superior Hunters can be identified as an armed force. Especially for a clan the size of 『Footprints』, to the country, merchants, and to other Hunters, it was seen that way down to the bandits and criminals that specialised in Hunters.

Although it was unfamiliar to Eva, she used her position to construct an intelligence network on the level of the highest in the Capital and developed the Clan.

Merchant networks. Information mediums such as newspapers. To not be caught off guard she used her status among Hunters to collect information from Treasure Hunters. Her reach even extended to the Explorers Association.

Freshness of information was most important. Most of the events occurring in the Capital were brought to Eva’s attention immediately.

That was, why the question asked by the Clan Master this time had been such a shock.

If this was the first time she might have firmly proceeded with further questioning. At least, she wouldn’t purposely order for an investigation.

But, for Eva the Masters words were worth putting confidence into. Cry Andoric was a strange man.

When they first met he was still a boy without his recognition as a Level 8 Hunter and still didn’t hold an alias.

From then several years had passed with their relationship as Clan head and Deputy Master, but she was still yet to get a good grasp of him.

He was always sitting vacantly in his office polishing Relics and yawning.

He didn’t interfere with the management of the Clan, and there was no feeling that he was working towards anything.

He didn’t have a strong appearance, and aside from his occasional eccentric behaviour there was nothing special in particular about his character.

Like some of the people within the clan, he didn’t have the shine of a hunter that would become great in the future.

On the contrary, he was frequently saying he wanted to retire as a Hunter and hand over the Clan Master position.

Supposing a person didn’t know him, they would unmistakably conclude that he was an idiot.

Even Eva, at first held dissatisfaction at that lackluster appearance.

However sometimes he would let leak words that, to Eva that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say had full knowledge of the Imperial Capital, contained such precision that they couldn’t be thought of as jokes.

From natural disasters such as Earthquakes, to the outbreak of abnormalities in a far off Shrine.

From quarrels between Empire aristocrats up to the manoeuvres of secret societies behind the scenes, many times over she had seen him meddle in affairs with no prior indications.

The person in question clearly was in no position to know of these things. However, once might be seen as a coincidence, but over and over and it becomes seen as an inevitability.

Inconceivable foresight that could not be expressed with words such as ‘genius’. Unidentifiable. Infinite Variety was an apt way to call it. When Eva first heard the alias he would be attached with she clapped her hands in agreement.

The person himself said that it was only coincidence and that he was unlucky. However taking the previous conditions into account and then seeing those wilful Hunters submissive to that figure –

Occasionally it looked to Eva as more of a Monster than those Hunters with easy to understand monster like ability.

Eva held confidence in her own abilities. But it only persisted under the category of common sense.

If Cry perceived some kind of premonition, no matter how abrupt his words were, Eva took action on that premise alone.

The room of the Deputy Clan Master.

Eva finished issuing orders to her many subordinates in the room that was disordered compared to the Clan Master’s.

At the rear window, Eva muttered while looking down at the surface world.

Dismissing all thoughts of her usual duties from her mind, she frantically tried to recall anything she may have overlooked.

“What in the world is going to happen, in this Imperial Capital...” It was during Eva’s daily routine when this took place.

The start of the second arc. If you have any thoughts about the first part as a whole, consider leaving a review on updates since it’d be interesting for me to read them.