'Huh? Ark isn't here? Why?'

'It seems he was called by a nobleman about the 'Prism Garden' that we conquered the other day and won't be back for a while.

'Oh, I see. It's bad timing.

Eva answered without looking up from her papers.

The Ark Brave, led by Ark, is a notable party in the Imperial Capital.

The leader is soft-spoken, handsome, tolerant for a hunter, and extremely strong. It was only natural that they would be called upon by the Imperial nobility, who were always looking for ways to get in touch with them.

It was to be expected, especially since he had just cleared the Treasure Hall of high difficulty the other day.
I guess I was rather lucky to be here until this morning.

But the timing is bad. Since I was going to ask Ark to do something, I thought anything would be fine and brought him a random request.

Although Ark is an excellent student, the only drawback is that he is very busy.

'That's a shame. What are you going to do about this punishment game?

'Shouldn't Mr. Cry go and do it?

You want me to die?

There are people who underestimate the Treasure House. This is especially the case with non-hunters, but I have seen the Treasure Hall of High Difficulty up close, and I can tell you that their perception is too naive.

The only treasure halls that are safe for ordinary people to enter are the level 1 certified treasure halls. After that, it is a magical world. There is a high probability of death if an ordinary person enters such a world.

Generally speaking, I'm already halfway back from the front lines.

'I haven't been in there for a long time, so I'm getting weaker.

'You've been slacking off too much.

Hunters are strong. Different dimension.
One of the reasons for this is the accumulation of power--the accumulation of mana material.

The treasure house is filled with a thick concentration of mana material.

The hunters who conquer it are almost always exposed to strong concentrations of mana material, and by taking it in, they gain powers that deviate from human existence.

Due to the specifications of this system, the more difficult the treasure hall, the more powerful the hunter becomes, but the mana material taken into the body does not stay in the body forever.

Although it varies from person to person, if you spend a lot of time in a town with a low concentration of mana like I do, the power stored in your body will quickly drain away and you will return to normal.
This is the reason why hunters who have been conquering treasure halls for a long time are often stronger than ordinary soldiers.

I've always been weak and untalented, but now that I'm on the front lines, I'm even weaker than before.

The level 3 treasure hall was not that difficult for the members of this clan, but it was impossible for me, a mere civilian.

And, of course, I had no intention of doing it.

If it had been up to me, I would have rejected the request at all costs. Don't underestimate the weakest of footprints.

He turns on his heel humming a tune. That's right. Even if Ark isn't here, I still have a trail.

'Well, whatever. I'll go to the lounge and find someone who looks like he's free and dump him.

'...... It's not good to force urgent requests on others.'

Ava frowns and gives me a reproachful look, but I think there is such a thing as the right person for the right job.


§


There is a lounge on the second floor of the clan headquarters.
It's a spacious area with a high vaulted ceiling and large windows that let in a lot of sunlight.

There are as many large tables as there are parties, and a bar counter set up against the wall.
In addition to being used for meetings, the bar counter serves simple meals and drinks free of charge, making it a relaxing space where members who seem to be bored often hang out.

Since the money was collected from everyone and I couldn't put it in my own wallet, I left it to Eva with the intention of spending it all.
It has become one of the selling points of our clan. You never know what will work.

I looked around the lounge, proud of myself, but I frowned.

'...... That's unusual. There's no one here.

'Mastaa! Good morning. You're barefaced again today. ...... What happened to that 'mask'?'

'It's broken.

It's daytime and Tino's the only one here. What's wrong with the others?

Poor Tino, who was sitting alone in his seat with a book, comes up to me.

He must be the one who destroyed the tavern yesterday, but his face shows no sign of concern.

'Mastaaa, I think your normal face is better than wearing that weird mask.

'I won't be able to recover if you say I look better with the mask on.

Until just a week ago, I always hid my true face with a special treasure.

The "Reverse Face". It's a mask of flesh that allows you to change your face at will.
Some hunters are eager to sell their faces, but I was the opposite.

But I have no more treasure. It's broken.

There is no substitute. Treasure tools are created by nature, and rare ones are hard to find and very expensive.

Moreover, the treasure trove, which hides its true identity from all but those with a certain level of sentience, violates several imperial laws and can only be obtained by a lucky chance, such as picking it up in the treasure house.

I'll just have to stay out here as long as I can. I'm going to vomit.

You'll be able to get a lot more than just a pair of shoes.

'Mastaa ......, where's your sister?

'If it's Liz and the others, they're in the treasure house. It's a level 8 'castle'. They were determined to go deep this time and bring something back. I don't think they'll be back for a while.

This is bad timing. If any of us had stayed, we'd have been punished.

And we can't just wait for him to come back.

At my words, Tino blinked a few times and had a strange expression on his face, but he quickly returned to smiling and showed me his palm.

'Speaking of which, Masutaa. I got this.'

'......Ugghh......'

Tino fluttered his left hand as if to show off. It contains a familiar treasure finger.
I let out a strange scream.

Unexpected. Tino Shade has certainly made remarkable progress, but he's still in his infancy, and there were many other, more powerful monsters there.

I've seen him take out the Gilbert boy in a surprise attack and take the ring, but Tino is not strong enough to defend it.

But the results show that ...... that's probably the case. It seems that the once adorable little sister has grown into a magnificent monster in a short time.

You can't give Mastaa's ring to such an undeserving person, even if you don't care about the pseudo-handsome man's party.



'No, it's just a bullet finger.

The "shot ring" is a treasure tool that allows you to fly magic bullets.

It is one of the most commonly found and therefore least valuable of the ring-shaped treasures.

The greatsword that Gilbert was showing off is probably more expensive.

Tino said with such joy that I felt sorry for giving it to him.

'There's value in what you can't see. That pseudo handsome guy also said it was an interesting event.

'Arc, Arc.

'Mastera ............, are you sure you want to give this to me?'

'I'm not going to lie. I'll give it to you, I'm sorry it's like that.

'Yes!

There is a wide range of performance and price when it comes to treasure tools. There are only a few hunters who use bullet fingers.

I'm sure Tino didn't use it either, but he didn't seem to mind as he twirled around with a little cheer. Cheap kid. I'm crying.

...... Tino is all I have left, so Tino it is.

It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything you like.

'Is Tino free right now?

'What ......?

Tino paused, her eyes widening slightly.

She's basically a solo hunter. It's easy to be flexible with your time.

Being a hunter doesn't mean she has too much time on her hands outside of hunting.

In order to perform at your best, you will need to train constantly, and you will need to gather information beforehand in order to attack the treasure house relatively safely.
The clan can support you to some extent, but most hunters are usually busy because they will die if they fail to do so. If you are solo, you will need to prepare more carefully.

However, Tino immediately responded to my words with a big smile, which was unusual for her.

'I'm bored! It's probably the most bored moment of my life! That's why I've been waiting for you!

She is saying something that if Master were to hear, he would be the first to set up a harsh curriculum.

But do you have that much free time on your hands? .......

I decided to impose on Tino the punishment I had received from Mr. Gark without reservation.

'Just in time, I got a job from the search co-op. I'll leave it to you.'

'............E'

Tino looked as if a pigeon had been hit by a peashooter.



§



'Mastaaa, I'm having the shock of my life right now. My maiden's heart has been torn apart. I didn't think Mastaaa was someone who would do such a terrible thing. I've been deceived.

'I didn't cheat, I didn't cheat.

'Raised and then dropped.

'I didn't drop it and I didn't raise it.

'Tino is losing motivation for something he hasn't done yet. His eyes were half dead.

His cheek was flat on the table, and he was looking at me resentfully.
In this posture, Tino said proudly, without any pretense of hiding his lack of motivation.

'To tell you the truth, I was planning to go with Mastaa for ice cream or something.

Tino has a sweet tooth. I'm sure he'll use that against me someday.

'Your master told me not to let you eat too many sweets.

'...... It's a trap. Your sister doesn't like it when Masutaa has dates when she's not around.

She's talking about a date. If a master is a master, then a disciple is a disciple.
Perhaps it was a bad thing that I took him around as my bodyguard for a while.

I have known her since she was a new hunter, and she is the second easiest to use after my friends and Ark.
She also has a high score for being pretty to look at. Asking for something from a strong man is mentally tough.

I pushed the file to Tino, who was in a slump.

'See, Tino? It's a fun, fun job, okay? Good for you, Uri Uri .......'

'Mastaa, don't you think I'm just a woman of convenience?

'It seems that there is someone who has tainted our pure Tino.

You've got some strange ideas.

'Master, it's you, you.'

Tino goes limp and starts following the words with his eyes only.

Then, after a moment of silence, he blurted out.

'It's an unheard of shitty request, sir.

'Yes, you're right.

I'm not sure what to make of it. Who's going to take this kind of thing?

'Yes, you're right.'

'...... Well, it's a punishment game, isn't it?

'Yes, it is, isn't it?

'......'

That's probably why it came over here. That bastard Gark, he used us as a dumping ground.

If I didn't have a junior colleague to talk to, I'd have said no. Unworthy things like this always go to those in weaker positions.

Tino wriggled his body and excused himself with a very uncomfortable expression.

'Mastaa, my level is only 4. I'm young. I'd love to be able to help you, but I'd rather not this time. ...... I can't rescue five people solo.

'............'

'............I've just remembered something.'

Tino pulls himself up with a start. When I blinked, he had already turned around and was running off.

As expected of a thief. He was gone from the lounge before I could even roll my eyes.

A piece of paper with a request form was left on the table.
It's an impressive escape.

So Tino's defender of the ring took it and ran away.

He's probably been trained so hard by Liz that he has a habit of running away.
That makes me feel closer to him.

I silently took off the two-meter-long chain that was tied to my belt and placed it on the desk.




A thin, silvery chain wriggled and jangled like a snake without being touched.


This is a beast. It is a chain, but it is a faithful beast.

A fangless dog that never tires, never needs food, and is loyal to its master.

Hence its name-- the Dog's Chain.

It is said that once, in ancient times when few records remain, there was a family that used chains.
It is said that each of them possessed a strange power and supported their lives.

The fact that the "chain type" is so popular among the treasures that appear in the treasure hall, although it is now only a legend, is probably a remnant of that civilization that once perished.

The chain lifts up and takes the form of a small dog for a moment.

When I pointed at it with my chin, it lost its shape and left the lounge with snake-like movements.