I'm sure you've heard of it.

As I was polishing the Dog's Chain, I suddenly remembered that the chain's mana had been emptied, thinking that Tino and the others should have arrived at the Treasure Hall by now.

The treasures that can be obtained in the Treasure Hall are not unconditionally effective.

The more powerful the treasure, the more magic power needs to be accumulated beforehand.

This is one of the reasons why treasure hunters do not carry too many tools.

It's easy to put magic power into a treasure trove, and all living things have magic power itself, but the amount of magic power varies greatly from person to person, and even a legitimate magician (magi), whose magic power is directly related to his or her strength, will find his or her power empty after putting magic power into a few treasure troves.

In my case, sadly, my magic power was below normal, so I left all the charging to my friends and clan members.
This is one of the reasons why I gave up being a hunter. Give me at least one advantage.

The setting sun streamed in through the full-wall windows, illuminating the entire spacious lounge in an orange hue.

At some of the tables, members of a familiar footprint were hanging out.
No one had been here earlier, but they might have returned after finishing their work for the day. Each of them was chatting and laughing in a relaxed manner.

I plunge into one of them without reading the air.
If you want to get several charges, you need to choose a party, but this time the magic is only broken by a single chain, so it doesn't matter where.

The leader, a man with wire-black hair and stubble, looks at me and smiles cheerfully. He seems to be in a good mood.

'Ah, Master. You had a rough day yesterday.'

'Well, it's a common story. I'm sorry, but could you charge the treasure?

'Hmm. How many do you need?

'It's only one chain, so one is fine.

'That's not a problem, is it?

He graciously agreed and handed the Chain of Dogs to his fellow wizard (Magi).
The wizard was a woman, but she didn't seem to be displeased either.

I am filled with apology, but the magic of the treasure will be empty in a certain period of time without using it.
We have been asking for it rather frequently, so everyone is used to it.

The magic power recovers naturally with the passage of time, but its depletion is a heavy burden.
Before going to the treasure house, the clan may refuse the request because of the risk, but the clan master's position is still effective.

Thanks to Eva's efforts to manage the clan to relieve the frustration of the clan members.

The Dog's Chain glowed faintly as it was infused with magical power.

Meanwhile, the leader of the clan suddenly said in a tone as if he were making small talk.

'Oh, by the way, Master. Did you hear? It seems that a straggler has appeared on the northern road. It's on a small scale, but it's wiped out the merchant corps.'

The Imperial City of Zebuldia is a large city.
The roads leading to it are incomparably better than those of other cities, and the demons that live nearby are regularly thinned out, but occasionally someone is unlucky enough to be attacked.

The streets of the Imperial City are all protected from demons. Demons rarely come near the roads, so those rare individuals - demons and phantoms - are called "stragglers" and are feared.

They are very difficult to predict in advance. In addition, such individuals are often more powerful than the average person.

Although this area has been developed a lot, it is still necessary to have a guard to go out safely.

I would never walk outside without an escort, but it's not easy being a merchant.

'It's so dangerous. Demons? Phantoms? If it's a street, it's a phantom.

To the north of the Imperial City, there is a forest rich in resources.
It is unlikely that a demon would come out from there and attack the merchant troops passing by on the road.

The leader looked up at me and gave a small nod.

'Ah. I heard that the Knights are issuing a warning and recruiting a strike force. Sounds like a big one. I've heard that the merchant corps had three level 3 guards with them.

'They had hunters, but they were really wiped out? That's bad luck.

Phantoms are not immune to the demon evaders on the streets.

Phantoms made of mana and material basically never leave the area of the treasure house where they are generated, but since there are many treasure houses around the imperial capital, it happens once every few months or so.

Well, it's nothing to worry about.

Three level 3s were killed, so it must have been a strong phantom, but a phantom without a flesh body can't live long in a place where mana material is thin.

It will take some time for them to disappear naturally, but they will be weakened after a while, so if the Imperial Knights are working, they will be defeated soon.

Well, it's none of my business. Even powerful illusions won't be able to enter the Imperial City.

The leader said to me as I was waiting for the chain to be charged with a relaxed attitude.

'According to the testimony of a hunter who happened to be passing by, it seems to be a Phantom of the Wolf. Most of the guards must have been caught off guard, to be attacked on an open road...'

'Heh, ......?

Wolf? Wolf? Wolf?

It's a word I've only recently heard, and I frown upon it.

The road north of the imperial capital.
The White Wolf's Lair, where Tino was sent, is located in the woods right next to it.

The shape and type of phantoms are determined by each treasure house to some extent. It was natural for me to associate it with the wolf shape.

The leader of the group, oblivious to my condition, spoke pleasantly.

'Most likely, the evolution occurred in the treasure house that was not thinned out enough. It's not good for hunters. It's a good thing for hunters, though.

'............ Well, there are many treasure halls in the north of the Imperial Capital. There are also some in the forest, and if the illusion is a wolf, then surely--'

'First of all, it's definitely the White Wolf's Den.

The leader took my words in stride and gave his name. It seems that the hunters belonging to the Footprints have information about the nearby treasure halls in their heads.

He said with conviction, but kept his smile on his face as he continued to speak. My stomach began to churn.

'Yes, yes, the White Wolf's Nest, and the possibility of--'

'Hmm? Is there any other place in that area where the Phantom of the Wolf appears? I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you.

...... Really?

I can feel my face twitching.
The wizard who is charging the Dog's Chain is looking at my change in expression with curious eyes.

'If they've come outside, then the White Wolf's Lair must be full of phantoms by now. There should be an alert at the Search Council. Maybe the government will ask us to get rid of them. It's time to make money.

Phantoms that don't leave corpses are basically unprofitable. But if they overflow to the outside and affect the logistics, that's a different story.


In the event that you have any questions regarding where and how to use the site, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In the event that you've got a lot of money to spend, you'll be able to take advantage of it.

The Gilbert boy has the treasure, and we should be able to handle it.

'Leader, that wolf over there is pretty strong, so don't let your guard down and die.

One of the party members teased the serious leader. All of this stabbed me in the heart.

Strong? Strong? I've never been there, is it that strong?
No, it's not that bad, right? That's level 3, so it's strong. So-so. Don't worry, Tino's strong too.

I'll just show him the request form at ...... just in case. I'm not trying to be mean.

I smiled and took out a folded request form from my pocket and spread it out on the table.

When the leader read it, his eyes widened in surprise.

He read the contents of the request form from top to bottom, nodded his head in agreement, and smiled in admiration.

'What is it, Master? You're a bad person. Pretend you don't know and you've already taken care of it.'

'Yeah, yeah ...... I guess so. I had ...... Tino go.'

'! Tino is a level 4--so ............ right. You're still as spartan as ever. ......'

The leader of the group, who had been acting in an open manner until a moment ago, instantly changed his expression to one of consternation. The other members of the team backed off a bit with smiles on their faces.

It's always the same. I'm unlucky. Bad timing.

I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't do it on purpose. I mean, when was the last time the Merchant Marine was attacked? How am I supposed to know that?

I'm not a demon. I wouldn't have dumped you on Tino if I did. I would've gotten another order.

A young man who seemed to be a thief, who was staring at the request form intently, let out a whisper.

'Just because it's a level 3 treasure trove doesn't mean you should ...... throw a level 4, solo kid into a request where a level 5 hunter is missing.

'Well, well, it's all part of the learning process. ...... Level 5?'

'......What? No, look here .......'

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

It's a place where the names of the hunters listed for rescue are written one after another. It's a place I skipped over without paying particular attention.

But the boy seemed to see something else.

'This Rodolphe Davout is a level 5 hunter, isn't he? I often see him in the search councils, he's quite famous with a long spear. Don't tell me you didn't know--'

'Idiot. How could a master who has all the information on hunters and treasure halls in the imperial capital not know such a rudimentary thing? Hahaha, I'm sorry, my Ena was rude--''

The leader apologizes with a tight smile. The wizard girl called Ena hurriedly bows her head.

With a dry smile, I gestured that I didn't mind.

I don't even know if I know the names and faces of all the members of my clan, and I'm the one who has all the information?
Who's spreading rumors about me? There are too many candidates to narrow it down.

I don't know any outside hunters. The only time I go to the scouting station these days is when I'm pissed off.
So what? Do you guys have all the information on the hunters? How many people do you think there are in total?

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down.

If I had known that a level 5 hunter was missing, I wouldn't have dumped it on Tino, but it's not time to panic yet.

...... I remember when I showed him the request, Tino said I was only level 4.

I'm not sure what to do. What are you going to do when your pretty junior dies?

I take a deep breath and adjust my heartbeat.

For now, I must maintain my dignity as Clan Master on the surface.
It would be no problem at all if I were to be ousted from my position as Clan Master, in fact I would welcome it, but that is not the point.

'This is also a learning experience. Don't worry, I've attached three outside hunters to Tino.

The Gilberto boy was also showing a willingness to follow Tino.
It's better than not having Luda and Master Greg.

The leader, however, did not respond to my words in the way I expected.
His slightly lifted cheek twitched.

'Oh, I see. ......'

'...... even more shackles to a difficult task--'

'This is the famous Stogli, who made the Stogli the top party.

A look of awe that you wouldn't expect from a good hunter-monster.

Famous? What do you mean famous? .......

I flattened my face, which had been on the verge of collapsing from sheer embarrassment.

The leader, who had been smiling cheerfully until a moment ago, started to stand up. His expression was as serious as if he were facing a demon.

I picked up the fully charged "Dog's Chain" on the table and set it on my belt, my usual position.

He cleared his throat once and put on a hard-boiled face.

'Sorry, but I have some business to attend to. I'll leave you to it. Thanks for your help, Charge.

'No, no, no. No, no, no, no. I'm sorry to bother your ears with this nonsense.

The tone of voice has changed from broken to respectful.

Before I knew it, the party at the other table was watching us.

Oh no. If I don't do something, I'll end up being the scumbag who forced Tino into this ridiculous request.
No, no. I didn't do it on purpose.

I'm turning on my heel. I don't know where to go anyway, so I hurry to the Clan Master's office.



At times like this, there's no arc to rely on. There were no members of the Ghosts of Sorrows either.

Normally, requests are made after careful preparation, but since this was a rescue request, we had to hurry. Tino and the others should be at the treasure house by now.

There's no time to lose. I tell myself in confusion.

'It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. I have the Purgatory Sword at ......!

Speaking of which, Purgatory Sword.

I used up all of my mana during the test of skill, but I wonder if Gilbert went to the treasure house after he recharged it?