It was Tino who was lying there like a rag.

As I ran over to him, I heard a small moan of pain mixed with sadness.
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In front of him, Liz swung her foot down.

A sound like the rumbling of the earth shook the entire building. Tino's body twitched.

It's not that I don't like it.
There were footprints all over the floor, which was supposed to be sturdy. I don't know where that kind of power resides in his small frame. ......

'What? Cry-chan. I'm teaching Tee right now.

Liz turns to me, raising her voice lightly. Her beautiful pink eyes pierced me like jewels.

Although Liz is a bit uncommonly prone to losing her temper, she is not a random person.
She's especially sincere about her strength. She has refined her strength through many trials and tribulations, sometimes to the point of death.

Although she may be asking too much of him, Liz has been training Tino diligently, and she hates to be interrupted.

It has already been several years since the clan was founded. The oldest members of the party have been friends with Liz for a long time, and yet no one has been able to intervene, probably because this fact is deeply ingrained in them.

'Tee has a talent, you know. Maybe more than me. But she's weak. I wonder why, when I was Tee's age, I was much stronger, you know?'

'Yeah, yeah. Yes, you were.

You're strong enough now. We're all strong. Isn't that good? Everyone's different and everyone's good.

I managed to keep my smile from twitching as I stepped in front of Liz.
Sven and the others stopped at the entrance and watched me and Liz in silence.

I don't know much about the difference between Tino and Liz, but I'm sure Liz is right.
The idea that she might be more talented than him is not something that comes easily to her, given her personality.

But that's no reason to tear down a cute little junior and break her spirit.

'You're still naive. Kurai-chan may forgive you because you're kind, but if you continue like this, you might get into trouble again, right? You're my apprentice, so you need to have at least a minimum level of skill. If the tee is a small fish,......, I may be underestimated,.......'

Liz had a thin, spine-chilling smile on her face.
The temperature of the place drops due to the hint of violence in his voice.

I'm not a small fish at this stage, and I won't be licked.
Especially in this Imperial City, the name of Liz is spoken of with awe. He is a regular in the ranking of dangerous hunters in the Imperial Capital.

Liz then turned her eyes to the entrance as if she were looking at a bug.

'Some of them tried to stop me, but that's none of my business. Unlike you, I have a duty to become strong. You can't get strong unless you're willing to die. There's no time to rest. There's no time to play. You're going to trash Liz's disciple. I'll beat you to death.

It's not just words. There was a murderous intent there that could have been done in real life.
His methods were twisted, but his enthusiasm for training his students was apparent.

Tino lay face down, his body curled up and trembling. Lise narrowed her eyes and looked up at me as if peering from below.

Her voice was sweet, but it gave me the illusion of a blade being applied to my neck.


'You understand me, don't you, Kry?

I replied, keeping my expression fixed on a smile.

'Yeah, yeah. Yes, I do. But I know you're eager, but Tino seems to have reached his limit, so let's call it a day, okay?

'!

I don't know how many hours he's been squeezing, but it's clear that Tino's already at his limit when he's lying on the floor.

There's no Anthem as a healer right now, so if you push him too hard, you might end up with after-effects.
This is one of the biggest reasons for hunters to retire. Neither magic nor potions are a panacea.

And I don't want to upset her if I can help it, but there's no one else who can stop her, so I have to.

For a moment, Liz's eyes fluttered as if she didn't understand what was being said, but then she tilted her head and asked.

'Hmm? Huh? Cry-chan, could it be that you're stopping Liz-chan?

'Yeah, yeah. That's right, even if it's not.'

My eyes widen. A strong energy that could explode at the slightest stimulus was stirring in the depths of the transparent pink irises that seemed to be sucking me in.

A few seconds of silence. Liz is looking into my eyes as if she's trying to gauge my intentions.
The air creaks with tension. Her hand slowly reaches out and touches my cheek.


Then, Liz smiled a big smile.



'That's it for today!

Her voice was cheerful, a change from the chilling voice she had just given me.
She spun around and looked down at Tino, who was still lying on the floor.

'I'm sorry, aren't I? I was careful not to kill you, and you're still twitching. I thought I could still do it, but if you say so, then you were at your limit, weren't you?

's ......?

Why are you calling my name instead of Lizzie's?

Tino slowly raises his head. There was Liz's mask on her face.

The party symbol for the Ghost of Sorrows. A mask of a smiling skeleton. No matter what happens, tears do not flow from her blackened eye sockets, nor does her expression show.

But why are they wearing masks? .......

You'll be able to see the question that you've been asking yourself, and you'll be able to see the smile on Liz's face that you wouldn't expect if she was chastising her students.

'I tried to get Tee into my house to see if she would be a little better, if she could grow, if I could get her in soon. But it didn't work. If you can't do anything with a mask on and your vision blocked, you can't join us, right?

There's no such rule.

If there were, I wouldn't be in the party in the first place.



The only requirement to join the party in Strange Grief is a recommendation from an existing party member.

Well, I guess it's too early to include ...... Tino. It's not that there's anything wrong with Tino, it's just that if he dies after hitting the high difficulty treasure hall, it'll be the end of the world.

Maybe the follow-up of the existing members will work, but I'm a cautious person.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe it's too early.

'Krai-chan, how long do you think it will be before you can join us?

Please don't ask me that.
I don't know what the current situation of the party is.

I pretended to think about it, but without really thinking about it, I kept a smile on my face and said.

'About the same as Liz, I guess.

'Yeah, ......?'

A thin, strained scream rises from the back of Tino's throat at my feet.

You don't need to raise such a sorrowful voice. ...... I'm just kidding. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of these in the marketplace.

You don't have to listen to my opinion, you know?

'Kya-chan, you're a devil. If you say so, you won't be able to get in forever.

'...... No, no, no, no, no, no.'

For some reason, Liz hugged me happily.

I'm also looking forward to the day when I can get Tino to join the party.
And after the recent exploration of the [White Wolf's Den], I'm sure that day will come soon. Of course, I won't say anything about it because it all depends on Liz's thoughts.

'So, what are you doing here, Cry-chan? Are you here to see me?'

'Gark-san wants to hear about the [White Wolf's Den] from Tino, so I came to tell him that.

''Cry-chan, you're so polite. You should have sent someone to call him. ...... Or rather, someone should go.

I stroked her head and turned her attention in another direction.
The feel of her lustrous hair. She smiles at me.

It's okay. I wanted to go.

I'm glad I'm not the one being called directly ...... and that I don't have to use people.
It's one thing to learn to add and subtract, but it's another to take it easy. I really want you to live a little more relaxed.

Lise put a finger to her lips and looked down at Tino, who was crouched motionless on the floor.

'Is that a rush? If it's urgent, I'll throw you in with Gark right now.

I really don't know why Tino is so afraid of and yet adores Lizzie when she is always treated like this.

Mr. Gark would not be so harsh as to call out a battered Tino like this.

'I'm not in a hurry. Just wait until you're better. Maybe tomorrow or the day after.'

I don't think we should go. That's it! Let's just forget about it.

'Tee, did you hear? You heard me, right? Did you hear me? Nod loudly if you can hear me.'

Tino's head snapped up and down at the sound of Lise's voice. He looked more ragged than when he'd explored the White Wolf's den.

I narrowed my eyes, looked down at Tino, and sighed.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Tino was a hunter, Liz's apprentice, and my junior.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get rid of him or not. ...... Tino needs time now.

This is not the job of a hunter, but it is the job of a good leader.


Her shoulders were so slender that it was hard to believe that she was always beating to death the phantoms in the treasure house.

'Yes. I'm going to go somewhere else.

'Cry-chan ......, do you think I'm a child?'

'No, I don't. Great, great, great.'

This is what appeasement looks like.

The other members of the same clan who had been watching with bated breath near the entrance became upset, their expressions tightening.
I haven't been Liz's childhood friend for very long.

Liz seemed to be in a good mood.

Now she has an apprentice, but she is basically self-centered.

'Oh, ......, where are we going? A date?'

'Yeah, ...... and .................. to eat ice cream?

But Lyss doesn't like sweets. Neither does Sitri, Lucia, or Anthem. I'm the only one of my childhood friends with a sweet tooth.

As expected, Liz's expression clouded. And just when I was about to say something, Liz's eyes looked down.

The tattered palms of her hands gripped her ankles, which were covered with the Highest Roots, a shoe-shaped treasure tool she always wore. Liz's large eyes glowed with a swarthy light.

'Hmmm? What are you doing, Tee? I'm talking to Crye right now, Lizzie.

Tino doesn't move a muscle. The hand that grasps Liz's ankle has no strength and could easily shake her off if she tried.
But Tino's voice came out in a raspy breath, as he kept his head down.

'No,...... yet,...... move,...... first,...... sir,......'.

No facial expression was visible. The airtight mask turns all the emotions inside into a smile. To be honest, I think I should have used a different party symbol.

Liz touches my hand on her shoulder, gently removes it, and turns around.

What? What if this is a bad idea?

For a moment, that thought came to mind, but what came up was a voice of admiration.

'That's amazing. I couldn't move at all just now. I thought I broke it tight! You couldn't have recovered in such a short time! Look at you, Cry! My Tee's finally done it!

Despite being interrupted, Liz seemed to be in a good mood, which was unusual for her.


Am I not allowed to ask why you look so happy?

Liz's eyes are shining, but I'm not so sure. He can't move, and it looks like he needs medical attention right now.

But Tino staggered to his feet. He's so dizzy that I could take him down myself. I couldn't see his expression because of the mask, but at that moment, I was truly glad that I had the mask.

'That's my girl, Cry! I'm so jealous! Yes, you're still weak, but that wasn't enough!

What was it that was lacking? ...... I want to ask, but I can't.

Lizzie was excited. Her eyes blazed and her skin flushed.
Her life was on fire. You can see it from the outside, the overwhelming energy.

The two names she was given - "Zekage" was the name of a man who was the most famous "bandit" in Zebrudia. She was apprenticed to him, and within a few years had become a licensed thief, and was the second generation to take his name.

Rumor has it that the Zekage live a different time than humans.
I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure it's something out of the ordinary.

Liz says, stretching her arms and legs lightly and flexibly.

'So, I'm really sorry, Cry-chan, but can you give us a moment, please?

'Eh?

What? You're not going to resume training? You've only learned to move a little? Eh? .......

The original ability is still as far apart as heaven and earth. I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand. There was no way they could compete.

But it seemed that Liz had no intention of going easy on him. The way he looked at the wobbly Tino was as bright as if he'd been given a toy.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this. You can't see her face, but she's going to be coughing up blood, puking and peeing, and there's no one to help her recover, so you can only half-kill her, but I wouldn't be able to bear the thought of her being seen in all her pathetic state. Right? Next time, you can watch, it's only the first time, so show her some mercy, okay? Okay?

'Oh, yes.

Holy shit. Liz-chan, whether you're mad or happy, the tension is the same.

I could only nod my head at her sunflower-like smile.

I checked on Tino, but he seemed to be willing to continue training as well.
I really don't know what drives these girls so much ...... hunters.