'You know what? Tee, when you feel troubled, it's because you're not good enough. Whether it's experience or ability that's lacking, a well-trained person won't be troubled so easily!

'Yes, yes. Sister. But--'

'But, no. But--! How many times have I told you? How many times do I have to tell you?

The eyes that flickered as if they had flames in them were looking down at Tino. Tino's teacher, Lise Smart, is shorter than Tino, but every time they meet, she shrinks.

The place is the living room of Tino's house. She sits deep in her chair, her legs crossed wide, looking more like a master than the master of this house.

In fact, the house that Tino rents is one of the places where Liz uses as a base during her stay in the Imperial Capital. That's why he has two beds, two chairs, and two sets of dishes even though he lives alone.
Lise was slumped over, working on a silver treasure chest the size of the palm of her hand. He screwed a wire-like picking tool into the keyhole and moved it with a careful hand.
On the table were countless other treasure chests with locks of various shapes and sizes. These are used by thieves to practice unlocking treasure chests.

Unlocking treasure chests, which are rarely found in the treasure hall, is an important role for thieves.

Treasure chests are different from other treasures that appear in the area, and if you find one, it often contains multiple items.
It is a funny story among hunters that a fellow thief was unable to open the treasure chest and had to bring back the heavy box. And it is a very disgraceful story for a thief.

To unlock a treasure chest, you need to have the skills to open all kinds of locks, both ancient and modern, that can be found in the treasure house. There are many more things to do as a thief than as a pure combatant, such as checking the shape and material of the box, checking for traps, unlocking the box, and in some cases, breaking the box without unlocking it.

In fact, there are more things to do in banditry than in pure combat. Tino's master, Lise, is revered for his bloodthirstiness, but he also has a lot to learn about lock-picking.

'So all hardships can be called trials. Those who constantly run away from hardships will remain small fry no matter how long they have been hunters, and people grow when they overcome great trials!

Liz throws the treasure chest in her hand onto the table.
The box opened without making a single sound in Tino's hand, who hurriedly caught it.

'The reason you're struggling is because you've been slacking off. Wipe your own ass!

Tino thought that was a fair statement.
Lizzie's training is rigorous, but Tino fears it but does not complain because he knows that his mentor has put himself through more training than that. It's just that he doesn't show it in front of others - a high-level hunter is not something you can become with talent alone.

But... Tino placed the sample treasure chest on the table and said cautiously.

'But, sister. Greg is not a merchant, he's a hunter. ......'

'I don't know anything about that. It's Krai-chan's advice that you shouldn't only hone your hunting skills just because you're a hunter!

'No way. ......'

A few days after winning the golem for Tino at the auction, Tino's eyes fell down as he remembered the hunter he knew who had been plagued by various troubles.
It's not that he has any special feelings for Greg, but seeing Greg suffer the hardships that he should have suffered is heartbreaking to Tino, who is not a cold-blooded man.

One billion guineas was the highest price paid for any item sold at the auction that day. Perhaps it was a bad thing that Greg was a private individual and a mere mid-level hunter.
Ever since Greg won the bid for the golem on behalf of Tino, he had been plagued by various troubles. He was offered a large loan, stalked by a suspicious man, approached by other merchants, and even spotted by a nobleman.
Gregg, whom I met by chance, looked wasted from the ordeal, and said he was trying to avoid going to deserted places.

Compared to the ordeals Tino had gone through so far, this was a very different story. Compared to being thrown into a dangerous treasure house, the danger to his life is still less, but the mental burden may be even greater.
Even so, the fact that he didn't divulge any information about his agent or the hunter he was dealing with is indeed a sign that he has been a hunter for a long time. Perhaps his ability to run away and assess the situation is even better than Tino's.
That's why he's struggling with his current situation.

As expected, the reply from the master who consulted him was harsh.
It's not that I'm not a good person, but I'm not a good person.

You can leave Tee alone, you know. Sito's using people to examine it now. For what reason do you think Krai-chan appointed a mid-level hunter who is not in the Footprints as his agent?

'............What?'

Tino was rendered speechless by those words.
The fact that Greg, who was next to him at the time, was in charge of the winning bid was due to Tino's inadequacies and was just a coincidence. At least, Tino hadn't expected this to happen.

'After all, they're professionals too, and they're always on their guard when they participate in auctions. I checked on my rival, but he had a proxy and was hiding information, and when I questioned him, nothing came out. But the product is already here, and if we really want to get it back, we'll have to use the guys who specialize in rough stuff, won't we? That makes it a little closer.

'But, it was my decision to have Greg participate in the bidding on my behalf: ......'

'Oh. Cry-chan can see through all of Tee's pettiness.''

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

'If it were true, I'd give you a thorough beating, but if Cry-chan has taken that into consideration, I can't scold you. You understand, right?'

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That's what I'm talking about. It may seem like a coincidence, but Tino has seen this kind of mastery many times. I don't think the master's words are false.
But no matter how many times he sees such a scene, Tino is always in awe before he is impressed. And at the same time, he realizes once again why there are no disciples of the Master when even the sister of fear has her own disciples.

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at the following web site: ....... It's a good idea to avoid contact with him until then, because if he gets suspicious and backs out, you'll be in trouble. I don't think that's enough to get rid of Crye, but people are more troublesome than dealing with illusions and demons. ...... Tee, you know what I mean?

'Ha, yes. My sister .......'

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In addition to being a skilled thief, Liz is also a bounty hunter who has crushed several famous criminal parties and organizations. Tino has also been taken around on occasion for training.
Human criminals are more troublesome than illusions and demons. They may be less capable, but they have wisdom and malice to use it. They can be blocked by the law. It's not easy being a wanted man among hunters.

I'm a little sorry Greg, but that being said, there's nothing Tino can do. We can only trust in the Master's ability.

'I was thinking of having Cry-chan give Tino a good spanking once, too. This time, it seems that small fry Tee has a 'role' that I can't play. ......'

'Master's training: ............'

I've always been half-dead in the training assigned by my current master. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of range of training the master is referring to when he says, "I will be squeezed hard.


It's very frustrating that people can see right through my pathetic state, but I feel that such training is a little early for me right now. Having me join the Ghosts of Sorrows is a goal for the future, after my skills have improved.

I almost died just by being thrown into the White Wolf's Den, but that wasn't even a test for a master. So....

...... is still early. It's not too early for me, sir. It's all I can do to train you. .......

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I got up and looked towards the front door.
I know a lot of people, but only a few of them come to my house. That's because Tino has a fearsome master who changes his behavior depending on his mood of the day.
After confirming that the Master's mood was not that bad today, he opened the door.

The Master's eyes widened at the face that appeared. The visitor was a gray-haired old man with a stern look on his face - Murchis, the manager of the treasure store "Magistail". He was wearing a dirty apron and carrying a small box under his arm.
When he looked at Tino, his eyes softened slightly. He cleared his throat and said apologetically.

'Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry for coming out of nowhere. I've finished the appraisal of the treasure you asked me to do before, but I thought you might have forgotten about it since you've been so busy lately. That's what you found, isn't it, little girl?

As he said, it had slipped his mind. At that time, Master's interest had shifted to the mask, and he was occupied with dealing with that.
In the first place, the treasure was not Tino's, since he had already given it to his master, but he could not say that he had forgotten about it, so he accepted the small box.

'It's you, Marches! Can you please stop messing with my tees without permission? I'm going to tell your wife. If you don't want to do that, can you bring me a strong treasure that Kry-chan will like? Specially, for every one you bring, I'll lend you my tee for a day. I'll kill you if you hurt her.

'There you are, little girl... who would mess with you, you idiot! You little bastard, you're always teasing me...'

At the master's insult, Murchison's face turned red and he shouted at him. This is the usual exchange that has been repeated many times since Tino became his apprentice.

When he opened the box, he found a piece of paper with the appraisal results and a familiar bracelet inside.

'Why are you bringing this to Tee and not to Cry-chan? That's scary. I'll give it to your grandchild, okay? Cecy, right? If you don't want to do that, why don't you bring a nice treasure for Cry-chan to enjoy?'

'Where did you get that name? It's the treasure you found. It's not every day that a treasure like the one you want is brought into a store! If you're a hunter, why don't you look for it yourself?

'Didn't they sell a lot more good stuff in the past? Like I told Gark the other day, you've lost your skills.

'It's because the kid bought all the unsold stock at a high price! Tell him to sell, not just buy, once in a while!

With the skirmish between Master and Mr. Marches at his side, Tino looked over the manual.

'Mirage Form'? Light projection device? Effective range of one meter. It can make dolls dance in the palm of your hand if you know how to use it. ............'

This is ...... also a difficult item to evaluate.
Hunters prefer simple, yet powerful and useful tools. In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

'It's a rare item. At least it's not the kind of thing you'd find in the Alleyne column ruins.

This bracelet, on the other hand, is difficult. It is a light-image projector, which means it is a device to create an illusion within a certain range.
If you only look at the contents, I think it is useless. However, the effective range is quite narrow, and the operation seems to be quite complicated. Even if I were to sell it, I doubt that it would sell well.

I think it's very quiet for a treasure that was obtained according to the master's instructions.

Then, the bracelet inside the box suddenly disappeared. As I looked around hurriedly, I saw Master, who had been arguing with Murchis just now, picking up the bracelet and observing it closely.
After a moment of silence, he looked at Tino and said.

'............ I'll give this to you. Is that okay? Tee.'

'Huh? Yes, yes. Of course. Sister.'

As usual, he agreed almost reflexively, and with an unprecedented good mood, he hugged the bracelet and spun around on the spot.
In front of Murchis, who was rolling his eyes, the Master shouted with joy.

'Yes! I'm sure Cry will be very happy with this. T, you did it. I'll buy you a new dagger next time!

'What? What? That much? Oh, you know, ...... sister ...... that-- wait a minute--'

It's not every day that a master gives a gift to Tino.
I regretted it and tried to refuse, but before I could, I was stopped from behind. A familiar voice called out to the buoyant Master.

'Wait a minute, sister! Shouldn't we be fair here? Hey, Tee-chan.'

Before he knew it, the other sister was standing behind him, smiling.
She put her hand on my shoulder and I shivered. Master's smile faltered at the sound of her voice.

'Huh? Tee is my apprentice, so anything she finds must be mine, right? Why do you have to come out?''

'I'm the one who caused trouble for Kry-san, and the reason it started out that way was because my sister wanted to train with a golem, so I should be the one to do it this time. You think you should do the same, right, Tee-chan? Right?

Master's intimidating voice didn't seem to penetrate Citri, her own sister.
As if she were saying a routine line, Sister Sitri replied smoothly and finally asked Tino to agree.



His voice was not as raspy as Lise's, but it was filled with a force that could not be denied. Finally, he added a small note in her ear.

'If you give it to me, I'll buy you a new dagger and a very beautiful dress.