'You're missing ......! What the hell does that mean?'

'Hey. Mr. Arnold, I found this in the bathroom.

I snatch up the folded piece of paper my companion has brought me and open it.
The paper is a bank check. The paper is a bank check, but there is a scribble on it where the amount should be.

--I'm busy, I'm leaving.

Arnold was speechless.

'Apparently, he escaped through the bathroom window. ......'

'Isn't that guy ...... level 8?'

He crumpled up the cheque, his cheeks flushed.

I didn't expect him to run away. If the other party was just a hunter or an ordinary person, I might have been wary, but the other party is a genuine strongman who has been certified at a level higher than Arnold in this hunter's holy land.
Why would a face-conscious hunter think of escaping through a bathroom window? And they haven't even exchanged a single blade yet.

He looked up and saw the expressions on the faces of the two men who had been staring at each other.
When Arnold arrived in the Imperial Capital, he first looked up the country's prominent hunters, parties, and clans, in accordance with the established rules.
Among them, of course, was the name of the Magic Staff.

The two men in front of me are part of that famous group of mages. They may be young, but they are not to be trifled with.

Arnold and the others had the numerical advantage. But the man who called himself Altobaran didn't change his expression even in response to the astonishing letter, sniffed nonchalantly, and declared confidently.

'What's with that expression? Listen up, riffraff. A true strong man doesn't pull out his sword so easily.

'This imperial city's level 8 is going to run away from the ...... bathroom window?

Is that what you want, Zebuldiah?

Arnold's goal is to retaliate against the Zekage who have been fighting against the party. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

Marie and Altobaran's clothes are well tailored, but they don't look like they can fight.
However, a good mage can fight to some extent even without weapons.

If you observe closely, you can see that not only Altobaran, but also Marie, who is smiling behind him with a drawn-out smile, is already in a state of readiness for battle.
The members of the Magic Staff would be able to cast spells as if they were breathing.

A mage's realm is to attack from a distance. No matter how powerful his opponent was, Arnold would not be defeated at this distance.
But even if he could win, it would be too tasteless. His comrades were still holding their weapons, waiting for Arnold's decision.

Altobaran looks at Arnold with an icy cold gaze and continues.

'In the first place, you ran away? That's bullshit.'

'...... No, it's a complete getaway.'

What else could it be?
It's a brilliant retreat, all too familiar. I'm no longer angry, I'm surprised.

At Arnold's low voice, Altobaran shouted in a dignified voice.

'It's written. I didn't run away, Kry-san--he's busy. There's no time for Level 8s in the Imperial City, and even we've taken up too much of your time. Don't mistake Mr. Kry for weak. You are not worthy of our time, that's all.

Stupid ...... people in this country run out of the bathroom window when they are ...... busy!

I don't understand what you're saying. If Arnold had been a "changeable" man, he would have put away the fools who picked a fight with him and walked out the door with impunity.

That is the way of the Hunter, a meritocracy. At least, that's what Arnold knew hunters to be.

He confirmed with trepidation.

'If you were in the same position, would you run out of the bathroom window?

The question came from pure doubt, and Altobaran's eyes widened slightly and he smiled sarcastically.

'I'm still... immature. I can't emulate Cry-san.'

'......'

'Mr. Arnold, let's retreat from here. There's no point in dealing with them.'

At that moment, the one-armed ray standing next to Arnold made a small suggestion.
I glared at him, but his gaze remained fixed on the two young mages.

'Please calm down. They've been fooling us, but they're part of the old clan. With the difference in numbers, crushing them won't even show off our power. Besides, there's too many eyes here. We'll only get retaliated by more people later. We can leave the capital if we have to, but we'll lose the chance to destroy the people who made Arnold-san look like a fool.


Some of the customers may have already run out of the store. The Knights of Security might be called in.

Forgetting one's purpose and running amok is a third-rate thing to do. After a moment of conflict, Arnold clucked his tongue loudly.

'............. All right, that's the guy now.








Come on, let's go. I'm running, everywhere.

Once I made that decision, I felt much better.

Of course, I'm not running away alone. There are demons outside the Imperial City, and there is even the possibility of being attacked by phantoms.
It is said that it is relatively safe to walk along the streets, but even then, you will still be attacked.
It's common sense to have an escort when you go out. If I'm strong or can fly, that's a different story, but the Night Hiker can't fly that far due to its magical power.

As I left the Clan Master's office and walked down the stairs, I ran into Liz.
She had the same healthy hunter look as usual. When she saw me, she smiled like a flower opening and approached me.

'Oh, Cry! You're in the right place! I've got some advice for you...'

I'd be happy to discuss it with you, but it's going to be a long ...... story, isn't it?

I don't have time for this. Anyway, I have to get out of here before someone else adds to my troubles.
The more you hurry, the more likely you'll have an excuse for refusing the invitation to the Gathering of the White Swords, and every second counts.



He put his hand on Lise's shoulder and made sure that they were talking in private as they walked down the stairs.

'I'll talk to you later. Liz, do you have any plans in the near future?

'Huh? Hmm, ............ nothing in particular? What do you have in mind?

The answer is as expected. Most of the time, Liz never turns down my invitation.
I'll skip the prerequisites and keep it simple.

'I'm leaving the capital. Follow me.'

Liz's eyes widened and she put her hands around my waist. Her face is close to mine, and I can smell her faintly sweet scent.
Her moist lips opened slightly and she answered in a whispered voice.

'Hi, there. What is your purpose?'

Purpose ......? Escape? Escape? Strategic retreat?
You're all right, but I don't want to say that.

You can tell Liz the truth.

After much deliberation, I smiled and said.

'Vacation, I guess. Oh, and this is a secret from everyone, okay?

Liz's eyes lit up and she hugged me tightly, as if she had trapped her impulses in that small movement.
Her skin is still as hot as if it were on fire.

'! That's so nice! How many people are you going to kill? How many of you are going? Just me? When are we going? It's been so long since you've been outside with Crye, hasn't it?

I'm not going to kill you. ....... You're asking too many questions.

I'm sure you'll feel safer with Lyss, but the more guards, the better. We're going outside the capital this time.

Well, how about we turn this into a clan trip? We can't take the clerks with us, as we've turned down various invitations, but it might be nice to take all the members out with us.
Since all the hunters belonging to the group would be gone, outsiders would think that there was a good reason. Yes, it would be very convenient if they thought that there was a reason for refusing the invitation to the Gathering of the White Swords.

'I want to bring as many people as possible, but only those who are convenient. We're leaving today. Yes, it's been a long time since I've been outside.'

'Yikes! I'm so ...... excited.'

Lise smiles diabolically. I wonder what kind of expression she would have if she knew that my reason for taking a vacation was to escape from reality.

Perhaps it was because it was daytime but only a few parties were in the lounge.
Ark didn't seem to be there, but Isabella and Yu, who were sitting at a table in the back, gave us a disapproving look when they saw us.

Now, I want them to follow me as much as possible, but under what name should I take them out?
It's a problem if we lie and undermine their trust, and if we tell them the truth, we'll get in trouble for it.

I didn't think anything of it. ....... I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

It's a vacation, ba-ka-ns! Is there anyone who wants to go with me?

The air in the room froze. I told her it was a secret, but she immediately shouted out .......
A stunned and confused look was thrown at me and Liz. I'm sure they're thinking, "What are you thinking, taking a vacation when you're always playing in the Clan Master's office?

My dignity is gone.

As I smile in resignation, Liz continues without taking the air into consideration.

'Oh, we're leaving right now! Only those who can arm themselves properly. We don't need the weak ones to slow us down! Oh, I'm looking forward to ...... I've been so worried about my arm getting bent lately. Thank goodness.

The difference in tension between the high-spirited Liz and the rest of the team is huge.
I had no choice but to ask Lyle, a man hunter who was playing cards on the desk beside me - a good friend of mine.

'Sorry to barge in on you. Lyle's coming, right?'

Lyle suddenly clutches his stomach and begins to groan with a strained expression. He moves his arms in an exaggerated fashion, and the cards fall to the floor under the table in pieces.

'...... I'm sorry, Cry. I've got a sudden stomach ache and can't ...... go.'

The sudden movement seemed to be an act, but his expression was pale. I guess he's really not feeling well.
When he looked at the other members sitting in the same seat, they all turned their heads away.

'Sorry, Master. My sister's wedding is coming up...'

'The old lady's funeral--'

'I'm ...... in the process of ordering a new one because my ...... sword broke.'

'Then what's with the sword on the desk?

'Nah! This sword is just a spare ......! It's a piece of crap!

'Huh? You always said it was my soul!

'Shut up! It's true, Master. Trust me! I can't fight right now!

I don't know what's going on here. ....... I'm just on vacation," he said.

I looked at the other tables and saw that there were fewer people than before. When I turned around, I saw the members leaving the lounge as if they were about to fall. I wondered if they had remembered something urgent.

Liz was watching them go with an annoyed expression on her face.

I had no choice but to go to my friends at ARC.


It's not as good as Ark, but it's a splendid group of people to have as guards when you're out and about.

Isabella turned her head away. The reaction of Yu, the priest sitting opposite her, was not that great, but his eyes were swimming.

'Isabella. ......'

'Absolutely, no.'

'Chloe: ......'

'You'll have to go through Ark-san about the party.

There's nothing we can do about it.
In the meantime, even if we get help, where is the important thing, Ark and the rest of the party?
If I could talk to Ark, I would.

Isabella brushed her long hair once and looked up at me with her arms folded.

'In general, we are on vacation right now! Ark-san is back at his parents' house and we're taking a break from hunter activities!

'We're on vacation too?

'That's only for you guys!

What do you mean, .......? Well, it's true that the reason I approached you all was to escort you, but I think that was just a precaution, not a job.
It's not a perfect vacation, but it's not a perfect job either.

When I was puzzled, Isabella continued to ramble on like a machine gun.
I've heard that in the northern country where Isabella is from, the women are more strong-minded than here, but that may be true.

'What are you going to fight this time, anyway? Illusions? Demons?

'No, no...'

'It's not a phantom or a demon, it's a human! You're saying that this time it's a human? You're the worst! I didn't train my magic to fight people!

It's just a vacation. ...... It's true.
Isabella's eyes were full of caution. Chloe was also astonished and kept her distance.

This lack of trust....

When I was feeling disappointed with my own lack of popularity, Liz quickly stepped in front of me and followed up with a boiling voice.

'What? Are you making fun of Crye's decision? I told you to come, so come on. If you like safety so much, why don't you quit being a hunter?'

I'm not following you. Isabella starts to stand up to Liz, who is suddenly fighting with her.
And then, with a glint in her eye, she shouted at him.

I'm not sure what you're talking about. If you're only dealing with illusions and demons, you'll be behind when it comes to humans! It's just fine to kill humans once in a while! That's what Krai-chan says!

It's just a vacation. .......