Strong rain and wind pounded the glass in the lounge of the Clan House.
The sky was covered with thick clouds, and occasionally thunder could be heard.

The lounge of the Clan House was packed.
There were people who had rushed back to the Clan House after encountering the storm. Others had gathered because their favorite tavern had been temporarily closed due to bad weather and they had nowhere to go. Those who intended to prepare for tomorrow's search for the Treasure House, but decided to stay indoors when they couldn't go out the next day, each took a table and looked up at the sky through the large window.

Lyle, whose stomachache has subsided, shouts out with a bottle of liquor in his hand.

'What kind of vacation is this, Cry? You've been disturbing me from the start.

'Whenever the master makes a spontaneous move, something terrible happens to him. ......'

One of the party members chimed in.

The Thousand Trials of the Thousand Transformations is not good. It doesn't get any easier. That was a well-known fact.
Normally, a treasure hunter's job would get easier as their skills increased. But the trials of a thousand are different. The level of difficulty in the Thousand Trials was just what it was called, and it got higher and higher as the trials went on.

The members of the Footprints of the Beginning are called elite because they have overcome the trials. I know that, but I can't stand to be involved in something I didn't ask for every time.

'Besides, we just did it the other day! The span is too short! Don't make me risk my life like that!

Lyle's drunken shout was met with sympathy from the other members.

'That's right, that's right!

'We haven't even finished renewing our equipment yet!

'Don't hide the information!

'Don't let the Master get away with it!

'I can't leave in a storm like this!

'Don't mix me with a level 8!

'Don't mix me with Lies!

'Give me information!

'Give me the money!

'Information!

When they saw the clan members getting excited and shouting with their shoulders together, Isabella and Yu, who were not in the circle, looked at each other and sighed in disgust.

'Our clan is all very close .......'

I'm not sure if Liz and Citrie are okay, but I wonder if Tino, who was taken away, is okay.

Surprisingly, the members of the Ghosts of Sorrows are accustomed to the trials of Krai. What worries me is the junior members who got caught up.
Once they're involved, they're trapped in a situation they can't escape.

The sky flickered in front of Isabella's worried eyes, as if to answer her question.





Terrible rain and wind were blowing across the dark meadow. The intermittent flashes of lightning and the roaring shocks reminded me of the end of the world.
This was not the kind of weather to go out in. Treasure hunters are human beings. In the face of nature's fury, there's not much we can do.

'...... Shit, a storm? I'll take that.

How effective would a mere cloak be against the storm that was pounding down on us from the side?
The loud voice that came out as if to throw up was lost in the storm, reaching no one. At the top of the carriage, Hylo, who had been on the lookout, jumped out of the carriage. Black and White, who were sitting on the guard stand, also jumped down with terrible expressions on their faces and quieted the horses.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a hideous woman preparing a tent, unconcerned about the storm.
She took out the tent from the pile of luggage and assembled it with a practiced hand. Her movements were unhurried in the rain, wind, mud, and darkness.
A thick robe and a huge bag on his back. His clean-cut appearance and weaponless attire may not look like a hunter, but his skills are definitely those of a top hunter.

Above all, what differentiated him from Hiiro and the others was his expression.

There was no pain in his expression. The way he was assembling the tent in the shadow of the wagon body to prevent it from being blown away by the storm seemed to indicate that he was used to this kind of situation.

Suddenly, his eyes turned to Hylo, who had jumped from the carriage. A lightning bolt flickered, and the transparent irises looked at Hi-ilo and the others in turn.

It's just one slender woman. The one who had slaughtered the three of them was the other one, the infamous Zekage.
Now that it has jumped out of the carriage, it is the perfect opportunity to escape. It would be difficult to escape in this storm, but we're not that far from the Imperial Capital yet, and the fact that it's difficult to escape means that it's also difficult to track.

'Mr. White, Mr. Black, Mr. Hi-iro. I finally got my chance, please don't embarrass me.

'......'.

The only problem--the collars covering the necks of all three of them.

The filthy collars were a kind of magic tool. Originally, it was intended to restrict the movements of slaves.
Since there was no slavery in the Zebrudia Empire, he rarely had the chance to see it, but having been active in the underworld for a long time, he knew its effects.

It is a magical tool that sends a powerful electric current to the wearer by pressing a switch remotely.
Because it is made with modern technology, it is not as powerful as a treasure tool, but its duration is quite long and its power is stable, and if it continues to flow for a long period of time, even if the wearer is absorbing Mana Material, it will not be able to withstand it.
It is sturdy and quite difficult to destroy, and is a reliable product that supported the slavery of a certain country.

A strong shock will cause an electric current to flow through it, so you can't even attempt to disarm it.
There is an invisible chain around the necks of Hiichiro and the others. And the owner of the chain was clearly not a person who would hesitate to use it.
White and Black must have come to the same conclusion. The fact that all three of them are present at this sudden call shows that they are in agreement.

I screwed up. I shouldn't have taken the job of collecting the auctioned items. Now I regret it. But the die has been cast.

Some hunters are good people, but the ones in front of us who captured Hylo and the others--the Ghosts of Sorrows--are the opposite.
He would not hesitate to kill them because he wanted to tame them when he should have just handed them over to the guards. If you don't obey him, you can expect to lose your life.

No, on the contrary - you could be disposed of for no reason at all, just as you were almost done earlier.
As long as you don't want to die, you have no choice but to continue to obey, praying not to offend. Even if they knew that only destruction awaited them, they would have to pretend not to notice it and continue living.

Then, Heero suddenly had an idea.

If the three of them attacked at once, they might be able to defeat Citri before he hit the switch. If the three of them attacked him at once, they might be able to take out the key and the switch.
If we could just get the collar out of the way, we'd be able to see a glimpse of freedom.

White, Black, and Hi-iro all specialized in roughhousing with hunters. They rarely faced them head on, but they were confident in their abilities.

The problem was the gentleman left in the carriage, but he didn't seem very interested in Hiiro and the others, so he was unlikely to be an obstacle.
No - now that the Zekage is running somewhere and the man is not outside the carriage, this might be our first and last chance.



We're doomed if we continue to obey. Fortunately, we have not been disarmed.

Just as I looked up, a tremendous roar rang out.

The sound and the shock shook my semicircular canals and made me stagger. As the horses neighed in fear, White and Black shouted desperately to calm them down.
Lightning had struck nearby. He closed his eyes reflexively and held his head, but suddenly a quiet voice said to him.

'You're not used to lightning, are you?

He opens his eyes fearfully. Citri was looking up at him from a close distance. His calm eyes and the smile on his face made him seem more like a madman than a transcendent being.
Citri took a bottle of potion from his pocket and put it in Heero's still wobbly hand.

He was confused. Citri whispers to him.

'We--we got used to it a long time ago. The trick to being resistant to lightning is to keep getting hit by it, okay? Keep getting struck by lightning. You'll almost die at first, but if you keep doing it, the mana material will strengthen your body in that direction. That "lightning potion" is what I've been researching for.

This is ridiculous. It's impossible. It's suicide. I wanted to say no, but there was a truth in those words that I could not allow.
In the first place, it is well known among hunters that human will intervenes in the direction of enhancement by mana materials.

But even if that information is assumed, the training is not something that can be called training.
As he looked down at the potion that had been handed to him, Citri said to him.

'Oh, yes. If you are resistant to lightning, you may not think anything of the current in the collar. This is ...... troubling. This weather is a perfect opportunity.

Lightning strikes again. Tonight's storm has a lot of lightning strikes.
Heero thought he heard a faint scream in the raging wind and rain.
Citri smiled at him and the others who froze.

'I'm sorry to bother you, but White, Black and Hi-iro, please take care of the horses. I'm used to this kind of situation. Even if you help me, you're just in the way.

Sitri turns his defenseless back and returns to preparing the tent.
In the glass vial he hands over, a shiny white liquid shimmers. He decides to rethink his escape plan.






I knew it was a bad idea to go out in the storm.

No, I knew that. Even I'm a klutz and I know that. Even a child would know that. I don't need to be told that again.
But if I dare to argue-- it's a storm that came on suddenly, so it can't be helped!

I'm a victim too. Victim!
But I can't say that in front of Tino, who's puffing black smoke from his body.
I'm not sure what happened, but I'm pretty sure that Tino was struck by lightning, and when he opened his eyes and looked at me, only his mouth smiled slightly.

I ...... did my best,.......'

'......Yeah, you're right.'

'Thank you for staying ...... me ...... and my sister, I'm really ...... happy. ............. ....... ......'

It's a great way to get the most out of your life.


'Look, look! Cry-chan, wasn't it just like I said? I'm alive! Even Tee is growing day by day!

'Yeah, yeah, I know. But let's be a little gentler on her. ...... Come on, it's a vacation. Don't do it again, okay?

If I wasn't used to seeing people get struck by lightning, I'd be freaking out.

'Yes! Lightning's over for now, right?

I'll be sure to be nice to you when we get to the next town.
As I watched Tino being force-fed a potion through a straw, I made a deep mental note.

A night passed, but the rain showed no signs of stopping.