I waited for the carriage to stop and hear a call from outside, then stepped down to the ground for the first time in hours.
The sun was setting, the world was in darkness, and the moon was shining brightly in the cloudless vermilion sky.

I heard the sound of a river flowing nearby. Perhaps the travelers of the past had used this place as a stopping point to cross the Galest Mountains. Unlike the surrounding area, the trees had been unnaturally cut down and the open space had enough room not only for a carriage but also for three parties to camp.
Of course, we were the only guests today. And it's probably been a while since we've had any guests.

Sitri, who had been doing fieldwork with Liz, stained his cheeks excitedly and held up his black fangs, about 30 centimeters long and covered in flesh and blood, as if he were showing off a treasure.

'Look, Mr. Cry! These are the fangs of a general-grade troll! It's a precious item that can rarely be found even in this vast Gallest Range! They're so unruly and violent that even hunters have trouble with them, so they rarely appear on the market! They're usually found deep in the forest, but even though they're old, they'll still attack you on the road! They can be boiled, baked, or scraped.

Trolls are a subspecies of demon that ranks alongside orcs, goblins and ogres. They have extraordinary strength and toughness, and are one of the toughest subspecies. I didn't know that it would appear in the Garest Mountains, but subracial demons operate in a fairly wide area, and the trolls' habitat must have been in the forest, so it's not surprising that we encountered it.

In the meantime, Liz raised her arms in satisfaction and straightened her back.

I'm sure you'll agree. You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the most out of their life.

'...... You see,......, my brother was there on the way.

'Brother Anthem, you stand out. ...... Well, even if demons appear, you and Luke will be fighting over them. ......'

What have I done to deserve this? .......

A few meters away, the three men Citrie had hired were sitting on the ground, half-dead and half-alive.
Although their expressions are obscured by their downcast faces, their armor and cloaks are covered with blood, and their well-trained bodies have lost their strength. The gap between him and his two childhood friends is terrible.

When Liz and the others first became hunters, they would go limp whenever they encountered an accident (the appearance of a powerful enemy, a natural disaster, etc.), but I wonder when it was that they stopped caring at all.

And I wonder if I should feel relieved or sad for my childhood friend who has grown up so strong.

'Speaking of which, ......, sister, you're too violent. Don't spread it around too much! You'll cause trouble for the people coming after you.

'I don't know anything about that! The people coming after us are probably Arnold, right? It looks like it's not a road that people rarely take, so it's fine. I don't know what to do, but I'm going to do it. You know?

'No, I don't mean that. ......'

In the first place, it's unlikely that Arnold and the others will succeed in tracking them down. In fact, it is more likely that they will be ambushed in the imperial capital. ......I still need to do something to bring back Luke and the others.

It's a good idea to make a fire, feed the horses that have been walking all day, and get ready to camp out. Her unhurried movements showed that she was doing the same things she usually did.

However, Liz was not playing around either. She was whistling and keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings, and she didn't like it when people messed with her work.
When we were working as a party, Sitri and Lucia were preparing the camp, while Luke, Liz, and Anthem were in charge of hunting and keeping an eye on the surroundings. I was in charge of making sure everyone was doing well. ...... You could say I didn't do anything.

'Mr. Cry, Tee is ......'.

'She's sleeping. He was very tired.

He must have been at his wits' end. You should rest well, since you've been in and out of consciousness and Citrie and Liz are sufficient to provide additional protection.
I can't help but notice that you've been having nightmares,.......

Citry smiled as he pulled out a portable pot and a large knife.

'It's been a while since I've had a ...... cry, so I'm going to make something elaborate. I've got a lot of materials on hand.

'You're right, I've missed ...... a bit. ......'

Until we added Eliza as a new member to our party, Citry was the only one in our group who could cook.

Citry's cooking is excellent. I'm sure he wasn't that good at first, but he quickly became very good.
The seasonings were store-bought, and the ingredients were animals he had hunted and wild vegetables he had picked on the spot. ...... What can I say? Since I have been out of the capital, I have rarely had the chance to eat it, but just being able to feast on it may have been worth the trip out of the capital.

I felt deeply moved, and sighed with narrowed eyes.

When we were adventuring together as party leaders, before we had even formed our own clan, I always felt like I was going to die from the stress of dealing with the demons, illusions, harsh environment, and treasure halls.
But that doesn't mean that I have only bad memories of those days. I was not talented enough to be judged by the mask, but at that time, Krei Andrich was indeed a hunter.

As I do this, I can remember our adventures together as if it were only yesterday.

I was nostalgic for a while, but then I realized that Sitri was watching me, so I scratched my cheek and said.

'............ I can't just stand there. I'll get you some water.'

'............ Yes. Please.'

'Oh, Cry-chan. I'm coming with you! There might be fish in there, right?'

Lyss takes my arm without thinking.
Sitri sighed in resignation at her sister, who hadn't changed at all.




After a few minutes of walking towards the smell of water, my vision opened up to reveal a large river.
Water is important for people, animals, and demons. Without water, all creatures cannot live. The only exceptions are phantoms, which are visions of the past.

I'm not sure what to say. It's a beautiful ...... hunter, after all.

I'm not sure if it was the right time of day or not. It was a good time of day, but there were no demons in sight.
The river was much slower than before. The sun was setting, and the black surface of the water glistened against the dark moon.

'Does the water look okay?

'Yes! There seem to be lots of fish!

Just because it looks clean doesn't mean it's fit for drinking. A hunter who has inhaled enough mana material won't get an upset stomach so easily, but not me.
She answered my question with a cheerful twinkle in her eye and stepped into the water without hesitation.

We're on a mountain. The temperature of the water must be low, but the hunter is unfazed by that.
Liz stretched out her arms in the water in a good mood,

'It's so cold ......, I got a little blood on me, let's take a dip!

Right in front of me, she started to take off her clothes.
He threw the armor that protected his arms to the riverside and put his hands behind his back without hesitation. He strips off his clothes, which originally covered only his chest, unbuckles his belt, raises his legs and throws off his short pants. In the moonlight, Liz's polished skin (I can only see her back) is exposed. All that is left is a pair of black underwear that is infinitely small in relation to the area of her back.



You're taking off your clothes too gracefully. Even if you're a hunter, you're still a girl, and you should have a little more discretion.

Without hesitation, her fingertips touched the hooks of her black underwear on her back and stopped.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I'm still in a hurry to pay attention.

'...... Liz, that's too much.

'...... Oh, come on. It's Kry and I, right?

What kind of relationship? It is true that I know Liz very well, but I would like to say that she is too reserved.
If you just want to wash the blood off, you can do that. I didn't come here to watch her strip.

I'm not here to watch you strip," she said, turning her head toward me and smiling.

'But ...... I think I'll stop today. It's a little embarrassing to take off your clothes while being watched, and it's the first time in a long time that you've been on an adventure together.

With an embarrassed, somewhat glazed look on her face, she moves her hands upwards and undoes her hair, which has been held back, her pink blonde hair covering her back.
Then, before I could say anything, she dove into the water.

It seems that the depth of the water was not that deep, and Liz spun around while immersed in the water to a little below her chest.

'Do you want to come in with me, Cry?

'......No, we need to get some water. ......'

'Right,......, that's a shame,......, I'll get the fish!

Liz dives into the water with great force. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I'm sure you have.

...... I wonder if Liz is a little more mature than she used to be.

This is a great way to make sure that you are getting the most out of your time with us.





I had a debt to pay.
As a hunter who works as a party, where one person's mistake could mean life or death for everyone, weakness was a sin. But Liz and the others never let me feel that. And after I left the adventure, they never seriously questioned me about it.

This is the reason why I can still remember those days as a barely pleasant event. Even the seemingly uncaring Liz is thinking about me.

'After all, it's fun to be with Cry-chan. ...... I'm glad I came. ......'

I sat down by the river and combed Liz's lush, water-absorbed hair with my hand. The wet hair that touched my right hand had a strange heaviness to it, but it was unscathed, as if she had been in a fierce battle on a daily basis. Whenever her fingertips touched her scalp, Liz's body trembled as she sat down and soaked her stomach in the water.

'Yeah, I'm fine. I'm clean. The blood seems to have come off.'

'Thank you. If it smells funny, I might make a mistake in case of emergency. ......'

A very relaxed, sweet voice.

I've achieved my goal, but I don't want to go back too soon. I'm not Liz's boyfriend or anything, but she hasn't asked me to leave, and sometimes it's nice to do this.

The silence was not painful. Nature, untouched for so long, is so beautiful that you can't get tired of looking at it.

As we were looking at the surface of the water, Liz suddenly said in a serious voice.

'Cry-chan, ............ I'm going to be a strong hunter.

'............ Oh, I know.

I think you're a strong enough hunter already, but there was a strong will in your words.

Strong, not proud, not neglecting the study, and beautiful.
Lise is feared in the Imperial City, but at the same time she has many fans. There is something about her, something outstanding, that captures the heart.

I stand up and Liz looks back at me. Her black lace underwear, covering at least her breasts and lower body, is revealed in front of you.
I couldn't help but look at her, but she laughed without saying anything about it.

'Let's go back. Thanks, Crye. It's been a while since we've been alone ...... and it's been a lot of fun.

Sometimes Liz wished for a calmer moment.
Maybe it's because she's trying to regain something she lost by becoming a hunter.

'Will you come with me again?

Of course.

I have a debt to pay. I was definitely a factor in Liz and the others becoming as strong as they are now. If I had been as talented as they were, they would have been a little more 'right' and stronger.
But my guilt is not the only reason I want to be with them.

Well, it was Liz who came with me this time, but that's not the right thing to say right now.

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I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

'Cry-chan............ me, you know, I gathered up all my courage to ask you this. Isn't that ...... too much for you?'

'......What?

It's not like there was any wind, but out of nowhere there was a rustling of trees and an eerie sound of leaves scraping together. I quickly checked my surroundings, but there was no sign of the demon.

'Sure, I thought, why not? Why would a bunch of trolls that normally live deep in the forest come out in large numbers in a place like that?''

Liz grabs her hair and squeezes the water.

'I wondered why there are no demons near the water. I wondered why it was so quiet. I thought?

You put on your clothes and pants, attaching your hands to your still wet body. Fasten your belt and tie up your hair.

'But, isn't this a terrible time? Hey, I know you're Cry-chan, but isn't it too much for you?

I hear something crawling around in the trees. The sound gets closer and closer.
It's a big one. I know because I've seen it. It's always a nasty monster to show up at a time like this.

What's going on? As I stood there in confusion, Liz said with a sour look on her face.

'You'll make it up to me, I promise.