How did this happen?
The center of the Imperial City. Near the Imperial Castle, which boasts one of the highest land prices in Zebrudia (though it's still several kilometers away), is a place where nobles, large merchant associations, and top-notch clans all reside.
I hadn't been to one of these high-class residential areas in a long time, where Gladys' mansion is also located.

A somewhat old-fashioned brick building. There are probably few people who don't know about the building, which is clearly different from its surroundings.
Resembling a tower, it is taller than any of the surrounding mansions, and there are even rumors that you can see all of the Imperial Capital from its top floor. And the fact that the clan was allowed to erect a huge structure in the middle of all the aristocratic residences speaks volumes about the prestige of the clan.

I remember that when I first came to the Imperial Capital, I came all the way here for sightseeing.

That was the Mage Clan, one of the oldest among the many clans that existed in the Imperial Capital. It was the headquarters of the Hidden Curse.

And on the top floor of that tower, where all hunters look at me with envy, I was somehow having tea.

In front of me, a sharp-eyed witch who I couldn't even imagine how long she had been alive was smiling sarcastically, and a huge bald-headed man with half of his face tattooed, who looked more terrifying than any hunter I had ever seen, was scowling. What in the world did I do to deserve this?

'Kuku kuku ......, it looks like you've done something quite interesting, '

'I didn't think you'd come to me straight out of the habit of always running away,......, did you eat something strange?'

I snickered.

What? What's wrong with my hearing?
There is no way that I would voluntarily go to a hellish place where two of the top five scariest people in the Imperial City are.

I'll admit that I've been in a bit of a funk lately because of the Martial Emperor Festival. But... But... But... My sense of danger is not that paralyzed.

As I was calmly escaping from reality, Marie and Arun, who were the reason I came here, made tea in front of me and said with a dumbfounded look on their faces.

'Mr. Gark, what do you think of Ms. Cry? There's no way that [Thousand Transformations] will escape!

''Yes, yes. Alto Balan is right! Krai-san has graciously agreed to accompany us!

I don't care what you think of me, but what do you think of me?

I crossed my legs in resignation and said with all the sarcasm I could muster.

'You can't say no to an invitation to tea.

Hey, you said tea, right? Would you like to have tea with me, didn't you say so? Didn't you? Isn't that strange?
What's with the two extra people? No, it's my fault for following you all the way here. But maybe this isn't the ...... tea?

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had it.

I would have refused if you had told me that Gark-san and the old flame were there. That's fine then.

It's not good at all, but Mr. Gark sounds confused and convinced.
I put up a pretense at least to Arun and the others who were looking at me with trust for some reason.

'It's only this time, ...... and I've just been thinking that I need to see the Abyssal Fire.

I'll never be fooled again. I hate myself for letting my guard down because I thought I knew her.
The old lady, unaware of the situation, twisted one eyebrow dexterously and said.

'Hmm ......, that's an honor. But why didn't you show up at ...... before?'

That's obvious. Because I didn't want to go. I didn't want to go, so I put it off!
And I was hoping I could avoid going if I had to.

'Oh, I don't need you, Mr. Gark, so you can leave.

'I'll beat you up.

'No, wait. It's better if you stay. ......'

'I'll hit you.

Any Demon of War would have no chance against the Abyssal Fire. But it can at least be a wall.
I took a cup of tea that Arun had made for me, and smiled as it tasted unexpectedly good. I was already in the mode of giving up completely.

'Well then, take your time, Mr. Cry .......'

'Wait! I think Arun and the others should be there too.

'!

We're friends, right?

Arun's eyes widened in surprise, but there was no way I was letting him go.
Arun and the others played with my innocence. I'll use them as a wall when the Abyssal Destruction goes out of control. I'm sure the old lady isn't so inconsiderate as to burn her allies to the ground. Thelum is still better than her. He's worse than the fox who wants the emperor dead. Not bad?

I'm not sure what to do.
I can't tell if he's prepared to burn his allies, or if he's disappointed that he can't burn me.

After drinking a very delicious cup of tea, I put the cup down.

'I'm sorry, but I don't have time for this. Now that we have the tea, let's get on with our business.

'Mr. Cry, have another cup. I have some sweets.

Oh, yes. Thank you.
Even if you don't feel like it, good food tastes good even if you're on the edge of a needle. I took a bite of the cookie that Arun offered me to prolong the time, and said with a big sigh.

'I know what you want. Isn't it about the [Stop Water]?

Even the clumsy me can understand.

It was only a few weeks ago that I borrowed the Therm of Stopping Water from the Demon Staff and challenged the Emperor's request for an escort. And it turned out to be a mistake in judgment.
Thetherm of the Stopwater was a member of the notorious secret organization, the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox.

For some reason, Terum had been faithfully guarding the emperor until halfway through, but for some reason he suddenly revealed himself, for some reason he ran away, and for some reason he was now a toy for his brother fox in the treasure house. Why?
Now that I think about it, it doesn't make any sense at all. I knew I shouldn't have accepted the emperor's request to guard him.

'First of all, it's not my fault. I was surprised by that too. I was surprised to find out that the famous deputy leader of the Demon Staff and Gark's recommended Kecak Chakka were traitors.



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I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but it's a good thing.

The Abyssal Fire Extinguisher raised itself and smiled.

'Right, that's right. While I can still move, before I leave it to the next generation--I need to burn it all to ashes. ......'

Hmm?

Let's get to the point. It's a big job. We're going to crush that fox that's been sucking up to the Explorers Society.

'Mmm-hmm?

Arun and Marie are looking serious too.
I widened my eyes, clapped my hands, quickly retrieved my phone, and raised a small hand.



'Sorry, can I use the bathroom for a minute?