I knew I would feel safer with Luke and the others. We headed for our destination, kicking aside the usual troubles, such as the demons that attacked us.
We had some good encounters, and maybe this time we'll get ...... lucky.

You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this sort of thing.
You can't see his expression because he is wearing a mask, but you can imagine that his mouth is smiling.

'It's different with Cry after all. ......'

'! What's different?

'Not much of an enemy, but it's not a bad way to prepare for the Martial Emperor Festival.'

'...... Mm.'

Anthem nodded in her usual dignified manner at the words of the uncool Senken. What's the difference?

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing when you're not here. ...... Luke and his friends come to see if you want to come with them every time they go on an adventure, so they shouldn't be bothering you that much.
There, Lucia, who was reading a book that she didn't even know what language it was written in, looked up as if she could read my mind and looked at me with a blank stare. Sitri clapped his hands to soften the situation.

'Well, Eliza-san isn't here, but with this many people, I'm sure we can handle most things. We've already been through most of it.'

'I should've brought Tee with me. ...... Kry said she was in a hurry. It's boring.

Liz rolled over and said in a sultry tone. Today, Liz lost the rock-paper-scissors competition and was not allowed to participate in the battle. We're probably the only party that fights over demons.

What about the members of Strange Freaks of Sorrow ?





The Martial Emperor Festival is a well known festival. In this era of the heyday of treasure hunters, people from all walks of life are looking to treasure hunters - more precisely, to powerful warriors who can bring back treasures from treasure halls and fight off powerful illusions and magical beasts. The crowd naturally surpassed that of the auction held in the Imperial Capital.

As we proceeded along the streets, we began to meet more and more carriages that probably had the same destination as us.
Hunters are not the only ones who gather for the Martial Emperor Festival. The aristocrats and merchants were the more obvious ones, with groups of unidentifiable people who looked as bad as the hunters, and reckless carriages that looked like ordinary people but didn't have any guards.

Then I asked Ansem, who was walking next to the carriage.

'Speaking of which, will Ansem be at the Martial Emperor Festival?

'............ Mm.'

The reliable holy knight in full body armor nodded slightly.

Although there were many carriages, the current Ansem was inconspicuous.
Anthem Smart's height has now shrunk to less than half of its normal height - about two meters. He looks very cramped, but as the most sensible person in the Ghosts of Sorrows, he doesn't want to cause unnecessary confusion around him.

Anthem's full-body armor-type treasure--the "Foriner Mail"--has the ability to adjust its size.

The Foriner Mail can change its owner's size to suit any age, gender, or physique.
With the power of the Mana Material, it is the perfect treasure for Ansem, who has always been inconvenienced by the fact that most of his equipment could not fit in his uncommonly large body. I'm sure that the Church of the Empire, which gave this treasure to Ansem, thought the same thing.

And when Ansem showed me the armor, I thought to myself.


--I wonder what would happen if I made it smaller while wearing it.


Normally, it would be compressed to death. But treasure is an insane thing to begin with.

As a result of repeated verification of the treasure tool ......, it was discovered that the "Foriner Mail" had a hidden ability.
The power of the Forerunner Mail is indeed size adjustment. This treasure can be worn by anyone. It can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender, age, or size, and in the unlikely event that it doesn't fit, the tool will adjust the size of its contents.

In this way, Ansem could walk down the main street without attracting attention, provided that he did not take off his armor.
He's just a little bit big, but he's one of the strongest holy knights, and he has nothing to be ashamed of. He's famous in the imperial capital, and it's not often that he needs to make his body smaller. Note that the size can be adjusted, but the weight remains the same.

Anthem is a holy knight. The role of a holy knight is to step forward and protect people in times of need, and he is highly trusted in the Imperial City for his skill in healing magic. His seriousness keeps him from standing out, but he will undoubtedly be the next level 8 in the party.

'Even if you're not a participant, there are a lot of tough guys coming, right?

'I heard that if you do well, you'll get noticed.

Sitri says to the bloodthirsty Luke, as if to add fuel to the fire. Is it the end of the century?

I'm the one who suggested going to the games, but I wonder if the Martial Emperor Festival is dangerous? In the event that you're not sure what to do, you can always ask your doctor.

...... You have to be careful not to take the initiative in telling Anthem to go out and fight. I don't want my bad reputation to spread any further. I'll try to hide my face this time.
There are a few people who wear masks, but not all of them. I don't want to stand out, but I don't want my face to be known.

As if to prove the validity of Citri's words, we arrived in a town where the entire city was covered in a strange fever.
Surrounded by Luke and the others, I walk through the city wearing a mask. Leading the way is Ansem. Even though he is small, he is as tall as a large hunter, and his full-body armor gives him an uncommonly intimidating presence, and few people approach him.
I'm a bit nervous when I walk around outside, but with Anthem protecting me, I can act like a big man.

'Hey, who do you think is the strongest of the contestants this time? Well, except for me, I guess.

'The dragon contestant with the sword. There's got to be one. There's a Kry, there's gotta be. Come on! Dragon contestant with a sword, come on!

'Hmm, the winner may be determined by the wear and tear of the previous battles. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what you need to do.

Citry says with a thoughtful expression. It looks like she's calm, but you have to remember that she's also an alchemist and she's going to participate in a martial arts tournament. I clenched my fists and said, hard-boiled for now.

'Dark fighting, ......, that's exciting. Bring your arrows, guns, and dragons!

'Leader, what are you talking about ......?

'No, I'm just trying to keep up with everyone.'

He didn't care if Lucia gave him the cold shoulder. This proves that even a coward can say whatever he wants from the outside.

The whole town was crowded as if it were in the middle of a festival. There were many food stalls and delicious smells coming from all over the place, and I couldn't help but pay attention to them.
Then, I found a stall that caught my attention.

It was a stall that had dragons made of chocolate and ice cream lined up in a row.
It's a type of food that is rarely seen in the Imperial Capital, but the combination of chocolate and ice cream can't be bad. Lucia looked up at me with a furtive glance as I stopped in my tracks.

'Is something wrong? Leader?'

Lucia has the most sound financial sense in the party. Every time she wastes money, she gives me a hard time about it.
Yeah, well, that's because she's in ...... debt.

'............ I'll be back in a bit. Wait here.'



'Huh? Ah, yes ......'

Well, he's forgiven me for what it's worth, so I'm going to go buy it. I still have a lot of debt, but strangely enough, my wallet is full.
Buying unusual snacks is also a fun part of the trip. That's right, I'll take a picture with my phone's camera and send it to you.

Avoiding the crowd, I approach the stall with great enthusiasm. Just then, I'm tugged by the hem.

I turn around. The person who stopped me by tugging on my sleeve was a woman with a good-looking face, wearing vestments like those worn by priests.
She had long light blue hair, was probably a few years younger than me, and her swaying gaze and mood were somehow supernatural. Of course, I didn't recognize him.

'What is it?

'Come here.'

'What?'

With a single word in reply, the priest pulls my confused hand. His strength is not strong, but my strength is even less strong, so he pulls me along.
While I was confused, the girl continued to walk through the crowd, past the food stalls, and into a narrow alley.
The last thing I saw when I looked behind me was Lucia looking at me with a blank expression on her face. Whenever I've been kidnapped, Lucia has always been willing to help me, but this time she didn't seem to think I was kidnapped.

I mean, this isn't too violent, but it's kidnapping, isn't it?

No, kidnapper is too much of a leap, but--.

'Isn't that ...... the wrong person?

'No, no, no, you don't have the right person. This way, please.'

You definitely have the wrong guy. I don't have a very good memory, but I don't forget strange people.
But the kidnapper in front of me doesn't seem to be listening to me at all.

'............ I wanted to eat a dragon.'

'I'll prepare it.'

Really? ...... will you prepare it for me?

The narrow alleyway is bustling with people. The narrow alleyway was a complete change from the bustling main street, and there was not a single person in sight. Although it seems that the security is not that bad, but if you are alone, you will definitely not go through such a street, but the mysterious priest is going through easily.
When I reached the middle of the road, the door suddenly opened. It was then that I first learned that the building had a tattered door.
A girl slipped into the open door with a very natural movement. She grabbed my hand, so naturally I slipped in too.

' '.

'This way, please.

' '

Without hesitation, I walk through the ruined interior and down the underground stairs that suddenly appear. I followed it unsteadily.
There are no lights, but there is no unpleasant smell, as if the place has been cleaned.

In the basement, there was a sturdy metal door, which I could not imagine from the passage up to here.
A mysterious girl whispered something to the other side of the door. A heavy clunk sounded, and the lock opened.

'This way, please.

I did as I was told and entered the room, my eyes widening at the sight.

It was a large room. Countless candles lined the walls, clearing the darkness with their dim light.

But the reason why I stopped was because of the countless shadows that lined the room.
Gender and age unspecified. I couldn't even hear them breathing, and the strangest thing of all was that each of them was wearing a fox mask.
The design of the masks is different from the ones I have, but how could they have collected so many, including a fat fox, a red fox, and a smiling fox?

I understood everything and snapped my fingers.



'I think you've got the wrong guy. I'm wearing a fox mask, but I'm not a member of the Fox Mask Lovers' Association.