The inn that Sitri had booked as his base in Crete was a solid building rather than a luxurious one.

A strange and bustling city, unlike any other he had visited. The inn was located in the center of the city.
The building itself was large and simple in appearance, but it was unusual in that there were several fully armed knights guarding the entrance alone.
Thick windowpanes and walls with a strange sheen. The inside of the inn looks normal at first glance, but there are many knights standing guard here and there in inconspicuous places. The lodgings Sitri takes when he travels are usually luxurious, but this time it seems to be different.

I wondered if something had happened, but as far as I could tell, that wasn't the case.
Besides us, the other guests included a well-dressed (and expensive) merchant, a nobleman with many attendants, and not a single mere hunter.
We were shown to a large room on the upper floor that could accommodate a large number of people. Liz shouted with joy and immediately ran around the room, checking under the bed and behind the painting. Lucia was looking around outside through the large window.

I don't know why, but even though this is supposed to be a town inn, they seem to be acting as if they were in the wild.

Sitri glanced at me proudly and said.

'I took the safest inn this time. Cleats are noisy during the Emperor's Festival.

What? Why ............? I'm just here for sightseeing.
Actually, I checked the guidebook, and it is a good city for tourists. It's not as safe as Zebrudia, but I'm sure it's safer.

The other day, I was told that the "Nine Tails" had been killed.

The other day, I just got into a fight with a nine-tailed shadow fox,......, so I thought I'd better be careful.

'I can't wait to see how many come. It'll be good to see how many come.

'Mmm.'

Luke waved his arms, and Ansem nodded gravely. Apparently, I'm the only one who doesn't get it. If I wasn't used to this sort of thing, I'd be depressed.

Lucia smiles a hard-boiled smile at me and says in a soothing tone.

'Leader, we have many enemies,......, so please be careful.

'Yeah, yeah, right?

'They've got a vendetta against us. ...... Word has already spread that we're going to compete, and I'm sure the remnants of the organization are gathering from all over.'

This is all new to me. ......No, I know they've got a grudge against us, but .......

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's had to deal with this.
As usual, Liz is full of confidence.

'We'll just have to stomp them all out, right? Hey, Brother Anthem.'

'............ No.'

Even Ansem, who always has a weakness for his sister, seems to say no.


'...... Lizzie, that's not what's important right now.

That's right, that's not the point. I mean, why are you assuming that there will be an attack?
It's true that we've captured many bounty hunters in the past, but once a bounty hunter is captured, he's supposed to be locked up, and the ones we've killed don't come back to life.
Perhaps Luke had come to the same conclusion. He's simple, but he's not stupid.

Then Luke said, with a look of unprecedented seriousness on his face.

'The important thing is - we can't divide it fairly unless we get a number divisible by six! Isn't that right? Cry!'

'Eh! Ah ...... yeah, yeah, right.'

'Oh, really?

I was pushed over the edge by the momentum, and Liz rolled her eyes.
I'm always defeated by Luke's momentum. That's why I'm still a hunter.
Sitri, who was sorting through the large luggage he had brought in from the carriage, said to wrap up the conversation.

'Well, if there's going to be an attack on us, it's going to be quite a few people. I'm not ...... sure if they're swordsmen or not.'

So why would it be confirmed .......?

'......Did we do something so bad?'

'Because bloodletting the contestants of the Martial Emperor Festival will enhance our name.'

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. ...... I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

It's a great way to train and gain fame, two birds with one stone! You're right, Cry!

'............ Luke is a smart guy.

It's okay. I'm not a contestant, and Luke and the others are strong.
I'm strong on my own, and with Anthem, I should be able to handle an attacker or two or three or four.








'Ah, come quickly. Come dragon swordsman with eight arms. ......'

'Luke, are you still talking like that? There's no way such a creature exists. Even Cry-chan is not ......?'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah. ......'


It's a magic trick that makes the genocidal Liz look a little more mature than Luke.

I dropped my gaze to my hand and sighed deeply.

What should I do with this? .......

The list of possible attackers that Citrie had made for me was quite large.
Perhaps it was because he had included the ones that had already been destroyed, but it was amazing how many grudges could be built up in just a few years. I'm amazed at how you can hold a grudge after only a few years. I'm sure there were at least five more .......' It's the end of the world.

The fact that I was not aware of any resentment on my part added to my frustration. It seems that not all of them are huge organizations, but if there are so many of them, each organization on the list would have an army even if each of them had one attacker.
All I could do was blink my eyes at the unreality of it all, and then Citri said to me.

'I heard that the villains who came for the other contestants are colluding to attack you.

Hell, huh?

I don't like violence, but I'll say what I have to say. I'll say it if I have to.

'This is what happens when you don't destroy them!

'Sometimes other organizations target us to avenge their own. ...... The Knights protecting Zebrudia are excellent, but this country is not so good. ......'

Citry's words were understandable but difficult to accept.
I don't know if they're going to attack us yet, but it's impossible for me to be under siege and not be attacked, considering my luck so far. I've half given up.

'I don't want to get attacked. ...... I'm going sightseeing this time. ......'

'I heard that there's even a contest where the loser of a tournament tries to attack the winner in the dark.

Anything is possible. Isn't that fair and square? I feel like I've seen behind the scenes of a glorious tournament, even though I haven't watched it yet.


Well, blackmailing the winner has nothing to do with me, but...

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find a way to avoid this situation. If only I were as devious as they say.

I went to the window and looked out the large window. It seems that this window is also specially made to resist blades, impact, and magic.

The room was on a high floor, and I could see the whole city of Cleet from the large window. Unfortunately, my eyes are not so good, but if you look closely, you can see smoke rising up all over the city.
I wondered if some of them were the remains of fights. ...... I had come to a terrible city.

'Hmmm, can't we do something about this......'

I sighed deeply and muttered such a thing, and at that moment, I froze.



A man in black with a fox mask was standing just outside the window. I could see the glare of a beast through the hole in his eye.
I was so startled that my face became expressionless, and the man said to me as if it was natural for him to be here.



'Boss. If necessary, please order us, the .................. Fox Mask Lovers' Association.


I'm afraid to go this far. What kind of organization is the Fox Mask Lovers' Association?