His whole body received a strong shock, and his consciousness slowly surfaced. As soon as his thoughts returned, Hugh did not scream or open his eyes.

He kept his eyes closed and looked around so that no one would notice that he was awake. As the elite of the Order of Zero, they are subjected to a variety of training. Aside from the amount of mana and materials they absorb, their ability to deal with accidents is second to none, even for treasure hunters.

Breathe and assess the situation. I can move my arms and legs. No restraints seem to be in place. There is a dull ache in my neck, which is probably the main cause of my loss of consciousness.

He had not been careless. Nevertheless, I didn't even have time to fight back. I don't need to guess who hit me. There are only a few people who would attack a knight without hesitation in a traffic jam like that.
I had heard that they were fierce and quick to take action, but I hadn't realized that the Strange Grief--...... had reached this level.

I'll get my breathing under control. There's still some pain in my neck, but I don't think I'm bleeding. My fingertips are moving as I thought they would. It seems that no matter how "Zekage" you are, you wouldn't kill someone who approaches you with a smile by surprise.

The situation can't be that bad. Hugh can endure the kind of treatment that would make an ordinary knight unbearable or even infuriating. Of course, no nobleman has ever been able to deal with the Thousand Transformations before, so this level of obstacle should be expected--.

I can do it. As he was saying this to himself, a conversation entered Hugh's ears.



'Cry, this guy ...... was looking at me with an evil eye! He's definitely your enemy, isn't he? Right?

What? What? Did you see it? You were watching?

'E...... esseikemen,niugo............'

Lise Smart's voice rasped. The man's voice sounded distracted, and the girl's voice sounded stunned.
She was kicked vigorously, rolled on the floor, and stomped with her feet wrapped in cold treasure shoes. The special alloy armor that only the Zero Knights are allowed to wear makes a creaking sound. It looks slender, but it's incredibly powerful. Even among the highest level of the Knights, there are few who can make their armor crumble with mere force.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

'Hey? You're dressed as a Kingsguard, so you're not just anybody, are you? It's not like he's trying to kill you, but he's got a weird look in his eyes, so he's definitely an enemy, right?

'Sister, calm down, calm down--'

What are you ...... talking about?

Hugh was just watching. You can't say he didn't have an agenda, but he didn't try to kill you or even antagonize you. What's with the weird ............ look?
I wonder if there was a reason for the attack, but I don't understand it at all. There are plenty of people who would look at you in the first place, do you always do that?

I'm not sure. No, you have to get results at all costs. I'm sure Commander Franz doesn't expect much from Hugh, but since he doesn't, it makes sense to get results here.

Think. We can't just make excuses, we have to find a way to get past this berserker...

'Shut up, T! Hey! Krai, you did good, didn't you? Look, look, Cry-Chan! He's already awake, but he's pretending to be unconscious, and he's definitely up to no good!

What?

You've been found out, huh?

The force of the stomping became even stronger, and Hugh opened his eyelids in panic. He quickly tried to change his stance, but the vise like force from above did not allow him to even make the slightest movement.
He could not breathe properly. A painful exhalation leaks from his open lips. What came into view was Liz with glittering eyes, a dark-haired girl who said she was his apprentice, and a dark-haired young man with a somewhat goofy face sitting deep in the sofa.

For a moment, the pain is forgotten. A dark-haired man who doesn't look strong at first glance. He fit the characteristics of the "Thousand Transformations" that Commander Franz had told him about, but even after knowing the prerequisites, the young man didn't look like a level 8.
This one--I can't lift him up. Even Hugh, who has come here with the intention of abandoning his pride and being a flatterer, even Hugh, who has praised all kinds of fools in the past, can't find any merit in this!

It is a perfect mimicry. ...... No, is this really a ...... mimicry?

In particular, very little is said about its appearance, and the reason for this is quite clear. There's nothing to talk about.
In the first place, no one would believe a level 8 hunter as a dull, black-haired, black-eyed man, and the eyes of the person who said so would be questioned.

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do that.
The expression on his face, as if he were looking at the world with a clear head, or worse, as if he was not thinking at all, made me feel uneasy.

An overwhelmingly incompetent face that no amount of sycophancy can penetrate.

What to do? What should I do? How can I get this man to be happy, get out of this predicament, and achieve my goal?
In the first place, how come this guy doesn't say anything while his party members are trampling on the innocent knight?

I managed to lift my trembling, weak fingertips slightly and hit the floor. That's when the "Thousand Transformations" finally started to work.
He smiled his absent-minded smile and looked at Liz.


'Good, good, good, good, good. Good job, Liz. Good, good, good.'

'Yeah? Really? Did I do good?'

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

It was a sight that Hugh, who had seen many parties in his life, had never seen before.
There is an image that many treasure hunters are rough, but this is not the case when it comes to high level hunters. The certification level granted by the Explorers Society is a guarantee of the power of treasure hunters and a pillar to the Explorers Society. Normally, the Explorers Society does not grant high levels to members with personality problems. Many high-level hunters are soloists, but those who lead a party usually have perfect leadership through charisma.

That's ...... great great great? Yes, yes, yes, yes.

This is not something that can be called leadership.

'All right, all right, Lizzie, great, great. Good, good, good, good.'



'Heh. I wanted to make sure that Crye would bring this to you.

'How's that, how's that, how's that, how's that, how's that, how's that, how's that ............

'Then can you give me a spell like Luke and Lucia?

'Iikoikoiko......Waruikoikoiko......Yoshiyoshi......'

The pressure disappears. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will work for you.

At that moment, Hugh felt a shock, as if he had been struck by lightning.

While Cry was patting his head mechanically with a smile on his face, Liz's eyes were shining and full of life force. There is no way that a bandit (Thief) who is skilled enough to read Hugh's gaze and read his true intentions (although it is doubtful that he is reading them correctly) would not have noticed Kry's condition.

I'm not sure if I'm reading him correctly, but it's impossible for a skilled thief to not be aware of Kry's condition.
I'm not sure what to make of that. That's why I know. It's difficult to manipulate people by acting, but it's a different level of difficulty to manipulate people without acting, and to be able to manipulate people with such an appropriate response...

How the hell did they train Zekage to this point!

I don't care about the mission of extracting information anymore. At that moment, Hugh felt that he understood the reason why it was said that the Zekage was mysterious and incomprehensible. The reason why Hugh had been praised so far was because his abilities had been highly valued, but why in the world was he being missed so much! What does the Zekage like about him?

'My master also wants to meet you, Cry-chan! Will you come?

'Good, good, good, Liz is great, ...... good.'

'No, nothing is wrong, sir. ......'

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit nervous about this. The gentle smile on his face and his dry voice - no doubt.

This Klei Andrich is not listening to you at all!
And he expresses his lack of listening with every gesture of his body. Not even the nobles and merchants of the world could behave like this. In the first place, there is no need to do so.

Is this the peculiarity of level 8?

This accustomed, unwilling attitude - and the fact that Liz is unfazed by it - is not something that could have been cultivated overnight.
I want to know. This power is on a whole new level, different from any imperialism that has ever existed. And with this skill, I'm sure Hugh will be able to climb to even greater heights.

I want to know. The secret of this power! If I stay close to him, will I be able to understand what the power is? Would he be able to make it his own?

Krai looks like a grown man as he pets Liz, completely lost in thought.

And then, for the first time, Cry's eyes looked at Hugh. He blinked slowly and looked at Hugh for a while, but then he nodded his head and said to Liz.

'Okay, okay, Liz, ............ go back to where you belong.

'Er, Cry, where's the curse?'

'Good Lord, .......'

'Where's the master?'

'............ good boy!'

Even though they didn't seem to understand each other at all, Ryss let go of their tightly clinging bodies to make room. Crye smiles wryly and crosses his legs in a somewhat eagle-eyed manner.

At that moment, what filled Hugh's heart was a deep respect. His body naturally straightened its posture, placed his palms on the floor, and bowed his head.



'Mr. Cry, please make me your disciple.

'Ah, disciple, disciple. Yeah, yeah, yeah. ............ What?'


Hugh forgot to even say his name and got down on his knees, forgetting his appearance, and the [Thousand Transformations] made the dumbest sound ever.









Why in the world is this happening to me? Looking down at the young knight who bowed deeply, I simply blinked in an attempt to escape reality.
I've been in the capital for quite a while now, and I've had people ask me to be their apprentice a few times, but this is the first time a knight whose name I don't even know has gotten down on his knees.

Moreover, I didn't do anything special this time. When I looked around, I could not hide my confusion, and my eyes met with Tino, who had come with Liz. Tino, who was as confused as I was, hurriedly shouted.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm not a fan of your work. ......'

If anything, it's better to question this person's sanity than to praise mine. ......? It's also possible that Liz hit him too hard on the head when she grabbed him and brought him in.
But for some reason, Liz was proud of him. He was as sharp as ever, even though he had brought the knight to his feet after knocking him out for no good reason.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

I'm sure you're aware of that. You'll be able to get a lot more out of it than you might think. You can't give away what you don't have, no matter how much credit you get.

How old are you again?

Calm down for now. What you're saying is all wrong.
It's just a coincidence that I gave Luke the magic sword, it wasn't a reward or anything in the first place, it wasn't a curse that I gave Lucia, and besides, it wasn't even a credit that I suddenly knocked the knight into a coma and brought him back!

I'm tired of having so many things to complain about. And why are you looking for trouble so badly? I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm sure you're aware that every time Liz goes on a rampage, it causes Franz a headache, right?

My persuasion did not change her expression. Her shapely eyes shone with anticipation. She thinks I'm going to bring trouble again. It was an uncomfortable trust.
I'm sure Luke's incident has raised her expectations. I know because we grew up together. People can't talk to Liz like this.

I stretched out my arms in peace and stroked her head, hoping that the memories would disappear.

'Okay, okay, Liz, okay, okay.

'Hmmm ......'

It's all a bit of a rumor, isn't it? I'm sure you'll blame me for Liz beating up this knight anyway. ...... I know.
I'm not sure what to make of that. The knight in question staggered to his feet, his eyes widened to the limit, and he looked overcome with emotion.


This is the level 8 ...... of ............ the art of controlling people's minds.

'......There are a lot of weird people around me.

'............ I'll refrain from commenting on this...'

I'm not sure what to make of that. If there's a way to control Liz, I'd like to know.
You're going to need to have a lot of time to think about it. How he received it, the young man straightened his back and saluted with a dignified expression that would make a woman swoon just by looking at him.



'I'm sorry for the delay, but I'm Hugh LeGrand, a member of the Zeroth Order. By order of Commander Franz, I am now under your command. Please do whatever you want!

I'm surprised. ............ I haven't heard anything about this. I'm not sure what to make of that. In the event that you have any questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at the web site.
You'll be able to't make up for the loss you've just suffered if you take a decent attitude now. I'm not going to say anything, because it's possible that you've been ruined as a result of Liz's beating.

Even under my paranoid gaze, Hugh didn't change his expression. If it were me, I would have turned away from him under pressure, but he is indeed an elite knight.

...... So, Franz, you're going to make me work for you? I've been licked. Doesn't he know that hardworking incompetents are the most troublesome?
No one will understand, but I'm not doing anything properly and with a firm will!

I crossed my arms, tapped my elbow with my fingertips, and said with a hard-boiled smile.



'............ I see, I get it. I'm sure you'll be able to find something to give to Liz.