Breathe and wait behind the master. As I kept my nerves sharp and prepared to respond to anything that might happen, I felt as if I had become a great hunter.

It had been a long time since I had been under the protection of a master.

A master with many enemies usually has an escort when he goes out. Even when he doesn't go out, he sometimes does. Perhaps it was more for the purpose of interacting and checking his skills than for guarding him. Even when Tino was much more inexperienced than he is now, he was sometimes chosen, and in the first place, a level 8 doesn't need an escort.

Usually, it's the members of the Ghosts of Sorrows who are in charge of guarding. The sisters are always busy, but one of them is always available, so Tino is rarely called upon except when the Ghosts of Sorrows are on a hunt.
It was fortunate that Tino was the only one with free time today.

A good amount of tension and elation filled Tino's whole body. He is always ready to give it his all, but today he was in great condition.
It's not that it's been a long time since we've seen each other, but it's been quite a while since we've been alone ....... That alone is a great feeling.

There are two types of escort missions, trial and non-trial. The former is often the case when strange events are occurring, but Master Mastaa's intuition tells him that this time it is the latter. I'm sure it's the latter this time.

It's still a bit noisy, but the recent series of strange disturbances seems to have been settled to some extent, and Master says he doesn't plan to go out for a while. I've also been involved in a terrifying treasure chest (which Master seems to have named "Mimikun"), and I've achieved my quota of trials, albeit a bit modestly. In the first place, the Imperial City is basically safe, and I don't think anything more will happen.

So this is like a date. We're not going out, but it's like a date.
I don't know why you need an escort if you're not going outside, but it's a date. It must be a home date. The ring I got was delivered properly, and I can feel that my luck is turning.

Contractors have finally arrived at the lounge, which was half destroyed in the attack, and cleanup is underway.
The cracks in the floor and everywhere have already disappeared, and now all that's left is to replace the glass and the broken tables with new ones, and everything will be back to normal.

A corner of the lounge. At a table that was fortunately spared from destruction, the master was facing the carpet.



At his side, he has placed what may possibly be the most terrifying treasure Tino has ever seen, the Mimikun, and has a very serious expression on his face.
The carpet is not just any carpet. It is one of the most famous treasure carpets in the world. It is said that he received it as a reward for guarding the emperor, but according to what Sister Lucia told me, even though it is a 'flying carpet', he would not let him ride on it.

The carpet remained unconcerned even after being summoned by its master. Its legs were folded. He looked at the master with his legs crossed and a cup of coffee in his hand. He was looking at the master with a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked like a grown man.
He acted as if he were a grown man. If it hadn't been for the treasure, and if Tino's role hadn't been to stand behind him and protect him, he would have chastised him.

I'm used to the Master doing crazy things, but what is he going to do now?

Tino had hoped that they would be able to talk and eat something sweet together for the first time in a long time.

He watched the situation like a loyal knight, holding his breath. The Master closed his eyes and clasped his hands together for a few seconds, but then opened his eyes, stared quietly at the carpet and said.

'You know, I think you're a guy who can do better. In the first place, the Flying Carpet is one of the most famous treasures, and its usefulness is no less than that of the Magig Bag. Moreover, you have all the necessary elements for a flying carpet, such as space, load capacity, movement speed, and magic power, at a high level. You have the highest potential of all my treasures, without a doubt. It's something to be proud of.

'............'

'Believe in your power, Mr. Kerr. I don't know what happened to you in your past, but you can't go on living your life in the shadows with other carpets. You're not that kind of man! This is a friend's advice. Fly, carry a man! You can fly as high and as fast as anyone!

Mastaa ............ is preaching to the carpet .......

In response to the Master's words, the carpet thumped the table with its index finger. The carpet tapped the table with its index finger.
Clearly, he was not listening. Well, the first question is where the ears are, but the Master really has a variety of treasures. The common sense of Tino's treasures was already in a daze.

In the first place, why is the Master so obsessed with flying carpets? The reason why flying carpets are so famous and expensive is because merchants and others are eager to buy them.
If hunters want to fly, they can just do it themselves. Tino can't do it, but if you're level 8, flying will be easy, and if you want, you can ask your sister Lucia to give you a ride.

As I watched the rare carpet sermon, itching to move my body, the master said with even more enthusiasm.

'If you're not confident, I'll take you through the exercises. Let's increase what you can do little by little.

Where are the carpet hands? ...... I mean, if you're going to be so nice to the carpet, be nice to me, please, sir!

The box swallowed me and didn't praise me when I got the ring. I'd like to be a treasure if I were reborn, just for a little while. I want Tino to teach me everything he knows.

The carpet's reaction did not change at all to the Master's low-handedness.
If it had been Tino, he would have wagged his tail in delight when Master said something kind to him--no, I'm sorry, sir. You might think there's more to it than that. You might think there's something behind it, because that's how I've been specially trained up until now: .......

Look at Mimikun. It's an exceptionally good space-time bag! In fact, it's to the point where you don't even need this many functions. But I'm sure you can do this if you try...'

The carpet slaps away Mastaa's hand as he reaches for it with a desperate expression. The master's expression changed as he was treated so badly.


............ mastaa ...... Why do you look so happy!


But that's as far as it goes. Tino is an escort, but he can't stand by and watch the rug fall into disrepair any longer. We don't know when people are going to come into the lounge.

In the first place, this leaves Tino out of the loop, even though it's just the two of us.




'Master, please leave it to me. I will definitely make that Ka-kun obedient with the training techniques of Lucia's sister!

'Ehh ......, you don't have to do that. You can do it if you try.

'No, you can't! I'm not going to show my face to everyone!

It's outrageous to take advantage of a master's kindness. Even a carpet should be put through a thousand trials. And take his place! Tino is a can-do kid.

Even Tino, who's done a lot of work in the past, has never caught a rug before. He takes his stance and slowly approaches the carpet.
The carpet cowers at Tino's serious expression. The carpet cowered at the serious look on Tino's shoulders (?), then floated up and passed over Tino's head, then went behind the master and attached itself perfectly to his back.

It took my breath away. It was such a brilliant move.


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

'...... How daring--no, using Mastaa as a shield, how sneaky ......... ...I mean, you should resist a little bit too!

'............ Wait, what? If you can't ride it, why not use it as a cloak?

Master knots the hands of the rug in front of him and makes it like a cloak.
No, the Master is useless in these situations.

He takes a deep breath, flips the switch, and speeds up his heartbeat just a little. My heart trembles frighteningly, and the heat goes around my whole body.
It's not as good as your sister's, but it's similar to the "Zekage" I've been practicing lately.

The five senses are sharpened, and a sharp pain rushes to the back of my brain. Every muscle in my body was boiling with the need to release power. I didn't think I'd have to show it to you like this, but I can't leave anything to chance.

I'm not letting you get away. Catch this insolent carpet and what will you do with it?

'If you don't listen to me, I'll turn you into a rag.

'T, Tino! Calm down!'

Master called out my name as if he was in a panic, but it's this kind of attitude that makes the rug grow stubborn. If you do what you always do to Tino, he'll respect you, but this is discrimination.

You can either test me like a carpet or spoil me like a carpet, whichever you prefer.

There's no point in using the Master as a shield, he's not skilled enough. You can't use the Master as a shield. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've. I'll rip them apart in an instant and carve a hierarchical relationship into them.

He concentrates on the carpet's every move. It's a different physical structure than humans, but if you can see where it's coming from, you can predict its behavior. .......

Today's conditions are excellent. If he can successfully train the carpet, Tino's reputation will soar. I'm sure he'll reward me this time.

Breathe thinly. The carpet's hand twitches, as if under pressure from Tino's ferociousness. The carpet's hand (?) twitches. Just as I was about to jump out to meet it, I suddenly heard a noise from the entrance.
I instantly remembered my duty as a guard and turned my attention to it. It was almost at the same time that the thing that had come in collapsed to the floor.

It was wearing armor. It was not the kind of light armor that hunters wear, but a somewhat elegant armor of the Knights that also served as a symbol of authority. The reason he wasn't wearing a helmet was probably because we were in a town.
A man. In the midst of the accelerating sensation of false despair, Tino's eyes clearly recognized the face of a man on the verge of collapse.

The Master, who shuddered at the sound, rolled his eyes.

'It's ............ who?'

'It's ............ Hugh, sir! I'm Hugh LeGrand, dispatched by the Zero Knights! He was talking about becoming Mastaa's apprentice or something unreasonable!

'Ah ...... ah ......'

That's a raw reply. Is he serious or is he joking? ...... I'm sure, maybe, he's joking. I'm sure he was just checking to see if Tino remembered him correctly.

I remembered because of the impact it had on me, like the fact that my sister had knocked me unconscious and carried me in, and the fact that I had suddenly volunteered to become a master's apprentice.
I remembered him because of his impact. He was an unsavory man who reminded me somewhat of Ark, but he was a member of a regular knight order known for its elite. What the hell had happened?

The Master sits in his chair, takes a deep breath, and mutters.

'Are you dead ......?

'...... alive, sir. His heart is beating,......, and he seems to be exhausted,.......'

I approach the prone Hugh carefully.
The armor, which had been well polished when I first saw it, was now blackened with soot and covered with countless scratches. He didn't seem to have any obvious injuries, but his hair was shaggy and his whole body smelled foul. This is the smell of a ditch.

I poked Hugh with the tip of my shoe. But Hugh only moaned and didn't seem to get up.

'Mastera......, what should I do? It looks like he's not going to die even if we leave him alone.

'Hmm ........................ shall we leave it alone then?'

The Master says as he glances at the rug sticking to his back.

............After all, isn't there too much of a difference in the way carpets and humans are treated?
I'm not sure what to make of it. Isn't it a problem to leave them like this?


I'm not sure what to do, but suddenly Hugh, who was lying on the ground, moved.
He seems to have regained consciousness, and although he doesn't seem to have the strength to stand up, he moves his body with slow movements and lies down on his back.

Just by looking at his face, I could tell that he had encountered an unusual situation.
Her appearance, which had given me a fresh impression when I first saw her, was nowhere to be seen. She had been knocked unconscious by her sister when she first arrived, but this was nothing compared to that time.
Her cheeks were puffy, dark circles stuck under her eyes. His chin is stubbled, and his skin is dry.



'Here, give this to ...... Master, ............ please ......... ...'

'!


It was just a reflection. A thief's job is to keep the party out of danger by searching for enemies and spotting traps. It is too late to move after seeing and understanding.

You take a step back, and after a few seconds, you realize that you've pulled back. You choke and struggle for breath, remembering that you forgot to breathe.

The ability to sense danger that he had developed in his previous hunts had alerted Tino.


Aminomikku was a fearsome treasure, but there was no sign of it. But even an untrained civilian could sense the threat at a glance.


What Hugh presented to him was a small wooden box. It was beautifully designed, but it was no treasure trove, just a box.
But the miasma coming from it was not unusual.

A chill that invades your guts. A negative atmosphere far stronger than any I've encountered before. An unprecedentedly intense alarm is ringing in my brain. It's a wonder I didn't notice this before Hugh presented it to me.


I don't know what's in it, but I do know one thing.

This is-- this is out of my hands.


What are you-- no, no, no, no, this is--


I'm sure Hugh could clearly see the horror of this box. No normal person would even think of touching it, let alone going near it.
It was a miracle he'd made it this far with the box. If the miasma was this thick, just touching it would destroy your spirit. Even if there's no physical pain, the mind affects the body.



The arm holding the box shakes unsteadily. Hugh says in a hushed voice.


'We did it. Tell .................. me, Hugh--'

'Done ...... done? Tell ...... what? What? What do I have to tell you?


There were so many questions I wanted to ask. Where did you find this? What is this? Why did you bring it here? This is clearly a matter that should be sealed up tightly in the Church of Light.
But there was no time for that. Hugh was at his wits end, and once he lost consciousness, he wouldn't be back for a while. We need as many clues as we can get.

The arm that had been lifting the box finally lost its strength and fell to the floor with a thud. The box in his hand slid heavily across the floor and came to a halt against the wall. The light fades from Hugh's eyes.

Then Hugh said his last words with a disturbed look in his eyes.


'Ju...... things............... na,u'.

'!


I'm not sure if the thread of consciousness was broken or not, but Hugh's body lost power with a gulp.
It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money. It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.


'No need for ......'.


Ah, I understand. I understand perfectly. The thousand trials were not over, were they?

.................. No, no, no, no, I can't handle that, sir! No way! ............? I'm not sure if it's because of the ring or not.


It was a miracle accomplished by the Master's uncanny eye and cunning.
But the box you just saw is different. It's dead. I don't know what's in it, but even Tino, strengthened by the Mana Material, won't be able to stop it. There's too much difference. Did they find out about Tino's growth and increase the difficulty of the trials?

If possible, the box should be closed and somehow taken back to the Church of the Light and Spirit--will the Church of the Light and Spirit be able to handle it?

Fear and confusion. And I can't move my body because I feel guilty that I'm in this mess because of the ring I found.


You must run. It's beyond the reach of hunters. Masta, run and call the Church of Light-- I'll take care of this!


I can't move my mouth or tongue. I can't move my mouth or tongue. I can only move my face slightly and appeal to him with my eyes, hoping he'll understand.

I'm not sure if you're aware of the miasma, but you can easily open the lid as if it were a nightmare.