"His Majesty is furious beyond measure! You will find that Fox Mask no matter what it takes! He was wounded that badly—he must still be nearby! By the honor of the Empire, use any means necessary to capture him! If a single Hunter let his quarry escape after weakening him to that state, we'd be broadcasting our incompetence to the entire world! And secure cooperation from Kreet as well—they spat on our warning! Princess Murina herself was attacked!"
The Zebuldia Embassy in Kreet had descended into chaos reminiscent of a hornet's nest being poked with a stick.
At Franz's barking orders, soldiers and officials alike scurried out in a frenzy. It had been a full day since the Martial Emperor Festival incident, and they had been investigating without sleep or rest—yet no useful intelligence had surfaced. That fact gnawed at Franz and his people.
The Fox Mask man was clearly gravely wounded. To evade the Martial Emperor's attack in that state, slip through a包围 of high-Level Hunters, and vanish without leaving a single footprint was, under normal circumstances, impossible.
He had likely been drained of mana by the Earth Key. What Fox Mask had been suffering from was a mana depletion symptom. In that condition, magic was unusable. The chance he had escaped by flying through the sky was virtually zero.
Did he have an accomplice? Or perhaps a hidden passage? Regardless, allowing the Fox to slip away in that state would utterly destroy the prestige of the great empire of Zebuldia.
Kreet was a foreign nation—they had no intention of using that as an excuse. The Fox had declared war on Zebuldia head-on.
Policy meetings. Negotiations with Kreet's envoy. As they rushed back and forth, a subordinate arrived to report.
"Commander Franz, the blood collection from the venue is complete. They say it's more than sufficient—divination can be performed."
"I see… Relying on such an imprecise art is distasteful, but… there's no other choice."
The fact that the Fox had left blood behind was a blessing in disguise. With a part of the body, even if the target had completely escaped, divination could pinpoint a rough location.
Once the general area was known, the Empire's military might could be brought to bear in a large-scale sweep operation.
Naturally, this would also put the target on alert. It was a last resort, but— At that moment, the subordinate spoke with a stiff expression.
"There's also—the Alchemist from the Thousand Transformations Party has requested a portion of the Fox's blood—"
"…!"
The unexpected words sent a flash of blood rushing to his head, but Franz suppressed it with a deep breath.
"I can hardly refuse. He's the hero of this entire affair. Divide an amount that won't interfere with the术."
The secrecy and obstructionism of Thousand Transformations had caused them no end of grief, but merit was merit.
Why the Fox had possessed the Earth Key, they didn't know. But as a result, the damage had been contained to the destruction of a single venue—and that was thanks to the efforts of Thousand Transformations. The Empire's own术 analysts had submitted reports indicating that the destruction of the Earth Key had been heavily suppressed right from the moment it was triggered.
If Thousand Transformations hadn't been knocked unconscious, the Fox might never have escaped in the first place. But then again, to have used that much power to suppress the destruction and only end up knocked unconscious—no mere human could accomplish that.
They would need to hear the full story once he'd rested. But no matter how much the Empire valued Hunters, leaving everything to a single Hunter unconditionally would damage their credibility.
They had already secured cooperation from the other Hunters, including Branch Chief Gaark.
If his companion wanted blood, so be it.
In terms of research, the Empire's own scholars wouldn't lose out either—but the instincts of an active Treasure Hunter were often terrifyingly sharp.
Use every means available to kill the Fox. That was His Majesty's order.
Before long, that would be officially announced as a formal declaration to every nation. This was, for all intents and purposes, a declaration of war.
With that thought, Franz pressed his temples and shifted his gears.
"What happened to the fake princess?"
"She's currently receiving treatment. She was charred black, but with her extraordinary life force—there will likely be no danger to her life."
"I see… The real Princess Murina would have been terribly worried."
He let out a sigh of relief. The gentle princess would have been devastated if her double had died in her place.
One of the surprises in this whole affair was that the Fox had attacked the fake Princess Murina.
The counterfeit princess should have been created by the Fox Mask people themselves. To accidentally attack your own creation was an absurdly sloppy blunder.
Among the Empire's investigators, heated debate had raged over this. The masked assailant had attacked the fake princess, and the fake princess had defeated two of the three attackers. There had been three assailants total, and one had escaped, but that was unavoidable.
The Fox's side may have been panicked as well. After all, the Fox Mask man himself had initially mistaken Klavi Andricchi for the real Thousand Transformations.
In any case, that counterfeit was, in a sense, their lifesaver. Her combat capability had been proven. Once they returned to the Empire, they would need to hold discussions about how to handle her treatment.
After all, she bore the same appearance as Princess Murina. They couldn't simply release her, nor could they kill her.
At that moment, the subordinate spoke again with a stiff expression.
"So… actually, the Alchemist from the Thousand Transformations Party has asked if he can perform a diagnostic examination on the counterfeit Princess Murina—"
"…What the hell kind of party does that man run…"
Were they friend or foe? Did they want to cause trouble, stir the pot, or was there some deeper purpose?
They had incurred a terrible debt.
Franz slammed the table with all his might, fury seething through him, and gave his reluctant permission in a voice pressed down low.
§ § § It was a crisis unlike anything the Boss—who had completed countless difficult missions for the organization—had ever experienced.
For a group that operated under strict secrecy, capture was the greatest fear of all. In that moment, pursued by the former Martial Emperor in the arena, the Boss had been cornered without a doubt.
Mana was nearly depleted. Wounds had been sustained. Since the operation had been impromptu, no escape routes had been prepared for an emergency.
High-Level Hunters filled the surroundings. The probability of escape was virtually zero.
—If the mysterious masked girl hadn't appeared.
She was a girl who carried an atmosphere that could be called mystical on the good side, or inhuman on the bad side. And above all, her face was covered by the same mask the Boss wore.
The Boss knew all the other senior members well. The Fox's organization had no such young members.
Bracing himself for the possibility of a newcomer, the Boss heard the girl speak.
"I'll let you go."
From that point on, his memory was hazy. The one certainty was that the girl's power had carried the Boss out of Kreet without the slightest difficulty.
Neither the Martial Emperor who should have been chasing him, nor the soldiers who should have been surrounding the arena—they encountered no one at all. That was likely some manner of illusion术.
And not just any illusion, but a powerful one capable of deceiving even high-Level Hunters with exceptional resistances.
The Boss finally reached one of the organization's safe houses in a nearby town—the kind used in emergencies—and let out a long, relieved breath.
He drove his exhausted body forward, restoring wounds and mana with potions. The worst crisis had passed, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
The organization had anticipated a full-scale war with the Empire, but that was supposed to be far in the future. The precious Earth Key was lost too. A grueling battle lay ahead.
What had happened to the subordinates who had carried out the princess assassination?
If they had succeeded, they should have returned to headquarters. If they had failed—well, they were probably dead already.
He closed his eyes, remaining alert even as he allowed his body to rest. The image that flickered through his mind was the fox-masked girl who had saved him.
That bearing, that extraordinary power, the fox mask she wore. If she wasn't one of the organization's own, there was only one lead that came to mind.
The Treasure Hall—The Wandering Inn—where the divine being resided, the one whose discovery had triggered the founding of the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox.
The founder of the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox had once encountered that Treasure Hall and received a fox mask from the deity dwelling within.
The organization had a standing rule: anyone who encountered the Treasure Hall and, through fated circumstances, obtained a mask as a drop from its Phantom would be accepted as someone recognized by the god.
Fox deity worship was one of the pillars of the organization. But it was also, simultaneously, nothing more than a convenient justification.
"Being accepted as one recognized by the god" simply meant the organization would appoint as senior officers those strong enough to encounter The Wandering Inn, navigate fated circumstances, and claim the mask—a Phantom drop. That was all.
In other words, obtaining the mask served only as a trial to recruit the strong.
The special status given to priests didn't stem from any deep-seated reason either. The Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox was, at its core, an intelligence agency focused on growth.
Unsurprisingly, there was no cooperative relationship between the Phantoms of the Treasure Hall and the organization. Throughout the long history of the group, they had fallen into crisis on several occasions—but the Phantom of that Treasure Hall had never once come to their aid. Indeed, a Phantom appearing outside the Treasure Hall violated the natural order itself.
The fox-masked girl had said to the Boss: "Kiki-kan's enemy. I'll let you go… This time, it's my win!"
What did those words actually mean? Who was Kiki-kan? Was it their real name, or a nickname? How had they gotten such a nickname? And why did letting the Boss go constitute her victory?
No matter how much he turned the question over, he couldn't arrive at an answer. If he had to speculate from the circumstances, "Kiki-kan" seemed to refer to Thousand Transformations, who had been facing off against the Boss at the time—but…
…No. He needed to rest now.
Even the organization's very foundations were shaking. Fighting Thousand Transformations in this state was far too dangerous.
Regardless of the fox-masked girl's true identity, an enemy's enemy was a friend. He should assume he'd gained a powerful ally and use her accordingly.
—Just as his thoughts had reached that point, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Heh heh heh… Seems like you've been dealt quite the painful hand, Kuubi."
It was a woman's voice, cool and measured. The Boss opened his eyes and sighed at the voice that had been spoken without the slightest presence betraying her approach.
A tall shadow had appeared in the room at some point. She wore a loose-fitting kimono with a single sword at her hip. Her face was covered by the same type of mask the Boss wore.
The Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox had multiple tails. Those who possessed masks—the senior officers—were not singular.
"…How rude. Kenbi, this is my territory."
"Oh, is that so?—As if I don't know anything? I've heard the rumors. The organizational structure has practically collapsed, and headquarters is in chaos."
The words struck a nerve. Kuubi—one of those who stood at the apex of the organization, holder of the title "Empty Tail"—furrowed her brow.
The territory Kuubi directly controlled was the vast region centered on Zebuldia. The chaos wrought by Thousand Transformations this time had engulfed only a small part of it, but that part happened to be of critical importance.
Losing major assets like Shisui and Dragon Caller on top of this failure was far beyond merely "painful."
Normally, a boss appearing uninvited in another boss's territory was a violation of the rules. Kenbi had risen to senior officer on the strength of her sword alone—she was a superhuman, and not so incompetent as to not understand that.
More importantly, Kenbi's combat ability was fearsome. She had solved every obstacle that couldn't be handled by strength alone with pure strength alone, making her killing power among the top tier even within the organization. That was precisely why she was respected even among the Fox's scheming, intrigue-loving ranks.
"But the methods are clear now. The chaos will subside quickly. There's no problem."
It was then that Kuubi's eyes widened.
No—Kenbi showing up here was actually a stroke of luck.
No matter how capable, Thousand Transformations must be letting their guard down right about now.
He couldn't act directly himself, which was frustrating, but if he sent this woman to assassinate him, everything would turn around.
If Thousand Transformations died, the Empire would surely quiet down as well.
Above all, Thousand Transformations could become the organization's ultimate nemesis. There was no better time to crush him.
Just then, Kenbi spoke in a calm voice.
"I understand the general situation. But tell me, Kuubi—how exactly did you get out of that encirclement? Escaping at full capacity should have been extraordinarily difficult—"
So she had planted agents beforehand. That too violated the organization's rules, but he was grateful for it now.
Kuubi took a deep breath and answered as calmly as possible.
"…You may find it hard to believe, but I was rescued by a servant of the Fox Deity. The god still blesses this organization."
"…I see."
Kenbi's response was unexpectedly terse.
She raised no further questions—and with a natural motion, drew the weapon from her hip.
The blade exceeded a meter in length. A curved edge with a distinctive temper line. The blade itself was less a weapon and more a kind of art piece, evoking the depths of a deep ocean—compelling, magnetic, almost hypnotic.
The blade radiated a quiet gleam. She merely stood there, yet her body betrayed no carelessness, no opening.
"…What do you intend?"
His power had largely returned. There was no problem with using术. Meeting Kuubi's gaze, Kenbi let out a soft, derisive snort.
"Seeing what kind of excuse you'd come up with, and it's 'the god'… The infamous Kuubi—known for her cold-blooded realism and scheming—has fallen so far. You face charges of unauthorized use of a strategic weapon, the Earth Key, endangering the organization, as well as covertly bestowing masks on subordinates, plunging headquarters into chaos, and plotting civil war. So now—you will disappear."
"…What did you say!?"
At the unexpected words, Kuubi shot to her feet and glared at Kenbi. Kenbi's expression, hidden behind her mask, was unreadable, but her voice dripped with contempt and pity.
The Treasure Weapon sword—its glistening, wet-looking blade swayed toward Kuubi.
"Don't worry. A fox doesn't die. The tail simply regrows. Be grateful to Thousand Transformations for stopping the destruction halfway through. Command of the Zebuldia region will transfer without any issues."
Thousand Transformations!?
That single word sent a bolt of revelation crashing down upon Kuubi.
Everything that had happened replayed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
Thinking calmly, Thousand Transformations' actions in Kreet had been devastatingly precise against the organization. As if—the Boss's every move had been completely anticipated in the Kreet operation.
No matter how skilled a strategist, one would need to know the Fox's movements, the Fox's policies, everything—before such an operation could be executed.
And then—the savior who appeared at exactly the right moment. A servant of the Fox Deity.
If there was even a remote possibility of controlling a servant of the Fox Deity, it could only be a priest.
If all of this had been an orchestrated plot to bring down Kuubi— To set it in motion without Kuubi's knowledge would require power. The assistance of someone at the senior officer level.
The rumors of civil war at headquarters had reached her ears.
She had dismissed them as a joke at the time—but— Kuubi rose to her feet and circulated her mana.
She had heard Kenbi was inept at scheming—but was it all a bluff?
"…Don't tell me—You used Thousand Transformations—to stage a civil war—"
"? Hmph. There's no point in further negotiation."
Kuubi's question was met with a snort of contempt from Kenbi—the traitor—who leveled her sword in a perfect two-handed stance.