The big news arrived at precisely the moment Tino finished his training at the Treasure Hall and returned to the clan.
His big sister wasn't there. Her training was hell, but her schedule was completely irregular. Sometimes she wouldn't show up when she was supposed to, and other times she'd appear when she wasn't expected.
Recently, she'd been absent the entire time on an emperor's guard assignment, but Tino had long since grown completely accustomed to his whimsical master.
"Master is... competing in the Martial Emperor Festival?"
"Yeah, apparently she thinks it's a good opportunity and wants to aim for a party clear."
His tone was calm, but the Hunter from "Footprints" who delivered the news—Lyle—had eyes that gleamed with excitement.
These days, often called the golden age of Treasure Hunters, martial tournaments were held all over the place, but none were as widespread as the Martial Emperor Festival.
Many skilled fighters entered, and not just Hunters.
Well-known martial arts instructors participated, as did famous bounty hunters. The captain of the mightiest knight order might show up, or a Sage who'd been shut away in research for ages might enter. They all had one thing in common: the weak were eliminated in the qualifiers, so every single remaining participant was a powerhouse.
Treasure Hunters were used to rough fights, but their goal was never combat—it was acquiring treasure. In fact, they often allocated their Mana Materials to handle a variety of situations, which could even be considered a disadvantage in narrow, pure-combat scenarios.
And above all, what was most distinctive about the event was that the participants weren't necessarily pure humans.
You didn't see them much in the imperial capital, but the world held numerous races with abilities far beyond those of humans.
The Spiritfolk excelled in magical aptitude, but the physical potential of beastfolk and giants was on an entirely different level from humans, and the rarely-seen dragonkin excelled in every quality a warrior could have—if you were choosing the strongest race, they'd be first on the list.
Only by defeating those elites could one earn the title of the strongest. Of course, not every powerhouse entered, so luck played a role too.
But as far as Tino knew, throughout history, the number of times a mere human had topped the Martial Emperor Festival could be counted on one hand.
Master was strong and impressive. Impressive, but fighting people who seemed born solely for battle was honestly disadvantageous.
More than anything, unlike his big sister and the others, Master had almost never publicly demonstrated her power. If she had that kind of temperament, she would have entered the Martial Emperor Festival ages ago. (Incidentally, the reason his big sister and the others hadn't participated before was out of consideration for Master.)
Why was she deciding to enter now?
Various questions swirled through his mind. And then Tino clenched his fist.
"I've got to cheer her on."
"Yeah. But if Kurai actually wins, we'll instantly become the strongest group!"
At those unexpected words, Tino's eyes went wide.
When he thought about it calmly, that was absolutely true.
The winner of the Martial Emperor Festival was granted the title of the strongest. And if the clan run by the strongest existed, more people would take notice. There was no causal relationship between a Clan Master's personal strength and the strength of the clan's members, but that's how the world worked.
And—if it was a clan led by the strongest, more clients would come seeking their services. Many of those would no doubt involve troublesome jobs.
That wasn't what Tino had intended. He'd muttered the words almost reflexively.
"...We're going to get dragged into something awful."
"That's... We've got to stop her!"
Lyle's expression changed as he reached the same conclusion. Just as he turned to dash off, Tino instinctively stuck out his leg and swept Lyle's feet out from under him.
Lyle was Level 5. He was mid-tier in the clan, but had been a Hunter longer than Tino. In terms of raw ability, he was probably about the same as Tino or slightly above, given all the trials Tino had faced.
But his opponent had been off guard.
"You're not going!"
"It was YOU who said it!"
Before Lyle could recover his footing, Tino unleashed a rapid succession of kicks. He closed the distance and gave no openings. The other clan members who'd gathered nearby glanced at Tino and Lyle, but shrugged it off as their usual antics.
Lyle was desperate, but Tino was equally desperate. If his words about Master were overheard, his big sister would have him executed—and the very idea of not cheering for Master was unthinkable.
"I... am going to cheer... for Master!!"
So—silence was the only option.
A full-power blow connected, sending Lyle soaring through the air. Without hesitation, Tino followed up with a finishing strike.
"If you're... too weak... they'll make YOU... enter!!"
Tino finally stopped when Lyle lay completely collapsed on the floor and someone brought over a gong to ring.
Panting, he looked down at the pitiful Lyle.
"Hmph. Master would never... tell me to enter in her place... I'm sure... of that."
..................Nope, I'm totally asking you to, Mastaa!
Tino stared into the distance, but then realized he couldn't just leave things as they were, grabbed Lyle's arm, and began dragging him along.
§ "Huh?! The Martial Emperor Festival?! That weakling?!?"
"Heh heh heh... She just finished a guard assignment, and yet she's this busy."
Cleus Argen opened her refined eyes wide and let out an incredulous cry, while Lapis Fulgor, the party leader of "Star's Holy Thunder," chuckled as though she'd found something amusing.
"Star's Holy Thunder" was a party composed entirely of Spiritfolk. Since Spiritfolk were few in the imperial capital, they rented a house to live in together to prevent trouble.
The rooms were spacious, with more than enough built to accommodate them, but Spiritfolk who ventured outside the forest were rare and largely valued their freedom, so the common areas—the conversation room—were devoid of other members.
The Martial Emperor Festival was one of the few festivals that even Spiritfolk, who had little interest in worldly matters, followed with genuine enthusiasm.
Ever since a certain Spiritfolk had won the tournament and become a hero whose name spread across the world, many Spiritfolk who normally had no interest in human events had entered the competition.
That said, no Spiritfolk had won since then.
"...This has to be some kind of joke. That guy wouldn't even lift a finger when attacked by dragons or Phantoms, you know."
"Hmm... Perhaps she seeks fame, then?"
"That's even less likely. That guy said whatever she pleased to nobles and emperors. Competing...? You mean watching, don't you!?"
"Just spectating wouldn't generate this much buzz."
She understood Cleus's disbelief, but she was far too worked up about it.
In an admonishing tone, Lapis spoke, and Cleus turned bright red and shouted.
"I know that without you telling me! I was the one who collapsed from exhaustion—and that weakling!!"
Perhaps worn down by the repeated attacks and the encounter at the Treasure Hall during the guard assignment, Cleus had fallen ill and had been resting at home since returning.
Between the constant ambushes and the encounter at the Treasure Hall, even though the return trip had gone smoothly, she'd had to remain on guard the entire time wondering when the next attack would come. Collapsing was only natural.
Or so she had thought. But if the very person who should have been in the same situation was energetically entering the Martial Emperor Festival, then things were different.
"That weakling—don't tell me he had me do all the work just so he could enter the Martial Emperor Festival?! At least come visit, you jerk!"
As Cleus vented her frustration at someone who wasn't even present, Lapis crossed her arms and sighed with a weary look.
"Then shall we also enter? If we could defeat Thousand Transformations, it would certainly be satisfying. As for entry qualifications... well, we'll manage somehow. We're perfect for drawing crowds, after all."
"Huh...?"
At those unexpected words, Cleus blinked.
She stared at Lapis, but she didn't look like she was joking. Lapis wasn't the type to joke in the first place.
Admittedly, if they could defeat Thousand Transformations on such a grand stage, it would be somewhat satisfying. Star's Holy Thunder's name would spread as well.
Cleus looked contemplative for a moment, but then quickly shook her head.
"No, that would make all my suffering for nothing, so I'll pass. I don't care about fame or being the strongest or anything like that."
"I see."
"But that guy put me through so much trouble. If he loses embarrassingly, he's not getting off easy."
"Hmm... Well, at this Martial Emperor Festival, our heroic Spiritfolk should be competing as well. Even if it's just in a contractual sense—let's make our Clan Leader show us everything she's got."
As the party member voiced her indignation once more, Lapis narrowed her eyes and displayed a smile so beautiful it was almost unsettling.
§ "Achoo... I feel like something good is about to happen."
Was this really going to be okay?
Eva felt a trace of unease watching the Clan Master leaf through a magazine while humming cheerfully.
Thousand Transformations was, even by the most generous estimate, indisputably among the top ten hunters in the imperial capital. But at the same time, she was a Hunter who didn't particularly enjoy fighting.
Once, Eva had asked Kurai why she'd stopped exploring Treasure Halls.
Being a Clan Master was an honorable position, but a Treasure Hunter's true calling was exploring Treasure Halls, and almost no one neglected that to run a clan. (And that was one of the ways "Footprints" had an edge over other clans.)
When Eva had asked timidly, this Clan Master had given a cynical smile and answered: "I never liked fighting to begin with. It's a hassle, and I'm sick of it."
But now, seeing her grinning as she flipped through the magazine, there wasn't a trace of those former words.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, since I'm going to the Martial Emperor Festival anyway, I thought I'd check out some sightseeing spots..."
The magazine she held up was studded with numerous sticky notes.
Though the Martial Emperor Festival was a martial tournament, it was an honor for warriors. Sometimes its outcome could determine the very survival of the school a fighter belonged to.
The other participants were probably visiting Treasure Halls right about now, putting the finishing touches on their preparations ahead of the coming decisive day.
Well, even if not all of them were like that—Eva could say with certainty that there were no fighters out there using a guidebook to find tourist attractions.
Even knowing her usual ways, seeing Kurai grinning like that made Eva worry despite herself.
"...Should I look into the participant information?"
The Martial Emperor Festival was a one-on-one tournament. And since weapons and fighting styles were free to choose, the outcome was heavily dependent on the matchup between fighters.
Eva didn't know what Kurai was good at, but with information, she could surely devise countermeasures through her usual cunning strategies.
Filled with these thoughts, she offered the suggestion, and Kurai's eyes went wide before she answered with a guileless smile.
"Nah, I'm fine. I'm not that interested in the other participants anyway. It's more fun and surprising to learn about them when the matches start on the day, don't you think?"
"!?"
Did she really have any intention of competing? Was this person really fit to be a Clan Master?
No... Kurai, you're planning to cause a huge scene again, aren't you.
"Oh, I actually marked some spots I'm interested in. Is there anywhere you'd like to visit, Eva?"
"...Lend it to me."
She took the annotated guidebook and tucked it under her arm.
Even if it was meddlesome, even if she was told it was unnecessary—she had to prepare countermeasures. This was one time she couldn't leave things to their own devices as vice-Clan Master. The results of the Martial Emperor Festival would affect the entire clan.
Having steeled her resolve, Eva left the dazed Clan Master behind and briskly departed the Clan Master's office.