And so, I left a note in the bathroom and bolted from the Magic Wand Clan House without a second thought.
I wasn't thinking about what would happen next. Well, more accurately, if I'd been thinking about the trouble that would come later, I never would've been able to run away. If the bathroom window had been big enough for me to squeeze through, I would've jumped out without hesitation, even if it meant falling.
Are those people out of their minds? Why would anyone deliberately go pick a fight with some dangerous secret society? And since when was it assumed that I had to go along with them?
If I had to fight a fox from the kind of secret society Therm of Still Water belonged to, I'd rather take my chances with the fox who gave me a smartphone just because I shared some fried tofu with him. If they want to go, I'm not going to stop them, but if they're going to fight, they should go fight Franz.
Without thinking, I sent a "this is bad" message to Brother Fox. He immediately replied with "good for you." Not good at all.
When I got back to the Clan House, I raced up the stairs and threw open the door to the Deputy Master's room.
"Eva! Eva! I'm leaving the Imperial Capital right now!"
"Huh?! Wh-what is it? What happened, all of a sudden?!"
Eva flinched and looked at me.
The Deputy Master's room was a mess compared to the Clan Master's. It was organized, but packed with stuff. A testament to the work being done in there.
I marched right up to Eva and raised my voice.
"There's no way I'm staying in this capital—I'm heading to the Martial Emperor Festival town right now! What's the town called again?!"
"O-okay... But there's still plenty of time before it starts. Did something happen?"
"Let's just say it's better to be safe. I'm going whether something happened or not."
This is bad. Gaark is the type of man who follows through on his threats. He said he'd deal with the staff, and next he might come after me too.
The Abyssal Flame Annihilation had been pretty terrifying as well. She said she was passing things on to the next generation, but that old hag was definitely going to live long enough to see it through.
The moment she found out I wasn't going to help with the fox extermination, she'd come burning down here in a heartbeat. If I got thrown into those flames, even the Barrier Ring would be practically useless.
Whether she sensed I was serious or not, Eva stood up.
"Understood. I'll make the preparations. But what about Lucia and the others?"
"Obviously, I'm taking them all with me. I'm taking whoever I can, no questions asked."
There's no way I could travel alone! I need to go find them... Ah, but I also need to decide which Treasure Weapons to bring.
"...Is it really that big of a deal?"
"Huh? ...Well, I wouldn't go that far, but..."
I mean, it's a big deal to me, but Gaark and that old hag weren't attacking people indiscriminately, at least.
Eva let out a small sigh as I blinked at her.
"Understood. I'll call the assembly from my end. You should get yourself ready."
§ "I had my Upper-Tier Composite Spirit Staff Qualification exam tomorrow, you know..."
And so, Lucia glared at me with a sour expression.
The Mourning Specter carriage, befitting its status, breezed through the Imperial Capital's exit screening with the authority of high-Level Hunters and was now hurtling down the highway at considerable speed.
From outside came heavy, thudding footsteps. Anthem was running alongside the carriage. Anthem's footwork was actually pretty light, but being as heavy as he was, whenever he put any effort into running, the sound was incredible.
When he was nearby, most Monsters wouldn't dare approach. Sometimes even the fearless Phantoms would flee.
The escape had been completed within an hour. Eva's capability was truly terrifying. Every time I asked her to do something, she seemed to get even more efficient.
Upper-Tier Composite Spirit Staff Qualification? What even is that? What's an Upper-Tier Composite Spirit Staff? But if I actually asked, Lucia would only get even more irritated.
I endured her gaze for a while, thinking, but nothing clever came to mind, so I cautiously opened my mouth.
"...Why is there even a qualification exam before the Martial Emperor Festival?"
"?! You—You're the one who suddenly signed up for the Martial Emperor Festival!"
No, I didn't... I never said that. I just asked if they were going to watch, and I wasn't the one who started talking about participating.
Lucia, her face red with anger, was met with Luke's laughter.
"Ha ha ha, give it up, Lucia. I even skipped the dragon hunt I was supposed to do tomorrow just to come along!"
...Isn't that insane?
The sword style Luke belonged to frequently received requests from the Empire to subdue powerful mystical beasts and Monsters. The reason Luke got away with cutting down so many people was that his body count of mystical beasts and Monsters was just slightly higher than his people count.
There was no obligation to go, so if he had something important to do, he could've just stayed. Why did he act like it was no big deal?
Eva, for her part, couldn't leave the capital on such short notice, so she hadn't come along. She said she'd come support us later. The proper way to handle it.
Citry said with a beaming smile: "I also handed off my lecture that was supposed to be tomorrow to Talia. Well, that's not my main line of work anyway, so it's fine, but it's a shame the Murina improvement research got left halfway done."
"Well, what can you do? They said we had to leave right away."
Riz shrugged. It seemed like everyone had been pretty busy. Anthem's voice called from outside.
"Indeed!"
What enthusiasm. Their sense of priorities was completely off.
They knew my invitation was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so why did Luke and the others accept so readily?
But I wasn't going to apologize. That wasn't what they wanted.
I leaned out the window, trying to deflect the guilt. The massive outer walls of the Imperial Capital disappeared into the horizon. No one was chasing us.
"What about Elisa?"
"Hmm, couldn't find her. I saw her this morning, though..."
...Peaceful. I let out a big yawn.
Now I'd be safe until the Martial Emperor Festival was over and we returned to the capital. Maybe we should stay in some other town for a while until the heat died down.
That was as far as my thoughts had gotten before I realized something important.
...Wait. There's nothing stopping Gaark and the others from chasing us, is there?
Arnold had come after me, after all. How could I say that the enraged Gaark and the Abyssal Flame Annihilation wouldn't follow?
I'd somehow convinced myself that leaving the city, leaving the country, would make me safe. And on top of that, I hadn't warned Eva. This is bad.
"Alright, let's move! Lucia, give me something heavy!"
"With the early departure, training's been a bit short."
"I'll ask Kirukilu too. I'll drive the carriage while you make it run."
"...Do you have any idea how hard it is to sustain Gravity Magic on a moving target? Gravity isn't a spell you just cast on people!"
The diligent Luke and the others bickered in their usual way. There was no way I could back out of going to the Martial Emperor Festival now.
I pressed my hand against my aching stomach and, with a motion I was quite used to by now, sent a "this is bad" message to Sister Fox. This is bad.
§ This is bad. This is bad. A smell so foul it could bend your nose came riding on the wind.
Far ahead in the direction we were traveling—a town was burning. Even with my poor eyesight, I could clearly see the black smoke and crimson flames.
Luke's excited shouts rang out from outside.
"It's Jabu! Jabu is here!"
"Business is booming, huh."
"I gave up the dragon hunt to come here. Something beyond a dragon! Come at me, something beyond a dragon! Come on, a dragon that can use a sword!"
"Luke, don't say things like that! It's on fire! Anthem, let's go ahead!"
"Indeed."
It's over. God, forgive me.