Having Rook and the others along really did make a difference in terms of peace of mind. Monsters that lunged at us were swept aside like ordinary inconveniences as we made our way toward our destination.
We had some pleasant encounters too — maybe, this time around, we were actually in luck.
Rook dispatched a magical beast that looked like a wolf scaled up several times over with a wooden sword, then said wistfully: "You can't see his expression because of the mask, but it's easy to imagine that mouth is curved into a grin.
"Having Krai along really does make a difference..."
"!?" "What kind of difference?"
"They're nothing special as opponents, but they make for decent warm-ups before the Martial Emperor Festival."
"...Mm."
Anthem nodded with his usual dignified bearing at the words of the less-cool of our two "Thousand Swords." Hey, what kind of difference?
I was a little curious about what Rook and the others did when I wasn't around, but they checked with me every time they went on an adventure to see if I wanted to come along, so it wasn't like I was causing them much trouble.
At that moment, as if she'd read my mind, Lucia — who had been reading a book written in a language none of us could even identify — looked up and fixed me with a flat stare. Citry clapped her hands once to lighten the mood.
"Well, Elisa isn't here, but with this many of us together, we should be fine for most things. We've already experienced most things, after all."
"If only we'd brought Tee along... Krai-chan said it was urgent or whatever. Boring."
Riesz rolled over onto her back and grumbled in a sullen tone. Today, Riesz had lost at rock-paper-scissors and wasn't allowed to join the fight. A party that competed with each other over who got to fight monsters — ours was probably the only one like that.
What were the members of the "Mourning Specter" like, I wondered?
§ The Martial Emperor Festival was a widely celebrated event. In this golden age of Treasure Hunters, people from every field were focused on Treasure Hunters — or more precisely, on the powerful warriors who brought back Treasure Weapons from the Treasure Halls and could repel mighty Phantoms and magical beasts. Naturally, the excitement it generated surpassed even the auctions held in the Imperial Capital.
As we traveled along the highway, we encountered more and more carriages that were likely headed to the same destination as us.
It wasn't just Hunters who gathered for the Martial Emperor Festival. Nobles and merchants were the obvious ones, but there were also groups of unidentified people with complexions worse than any Hunter's, and reckless carriages that looked like they belonged to commoners yet had no guards at all. Watching them all gave you the feeling you were peering into the chaos of the world.
And then I turned to Anthem, who was walking beside the carriage.
"Come to think of it, Anthem — are you participating in the Martial Emperor Festival too?"
"...Mm."
The reliable holy knight, clad in his full-body Treasure Weapon armor, gave a small nod.
There were plenty of carriages, but Anthem didn't stand out. Anthem Smart's height was currently less than half its usual value — shrunk down to roughly two meters. He looked terribly cramped, but as the most sensible member of the "Mourning Specter," he had no desire to cause unnecessary confusion around him.
The ability possessed by Anthem's full-body Treasure Weapon armor, the "Ever-Changing Fortress," was size adjustment.
The "Ever-Changing Fortress" could adapt to fit any bearer, regardless of age, gender, or build.
Thanks to the power of Mana Material, and because most equipment couldn't fit his abnormally massive frame — which had been a constant inconvenience — this Treasure Weapon was a perfect fit for Anthem. The Imperial Church that gifted the weapon to Anthem had surely been thinking the same thing.
And after having Anthem show me the armor, a thought had occurred to me: — What would happen if you shrunk it down while wearing it?
Under normal circumstances, you'd be compressed to death. But Treasure Weapons were fundamentally unreasonable things by nature.
As it turned out, after repeated Treasure Weapon "experiments"... verification, the "Ever-Changing Fortress" was found to possess a hidden ability.
The power the "Ever-Changing Fortress" truly held was indeed size adjustment. This Treasure Weapon could be equipped by anyone — regardless of gender, age, or build — and, in the event that the wearer could no longer fit inside, it would adjust the size of the contents instead.
Thus, Anthem had gained the ability to walk down the main street without attracting attention — provided he kept the armor on at all times.
That said, he was only a little bigger than average, and as a top-class holy knight there was nothing to be ashamed of. He was well known in the Imperial Capital, and there was rarely any need for him to shrink his body (for the record, the Treasure Weapon couldn't activate its power unless the full-face helm was also worn), but it came in handy for occasions like this. Note, however, that while the size could be adjusted, the weight stayed the same.
Anthem was a holy knight. A holy knight's role was to step forward and protect people when the time came, and his exceptional skill in healing magic had earned him immense trust in the Imperial Capital. He was serious and unassuming, but he would undoubtedly be the next member of the party to reach Level 8.
"Even if you're not a participant, tons of tough guys are gonna show up, right?"
"Apparently, if you perform well, you end up on people's radar," Citry said, adding fuel to the fire in front of the hot-blooded Rook. Was this the apocalypse or something?
I'd been the one to suggest going to watch, but now I was wondering — was the Martial Emperor Festival actually dangerous? I'd seen enough of Ark and others to know that high-Level Hunters weren't necessarily belligerent, but... when you thought about it calmly, the people gathering here were the type who wanted to compete for supremacy.
...I'd have to warn Anthem to make sure he didn't go out of his way to pick fights. I could do without any further spread of our bad reputation. This time, I'd try to keep my face hidden as much as possible.
Few people wore masks, but they weren't unheard of. I didn't want to stand out, but having my face recognized was even worse.
As if to prove the truth of Citry's words, the town we arrived at was enveloped in a strange fever across its entirety.
Surrounded by Rook and the others, I walked through the town with my mask on. Leading the way was Anthem. Even shrunken, he was about the height of a large Hunter, and the intimidation radiating from his full-body armor was extraordinary — almost no one approached.
Normally nervous when walking outside, I could hold my head high and act freely when protected by Anthem.
"Hey, who do you think the strongest fighter among this year's participants is? Ah, excluding me, obviously."
"The Sword-Bearing Dragon participant. There has to be one. Krai's here, so one's bound to show up. Come on! Sword-Bearing Dragon participant, come forth!"
"Hmm, the outcome can depend on how much they've消耗ed in the earlier fights, you know. Not everyone's a saint, so there are apparently dirty fights too..."
Citry said, looking thoughtful. She seemed calm, but we shouldn't forget that she was an Alchemist who was planning to enter the martial tournament herself. I clenched my fist and tried to sound hard-boiled for the moment.
"Dirty fights, huh... That gets me excited. Arrows, bullets, dragons — bring 'em on!"
"Leader, what are you saying..."
"Well, I was trying to fit in with everyone."
Lucia gave me her usual white-eyed look. Proof that even a coward could talk big when they were just a spectator.
The town was bustling like a festival. Stalls lined the streets, and delicious smells wafted from every direction, irresistibly drawing the eye.
And then, a particular stall caught my attention.
It was lined with dragons made of chocolate and ice cream.
It was the kind of treat you'd rarely see in the Imperial Capital, but a combination of chocolate and ice cream couldn't possibly be bad. I couldn't help but stop in my tracks. Lucia looked up at me with a flat stare.
"Is something the matter, Leader?"
Lucia had the soundest financial sense in the party. Every time I wasted money, she'd lecture me about it.
Yeah, yeah, I know... It's because I'm in debt.
"...I-I'll be right back. Wait here for me."
"Hm? Oh, sure..."
Well, she'd let me go despite everything, so I headed for the stall. I was still deeply in debt, but oddly enough, my wallet was well-stocked.
Buying unusual snacks was one of the joys of traveling. Right — I'd take a photo with my phone camera and send it to her.
I dodged the crowd and approached the stall triumphantly. And then, someone tugged on the hem of my coat.
I turned around. The person who had grabbed my sleeve to stop me was a woman with refined features wearing a priestess's robe.
She had long, pale blue hair — she looked a few years younger than me, perhaps — and her drifting gaze and aura had an otherworldly quality. Of course, I had no recollection of her.
"What is it?"
"Come this way."
"Huh?"
She returned just one word, then took my hand and pulled. Her grip wasn't strong, but mine was weaker still, so I was dragged along.
While I stood there in confusion, the girl wove through the crowd, passing the stall and leading me into a narrow alley.
The last thing I saw when I looked back was Lucia staring after me with a slack expression. Lucia would normally make a fuss but come to my rescue if I got kidnapped — but apparently, this time didn't count as one.
Actually, even if it wasn't exactly violent — wasn't this still a kidnapping?
Well, calling it "kidnapping" was going a bit far, but— "Um... you've got the wrong person—"
"No, no, no, I haven't got the wrong person at all. Please, come this way."
It was definitely the wrong person. My memory wasn't great, but I never forgot the weird ones.
But my apparent kidnapper wasn't listening to a single word.
"...I wanted to eat a dragon."
"I'll have one prepared."
Seriously... She'd actually have one prepared?
Between two buildings, in the narrow alley — the lively main street couldn't have been more different from this place, which was completely deserted. The area didn't look particularly unsafe, but it was the kind of path no one would take alone — and yet the mysterious priestess glided through it without hesitation.
And about halfway down the path — a door suddenly opened. That was when I first noticed that the building even had a door, and a tattered one at that.
The girl slipped through the opened door with a natural, fluid motion. Since she was still holding my hand, I tumbled in after her.
"?????"
"Please, come this way."
"?????"
Without a moment's hesitation, she moved through what looked like an abandoned building, then appeared at a set of underground stairs and descended. I stumbled along after her.
There was no light, but the place had apparently been cleaned — there was no unpleasant smell, strangely enough.
At the bottom was a sturdy metal door that seemed impossible to imagine from the passageway above.
The mysterious girl whispered something to the other side of the door. A heavy clank echoed as the lock opened.
"Please, come this way."
I entered the room as directed, and couldn't help but widen my eyes at the sight that spread before me.
It was a vast room. Countless candles stood along the walls, their dim glow pushing back the darkness.
But the reason I'd frozen in my tracks was — the countless figures arranged inside the room.
Unknown gender and age. Despite their number, not a single breath could be heard, and what was most bizarre of all was — every single one of them was wearing a fox mask.
They looked like commercially produced ones — different in design from the one I owned — but there were fat foxes, red foxes, grinning foxes. Quite the collection they'd managed to gather.
I snapped my fingers as the full picture clicked into place.
"As I suspected, it seems to be a case of mistaken identity. I wear a fox mask, but I'm not a member of the Fox Mask Appreciation Society."