- What the hell was Klee trying to collect?!?
I have fought so many strange demons and phantoms so far.
Plants that eat self-propelled people or giant spiders that are more than ten metres in length. Full-body armor struck by a small dragon that made hundreds of herds and raided from the sky with a mature movement, even though the contents were empty.
But even such an experienced arc has never fought a mask that takes over a person.
Eclair's figure remained intact. Silhouettes alone would be much the same as before. But that's why the mask of meat covering up its neat appearance was terribly tough.
"Ugh... ah... ah... ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah..."
Eclair flutters big and puts his little hand on the wall.
And it was so powerful that it whitened in its hands.
Along with the murmuring noise, there is a small murmur on the wall. It was an outrageous force. Ark can do the same, but the girl in front of him is not even a hunter.
I didn't neglect to work out due to house circumstances, but I shouldn't have had that much power because I didn't smoke Mana Materials.
No - in the first place.
Concave armor of guards rolling on the floor. If you did it with a fist or a kick, quote less and now Eclair has about the power of a mid-level hunter.
Some treasures temporarily increase the user's abilities, but I've never heard of treasures that would just explosively enhance one girl to that point.
There were no noticeable scratches on Eclair's limbs or body. The only thing that is changing is the face, and there is no sign that the mask of meat is eroding the body.
Squeeze and mist the thunder that was lodged in your left hand. I'm not bad at handouts, but I just couldn't hit a noble daughter I knew with a thunder that could totally control hunters, demons and phantoms.
As we always do in exploration, there's no way we can burn it down with 10,000 lightning.
"I called my name... conscious... have you?
I don't want to do anything as absurd as possible. From what I've observed, it doesn't look like they've taken over entirely.
It was necessary to determine the situation carefully.
Is it possible to pull away the mask? If possible, what's the means?
Eclair had a sword on his hips, but he hadn't pulled it out. That's why the guards are alive.
I haven't been in irrevocable condition yet.
Eclair had not already seen the guards he had laid down.
"Ah ku... which... oh well, you've come... I 'm-"
"Dear Eclair...... can you hear me?
A vain voice calls the name of Ark. Step closer to the arc as its little body flutters.
The companions were scattered in natural motion. Lurk your breath to avoid irritation and observe the girl obsessed with a disfigured mask.
"Arc."
"I know."
To Benetta's voice, Ark nods small.
The most important thing to avoid now is that the mask - changes the host.
If that mask reinforced the immature Eclair into a mid-level hunter, how much more powerful would it be when it parasitized Ark and his companions?
It would still be better if Arc's people, such as Isabella and Benetta, were possessed, but if Arc himself was possessed, it would be over. There will be no one in the Empire City who can be stopped.
The treasure is out of common sense, such as possessing it by people themselves, but the situation is already out of common sense.
Eclair did not answer Ark's call. Just keep crushing like a rumor.
"I'm... stubborn... stubborn, I am. I can't beat you, no one else. Hunter, but I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know."
The words felt a dark sentiment similar to paranoia.
Originally Eclair Gladys had a strong upliftment, but he didn't look that strong for strength. At least, I wasn't trying to be strong until I wore a mask.
For better or worse, Eclair was straight.
"Lady - Huh!? Well, the - the figure is -"
From across the corner, a guard soldier rushes over who hears the noise and complains when he sees it.
Eclair shouted in a trembling voice.
"Ugh, shut up - shut up, shut up! Don't look at me!
It was a dark growl mixed with anger and sorrow.
Eclair's posture tilts wide and flips the body, accelerating its body in one step.
Force. Speed. Sensation from instantaneous force. All of them were well beyond the power of Eclair, recently confirmed. Jumping into his nostalgia in an extreme forward leaning position, his work is a swordsman's specialty with emphasis on offense, but he does not hold the sword in his hand.
A guard rigid in the unexpected appearance of a lady to protect. Entering the pocket in an instant, a small gripped fist pierces the dovetail.
A painful blow. Along with the sound of metal pulling, it becomes a guard letter and is blown away.
The sword of Eclair is a practical product of nobility. It also means for personal protection, and it hasn't been pulled with a blade.
If I had enough power to denture the armor with my fist, I would definitely have double-breached every armor if I had pulled out my sword.
"" Sleep Shackles (Hypnos Cage) ""
An even wide range of blue light illuminates the eccler that showed his back.
Isabella's magic. It's magic that acts on a person's spirit and forces them to sleep. There are only a few effective opponents, but they are a powerful substitute in the magic of a state anomaly system that can disable a subject with a single blow.
At least, it's not something that can withstand ordinary people who haven't absorbed a lot of Mana Materials.
Unguarded by the light emitted from outside the realm of consciousness, Ecclair's body sways about, but soon his feet step firmly on the floor.
- I could stand it.
Isabella, who was sure of her magical success, glances. Eclair looked back, nothing happened.
The congested eyes are not Isabella, they are looking at Ark.
"Huh... I did... I should have accidentally!?
The magic of the psychoactive system increases the probability rapidly by poking the blind spot of consciousness.
The fact that the intolerable Eclair survived it was a testament to the fact that the mask acted strongly on the spirit and was an antibody.
From behind Eclair, and from the side of the Arcs, the guards gather.
Exposed to countless gazes, Eclair steps out loud and screams.
The expression could not be judged by the mask of the flesh, but the emotions in his voice showed Ecclair's mental state.
"Oh no... why, why... don't you look at it - heh... corn... I'll corn you - I'll kill you!
The guards surrounded by tall, but unusual, words.
The guard at the mansion was a raw soldier brought in and raised by Gladys. He's also highly capable of combat, but most importantly, he knows Eclair well. Some of them are trained on a daily basis.
Eclair, still immature but lacking daily workouts and never looking down on soldiers, was revered.
"What made me look like a fool, what insulted me..."
Eclair scratches his head hard covered in a rolling meat mask. However, there is no blood flowing from the pulsating mask, and there is no sign that the mask will peel off.
It's a bad trend. Compared to earlier, Eclair was clearly excited.
And the guards who rushed - all over their faces against the monstrous girl covered in a mask of meat - are lying back.
Confusion and fear propagate easily.
Ark stepped forward without putting it to words.
"Everybody, back off! I'll negotiate."
".................. ok. Did you hear that? Everybody back off!"
Almel, who stood up to be jumped at any time next door, raised his voice, perceiving Ark's intentions.
Many times I was visiting the mansion played my part. The guards, who were surrounding him, distance themselves, slightly hoarse, to Ark's words.
Eclair's hand, which was scratching, stops loosely. Confirmed that, and further Ark slowly packed the distance.
I don't know the detailed effect of the treasure tool, but it's a nine-eighty-nine psychoactive system. But I'm not completely unconscious of Eclair.
Movements so far - to deduce from the reactions shown to changing circumstances, the treasure trove is boosting certain emotions, at the price of improved power.
The spirit seems pretty unstable, but if reason remains, we should also be able to negotiate. We can also explore new paths as long as we get excited.
If Eclair and the guards, who continue to gain strength, are hit, there will be a dead man. That's all you have to avoid.
Ark speaks to Eclair with his hands wide open and showing no harm.
"Dear Eclair, please calm down..."
"Phew, phew... ahu - which -"
Take a big, deep breath and smile to reassure you.
Ark, a magical swordsman, has a high reflex nerve and physical ability. The speed of Eclair, which I checked earlier, was considerable, but there is still just enough difference to avoid it even if it jumps from close to me.
Eclair comes one step, one more step and one more.
I see no harm in that move. Ark seemed to have a lost child wandering in its footsteps.
"Got it, I was there"
"Oh."
"Now, as long as I have this... uh, I can be a sarcastic one today. That's why. I, for that matter - wanted, should have - why -"
"... thank you, Dear Eclair"
The words were calling the name of Ark, but they sounded as if they were telling themselves.
Carefully gavel at words that hold grief somewhere you regret.
Let me tell you from Ark, Eclair's choice was wrong.
Power is not what people give you, but what you get over yourself. Perhaps Sir Gladys has the same opinion, and Ecclair usually would have understood that.
I was danced to my reputation and acted with emotion. But Eclair's voice did regret it.
Eclair does not crave the power of the mask. You didn't pull it out when you repelled the guards even though you were wearing a sword, probably because this girl unconsciously avoided it.
Then there must be a way to strip the mask off.
Covering Eclair's face is only a treasure. It should be powered by magic. Even if we were unable to force ourselves apart, there is a good chance that the mask can be unmasked over time.
Alternatively, I might be most certain to confirm with The Thousand Changes I sent Arcs here.
Whatever it takes to set up moxibustion is too much. Whatever the clan members who are the same hunters are dealing with, it is not a good place to go against a noble lady.
If Ark couldn't do anything to disarm him, he should be forced to ask.
Ark slowly lowers the right hand he was giving and offers it to the lower eccler.
".................. can I have it?
……………………
It was a long silence. Eclair's eyes stare up at the arc from beyond the empty orbit in the mask of meat.
Small hands tremble twice compared to that arc and hold it up quietly.
"Ah... ah..."
My people breathe and observe from afar.
Its fingertips approach Eclair's cheek. From a distance it appeared to be integrated, but from a close look the boundary between the mask of meat and the face of Ecclair existed clearly.
Maybe if time had passed - if I hadn't made it, would the mask and face have been completely integrated?
That's not possible given the common sense of treasure tools. It shouldn't be possible, but he remembered the words hung in the clanhouse and Ark shuddered himself small.
No, in the first place - if, hypothetically, you didn't believe that word, and if Ark hadn't visited here, there would have been many dead people out there.
Van Gladys wouldn't be surprised if he was making the decision to kill his daughter, Eclair.
How far did you expect that man to go? Klee, to the best of Ark's knowledge, is not a bad guy. As for the bad guys, they even look like ordinary people, but the perception was probably sweet given the current situation.
and stops perfectly on the verge of Eclair's fingertips sweeping into the mask.
"... what is it, Master Eclair?
…………
The air turns into something stuck in an instant. Eclair's eyes weren't looking at the arc.
The pupil that opens up to the limit is pointing - at Ark's waist.
What was ahead of Ecclair's gaze was a wave of sword placed on the white sheath.
A sword representing Rodin - the holy sword of destruction, Historia.
The strongest wave Ecclair had ever wanted me to show him every time he met him. A treasure that is particularly powerful among sword-shaped treasures, breaking mountains in one swing and tearing the sea apart.
I am not going to pull Eclair out of my opponent, it is a sword that has been outside my consciousness even what I have been wearing on my hips.
Unexpectedly, the word "Thousands of Changes" comes back to the back of Ark's brain.
- What...? Oh, I don't need it. I'd rather not take it.
"Ahhh... ahhh... ahhh, why -"
Scream like Eclair was desperate. The white blade flashed.
Take a step back and avoid the sharp slaughter released like it was bounced. Eclair takes a step back in quick motion.
In his hand, he held a sword that had never been pulled out by his opponent. Tears of blood flow down the orbit of the flesh, screaming from the surroundings.
"Why not!! Ahhh! Why did you give me the sword?
…………………………
Ark's grin had turned to the top of the Buddha before the ecclesiastical attitude of battle.
§ § §
"Hey, you got a good start, Mr. Arnold."
"The Zebuldians don't know if there's more than a hundred million dangerous pieces of garbage."
To Aye's words, a bandit man from a party member hits the hammer with a high laugh.
Luxury Inn in Teito. Arnold and the others were making a fuss in front of a leather bag containing 200 million geels that they had redeemed in a tavern set up there.
Two hundred million Gears is gold that is never cheap from level seven Arnold. If you want to earn money from exploring treasure palaces, you will have to explore high level treasure palaces rarely visited by people or hunt with a focus on demons you can earn. That's costly. It's hard to say 200 million in net income.
You can buy weapons and protective equipment if you have 200 million gels. I can buy useful treasures that I can use to get rid of my predicament. Delicious liquor and luxurious meals can lead to vitality, or you can buy a house as a base.
For the Misty Thunder Dragon (Fallen Mist), which had just finished a long journey and was in a state of gold, it was the blue sky thunderbolt that allowed the meat mask to be sold at an expensive price.
"I wondered what would happen when The Thousand Changes arrived, but he's a very lucky messenger"
"After all, Mr. Arnold doesn't have it."
"... don't get on with it. We don't know much about this capital yet."
Smaller compliments from my men. But I could also say that it would be inevitable to get on with it.
It's just a joke to auction off a mask that didn't have a pickup in Nebranubes. Everything is going well with a ton of clapping from there.
I was also surprised when The Thousand Changes offered to buy it away, but from there it just seemed like the progress ahead was exactly what I was dreaming of.
Anyway, the treasure that I was going to sell for 10 million gels sold for 200 million times that.
Ei clouds his expression just a little and sighs.
"But if my reputation had spread so much, I would have thought it would be a little higher... it didn't seem like it would have been a good idea for the aristocrats to have gotten their hands on it"
"Pay me, but it's the treasure I wanted you to take away, and it's enough to get 200 million."
"Well, yes..."
Sure, I was only slightly disappointed when the price catch stopped at 200 million, but not very high hopes.
Arnold laughs and jokes.
"Goddamn it... if you make too much money, you'll feel like you want to do it for a cup of Changes, right?
"Ha ha, no. Hey!
Only a handful of merchants and high-level hunters are staying in luxury accommodations.
No one gets stuck in Hunter's Misty Thunder Dragon.
I've eaten and drank a lot and the white coins I've just redeemed are barely diminished. The inn you're staying in is also about 300,000 geels a night for eight people - you don't have to earn money to play and live for a while.
But Arnold's visit to the Imperial City was not for sightseeing. To raise your name.
"Hey guys, these 200 million geels are a chase. Prepare for the next treasure house attack."
"Yeah!? Seriously!?
To the words of the leader, my friends give you a boost.
Two hundred million geels is a lot of money, but an amount that disappears as soon as a high level hunter tries to gear up.
I can't replace my life, but for a treasure hunter, a ton of gold coins is too much.
Arnold saw the reprehensible expressions of his companions, distorted his cheeks and smiled like a beast.
"Sure, after a while of cultivating your English,"
My buddies cheer explosively. Exploration does not progress unless it is intentional.
Arnold nodded satisfactorily as he floated his future activities in Imperial Capital.
§
I went back to my room in a good mood because I stayed up late.
What Arnold rents is a big room for parties. Only a luxury inn, and its size is no less than a whole house.
It's a little unbearable to borrow for a long time, but worth the price.
Bring your drunken companions to the snares and come all the way to the front of the room.
"You haven't forgotten the money, have you?
"Oh no... there's a good one here!
Ay makes me try to lift a big bag full of white coins.
Arnold and the others are not used to this Zebuldia yet. We should learn a little more about this city before we all discuss it and think about its use.
I unlocked the door with that in mind, and when I opened it, something big flew in from inside the room.
"Huh!?
Raise your hand reflexively, hold your fist and pay for it. Hard feeling. A pot of bounced ceramic can hit and smash against the wall.
Other drunk members have a pompous look on their faces. Arnold switched his mind in an instant, putting up the weapon he was carrying and taking the lead to get inside.
I got a lot of money, so I was on guard. A little research will tell you that the owner of that mask was Arnold.
But I thought it was worrying. Because few robbers or criminal parties exist that can beat Level 7 hunters.
The room was lit. Living room on spacious front door. Meeting space. Ornamental plants in hanging paintings.
It was at the table we were using for pre-exploration discussions. Always sitting deep in the chair where Arnold sits, legging great.
The pot thrown was decorated in the living room.
Familiar tied pink blonde hair. A strange skeletal mask that completely hides his expression turns to Arnold and the others.
Thoughts solidify in what I never expected.
The intruder raised an arrogant voice without any sign of hiding himself.
"Eh, you scumbags! How long have you been in a position to keep Liz waiting? Hmm? Liz, unlike you, isn't free! I'll kill you!?
"Huh... what... are you going to!?
The voice brings back abominable memories. Reduce the sharp height and point the great sword in your right hand.
The key should have hung securely. The security of luxury accommodation is commensurately high.
Each of the other members, who understood the situation, set up a weapon.
I broke into the room where I was staying. I can't complain about being killed.
When I saw Arnold and the others, I said to Liz that the mask of the skeleton that was sitting with his hands together next to him would suffocate.
"Please calm down, Mr. Arnold. No harm done. Don't get me wrong, we're here to talk about our share."