Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter Dreams of a Hero ~

Chapter?45: The?Source?of?Disaster?2

Chapter 45

The Source of Disaster 2

Sven and the others rushed over, and in front of them was a half destroyed abandoned hut. The other hunters had also gathered there.

The familiar alchemist Talia along with three parties welcomed Sven.

For the moment they surveyed the outside, confirming there were no monsters or phantoms.

The signal had been one that only meant something had been discovered, but they checked just to be sure.

“Sorry, we just found something that wasn’t marked on the map.” “No, it’s fine. I’ll take even one clue right now.”

Some hunters made apologetic voices, and Sven focused his gaze on the half destroyed hut.

It was a wooden hut. It was small enough to fit a few people, and it seemed to have been there a long time.

Here and there the walls and roof were eroded or destroyed, and you could see the interior from the outside.

It didn’t seem large enough to be used as a house, and it shouldn’t have been used for a long time.

He didn’t recall seeing it on the map.

Gark gave one of the walls a light touch, and it let out a small creak.

“Hm... Is it something remaining from before the White Wolves Den was a shrine?”

The White Wolves Den was a shrine. The level wasn’t that high, but an ordinary person such as a huntsmen or woodcutter wouldn’t approach it.

Hunters wouldn’t bother building a hut, and if it was built before there was a shrine, it was likely made when the hunting grounds were bountiful.

They peeked through the semi broken walls. Inside, it was practically empty.

A desk with broken legs, and a large empty wooden crate without a cover had been left behind as they were.

And it was dirty from being openly exposed to the elements.

“It would be better to sleep outdoors than stay inside this... it wouldn’t even keep off the wind and rain.”

“Who knows who made it, it’s not like the maps published by the Empire are perfect...”

One of the examiners returned Sven’s words as if let down.

This place was within the Empire’s domain, but the Empire didn’t keep track of randomly made huts within a forest.

It was one thing within a city, but even for a great country, there was no leeway for such fine detail when monsters and phantoms were rampant.

And at the moment, a hut with nothing in it like this was irrelevant. The elder examiner continued on in an agitated voice.

“There are no roads in the forest, but you’ll still stumble across these things... Well, it’s unrelated this time. If there are no leads beyond this, we need to go back and report at once. This is a matter for the knights to deal with. You have all accomplished your jobs sufficiently.”

To the words that didn’t allow for any disagreement, the party leader that discovered the hut looked indignant for an instant. But seeing the examiners serious expression they held their tongue.

The hunter’s purpose this time was to investigate. If the client of the request acknowledged it’s completion, there was nothing that could be done.

At that moment, as Sven was squinting his eyes to see every corner of the hut, he looked back and asked.

“Wait... you lot, have you been inside?” “? No, we haven’t.”

“......That’s odd. There are footprints...”

They squinted their eyes, and while they all looked, Sven stepped into the hut.

A hut with nothing in it had no need to be entered. Not only was there no decent furnishings, the appearance of the hut was not well maintained.

No matter how great the adventurous spirit of a hunter, this place would hold no interest. Even if a hunter reached this hut inside the forest by chance, he still didn’t think they would want to go inside it.

However, in the darkness Sven’s enhanced vision noticed footprints on the floor. And more than one set.

Sven wasn’t a thief, but he had confidence in his eyes. Even at night, he wouldn’t be mistaken.

He carefully looked around inside. It was the same as how it had appeared from the outside, there was nothing within the hut.

“Are they old footprints then?”

“But didn’t it rain a few days ago? Year old footprints would have washed away by now.”

In the first place, Sven’s level of ability with the skills of a thief weren’t high. Everyone of the hunters with the role of thief looked at Sven with indescribable expressions.

Outsiders looking in might see Sven’s actions as foolish. But his intuition formed over many years was telling him something was here.

More than anything though, the other day when Cry went to the White Wolves Den

– it seemed he had used a Relic to fly through the air.

It would be difficult to come across this hut within the dense forest. However, just speaking hypothetically, what if you were to look down from the sky?

Sven had also heard about the 『Night Hiker』 (prev. dark wings). Due to the speed and defect of having no brakes and poor handling, it was a Relic that could result in the death of it’s users.

If it was the average user it would be impossible to spot the hut, not to mention even discovering the footprints within it.

However, if it was that man certified at level 8... maybe he would be able to.

The floor didn’t seem to have deteriorated like the walls, and it barely made a creak under his weight.

He frowned at the odour in the air. It was truly weather beaten. It was natural there was nothing valuable, and there was no space for any extra hidden rooms.

He leaned over the ground and checked the footprints. They were from a human. But he couldn’t make out the details.

The colour of the table was faded, but there were no messages written on it. The hut was decaying, but there was no signs it was destroyed by the slime.

Sven gave a sigh while inadvertently catching onto the abandoned wooden crate, lifting it.

“...!?”

Unable to enter in together, Gark and the others watching Sven from outside were speechless.

Gimmicks were harder to spot when they were simple. For something to be inside the hut when there was nothing inside the shrine wasn’t something normal to think of.

Underneath the raised crate ― there were stairs leading below ground. a

§ a

They descended the stairs. From the aboveground hut, it extended into an unbelievably wide passage.

Although the entrance was narrow, there was enough room for several people to walk alongside each other.

The passageway only continued straight without branching off. The end wasn’t within sight.

The walls and floor were both earthen, but they were unnaturally solid. A light tap produced a high sound.

Talia scraped the surface with her fingertip, and then looked at Sven in surprise.

“It’s a kind of alchemy. There’s a potion that’s often used when creating earth golems – but to think it was used to harden such a large area.”

“...Well I don’t think it’s normal to create an underground tunnel in the first place. Even bandits choose hideouts that are a bit more than this.”

They proceeded while cautious to respond to any attacks.

The underground was silent. Only the sound of their footprints echoed in the confined space.

Unlike outside, the interior wasn’t in disrepair.

The ceiling had luminous stones embedded in it, meaning the passageway was in use until very recently.

In the lead, a thief from a different party frowned. “...There are no sounds... but there are scents remaining...”

No matter how far, the passage continued straight. There were no divergent paths, and no rooms. It was only long.

Although it was straightforward, the amount of labour to excavate such a passage was unimaginable. It would even be difficult by magic. At the least, it wasn’t something created on a whim.

Their field of view opened up, and they had no need to have been concerned about an attack. No, the passage hadn’t been created for that purpose.

This was – perhaps...

While walking, Sven had come to a sudden conclusion, and frowned. Perhaps thinking the same thing, Gark’s expression was also falling.

With few words, they proceeded silently. And without ever raising their weapons, they arrived at the innermost place.

Deep within was an elegant wooden door. Beyond that, was a completely ordinary room.

The walls were about 10 meters wide on all sides. The ceiling was higher than the passage they came in, and the ground and walls were not bare earth.

Since it was underground there were no windows, but if you brought supplies to live with it could be used as a residence.

The male thief responsible for searching for enemies was bewildered upon entering the room.

“What the...?”

But, there was nothing there. There were no people, and not a single piece of furniture.

No, more accurately, there were traces that they had been there. Traces that it been used just a few hours earlier.

But now, there was nothing.

After checking the room, Sven clicked his tongue loudly.

“...Damn! I had a vague feeling, this is what it was -“ “!? W-What do you mean?”

Sven grimaced as if he was chewing on something bitter.

Gark entering in behind him also went stiff upon checking the surroundings.

Thieves were checking for hidden rooms, but they probably wouldn’t find any. Anyone that had been here had left hours ago.

As Henrik looked up with worry, he gave a deep sigh, and rubbed his hair to conceal his irritation.

“They escaped. Damn it, our lineup wasn’t just for killing that slime bastard. That slime thing was just to keep us away! I didn’t know it, shit! There weren’t enough hints! Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The abnormalities of the White Wolves Den. The slime appearing.

Gark Welter being guided over as a reinforcement. The restraints discovered on the ground.

The abandoned hut with a secret chamber.

And the one thousand tribulations that were much more lenient than usual. All the information came together like the pieces of a puzzle.

Nine out of ten, there was a mastermind behind releasing the slime thing. And while Sven and the others had been fighting, no doubt they had been close by.

Cry hadn’t sent reinforcements to take down the slime. It had been to capture the mastermind.

With the slime, Gark probably could have handled it on his own somehow. If he put his life on the line he could have held out for a while.

While Gark dealt with the slime, the other members could search through the forest and capture the mastermind.

Most likely, this was the optimum solution Infinite Variety had come up with this time.

They made a mistake. The slime was a formidable opponent. They would never think to make a retired hunter fight it on his own.

No wonder it had been better than the usual tribulations. They hadn’t even attempted the trial.

Driven by an impulse that was out of character, Sven roared.

“You kneeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! Oi, now what! We messed up! The main thing is, if there’s a mastermind behind it then say soooooooooooooooooooo!”

“Sven, get a hold of yourself!”

As Sven lost control, Marrietta gave him a strong clap on the back to calm him.

A vein rose to the surface over Gark’s face tattoo. Was it a difference in experience that kept him from losing it like Sven?

“If that slime thing was artificially created, then the one behind it must be just as bad.

It was someone we absolutely couldn’t afford to miss. Damn it, there weren’t enough clues. Even if we chase them now we won’t be able to catch up to them.”

The existence of the one pulling the strings wasn’t a product of Sven’s imagination. Shrines and Phantoms went by the laws of nature. Trying to modify them was even beyond the realm of hunters that had gained abilities outside of human understanding.

Perhaps the enemy was an amateur. They wouldn’t be a hunter. They didn’t even erase their footprints. Capturing them shouldn’t have been difficult.

However the degree of difficulty rose sharply if they had to search.

Since they made such a large room, the enemy wouldn’t be a single person but an organisation. And Sven didn’t know what their identity was.

Impossible. This wasn’t something you could consider as a trial! We aren’t the same as you.

Understanding Sven’s words, the members of footprints at the back became noisy.

At that moment, the room shook. Gark had clenched his fist, and struck the wall. With a thunderous sound, the commotion settled. Pulling his fist out of the sunken wall, Gark took a slow breath and began talking.

“......Now, calm down. This isn’t the time to rush. When we return, we’ll question Cry. I’m not sure how much he knew, but we’ll be sure to discuss everything.”

That was right. This still wasn’t over.

If it was that man, then he would unmistakably know more about the ones they had missed. They could make regrets later.

“―― Akasha...”

Sven who was letting out curses at Infinite Variety in his mind, raised his face at the small voice.

The one that spoke up was Talia. She was hugging herself as if to stop from trembling with a pale expression.

Her eyes were staring at the center of room – focused on where there was a fist sized hole in the floor.

“You said... Akasha!?”

Gark’s expression was clearly severe.

As if at an enemy, he was looking down at the tiny alchemist with a dangerous look in his eyes.

The expressions on the examiners also changed. They looked as grave as when the manacles had been discovered.

Only just noticing the eyes centered on her, Talia quickly gave a flustered explanation. But her voice trembled.

a

“S-Sytry-chan, mentioned them before, just a little. People that violate, the

『taboo』. They repeat mana material experiments, ones that have been banned all across the world. People that absolutely must be stopped ―― the greatest enemy of 『Strange Grief』.”

a

§ a

Talia Widmann met the alchemist shortly after joining the clan.

There weren’t many alchemists among treasure hunters.

Alchemists needed to study a vast amount of knowledge, and their time and expenses didn’t equate to offensive ability.

Among hunters there were many that ridiculed them as degraded Magi. A skilled alchemist could shrug off such ridicule since it was a job that could make a lot of money by immersing themselves in research.

Therefore not many of them attempted to be hunters.

Talia had been a hunter for a few years, but she was yet to meet another alchemist.

『First Step』 was quite specialised to have facilities and equipment to study alchemy.

For the young party that Talia was in, it was one of decisive factors in joining Footprints.

Footprints was more accomodating for alchemists than Talia had imagined. Data, expensive utensils, rare catalysts, and even a room purposed for it all. It might have even been above the average top class laboratory in the Empire.

And it had all been collected and arranged for the single alchemist in the clan. Sytry Smart.

Once praised by everyone in the Imperial Capital, the name had vanished in a

flash.

They may be an alchemist, and they might belong to a high rank party of hunters, but their name was rarely spoken about in the shadow of the other members fame.

In reality when they met, Sytry was a modest, kind, and exceedingly intelligent girl. Her pink-blonde hair was unusual for a Magi and it was evenly cut short, regrettably saying 『Onee-chan said she wanted to grow hers long, so I cut it』.

She had gentle drooping eyes, and always wore plain grey robes, she couldn’t be seen as a remarkable hunter.

And she welcomed a new alchemist to the laboratory that, while said to be freely available, had existed primarily for just one person up until then.

She seemed very busy, and was only at the clan house for a scarce amount of time, but she and Talia quickly became on good terms.

While Talia was trembling with fear, she taught her various things. They could even be said to be friends.

She knew of the bad reputation that had spread a few years back, but she quickly realised it was a mistake.

Sytry was a hard worker.

She plunged herself into every field covered under alchemy. She performed high difficulty risky experiments avoided even by skilled Magi (of course, they weren’t illegal). Never faltering, she was a genuine Magi.

Her enthusiasm for magic pushed past any opposing hostility, and it overwhelmed Talia who was on the road to becoming an alchemist. Ironically enough, Talia came to understand the cruel rumours about Sytry.

Most likely her high enthusiasm and steady efforts were the main factor behind her drop in reputation.

Sytry stuck out too much.

Her talent and passion for alchemy inspired dread in her peers. And still, Sytry was humble and didn’t put up enough resistance. She was the type of person to forgive anything with a smile.

Sytry said that the cause of her bad reputation was due to her inexperience.

She accepted the crimes others had put on her, and submitted to the lowering of her level. The greatest dishonor a hunter would ordinarily never recieve.

Her character was too gentle for a hunter, but if Talia was to name one true alchemist, she would say the name of Sytry without hesitation.

Talia wasn’t the pupil of Sytry. Because of her inexperience Sytry hadn’t taken a disciple.

But in essence, she was like her disciple.

She had heard various things.

Concerning the current experiment, or the research paper they had read the other day.

The details about the shrines they visited as a hunter, and what Talia needed to do as an alchemist hunter.

And extremely rarely she would leak out – information on the 『enemy』 Sytry and the others were pursuing.

Superior hunters had many enemies, and among them the 『Alchemist』 Sytry had a particularly large number of them.

The gentle girl rarely spoke about her enemies. But Talia memorised the small amount of details, and decided to help Sytry if anything ever happened.

Sytry was always alone. She only had a bad reputation because she had no one to rely on back then.

That’s why, if something happened, at least she could be her sole ally.

As what a companion of a respected alchemist should do. And also, as a friend.

The underground room. She recognised the hole in the floor. She suddenly understood the chaining of the slime, and the origin behind the abnormalities of the White Wolves Den.

No, she always had a strong feeling. Not being able to speak up about it until now was simply a weakness of Talia’s.

It was frightening. She didn’t want to believe it. But after coming this far, she had to say it.

Because this might help Sytry.

Sytry once told a story of a man that had stood as a top Magi in the Imperial Capital, and his research made her hairs stand on end.

Sealed within the Imperial Capital Institute of Academics, only permitted to be perused by a portion of high ranking practitioners, was research data recorded on taboo mana apparatus.

Intervening with the flow of Mana Material, there were unmistakable traces of a

『Vessel』 that could collect the unnaturally dense mana material. It was an attempt to seize control over the laws of the world.

One of the largest Magic Associations, a gathering of mad Magi that desired omniscience even if the world itself would be destroyed.

――『The Tower of Akasha』.

Most likely they didn’t think anyone would notice anything even if the traces were found.

Talia had never seen the research. It was just something mentioned in one of Sytry’s conversations.

However, Sytry was currently capturing a shrine of high difficulty and wasn’t there.

The names of two Magi spoken of by Sytry passed through her mind.

One was a name that would come out after a small amount of investigating, the other was obscure. But apparently both were equally dangerous.

They had continually pursued them, but still hadn’t managed to grasp hold of them.

She remembered the apologetic smile on her face as she had spoken.

Adversaries that would even give Sytry a hard time. They would be too much to handle for a low level alchemist like herself.

Her throat was parched. Countless gazes waited on Talia’s next words.

Most eyes didn’t hold confidence in her. She supposed it was from the failure of the slime killing potion.

She was hesitant to even talk about what Sytry had said.

With his insane thirst for knowledge that could guide the world to destruction, he was the 『Worst of the Worst』 Magi.

And as Talia grasped her shivering arms tightly, she spoke in a husky voice. “The Great Magi, Noto Cochlea, and Sophia. Those are the names of the two that

『Strange Grief』 are chasing after.”

a

Translator Notes

It struck me as odd that thieves that have godly awareness wouldn’t be able to pick up an underground lair. But that part about things being too simple rang true as someone that gets stuck in videogames occasionally. I wasn’t dumb, I was just too smart to realise!

Very likely the name Akasha comes from the ‘Akashic records’. A compendium of all knowledge past present and future, recorded in a separate plane of existence or in space. It fits the meaning of omniscience.

It’s kind of weird that people believe or did believe in this stuff... but then again our human genetic code has been completely cracked. Again, it’s kind of like the whole turning lead to gold thing. Like yay, we did it I guess. Doesn’t feel very magical though.