Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunter Dreams of a Hero ~-Chapter 270: 1 - Creeping Evil Hand

Peace is always broken abruptly. My mind was woken up by a violent shake.

“What does this mean, Leader! Moh! Why are you sleeping when it is already eleven o’clock!” (Lucia)

“Mmmmh…………??” (Cry)

Shaken *gakugaku* violently, I have no choice but to pull my face out of the futon.

What came into my blurred vision was Lucia’s sullen face, whose features had been well-balanced for a long time, but whose beauty had been polished more and more recently.

Lucia is the only one who shakes me awake in my sleep. Even Luke, who is always on a rampage, rarely does such a terrible thing.

Lucia has been my Imouto for a long time now, and even when we were back home, it was her role to wake me up when I was weak in the morning.

“One more, hour…………” (Cry)

“Moh! Why, are you, so, lazy, Nii-san!” (Lucia)

“………… Because, it’s not like I have anything else to do……” (Cry)

“Haaaaaaaaaah!? Mo-More importantly, look at this! This!” (Lucia)

The futon was pulled off from me and a newspaper was slammed on my pillow. Why does my sister who is so gentle in front of others, come on so strongly against her brother……

Where exactly did the Lucia who was *tokotoko* following me from behind go――?

“Here, I brought you breakfast. Although it is already noon!!” (Lucia)

“Uuuun…… Mmmmh………………. Oooh?” (Cry)

I had no choice but to move my head slightly and open my eyes a little to check the newspaper. What came to my eyes was an article that was a little too stimulating for me to wake up from my sleep.

Reflexively, I closed my eyes and rolled over. I don’t know. I know nothing.

“Good night……” (Cry)

“Hey, Nii-san! Don’t sleep! Don’t sleeeeeeeeep――!” (Lucia)

I was grabbed by the arm and *gakugaku* shaken violently. The *gakugaku*? shaking attack was one of the few attacks which the Barrier Ring do not work against.

Even if a Magi is said to have weak strength, as expected of a Level 6, all her specs surpass this older brother.

“No matter how much of a Clan Master I am, I am not the Clan Members’ guardian, you know.” (Cry)

“Look, read this properly! It says here that they attacked on Nii-san’s orders, see!?” (Lucia)

On the front page of the newspaper was an article about a major Clan, 《First Step (Hajimari no Ashiato)》 attacking a section of the Abandoned Metropolitan Area.

Apparently, our Clan Members attacked a section of the Abandoned Metropolitan Area in large numbers. The photos posted with it show a collapsed and ruined town.

“I didn’t give any orders, you know.” (Cry)

“It is the same as if you did. It says that they attacked in retaliation for attacking Nii-san!” (Lucia)

“How annoying………… I told them I didn’t need retaliation…………” (Cry)

You have never been so loyal before, guys. Or is it a matter of pride as a Hunter or something?

Lucia leans halfway onto the bed and forces me to get up by putting her arms under my armpits.

I see, so they are the reason I am in this mess this early in the morning……

“In the first place, why did they do that at the Abandoned Metropolitan Area…………?” (Cry)

“Apparently………… It is because Syt told Ti about a place where she thought the assassins might be. She said it is a very special place that few public people know about.” (Lucia)

So Sytry did this………… Not only is she a hard worker, but she is also a great puzzle solver.

She was pretty upset about the lounge being destroyed…… Sytry is rather open to what I say, but I am sure it didn’t cost her anything to tell the others about the assassin’s whereabouts.

“………… However, the Abandoned Metropolitan Area is something like a ruin in the first place, so there’s no need to make a fuss about it now――” (Cry)

“It seems like 5 buildings have been destroyed…………” (Lucia)

Isn’t it a big rampage? How could they destroy 5 buildings? Maybe they were bored? Is it because they didn’t rampage enough these days?

You show-offs…… If you keep doing that our Clan will receive a bad impression. Even though 《Strange Grief (Nageki no Borei)》 already has a bad reputation, what are you going to do if the whole Clan’s reputation becomes worse? …… It is about to go beyond what Ark’s reputation can cover despite being in the Clan.

“The “Fox (Kitsune)” is already a done deal. The country said that they will take care of it…………” (Cry)

I really don’t want you to do this anymore. I told you that I would remain quiet, didn’t I? No, it is fine if you want to go on a rampage on your own, but please don’t cause me trouble.

I am completely awake now. And without hesitation, Lucia quickly places my neatly folded clothes beside me.

“Come on, Nii-sa………… Leader, change your clothes. It seems that a lot of interviews are coming to the Clan Master. Eva is handling it, but――Today is going to be busy, okay?” (Lucia)

“Yeaaah, thank you. Uuuun……………… Now is not the time to be doing interviews.” (Cry)

Why is it that after I finally came back to the Imperial Capital and decided to shut myself away for a while that one thing after another happens to me――.

“I even brought your meal.” (Lucia)

“Perfect.” (Cry)

“I am your escort today, so don’t worry.” (Lucia)

“That’s………… Really reassuring. Uuuun…………” (Cry)

I don’t even want to think about having Liz or Luke as escorts for interviews. Sytry is a bit more rational, but she has a habit of saying unnecessary things sometimes. In that sense, Lucia is a safe bet.

It is a relief, but it is also true that I don’t want to be interviewed――.

And then I had a good idea. I stretched out my arm and picked up the black stone on the side table. It is the Relic that Gark-san brought with him just the other day――A Symphonic Stone.

It was a little nerve-wracking, but it must have been some kind of fate that I got this Symphonic Stone just before the incident occurred. I took a deep breath, made up my mind, and called Franz-san.

§　§　§

Inside a room in the Imperial Castle, the pride of Zebrudia. In one of the most secure rooms in the Empire, where all kinds of espionage measures are taken, the Empire’s most important figures were gathered.

From the general of the army of the Empire to the head of the Imperial Magic Academy. But also the head of the intelligence agency, a nobleman belonging to the empire for a long time, also known as the sword of the Empire.

The one who was entrusted to lead these big shots was the sword of the Emperor of Zebrudia.? It was Franz Argmann, the commander of the Imperial Guard, the Zero Knight Order.

The opponent is a huge secret organization, which their full scope is still unknown. Its members and its power are in sharp contrast to the organizations the Empire has been able to capture so far. They must be extremely careful in handling information.

It was only natural that Franz, a member of the Argmann family who had served the Imperial Family since the founding of the country, and the iron loyalty he had shown by using a Relic that was feared not only by outside countries but also by the people inside the country, would be entrusted with the command of this operation.

The operation was going well, probably due in part to some advance preparation. The budget was raised smoothly, as was cooperation with other countries. There was no way anyone could stand up to Radrick Atrum Zebrudia, whose eyes held a glint of even murderous intent.

Since the events at the Supreme Martial Arts Festival and the Emperor’s statement against the “Fox (Kitsune)”, multiple people have disappeared in Zebrudia. Investigations have not yet been completed, but it is likely that they were members of the “Fox (Kitsune)”.

Some were long-time and trusted employees of an organization. Some were celebrities. Some were in important positions in the country. It shows that the “Fox (Kitsune)” was secretly extending its evil reach incredibly deep.

It seems that multiple people have disappeared in neighboring countries. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort to send spies to a hostile country without arousing suspicion. The fact that they have disappeared across the board indicates that a major change has occurred in the 『Nine-Tails Shadow Fox (Kyubi no Kage Kitsune)』. 𝚋𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚘𝚟ｅｌ．𝚌ｏ𝚖

Did they withdraw by order of the organization or were they erased?

That event at the Supreme Martial Arts Festival probably affected the organization more than meets the eye.

Most importantly, perhaps, is that informants from the inside have emerged.

We must be careful in our selection of information, but as the organization’s discipline has loosened to the point of having traitors, now is――The opportunity to strike back.

One of the members around the table frowns and sighs deeply.

“But they have a cumbersome organizational structure. I didn’t realize they were so paranoid on controlling inside information to this extent――” (Member)

With these words, the air in the conference room becomes somewhat relaxed.

The operation is going well. We have established cooperative relations with other countries. Even informants were showing up. However, important information on the organization had not been discovered.

For example, the “Fox’s (Kitsune)” headquarters. The name of the boss or top executive. Its organizational structure. We searched the safe house based on the information the informant gave up, but there was nothing left.

We have learned about incidents involving the “Fox (Kitsune)” in the past, but we know nothing about the main thing, their future operations.

Thanks for reading!

Haaa Lucia, so cute when she is with Cry

And I wonder if that assassin couple got away or not…

Tchao à plus!