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

She is different than me, she is a precious worker.
As her employer, I am grateful for her to always help me, but she holds herself back too much.
I don’t mind if you relax a little bit mode.

I drop my shoulder and exhale a long sigh.

“Ah… Since Eva has brought up the Teriyaki subject, I am so hungry that I can’t focus my thought.”

“!? I did not though!?”

Eva exaggeratedly opens her eyes and argues.
It is a joke.
You don’t have to raise you voice…

“I think peace is the best, you know… Well, I will talk this matter with Gark-san, we will see what will happen.
Yosh, let’s go eat some Teriyaki.”

“I will contact someone from my side.
…… It is a “Thunder Dragon (Rai Ryū)”, right?”

I frighteningly listen to Eva who said that and laugh a little bit.

“Well, we will do that next time.
Thunder Dragon is delicious, but chicken isn’t so bad either.”

Even though you just told me there was no store with it in the Imperial Capital.
Excellent people also have a first-class joke sense.
It is to the point where I want to learn from it.

§　§　§

’

It has been a while since I have such a painful experience.

It has been so long since the last time someone rebel against me… When I was in the Mist Country and old base of operation Nebranubes.
In such a small country, the Highest-Level of Hunters based in Nebranubes was 7.
Among them, the one who went to fight the disaster Thunder Dragon which striked the country was Arnold Hale and the other.
And they subdued it after a death battle.
“Fallen Mist (Thunder Dragon’s Mist)” was known as the most powerful party.
Arnold who was the strongest in both name and reality even got a glimpse of the upper brass of the Mist Country.

The reason Arnold and his friends decided to leave such a cozy country is because they were aiming for higher.

In the Mist Country, there was only five Shrines around, so there was a limit to success as a Hunter.
In order to capture High-Level Shrine, you have to gradually raise the level of Shrine to capture and become stronger by absorbing Mana Material.
In Nebranubes, battlefield was overwhelmingly scarce.

I had confidence.
Even if it is a small country, there are only a handful of certified Level 7 Hunters.
Among them Arnold is a Hunter specializing in battle ability.
In the party and as the Leader, Arnold is by far the strongest, but the other members were also confident in their skills.
In addition, they have a larger number of people than the general party.
They won’t lose in a fight between Hunters.

I knew that the Zebrudia Empire has a greater number of Hunter than Nebranubes and its surrounding country.
I also knew that there would probably be Higher-Level Hunter out there.

But I didn’t plan on losing.

“Damn, that woman… I let my guard down and she follow up with a surprise attack… I can’t forgive her.”

They used one expensive potion that were stockpiled to heal Arnold’s right-hand man’s wound to the extent that he is able to move… He growls and snorts.
They have removed their equipment and armors.
They are now wearing plain clothes.
Because those were damaged by the brawl in the tavern.

One night after the brawl in the tavern, they had somehow gotten themselves together.
“Fallen Mist (Thunder Dragon’s Mist)” were struck with a feeling of strong anger and a little bit of fear and went to visit the Imperial Capital Explorer Association.

’

“Fallen Mist (Thunder Dragon’s Mist)” is a certified High-Level party.
Explorer Association favored High-Level Hunters.
Since it is often convenient to have one under your hand, it is common sense to speak out when you change base.

The Explorer Association of the Imperial Capital have a much larger building than their homeland’s one.
The number of Hunters coming and going is also in another orders of magnitude.
In front of the counter, just by sitting on the chairs in the lobby you can see several parties passing by.
Hunters with various armaments and races, it is so lively that Nebranubes can’t compare to.

However, even with such large number of Hunters there aren’t a lot of strong one that catch his eyes.

While frowning and squeezing his head in pain and surrounded by his party member, Arnold clenched his teeth.
It was last night scene that crosses his mind.
That woman with her innocent smile suddenly launched an attack.
The shock of getting hit in the head by her.
It wasn’t simply anger that lay inside his chest.

It is natural for Hunters to be wary of surprise attacks.
Not to mention this is the Imperial Capital they just arrived and not their hometown where they are well known.
He didn’t expect to be attacked in the middle of the city, but he was ready.
With Arnold’s power, if the opponent was an average Hunter, he should have been able to fight back even if it was a surprise attack.

However, he was unilaterally attacked and beaten.
There was eight people on his side and only one in the other.
Even though Arnold wasn’t on alert, he still didn’t drink so he wasn’t drunk.
As he has confidence in his skill, he understood that the other person isn’t an ordinary one.

Fighting against Phantom and monster is different from fighting against Hunters.

But that woman was used to hit on people.
A perfect surprise attack without any hesitation… A heavy blow that is launch in the lapse of time when his consciousness went blank because of the alcohol drenching him.
It doesn’t matter if the Imperial Capital is a hotbed for Hunters, it is hard to image that there is a Hunter who can knock down Arnold who is strengthen with Mana Material in a single blow.
It is probably a well-known Hunter in this Imperial Capital.

I can’t leave it as it is.
Many Hunters had seen what happened in the tavern.
If we withdraw after being unilaterally defeated by a surprise attack, the name “Fallen Mist (Thunder Dragon’s Mist)” will be stained.
From now on, Arnold will make a name for himself in this holy land for Hunters.
He can’t be underestimated.

“In a one-on-one… If they fight fairly, Arnold-san wouldn’t lose!”

’

One member in the party, the youngest one, Juster becomes red and says with all his might.
But in his voice, you can discern slight fear on it.

The Hunter who beat Arnold until he lost consciousness seems to have kept hitting him while laughing loudly.
Juster entered “Fallen Mist” after Arnold and other were already known throughout every party in Nebranubes.
For this young Hunter who has always been in the strongest party, having his strongest party overwhelmed by just one Hunter was an experience enough to break the confidence he had until now.

So far, he has been admiring Arnold.
Even if he loses once, his trust for his members won’t fall but a small crack can one day lead to a deadly situation.

You can’t create a natural enemy.
I can’t do nothing and go out as a loser either.

“I don’t know who it was, but I will drop them from their podium.”

To Arnold proclamation, the other member gulp down.
He looks at the dull golden color, giant blade shining beside him.
The weapon he didn’t even have the time to take out in the tavern.

A sword created from the material of the Thunder Dragon they subdued in the Mist Country.
A sword with the power of lightning.
It is also the origin of Arnold alias “Heavy Lightning Strike”.

I lick my lips.
The wound on my head which should have healed start to hurt with a dull tingling.

The High-Class healing potion which have a higher healing effect have been used for the serious injured members, so he used a middle-class potion to heal his own wound.
As a result, a scar from the size of an earthworm remained in his forehead.

After all this time, he isn’t going to complain about one or two scars.
The pain he feels is also imaginary.
His wound was healed with a potion and his enhance natural healing ability.

’

Arnold understands it.
The phantom pain only needs one thing.
A rematch with the Hunter who made this wound.
And only when he wins would this pain go away.

“This is an opportunity.
That woman… She is probably a well-known Hunter in the Imperial Capital.
If I can beat her fairly, I will gain fame.
At least we won’t be underestimated.
No one was coming after me in Nebranubes… So, it is convenient, it will enliven my dull arm.”

“… I see.
In that sense, we might have been in luck.”

Hay had an indignant expression and he was trembling and shuddering until now but now he shows a deep smile.

What Arnold wants isn’t just a simple increase in his accreditation level.
Not even glory from others.

It is strength.
And to get it, you need strong enemies.
The first act in the tavern was unexpected and the worst but it turns out that as rumored, there really are strong people in the Imperial Capital.
Then I just have to exceed everyone and control everything.

Once they calmed down, we will need to look up at the enemy’s name.
With that intense temperament, we will be able to understand who it is by hearing a little bit from Hunters around here.

Thanks for reading.
Keep dreaming Arnold you will never beat Strange Grief.
Liz already beat the crap out of you while she was a Thief and you are a Vanguard.
Go fight with someone on your Level.
Seriously long chapter so there is a 3rd Part coming tomorrow.
Tchao à plus!