Hugh had to stop worrying. He quickly suppressed his well of doubts. He was here to get results, no matter what. He was certain Captain Franz didn’t expect anything from him, but that just made it all the more important that he succeed here. He had to think, not come up with excuses.
I have to find a way past this berserker.
“Shaddup, T! C’mon, Krai Baby, I did a good thing, right? Look! He’s awake, yet he’s pretending to be knocked out! He’s one hundred percent up to no good!”
She can tell?!
The boot pressed into him with increased force, and Hugh opened his eyes. He quickly tried to move, but the boot held him like a vise, preventing even the slightest movement. He struggled to breathe. A ragged breath escaped his lips. He could see Liz, a shine in her eyes, the black-haired girl said to be her apprentice, and there, lounging on the couch, was a black-haired young man with a vaguely doltish look on his face.
For a moment, Hugh forgot about the pain. This unremarkable man didn’t strike him as anyone powerful. This man matched the description given by Captain Franz, but that knowledge didn’t make it any easier to believe he was a Level 8. Hugh failed to understand it.
He couldn’t flatter this man! Even after coming all this way with the intention of buttering him up, even after having lavished praise on idiots of all varieties, he couldn’t find anything worth praising! This man had no power. He had no drive. He didn’t even have the same vitality exuded by the Stifled Shadow, nor her cunning. It was a perfect disguise.
But was it really a disguise?
Compared to other high-level hunters, there was very little easily available information about the Thousand Tricks. Descriptions of his appearance were particularly scant, but Hugh now knew why: there was nothing worth saying. If you said a Level 8 hunter was a man with nondescript black hair and black eyes, not many people would believe you. They would doubt your judgment.
The Thousand Tricks looked in Hugh’s direction, but not at him. It was a content expression, or to put it rudely, an empty-headed one, that made Hugh uneasy. This man’s overwhelmingly unremarkable face would be impervious to flattery. It made Hugh break out in a cold sweat.
What do I do? What should I do?
How could he get on this man’s good side in order to accomplish his task? And why didn’t he say anything, even though one of his party members was stepping on an innocent knight?!
Hugh somehow managed to move his fingers just enough so he could tap the floor. Then, the Thousand Tricks finally did something. He gave a witless smile and looked at Liz.
“G-Good girl. You did great, Liz. Super.”
“I did? I really did?”
“Yeah, uh-huh.”
Hugh had seen all sorts of parties, but never one like this. Hunters had a reputation for being brutes, but that changed when it came to the higher-level ones. The levels allotted by the Explorers’ Association were proof of a hunter’s prowess, making these levels a pillar of the Association. They generally didn’t give high levels to members who exhibited a lack of humanity. While many hunters worked solo, just about anyone who led a party showed strong leadership informed by excellent charisma.
But this man just said “Super” and “Yeah-huh.” That could hardly be described as leadership.
“Good, good, good job. You’re great, Liz. There, there.”
“Hehe. I just knew you’d want me to bring him here,” Liz preened wolfishly.
“There, there,” the Thousand Tricks muttered. “Good girl. Good job. Now let him go.”
“Then will you give me something cursed, like you did with Luke and Lucy?”
“Good girl. Bad girl. There, there.”
The pressure disappeared. Holding his chest, Hugh pulled himself up and saw Krai, rubbing Liz’s head with a vacant look in his eyes. Hugh felt like he had been struck by lightning. Whereas Krai had a forced smile and was moving his hands in an automated motion, Liz’s eyes had a vigorous shine. There was no way someone who could read Hugh’s intentions just through his glance (whether her reading was correct, however, was doubtful) could fail to notice Krai’s attitude.
Yet this was her response! What power this man must have if he could have such an effect on a maniac willing to knock out a man clad in the regalia of the imperial guard!
Hugh had worn a number of masks to get where he was. So he understood that while it was hard to manipulate people by acting, it was even harder to manipulate while being genuine. If he could keep her under control with such half-hearted replies, he must have gone to great lengths to discipline the Stifled Shadow!
Hugh began to feel like he understood why the Thousand Tricks was considered so confounding and called things like “the preterhuman artificer.” So far, every time Hugh had successfully flattered someone, it was because he had understood their talents. But how was he supposed to get on this man’s good side?! What did the Stifled Shadow like about him?
“Y’know,” Liz said, “my mentor keeps telling me to bring you over. So will you come with me sometime?”
“Good girl. Good girl. You’re great, Liz.”
“Master, nothing she’s done is good.”
Hugh saw the way he ignored the recoiling girl with the black hair. He noticed his mellow smile and dry voice. He was certain that this man, Krai Andrey, wasn’t listening to them! Every detail of his behavior made it clear he wasn’t paying any attention. Not even the shrewdest of nobles or merchants could afford to act this way. They had no need to in the first place.
Perhaps he could do this because of his high level? His languid, accustomed attitude, and the way Liz was unfazed by it. That couldn’t have sprung up overnight. Hugh wanted to understand this power. It was unlike any sort of leadership he had ever heard of. If he had these skills, then he, too, would be able to rise to great heights.
He no longer cared about his mission to get information. There was something he had to know. He had to learn the secrets behind this man’s power! If Hugh stayed by his side, would he learn the true nature of his power? Would he be able to make it his own?
He watched intently so as not to miss the slightest detail. The sight of him absentmindedly rubbing Liz’s head began to appear majestic in Hugh’s eyes.
Then, for the first time, Krai looked at Hugh. He slowly blinked and stared for a moment. Eventually, he nodded and said to Liz, “Good girl, Liz. Now, go back where you belong.”
“Huh? What about my cursed item?”
“That’s a good girl...”
“And my mentor?”
“That’s a good girl!”
Even though he was completely shutting her out, Liz took her arms off Krai and gave him some space. With a nihilistic smile, Krai crossed his legs in an oddly exalted fashion. A sense of deep respect overtook Hugh. He straightened his posture, put his hands to the floor, and lowered his head.
“Krai, please, take me as your apprentice.”
Hugh cast aside his honor. He even forgot to introduce himself, something he rarely did.
“Ah. Apprentice, huh? Yeah, uh-huh. Wait. Huh?” the Thousand Tricks replied in his dullest voice thus far.