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

Chapter?26: Training

Chapter 26

Training

Tino was heaped up like a ragged lump of cloth.

As I rushed over, a moan mixed of pain and sorrow could be heard.

Her trembling body was curled up as if to look smaller, and her hair that was casually scattered on the floor moved slightly as she raised her head.

Before my eyes, Liz’s foot swung downwards.

The sound of the ground rumbling seemed to shake through the whole building. Tino’s body jumped in a spasm.

That leg strength that could overcome a Level 8 Shrine was already no longer able to be categorised under human.

The floor that should have been solidly made had a footprint remaining in it.

Where was such power hiding in such a small body... “What? Cry-chan. Right now I’m teaching Tee you know?”

While raising a light voice Liz turned to face me. Beautiful light pink eyes like jewels pierced through me.

Liz was a little unusual and impulsive, but she wasn’t an unreliable person.

She was particularly sincere in regards to power. She herself had come close to death while overcoming ordeals many times over in order to improve her strength.

She might have loathsomely high demands, but Liz was earnest in training Tino and really hated anything getting in her way.

Several years had passed since the Clan had been built.

Older Parties had a long time relationship with Liz, but still no one would step in

because that fact had been deeply permeated.

“You see Tee, she has the talent. Maybe even more than me. But she’s weak. Why is it I wonder, when I was around the same as Tee ― I was a lot stronger?”

“Uh-huh yep, that’s right.”

She’s already quite strong. Everyone is strong. Isn’t that good? Everyone is different and everyone is fine.

I somehow managed to fix my smile that was starting to stiffen up, and came in front of Liz.

Sven and the others were stopped at the entrance, peeking at our situation.

I didn’t know much about the difference between Liz and Tino, but Liz’s words were most likely correct.

Given Liz’s character, for her to say that someone else was more talented wouldn’t be something easy.

But that wasn’t a good reason to leave that cute junior in tatters, beating her down and breaking her spirit.

“You’re still so sweet. Cry-chan might be gentle enough to allow it, but with the way things are, isn’t she just going to end up in trouble again?

She’s still my disciple, so I have to take the trouble to make sure she acquires the minimum amount of true strength.

If Tee is a small fry then... I too might be looked down on....”

Liz gave a spine chilling light smile.

The temperature dropped from the violence hinted at in her voice.

At this stage it was too late for her to be a small fry, and no one would look down on you.

Especially within the Imperial Capital, Liz’s name was spoken about with awe. She was a frequent regular on the list of most dangerous Hunters.

Following that, Liz looked towards the entrance with eyes as if looking at insects.

“Some people have been coming over to stop me, but it’s got nothing to do with them.

Tee is different to those whiny bitches, my job’s to to make her strong. She needs be at the edge of death to make it.

She’s got no time to rest. She’s got no time to play around.

Do they want Liz-chan’s disciple to end up as trash? I’ll kill ’em.”

It wasn’t just talk. Her murderous intent wasn’t a laughing matter, it was menacing.

Her methods were warped, but the zealousness towards training her disciple was apparent.

Tino was still curled up hiding her body, in a clattering tremble. Liz narrowed her eyes as she looked up at me from below.

She spoke with a sugary voice, but I felt the delusion of a blade being pressed against my throat.

.

“Since it’s Cry-chan then ― you understand right?”

I answered with my smiling expression fixed in place.

“Uh-huh yep, that’s right. Just, I get that you’re enthusiastic, but it looks like Tino has already met her limits. So for today lets just end it here ok?”

“!?”

I didn’t know how many hours she had been working hard for, but at the point where Tino had collapsed on the floor it was obvious she was at her limit.

At the moment our healer Anthem wasn’t here, so if she was made to do anything too unreasonable there was a chance that there could be lasting after effects.

That was one of the biggest reasons Hunters retired. Neither magic nor potions were omnipotent.

But if possible I also didn’t want to offend Liz, but since no one else was here, I had to be the one to tell her to stop.

For a moment, Liz’s eyes were blinking in a state like she didn’t understand what had been said. She tilted he head to the side as she spoke.

“Hmm? Eh? Cry-chan, are you perhaps, telling Liz-chan to stop?” “Uh-huh yep. That’s certainly right.”

Her eyes went wide open. The depths of her pink irises were imbued with a sense of translucence, squirming with energy that could explode with the slightest stimulus.

Several seconds of silence passed. Liz peered into my eyes as if trying to measure my true intentions.

The atmosphere grated due to the strong tension. Her hand slowly stretched out, and touched my cheek.

a

And her whole face bloomed into a smile. a

“Ok then, today’s over!”

The voice that chilled the heart from a short while ago suddenly changed to a bright one.

Pivoting around, she looked down on Tino still lying on the floor.

“I’m sorry? I tried to make adjustments not to kill you, and you were still wriggling so I thought you could still go on, but since Cry-chan says so was that your limit?”

“Mas, ter...?

Why are you calling out my name instead of hers?

Tino slowly raised her head. There, her face was covered by Liz’s mask. The party symbol of 『Strange Grief』. The smiling skeleton mask.

Tears wouldn’t brim out from the eye sockets painted over in black no matter what,

and her facial expression wouldn’t be revealed. But why was she wearing the mask.....

Suddenly guessing at my question, Liz spoke with a smile that made it hard to believe she had physically punished her disciple.

“It would be better if Tee could join us. So she could do it sooner I thought she could grow a bit more, so I tested her out a little.

But it was useless. It looks like she’s unable to do anything just by wearing the mask and having her vision closed off. That’s why she can’t join us right?”

There wasn’t a rule like that though?

If there was such a condition, in the first place I wouldn’t be able to be in the Party.

The condition for joining the party of 『Strange Grief』, was to be reccomended by an existing party member and that was it.

Well though... I think it was still too early to bring in Tino.

It was my own long cherished desire to bring in new members, and it wasn’t that Tino was bad, but if she was thrown into a Shrine with too high difficulty and ended up dying it would be getting the priorities out of order.

Perhaps following along with the existing members might go smoothly, but I was a cautious person.

“Uh-huh yep, that’s right. It may still be too early.”

“Cry-chan soo, how long do you think until she’ll be able to enter in?” Don’t ask me something like that.

The Leader is also half there as decoration, and right now I don’t even know the situation of the party.

I pretended to ponder over it while thinking of nothing and maintained a smile as I spoke.

“Until she’s about the same as Liz I guess.” “eh......?”

Tino laying at our feet, from the back of her throat rose a strained thin shriek like sound.

Even if you didn’t raise such a heart-rending voice... it was just a joke. Liz is your teacher in earnest, at a suitable time she will make the proposal at her own discretion.

You don’t really have to hear out my opinion on this?

“Kyaa-, Cry-chan you brute. If you say that, no matter how much time passes she’ll never join you know?”

“.....No no, that isn’t true.”

For some reason Liz looked delighted and she embraced my arm. I’m looking forward to the day Tino joins the party.

And, seeing how the hunt went in the White Wolves Den, I was convinced that the day wouldn’t be far away.

Of course, that would all depend on Liz’s opinion, so I wouldn’t put that into words.

“So, why did Cry come here for? Was it maybe to meet with me?”

“Gark-san wanted to hear from Tino about the 【White Wolves Den】 so she was to go and make a report.”

“Cry-chan is sincere huh. I wish someone had come to call on me... or rather someone to go with.”

I briskly stroked the head of Liz that had murmured abusively, in order to turn her consciousness towards another direction.

The feeling of glossy hair. Liz turned her sweetly smiling face towards me. Ok then. Since you want to go.

To begin with, the person that was called for directly was me... it was good that I didn’t have to use another person.

The degree that you think about and the degree that you carry out is a different story.

Truly though I just wished to live more relaxed just a little longer.

Liz put a finger on her lips, crouched over and looked down on Tino who wasn’t making a single movement on the floor.

“Is it, a rush? If it needs to be done quick we can just go over to Gark-chan’s place and throw her over right now.”

Even though she was always treated in this fashion, why Tino adored Liz I just didn’t understand.

Gark-san also wasn’t as strict as to summon Tino battered like this.

“It’s not a big rush. It’s fine for her to recover first. It’ll be fine tomorrow or the day after I think.”

I wonder if that means that I don’t have to go anymore. That’s it! Lets just forget about it.

“Tee, did you hear that? Understand? If you heard, make a big nod with your head.”

At Liz’s voice, Tino’s head raised and lowered ever so slightly while she was laying down.

She was more worn out than the time at the White Wolves Den.

Looking down at Tino my eyes narrowed and I breathed out a sigh. Jeez how do I put it, isn’t this just too pitiful?

Tino is a hunter, a disciple of Liz while at the same time being one of my juniors. Liz should be separated from Tino for a bit... Tino needs some time right now.

It was a little different to the work of a Hunter, but I think this was something worthy of a Leader.

At Liz’s back I put my hand firmly on her shoulder.

Her delicate shoulders didn’t seem like they belonged to someone always in Shrines beating Phantoms to death.

“Alright. Lets go somewhere ok Liz-chan.” “Cry-chan... Do you think I’m a child?”

“I do not. You’re so great and amazing.” I gave off a soothing feeling.

People from the clan were watching from the entrance holding their breaths anxiously, their expressions stiff.

I hadn’t been a friend of Liz since childhood just to show off. Liz wasn’t as bad as the others thought.

Now she has taken a disciple, but fundamentally she was a girl that was self- realised.

“Erm... go somewhere, where? A Date?” “Ah...Well To go eat icecream?”

But Liz wasn’t good with sweet food. Sytry as well as Lucia as well as Anthem also weren’t fans.

The only one with a sweet tooth among my childhood friends was just me.

Sure enough, Liz’s expression became gloomy. And, at the time she was going to say something, her gaze turned downwards.

The shoe model Relic 『Highest Roots』 that she always wore concealed her ankles. They had a battered worn out hand grabbing onto them.

Liz’s large eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

“Hmmm-? What are you doing, Tee? You know, right now Liz-chan and Cry-chan are talking.”

Tino didn’t make a single movement. The hand grasping at Liz’s ankle had no strength in it, and if she wanted to shake it off she probably could.

However, while face down Tino let out a voice mingled in with rough breaths.

“I c-can still....move, first.....Mas-ter.....”

I couldn’t see her expression. The airtight mask turned all emotions contained inside it into a smile. Honestly, I feel like it would be better if we used a different symbol for our party.

Liz touched the hand I had on her shoulder, gently removed it and walked away. Hm? Doesn’t this seem bad?

“Woow. Just before you couldn’t move at all. You should have already been broken! There’s no way you should’ve recovered in such a short time! Look look, Cry-chan! My Tee has finally done it see!?”

Despite being interrupted, Liz’s mood was unusually good. Why does she look so happy, was I allowed to ask that?

Liz had sparkling eyes, but I felt like I was drawing away. No matter how you looked at it, she wasn’t moving at all. If she didn’t get medical treatment immediately it could be bad.

However, while disorientated and wobbly, Tino staggered to her feet. She was so unsteady on her feet that If I faced her I could defeat her.

Due to the mask I couldn’t see her face, but at that moment from the bottom of my heart I was glad that the mask was there.

“As expected of Cry-chan! If it was me no matter what it wasn’t enough – I’m so jealous! Yeah, I took it a little easy, but it wasn’t enough!”

What wasn’t enough.....I want to ask, but I can’t.

Liz was excited. Her eyes were blazing with brightness and her skin was flushed. She was fired up. Just looking from the side you could understand the overwhelming energy.

The alias she was given ― 『Severed Shadow』 belonged to a man, Zebrudia’s most famous 『thief』.

So, Liz had become his apprentice, and once she possessed full mastery after several years, she succeeded the name as the second generation.

It was rumoured that the 『Severed Shadow』 had a lifespan different to other humans.

I didn’t know what it meant, but it was certain that she had become an inhuman lifeform.

Liz-chan stretched out her limbs and spoke softly.

“That’s how it is, I’m really sorry but, Cry-chan can you leave?” “Eh-“

Eh? You can’t be planning to resume training? But she just reached the point of only barely being able to move? Huh-...

The fact was that the gap between their true abilities was like the distance between heaven and earth.

The difference was too much even without Tino battered and wearing a mask, while Liz was at full energy.

There was no contest.

And for that, Liz didn’t seem like she was planning to go easy on her. Seeing the staggering Tino, her eyes were shining as if given a new toy.

“It doesn’t really matter if Cry-chan is around but... isn’t it too pitiful for Tee? You can’t see her face but, after this she’s going to be spitting up blood and wetting her pants. Since there’s no one here for recovery I can’t half kill her, but all her most shameful spots will be seen. If it was me I wouldn’t be able to bear it. Ok? You can watch next time, but since she’s new can you show her some sympathy? Ok?”

“Ah, yeah”

Amazing. Liz-chan, whether she was delighted or angry, the tension was identical. To that smiling face like a sunflower I could only nod my head.

I double checked over Tino, but it looked like she was also showing the will to continue training.

What was it that drove those girls to go so far... I really didn’t understand Hunters.

Translator Notes

Cry has a few repeated catchphrase type words.

After reading quite a lot of the web, probably the most repeated one is 「うんうん。そうだね」(UnUn. Sou-dane)

It’s just agreeing for the sake of continuing the conversation.

There’s probably a much better translation then what I’m using and it vexes me since it’s so commonly repeated.

Tino gets referred to as Kawaiisou a fair bit. It’s not a huge deal, but there are a number of Japanese words that have no true English equivalents and this is one of them.

It basically means pitiful or pathetic... but not really with such cold meanings. As you might have seen from the word, it has cute in it – it may have more of a feeling of ‘poor little thing’.

Maybe like seeing a kitten sneeze. In English when you look at someone beaten on the ground and

call them pitiful – it’s usually the villain looking down on them. But kawaiisou is not that. Another word like this is the name of the site – majime. It doesn’t really mean serious or diligent exactly, it can be quite a bit more in meaning.

A counter to these words I remember reading of is ‘hierarchy’. I tried looking for the journal I was reading but I can’t find it, makes it feel like I’m making this up. Basically though it talked about how in the 80’s or something, western business were teaching about Japanese hierarchy... except the exact concept of hierarchy didn’t exist in Japan and they adapted it as a loan word.

Liz aint got no chill. We usually see the male protagonist suffer for training, but it’s totally worth it! This just shines a light how messed up that is.

Anyway I think it’s fine if anyone is uncomfortable with the violence, I’m not trying to invalidate how anyone feels or anything.