“What? When did you prepare all this?”
After meeting the king, I returned to the room and asked Elise while loosening my tie. Elise replied with a playful smile.
“How was it? Were you surprised?”
“Absolutely amazing.”
I never expected Eris and the others to come pouring out like that. Elise reached out her hand to Bertia, who followed her, and they high-fived.
“Well done. Operation successful.”
“I’ll never forget the look of shock on Sir Daniel’s face.”
“Huh.”
Having been deceived so blatantly, I could only feel a mix of bemusement and disbelief. Moreover, it was a lighthearted prank, not a nasty trick.
A crowd of people rushed in behind Bertia.
The King of Frisia had suggested that we should discuss matters with his attendants, so aside from Raizer, the Beast King, we all piled into the guest room.
“Why me too…”
Ares grumbled about having to make his presence known as well. It reminded me of when he tearfully said he’d become the next calamity.
“What can we do? We had to show Father that we were well-prepared.”
Elise was right.
It was much more credible to inform him straightforwardly about the calamity than to just say, “There’s a calamity.”
Ares looked reluctant, though.
Just then, Kulika, who occupied the largest chair in the room, stepped forward with a wrinkled nose.
“Daniel McLean. The situation in the country of Beastmen was exactly as you described. A beastman named Hobaek started a rebellion out of vengeance for his dead daughter.”
“Oh, really?”
He had seemed skeptical until now, but Kulika nodded with a softened expression.
“Thanks to you, I could take responsibility for my actions. I will trust your words about the Goddess of Time revealing the future.”
I gained his trust. Feeling oddly proud, I reached out my hand, and he chuckled softly and shook it.
“It’s comfortable talking to you.”
“Let’s grab a drink. I’ve got a lot to talk about with you.”
“Are we planning something grand? Sounds good.”
“You can’t have a feast without a Dwarf!”
Hotshim Velok, the Dwarf, brightened up at the mention of alcohol and weapons.
Having been imprisoned in the Beastmen’s country without being able to drink or eat properly, his belly had slimmed down a bit.
I was excited to think there would be many good taverns nearby since we were in the royal capital, but Rin peeked out from behind Kulika.
“Daniel can’t drink yet.”
“Ah…”
Now that I thought about it, I indeed wasn’t of drinking age.
“My mental age can be considered an adult; why can’t I?”
“Of course not.”
Rin answered firmly.
Then, the two who suggested having a drinking party burst out laughing at my expense.
“Turns out you’re really not of age to party.”
“Cluck-cluck! Just drink some orange juice on the side!”
“…”
As I sighed and complained, Rin slowly approached me, looking around before she stared into my eyes and tilted her head.
“Are you okay now?”
“Huh?”
“You used to seem uncomfortable around me. It was sudden. I was a bit worried that you still felt that way, but you seem fine now.”
“…”
While I kept quiet, watching Rin’s curious expression, my hand moved towards her cheek without me realizing it.
“Uh?”
As I gently pinched her cheek and felt her softness, I smiled faintly.
“It’s okay.”
When I let go, Rin touched her cheek and nodded, indicating it was fine.
And finally…
Eris, who had been staring at me and Rin, suddenly snapped to attention as if she had been hit by something and approached.
“Daniel, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah, I’m glad you’re safe. I worried a lot.”
I smiled back at Eris, but she seemed unsatisfied, fidgeting with her fingers while I intentionally turned away to dodge the conversation.
“For now, the king won’t be able to make a conclusion immediately. So let’s all take a break. Riding the Cheonggeuk Chariot, the fatigue is no joke.”
“Haah, that carriage was useless.”
Hotshim Velok, who came from an artisan background, shook his head vigorously, clicking his tongue.
“I’ve heard there are groups among humans who suppress their emotions to kill enemies. That carriage was just like that. They sacrificed a lot just for speed.”
“Thanks to that, we could arrive quickly, but it was brutal.”
Eris, who lived harmoniously with nature, agreed that she didn’t like the Cheonggeuk Chariot. The owner, Elise, merely shrugged her shoulders without replying.
It was the best carriage there, after all.
“If there’s a need to call, Elise and I can go, so I think it would be a good idea for everyone to prepare a resting place.”
When I said this to Bertia, she replied that she understood and quickly opened the door to start leading the way.
Since we all knew they would come, it seemed she had already prepared a place for us to stay.
As everyone followed Bertia out, only Elise and I remained. I planned to kill some time, ready to rush out if the current king called.
Elise looked surprised and made a disappointed expression.
“What’s wrong?”
She gestured so obviously that I thought something had happened, but Elise looked up at the sky and replied without a hint of shame.
“I should have asked Bertia to bring me some fresh underwear, but I forgot.”
“…”
“Do you think that Kulika, the beastman, noticed?”
“Apologize later.”
Her expression didn’t look good.
Was she planning to make our guests smell that?
*
The next day.
“Haah, I still have the taste of orange in my mouth.”
Kulika, who was guided to the largest room, along with Hotshim Velok, poured drinks in his room, and we started a small drinking party for lunch.
However, the problem was that Eris stormed in during our festivities and snatched the cups away under the pretense of moderation. She sat right next to me and kept a close watch to prevent me from drinking.
Meanwhile, she sipped her own drink.
In the end, the grand operation ended up being Eris’s doing, while I soothed my burning heart with orange juice until I was full.
Eris took advantage of the moment, jokingly saying things like “Bad guy,” “I’ve already told the other elves,” “I’ve secured a house,” and “It’s not over yet,” while now she is asleep in her own room.
By the way, we were attending the year-end party. Kulika stood out too much to attend, and Hotshim Velok declined as he wasn’t fond of such gatherings.
In the end, those who attended were:
“Doesn’t a black dress make your skin look too pale?”
Rin, donned elegantly.
“Didn’t I think I could monopolize you, but they’ve already come rushing in.”
May, tapping my side in annoyance.
“This dress is too loose.”
Sen, unintentionally showcasing her fragility as she complained about her loose dress.
“Oh, I absolutely love this atmosphere!”
Adriana, who had lived all her life in the Forest of the Demon Realm, couldn’t even dream of royal parties.
Elise, being a princess, would join our side later.
Thus, it turned into an academy party mix. Moreover, if I recall correctly, Tana, Eve, and Hayun, who was scheduled to visit, would also attend.
It truly felt like a total reunion.
“There are so many bean dishes.”
Since it was a year-end party, there was no shortage of food. A variety of dishes were laid out to cater to the refined tastes of the nobles, and there were chefs poised to grill meat right in front.
In the midst of this, Sen was eyeing the bean dishes, preparing herself.
“Beans? What’s with the beans? You don’t really like those, do you?”
Sen generally liked neither beans nor bread. Her time in the Chokugen Faction meant she had mostly fed on simple foods to satisfy her hunger.
According to her, that’s why her growth had been sluggish.
“Yeah, I don’t like them, but I heard from Eris that eating beans makes your chest grow. She said it happened to her.”
“…”
As she said this, Sen subtly glanced at Adriana.
It might be a bit challenging to set Adriana as a target. At least it was fortunate that people like Eris and Eve, who had a different level of violent growth, weren’t present.
“But doesn’t that sound strange?”
I caught Sen just as she was rushing towards the bean dishes.
“You’ve been feeding on boiled beans non-stop in the Chokugen Faction.”
“…Huh?”
She seemed to have overlooked the crucial fact that she disliked beans because she had eaten so many.
Realizing her foolishness, Sen drooped like a child who had their toy taken away, and I let out a sigh.
“Hey, don’t be too heartbroken. Even without those things, you’re plenty attractive.”
Sen perked up, as if she had cat ears on, and looked at me.
“Really?”
“Of course, definitely. If it’s too much, it might even be burdensome.”
“Hmm?”
The previous sniff wasn’t made by Sen.
A heavy yet soft feeling against my back made my body stiffen involuntarily, causing all my senses to gravitate towards that direction.
Turning my head slightly, I saw Eve, the embodiment of a voluptuous figure, hidden within a blue dress, pressing her chest against me.
“Is it burdensome?”
“No.”
In response to my answer, Sen pouted and glared at me. Here, I could only answer honestly.
“Sorry.”
