Originally soft moonlight softens the darkness somewhat, but in the darkness of the night when no one could be illuminated, two people remained silent in a block on the back street of Egzil.
　If there is someone here, they are still there, perhaps as if they were figurines or something.
　But suddenly there was a little sound of footsteps where they were silent.
　a small, normal footsteps that one would miss But the sound of footsteps is more than enough for the two of them, who existed like stones on the spot.
　Both of them opened their closed eyelids and looked at the person who appeared there.

"Have you kept me waiting?"
"No, it's all right. for it is better for us to wait than for the Lord."
「……」

　One of the men says so, and the other nods as well.
　The newcomer nods and opens his mouth.

"And I heard that the results of the experiment came out a little?"
"Yes, an adventurer's party seems to have encountered it. And here's some additional information, but it seems that the missing mutant of Sword Bee has been knocked down by them."
"... I see. But as for the Sword B. mutants, they would have gone missing in a fairly close class? They would not have been able to be knocked down by a beginner. If you're going to be knocked down by a beginner, you can't call it a mutant.

　The suspicious man's voice made the two men nod.

"A normal beginner would have had no problem. I wonder if a beginner was missing in a dungeon. ...however, it is not the ordinary adventurer who overthrew the mutant in this case. It's a party led by something called crimson."
"... did crimson make a name for itself in the Spring War? It was accompanied by a Gryphon."
"Yes, that crimson is the princess general Elena Kerebel, the wild beast Vichela, and the bereaved son of the Flauts. It looks like a wild party made up of these four people has reported mutants of Sword Bee and Stone Puppet."

　The man breathes a sigh at the report.

"I can't believe I'd hit such a famous spot. I will confirm that they are the only mutants that have been knocked down."
"No, it seems that some of them have already been knocked down by other parties."
"...you got the data?"
"Yes, that's all right,"
"There is no problem, then. This is not the time for us to come out. I'll leave it up to you to come out."

　A leader. The word itself is a sign of being superior to a man, but there is nothing but ridicule at the mouth of the man who uttered the word.
　But it's probably the same for the two men who have been here since the beginning. carry on a conversation without seeming to care about a man's ridicule

"And as for the mutants, may I proceed?"
"Do so," But be careful not to reveal our presence."
"All right, I'll be more careful than ever before. Fortunately, we don't have enough people on the front stage, and even if that doesn't work, we still have people on the front stage."
"Still, I don't know why, but if we have to fight head-on with monsters like crimson, the damage will only increase."

　A bitter voice echoes around me. It's obvious that he really thinks so, and that's the same for two men, nodding two men.

"...yes, just in case." If our identity is to be known by crimson or general princesses, immediately withdraw from Egzil. Well, I'm sorry to repeat it over and over again, but I'll make sure that our existence doesn't come to light."
'Huh!'

　They all reply, and the man who was watching them nods satisfactorily, and looks up at the night sky.
　The moon is covered by clouds, and the moon's light is blocked by the sky.

"…this city of Egzil is too hot to compete with. It's so hot and humid that it's hard to live in."
"Well, it feels like it's getting hotter, especially since there are so many people."
「……」

　One of the two muttered, and the other nodded in agreement.
　He was watching the situation, but he probably decided that the hot and humid weather wouldn't change if he kept talking here. return one's heel with a small sigh

"Well, let's stop this case. ...just keep an eye on the crimson's. There is no need to go deep, but there will probably be trouble here when they move."
'Huh!'

　Consenting words echoed through the darkness of the night... and in the next moment no one was left, only the humid air peculiar to tropical nights remained there.
　the labyrinthine city of Egzil No one but the parties concerned knows that one conspiracy is going on here at the moment.





　Ray and Elena, separated from Vichela and Beune after they finished reporting in the guild and bought a map to the 10th basement, were in the inn's dining room.
　It's a summer night, so many guests are having a drink of ale or wine in the cafeteria just to get rid of the heat, but there's a tingling atmosphere just around the table where Ray and Elena sit.
　On the table is a roast of oak baked to a crisp squeeze of juices, filled with vegetables and meat, or with a sauce of sweet and sour fruit. A salad that is highly fresh and seasoned with dressing made only from salt and citrus juice, steamed fish, which is rare in the world, are topped with rich sauce with nuts. There are also soft-baked white bread and cheese a little further away.
　For Ray, it was a truly gorgeous meal, and it should have been more than enough to enjoy while talking to Elena.
　But now there is only silence on the table, and Elena is silently carrying the food to her mouth.
　It's such a careless gesture, but I guess he's still growing up. He gave Ray something of an elegant impression.

(Come to think of it, Vihela was a rough and sophisticated gesture, wasn't it? Is she a good-natured girl by any chance?)

　At that time I thought in my heart, carrying the meat of an oak stabbed with a fork into my mouth.

"...don't you think of anything strange?"

　While cutting through the steamed fish with a fork and a knife, Elena looks sharply at Ray.
　Ray thought for a moment that he had been able to see through Vichela, but he still managed to shake his head and swallow the meat in his mouth.

"No, I don't think anything strange about it." But I thought I had a hard time today."

　It was an instant remark, but it was nothing more than a mine.
　Elena's movements stopped and her eyes turned to Ray again.

"Oh, you've had a hard. I suppose so. I don't think I expected to see the person I kissed yesterday so soon."

　It's probably not Ray's imagination that he felt the temperature around him had dropped by a few degrees Celsius.
　All around the table Ray and Elena were sitting on was as cold as winter, even though the people around them were making noise to blow away the summer heat.
　In addition, other guests sitting near Ray and Elena are moving to another seat, asking a waiter.
　In a completely secluded seat, Elena still graciously swallows the steamed fish and then slips into a glass of wine.
　Ray was watching this, but then he let out a small sigh and opened his mouth.

"To be sure, I was kissed by Vihela. But you know that it's not because Vihela has a good opinion of me?""Is that so? In fact, Vihela professes to give herself to the one who fought against her and won, and Vihela is definitely interested in you. I don't think this is an undeniable fact?"

　While speaking accusingly against Ray, the long-standing custom must be ingrained in him. swallow a spoonful of soup without making a noise
　The reason why I was amazed for a moment was probably because the flavor of the ingredients seeped into the soup and I felt the intricacies of the complex flavors in my mouth.
　"Even in the quarrel with Ray, the taste that makes me unintentionally interested is the cuisine of the chef who is entrusted with the kitchen of the highest quality inn, even in Egzil."
　Knowing or not knowing what Elena is like, Ray swallows cheese and bread in cold fruit water and spins his words.

"If it is true that Vihela's turn towards me is goodwill or malice, it is undoubtedly goodwill."

　Ray's words twitch Elena's fingers, impressed by the soup.
　But Ray continues, interrupting Elena's attempts to speak.

"But that favor is not the favor of romantic feelings. There's no doubt about this. At least there is no feeling of love in Vichela's eyes at me. There is only a fighting spirit for battle."
"That's..."

　Elena didn't have a word to deny about it either. for Vihela's gaze at him was just as combative.
　appetite, sleep, and s*xual desire Elena certainly felt the other desire, the desire to fight.

"But isn't it true that Vihela said she would surrender herself to the one who beat her? Did Ray hear that himself?"
"Certainly, but isn't that because he thinks he'll never lose? In fact, Vihela's fighting power is quite high. at least not enough to fight me with my bare hands."

　Elena who hears Ray's words reminds me of the battle in the dungeon.
　It's true that the Rank D party instantly killed the struggling Stone Puppet without even scratching it. Having seen it directly, Elena could not help admitting that there was a point in what Ray had to say.
　But there is still something to be questioned about.

"Well, there are certain parts of Ray's words that I can understand. Then let's ask again. What did you think when you heard that Vihela would surrender herself to the victor in the battle? Did you not expect anything?"
"That's..."

　As expected, Ray is at a loss for words because he can't deny it immediately.
　Vihela is one of the three most beautiful figures Ray has ever seen. And if you say that your heart didn't move at all when you said something that naturally invited you to such a Vihela, the answer is negative.

"Of course,"

　Seeing Ray like that, Elena lets out a small sigh.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to blame you for it."
"...what?"

　When I hear Elena's words unexpectedly, I ask back.
　For Ray, the reason why Elena was angry was because she had reached out to Vihela or thought she would reach out to her. However, it is understandable that he was not angry because he was told that there was not a small possibility.

"Looks like this, and I'm a Duchess, too." His father, who is also the head of the Duke of Kelebel family, has a second and third wives besides his mother. I'm afraid I'm the only one with a child."

　Ray is convinced when he hears the last word.
　Being a nobleman would require a certain number of children to succeed to the family. for at least one of the present-day Elena would lose her few duchess heirs in the kingdom of Milliana in the event of an emergency.

(Of course, the more children there are, the better the succession race, etc.)

　Whispering inward, Elena is relieved that she is not blaming Ray for his relationship with Vihela as much as she says.

(though it gave off a lot of atmosphere)

　It was probably a kind of staging for Elena. Or perhaps he simply wanted to express in silence that Elena and Vihela were not of the same character.
　It may not be proof of this, but the cold atmosphere around Elena and Ray's table was already gone, and it was so hot that they felt like a tropical summer night.

"And... all I have to say is that I don't make Ray pay attention to other women."

　It must have been fortunate, in a way, that Elena's muttered voice never came to Ray's ears.