Lemuria turned to me for a favor.
　Ray had no idea what kind of request it was, but it was clear to him that it was not an easy one, given that... the Duke of Houndall had spoken to him.
　What is the request?
　Ray tries to ask, but Azuel opens his mouth before that.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Lemlia, but I think we should not listen to it, and I beg your pardon."
"Oh, is that so? You don't have to worry so much?"
"No, there are other people to greet, so I need to show up."
"Well, is that so? Then we can't force him to stay."
"Well, excuse me,"
"Excuse me,"

　The end of the word remained in his ear, but Azuel greets it without a sign of concern and walks away with Count van Lyle, who also bowed his head.
　. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"And? Do you like Blue It? If you stay here, you might get in trouble."
"Well, but it's kind of interesting."
"Isn't it that important that you care so much?"

　Lemria says so to Rey and Blueit, but Elena smiles and says to speak to him.

"Duchess Houndall, this man will not listen to us, if you will decide that there is no use in it, and grant us your request."
"...you're the only one left,"
"I'm Ray's partner. As the Duke of Houndall said he had a favor to ask of Ray, neither as Ray's partner nor as a member of the Duke of Quevel can move here."

　Elena has a smile around her mouth as she says so plainly.
　He must have been glad to have been able to claim to be Ray's partner, not the Duke of Kelevel.

"Whoa. Young people are fine and well."

　Lemlia watched with a smile as Elena looked.
　It's as if you're remembering the past.
　But for Blueit, who was told such a love affair, it would be impossible to listen to it properly.
　Scrubbing his hair with a bothered look and directing his gaze at Lemuria.

"And after all, what is it that you ask for?"
"Huh? Come to think of it, that's why I came here, so I can't help but talk about my request."

　Lemria, who was showing a happy look, suddenly turns her gaze on Ray.
　There was definitely a serious... and yet a strong desire for something from the bottom of my heart.
　That's not the kind of emotion an old woman like Lemria should have.

"And? What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Well, my dear Ray, what he would like to ask of you is about your demon Gryphon,"
"... of Set?"

　There was a surprise in Ray's expression when he was told something unexpected, perhaps not expecting Seto's name to appear here.
　It's the same with Elena and Blueit, who have been listening.
　No, on the contrary, some of the nobles who had been watching from some distance from the Lays stopped at the word Gryphon.
　In the aristocracy, the present presence of Set in this mansion--the stables, to be precise--is a subject of conversation that must not be touched upon.
　Whether he wanted to obtain the set or inflict harm, Count Caceres was severely punished by expulsion from the nobility.
　That being the case, if you act as if you are carelessly interfering with Seto in the present situation, it can have the worst consequences not only for yourself, but also for your house.
　Nevertheless, it's no use thinking that anyone who could have heard that would have touched it openly at a party like this.

(In that sense, Azuel and others must have been wise. They didn't come all the way here to hear us, as far as the people who listened to us were concerned.

　The nobles around them must have seen the right time to speak to Ray, Elena, and Lemuria.
　The Earl of Van Lyle, whom he spoke to in his first observation of the timing, was no longer here, and that was probably why so many of them thought...
　This time, however, it has a bad effect on the aristocracy.
　When Lemlia, the Duke of Houndall, had a consultation with Ray, her poor intuition was the cause.
　In that sense, Azuel's judgment was probably right.
　Thinking so, Ray turns his eyes to Lemria.
　The color there is a light warning.
　If Lemria was to force herself to get Seto, Ray would have dealt with it in a reasonable manner, even if she was an old woman.
　However, Lemria, who was so glanced at by Ray, did not seem to have moved at all.
　If Ray were serious, Lemuria's life would disappear in an instant.
　Ray relaxes his gaze a little as he turns a quiet, yet strong-willed glance at him.
　It was because he understood that, at least, he was not trying to do anything about Seto without any questions or answers, unlike the hand of Count Caceles.

"And? What do you want me to do with Set?"

　Ray's manner was relaxed, but it was still not a polite conversation as it was in the beginning.
　one's attitude as a result of one's judgment of equality

"Oh, actually, Gryphon... Seto? The Seto's feathers, which have just been taken out... I don't know if I can say this, but I want some fresh feathers."
"The feathers?"

　Ray was wary of being told to hand over his set or something like that, but he never thought he would want a feather.
　No, I fully understand that the alchemists want Seto's wings.
　But it was quite unexpected that the nobles... that the head of the Duke's family wanted it.
　At first I questioned Lemria's words, but it was not a joke, but a serious color that she looked at.

"Can you tell me what is going on here?"
"Well... it's impossible to talk here until then. Will you get me a room, Mr. Elena?"
"All right. I'll get it ready at once."

　In Remria's words, Elena says so readily.
　But it's not funny.
　For a large party like this, it's only natural that there are many private rooms that serve as rest rooms.
　A party is also a political arena for the nobles.
　For that reason, it also means to prepare a place to talk about things you don't want others to hear about, to rest in case you get sick, or in some cases to have a close relationship with each other.
　It was only natural for a party organizer to prepare a private room for a variety of uses.
　Moreover, as this is the residence of the Duke of Quelevel, who leads the nobility, there is no need for a large number of rooms.
　Therefore, Elena nods easily to Remria's words and leaves the party.
　...however, the disappearance of Elena, the party's greatest flower, made the partygoers feel a little disappointed.





　a private room a short distance from the party hall
　Sitting on the sofa in the room, Ray was facing Lemria.
　Also, because of his size, Blueit is sitting on another sofa, not next to Ray.
　Elena sits next to Ray, serving tea to his mouth.
　This tea was made by Elena.
　When Elena first said she would make tea, both Lemuria and Blueit were surprised, but Ray, accustomed to drinking Elena's tea, accepted the action without any particular surprise.
　A sip of such tea opens Ray's mouth.

"And why do you want Sett's feathers?""Some of the relatives of the fox are sick."

　Ray no longer cares about the ending of the word Lemuria, and turns his head on it.

"Are you sick?"
"Well, it's a very rare disease, and it doesn't mean that life is in danger right away, but it's still very inconvenient to lead a daily life."
"That's... troublesome,"

　If it's a life‐threatening disease, it must be very troubling.
　But there was no doubt that it would be quite troublesome, as Ray said, to live a life-threatening life.

(Hay fever, etc.)

　That was the first thing Ray could think of.
　Fortunately, no one in Ray's family suffered from hay fever, but only Ray's family.
　Some of Ray's acquaintances had hay fever.
　Every spring, they wore masks to avoid inhaling even a little pollen, carried tissue boxes, and even wore special goggles.
　What's more, once it gets hay fever, it's every year.
　Hay fever is not fatal, but it definitely hinders your daily life.
　Watching it, Ray agreed to Lemria's words because he knew something about it.

"Do you know?"
"Oh, ... but now I get the general idea. I mean, with Seto's wings, we can treat or lighten the disease. No?"
"It's not the same,"

　Lemuria nods immediately to Ray's words.
　When Ray saw it, he didn't understand how it felt, but... that doesn't mean he can give up Seto's wings for free of charge.
　If you give it away for free here, there's no doubt that those who know it will ask for it.
　That being the case, I had to get a reasonable price if I gave up the wings of Seto.

(Well, it is quite possible that Sett's feathers should have fallen far down in Gillum's stable. ... Oh, but is that impossible because he said they were fresh? I don't know exactly how much they are fresh? The feathers in the stable of the Duke of Quelevel?")

　Feathers should have fallen in the stable where Sett now lives.
　That's enough for an alchemist to wonder if he'll be able to obtain it if he knows about it.

"But I didn't know that Seto's wings had such an effect."
"Because it's a particular disease. It's a Gryphon feather, and I think there are many other uses."
"I understand. I don't mind if Sett gives up the wings as long as the Gryphon accepts it, but it's not worth nothing. What shall we do?"

　Lemuria nods in agreement to Ray's words.
　Lemria had never expected Ray to nod so easily.
　That's why I don't want to bother Ray.

"Well, well, there's one thing I can borrow from you, but other than that... Oh, well, how about jewels?"
"Jewel? No, I'm not..."
"Jewel!"

　I have no interest in collecting jewels.
　When Ray tries to say so, Elena screams to block it.
　Elena, who is usually calm and composed, rarely reveals such a surprise.
　That makes Ray wonder why.
　For the Duchess's daughter Elena, she must have seen a great deal of jewelry, and if she wanted to get one, she could do anything about it, unless it was of the national treasure class.
　But why was such an Elena so surprised? That's what Ray couldn't understand.
　But when Elena realizes Ray is looking at her, she looks surprised.

"Don't you know? ... No, you don't have to know. Ray, do you remember the last time you went to Egzil?"

　Ray suddenly became suspicious of a strange topic, but he soon remembered something.
　It is a magic item used by the opponent who fought during the disturbance in Egzil.
　No, it's too out of the way to call it a magic item.

"Yes, the method Pri used to use it arbitrarily by sealing magic in the jewels. The Duke and Duchess of Houndall acquired the technology and developed it on their own, so that they would not need sacrifices."

　Yes, Elena said.