The day of the "Gathering of the White Swords". I had been praying that lightning would strike and destroy the capital, but it was a beautiful day outside my window.

As a side note, I am a rain man. Whenever I go to the beach or climb a mountain, there is a very high probability that I will be hit by rain.
It usually rains when I go to leisure activities, but it never rains when I go to such unpleasant events. I wonder if God hates me.

The gathering of the white swords did not begin until after the sun had set. A few hours later, I would be surrounded by many nobles and many hunters and I would become a wreck of the Imperial City.
I'm sure Ark will help me, but as the time draws nearer, my stomach only hurts more.

I was slumped on my desk and Eva, who still looked the same as usual, said to me in a disgusted manner.
Eva was in her school uniform. The meeting starts at night, so she will probably change into a dress at night.

'...... What's wrong, Cry?

'I can't do this anymore. I don't want to go.'

'............ What's going to happen to me if I'm not a party member and I'm being accompanied?

Eva's expression didn't change when she saw how pathetic I was. She's used to it because I've shown her my failings here and there.
And you're right. But I had no other choice.

'Eva agreed with me,' he said.

'...... Have I ever turned down a request from Kry-san?

'............ I don't want to go.'

'No. And that's not a request!

Certainly not ....... It's so rare that I can't remember the last time I asked Eva to do something and she refused, even if I closed my eyes and tried to remember.
I'm sure there have been times when I've been turned down because I wasn't available or something, but at least for some of the bigger requests, she's always accepted them immediately.

............ I'll rely on her more next time. Truly, the one to have is a skilled hand.

He stopped slumping over his desk and slumped cross-legged on his chair.

'Well, seriously, you don't know what's going to happen if you take ...... Leeds with you, do you?'

'That's ...... true, but you ...... care about that kind of thing too, don't you, Kry?'

Eva looks surprised. I wonder what she thinks of me.
I'm not proud of it, but I'm a man who's lived his whole life looking at other people's faces.

'This time it's on a larger scale. ...... You see, I've never ...... learned any etiquette, so ......... ...If you want, you can teach me.

At level 8, there are many opportunities to be invited to various events, but I've missed most of them so far.
As the clan master of a large clan, I have been called upon by nobles and merchants, but I have left that to Eva. Aside from the hunters, the most important person I've met is Mr. Gark, the head of the Imperial City branch of the Explorers Society.

I don't want to cause any problems! It's a good thing that Liz and the others aren't around this time, but sadly, in politics, harmlessness can be a crime.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

'...... No, ...... you don't have to be so eloquent, I don't think hunters are required to be polite. ......'

I know that. I still think I'm ...... decent. I even use honorifics. I'm as humble as humble can be.
And yet, I tend to offend people.
I'm sure they don't like me being thin because they like me being macho. What? Do they like Arc? ...... Yeah, that's right.

Maybe he doesn't like the fact that I'm a little shit and I'm level 8. But that can't be helped unless I suddenly awaken some hidden ability.

'But yes, ...... if you want to be liked by the nobles, you might want to give them some gifts.'

'...... A gift?'

A bribe. That's a good idea. I really don't want to get involved in that, but it might be a way to ...... It's much better than pissing him off.
As my eyes widened, Eva continued.

'It doesn't have to be anything expensive. You can find a lot of things that are only available in high level treasure halls that have become status symbols among the nobility. ...... You see, the "sky flower" that grows at the far end of the Prism Garden that Ark conquered the other day is a famous example. ......'

'Ah, that flower that has no particular meaning,...... I don't know what's good about it,......'

I remember it because one of our members once picked it up. It's a flower with transparent petals made of mana material.

They were beautiful and mysterious, but they did not have any particular power, and they were not stable, so they could not keep their substance for a long time outside the treasure house.
It is like the paintings that are sometimes displayed in castle-type treasure halls. It is not an item, but rather a part of the treasure house, so even if you bring it back, it will soon disappear like a phantom corpse.

I didn't know what to do with the bouquet of flowers given to me by Liz and Cicely, so I put them in a vase in the lounge and they disappeared before I knew it.
I don't understand what's good about them at all. ...... They don't keep their shape for a long time outside the house, and they can't be preserved, so they may indeed be of status in terms of scarcity.

'It's a good topic of conversation, and if there's anything else you'd like to know about ......'.

I really don't know what the bigwigs are thinking.

'Hmm, I wonder if there's something ...... I should look for. ......'

It's a good thing that my party just recently conquered a high-level treasure house called the Knight's Palace.
Basically, the fruits of our labors are supposed to be Phantom drops and treasures. You can't just give away the results of your party's battle without permission, but since the members of the Ghosts of Sorrows are free spirits, they may have brought back something that would make a perfect gift, like the Flower of the Sky.

This is one of the duties of the Clan Master. It's a pain in the ass, but it can't be helped. .......

I got up and decided to go see if I could find something suitable for the occasion.





As the sky turned red, a carriage pulled up in front of the Clan House.

I put on the tuxedo Eva had prepared for me and sat in the Clan Master's office holding my aching stomach.
On my hands, I wear a ring of treasure, a pendant of treasure around my neck, a chain of treasure on my belt, and earrings of treasure. In addition, there is a ring in the pocket that I couldn't fit and an evolving demon mask, but that didn't make me feel any better.

The people who gather at the White Sword Gathering are high level hunters. In front of such monsters, what could an ordinary person with a little bit of treasure equipment do? At this point, I can only hope that Ark can do something about it.

Don't worry, I have allies. I have Ark and even Eva. There are no gaps in offense or defense.
Besides, I have the ...... trump card. I look down at the Gift on my desk. It's okay, it's okay. Just stay calm. It's going to work. With the Empire's heavyweights gathered, the hunters should be quiet, too.

Just then, the door to the Clan Master's office opened.

'Sorry to keep you waiting, ......, but what's with your face, Mr. Cry?

It was Eva who walked in. The sight of her made you forget about the pain in your stomach and your eyes widened.



Eva was wearing a long dark blue dress.
I see her every day when I'm in the Imperial Capital. Eva's hairstyle and glasses hadn't changed, but she looked like a different person just because she wasn't wearing her usual uniform.

The dark dress is not flashy, but it suits the mature Eva well. She always wore her uniform tightly, but now her shoulders were wide open, giving her an indescribably s*xy look.
She also wore accessories that she didn't usually wear, though they weren't too flashy, and I found myself looking at her over and over again, from her toes to the tip of her head.

I still look at Sitri and Liz the same way I did when I was a kid because they were my childhood friends, but Eva is different.
She is only one year older than me. She is only one year older than me, but she has a calmness and dignity about her that I don't think she has.

I'm sorry. ...... This might make you stand out if you were next to Eva.
But if she's taken, so be it. I'll have to brace myself.

'You look great, Eva. I'm glad I asked you out for this.

I'm glad I asked you out, just for this.' The words of praise came out of nowhere, but Eva's cheeks didn't blush and she looked at me blankly.

'............ You always leave the duties of Clan Master to me and don't come along to the party. If you follow me, I can show you as many times as you want.

'Ah ............ ah ha ha ha ............'

'Look, bow tie, it's crooked ...... at all.'

Eva stepped closer to me and adjusted my tie. I checked in the mirror, but it was obvious that she was not used to this.

She was wearing a light perfume, and smelled very good. She tightened her tie and turned around with a graceful motion.
I feel like taking a photo. I feel like I'm getting a great deal.

'Come on, let's go. The carriage is already there. Let's go to ...... and have some practice. Please make sure you escort me.'

'Yes, of course.

It was a bit of a cash grab, but he felt a little better now that he had been shown something good. Carrying the gift, he went outside with Eva.
Outside the clan house, a carriage with Zebrudia's crest was waiting for them. It's not the kind of carriage you'd expect to find for a hunter.

All eyes are on us. I took Eva's hand and gave her an escort that may or may not have been right.
We both climbed into the carriage, and it began to move with little vibration. I was nervous, but I was a Clan Master, and I couldn't let myself look pathetic in front of Eva, who was all dressed up.

The carriage flew by.
At the end of the road is the center of Zebrudia, the most luxurious building in the imperial city of Zebrudia, the Imperial Castle. The Gathering of the White Swords would be held in the Imperial Castle, where the Emperor resides. Naturally, I've never been inside it.

I take a deep breath to ease my nerves, and Eva, who seems quite calm, asks me.

'Speaking of which, ...... Kry, what's that box?

'Oh ...... you see, Eva told me, it's a bribe. I was just trying to make a good impression. ...... You see, our party is notorious for a lot of things. ......'

We just had a bit of trouble with Lord Gladys's nomination request the other day. .......
I'm sure you didn't think I'd actually bring it, Eva said, her eyes widening in surprise.

'A bribe is a ...... bribe, please don't say that in the hall, okay? I'm sure you'll be able to tell me what's in it,......, if you don't mind me asking.

Of course I don't mind. He patted the box and replied with a smile.

'No, ...... it's a souvenir I bought on my vacation. I couldn't find anything suitable that I brought back from the castle. ......'

Well, it's not rare, but it's better than the flowers in the sky. They're good, and I bought a lot of them, so I had several spares.
It's better to give a gift than not.

Eva looks at me with a dumbfounded expression. I'm embarrassed to be looked at like that.

'...... Yes? ...... Wait a minute, a souvenir from your vacation? Are you serious? What kind of vacation souvenirs are you talking about, ............ buns?'

'...... No,...... it's a hot spring egg. It's a specialty of Sools and it's very tasty.

Besides, the 'hot spring dragon eggs' cost a little more than the 'hot spring dragon buns'.
Eva stared at me, her cheeks flushed, and said.

'............ Cry, are you really nervous?

.................. What?