'Mr. Crye, ...... what do you mean?'

'............What? Well, I'm glad you could help me, I'm glad you could help me.

The clan master, careful not to draw too much attention to himself, closes in on him.
I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's not afraid to ask.

Eva protested against the smile with just a glance. But Krai looks as if he's never made a mistake in his life.
He's been quiet lately (from Eva's point of view), but he's in his element as a Level 8 who can annoy Eva.

I suppose that's true. To this man, it was no mistake. There is no one who doesn't know the name and face of the Princess of Zebrudia, so it can't be a mistake. And, of course, she would be fine no matter how many people came at her.
But Eva, his companion and the assistant master of the same clan, could not stand it.

There was nothing Eva could do about it. There was no time to stop her.
If Eclair Gladys hadn't been there to protect her, she would have been thrown out.
It was unheard of to be thrown out before the meeting even started. In addition, I've never heard of anyone giving a gift to the princess.

I knew it was a lie that I was nervous.
All eyes were on me. It was impossible for Eva to smile in the midst of them.

It has been a tradition since the first meeting that the emperor's daughter dresses up as a maid at the Gathering of the White Swords.

At the first Gathering of the White Swords, the Emperor had his daughter disguise herself as a servant and join the ranks of the hunters as part of a test of their qualifications.
It is said that one of the guests, the hunter Solis Rodin, immediately recognized his true identity and was so polite to the imperial princess that the emperor was deeply impressed by his behavior.

The story was a famous anecdote in the imperial capital.
Today, the disguises of the imperial princesses have become half-formal, and they only change their clothes, but there is an unspoken understanding.

The current Imperial Princess is both an Imperial Princess and a servant. However, she is still an Imperial Princess. It would be nothing more than disrespectful to give her a gift, but to say, "Let's give a gift to a young lady who is working hard.

What was he thinking? ...... I couldn't tell from the way he was looking at the food on the table next to him. It's a good idea to have a look at the website to get a better idea of what's going on.

The famous nobles approached the princess unreservedly, and even stared at Senhenhen Banka , who had sold her flattery (although Kurai probably had no intention to do so, but it would seem so to the people around him) in the face of countless stares. Naturally, the effect of this was spreading to Eva standing next to him.

And Eva knows it. She knew that the souvenir was not a dragon egg, but just a hot spring egg with the product name "Onsen Dragon Egg".
I don't know what that means, but...

'Mr. Cry, after all this time, ...... I feel like I'm too much for you.'

'I don't care if you say so. ...... See, I think most of the people who approach me are probably looking for Eva. ......'

The Clan Master's eyebrows furrowed as he whined in an involuntary whisper.

That's not possible. The position of deputy clan master of the First Step usually meant a certain amount, but this was the famous Gathering of the White Swords. Eva's position was probably the lowest among the attendees, and more importantly, the Clan Master was there.
If she caused a problem here, even a clan that was growing at a breakneck pace would not be able to get away with it.

I've always hoped you'd follow me to the party. As a non-hunter, Eva had to go through extraordinary hardships to compete with the thousands of merchants and other clans.
But now that I'm actually accompanying her, ...... it's probably a good thing she didn't follow me until now.

What those eyes saw, those thoughts, were too different from what Eva saw.
Thinking about it, the Clan Master had been too bold in his actions since he first came to invite Eva to join the Clan.

Kry approached Eclair, who had managed to keep the situation under control earlier. Then he spoke to her in a friendly manner, as if he were meeting an old friend.

'Well, thank you for earlier. You see, I'm not ............ polite. Yeah, I should probably use honorifics.'

'Oh, ............ no, no. I owe you for the auction. I also owe you for the barrel.'

'No, I didn't do anything about that. ...... Look, it's the same as the auction.'

'Umm,......'.

Eclair Gladys, who was known for her dislike of hunters and her winning spirit, was completely terrified. There is a big gap because Cry is smiling.
Eva's companion usually thought that everything would go well as long as she was smiling.

'Oh no, Miss Eclair. I know what Eclair-sama wants.'

'......What?

'Actually, I'm bringing it up. Eclair-sama's purpose is this, right?

'Huh?

Krai lowered his voice and gestured to something in his pocket.
The change in his expression was obvious. Eclair's expression instantly turned pale, and her throat twitched. She staggered back a few steps.

Eva hurried to stop her.
We're all nobles here. You don't know what they'll think if they see this.

I admit that threats are sometimes useful in negotiations, but this is not something you should do to a child who is not yet old enough.

'Mr. Kry, you've gone too far, no matter what.

'Eh ......, I didn't do anything. Don't you want ............ it?'

Cry looks at me curiously.
Every time Eva sees that helplessly distracted expression, she is reminded that she is still not strong enough.

'I don't want it, I don't want it! Do what you want! I'm busy, don't bother me anymore! Don't make a scene!

'Oh, ...............'.

Eclair walked away from him with a dumbfounded look on her face.
My companion, who looked away with a dumbfounded expression, looked at Eva and said in a troubled tone.

I'm not going to cause a fuss, am I, Eva?

'............ Yes, you are.'

The aristocrats, the specially invited members of the various organizations, and the large merchants are all thinking about how to attack the conspicuous newcomer, the "Thousand Changes".
Feeling the countless eyes on her, Eva straightened her back.

A sense of mission came over her.
I've got to do something about ....... I've got to take care of this before Kry-san makes enemies in all directions.

At that moment, a bell rang out at the right time.
The clamor dies down. The Gathering would begin.

In the silence, all eyes are drawn to the entrance.
I tapped Krai's arm, who was looking everywhere with black and white eyes, to make him look at the entrance.

Through the wide open door, an imposing man in a long, dark costume walked in.
Blond hair, blue eyes. He must have been close to fifty years old, but his gaze was sharp and his body showed no signs of aging.


His clothes were simple, but not poor, and he had few ornaments. Above all, there was no crown on his head. However, his appearance was dignified, and no matter how he was dressed, there was an uncontrollable air of supremacy about him.

The Fifteenth Emperor of Zebrudia.
Radric Atollum Zebrudia.
He is the one who predicted the arrival of this treasure hunter's heyday before anyone else and brought more prosperity to the Zebrudia Empire.

His clothes are simple, he has no crown and no escort. That, too, is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation.
However, at his waist hung a jeweled sword, a sign of the current Emperor of Zebrudia.

Emperor Radric said humbly to the group of people (except for the Clan Master next to him) who were all about to kneel down.


'Good. Be at ease. I'm glad you've gathered here tonight for my request. All gathered here are friends who will bring prosperity to Zebuldia. Tonight, let there be no formalities and enjoy .......'



'You're a lot more ordinary than I thought you'd be.

'!

The crowd cheered. The Clan Master whispered something outrageous behind her back, and Eva couldn't help but elbow him lightly.
And so the curtain rises on a battlefield where neither swords nor magic are supposed to fly.










"Okay, Kry-san. I don't know how much of this is serious and how much is just an act, but if you're ever in trouble or confused, just ask me. In the worst case, you can just tell me everything. Do you mind?



I'm glad I brought Eva. She's too reassuring. Even Citri, who has a similar role, can't do this.

The drinks served at the Gathering were very good. It's great that it's expensive, it's great that it's free, but the best part is that it's not for hunters, so it's low in alcohol content.

With a glass of wine in my hand, I dealt with the old men who came at me like I was a bug or something.
I wonder if I'm not intimidating enough as a hunter. There were many other hunters coming towards us, but the number of people coming towards us was not comparable to that. Even though I had found Ark, I couldn't even go and see him.

Most of them are people whose faces, names, and positions I don't know. I'm sure that they are high-ranking people in the empire, so this would be a great place to try to make connections, but unfortunately I can't take any interest in them.
I couldn't understand his words because they were too pompous. I don't understand the recent situation of the empire, and I don't understand current topics either. He didn't say anything straightforward, so I couldn't even catch up with him.

But I have the skill of escaping reality. And there is Eva, who knows all about me.

She says with a cheerful smile to an old man who is not sure if he is a nobleman or a merchant. Just say, 'Yeah, yeah, that's right,' you know, these guys.

'I'm leaving everything to my right-hand woman, Eva, including clan relations. Actually, I got her on my knees from the Wells Chamber of Commerce. I'm sorry to say this, but she's very talented.

'How dare ............ the famous "Thousand Transformations" get down on his knees?

In addition, I have a lot of useless and slippery stories.
I must have talked to about ten people. I've been able to divert the conversation to Eva in a hundred different ways. Apparently, everyone is interested in the beautiful woman I'm holding next to me.

Wells Trading Company is one of the biggest trading companies in Zebrudia. It's a big name. I'm sure there are a few of them at this meeting.

Well, to be precise, they didn't give me Eva, but the only person they managed to get on their knees was Eva, who was working as a receptionist at the time, but apparently I have good eyes. I told you. I did say that. I said, "Just the receptionist, please.

The man cut off the conversation, which was too difficult, and looked at Eva with wide eyes. Ava's face turned pale and her eyes swam.

'Yeah ...... yeah, well ............ Cry, please stop it.'

'It's no exaggeration to say that I owe my current success to her. I've been brought to this historic place, or rather, I've been followed. I have been indebted to you both in private and public life. Oh, I'll never give you that.

Thanks to the good wine, my taste buds are in good shape. I was so busy talking that I didn't have time to touch the food, so I was getting drunk.

By the way, who was the old man in front of me?

'Oh, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not his mistress or anything like that. ............ If anything, I'm more like his mistress--'

He stepped on my foot and I gasped.

'...... I apologize. A little ...... Cry seems to be drunk, too.'

Ava's emotionally stifled voice caused the big man's eyes to widen slightly.
This voice is ...... the voice of anger. I thought I had stood Eva up well to make it easier for her in the future.

'............ Oh, excuse me, I was just ...... joking. The only person who can damage me is Eva. I've never been hurt, not even in the Treasure House. ......'

'............ Is that a joke too?'

'This is not a joke.

I rub my useless safety ring and scowl. The big man loses the friendly smile he's had on his face for so long, and gives me and Eva a confused look.



Right beside me, the black-dressed Citrine I had seen the other day sashayed past.

'! Why is Mr. Citry wearing ......?

'I don't know .............'

Maybe they're all there. ...... Security is supposed to be tight, but how--?

A brown arm stretched out from under the table in front of me as my anxiety overwhelmed me. I hand him a glass of wine and he quickly pulls back. The tablecloth seems to hide her from view.

'! '

Ava's eyes widen in disbelief. I smile and do my best to pretend I didn't see her.
Liz doesn't have permission, I'm sure.