When Oli heard that Zeno would be bringing various wines, led by Marteau, Oli walked into the kitchen immediately after showing a little pretense of thinking. Apparently, he's going to make a dish to go with the wine.


''Ho. Is it Marteau's wine?
What, are you trying to play the commoner?
You ... are the only one who has ever drunk Maltese.
I'm in a bit of a mood for a drink.


　The two Babenberg's, who were fond of Oli's brewed tea, would occasionally come to the Clan House for a break after they had finished their explorer's work, but today, it seemed, they happened to be here by chance. Then the subject of wine, Smith's hobby, came up and he came out in high spirits, only to be grumped at by a mild joke.


'By the looks of Zeno, he seemed to be bringing quite a few, so if you'd like, Suou-san, you can have some too.
Well, thank you.


　In contrast to Suou, who was lightly clasping his hands together and smiling happily, Smith was staring at Tsutomu with a steady eye. Then he pointed to him as if he was going to apply for a duel.


''........Wait for me, you fool!　I'll bring you something that blurs the wine that this Zeno and his ilk bring!


　With that, Smith rode the surfboard-shaped barrier and jumped out of the clan house through the open window. When Tsutomu was slightly dismayed by this outlandish behavior, Suou lowered his golden eyebrows in an apologetic manner.


''I'm sorry brother.''
''No, Mr. Suou doesn't have to apologize for that. ........Is Smith a wine lover or something?
'Yes, I even like it better than my father, as he keeps a large amount of his own wine cellar in the basement. The contents of that cellar, however, have been sold before and should be gone...
...Is that during the Stampede?
'Yes. They sold everything when they were struggling financially. That's why he said he was going to get it, but I doubt he really had it. There was no indication that he was hiding it somewhere, and I'm sure he had a handlers, but he doesn't have that much money to spend now, so I don't think he was buying more wine than Marteau.
'....Huh. Do you know where Smith might go to buy wine?


　Tsutomu had a bad premonition at the same time that he heard something pitiful, so he asked about the store, and Suou's eyes widened with surprise.


''In that case I have an idea but.......are you planning to go?''
''After hearing about her character and her current situation, I can only imagine a future where there will be some kind of trouble. Besides, I've been a big help to him with the Stampede, so if that's the case, I'm happy to help.


　It's a good idea to have a good time with your own family.

　It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family. Leleia looked at him delicately when he asked her to do something that was no longer a job, but she took a hand in buying him a bottle of his favorite wine.


'I haven't been in this vicinity much,' Does Leleia have a handle on the terrain?
Yes. When I first came to the Labyrinth City, I also took on a request for an escort.
That's very encouraging.


　Garum and Leleia, fully equipped, are walking through the city, which is full of shops for the wealthy, greeting the patrols of the security team that they see quite often with eyes and hand signs. Tsutomu, who is in between the two of them, looks blankly at the high quality looking clothes of the people passing by and heading to the destination that Suou had told him to go to.


''Ah, there they are.''


　If Smith wasn't there, I thought I'd buy a bottle of wine at random, but as I expected, he was outside the store. It's not a particular commotion, but Smith looking at the wine in the store from the outside was attracting a lot of attention because he was an aristocrat.


''That's the Babenberg family's........''
'How can you buy wine? You haven't even been a successful explorer.
I hope you're not embarrassed.


　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for, because it's a great way to get a good idea of what you're looking for. It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.


'What is it that you are doing? 'Lord Smith,'
What's your problem? Why are you here and what's with your tone of voice?　That's disgusting.


　Smith gave a perturbed look to Tsutomu, who was standing in line with Leleia, and said a few awe-inspiring words. Leleia led him softly into the store and made eye contact with the doorman inside and had him open the door.


I've been saying bad things about my friends, the Rootonia Trading Company and the Crown Workshop. The rest are the wives around the executives, I guess. Hmm, I see. And who else.....


　Tsutomu, confirming that Smith had entered the shop, took stock by the coats of arms worn by the complainers and tried to point and guess at the others as they spoke as if they were guessing.

　The couple, who were suddenly pointed at and told things as if they were guessing, froze at the unexpected event, and their cronies looked to their escort, a strong man, as if they were relying on him. However, the escort man quickly shook his head and walked over to Tsutomu with a dry smile.


''Well Mr. Tsutomu, could you leave it at that?　I'm sorry for saying bad things about your friend. It's like this.


　However, the escort man, who is also a searcher of around forty levels, naturally knows the faces and abilities of Tsutomu and Garum. If they were dealing with ordinary searchers, they could be strong, but in front of Garum, whose level difference is overwhelming to begin with, they are unlikely to be able to do the job.

　The expression on the face of the adult couple is even more strained when the man who is the captain of their guards bows his head. When Tsutomu was about to say something to the man of the guards, Garum grabbed him by the neck and lightly lifted him up.


''I'll accept that apology. I don't intend to take care of it on our end either.''
'Oh. That helps.
I didn't want any of you guys to look like that.
Tutum, don't do this again.


　Tsutomu saved his face and features in his notes so that he could memorize them in his ID, and then he spat out a discarded line like a complete little thing and was dragged into the store by Garum. The two men and their guards looked away from them as if they were leaving in a storm.

　And while the doorman, who was watching the whole thing, looks at you with some kind of sympathy, Tsutomu straightens his clothes and looks around the shop with a calm look on his face.

　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you go to the store. The customers inside the shop are all wealthy and successful, including executives of large stores and chefs of famous restaurants. And, unlike the little rich people outside, they also know Tsutomu well, so they only show their friendliness in a light greeting.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this topic. When Tsutomu also walked in, Smith turned to me with a face that made no sense to me at all.


''She explained it to me, but what the hell kind of windbag is that?''
''I was just intrigued by Mr. Suou. So don't worry about it and buy the wine back.
'Tsutomu, I'll take this one, please.
You definitely looked at the price.


　Tsutomu frowned when he saw the millions of g's worth of wine that Leleia pointed at him, but took out some seldom-used gold coins from his magic bag and gave them to her. After that, I asked the owner of the store to buy back all of the remaining items of wine that Smith had in his collection and arranged for them to be sent to the mansion at a later date.

　It was a dream come true, as the wines he had sold off before kept coming back to him. But Smith's expression did not clear.


''....Are you trying to be merciful to me?
Oh, do you think I'm capable of that?
'None. That's why it didn't make any extra sense to me, but now I have an idea. You're just trying to make me miserable, aren't you?
'I wouldn't spend tens of millions just for that. I'm not going to spend tens of millions of dollars just for that.
So you really think my sister is the one who put you up to it?　You are a stupid man. Suou doesn't have an ounce of interest in you.
You....


　It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family.


It's not that I don't like it," he said, "but if you just wanted a bottle of wine, I would have let it go. But you had to sell this wine to make up for the damage done by the stampede.　I've been helped in some ways about the Stampede as well, and since this was originally yours, it's only natural to buy it back.
'What's in it for you?　...maybe you're just trying to be nice to me!　It's disrespectful to think you can bribe me!
How long will your misguidedness last...?


　Tsutomu let out a long sigh and looked out of the shop where people were passing by.


'It's not happening right now because of the reaction to the last time, but the stampede will happen again in the future. At that time, we'll need the power of barrier magic again, and the cooperation of the people who live in the labyrinth city will be essential. For that reason, we need the Babenberg family to pick up some of the pieces. That's part of the reason I bought the wine. And I don't like to talk about it.
...Is that what you're talking about?
'Oh, that one. You mean like the story of how your husband had to sell some of the things he collected for his own hobby for family financial reasons?


　Tsutomu had seen stories on the internet about people throwing away their possessions, but he didn't like the idea of such a thing. Tsutomu compared this story to this world.

　Hearing this, Smith froze in thought and slowly looked into Tsutomu's eyes again.


''Well isn't that what you're feeling sorry for me after all?''
..........


　At Smith's words, Tsutomu also crossed his arms as if he were thinking, and then gently looked away. Seeing Tsutomu's situation, he scratched his blond hair as if he was dumbfounded, and then he looked down and shook his head.


''You idiot,''


　But such was not a bad look on his face.