Excuse me, Mr. Ike, should you be preoccupied with the ball at this critical time?

　Lilith asks a simple question.
　It was a plausible argument, but I had no choice but to answer it like this.

'It's fine.'
　And--

'But for now, we have to get back to Ivalice and start getting ready for battle.

Well, we'll leave that to Giron. It will take a few days to get the food brought to you by sea anyway. It's a very good idea to have them transported from Zenobia to the cities controlled by the demon king's army and delivered to the various legions, which will take weeks. Either way, we won't have time to spare in the meantime.

I see, indeed.

　Lilith put her hand on her brown chin and muttered to herself, but then continued, ''But Master Ike?

'But Ike-sama?　Are you sure you don't want me to join you as you are?

　She pointed to her own head as she said this.
　There was a horn growing there, the symbol of the demon race.

'It doesn't matter. We don't even have to turn into humans anymore.

''So that means we're going to show the Lords Alliance that Zenobia is in league with the Demon King's Army?

In a word, yes.

　When he said that, the succubus put on a happy face and spun around, dancing on the spot.
　There was a hole in the back of the dress that was tailored for her, with a hole for her tail.
　Her tail dances in the air with the fluttering skirt.

So you don't have to wear a hat or cover your tail anymore? Also, these fangs.

　The fangs were visible from time to time when he smiled, though, and I was going to say that, but I stopped myself.
　The demon's dress that Eltria had hastily arranged was a good looking one.

　You can find a number of different types of shoes that you can choose from.

''Ehehe, it's the first time in my life I've ever worn a dress that was tailored for me.

　In Lilith's defense, it's a good fit.
　And he seems to be pleased with himself.
　I'm sure that even for the demon race, women are still women. There's no girl who wouldn't be pleased to wear such a gorgeous outfit.
　Lilith was always asking, "Does it look good on me?　Does it suit you? He asks, "What do you think?" and I give him the usual answer each time.

'Yeah, it's great,'

　What world would suit a woman in?　If he asks, "What do you want to do?" you should generally have no problem with that. At least he wouldn't bend his navel.

　Sure enough, Lilith's cheeks loosened each time she did so.
　Anemone, on the other hand, is also somewhat excited.
　She always wears modest linen clothing.
　The elves don't like to be flamboyant. Besides, she is also the warrior chief of the elven tribe.
　Naturally, she has never worn sleeves for a party dress, either.

''A, Ike-san, does it suit you?''

　She asks modestly, but in her case you can just give it back to her without worrying about it.

'It suits you very well,'

'This is the first time I've ever worn such a beautiful, gorgeous outfit. Oh, I wish my sister could see me in it.

　Anemone says so, but it certainly looks more expensive than the clothes worn by the Elf Queen.

　They must have been made for the elves. The dress is the color of young grass, which blends in with her golden hair and creates an unearthly beauty.

　The beauty of the elves is worthy of special mention.
　If she were to go straight to the party hall, she would surely dominate the gaze of the audience.


　-- No, is that a bit too much of a compliment?


　I correct myself in my mind.

　It's true that Anemone's appearance was beautiful and a delight to my eyes, but there's a girl who is just as beautifully dressed as she is.

　She is the maid, Satie.
　She wore an all-white dress and stood behind the girls.

　As a girl who never asserts herself, she didn't ask me if she looked good like Lilith or Anemone, but even in silence, she stood out even more than she should have.

　Her pure white dress, which seems to blend in with her pale hair and skin, and she doesn't wear any unnecessary decorations, which seems to emphasize her loveliness.

　The person who arranged this dress must have been very honored to have someone like her in the room.
　That's how eye-catching her lustrous figure was.

　While I was staring at the three girls like that, Lilith asked me the question that I least wanted to be asked, which was more of an insensitive or thoughtless question.

''By the way, Ike-sama, which of the three girls do you think is the most beautiful?''

　I could tell from the look on her face that she didn't say the words to embarrass me, but as a result I was at a loss for a response.

　There was no way I wouldn't stand on my horns after being asked such a question in front of three beautiful women.
　The remaining two seem to be a bit fidgety, perhaps curious about it as well.
　Totally, she's a useful girl on the battlefield, but other than that, she's really good at dragging me down.
　Once again, I deepened my awareness of this, and I gave a bland response.


'They're all the best. Each one is unique and beautiful in their own way. It's called being one-of-a-kind.


　It's like a politician's solution, but I'm also in charge of politics now.
　It's only natural that I should be able to say something like this.

　Of course, Lilith doesn't seem to be satisfied with his response, but there is no need to satisfy him with words. All that was needed now was a sophistry to get through this moment.

　I managed to make up for it and asked Hans, the butler who passed by in front of me.

''Mr. Hans, my men have finished dressing up. What time will you be heading to the guest house?''

　When Hans heard those words, he took out a pocket watch from his pocket.

'It's time for you to leave now. Your visitors will be starting to enter.

　Hans replied, "Will you be dismissed? He asked.
　Of course, I agree with Hans's suggestion.

　Last time I was invited to a lavish party hosted by the Octave family, but if I went there, at least Anemone would forget what I just said.

　After all, she is a curious person who loves unusual things.
　The atmosphere of the first glamorous ball she visited must have made her soar.
　The ballroom in the guesthouse is decorated with elegantly dressed people and rare furnishings.
　The food on display is also top-notch, made from all over this continent, and is sure to steal her heart.
　Also, Lilith is also a Lilith, and somehow she is similar to Anemone in some ways.
　If you go to a glamorous party, you'll soon forget what I said earlier and start frolicking.

　The problem is Satie, though--

　I took one last look at Satie's glossy figure (ada-gata), but she just smiled at me.

　In a way, these types of girls are the most annoying, but I didn't mind, and I climbed into the carriage Hans had prepared for me, with them in tow.

　The six-seat carriage was filled with the sweet smell of three maidens.
　A very fragrant scent, perhaps the smell of perfume, filled the interior of the carriage.