Gradually the liquor is poured in and everyone's spirits are lifted - the youngest members join in with the adults' conversations and start chatting with each other, and it's a good thing that it's so lively.

The first thing to do is to ask yourself, "Hey, hey, did you have a boyfriend, Arihito?

　It's a topic that tends to come up at these types of seats, but Kaede is here to ask about it. She knows that she and Igarashi-san were boss and subordinate, but if that's the case, does that mean she had someone else to talk to?

''You never had that kind of thing happen in your work life...'' sounds like an excuse to say that, doesn't it?
No, that's not true at all. People who work hard are pretty cool, aren't they?

　As someone who is aware that I was what the world calls a 'company man', I thought that all I did was work = I had a reputation as a boring person. If Kaede had seen me actually working, he would have thought it was hard to be a businessman.

'Atobe-sama, you are wearing something called a suit.......was this your uniform at your last job?
'I wore a suit, but we were free to dress as we pleased. There were many employees who came to work in plain clothes.

　Farma, who was born in a labyrinthine country, seemed to be curious about what I was wearing, so she sat down next to me and asked me some questions. I loosened my tie a while after the meal started, but he seemed to be curious about how the tie was wrapped, so he put his hand to his cheek and observed.

'There are many different types of clothing in the Labyrinth Country, so it's accepted that Atobe-san's suit is like that.
"Well, your rear end isn't as bad as I thought. Ryoko-san, your swimsuit is your battle gear....
You have a fair complexion that would look great in a bathing suit. But you'll have to be careful not to break it.
''For me, if my armor is destroyed, I'm in danger of being killed. You have to be careful not to break it by accident.''

　Now everyone would have liked to see what was in Mr. Steiner's armor, but no one actually said it. There are some secrets that people are not allowed to hear.

　In the meantime, Louisa-san and Anna, who had left their seats, came back. I'll be allowed to leave my seat once - Theresa had almost emptied the meat pot, but she stopped eating and got up from her seat to follow me.

　◆ ◆ ◆

　It's not polite to leave the table in the middle of a meal, but I've had too much to drink anyway. Many of the same guests seem to be in the same boat, and some of them are out in the hallway.

''........wait, Theresa.
..........

　I didn't notice it from a distance because of the faint lighting, but I took a closer look at the figure coming out of another large room and belatedly noticed it.

　Rolando - the leader of the 'Alliance' - walks to the end of the shop with a man with grey hair. There's no doubt about it, it's Gray.

　I'm surprised that he had chosen the same restaurant as the 'Alliance' again, but I guess that means that when it's a restaurant that can accommodate a large number of people, the choices are limited.

　It's not a good idea to stand and listen repeatedly, but even if I didn't listen particularly closely, I could hear Roland-san and Gray's voices rising in frustration.

'We shouldn't have been any different from yesterday. We ambushed and hunted the 'crabs'.......but what's going on today? Why did they suddenly stop coming out........d*mn it...!
Oh, calm down, Mr. Rolando. It didn't work out today, but there's always something you can do.
A lot of things?　Then tell me, do you have a way to make the demons that have stopped coming out spring up?

　Roland-san's contribution earning, which he said would end today, ended up failing because of an unexpected situation - demons acting in an unplanned manner seems to be a story that's not going to go away.

　And Gray says he knows what to do when the demons stop appearing. From around the corner of the corridor they were in, I heard a voice that sounded good at it from around the corner.

"I heard that the 'summoner', a rare job that only a few people have in the labyrinth country, can make a 'demon call' that summons the demons nearby. If you use it in a place where crabs are found, you should be able to pull out the crabs that are stuck there.
...How do you get that stuff?
It's my own route. I have a reputation for going to fences.
'Humph I was wondering what you were doing while you weren't participating in the hunt. You didn't think I didn't know that you were doing something in the back streets?
No, no, no, no, no, Mr. Rolando, I wasn't just slacking off, I swear.

　I could sense the unusual spirit in Mr. Rolando's voice, but Gray flinched, but kept his voice half-smiling.

''Oh well. Can you procure that 'demon call sign' thing for the desired number?
Of course, of course I'll do it. It's just a matter of getting this guy out of the way.

　I guess "this guy" is the price for the money - I heard a heavy clink of coins. Did he give them a bag of gold coins?

'Tomorrow, no doubt, we'll accomplish our objective. If things go well this time...''
'I hope you'll nominate me as your next leader. He won't make it look bad.
"...there are other members who have contributed from the beginning. I can't give you special treatment as a midway participant. However, I will tell everyone about your accomplishments.

　Mr. Rolando finishes his story and leaves. The rest of the gray is about to come out in full view of us, so we hide in the shadows - and then.

"You can't do anything yourself, but you can lecture me all you want...Rotor. Your time is over once you retire, you're done...!

　When he raised his voice to poison her, Gray punched the wall. But then he switched his expression, smiled thinly as usual, and went back to their room.

　Gray is not so much a two-faced man as he is a man trying to hide his true feelings and become. I don't mean to deny the ways of others, but they don't seem to be compatible with me.

''..........''
'I'm sorry to keep you company, Theresa. Now that I've got a good drunkenness to talk about I guess we should get back to it.

　Theresia nodded her head in a persistent way. The skill of 'Rogue', 'Silent Walking', is activated without saying a word, and yet I can barely feel any signs of it. There aren't many people who would be to her right if she made them act covertly.

''.........''
''Yeah, I'll explain to everyone what I just heard. I'm a little concerned about the 'alliance' movement, so tomorrow I want to see what the enemy situation is, or rather, the situation of our rivals.

　I don't know if that's what Theresia wants to hear, but she gets what I'm saying, and she nods her head in a perky way. If I can do two things, a nod and a shake of the head, it's not that much of a hindrance to communication - but I think about it again and again.

　He wants to hear Theresa's 'opinion' in her voice.

　◆ ◇◆

　As expected, Ryoko got drunk and faltered, so I walked the Four Seasons guys back to their quarters.

　Since Falma will be staying the night today, I decided to sleep in the living room on the first floor. The sofas provided are intended for such purposes, and the springs are resilient enough to allow you to lie down and sleep.

''I'd like Aricht to be the one to rest, though, so you can switch places with my bed.
'I appreciate that, but I'm not sure I'd let a girl sleep on the couch.

　In the living room is Elitia, who has just come out of the bath. In her hand is a license - she and I are going to be choosing a new skill from now on.

''.......Do you think it's not a good idea to not reveal your skills to everyone yet?''
''Well it's more like I'm the only one being shown about Elitia's skills, which might not be balanced. It would be better if we could all meet together at some point, but I think it would be better after the sword curse is lifted.

　Elitia wants to discuss this with us individually because she avoids showing people her skills as a 'Carth Blade'.

　But her skills have saved us a lot of times. People won't be afraid of Elitia's skills if they find out about them.

''I'm ashamed of myself for saying that all the time it's like I think too much of myself as a tragic person. They call me the 'Death Sword' and say that I'm afraid of them...
''Even if 'Berserk' is activated, Eritia hasn't attacked us once before. We're able to suppress the bad parts of the 'Scarlet Emperor's Sword'. It would be better if I could defeat the enemy without activating it, but I trust Elitia's power, even with the risky aspects. Maybe that's what a party is all about.
''Thank you. Talking to Arihito makes me feel better so I'm sorry for giving you so much trouble.

　She couldn't let go of the cursed sword when fighting, but only in non-combat situations. Before bedtime, Elitia seemed to feel safe there as well - although she still seemed to be a little concerned about the sword that was left upstairs.

　Elitia approaches me sitting on the couch and shows me her license. On it, new skills were displayed.

　A new skill that Elitia can learn ◆.

　Skill Level 3.
　Scarlet Dance: When you activate the Red Eye, you will expend magic power to launch a series of attacks. Each attack increases in power and decreases your defense.

　Skill Level 2
　×Pierce 2: Increases the range and attack frequency of a stabbing attack. Required Skill: Pierce 1
　×Wreckless Raid: Jump into distant enemies to interfere with their actions.
　×Blade Aura: When you kill an enemy with your sword, the sword aura accumulates.

　Remaining Skill Points: 4

　Even though there are four more skills that can be learned, most of them are swordsman skills that cannot be acquired with the 'Carth Blade'. However, there is one skill that can be taken as a 'Carth Blade'.

''Starting at level 10, you'll be able to get four skill points.
''Oh well I didn't realize that until now. It means that level 10 is the end of the line.
'Perhaps so. But it's a shame that you can't take some of the skills I'm interested in when there are so many swordsman's skills, not just the ones out here.
'That's something I've thought many times myself. At the very least, I think I could have taken the skills to get around as a swordsman but the truth is I'm better at the stabbing sword (rapier).

　She can get a 'Double Weapon' that allows her to do two swords, so if it's no longer a 'Carse Blade', it could change the way she fights. So she could even use a different type of sword to do two swords.

''I hope that even after the Curse of the 'Scarlet Emperor Sword' is lifted, I can still use it as a powerful weapon.
'Well in The Brigade, they said it's because it's a cursed weapon that it's strong. I never had the idea of breaking the curse in the beginning, but maybe...
It's possible. No, there's always something.
Well, we'd never get started if we didn't give up in the first place.

　Elitia's expression softened. Then she pointed to the one skill she had no choice in.

''The 'Scarlet Dance' I'll save this one for you. It might be a trump card.
''........Elitia, how is 'Red Eye' supposed to be activated?'''

　When I ask her about it, Elitia seems to have a bit of difficulty answering. After all, the 'Carth Blade' skill must have some risk, even if it doesn't have a '▼' mark to indicate a curse.

''Unlike 'Berserk,' 'Red Eye' doesn't have the disadvantage of making an indiscriminate attack. It's just........something that 'activates when I bleed'.
''That's.........''

　It would be too dangerous to try to use such a skill to aim for. But Elitia was still smiling even as she spoke of the risk.

''Any swordsman can get hurt, you know. Besides, even Kyouka used 'Ambivalents', which makes you stronger the more your strength decreases.'
''........That was truly amazing courage. Igarashi-san is the kind of person who can act like that at a crucial moment. But.........
So does Arihito. He doesn't hesitate to do dangerous things for everyone. We want to do everything we can to prevent him from doing so easily. If I were prepared, I'd have made up my mind a long time ago.

　I can't force you to do it too many times - my moonlighting line about not being able to do it too many times - was seen by Elitia.

　I couldn't help but chuckle at the preemptive move. Eventually, Elitia makes a huffy face and puts her hand over her mouth.

''........I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like a sermon. I know I'm being saved by Arihito, but I was worried.......''
'No, no, I knew it was dangerous too, so I'm glad you're alive...'
Really ... you're the 'rear guard' and you're ahead of everyone else when it counts.

　The expression on Elitia's face as she said this was that of a girl of her age from time to time. No matter how strong she was, she shouldn't worry too much about a fourteen-year-old girl.

''Um, even though it's a skills meeting, isn't it a nice atmosphere?''
''It's not like I'm in a good mood or anything I was just talking to you like a normal person. Arihito, I'll save the skills as I said before. Good night.
Yeah, good night. Misaki, Suzuna, I'm sorry for the wait.
'No, no, I told Misaki to wait until you called me, but... well... this is what happened.
'We're all sitting upright in our rooms waiting for my brother to call us.　That's the part, you have to keep to the allotted time. Me and Suzu together, double the time, please!

　Considering the waiting list, it would be better to meet with all of us to decide on the skills, but as it stands now, the flow of deciding is established through individual interviews. Misaki sits right next to me without any particular reservation, and Suzuna sits on the opposite side of the table - Misaki is too close to me, so I want her to learn from Suzuna's appropriate distance.

'Arihito-san, it's going to take me until late, is that okay?'
'We should be done by the end of the night. I know it's going to be hard for all of you to wait late, but...
'Everyone else is talking to Mr. Farma. They're talking about your brother, too.
''Well, I mean it's something I can't talk about when Aricht-san is around, but it's not a weird thing. Falma-san says she's curious about it, so I just wanted to say a few things...

　It's the most frustrating explanation, but I'm sorry to ask Suzuna any more than I already have. What in the world is the kind of talk that can only happen when I'm not around - and this is not the time to imagine it.

''There are still a number of people waiting for me, so I'd like to decide without worrying too much.
Yeah, I'll have to decide sooner rather than later so that Aricht-san can get some rest.

　I think they said it would take twice as long since there were two of us, but they probably took everyone else into consideration. After the two of us gave them a look, Misaki produced the license first, so we decided to politely let them look at it.

　◆ ◆ ◆

　Then we spent the next hour or so reviewing the skills, leaving Theresa for the last time.

'Thank you, brother!　I'll see you tomorrow!
Good night. I'll take a nap too and get back to work.
'I think we'll go to the labyrinth tomorrow when Ceres finishes the equipment. Should Melissa rest with Madoka this time?
"...I will. But if you see another big one, save it for me.

　Exploring right after the demolition process was too much for Melissa to bear. Although she said she was going to take a break, she had a purpose for moving - she could pretend she hadn't seen it and rest, but she couldn't relax if she was worried about it all day.

　Something unexpected happened for the 'alliance' and they were stranded. There seems to be a way to get out of the situation, but there is a question of whether it will go the way they want it to.

　After Melissa and Madoka return to the bedroom, they decide to go to Theon, who is outside. It seems that guard dogs take skills voluntarily, so I don't have a choice.

　(Are you asleep already?)

　I had told him that he was going to choose a skill, but he didn't show up when his turn came. The license location indicator shows the house, so I wonder if he's already resting in a room somewhere.