As a gentle melody begins to play, the men and women in the dance hall slowly begin to dance. In this ball, which was originally made up of many children of the nobility, there were few who could not dance. Most of the attendees of Brunhild (our house) are not the children of nobility, but we've learned the basics so that they can dance.
　It's called a "ball" but you are free to dance or not dance, and you don't have to dance at all. However, Yumina and Lou say that if you can't dance when you're asked to, you won't enjoy it, and you may embarrass them...so we've made sure that our attendees can dance at the lowest level.
　The ones dancing now are the few noble children of each country who are good at dancing, which we asked them to do at the beginning. Most of the other participants are still around the hall or in the garden, just waiting to see how they are doing.
　Since they're wearing masks, you can't start without talking to them. If you're in the mood, you can invite them to a dance or take a walk in the garden.
　But first of all, it seems that we are all from the same country. Well, I don't know if we can't do anything about it.

But even so, there are a few people who are talking to each other here and there. Oh, that's our guy.

　King Linie, who was standing next to me, was looking downstairs from the second floor of the dance hall with an opera glass on a handle. Not only Linier, but also other countries seem to mark their own participants with some kind of landmarks. It's also a good idea to have a matching brooch or cufflinks.

It's not a good idea to peek at it too much, right?　We're all working hard to find our lifelong companions.
'Oh, no, I didn't mean to. It was just something that bothered me.

　When my fiancé, who was on the other side of me, rebuked me, King Cloud of Linier hurriedly returned the opera glass he was holding in his hand to me.
　Lucienne Dia Paloof, the first princess of the Paloof Kingdom. She is the sister of Ernesto Boy King, the current King of Paloof, and a few months later, she will become Queen Linier. She's not flashy, but she's calm and gentle.
　Princess Lucienne said that, but in fact, like King Linier, some of us were looking at the dance hall downstairs from this cloistered "gallery" on the second floor.
　Many of the participants had sons and daughters and brothers and sisters of their own. It would be impossible to tell them not to pay attention to them.
　I returned my gaze to the second floor, and at the back of the corridor, in the great hall, senior ministers from various countries were greeting each other with champagne in hand. The king's group had just introduced themselves and exchanged greetings.
　The back world.......some of the representatives of the Western Continent are still new to us. I have no doubt that I am the one who is involved with the largest number of countries on the Western Continent. I had to deal with them, and I had to make it easy for them to greet each other. To be honest, it was a pain in the ass.......but it's part of the job. I did my job.
　Well, for now, the greetings are over, so we were taking a break.
　Princess Lucienne turns her gaze towards the great hall.

''For the first time in a long time, Ernesto looks like he's having fun mixing with kids his own age.
We usually mix in with the adults, you know. I guess they're more comfortable talking to us than we are.

　Princess Lucienne's gaze was on her brother, the Boy King of Paloof and his fiancée Rachel, the First Prince Remza and Second Prince Alba of Mismid, the First Princess Lilac and Second Princess Milnea of the Kingdom of Hannock, and the former First Prince of the Galdio Empire... now. was being discussed by the Lucretion boys who had become the Leve Frontier Count.
　They were all boys and girls around ten years old. As expected, it is easier to talk to people of the same age, or perhaps the new King Akeem of the Flame Kingdom of Dauburn and the new King Frost of the Ice Kingdom of Zardonia were discussing with the Knight King of Lestia's brother-in-law Reinhardt. You're a fellow new king, aren't you? Well, me and my neighbor King Linie are also the new king.
　Yumina and the others are also among the queens and are chatting happily. Perhaps they are listening to the queen's etiquette. Although Else, Linse and Yae Ni Sakura, who were unfamiliar with this kind of occasion, clearly had a hard smile on their faces. Well, it can't be helped now, right? They'll be able to act naturally sooner or later.
　The kings of each country were also divided into several groups and seemed to be enjoying the pleasantries. This one is going to be fine. Now, I wonder how things are going over there.
　After a few songs, I leave King Linie and the others and head for the balcony.
　From the balcony, I can see the participants discussing in the courtyard below. A man is talking to a woman in a state of confusion, while women are enjoying tea at a table set outdoors. It's a good feeling too, isn't it?
　Well, that's about it.
　It would be rude to say it's unexpected. The Beast King of Mismid, the Magic King of Felsen, the Warlord of the Lase Armed Kingdom, the Sun King of the Igrette Kingdom, and other kings who excel in martial arts are all here on this balcony, which is quite strange. I don't think they are the type to be interested in other people's love affairs.
　They've been happily watching the participants downstairs for some time now. .........they are up to something, right?

Oh. His Majesty the King has come to watch the show?
Watching?

　As I stepped onto the balcony, the Beast King of Mismid greeted me with a bottle of champagne in hand.
　What's the spectacle?　I'm sure they weren't planning to perform anything. Well, I guess you could call it a spectacle to see where the love affair goes.
　I look around and for some reason, I see a group of leaflet recoverers on the balcony. Did someone get sick?

Well, what's going on?
Something's happened, or will happen, or something.

　With a bitter smile, the Magic King of Felsen looked at the Beast King Mismid.

''It's the kind of thing that goes with these types of seats. It's about time, I think.

　I don't understand. While I was twisting my head, King Egret tapped me on the shoulder. It's quite rare to see him in a chic tuxedo instead of his usual Native American national costume. I was dressed in my tuxedo. He's a handsome man to begin with, so he'll look good in whatever he wears. That's why he has seven wives.

"I'm sure the king hasn't had much experience in attending these kinds of parties when he was single.
That's right, well... I was an adventurer. I'd join parties among my relatives and alliances, but...
"They are young. Because they are young, they are unbending. Sometimes those who are not bent will clash with each other. And so...

　An arguing voice could be heard from the courtyard, interrupting King Iglet's words. 'What is it?'

Oops, it's starting to happen.
It's happening?

　When I looked down at the courtyard from the balcony with King Egret, two men were staring at each other with masks on. They both seemed to be in a tentative mood, and the people around them were watching them from a distance.

''A fight?''
'Well, yes. It happens a lot in these seats. Most of the time, the parents and the lord come out and try to put the contraption away, but sometimes they don't. Like a duel.
Duel!

　Wait, isn't dueling supposed to be killing each other?　That's not a good idea!

Don't panic. Don't panic. I don't want you to have to fight for your life. In this kind of situation, we just let them play by the rules. Whoever wins or loses, there will be no hard feelings left behind. If you break that, you'll be called a disgrace.
'Set the rules?　
'Hmmm, I haven't heard much about that, but.... I've heard of people playing speed games with horses. What do you think, it's peaceful, isn't it?

　It's certainly a very peaceful duel......... Well, it's far better than the exchange of lives........ I understand that it's best to settle a dispute like this between the parties involved alone. If it is decided in a peaceful match, that's the best.

Most of the time, though, it's a fist fight.
What is peaceful...?

　You can't!　You are the most violent man alive!　His Majesty King Felsen, who was beside me before I knew it, laughed carelessly.

''That's about as good as it gets when you're young. It's better to let them dissipate than to hoard for the sake of hoarding. And that's why we have the restorers waiting in the wings.

　Okay, then!　I was wondering why I was here.　You're too prepared.... is that a common occurrence at these parties on a daily basis?　If people gather together, there will be more disputes, but....

That mask isn't going to come off so easily, is it?
'What?　Oh, that's right. If you hit or miss, it's all for naught, so you need to chant the predetermined word 《keyword》 to get it off.
This means that a prince or a nobleman's third son can do it regardless of their status. Normally, if you're not of the same rank, arbitration would be the end of it.
Hmm. Status does not matter in a battle between men. You must do what you believe in with your fists.

　The Beast King of Mismid and the Martial King of Raze look down at the two below them with a smile on their faces. That's fine, so........
　A witness then enters between the two men, and as they think a fistfight is about to begin, they both disappear into the back of the garden with the witnesses. Some of the gallery followed along with them.

'As expected, you've realized that you are a nuisance to your surroundings. It looks like we're going to have to change places. Well, let's go too.
Isn't that an onlooker after all...
'Hahaha!　What you should see today is more of a man's willpower than a love affair!

　The King of Brainpower and the rest of the world are going away like the wind from my dumbfounded face. No, the love affair is the main thing today.........

d*mn......

　Some participants seemed to go on the field like those guys, but most of them stayed in the courtyard and enjoyed the conversation or something. Many of them have already set their sights on it and are working on it.
　There are groups where one woman is dealing with multiple men and vice versa, where one man is dealing with multiple women. You can't tell by the effect of masks such as looks, but I wonder if the people who are popular exude the elements that make them popular.
　The content of the conversation, the way they behave, their mannerisms, how they respond to situations.

...Huh?

　Suddenly, my eyes stopped on a single figure in the courtyard below. Away from the people enjoying the party, the woman was leaning alone against a tree in the courtyard, lying prone.
　If that was all, one would have thought she was a so-called 'wallflower', a reluctant woman who couldn't move herself at a party.
　But that person definitely does not fit into that category.
　The reason for this is that her gaze was directed at her phone, which she was mumbling and typing something at high speed.
　There are very few people who have the mass-produced smartphone that Dr. Smith built. The rest are limited to the heads of our allies and their senior ministers, and my friends. I can't count the people in the other hall on the second floor, but if you don't count the people from Brunhild (our) party, you can't count them.
　I mean, that's definitely Princess Liliel.....
　While emitting a ferocious aura, that finger continues to dance on the phone without stopping. No, I'm talking about dancing over there. You're definitely writing a manuscript........
　If King Lefries sees you like this, he'll take it away again. You don't feel any remorse at all.

"Oh. There you are, Lord Winterfellas.
Whoa!
Huh?

　His father appeared as a shadow if you ask me. When I turned around, I saw King Lefries with a glass in his hand, King Belfast and Queen Elfrau standing there.

''Took, it's finally happening!　Wow, this is so fun!
Yeah?　No, well, I hope you're enjoying it, but...

　I step forward quickly with a deceptive laugh. After all, he's my father. I'm sure you can tell by looking at him, even if he's wearing a mask, that he's Princess Liliel. Even I could tell.

It's a good idea to have a good time.
"Yeah, Liddis will be over there...
Over there!　Oh, I'd like to give you an engagement gift, can you take me there!

　I think it's forceful, even if I am, but I have to get His Majesty the King away from here anyway. The announcement of the engagement of Princess Liliel's brother, Prince Lidis, to Princess Tia of Mismid, long ago, but I haven't sent any congratulations. We sent them as a country, but not yet as individuals.

''Hohoho. It's a gift from Fuyu-dono. It's something unusual again, isn't it?
Yes, that's it. Yes, it's a rare and unusual item I bought on my honeymoon. I think Prince Lydia will be pleased with it.

　Nodding to the voice of the King of Belfast who flew in from the side, I lead the three of them towards the Corridor 《Gallery》 again.
　Hmmm, why am I following up like this........
　I immediately find Prince Lydia and Princess Tia, so I take out the desired item from the several souvenirs I bought on Earth from 【Storage】.

''This........!
'Wow!　Beautiful...!

　Inside the crystal ball I took out was a miniature of a small house and a miniature reindeer, along with a liquid, and shiny little pieces of it were falling like snow.
　These were 'snow globes', or what we call 'snow globes' in Japan. It's a good thing I bought a few of those from the gift shop.
　When I handed them the snow globe, they were very happy with it. I turn them over and look at the glittering scenery.

"Is this a souvenir from Elfrau?
Uh, no, no, not from the same country.

　I didn't expect to say, from another world, and ducked His Majesty the King of Belfast's questions appropriately. I also gave the two of them the one that I cast the [Program] magic on so that the snow inside danced without having to turn it over.

''Hmm........ This is indeed a wonderful thing. It shows the beauty of the snow country very well. This................................will sell.

　The eyes of Queen Elfrau, who was looking at the snow globe more than the two people who handed it to her, gleamed with Kiran. The expression on her face was very similar to that of her niece's guild master, Relisha-san.
　I had a premonition that the snow globe would later be marketed as a specialty of the Elfrau Kingdom.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


Oh my God, why do I have to go to this event at this time?

　I complained in a small voice as I typed on my phone. The deadline is until tomorrow morning. I have to manage to finish it today and hand the manuscript printed out with the magic tools I have in my room to the person in charge first thing in the morning.
　I don't have time. I'm wasting time that would have been taken away from my phone for free. Moreover, I'm wasting precious time on this party's costume fitting and greeting my fellow Leafs.
　I'm in a hurry, and my typos are increasing. You can't afford to lose your mind. I know I'm getting more and more irritated and feeling hazy, but there's nothing I can do about it.

"Excuse me, are you alone?
I'm alone, why?

　Again. I glanced up to see a man in a golden mask standing there with a glass of champagne.
　This is the fourth time I've been accosted. It was so depressing, though, that I moved from the hall to this side of the room. I wondered why he was talking to me and not the others when he was wearing a mask.

'I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind.'
You're in time. Go ahead.
Haha, you're so boring.

　I could have fought off the three of them so far with this, but the man came to the side, familiarly. And then he peers at me. What the hell is this anymore?

It's the magic tool that they say is made in Brunhild, right?　Are you, by any chance, Brunhild's man?
No, sir. It's... oh.
Huh....

　Sheesh, by the time I thought about it, it was too late. The owner of the phone that Duke Brunhild had built was limited to the royalty of another country or their overlords if they were not involved. This would be like revealing that status yourself.
　So, the men who have approached me so far have also seen the phone (this) and approached me?

You've had enough. Can you go away?
'Don't say that. There's some good booze over there. Would you like to have a drink with me over there?　It's going to be fun.

　Disgusted by the man's persistent bite, I turn off my phone and put it in my dress pocket. If he doesn't walk away, I'll just walk away.
　With that in mind, I start to walk away, but the man's hand grabs my arm unceremoniously and firmly.

'Stop it!　Let me go!
"If I let you go, will you have a drink with me?　One drink!　Just one drink...

　Seeing the man smiling at me, a creeping sense of discomfort coursed through my body. The mask that covers the upper half of his face doesn't allow me to see much of his direct expression, but I felt that I could see his ulterior motive and ambition.
　Scary. The arm that was roughly grabbed trembles. If you reveal your identity and ask someone for help, you may be able to get away with it. But that would mean ruining this party. But it would ruin the party, and it would also make your father, the organizer, look bad.

Anyway, let's get out of here. "Anyway, since we're not here, let's go away.
No...

　I can't resist the force that pulls me in tightly and almost takes me away. Don't!　Let go of me!

The man doesn't seem to like it.
Huh?

　The man in the golden mask and I turned forward at the sudden voice that called out to us. There stood a man wearing a simple black mask and a black tuxedo.

''What are you...?　Don't mess with me.
'No, I didn't mean to interrupt you. It seemed to me that the lady there didn't like it. Was it too much trouble?

　The black-masked man turns to me and asks me what I'm doing. I shook my head in response, frantically shaking off the man's hand that was grabbing me, and ran towards the black masked man.

'Are you okay?'
Yes, yes....

　His hands were still shaking and he wasn't very okay, but he was able to answer that anyway.

'This one doesn't seem to be feeling well, so please take it back. I think we should invite someone else to join us, don't you?'
Don't butt in on me and tell me what to do!　d*mn it...!　Ugh!

　The gold-masked man's hand reached out wildly, just as it did for me. But the black-masked man swiftly avoided it, took his arm, went around the other man's back and twisted it up. A familiar move. Is it a knight?

''Well if you're going to do any more, I'll take you seriously?''
Shit, that's... get off me, you son of a b*tc*!

　At the words of the gold mask, the black masked man let go of his hand in a flash. The freed Golden Mask rubbed his arm, ''Tch! He gave a big cluck of his tongue and left.
　I felt a sense of relief that the man had left. I was afraid that a duel-like struggle would begin, like the men who had just made a scene.
　When I felt relieved, I suddenly lost my strength.

'Oops,'
'Oh....'

　The man in the black mask supports me as I almost slump to the ground. He was holding my arm in the same way, but I didn't feel the same disgust as the man from earlier. On the contrary, I felt a strange sense of relief. What is this feeling?
　I sit down on a nearby bench and calm myself down.

'Are you okay?　Would you like me to bring you some cold water?
No, no. I'm fine. Thank you for your help...

　When I thanked him again, I felt that Black Mask-san smiled slightly. It was a little frustrating that I couldn't see that smile because of the mask. ........Why?

Well, I'll be going now. Excuse me.
Oh, um!　Can you just stay here a little longer...?　Well, you know, the guy from earlier might come back, so...

　I don't know why I hurriedly called out to Black Mask-san as he bowed and was about to leave. Because of my haste, my voice flipped over in a strange way and I felt embarrassed.

''Right. Well then, just a little more.''
'Yes, sir!　Thank you!

　With that, Black Mask-san sat down beside me.
　There was silence for a while. I knew I had to say something, but nothing came to mind. I searched frantically for something to talk about, but I couldn't think of anything that I could talk about with a man I had never met before. Let's see.....

"It's so warm today!
Yes.

　d*mn it...!　Talking about the weather!　That's the most boring thing I've ever seen!
　Next!　Let's talk about the next one.　Something, anything, anything. My head is spinning and I'm beginning to get confused. Why am I in this place?
　The fact that I can't even talk normally is disgraceful. ........I began to cry at my own shamefulness.
　A white handkerchief is held out to me from the side.

''Don't push yourself. I'll stay here until you calm down.
Subiba, Sen...

　Maybe he thought I was crying about the man I had just seen. Unable to correct that, I wiped the tears away with my borrowed handkerchief.
　Eventually I calmed down, and even after Black Mask-san left, I was still sitting on that bench, looking up at the blue sky alone.