...... horrible.
Yeah, great.

　In the audience after the game. After a few minutes, Eco finally speaks up, and Silvia speaks back.


''Yes. I shudder to think that master is still so bottomless--'

-Yukari, no. She's the one I'm afraid of.

...... Now what?


　The reaction of the crowd was dichotomous.

　There were those who praised Second with awe and admiration for her one-sided victory by an overwhelming margin, and those who were astonished and admired her for delivering a blow to ...... that Second with a head-on blow.

　The former was the reaction of non-contenders and the latter of contestants, especially those who had fought with Second.

It only took a few bouts to bring out that face of his. Do you have any idea what this means?
No. ...... master's, face?　Do you mean that boyishly innocent, wonderful smile?
'Yes. That smile, it's only been six months since I've been able to show it to me.
Me too!
And that's just one fight to pull it out, etc. ......


　Blurbs and shakes.

　Silvia is proud to have been with the second longest in the Team First Test. It's a good idea. It's a good thing that you can't get away from it.

　In other words, most of the time, even in the title fights where the best players gather, the second player can't even show his true colors. I'm happy to say that I was able to finally get myself and Eco to show their true colors when ...... she appeared.


I know what I'm talking about. You're jealous.

!

　Raspberry Bell points out.
　It was a figurehead. Sylvia was jealous of Gloria.

'She's probably a genius. She's going to grow up twice as fast. In six months, maybe she'll be able to catch up?
No way, no amount of doubling is going to be enough for .......
How much have you grown in the last six months, Sempai?
It's not even close to ............ times as much.
I've already seen it with my own eyes.
'Well, ...... yeah. Sorry.

　A wall of talent.

　It's a thick, sturdy, high wall that we all hit at some point.
　This was the second time Silvia had faced it.

''We can't rely on sempai's training to keep us going.
Mm, really.
I'm on my own!
Well, let's do the eco-friendly thing together!

　Silvia and Eco nodded to each other with full spirit.

　It's not just a matter of trying your best, but it's also not a matter of trying to make a difference," Raspberry Bell's masterful muttering was not heard by anyone.


It's a good thing that you're able to get the best out of it.

　Such is the case with Raspberry Belle, who is also Raspberry Belle and is inadvertently jealous of Yukari.






''Hey guys, is this hey, could it be that this is a...?
'Yeah, I think my sister Elle is right too.

　First Test, servant's residence.
　The servants had returned after the end of the schedule of the Thousand Handed General's War, and were holding a meeting in the time after dinner.

　The six gathered were Cubero, Just, Elle, Es, Champagne, and Cosmos. For tonight, only those who could leave the work to their subordinates were assembled.

　And at the opening, the red-haired maid sisters Elle and Es uttered that.

　Maybe, just maybe - that's what those words mean.


''If you struck a blow to Second-sama, it would be ...... the best example ever for humans.
Yes, I'm pretty sure it's at least first class (...)

　Champagne nodded at Steward Cubero's words.
　The other servants didn't seem to have any objections and quietly nodded their heads.

'I have no objection. Then I will fill it in.'

　Cubero takes out a large piece of paper from his inventory and writes Gloria's name in its first class column.


　Yes - they had created a "ranking" of all people's combat abilities on this paper.


　Why would they need to do that? This is done from a risk management perspective.

　The purpose is to make it easier for first responders to respond to emergencies and initiate their initial responses by making their combat abilities easily visible, which could be a threat (...) to the first responders.

　Naturally, not only virtual enemies, but also neutrals and relatives are listed in the rankings.

　The famous art of warfare, "If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will never be defeated in a hundred battles," is a widely-recognized saying in this world.


"Oh, hey. "Hey, hey, hey. Can't we just remove Kensin from the first class?

　From beside Cubero's writing, Just, the horse-dog head, speaks up.

''No. Even though Second-sama has blocked it, the possibility of revival cannot be dismissed ...... and it was resolved so at the last meeting. I'm sorry for the delay in reporting.
Oh, yeah, sorry I'm sorry I'm late.

　This ranking list needs to be updated, and thus only when the servants at the top of the pecking order can be gathered. As a result, there were many delays in updating the list due to uneven participation and irregularities in the meetings.

　In addition, of course, there was no reflection of the servants' abilities in areas that they could not fully perceive. Since everyone is fully aware of this, this ranking list is only used as a guide.

"Don't worry about it. Your job is with horses, so I understand that you can't let go of them.
No, no, I'm fine. You're the one who's busy.

Hey there, no flirting in the meeting.

I didn't!
Cosmos, you might want to keep your mouth shut.

　The meeting goes on with all three parties buzzing around.
　They always go like this.


'Is the steam frontier count ...... third grade?'
If you think about it in terms of simple combat ability alone, that's about it. I think I'm at the 4th grade, though.
I think third class is more appropriate.
'I guess I agree with Pani. I'd like to share the bed with the master, though.
It's so out of context I don't know what it means: ......
You'd better stop forcing the bottom line in, Cosmos: ......
"I'm sorry, that was my fault.

　Steam was decided at three grades.


　After that, while everyone was discussing whether there were any other grade variations, an unexpected person visited the ...... conference room.


''--Oh, you're all gathered here?''

'What?　Isn't that your brother Sobra?
'Sobra ......!　It's been a while.

"Oh, shut up, shut up, shut up. Shut up. Just let me do the talking.


　Chef Sobra. Thirty-five years old, single, girlfriend-wanted, and a former Calameria addict.

　Sobra taunted Just and Cubero lightly with his previous rough tone, and stood in a position where he could see everyone's faces.

　And--.



I'm sorry. ！！！！！！


　-- screaming and getting down on his knees at the same time.


　He was crying.

　We were all amazed at how far away from Sobra's image he looked and acted.

　But ...... his enthusiasm for the Firth Test was still blazing with this. And that hasn't changed one iota since his body and mind were controlled by Calameria.

'I'm out of ...... drugs. Thanks to Lady Raspberry Belle, I'm feeling better. I can move now. Now, I am going to devote myself to serving you all, Lady Second with everything I have. And one by one, I'm going to return the favor. So please, please take care of me. ......!

　I don't utter useless words.
　I won't say the obvious, such as never doing drugs again.

　I'll apologize for the trouble I've caused and report on my progress and what I'm going to do.

　I've already told the second guys.
　
　Finally, he came to this place.


...... I understand, Sobra. These are strong words, typical of you. That's why I can't help but be afraid of ...... (...)

　After a moment of silence.
　Cubero opens his mouth on behalf of everyone.


'So even someone as strong-willed as you can't match Calameria's dependence?

　It's a truly frightening drug, and it renews my awareness.

　Hence, I could also understand that Renko's activities, which are currently helping the Knights crack down on Caramelia by the Knights as the righteous bandit R6 in the King's capital, are a necessity for the Castal Kingdom.


''But ...... even if you are affected by that much drug, you can be rehabilitated. You've proven that to me. You've done well, Sobra. You should be proud of yourself.

......!

Welcome back, Sobra. We congratulate you on your return.

............!


　Sobra sobs unbearably.
　I don't know how many tears I've cried all day.

　We all did. Everyone in the first test was -- everyone was.

　-- warm. A man who was nothing more than a piece of trash in the kingdom's society was welcomed back with such warmth.

　What do you call this bond, if not a bond? The Ten Jie and the Four Heavenly Kings, these fourteen men, all have some kind of tragic past. Because they had been saved together, spent time together, served together, and healed together, they had developed a strong and deep love between them, like a family.

　Here, in this miraculous place, they knew the love of family and gained an irreplaceable bond.

　They all naturally cherish it. The more they couldn't get, the more they cherish it more than others. After having finally found a treasure, I didn't think of letting it go so easily.

　That's right, it's impossible for a single potion to break the bond between them.




''Alright, so let's all take a shot at each other.


........................ eh.



　But it's tough in its own way.

　Protecting the ties meant having that kind of strength.

　In particular, Cubero, the former young head of the great righteousness, knew exactly how to put a 'kibosh' on it.


''Noah, I won't have the chance to hit brother Sobra again, so my arms will be ringing.

　Just stands up, circling his shoulders.

'I'm going for the liver.
I'm going to make a reservation.
Mr. Sobra, my sister Elle is a merciless woman, so here you go.

　With the two of them making noisy reservations, Es handed Sobra a few potions.

'By the way, I have a low STR, so I'll go for the throat.

　Then I told him one word.

'Then I'll be full of it, between my legs.
Then I'll finish it off with my chin.

　Cosmos and Cubero also stand up.


''--Bu!


　Immediately afterwards, without any particular "good start" signal, he suddenly started hitting them in order from just: ......


　By the time ...... Cubero delivered a left hook to the jaw while holding back, Sobra was completely unconscious.



　Later, in the kitchen, the head chef mumbled, "Ahahaha, you're totally the best of friends ......," muttering to himself, and only sprinkled a little more chili pepper on the dishes of the six people who had been hit, or not.



　　* * * *.



'Holy shit, Raz!　He's getting all energized!
It worked better than I expected!

　After dinner. After dinner, I was shocked to see Sobra, who came to greet me, "Thanks to you, I'm feeling much better.

　The lifeless, lifeless shell of a man who used to say, "Big tits, big tits, big tits!" is now a shadow of his former self, but he has evolved into a vibrant, energetic, s*xy chef.

　Sobra repeatedly apologized and thanked me with a serious whine that was hard to watch, and I said, "Okay, okay! I forced him to turn around and ask him to leave halfway, so I couldn't ask him about the details.

　I guess Raz didn't expect the effect to be so immediate, and he seemed a little surprised.


I knew it," he said, "but I thought you had finished developing it. I thought so.

No. It's the final test. But you know, Sobra-san insisted that I make a request, so...

So he volunteered for the clinical trials, huh?

I'm sure it'll work, but I told them we don't know what the side effects will be yet, and that's what I told them.

'Okay, so there are still possible side effects: ......

No, I don't think so. If it was going to be out, it would be out now. I mean .......

　Eh, that's .......

...... a huge success?

Stop it!

　Oh!

Yoohoo!

Yoo-hoo!

Yeah, you did it, Raz!

Ahhhh. ......

　We high-fived each other with both hands before giving each other a squeaky hug and rejoicing. I'll pretend I didn't hear Raz's distressed voice for now.


　Well, I'm happy in so many ways.

　Sobra's getting easier, the Calameria-related stuff seems to be coming to an end, and most importantly, this allows Raz to focus on Mevion.

　Oh, I couldn't be happier.

　I've met Gloria, too. Raz is starting to get serious about it, too. And the strongest enemy I've seen yet: .......


'It's great, seriously.'

"--Raspberry Bell hugs?　Master.

Mmm, that's as well: ........................ yukari.


　Suddenly his head went cold and poof, he let go of Raz's body.

　Raz fell onto his back on the couch with a bobble and quickly grabbed a cushion and pushed it to his face to hide his reddened face and jittered with a cry of "Mogaaaaaaahhhh!


'It's that ...... yes, it's the steam.'

As you wish, sir. I'll send a razor to the frontier count later.

　Sorry, Steam.


'By the way, Master, I suggest you go to bed early.

Oh, so that means I'm on the case tomorrow.

　Yukari's report on tomorrow's title fight, which has become an annual event, is now a report from Yukari.

　Yukari let out a single sigh of disgust and opened her mouth, "Huh.


''Tomorrow is the Four Jari Sei fight.