The closing ceremony is over and it's evening.
　The contestants for this season's title game are gathering at my home again, one after another.

　The place is the main hall on the ground floor of a mansion built in the northwest of the grounds in the image of a castle floating on water. The reflection of the house in the evening sun on the artificial waterway that stretches across the garden created a divine atmosphere.

　If you include my family members, the number of participants in this year's Eight Crown Commemorative Party is twice as large as the last one. There were a total of thirty-five people in attendance.

　That's why our servants are so busy. Even the cubellos, who should have been participants, were busily preparing for the event.


'This suits you, master.

　Yukari also took the time out of her busy schedule to come up to me and prepare a formal suit for me.
　She, on the other hand, is still in her maid's uniform.

'Thanks. Hey Yukari, when you're done with bingo, can you leave some time for me?
Time?　Yeah, well, I don't mind.
Well, that's good.

　Sylvia, who was a little ways away, glances over at me.

　Come on, they'll know!　When I made eye contact with her, Sylvia looked up to her left and whistled a whistle that she couldn't even blow. It was a poorly executed deception.

　Fortunately, Yukari didn't look at Sylvia, so she didn't get suspicious.

　...... Good grief. I hope that Yukari's guy is happy.


'--I'm ready to go.

　So, Cubero came to report in.


　All right, now that we're all here, let's get started.

　Second first test, the eighth crown anniversary party...



　　* * * *



I think I'm here.

　About thirty minutes ago when Second was cringing in front of Yukari.
　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

Hmm, seat A. I guess I'm here too.

　Zephyr stretched out his arms and pulled the guide away from his face, squinting his eyes to finally make out the letter A.

'Old eyes, I suppose?　Lord Zephyr. I'm afraid I'm in trouble, and I've only recently begun.
This is Lady Kasakari. I am ashamed to show you how embarrassing this is.
Age is no match for me. The trouble is, in addition to my nearsightedness, I also have presbyopia, and I've had to give up two pairs of glasses.
Ha, I'm starting to run out of arms, aren't I?

　Earlier at the table in Seat A was Kasakari Kerala, a contestant in the Issenza fight, who was seated at the table.
　Zephyr sat down next to Kasakari and happily began to talk about aging.


''Huh?　Cheri, good to see you. You're here too?
Oh, Miss Cherie. It's been a while. Yes, seat A.
Hmm, he knows how to put me and Cheri at the same table. Let's have some fun today!
Yes, let's have some fun!

　A late arrival was Reioh contestant, Cherie Lumberjack.

　Cheri and Cherie have been close to each other ever since the incident where she was beaten up by Second. It was Yukari, not Second, who had sensed this fact, but it was no longer relevant to them as they quickly took their seats and started chatting amicably.


''Ho!　So, after the next winter, I suppose you and Mister Muratti will join me in a curry and joke.
I'd really like to join in, but it's so annoying that I have to go to ......?
'No such thing. A second eight-crown would be very welcome. Naturally, so would I.
"Ho-ho-ho, is it true?　I'm sorry, I bit him. I'm sorry, I bit him. I can't wait to see what's going to happen!　I'm sorry I don't have anything fancy to say about it, but I've got a lot of confidence in my humidifier: ......
Oh, please don't sweat humidify me: ......
Hey, excuse me, yes, I'm on a roll, yes, ......

　The last two men to walk towards the A seat were Jerez Lumberjack, a contestant in the Ichibanza fight and Sherry's brother, and Muratti Tricolori, a former Eigyo General.

　The two men met at the entrance of the venue, and Jerez, seeing that Muratti's letter of invitation was for Seat A, invited them to go together.

　Muratti was very suspicious at first, but with Jerez leading the way, he was finally able to carry on a conversation to some extent.

　With that, seat A, all hands are present.






'............'
............

　In contrast to the bustling Seat A, there was a strange silence in Seat B.

　The cause was these two people who were standing and staring at each other. It was the former Unibenza Rothman and the former Spirit King Vogue.

　Why are they staring at each other? The reason is simple. It's just, "Who will sit on the throne (...)?

''Since I have a longer reign for the title, shouldn't I get the upper hand here?
''Both of them are currently unranked, so they should be equal, right? Rather than that, Ichibanza is a historical title compared to Reigning King, so it's only natural for you to give it up.
'Oh, I've never heard of a title being superior or inferior in history. To begin with, I'm supposed to be the elder of the two. Shouldn't I be the one to give it up?
The difference between humans and elves is about five times as great. If you think about it, you're not even thirty years old yet, are you?　I'm older than you.
............
............

　The two of them had a disgraceful fight, no matter who they were.

　But if they didn't do this, they would not be able to protect their pride. The two long-time title holders had lost their titles and were never going to get them back, and now they were completely uncrowned.

　At the very least, I want to sit on the top seat. At least I want to win against this guy in front of me. It was this childish thought that made them both do this.

"Don't you dare, you're so embarrassing.
"U......g......

　And finally, Rothman is told. To this youngest person in the B seat, the youngest contestant in the Ichibanzaza tournament and Rothman's own son, Rave.

'Hey!'

Ah!
Nah!

　One woman took advantage of the moment to sit on the top seat.
　It was Raspberry Belle, the winner of the One-Spirited Zodiac Challenger Tournament.

''Oh well, you two. Since you're invited by the First Testers, it's good to have someone from the First Testers sitting here.''

　Plus, a man who is quick to follow up. He's a Spirit King contestant, Capito.

　He was as airy as ever, and by Raspberry Bell, who, like Second, had no common sense, they reluctantly gave up their upper seats.

　Now, seat B, all of you gather.


If you have time to be stubborn, you might as well gather information. How often do you get a chance like this?

　Raspberry Belle, who is lounging on the top seat and crossing her legs, says to provoke them.

　But her words are absolutely correct. There is no other place where so many title contenders can meet and discuss in one place.

The two men say, "Look, you want to ask me something, don't you?　We will answer to you.

　--I want to hear it. Rothman would have thought that from the bottom of his heart.

　But such impudence was not something his pride would allow him to do. Only a year ago, this is a man who would have been known as an absolute champion. An absolute champion cannot be allowed to ask for advice from others.

　Hence, Rothman averted his gaze to ignore Raspberry Bell and sat down in his chair with his arms crossed.


　Vogue, on the other hand.

'Hey, do you have a drink?'

　He says this to the servants of the House of Furstest as they walk through the hall.

　It's a little impolite to drink before a toast, but it's better than the man who invites you to a party to celebrate his eight crowns by asking you to celebrate with him after you've beaten him badly. It may be a kind of reassurance that it's not worth it if you don't allow me to drink freely.

　So. Vogue realized that his own pride could be lightly injured if he asked questions with the help of alcohol.

　In other words, it could be said that her pride, which was as close as Rothman's, was so driven that she was forced to go that far.


　The difference between the two of them mentally was in the way they "lost" the match.

　Rothman, who lost without giving any strength at all, and Vogue, who lost with all her strength.

　A match without love or a match with love?
　The love of the second had reached Vogue firmly.


'Hey. What's that sword?

　And the rave.
　Maybe it was because his growing pride had been shattered by Raspberry Bell, but he could ask honestly.

'The Black of Falcyon or...'
Black?
'Hey. The single-edged sword called Falcion is divided into white and black according to the style of performance enhancement, right?　The critical-specialized ones will be white, and the knockback-specialized ones will be black.
Yeah. Can an infantryman play it?
We'd have to go through the six stages of performance enhancement. Five is bad.
Can't you just pop the offsets?
You're looking at yourself: ......
Okay. Thank you.

　The boy, whose eyes were vaguely unsure of where he was looking, thanked him briefly and began to look vaguely somewhere in the distance again.

　Surprisingly ...... he not only sees through the properties of the Black Fal, but he even understands offsetting them.

　All I can say for sure is that he didn't know the phenomenon of offsetting existed until he watched the Raspberry Bell vs. Second game.

　But now he understands offsetting. What does this mean? Raspberry Belle thought about it and felt a chill run down her spine.


'Vogue-san, how did you tame the Aquadragon?　Please teach me how to tayme, please teach me!
I wouldn't do that.
'What!　Isn't that nice?　Mr. Second gave me some advice!
'Hmmm ...... what did he say?'
Lack of demonic strength, spirits and status, right?
Not everything.
'Ugh!　Please don't tell me!

　Capito lamented with a dog-eared pout, and Vogue patted his glass with a dumbfounded face.
　It's not just a matter of time before you're able to get your hands on a new one.

I'm sure you're not going to be able to find a way to improve your status, but ...... there's no way to do it without spending some time hunting down demons. There are no shortcuts.
...... huh ......?
I've known plenty of fools who have died trying to take shortcuts.
...... It's me, too. I used to be an adventurer.
Yeah. Then you know you have to stick with it, right?
That's it. ......
But if there's one thing, yes, it's to pull a win at ...... today's bingo tournament?
'A-haha!　That must be it!

　They thought back to the prizes for the bingo tournament.
　Again, they expected that there should be a prize of being able to teach them one skill of their choice, or so they expected. Their expectations were spectacularly betrayed in the second half of the party.


''--!

　As he was talking about this, Vogue spotted something at the entrance of the hall, and when his eyes widened, he immediately stood up and gave a deep bow on the spot.

'Do you mind?'

　Kapito's questions are also ignored.

　That's how most salute (...).

　I'm not sure who in the world is here ...... Kapito didn't suddenly understand why he needed to salute the woman (...) as she walked from the entrance to the venue to her seat.






''In any case, it's a manly seat. Lord Rock'n'Chair.

　Three men were already sitting in Seat C.

　They were Garam, a contestant and knight in the Ichibenza Battle, the former Kongo Rock'n'Chair, and the former First Prince Klaus.

''Haha, I'm not averse to them. As a matter of fact, I went to a curry restaurant this morning with the Second Eight Crowns and a bunch of guys.
Curry. I've got to try it.
'What ...... your highness, no excuse me, has Klaus ever had curry ......?
No.
Don't you have it?
Don't be so surprised, Garam.
That's enough. What would you think of that, Lord Rock 'n' Chair?
It's delicious. Let's eat, Mr. Claus. We must have it in the winter.
Thank you for the invitation. I'll ask Your Majesty to clear my schedule.

　Klaus was now in the position of a slave. But both Gullum and Rock'n'Chair forgave Klaus for his broken tone. They even said that it was better to talk like that.

　This eight-crown anniversary party is such a place, he said. He said it would be a waste of time to worry about their status.

''Oh, it looks like there will be flowers in Seat C.''

　While we were talking about curry, Rock 'n' Chair noticed the three of us approaching Seat C and said something like that.

'So everyone is together except us. 'I'm Alfred, thanks for the help. This is.
This is my apprentice, Dee Mix.
Also Jay Mix.

　Alfred, a contestant in the Kisenshou fight, and his disciple, the mixed sisters.
　They bowed in an attitude that was unthinkable in the past.

　The three Rock 'n' Chairs, who knew how the sisters were in the past, rolled their eyes, but felt warmed up, and each returned the greeting.

　We're all together in seat C.


...... still, those eyes.
''That's right, Lord Klaus. I have asked the Second Eight Crowns to introduce me to the saintly lady. However, it seems she is not a saint now.
'Right. It's easy to forget, but she's a saint: ......
I don't think it's a title I would normally forget about ...... but after seeing that one flash battle, I often forget that I'm a saint too.
She's a capable person who, in a different era, would have reigned for decades as Isshuiza. And that beauty, the shock of the great sword, the newcomer award. You can't help but forget that she's a saint.
Agreed, Garam. I shared exactly the same assessment with you. But I'm concerned that we have a bias against you as a swordsman. Well, what do you think about ...... and your sister Mix?

　Klaus was concerned about whether he himself could do the raspberry bells justice, and asked Alfred and the others in the different fields for their opinions.

　In response, his sister, Dee Mix, was the first to speak up.

'I wonder if she's a great person. He seems to have the subtlety of a woman and the exuberance of a man, but he also seems to have both. And he's not afraid to think outside the box. Isn't this coming from someone else?
Dee, that's rude. Call me respectful.
Master, come on, this much.
No.
You know?　It's disgusting, isn't it?　Master, this is what happens when it comes to the Eight Crowns.

　Laughter overflows from the people in Seat C.

　The fact that that Dee Mix is able to communicate with others in a straightforward manner. Seeing this, Alfred let out a little sigh, but smiled warmly.

'How's Jay?'
I generally agree with my sister that ...... is a bit, well, scary.
Scary?
''She's clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the One-Spangled Battle, but how far away is the eight crowns that she has yet to reach ......?
............

　A momentary silence envelops Seat C.

　We all thought so. How far away is it? Considering the current situation where we can't even grasp that distance, I even feel a feeling bordering on fear.


''--!''
-Oh!

　Suddenly, the Mix sisters stood up.

　Then, like Vogue, they bowed deeply towards the entrance of the hall.

　Who on earth did they say had come?

　All of the people in seat C turned around, but ...... still, none of them realized why it was necessary to bow their heads.






'Mr. Cambaye, Mr. Mamsi, Mr. Davidoff, please take this seat. I will get some drinks for the toast. Is there anything you would like?

　In the meantime, it was Seat D.
　Dressed in his butler's uniform, it was Cubero who was guiding the three men.

　Daikoku-ryu Kanbei and Tennan-ryu Iemoto Mamushi, participants in the Bishamon fight, and Davidoff, a participant in the Tohshinui fight, sat down as they were told and tried to order drinks.

　But then the three of them suddenly realized that they had to order a drink.

'...... wait a moment. I was just wondering, isn't Mr. Cubero also a partygoer?
'Left-sama. It would be better to leave the guiding of my people to the other servants.
I've been thinking about that myself, sir.

　Yes. Cubero had also been sentenced by the second to join the party as a contestant in the battle for the God's rank.

''Thank you for your kind words. However, I am also the steward of the Firstest family. This is my pride as a servant in the service of Second-sama, so to speak. I am sorry to make you feel uncomfortable, my lady. However, I would like to guide you here.

　However, Cubero is basically an honorary committee chairman. Therefore, he doesn't try to stop serving the customers so easily. On top of that, he has the core strength of a righteous young head of a bandit, so he sticks to his beliefs regardless of what others say. To put it bluntly, he was indeed a stubborn character.

''Well, if you say so, I'm fine with it, but ......
She behaved like a partygoer while wearing a maid's uniform.

　From the corner of Davidoff's eye, he saw Eve sitting in the same D seat.
　Next to her, Eco was also next to her.

'...... ah ......'
Cat!　Cute!
Yeah, it's .......
Dog!　Cute!
"...... and ......
'Aji!　Delicious!

　Eve forms some kind of creature with both hands, using the thread as a fiddle.
　Eco looks at it and gives her feedback.

　That's all they did was repeat the exchange endlessly.

It's really cute!
Hmmm, well, she's cute. Not as cute as Mr. Akaneko, though.
She is lovely, isn't she?

　The three of them loosened their cheeks in unison.
　Eco's smiling and frolicking at Eve's superb ayatollahs was cute by all accounts.

　And there wasn't a single person in this hall who would call Eve's pure white appearance 'freaky'.

'Eco-sama's company is also a fine servant. Well, I'll go get a drink then.

　In the end, Cubero doesn't bend himself and heads off to serve.

　Despite his polite manner, he's quite a self-made man ...... and the three of them saw off Cubero's back.

　Now, seat D, all of you are assembled.






''Why am I ...... here?''
'Are you still saying that?　You're pretty effeminate, aren't you?
'Huh?　What's up with you, dude?
"If you have the courage to f*ck a frontier lord in the Kingdom of Castal
...... tch.

　There was a really strong group of people in Seat E.

　The one complaining about it was the former Tenmoza Prince. The one who scoffed coldly at him was a contestant in the Senjushou Tournament, the Earl of Steam Bitter Valley, who said, "Is this a bingo tournament?

''But still, a bingo tournament? Honestly, when I first heard about it, I thought it was ridiculous, but looking at the expressions on the faces of the people gathered in the hall, it seems that things are different.
Ha. It's a bingo tournament. You're going to give me 100 million clicks?　That's ridiculous.
Goodness, you really need to work on your eyes.
Oh?
'It's not just Vogue that's participating, but Rothman as well. A hundred million CLs must be a fart of a giveaway.
"...... Are you kidding me?
That's the only reason for him to participate after losing so badly. I don't even think the former absolute champion is in need of money. If that's the case, it's either a priceless giveaway or it's .......
Or is it ......?
Again, .......
............
............
What the hell!　Don't you shut up!　You're curious!

　Before long, the two men had lost their acrimonious air.

　In the face of these men, Champagne, Masamune and Thistle were adulterating and talking about swords.

I see. So a sword is basically kept in its scabbard, isn't it?
Yes, that's true. I heard there's a perverted technique for pulling it out beforehand, but I don't think I'll be able to imitate it for a while.
I can't copy that one either: ......
Is it really that hard?　Just keep it out of its scabbard, right?
Pulling it out and cutting it in, that's what we've always done. That's what we've been doing since we were little, just like sleeping, walking and eating.
Pani-chan, can you suddenly eat your food with your chopsticks and bowl hands reversed?
That's ...... Yeah, that's a tough one.
That's how hard it is to throw away the common sense that's in you.
But it can be fun!
...... haha, it's not as convincing when your sister says it.

　Rather than abandoning common sense, Azami was a dreamer who came to the royal capital on his own and opened a bakery, abandoning his school, his house and his island. As Masamune said, it was just as convincing as the others.


''Ho, you're telling an interesting story.

　And then an even more extraordinary woman arrived.
　She is a beautiful big woman with a busty belly and tits, red hair and teeth, former general of the Oranj Kingdom's army and former goddess of war, Nova Valteremont.

"Out of the box, huh? Kuh-haha, that's an eternal task.
The assignment, sir?
Of course. I always remember the challenge. I have thrown away, thrown away, thrown away, thrown away, thrown away common sense, and now I am trapped again. No matter how much you throw away, it's not enough.
That's what a special award winner says: ...... I wish I could have been that discarded.
I can offer you one piece of advice.
Come on!

Taking a high standard of care. If you have the time to ponder over trivial matters, if you have the time to be afraid of the darkness that spreads before you, then you need to move your body first and foremost. You can take the lead yourself, and you can make your way through each and every challenge you face. Don't worry, strength will follow.

...... strong, Mr. Nova.
...... Strong girl.
...... is strong, Master Nova.

　The three of them are deeply impressed by Nova's confident words.

　It would be ridiculous if this wasn't accompanied by action, but in Nova's case, it is more than enough to accompany her. As a result of her initiative, she has the title of army general, the crown of former fighting goddess, and a relationship with Second.

　There seems to be a lot to learn from, she said. The three highly-minded men looked at Nova with respect.

　With that, Seat E, all of them assembled.





　And the last seat, seat F, is.

''--''
"--

　Two men salute deeply.
　They are Nir and Kevin, contestants in the War of the Eizou.

Mu...... what the hell is going on?
What's going on?
"He would do something funny.

　Silvia, Renko and Akaneko, who were at the same table, tilted their heads at their sudden odd behavior.

　However, things were gradually coming to a head.

　Kevin still bowed his head, but now Nil, a former member of the Viceroy family, albeit disowned now, and that pride alone was higher than anyone else's, bowed his head ...... This was quite something.


　But no one knew.

　Why they would bow to her.

　Her noble bloodline, which is incomparable to the Viceroy family and others.

　Most people (...) don't know--.