Legend

The soft moonlight would soften the darkness somewhat if it were meant to be, but in the darkness of the night, covered by clouds and unable to illuminate anyone there, two figures remained silent with a painting on the back street of Eggzil so that they could be dispersed in such darkness, just present on the spot.

Even if there were someone on this scene, it would probably be a figurine or something, and it would still be there with so many signs erased.

But where those two remain silent, accidentally, there is one small footstep.

Small, normal enough footsteps that you might miss hearing. But footsteps are too much for the two of us who existed like wood stones on the spot.

They both open their eyelids, which remained closed, and gaze at the person who showed up on the spot.

"Did I make you wait?

"No problem. Because we'd rather wait than wait for the Lord."

……

One of the men tells him so, and the other snorts as well.

The newly emerged person nods small and opens his mouth.

"So I heard that the results of the experiment were slight, but they came out?

"Yes, it looks like an adventurer party has encountered. And this is additional information, but it appears that the Sword Bee variant was also defeated by their hands when it went missing."

"... I see. But as for the Sword Bee variant, it must have been missing in a hierarchy pretty close to the ground? It wouldn't have been as powerful as being defeated by a beginner.... In the first place, if beginners are going to knock you down, you can't call me a mutant."

The two pairs of men nod again at the surprise man's voice.

"Surely if you were a normal beginner, you wouldn't have had a problem. Often, I wondered if a beginner had ended up missing in a dungeon.... However, it is not the normal adventurer who defeated the variant in this case. It's a party led by someone called Deep Red."

"... when it comes to deep red, did you make a name for yourself in the Spring War? He said he could follow the griffon."

"Yes, its deep red with Princess General Elaine Kelevel, Mad Beast Vihera, and the orphan of the Fraut family Bühne Fraut. These four wild parties have reported Sword Bee variants and Stone Papette variants."

To the report, the man sighs small.

"More than that, I didn't expect it to hit such a famous spot. I'll check, but those are the only two mutants that got knocked down, right?

"No, it looks like a few more have been knocked down by other parties."

"... you have the data?

"Yes, there's no problem around there."

"Then there's no problem. Now is not the time for us to be on the table. We'll leave it to the Lord."

Alliance lord. The word itself indicates a superior being than a man, but it is nothing but ridicule that is floating in the mouth of the man who uttered the word.

But I guess that's the same for the two guys who've been here since the beginning. I don't even look like I cared about the man's mockery. I keep talking.

"So as far as mutant species are concerned, are you sure you want to keep going?

"Do that. But be careful not to let our presence appear on the surface."

"Okay, I'll work more carefully than ever before. Fortunately, there is no shortage of human resources on the table stage, and even if that's the case, there is a table."

"Still. I don't know why, but if we're supposed to meet a monster named Deep Red or something from the front, this damage will just swell."

A bitter voice echoes around. It's obvious that you think that from the bottom of your heart, and that's a similarly silent nod to two men.

"... right, just in case. Retreat immediately from Egzil if the identity of this one is likely to be known around Deep Red or Princess General. Look, I'm sorry to repeat this over and over, but we have to keep our presence out of the ordinary."

'Ha!'

The two replied in unison, and the man who was watching the condition nodded satisfactorily, looking up at the night sky.

The moon is covered and hidden by clouds, and the light of the moon blocks the sky there.

"... this city called Exil is hot and hostile. It's so hot and humid, it's hard to live."

"Right. Especially when there are just so many people, it feels like the heat and humidity is increasing."

……

One of the pair groans that way and nods like the other one agrees.

He was the man who was watching that, but I guess he decided that the heat and humidity wouldn't change if we were talking like this here. Return your heels with a small sigh.

"This time, then, it shall be so far.... keep an unnoticed level of surveillance on the Deep Reds. There's no need to go deep, but there's probably a disturbance here when they move."

'Ha!'

Words of consent echoed in the darkness of the night… no one remained on the spot at the next moment, only the humid and hot air characteristic of the tropical night was left there.

Labyrinth city of Exil. There is no one but the parties to know that one conspiracy is going on here today.

The figure of Ray and Elaine, who broke up with Vihella and Büne after completing their report on the guild and purchasing maps up to the 10th basement floor, was inside the dining room in the inn.

Sometimes it's a summer night, and there are a lot of guests in the dining room who are fussing over ale and wine just because of the heat, but only around the table where Ray and Elaine sit has a tingling atmosphere somewhere.

On the table is a roast oak baked to trap the surface crispy and gravy, hung with a sauce made from Kusan soup or sweet and sour sour fruit, an ingredient full of vegetables and meat. Salad with high freshness and seasoned with dressings made exclusively of salt and citrus fruit juice, in this world the rare steamed fish is hung with an intense sauce made from nuts. There are other white breads baked into fluff, as well as cheeses a little further away.

It was just a fancy meal if you try it on Ray, and it was usually a dish you could have enjoyed more than enough while having a conversation with Elaine.

But only silence is now on the table, and Elaine is silently carrying the dish to her mouth.

It's such an unproductive trick, but I guess it's still growing up. It gave Ray an elegant impression somewhere.

(That said, Vihera looked cluttered and sophisticated. Could she be a good lady or something?

I thought inside while transporting the meat of the oak stabbed with a fork to my mouth, then.

"... have you thought of anything strange?

Elaine turns a sharp glance at Ray, even as she cuts herself apart from the steamed fish with a fork and knife.

It was Ray who for a moment wondered if he'd been seen thinking about Vihera, but still managed not to put it on his face and swallowed the meat in his mouth as he shook his head.

"No, I'm not thinking anything strange. I just thought you had a rough day."

It was an aggressive word, but it was only a complete landmine.

Elaine's movement stops perfectly and her gaze is directed at Ray again.

"Well, was it tough? I guess that is. I guess I didn't expect to see the person I kissed yesterday again sooner."

It was probably not Ray's fault that he felt the ambient temperature had dropped by about a few degrees Celsius with that word.

Even though the surroundings were noisy with the meaning of blowing the summer heat, only the area around the table where Ray and Elaine were sitting made the surroundings feel as cold as winter.

In addition, other guests sitting near Ray and Elaine have asked the waiter to move to another seat.

In a seat completely isolated from the surroundings, Elaine nevertheless mouths to a glass of wine after gracefully swallowing steamed fish.

Ray was watching that, but eventually he sighs small and opens his teasing mouth.

"I did get kissed by Vihera. But Elaine knows it's not because Vihella has a crush on me, right?

"Really? As a matter of fact, Vihera has publicly stated that she will surrender herself to the opponent who has fought and won, right? And Vihera is definitely interested in you, Ray. This is an undeniable fact, I suppose?

Even as I utter words to blame Ray, I guess years of habit are stained on me. Swallow the soup wrapped in a spoon without making a sound.

At that time, the expression of admiration appeared only for a moment, probably because the flavour of the ingredients had stained the soup and I felt the intricate taste tangle in my mouth.

The flavour that unexpectedly displays interest in the alleged dispute with Ray is just such as the cook's dish, which is entrusted with cooking the finest inns in Eggzil?

You know or don't know how Elaine is like that, Ray swallows cheese and bread with cold fruit water before spinning words.

"If it's true that Vihella is favoring me or malicious, it's definitely a favor."

Elaine's fingers, who was impressed with the soup, move picklessly at Ray's words, which ran out of words.

But Ray keeps saying things by trying to block Elaine from trying to open her mouth.

"But that favor is not a favor of romantic feelings. This is for sure. There's no romantic emotion in the sight of Vihera looking at me at all, not at all. All I have is a struggle for battle."

"It's..."

Neither did Elaine have a deniable word about it. Anyway, Vihella's gaze toward herself was equally full of struggle.

Appetite, sleep appetite, lust. Elaine certainly felt the other desires, the glances to be called even battle greed.

"But isn't it true that Vihela said she would give herself over to someone who beat her? Ray himself would've heard that, wouldn't he?

"Sure. But isn't that because you decide you'll never lose? In fact, Vihella's fighting power is quite high. Not as much as I can do with my bare hands."

Elaine remembers hearing Ray's words and fighting in the dungeon.

It's a fact that the Rank D Party actually killed the struggling Stone Papette instantly without even suffering a scratch. There was no way for Elaine not to admit that she had more reason to say than to look at it directly in the eye.

But there's still something I have to ask.

"I see, there's certainly a part of Ray that I'm comfortable with.... So let's hear it again. What did you think when you heard that Vihella would give herself up to the opponent who won the battle? You didn't expect anything?

"It's..."

Just can't deny it instantly, Ray gets stuck in words.

It is true that Vihera is a beauty that Ray can enter into three fingers among those he has seen so far. And the answer is no, if you say that you naturally couldn't move your mind at all by being thrown such a word that invites you to Vihera.

"Again."

Look at Ray like that, Elaine exhales in a small way.

"Don't worry. Nothing. I'm not going to blame it."

"... what?

Hear and unwittingly inquire into the unexpected words of Elaine.

If you try Ray, Elaine was angry because she had a hand against Vihera, or thought she would. Even though I said that, it is not because I was angry because I was told that it was unlikely, so I can't help it.

"I look like this, and I'm a Duke's Lady, too. My father, who is also the head of the Duke of Keller, has a second and third ladies besides my mother.... Unfortunately, I'm the only one with children."

Ray who hears that last word and is accidentally convinced.

Beyond being a nobleman, a certain number of children will be required to inherit the house. Because at least in the present Elaine alone, there will be no succession to one of the few Dukes in the Kingdom of Mireana when something happens.

(Or so, of course, if there are many children, there will be a successor fight or something, so I guess it's not as good as a lot)

He whines inside and reassures me that Elaine is not blaming Ray for her relationship with Vihera as much as she says.

(I had a lot of vibes for that.)

I guess that was some kind of performance for Elaine, too. Or maybe he simply wanted to silently represent that Elaine and Vihella don't fit personally.

There is no evidence of this, but there is no longer a cold atmosphere that drifted around Elaine and Ray's table, and it was enough to make me feel the heat that reminded me of the tropical night of summer.

"Besides... we're just talking about if I don't make Ray look out for other women."

I guess I was lucky in a way that Elaine's voice, who grumbled and grunted, never got into Ray's ear.