They were full of expectations, but Reiji couldn’t help but see this as a bad omen. He opened his right hand, and just as expected, the Sacrament was there. Had it just been an illusion? Or had he truly seen the future? The thought filled him with unease.
Despite experiencing that strange vision, Reiji decided to attend the party. Today’s festivities were kept modest to help relieve them of fatigue, but there was an inevitable level of pomp and circumstance they couldn’t prevent. The party was a stand-up buffet with nobles in attendance.
“I’m assuming those attending are seeking your favor.”
That was what Graziella had told him beforehand. It appeared the nobles had forced their way in when they heard a banquet would be held. Reiji couldn’t help but smile bitterly at Graziella’s comment.
“They have nothing to gain by making themselves known to the likes of me, though,” Reiji mumbled to himself.
He knew he was being a little self-deprecating, but it wasn’t like he had any money or authority here. What did anyone get from being connected to him? Not to mention that he was from another world entirely; once he went back, all of their desperate scrambling would be pointless.
Reiji stood in the corner of the venue, mind whirling with such thoughts, before he turned aside to Mizuki. Mizuki usually wore a uniform and muffler, but today she had put on makeup and borrowed a dress. She looked far more mature than normal. It was a side of his friend Reiji hardly saw, and it made his heart throb. The fact that it was a black dress had to be because of her personal tastes.
“Maybe the nobles think you’re planning to stay here,” Mizuki said.
“Me? In Astel?” Reiji asked.
“Mm-hmm.” Mizuki nodded. “If not, I doubt they would’ve come to this party.”
“I guess so,” Reiji agreed.
If they thought otherwise, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to make a connection with him.
“R-Reiji-kun, what do you think?” Mizuki asked in a sudden fluster. “D-Do you actually want to stay in this world?”
“Huh? No, I’m planning to go back,” Reiji answered. “I’ve got family there too.”
“R-Right! That’s right!” Mizuki raised her voice, then let out a big sigh of relief.
“But I’m thinking of coming back once or twice a month,” Reiji added. “If Suimei can teach me the magicka to come and go, we can do it whenever I want.”
“Yeah. Or we can get Suimei-kun to drop us off and pick us up.”
“If we do that, I can already hear him saying, ‘Don’t use me as a goddamn taxi!’”
“Me too.”
The two of them continued teasing their absent friend. Reiji truly did want to visit several times a month. After the world was at peace and the demons were finally defeated, of course.
“Besides, just saying, ‘Okay, bye,’ to the people we’ve met here after defeating the demons is kinda sad,” Reiji added.
“Yeah,” Mizuki agreed. “We’ve gotten so close to Tia and Graziella-san too. I don’t like the idea of having to say goodbye to them.”
“Mm.”
Titania in particular had been with them from the very beginning, and the three of them had all supported each other through many hardships. Separating from her would be truly difficult.
As the two friends talked about the future, Reiji noticed some familiar faces approaching. It was a group of three: an older man, a gallant woman, and a youthful man, all dressed like knights. These were the escorts who’d accompanied Reiji on his journey.
“Hero Reiji-sama, it has been a long time,” Gregory said as he reached Reiji, giving him a picture-perfect salute.
“Gregory-san! Luka-san! Roffrey-san!” Reiji responded.
“It’s good to see you again,” Luka greeted him.
“Reiji-sama!” Roffrey said. “I’m so sorry for all the trouble we caused!”
These three had left to recuperate after the incident in the self-governed state, but they were now here to see Reiji.
“How is your condition?” Reiji asked.
“As you can see, our wounds are healed,” Gregory answered. “We’re perfectly fine.”
“Thank goodness,” Reiji said.
“Mm... I’m so glad you all recovered without trouble,” Mizuki agreed, her expression full of relief.
Due to her personality switching to Io Kuzami, she’d heard about what happened to these three after the fact, and she had been very worried about them. Watching Mizuki take Luka’s hand, Reiji couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m truly ashamed all this happened while we were by your side,” Gregory said, bowing deeply.
“Don’t be,” Reiji told him. “I’m just glad you’re all okay.”
With that, the three knights bowed apologetically once more. They were all very serious by nature, so this must’ve weighed on them.
“Are the three of you also attending the party?” Reiji asked.
“No,” Gregory answered. “We’ll be taking part in securing the grounds.”
“Aww. I wanted to talk more,” Reiji said.
“Hahaha, thank you very much,” Gregory replied, laughing. “I’m sure we’ll have other opportunities to speak. Besides, if you talk with us now, you’ll be too tired for what’s to come.”
“I guess so,” Reiji said with a nod.
Gregory was most likely suggesting the slew of nobles Reiji had to inevitably talk to, and Reiji just couldn’t control his face at the thought. Mizuki and the knights all burst into laughter at his reaction. With that, the knights left the banquet hall.
“Talking with nobles, huh?” Reiji muttered. “What’ll you do, Mizuki?”
“I’m just a s, so I guess I won’t pay it any attention,” Mizuki answered. “I’d only get nervous. I think I’ll just stand by you and nod like your own personal accessory.”
Mizuki gave off a very energetic and cheerful impression, but she was actually pretty shy around strangers. Reiji also couldn’t deny that, even if she wasn’t going to devolve into a panic, she might end up doing something weird if she talked. Her decision to be quiet was to prevent making such a mistake, a self-defense against her own tendencies.
And just as Gregory predicted, when the atmosphere in the room seemed right, several nobles began to approach. At the same time, however, a figure appeared from the opposite direction, and the approaching nobles immediately backed off, as if pushed by some external force.
The new arrival was none other than Graziella. Much like Mizuki, she was wearing a dress, likely also borrowed. She usually wore a primarily white military uniform, but now, in a figure-hugging red dress, elbow-length gloves, and an ornament in her hair, she looked like a princess with the seductive aura of a dancer. She approached without hesitation, and Reiji and Mizuki walked up to meet her.
“Graziella-san,” Reiji greeted her.
“I don’t like wearing dresses, but the castle’s maids kept nagging me...” Graziella said. “It doesn’t really suit me, does it?”
“No, it suits you very well,” Reiji said.
“I-Is that so? Hm, that’s good, then...” Graziella scratched her cheek shyly.
The praise seemed to embarrass her a bit, as she proceeded to cross her arms like she usually did. But this time, because of her dress, the motion only served to push up her already considerable breasts.
“Whoa?!” Reiji yelped at the sight.
“O-Oh, um...”
Graziella immediately shifted her arms to cover her chest. Mizuki’s eyes were as sharp and severe as daggers, but Reiji chose to ignore this.