"Klye... What on earth are you thinking?"
"...Huh? Oh, I'm just glad I was helped. That's all."
Being careful not to attract too much attention, I cornered the Clan Master.
Eva fired questions at me with a flushed face and rapid speech, but Klye Andrich simply raised both hands as if surrendering and flashed a smile.
At that smile, Eva could only protest with her gaze alone. But Klye wore an expression that said he hadn't made any mistake whatsoever.
He had been behaving (from Eva's perspective) well lately, but this was the Thousand Transformations at its finest — the Level 8 ability that could baffle even Eva herself.
That was probably it. For this man, it wasn't a mistake. There was no one in the world who didn't know the face and name of the Zebuldia Empire's imperial princess, so it couldn't have been a mistake. And naturally, no matter how many people crowded around him, he was perfectly calm about it.
But for Eva, who served as both his attendant and the Sub Clan Master of the same Clan, this was absolutely intolerable.
Eva couldn't do anything about it. She hadn't even had time to stop him.
If Lady Eclair hadn't shielded him, he might have been thrown out.
Being thrown out before the gathering even started — that would be completely unprecedented. She had never heard of anyone handing out souvenirs to the princess either, for that matter.
As expected, his claims of being nervous were definitely a lie.
All eyes were on them. There was no way Eva could maintain a smile under such scrutiny.
At the White Sword Gathering, the tradition of the emperor's daughter disguising herself as a maid dated back to the very first event.
At the inaugural White Sword Gathering, the reigning emperor had tested the quality of Hunters as part of his assessment by having his own daughter dress as a servant and slip into the crowd. One of the guests, the Hunter Solis Rodan, had seen through the disguise immediately and shown proper respect even to the disguised princess. The emperor was said to have been deeply moved by this.
It was a famous anecdote in the imperial capital.
Now the tradition had become largely ceremonial, with the princess's disguise consisting of nothing more than a change of clothes. But there was an unspoken understanding: the current princess was, simultaneously, both an imperial princess and one of the servants. And yet she was still the imperial princess nonetheless. Handing over a small souvenir was one thing, but saying "Here's a little something for a hardworking young lady" was nothing short of disrespectful.
What was he thinking... Eva glanced at Klye, who had turned his attention to the food spread out on the adjacent table. He had the look of someone thinking about delicious food, but surely he wasn't being that carefree.
The assembled nobles were glaring at the Thousand Transformations — this brash newcomer who had not only gotten close to the princess without hesitation but had also shamelessly curried favor with her (though Klye likely had no such intention, that's how it must have appeared) right under countless eyes. Naturally, the fallout extended to Eva, who stood beside him.
What's more, Eva knew that what he had handed over wasn't a dragon egg but merely a "Hot Spring Dragon Egg" — a hot spring egg sold under that product name.
She didn't know what significance that held, if any.
"Klye, I should have said this earlier, but... I feel like this task is too heavy for me to handle."
"Even if you say that, I can't help it... I mean, most people who approach me are probably after you anyway..."
The tearful complaint slipped out in a whisper, and the Clan Master furrowed his brows into a shape like the character "ハ."
That couldn't be further from the truth. The position of Sub Clan Master of the Beginning Footprint normally carried a certain weight, but this was the prestigious White Sword Gathering. Eva's rank among those present was probably the lowest, and more importantly, the Clan Master himself was there.
If a scandal broke out here, no matter how rapidly the clan had been expanding, things would not end well.
She had always thought it would be nice if he brought her along to party events. Navigating the world of shrewd merchants and rival clans as the lone non-Hunter — Eva — had been an enormous effort.
But now that she was actually accompanying him... perhaps it had been a good thing that he hadn't brought her before.
The things this man saw, the thoughts he had — they were far too different from what Eva saw.
Come to think of it, from the very first time he had come to recruit her in forming the clan, this Clan Master's conduct had always been excessively bold.
Klye now approached Eclair, who had helped smooth things over earlier, and spoke to her with the casual familiarity of an old friend.
"Hey, thanks for earlier. See, I'm... not very well-mannered. Ah, should I use more formal language?"
"Nn—! N-No. Regarding the auction, I owe you a debt. And there's the matter of the barrels too."
"No, I didn't really do anything about that... It's just like the auction, you know."
"Y-Yes..."
The notoriously Hunter-averse and headstrong Eclair Gradius was completely terrified. The contrast with Klye's cheerful smile made it even more striking.
Eva's charge had a certain tendency to believe that a bright smile could fix anything.
"Oh, Lady Eclair. I know what your objective is."
"...Pardon?"
"I actually have it right here. Lady Eclair, your goal is — this, right?"
"Hn!?"
Klye lowered his voice and made a gesture of drawing something from inside his coat.
The change in expression was unmistakable. Eclair's face went pale in an instant, and her throat spasmed. She stumbled backward several steps.
Eva rushed in to intervene.
Everyone present here was a noble. If they were seen doing this, there was no telling what people might suspect.
She would concede that threats could occasionally be useful in negotiations, but this was hardly appropriate behavior toward a young girl.
"Klye, no matter how you look at it, this is too much."
"Huh? I didn't do anything. ...You don't want it?"
Klye wore a puzzled expression.
Every time Eva saw that completely nonchalant look, she was reminded of just how inadequate her own abilities still were.
"I don't want it! I don't want it! Do whatever you want! I'm busy — stop bothering me! Don't cause a scene!"
"...Ah."
Having delivered that perfectly reasonable rebuke with considerable force, Eclair hurried away.
The companion who had watched this with a dopey expression looked at Eva and said with a troubled air: "Even though I wasn't planning to cause a scene, Eva?"
"...That's right."
Nobles, specially invited representatives from various institutions, great merchants — they were all scheming about how to pounce on this flashy newcomer called the Thousand Transformations.
Feeling countless gazes upon her, Eva straightened her back.
A sense of duty welled up inside her.
I have to... do something. Before Klye makes enemies in every direction, I need to get the situation under control.
And then, right on cue, the sound of a bell rang out.
The clamor subsided. The Gathering was beginning.
In the sudden silence, all eyes turned toward the entrance.
Klye had been looking around in every direction with wide eyes, so Eva lightly tapped his arm and directed his gaze toward the entrance.
Striding through the grandly opened doors with a commanding presence was a middle-aged man in a long, dark-colored robe.
Golden hair, blue eyes. He should have been close to fifty, but his gaze was sharp, and his physique showed no hint of age.
His attire was simple — not poor by any means, but almost entirely devoid of ornamentation. Most notably, there was no crown upon his head. Yet his bearing was so majestic and imposing that no matter what he wore, his natural authority shone through.
The fifteenth Emperor of the Zebuldia Empire.
Radric Atorum Zebuldia.
He was the man who had foreseen the dawn of the Treasure Hunter era earlier than anyone else and ushered in an even greater prosperity for the Zebuldia Empire.
His plain clothes, the absence of a crown, and the lack of an escort — these, too, were part of the tradition passed down through the ages.
But at his waist hung the sacred sword that served as proof of the current Zebuldia Emperor.
As the assembled guests moved to kneel all at once (excluding the Clan Master standing beside him), Emperor Radric spoke magnanimously: "Rise. Relax. Tonight, I am grateful that you have answered my summons and gathered here. Everyone assembled is a friend who has brought prosperity to Zebuldia. Tonight, let us dispense with formalities... and enjoy ourselves."
"He seems like more of an ordinary person than I expected."
"!?"
Applause erupted, and in the cover of the noise, the Clan Master muttered something outrageous under his breath. Eva couldn't help but give him a light elbow.
And so, the battlefield where swords and magic were *supposed* to stay sheathed officially opened its curtains.
§ § § 'Listen, Klye. I can't tell where your seriousness ends and where the act begins, but whenever you feel troubled or uncertain, please ask me about everything. At worst, you can just leave it all to me. Got it?' As expected, Eva had been the right choice to bring along. She was incredibly reassuring. Even Citry, who held a similar role, couldn't compare.
The alcohol served at the Gathering was excellent. The high-end varieties were great, and the complimentary ones were wonderful too, but the best part was that since the event wasn't exclusively for Hunters, the potency was lower.
Wine glass in hand, I dealt with the cluster of middle-aged men swarming over like insects.
Was it that I lacked the intimidating presence of a Hunter? Many were directed my way by other Hunters, but the number approaching me directly far outstripped that. I had finally found Ark but couldn't even go talk to him.
Almost none of them were people whose faces, names, or positions I recognized. They were certainly important figures in the Empire, so if I were looking to make connections, this would be the perfect opportunity — but unfortunately, I couldn't muster the slightest interest.
Their speech was overly flowery and hard to follow. I didn't understand the current state of the Empire's affairs either, and when they brought up current events, I was lost. They never got to the point, making even a basic exchange of conversation impossible.
But I had my evasion skills. And I had Eva, who knew me inside and out.
With a bright smile, I addressed the vaguely noble-ish-or-merchant-ish man in front of me. That's right — just say "mm-hmm, sure" to these types.
"Regarding clan-related matters and all that, I've left everything to my right-hand woman, Eva. Actually, the Wells Trading Company practically begged on their knees to let me recruit her. I say this myself, but she's remarkably capable."
"Truly... The great Thousand Transformations, groveling on his knees?!"
On top of that, I possessed a vast repertoire of useless jokes that served absolutely no purpose.
I must have spoken with about ten people. The Eva stories worked every single time to redirect the conversation. It seemed everyone was fascinated by the beautiful woman I had at my side.
The Wells Trading Company was one of the Zebuldia Empire's foremost trading houses. A big name. There were surely several of their associates at this gathering as well.
Well, to be precise, it wasn't that they had given Eva to me — they had reluctantly agreed after I practically begged them, and the only person at the front desk at the time happened to be Eva. But it showed that my eye for talent was sound, didn't it? I'd said it. I had truly said it. I had said, "Anyone at the front desk is fine."
The man cut off whatever complicated discussion he had been going into, his eyes widening as he looked at Eva. Eva's face went completely pale as her eyes darted away.
"A-Ah, well... Klye, please stop."
"None of my success would be possible without her, and that's no exaggeration. She's the one who brought me to this prestigious event — or rather, I should say she brought herself along. She takes care of me in both professional and personal matters. Ah, but I absolutely won't give her up."
The fine wine had loosened my tongue rather effectively. Between constant conversation and no time to touch the food, the alcohol had fully kicked in.
Come to think of it, who was this man in front of me again?
"Oh, please don't misunderstand. She's not my mistress or anything... If anything, I'm more like hers — "
My foot was stomped on, and I involuntarily gasped.
"...My apologies. It seems... Klye has also had a bit too much to drink."
In Eva's voice — strained as though forcibly suppressing her emotions — the distinguished gentleman opened his eyes slightly wider.
That voice was... her angry voice. I had meant to give Eva a proper reputation boost to make future interactions smoother, but...
"...Ah, excuse me, that was just... a little joke. Really, the only person who can deal any damage to me is Eva. I've never even been injured in the Treasure Hall..."
"...Is that also a joke?"
"This one isn't a joke."
I rubbed the useless Barrier Ring on my finger and frowned. The gentleman's previously fixed pleasant smile crumbled, replaced by a confused expression directed at both Eva and me.
Just then, Citry — in the black dress I had seen just the other day — strode past elegantly right beside me.
"!?"
"...I have no idea."
Could it be that everyone was here? Security was supposed to be tight, but how did they even — Anxiety surging through me, a tanned arm suddenly extended from beneath the table in front of my eyes. When she nudged my foot, I handed over my half-finished wine glass, and the arm withdrew neatly. The tablecloth concealed it perfectly.
"!???"
Eva was staring in utter disbelief. I flashed a smile and did my absolute best to pretend I hadn't seen a thing.
Riizu definitely didn't have permission.