On the day of the "Gathering of White Swords," I'd been praying nonstop that lightning wouldn't strike and obliterate the Imperial Capital, but outside the window, the weather was splendidly clear.
Incidentally, I'm a rain man. Whenever I go to the beach, hiking, or any kind of outing, there's a remarkably high chance it'll rain.
It practically always rains when it comes to leisure activities, but for miserable events like this one, it never gets canceled. Does God hate me?
The Gathering of White Swords was set to begin after sunset. In a few hours, I'd be surrounded by a multitude of nobles and an abundance of Hunters, and pitifully reduced to flotsam in the Imperial Capital.
I believed Ark would help me out, but as the time drew nearer, my stomach only hurt more and more.
Slumped over my desk, Eva—looking as composed as ever—regarded me with exasperation.
Eva was in her uniform. Since the gathering started at night, she'd probably change into a dress once evening came.
"...What's wrong, Kly?"
"I can't do this. I don't want to go."
"...And what about me, who's being dragged along even though I'm not even a Party member?"
My pathetic display didn't faze Eva in the slightest. She'd seen me act like this far too many times to be surprised.
And her point was entirely valid. But I had no other options.
"You already agreed to this, didn't you?"
"...Have I ever refused one of your requests?"
"...I don't want to go."
"You can't say no. And this isn't a request!"
True enough... I genuinely couldn't recall a single time Eva had turned me down when I asked her for something. It was so rare it was borderline impossible to remember even if I tried.
Well, strictly speaking, there were probably occasions when she'd declined due to scheduling conflicts, but for anything of real importance, she'd always accepted immediately.
...From now on, I really need to lean on her more. Truly, those who are blessed need a capable right hand.
I stopped slumping on the desk, sat up in my chair, crossed my legs, and puffed out my chest.
"Alright, but seriously... who knows what could happen if I brought Riez along?"
"That's... true, but... I'm surprised you're even worried about that kind of thing, Kly."
Eva looked genuinely surprised. What on earth did she think of me?
I say this without boast, but I've spent my whole life carefully reading people's faces.
"The scale this time is just... you know, I've never studied etiquette or manners or anything... so if you wouldn't mind, could you teach me?"
Once you hit Level 8, you get invited to all sorts of events, but I'd skipped nearly all of them until now.
As the Clan Master of a large-scale Clan, I'd been summoned by nobles and merchants before, but I always dumped those on Eva. Excluding Hunters, the highest-ranking person I regularly interacted with was Gaark, the head of the Explorer's Guild's Imperial Capital branch.
I didn't want to cause any trouble! Riez and the others weren't coming this time, which helped, but sadly, in politics, being harmless to humans and animals is also a crime.
Seeing my earnest expression, Eva furrowed her brows in a slight frown.
"...Well... I don't think you need to be that uptight about it. Hunters aren't really expected to know that much in the way of etiquette..."
I knew that, of course. I was trying to be... somewhat proper, you know. I used honorifics. I was as humble as I could be.
And yet, despite all that, I somehow managed to offend someone nearly every time.
It must be because they prefer the muscular types and can't stand someone as slim as me. Huh? Ark is popular? ...Yeah, yeah, I figured.
Maybe they resented the fact that a worthless nobody like me had reached Level 8. But there was nothing I could do about that unless I suddenly awakened some hidden power.
"Still, if you want to make a good impression on the nobles, giving them a gift might help."
"...A gift?"
Bribery. So that was an option. Honestly, I didn't want to get any more entangled with them than necessary, but as a method... it might work. Definitely better than making them angry.
Eva continued as my eyes widened.
"It doesn't have to be anything expensive. There are certain small items that you can only get from high-level Treasure Halls that have become status symbols among the nobles... For instance, the 'Sky Flower' that grows in the innermost depths of the [White Marble Garden] that Ark cleared the other day is quite famous..."
"Ah, those flowers that are pretty much meaningless, right... What would even be good..."
Our Party members had picked some before, so I remembered them. They were flowers made of transparent petals composed of Mana Material.
They were beautiful and mystical, sure, but since they didn't possess any real power and couldn't maintain their physical form outside a Treasure Hall for long, they were a rather pathetic item.
They were like the paintings occasionally displayed in fortress-type Treasure Halls—more a part of the Treasure Hall than actual items, so if you took one out, it would disappear almost immediately, like the corpse of a Phantom.
The bouquet that Riez and Citry had presented me with had ended up in the lounge vase, where it vanished before I even knew what to do with it.
I had no idea what would be considered a good gift... but those flowers couldn't be preserved and lost their form quickly outside a Treasure Hall, so in terms of sheer rarity, they might indeed serve as a status symbol.
"They'd certainly be a conversation piece, and if anything were to happen..."
Good grief, I could never understand what the upper crust was thinking.
"Hmm, let me think... I'll have a look..."
Conveniently, my Party had just cleared [City of Ten Thousand Demons], a high-level Treasure Hall, the other day.
Normally, the spoils we brought back would be Phantom drops and Treasure Weapons. I couldn't just freely gift the Party's hard-earned loot, but the members of the <<Mourning Specter>> were free spirits, so there was a chance someone had brought back something perfect for gifting—like the Sky Flowers.
This was one of the duties of a Clan Master. Annoying, but it couldn't be helped.
I stood up and went off to search for something suitable to curry favor with.
--- When the sky had turned crimson, a carriage pulled up in front of the Clan House.
I was wearing the tuxedo Eva had prepared, clutching at my churning stomach in the Clan Master's office.
On my fingers, I wore Treasure Weapon rings firmly in place. Around my neck, a Treasure Weapon pendant. On the chain hanging from my belt, Treasure Weapon earrings. On my wrist, a bracelet-type Treasure Weapon—"Dancing Light and Shadow." In my pocket, rings that wouldn't fit and, just in case, an "Evolving Demon Mask" as well. But not a shred of my mood improved.
The attendees of the Gathering of White Swords were ultra-high-level Hunters. What could an ordinary person with a few Treasure Weapons hope to do in front of such monsters? At this point, all I could do was pray that Ark would handle things.
It's fine. I had allies. Ark was there, and so was Eva. Neither offense nor defense had any gaps.
And besides... I had a trump card. My gaze fell to the "gift" sitting on the desk. It's fine. It's fine. I just had to behave myself. It would work out. With the Empire's heavyweights gathered, the Hunters would be on their best behavior too.
Just then, the door to the Clan Master's office opened.
"Sorry to keep you—wait, what's with that face, Kly?"
It was Eva who walked in. The sight of her made me forget my roiling stomach entirely, and my eyes went wide.
Eva was wearing a long navy-blue dress.
I saw her nearly every day when we were in the Imperial Capital. Her hairstyle and glasses were the same as always, but simply being out of her usual uniform made her look like a completely different person.
The dark dress was far from flashy, but it suited the mature Eva perfectly. She always kept herself buttoned up in her uniform, but now her shoulders were exposed in a way that was indescribably alluring.
She wore accessories she never normally did—not ostentatious, but from her toes to the top of my head, I couldn't help but look her up and down again and again.
With Citry and Riez, I still saw them through the same eyes I'd had when we were kids, because we'd grown up together. But Eva was different.
It was precisely because I didn't usually pay attention to it that I found myself captivated. She was only a year older than me, but her bearing carried a composure and dignity that made it impossible to believe.
I was done for... If I stood next to her, I was going to stick out like a sore thumb.
But I couldn't let her get stolen away. I needed to pull myself together.
"You look absolutely wonderful, Eva. Just seeing you like this, it was worth inviting you."
Despite my unreserved praise, Eva didn't so much as blush—instead, she gave me a deadpan look.
"...You never come along to these things, Kly, because you always leave the Clan Master duties to me. If you'd come with me, I'd gladly show you this as many times as you wanted."
"Aha... ahahaha..."
"Here, your bow tie's crooked... honestly."
Eva stepped in close and straightened my tie. I'd checked it in the mirror, but my inexperience was painfully obvious.
She was wearing a light perfume, and she smelled wonderful. Once she'd tightened the tie properly, Eva turned around with an elegant motion.
I felt like taking a commemorative photo. Something about this felt incredibly rewarding.
"Alright, let's go. The carriage is already waiting. ...Oh, and while we're at it, let's practice. Make sure you escort me properly."
"Of course."
I'd be lying if I said it didn't help—seeing something so beautiful had lifted my spirits a little. Gift in hand, I headed outside with Eva.
Outside the Clan House, a carriage emblazoned with the Zebuldia crest was waiting. This was no carriage prepared for a Hunter.
Eyes were gathering on us. I took Eva's hand and performed an escort that was either correct or completely wrong—I had no idea.
Once we'd both climbed inside, the carriage set off with almost no vibration. I was nervous, but I was still the Clan Master, however nominally, and I couldn't show a pathetic side of myself in front of the elegantly dressed Eva.
The carriage raced along as if flying.
At the end of the road lay the heart of Zebuldia—the most opulent building in the Imperial Capital: the Imperial Palace. The Gathering of White Swords was held inside the Palace, where the Emperor resided. Naturally, I had never been inside.
As I took a deep breath to steady my nerves, the perfectly composed Eva posed a question.
"Come to think of it... Kly, what's in that box?"
"Oh... the bribe you told me about. I figured I'd try to make a good impression, however slightly... You know, our Party has quite the reputation..."
Just the other day, there'd been a whole mess with the commission from Lord Gradius...
Eva's eyes widened in surprise—she apparently hadn't actually believed I'd go through with it.
"A bribe... please don't say that word at the venue. ...Is it a product from the [City of Ten Thousand Demons]? If you don't mind, I'd love to know what's inside."
I certainly didn't mind. I stroked the box and answered with a smile.
"Well... they're souvenirs I bought on vacation. The things from the [City of Ten Thousand Demons] weren't really suitable..."
They weren't exactly rare, but they were better than Sky Flowers, at least. They tasted good, and I'd bought plenty, so I had lots of spares.
Surely giving a gift was better than giving none.
Eva stared at me blankly, her eyes fixed on me. When someone looked at you like that, it was enough to make you blush.
"...Excuse me? ...Wait a moment. Souvenirs from your vacation? Are you serious? Vacation souvenirs—don't tell me they're... rice cakes?"
"No... they're hot spring eggs. They're a famous product of Surus, and they're really delicious."
Besides, the "Hot Spring Dragon Eggs" cost just a little more than the "Hot Spring Dragon Manju."
Eva's cheek twitched as she stared at me.
"...Kly, are you actually nervous at all?"
......Eh?