It's finally here. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, the "Great of Browns" begins.
Somehow, I've started getting weirdly nervous.
Today's the eve festival.
They're holding a standing reception for the eve festival in the great hall of Hydrangea's lord castle.
The participants and invited guests are thirty first-rank delvers.
And...
their companions.
Plus town notables, influential nobles, and so on.
I'd been stuffed into an unfamiliar suit, and even though I can't drink, I'm holding a glass of alcohol.
They handed it to me as a welcome drink, so I just kind of took it.
Right now, I'm standing by the wall.
All by myself. So far, nobody's come to talk to me.
My name's completely taken on a life of its own, and I have no idea what'd happen if I showed up with the witches.
So I decided to stay out of things as much as possible at the party.
Honestly, I'm relieved. Even from here, the view is spectacular.
Oh, there's Enss-san and Emmy-san. I figured there was no way Axe would be here, but there she was.
She was drinking and eating with Rel-san and Hoss-san, chatting with Agaro-san.
Nearby were Megadia-san and Arifa-san, and... who was that?
A red-haired beauty who looked strong.
And that black-haired one was Kaede-san. Not a dress — a kimono.
Not the heroic hakama kind, either, but a subdued indigo one with a simple obi.
Deeper in, was that Alverd? He was talking with some noble or other.
That area alone had a weird atmosphere. Like everyone was being extra deferential.
As long as nobody comes over here, I don't really care.
Then there was the witch. Munique-san. Chive-san. Shiro-san.
They were all dressed in glamorous, revealing gowns that they would never normally wear.
The witch was in black too, but it was a cocktail dress, and the back was practically virgin-slayer territory… were my past-life memories distorting things?
Munique-san was in a maid outfit. Unshakable as ever. Classic.
Chive-san wore a yellow dress that left her shoulders bare. First time I'd ever seen her in a gown.
I was surprised she had makeup on, too.
Shiro-san wore a white cape over a white one-piece.
She had a white flower ornament in her hair. It vaguely reminded me of the outfit Shiro-san slept in yesterday.
But that one wasn't sheer, or even slightly see-through.
Each of them held a glass, chatting away.
A gaggle of sparkly, conventionally handsome nobles had gathered around them.
Well, maybe more gaudy than sparkly.
I was reminded once again that this was a world I couldn't step into.
"Gwahahahahahaha!"
"Dahahahahahahaha! Look! My invincible fortress!"
"Hey you, hey you, it's a festival!"
"Oh my. This fish. Quite delicious, isn't it."
"Fish eating fish, how gross."
"Pffahaha, too funny."
I was reminded once again that this was a world I could never be a part of.
I definitely had to make sure nobody found me.
"Now then, let us tell a tale~♪"
On stage, a man who looked every bit the part of a bard was playing a lute.
A flashy, old-fashioned, clown-like outfit you never see anymore. So he was a bard, then. I'd never seen someone so aggressively trying to look like a bard before.
"~Many heroic tales~ They say heroes love their pleasures~♪"
What was he singing about?
"~None so clad in color as he~♪"
A heroic tale, maybe. What kind of hero, I wonder.
"~But he is not yet a hero~ But he is about to become one~♪"
A story about someone aspiring to be a hero. A heroic saga, perhaps. I didn't mind it.
"~What he faces are~ hardships~ trials~ impossible for all~ unprecedented~♪"
Overcoming stuff like that does sound pretty thrilling.
"~Impregnable~♪"
Hmm?
"~Those who challenge~ those who challenge~ the one who conquered the impregnable~♪"
Hm?
"Wof, the Night Challenger~♪ Wof, the Night Conqueror~♪ Wof, the Night Hero~♪"
"Bu-buf-hoooough!?"
I spat it out. Spat it out spectacularly. And then my stomach hurt.
Fortunately, nobody noticed me... but what the heck was that song!
And what do you mean "night"! Night!
Okay, sure, I did sleep in the same bed as Shiro yesterday!
Shiro's skin and the way she held me were cool, soft, and warm!
The lukewarmness was incredibly pleasant, and I fell asleep in no time!
And sure enough, she wasn't wearing underwear!
But the cuddling comfort was accurate in the most literal sense of the word!
"Hah... singing whatever you like. Hmm?"
A large blue dog ambles over. It's the Blade of Blades.
Whenever people debate who's the strongest among the First-Tier, the Blade of Blades and the Destroyer of Ruin always come up.
Being the strongest among the First-Tier means being one of the strongest in this world.
I never expected that to be an actual dog.
The giant salamander—or rather, the land catfish—was also formerly First-Tier, so what even is this world.
The Blade of Blades gives me a passing glance, sits down beside me, and sprawls out from there.
That bored, disinterested attitude... well, for a dog, that's pretty much how it'd be, and for some reason that made perfect sense to me.
"But..."
The sight of the party, keeping a step back against the wall, was quite the spectacle.
Gaudy and noisy, elegant and clamorous. I enjoyed watching the strange commotion from a distance.
Pure bliss.
"Oh my. You seem to be having fun, eh?"
"Huh...!?"
Without warning or any trace of presence, a clown appeared right there.
Garish red-and-white costume, white-and-red makeup. A clown.
He backed away from me with a playful flourish.
"Ahaa, scary face you've got there."
"Crown..."
"No, no — I'm the Nightmare Parade, eh."
"..."
The clown bowed with great ceremony.
"A humble vagrant clown, that's me. Crow Dista. Pleasure to meet you."
"H-hi there."
Stay calm. Crown is gone. But the clown is here.
As an undead monster of the dungeon, the clown is very much alive and well.
And street-performing circus clowns haven't vanished either.
Besides, that one is a human. Not a dungeon monster.
"Oh my. The Blade of Blades is here too, eh? Ahaa, and what a bored look on your face."
The Blade of Blades looked at Crow, then turned his face away and closed his eyes.
I suddenly found myself wondering what my disciple Celeste was up to.
"Ahaa! So what fun did you find in a spot like this, hmmm?"
"I thought it was enjoyable, watching the sights of this eve festival from one step removed."
I answered honestly. There was nothing worth hiding.
It really was fun.
"I see, I see. So you're a bystander, then."
"That's right."
"Every stage needs its gallery. Do you prefer watching over performing?"
"I'm not really fond of standing out."
"Ahaa! Now that's ironic, coming from a clown like me."
"...That's not what I meant."
"Just joking, just joking! Ahaa, any shape works. A party's a party. Have fun!"
With that, Crow sauntered off, juggling as he went.
So that was the "Nightmare Parade."
Clowns really aren't my thing after all.
Or rather, First-Class delvers... even now I can't help but notice they're all a bunch of oddballs.
There was that female elf from Kutchala earlier, too.
She was stunningly beautiful, but she didn't so much as glance at the food, eating only what she'd brought along herself.
Oh, and I also spotted a pink sphere.
Well, honestly, anyone aiming for Rank I is already a weirdo.
Ah, but I still haven't spotted Mineha.
If I remember right, her mother is the "Fairy Queen's"
retainer,
so she should be here.
"You... are Hals?"
"Lady Pakira—long time no see!"
"Just Pakira is fine. I'm Pakira of Torquetam."
Pakira, huh... who could that be?
The voice is coming from outside the hall... from the veranda.
"You're Pakira, right?"
"Hals. The others?"
"...I don't know. When I came to, I was all alone."
"If you're here,
then you're a retainer
too, aren't you."
"Yes. I'm currently with the 'Delvers' Knight Order.' Haven't you heard?"
"I've heard of it. I didn't know you were there. My apologies."
"On my end, too—I thought Pakira was already dead, maybe?"
"Well, that can't be helped. I thought the others were dead too, so I never bothered looking for anyone."
"The kingdom no longer exists... It has fallen, you see...?"
"Indeed it has..."
I had a feeling I'd just overheard something I really shouldn't have.
So that was the situation. And Pakira—she really was something, after all.
Even so, the person she was talking to had a husky voice and a unique way of speaking, but I couldn't see her anywhere.
Whoops—I was about to get caught eavesdropping. I backed away, left the hall, and slipped into the corridor.
Just then, as I was passing through—I made eye contact with Juicy.
"Ah."
"...Wof."
Juicy was dressed in a gown the color of blooming red flowers.
She wore light makeup, with rouge on her lips.
It wasn't her usual extraordinary cuteness—this was an extraordinary beauty.
Only, her tail was wagging back and forth.