The room I returned to after sunset was quiet. Presia must have been unable to refuse Lilith’s request and was taken along, as she was nowhere to be seen. Neither were the bear nor Tokki, which suggested they had likely followed Presia.
“Finally! A chance to have you all to myself, sempai!”
As I was walking down the corridor, Luna, who had been hiding—though I don’t know if it was since before I headed to the training ground or longer—suddenly dropped from the ceiling, latching onto my back. Though I had known she was hiding, I wasn’t particularly motivated to avoid her due to how exhausted I was, so I let her cling onto my back as I shuffled into the room.
“You’ve been sweating, so let me down. You’ll end up smelling like sweat.”
Even though I had been standing in the now-empty training ground for a while and the sweat had already dried, there was still an unpleasant feeling, especially since Luna was cheerfully smiling despite the potential sweat odor.
“How about if I haven’t washed yet either, and I offer to go with you?”
As she leaned her chin on my shoulder whispering into my ear, I lifted one hand slightly over my shoulder.
“Knock knock.”
Usually, I would have flicked her forehead with my finger saying “Boink!” but before I could, a knocking sound came instead. It wasn’t my finger that struck—someone else’s hand was knocking not on Luna’s forehead but on the door.
“Yes, just a moment.”
Since I was up anyway, I walked over to open the door, revealing the old butler who had helped guide us through various matters.
“Forgive me for disturbing you so late at night, Miss Alicia.”
“No, it isn’t late and it’s certainly no inconvenience. What’s the matter?”
It was too early to call it late at night since the moon had just begun to rise, and it wasn’t an inconvenience since our life inside the castle had been greatly supported by this old butler’s help.
“I appreciate your understanding. Actually, I’m here to deliver something for Miss Alicia.”
My first thought was that it was likely Lilith’s identity token. But, hadn’t we already been informed that it would take a few days, which is why we were currently detained in the castle?
Curious about this, I tilted my head and accidentally bumped it with Luna’s who had her chin on my shoulder. The old butler took out two envelopes quietly from his robes and handed them to me.
Upon examining the envelopes I’d received, they only indicated high-class material; there were no names of senders or recipients written on either. Both envelopes were the same.
“What is this?”
Of course, I could have ripped open the envelope to check its contents, but I decided to ask the old butler who had delivered them first.
“In fact, there’s a social party among the offspring of some nobles residing in the capital, and they wish to invite the Hero to this gathering. They seem to have heard somehow that the Hero has entered and might stay in the castle for a few days. If you don’t want to attend, please give them back to me, and I shall formally decline your invitation on your behalf.”
It was likely that the old butler’s “formal decline” included not only disposing of the invitation but also conveying a polite refusal to the noble youth who extended the invitation.
“Hmm… I’ll check it out and let you know soon. Thank you for delivering it to me.”
“You’re very kind. Please rest well, and feel free to call if you need anything.”
The old butler bowed slightly, stepped back, and quietly closed the door.
“Sempai, sempai! Open it quickly!”
The one who was actually invited was me, yet Lua was the one who was extremely excited. She leaned her head even further over my shoulder, inspecting the invitation in my hand, as we walked into the room with her still clinging to my back.
At the mention of the social party by the old butler, I had initially intended to decline. Given my lack of interest in socializing, there wasn’t any compelling reason for me to participate in a social party.
However, the reason I accepted the invitation rather than outright refusing was due to the Emperor’s face. Despite the Emperor’s authority being so powerful that no one dared to challenge it, many nobles were certainly dissatisfied that the Hero, who had slain many demons over the past three years, still had no progress in defeating the Demon King, and yet continued to receive support without much reproach.
Though this time, I did eliminate Lilith, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, albeit not officially, this fact hadn’t yet been widely publicized. Therefore, I thought that if I could somehow gain even a fraction of support from these noble offspring, it could be of some help to the Emperor. Since I did not have much else to do during my stay in the castle anyway.
At the table, Luna, who had been hanging on my back, quickly jumped down and snatched a chair across from me, sitting quickly.
Ignoring Luna’s bright, gleaming eyes, I placed the invitations on the table. Both envelopes were of an impeccably luxurious quality, so much so that the paper alone was stunning enough to marvel at.
However, envelopes are ultimately just packaging. The content inside matters most. I tore one of the envelopes with my own hands and instructed Luna to open the other.
Holding one invitation each, we read them through and then exchanged them to read again.
No matter what was written in them, the core message was an invitation to tomorrow’s party. That was the purpose of the invitation cards after all.
Interestingly, though, the two invitations were not from the same party but from two separate events hosted by different people.
The first invitation was filled with elaborate embellishments. It talked about discussing the sword, admiring me as both a Hero and Sword Master, and their earnestness to invite me could be tangibly felt through the text.
The second invitation was the complete opposite: brief to the point of only stating the name of the social gathering, the organizer, and the invitee’s name. Contrary to the first invitation’s fervor, the second had a casual indifference—an unspoken “come if you wish.”
Even from the invitations alone, I could somewhat deduce the atmosphere of the gatherings and the personalities of their hosts.
If I were to choose one, the gathering described in the first invitation seemed more appealing. Its content promised intriguing conversations about the sword, although reading was uncomfortable, but their desperation to invite me was evident.
However, I chose the second gathering instead of the first.
The reason was that the first gathering’s host and invitee were men. Even though I couldn’t say for sure there weren’t women present, the majority of the attendees seemed like they would be male. How could I, who appeared to be a female, join such a gathering regardless of its content? Social circles were places where rumors could easily be inflated, and this would be unnecessary trouble.
In contrast, the second party with its flowery social gathering theme, its mention of tea parties, and its female host promised a gathering with scarce male presence. Though I wasn’t sure what kind of conversations were possible, at least I could avoid unnecessary gossip.
I didn’t want the emperor’s goodwill wasted due to some unfounded rumors.
“Hmm, maybe there’s a dress code too? I don’t have anything suitable for this, but perhaps asking for help would work?”
“Hehe, sempai. Was there a restriction on the number of attendees? Right?”
“There is, but why? Are you trying to attend as well?”
In response to my question, Luna just gave a silent grin while looking at me, but that was enough to convey her intention.
“I mean, it’s not like I would stop you, but wouldn’t you get bored?”
“But it has been my dream for a long time! Imagine a scene where elegantly dressed young ladies gather, sip tea gracefully, and engage in sophisticated conversations—it’s like a painting!”
Apparently, unlike me who used to be a man, Luna, who had always been a woman, seemed to have harbored a vague longing for the gatherings of noble young ladies. Yet trying to imagine Luna herself fitting into such a scene yielded amusing results.
The image of Luna sipping tea elegantly? Unimaginable. She’d likely gulp it all down.
Engaging in sophisticated conversations? Again, unimaginable. She might end up saying something immature instead.
Still, I didn’t voice this out loud. After all, growing up as an assassin, she had long been deprived of doing what she wanted and forced to do what she didn’t. There wasn’t a good reason to not bring her along, and I, who understood her upbringing better than anyone, found it heartwarming that there was something she desired.
With the Emperor as my backer, it was unlikely anything would go wrong, but if by chance the other noble young ladies tried to look down on Luna, I would teach them a lesson using my reputation as the Hero.
“Should we also ask the boss and Lilith?”
Since we had already decided to bring someone along, there was no reason not to invite Presia and Lilith as well.
However, when I asked the two, Lilith declined, saying large gatherings made her uncomfortable, and Presia quickly rejected with a look of irritation, contrary to my expectation that she would enthusiastically agree.
Well, neither is the type to enjoy being the center of attention anyway.
I communicated my intentions to the old butler and asked him to find appropriate dresses for Luna and I. Thanks to the assistance of the maid who arrived shortly afterward, we were able to choose fitting dresses without much trouble.
