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The room I returned to after the sun had set was empty. It seemed that Frecia couldn’t resist Lilith’s request and had been dragged out, as she was nowhere to be found. Gomtaengi and Tokki were also missing, so they must have followed Frecia.

“Hehe! It’s my chance to monopolize my senpai!”

As I walked down the hallway, Luna seemed to have been hiding somewhere before jumping down from the ceiling and clinging to my back. Of course, I already knew she was hiding, and I could have avoided her if I wanted, but I was too exhausted to put in any effort and just trudged into the room with Luna on my back.

“You need to come down since you’ll need to wash off the sweat soon. You don’t want to smell like sweat for no reason.”

Having stood around in the empty training ground for quite a while, all the sweat I had on me had already dried, but that didn’t mean the stickiness had disappeared. Besides, I probably smelled bad, yet Luna was grinning as if she enjoyed it.

“I haven’t washed yet either, but if you come with me to wash up, I might let you have a treat?”

Luna’s voice whispered in my ear as she rested her chin on my shoulder. I raised one hand lightly over my shoulder.

Knock, knock.

“Huh?”

Under normal circumstances, I would have flicked my finger against Luna’s forehead with a loud snap! But before I could do that, I heard a knock at the door.

Instead of my finger, it was someone else’s hand knocking on the door instead of hitting Luna’s forehead.

“Yes. Just a moment, please.”

Since I was already awake, I walked to the door and opened it, revealing the elderly butler who had been guiding us in various ways standing at the entrance.

“My apologies for intruding at this late hour, Lady Elysia.”

“Oh, no. It’s not late at all, and it’s certainly not an intrusion. What brings you here?”

It was hardly late at night, with the moon just starting to rise, and it was almost offensive to say it was an intrusion considering how much assistance I had received from this butler while living in the castle.

“Thank you for your kind words. The reason I’ve come is that I have something for you, Lady Elysia.”

The first thing that came to my mind was Lilith’s identity card. But hadn’t I already heard that it would take a few days? The reason I was currently stuck in the castle was that as well.

As I wondered what it could be while bumping my head against Luna’s resting chin, the butler quietly pulled out two sophisticated envelopes from his robe and handed them to me.

Even when I held the envelopes and inspected them front and back, they felt luxurious, but there was nothing written on them regarding the sender or recipient. It wasn’t just one; both envelopes were the same.

“What is this?”

Of course, I could quickly figure it out by tearing open the envelopes and checking their contents, but I first asked the butler who delivered them.

“There happens to be a social gathering for the noble youths residing in the capital, and they have sent invitations to invite the Hero. It seems they have heard that the Hero has entered the castle and has been staying here for a few days.”

If not needed, you could have given it to me. I’ll take care of it myself.”

The butler’s disposal would likely include not just throwing the invitations away but also politely declining on behalf of the noble youths who invited me.

“Um… I’ll confirm and let you know soon. Thank you for delivering this.”

“You’re welcome. Please relax and feel free to call for me at any time.”

The butler bowed his head, took a step back, and quietly closed the door.

“Senpai, senpai! Open it quickly!”

I was the one who was invited, yet it was Luna who was excessively excited. She leaned over my shoulder and peeked at the invitations in my hand as I entered the room.

In fact, as soon as I heard the butler mention a social gathering, I wanted to decline. I had no reason or desire to attend a social gathering since I wasn’t there to have fun.

However, the reason I accepted the invitation instead of declining outright was for the Emperor’s reputation. No matter how powerful the Emperor’s authority, there would still be many nobles dissatisfied with the Hero’s support without serious reprimands, even if I had fought many Demonic Races over the past three years.

Of course, while I had taken down one of the Four Heavenly Kings—Lilith—this had yet to be widely known. In such a situation, even if they were noble youths, I figured it could help the Emperor a little if I could get them on my side. After all, I had nothing in particular to do during my few days in the castle.

As I pulled a chair in front of the table, Luna, who had been clinging to my back, quickly slipped down and sat in the chair across from me.

Ignoring the twinkling eyes of Luna, I placed the invitations on the table.

Both envelopes were extravagantly luxurious. I was surprised that mere paper could be so elaborate.

However, as the envelope was merely for wrapping, what really mattered was its contents. I tore open the envelopes to check them, each taking one to read.

After reading through, we exchanged invitations to compare them.

Regardless of what the invitation said, the gist was simply a request for me to attend the party tomorrow. Since that was certainly the purpose of an invitation, it wasn’t unexpected.

However, the two invitations were not for the same party but from different hosts for each gathering.

First was an invitation filled with flowery language. It spoke of discussing swords and expressed how they revered me, the Hero and Sword Master. Through the seemingly desperate wording, I could feel their eagerness to invite me.

The second invitation was completely the opposite. It was short, simply stating the name of the gathering and the host and inviter. Unlike the desperate tone of the first, this conveyed a “come if you want” arrogance. If the word “tea party” hadn’t been included, I wouldn’t have known what kind of gathering it was at all.

With just these invitations, I could roughly grasp the mood of the gatherings and the personalities of the hosts.

If I had to choose between the two, the one in the first invitation was somewhat more appealing. It sounded interesting to discuss swords, and while it was uncomfortable to read, it felt genuine in wanting to invite me.

However, I chose the second gathering instead of the first.

That was because the first host and inviter were male. While it couldn’t be said that there wouldn’t be women there, I could expect the majority attendance to be men. Would a female like me participate in such a setting, regardless of the content? It would be the perfect setup for rumors to spread.

On the other hand, what about the second party? The name of the gathering, which meant a flower garden, and the content being about a tea party, also the host—everything about it had no traces of men within it. Although I had no idea what I could talk about there, at least I wouldn’t be under scrutiny.

After all, it would be troublesome if I ended up in a weird rumor for trying to help the Emperor.

“Hmm. There must be a dress code, right? I guess there’s no way I have clothes that fit… should I just ask?”

“Hehe, senpai. There wouldn’t be any restrictions on how many can attend, would there?”

“That’s true, but… why? Are you planning to attend too?”

At my question, Luna only smiled at me with her eyes, but that alone was enough for me to understand her answer.

“I don’t mind, but I was worried you might get bored.”

“Still, it’s been my dream! To sit among elegantly dressed ladies, sipping tea and exchanging graceful conversations—it would be like a scene from a painting!”

Luna, being a girl from the start unlike me, probably harbored a hazy admiration for noble ladies’ parties. However, when it came to Luna attending a social gathering, I recalled the scene she had just spoken of and couldn’t picture it with her in it.

Luna, sipping tea elegantly? I couldn’t imagine that at all. She’d probably just gulp it down.

Having a refined conversation? I couldn’t envision that either. Rather, I would be grateful if she wouldn’t end up saying something foolish.

But I didn’t voice any of this. She probably had to grow up as an assassin, unable to do what she wanted and having to do what she didn’t want. Why should I refuse to take her with me? I understood her upbringing more than anyone, so I was rather pleased to see her wanting something so eagerly.

Though I wouldn’t get into any trouble, should some noble ladies look down on Luna, I’d have her back with the name of the Hero, as learned from Ferrent.

“Shall I ask the boss and Lilith as well?”

Since I had decided to bring a companion, there was no reason not to include Frecia and Lilith as well.

However, when I asked the two who returned, Lilith, whom I expected to accept without hesitation, declined, saying she felt a bit uncomfortable in crowded places, and Frecia immediately frowned and refused as soon as I mentioned the offer.

Well, neither of them were the type to be in front of others, after all.

I called for the butler to communicate my decision and asked him to procure dresses that Luna and I could wear, and soon, with the help of a maid, I was able to select suitable dresses.

 

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