The party began with Liberte's greeting, and everyone started to move about.
For nobles, this so-called party was both a party and not a party.
To be precise, it was simultaneously a party and a stage for politics.
They spoke with those they could rarely meet and gathered information.
Depending on the circumstances, it was not uncommon for some form of commercial transaction to take place.
Because of this, there were not that many who were purely enjoying the party. Rather, everyone was maneuvering to maximize their own interests as much as possible.
However, those moving about in such a manner were almost exclusively nobles. In that sense, Rei, who was not a noble, had no particular need to concern himself with such things...
"Hey, Rei. The food here is delicious as always."
As he was savoring the dishes together with Elena, a voice suddenly called out to him.
Who the voice belonged to was obvious to Rei without even thinking about it.
After all, it was someone he had been with until just a few hours ago.
"Yeah, it is. But given your physique, Bluitt, maybe you should be careful not to eat too much?"
Looking at Bluitt's massive frame, Rei replied with those words.
In a slightly removed spot, there were many nobles wearing expressions that seemed to say they had been beaten to the punch.
Naturally, there were a great many who had intended to speak with Elena—the Daughter of Duke Kerebel bearing the moniker of Princess General—and Rei, Bearer of the Crimson Moniker.
It was precisely because there were so many that they ended up keeping each other in check, unable to approach. As a result, Rei and Elena had been enjoying the taste of Georgima's cooking, but Bluitt had shattered that situation with ease.
Originally, Bluitt should have also had to deal with the nobles' mutual checking.
Taking into account peerage, interests, and past debts and favors.
But Bluitt, acting as though such things were irrelevant, had simply spoken to Rei.
This was likely a manifestation of Bluitt's nature as a noble who defied convention.
Of course, normally speaking, ignoring such customs would lead to troublesome consequences later.
Even so, Bluitt must have spoken to Rei without caring about any of that.
Several nobles directed bitter glares at Bluitt, but he showed no sign of minding them and continued his conversation with Rei about the food.
"Still... looking at you two like this, you seem like a good match, but also not... It's an ambiguous feeling."
"Wait, which is it?"
Slightly dissatisfied with Bluitt's words, Rei pointed that out.
But Elena smiled and spoke up.
"Hehe, Rei. There's no need to worry so much about whether we're a good match or not. That is, after all, only how things appear through the eyes of others. What matters is how we ourselves feel about it."
"...When you put it that way, I feel like I can accept it, but also can't... It's an ambiguous feeling."
Saying so, Rei brought a piece of roasted meat to his mouth.
When it came to meat, Rei regularly ate high-rank monster meat, but even for him, the taste of the meat he had just eaten was exceptional.
For Rei, who was not particularly skilled at cooking, he could not determine the specific procedure used to prepare this dish. He couldn't tell, but... it was unmistakably clear to Rei, as he savored the meat's flavor, that it had not been simply roasted.
It was also obvious that the meat itself was of extremely high quality, but beyond that, great care had clearly been taken with the cooking method.
"This meat is delicious."
"Yeah."
Bluitt nodded in agreement with Rei's murmur, and Elena watched the two of them with a gaze full of interest.
As the three of them were enjoying themselves, one of the nobles who had been observing the situation from the surroundings suddenly approached.
This was the noble who had emerged as the last one standing in the silent contest of restraint.
"Lady Elena, I look forward to another year with you. My, seeing you all dressed up like this, I find myself captivated before I know it."
Toward the noble who said this, Elena offered a small smile.
Seeing that she showed no sign of distaste, Rei, watching from beside her, judged that this noble was not an unwelcome presence to Elena.
In fact, the noble also spoke to Rei, who was at Elena's side, with a smile.
"You must be Lord Crimson Rei. My territory is located quite far away, so unfortunately I only arrived after the mock battle. However, I heard from my subordinates who watched it that your strength is considerable. And to think you have a gryphon as a tamed monster."
"Hearing you say that makes the effort feel worthwhile."
"Ah, please feel free to speak casually. My territory sees a lot of adventurer activity, so I'm used to dealing with adventurers."
In response to Rei's words, the noble said this with a smile.
Normally, Rei would not bother with such polite speech except when dealing with someone clearly of high status who was also not hostile.
But this time was different.
Since this was a party hosted by Liberte—Elena's father, Duke Kerebel—causing a disturbance here would mean disgracing Liberte, Elena's father.
That was something Rei wanted to avoid if at all possible.
He knew that Liberte was a man on par with Daskar, and more importantly, he was Elena's father.
It was only natural that he would not want to do anything to drag such a person's name through the mud.
Moreover, Liberte had, in his own way, acknowledged Rei and Elena's relationship through tacit approval, which Rei considered a favor.
Of course, Rei also understood that Liberte had not done so without reason... not simply because Elena wished for it and he indulged her.
Elena bore the moniker of Princess General, but at the same time, she was the daughter of Duke Kerebel's House. It went without saying that, under normal circumstances, a marriage could have been arranged for her to further the prosperity of Duke Kerebel's House, regardless of her own wishes.
Despite such circumstances, Liberte had acknowledged the relationship between Elena and Rei.
Naturally, there were practical calculations behind this—improving relations between the Noble's Faction and the Neutral Faction, and being able to request Rei's cooperation through Elena should the need arise.
The latter in particular... being able to request Rei's cooperation was extremely reassuring for Liberte, who knew full well the extent of Rei's power.
Set and Rei. He was convinced that if this one person and one beast truly put their minds to it, they possessed enough power to destroy a small nation.
Considering that, acknowledging Rei and Elena's relationship would bring great benefit to Duke Kerebel's House and the Noble's Faction.
...That said, this was strictly the reasoning based on logic. There were many who could not accept it emotionally.
This was particularly true among the young nobles who had been pursuing Elena; such individuals harbored intense jealousy toward Rei.
It was only natural. Elena was a duke's daughter, bore the moniker of Princess General, and on top of all that, possessed a beauty that one might be lucky to see once in a lifetime.
Among the nobles, many were accustomed to women, but even such individuals found it difficult to maintain their usual composure when standing before Elena.
With her now wearing such an alluring party dress, it was not strange for those feelings to grow even stronger.
"Then I'll speak freely. Still, for an adventurer like me to say this, isn't it unusual for a noble to interact with adventurers frequently?"
"I won't deny that. However, while my territory isn't a remote frontier like Gilm, it does have a deep, vast forest where a fair number of monsters dwell. Because of that, I inevitably end up having many opportunities to meet with adventurers."
"Huh."
A deep, vast forest where many monsters dwelled.
At those words, Rei, who sought the magic stones of unknown monsters through Beast Magic, felt a strong interest.
The noble as well, perhaps understanding that Rei had taken interest in his words, spoke with a slightly curious look.
"Are you interested? If so, please come visit my territory sometime. I'm sure it's a town that would be comfortable for an adventurer to live in."
"Yeah, I'd like to visit sometime if the opportunity arises... but I'm busy with various things right now, so I can't say when that would be."
There was a slightly regretful tone in Rei's words as he said this.
But in truth, Rei was extremely busy right now.
At the moment, he was being treated as a guest of Duke Kerebel's House, but that was only for now.
Once this party ended and some time passed, he was scheduled to return to Gilm.
And upon returning to Gilm, the dissection of the Gigant Turtle awaited him.
Regarding the Gigant Turtle's dissection, Rei did not normally need to be present. But given its mountain-like physique, the person in charge needed to be on-site just in case any trouble arose.
If they could not make immediate decisions when something happened, that much time would go to waste.
Additionally, when spring came, Gilm's expansion construction would pick up again, and the members of the Crimson Lotus Wings, including Rei who possessed the Misty Ring, would become busy.
Even so, considering that Rei and the others would find the busy days tough, they would receive time off, just as they had when they went to the sea in summer.
Rei had not explained any of this, but the noble must have understood the general situation from his expression. The noble man did not press the matter any further, looking only slightly disappointed.
"I see. It's a shame, but it can't be helped. However, I would be glad if you could come someday when you have the time."
"Yeah. I'll do that."
It wasn't that Rei had no desire to visit this noble's territory.
An unknown monster's magic stone was something that greatly intrigued Rei.
Meanwhile, it was not only Rei who showed interest in the noble's talk; Bluitt, who had been listening along, did as well.
"Hoh, that's an interesting story. I'll ask just in case, but can I go to Count Fanlair's territory too?"
"Eh? Lord Bluitt, are you serious?"
The noble—Count Fanlair—directed a look of surprise at Bluitt.
Judging by his personality alone, it was hard to believe, but Bluitt was the next head of the Exolis Count Family.
Knowing that, Count Fanlair could not simply rejoice upon hearing Bluitt say he wanted to come to his city.
But Bluitt nodded at Count Fanlair with a ferocious smile.
"That's right. I'll be inheriting the Exolis Count Family someday. As such, I want to build up as much strength as I can. When it comes to that, there's nothing better than gaining real combat experience."
"There's no mistaking that, but... well, I'm afraid I can't really recommend it."
"Yeah. You should think a little about your own position, Bluitt."
The one who said that was neither Rei nor Elena, but another person.
It was someone Rei did not recognize, but Elena, Bluitt, and Count Fanlair apparently did.
"Baron Muta, it's you."
There was strong familiarity in Count Fanlair's words as he said this.
There was a fair difference in rank between a count and a baron, but in the case of these two, they must have maintained a relationship independent of peerage.
"Umm..."
"Ah, excuse me. I overheard Bluitt saying something unreasonable, so I couldn't help but interject. Lady Elena, it's been a while. Lord Rei, it's an honor to meet you. I am Baron Azel Muta. Count Fanlair and I are childhood friends. That's why we maintain such a casual relationship even now."
"I'm Rei. An adventurer from Gilm... well, various things happened, and that's why I'm here."
"Hehe, various things, huh. That sounds tough."
Azel, laughing like that, appeared to be about the same age as Fanlair... in his mid-thirties.
Of course, that was simply how old Rei judged him to be by appearance. In Elgin, where long-lived races such as elves existed, outward appearance was not something one could rely upon.
"So, Baron Muta. Why can't I go to Count Fanlair's territory? It shouldn't be that big a deal. I'm not saying I'd hold you responsible if I got hurt or anything unreasonable like that."
Toward the complaining Bluitt, Azel let out a sigh of exasperation.