Shortly after Kuro—or rather, the Phantasm King disguised as her—vanished, the real Kuro appeared as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She approached me with a sheepish, wry smile.
"Oh, it’s the real one this time..."
"Ahaha, sorry about that. I planned to come over right after I heard from Ein, but Shaltier showed up and insisted she go instead because she had something to discuss with you, Kaito-kun. So, what did you two talk about?"
"Just that your Magic Beast Mode looks like it would be a pain to walk in with all those spikes."
"Eeehh!?"
Kuro stood beside me, looking out over the garden as it prepared for the banquet. I replied to her with a teasing grin.
"Hey, those spikes are made of magic power! They don't get in the way when I move at all!"
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be easier just not to have them?"
"But they look cool..."
"Do they really?"
Apparently, the spikes in her Magic Beast Mode served no functional purpose; they were strictly there for the aesthetic.
"...By the way, Kaito-kun, how did you know Shaltier wasn't me?"
"Well, to be honest, I didn't really have a reason or any evidence... I just somehow felt that it wasn't you, Kuro."
"I see... Ehehe, that actually makes me really happy."
Just as Kuro offered that cute, bashful smile, a pillar of fire and a massive tree suddenly manifested. Megiddo-san and Liliwood-san had returned.
Both were battered and covered in dust, but while Megiddo-san’s expression was radiant, Liliwood-san looked completely dejected. Did that mean Megiddo-san had won?
"Man, Liliwood is strong! I couldn't manage to beat her in the end! It’s been ages since I fought that hard! That was the best!"
"I don't understand... The fight was a draw, so why do I feel like I've suffered a crushing defeat...?"
It seemed the battle had ended in a stalemate. Ah, I see... regardless of the outcome, Megiddo-san simply loved fighting powerful opponents. In contrast, Liliwood-san didn't have a drop of combativeness in her blood, leaving her utterly drained by the ordeal.
"Hey, Kuro."
"What is it?"
"Megiddo-san is basically a living bonfire, and Liliwood-san is a wood spirit. I would've thought the elemental matchup would be terrible for her..."
"At Liliwood's level, stuff like that doesn't matter. She can turn the entire horizon into a lush forest in the blink of an eye."
Hearing that reminded me once again that the Six Kings were on an entirely different level. Their power was simply incomparable to anyone else.
In any case, with everyone gathered—and Liliwood-san joining the group—the banquet officially began. Megiddo-san was his usual self, declaring that speeches and toasts were a hassle before diving straight into the booze. I couldn't believe he was still drinking after that intense contest earlier.
The garden grew lively in an instant. Kuro told me she was going to check on Liliwood-san and went over to comfort her. As I sat there sipping my drink, Megiddo-san approached, clutching a massive tankard.
"Yo, Kaito. I wanted to ask... which one is the elf whose sword broke?"
"Eh? Oh, Sieg-san! Could you come over for a second?"
"...Yes?"
I wasn't sure what he wanted, but Megiddo-san was clearly looking for her. I called out to Sieg-san, who had been tending to the unconscious Lilia-san. She walked over, tilting her head in confusion.
"Oh, so it's you! Your sword got snapped, didn't it? My idiots did you wrong."
"Huh? A-Ah, n-no, it's—"
"I’ll give you a replacement as an apology. Here!"
"What?"
As usual, Megiddo-san bulldozed through the conversation without waiting for a reaction. He tossed two swords—one with a crimson blade and one with an azure blade—down in front of the bewildered Sieg-san, telling her they were hers. Sieg-san picked them up tentatively, her eyes widening as she felt their weight.
"U-Um... War King-sama. I can feel incredible magic power from these... What exactly are they...?"
"Hah? What were they called again? I only ever used 'em to carve meat... Hey, Bacchus! What were these things called?"
"Those are... the Twin Flame Sword Flamberteen."
"What!?"
Megiddo-san, who apparently couldn't be bothered to remember his own weapons' names, looked to the mummy—rather, Bacchus. Bacchus glanced at the swords and provided the name. Sieg-san looked like she’d been struck by lightning. Are they that famous?
"W-W-W-War King-sama... Aren't the Twin Flame Sword Flamberteen legendary magic swords? The ones from the tales that turned a mountain range into a wasteland?"
"Was that it? Well, a sword's a sword. I'm giving them to you, so use them however you want."
"N-No, I couldn't possibly! I can't accept something so incredibly valuable..."
"I said it’s fine, so it's fine! Besides, I don't use weapons to fight anyway. They're just taking up space."
"I... I see... T-Thank you very much."
"Yeah."
I didn't quite grasp the historical significance, but I understood that he’d just casually handed over something priceless. Sieg-san was visibly overwhelmed, bowing repeatedly, but Megiddo-san just laughed boisterously.
"Anyway, you've got some fire in you! Skill is one thing, but you've got guts too... As expected of Kaito! Since he’s the man who beat me, it makes sense he’d have such a fine woman!"
"Pffft!?"
"!?!?"
The drink I was swallowing went flying at his outrageous claim.
"M-Megiddo-san!? Where did that come from?"
"Huh? That elf is your woman, isn't she? It was obvious from how you were acting earlier!"
"No, no, no! How did you even reach that conclusion!?"
"Why are you so worked up? You’ve been in this world for nearly forty days, right? By now, having four or five women around you should be the norm."
What kind of math is that!? One girl every ten days!? How could that possibly be the norm!?
Megiddo-san tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled by my panic. Just then, Kuro returned after finishing her talk with Liliwood-san.
"Megiddo, in the otherworld, the number of men and women is almost exactly the same. That’s why people there only marry one person."
"What!? Really? The otherworld has some weird customs, huh?"
"Yeah, so..."
"I get it! In other words, that elf is Kaito's wife!"
"Pffft!"
"——!?"
Wait a minute, you damn gorilla! What kind of logic jump was that!?
"No, that’s not it either... Kaito-kun isn't married, and he doesn't even have a girlfriend yet."
"...Kaito, you... are you defective?"
"...Hey."
What was with that pitying look and that incredibly insulting remark? I didn't even have the energy to use my polite tone anymore. I let out a heavy sigh as Megiddo-san continued to try and steer the conversation into nonsense.
I looked to Sieg-san, hoping she’d back me up, but for some reason, her face was bright red and she was fidgeting, making no move to argue with him. Was it really that hard to speak up against the War King?
Granted, Megiddo-san didn't seem like the type to listen to reason... but for the sake of Sieg-san’s honor, I had to be firm. I mean, don't get me wrong—I wouldn't be unhappy if someone thought a beautiful and kind person like Sieg-san was my partner. But being treated as a couple with someone like me had to be disrespectful to her.
"Megiddo-san, please... it’s rude to Sieg-san to say things like that. We’re friends, but we aren't in that kind of relationship."
"...Huh? No, but that elf is clearly..."
"Yes?"
"...Kaito, are you... actually an idiot?"
"Eh? Why?"
"...Kaito-kun. If even Megiddo is the one calling you out, it must be pretty bad... but honestly, I agree with him."
"Kuro, you too!?"
"...On this matter, I have to agree as well..."
"Even Sieg-san!?"
Wait, why was everyone suddenly looking at me with such pity? I didn't get it at all.
Dear Mother, Father—the banquet began, and Megiddo-san dropped an absolute bombshell. I tried to set the record straight for Sieg-san’s sake, but for some reason... I just managed to exasperate everyone.