Guests were not required to vacate the castle immediately following Kaito’s birthday party. They were welcome to use the rest rooms and other facilities, with the timing of their departure left entirely to their discretion.
As a result, many individuals who lived in distant regions and rarely had the chance to meet stayed behind to chat for a while. Gurin and An, finding themselves in similar circumstances, shared this desire for conversation and relocated to a rest room together rather than departing at once.
"Um... was it really okay not to invite the men from Yellow Pipe?"
"None of them were present at the previous shipboard party. For today, it’s enough that it’s just those of us from Scarlet Blue and your team from Black Muscat, An-san. Besides, they’re just too loud, sweaty, and overall exhausting to be around."
Kaito had extended an invitation to every single person he had ever spoken with, however briefly. This meant that in addition to Gurin and An, the members of Scarlet Blue and Black Muscat, as well as the three muscular men of Yellow Pipe, had all been in attendance.
"Well, let’s just... leave those four over there for now."
"I suppose it can't be helped. If we hadn't experienced that shipboard party ourselves, we would undoubtedly be in the exact same state they are."
Gurin and An shared a look before glancing toward their respective teammates. The four of them were currently slumped over on the sofas or staring up at the ceiling with vacant, glazed-over expressions.
"Something’s wrong... No matter how much time passes, I’m not waking up from this dream. Is this the afterlife? Or have Gurin-chan’s delusions finally manifested into a physical reality? I’ve always yearned for the social circle, but this feels like something else... it’s literally another world."
"Common sense... common sense just doesn't work here at all. Is this truly another world? Not only were the literal top figures of Trinia here, but there were Gods from other worlds, too? So Gurin-san wasn't exaggerating about that party after all..."
"I thought our Guild Master was just being shy and making up excuses when she said she’d received that person’s favor and was specially pampered... but this..."
"I mean, at this scale, it actually makes sense that Magic Boxes would be handed out as simple game prizes. I really regret just nodding along when An-san told us those stories."
The two members of Scarlet Blue and the pair from Black Muscat had certainly heard the tales of the previous shipboard party from Gurin and An. However, the details had been so utterly far-fetched that they had remained half-skeptical—until today. The party they had just witnessed forced them to realize that every word had been the truth. They were now completely shell-shocked by an event of a caliber they had never even imagined possible.
"Well, it’s a bit of a side effect, but I suppose it’s good that the misunderstandings have been cleared up."
"It’s a little irritating that they had such a mysterious amount of confidence in the idea that I was exaggerating. Unfortunately for them, reality is so much more absurd than my delusions that there’s no way for me to even embellish it."
After sporting complicated expressions at their teammates' reactions, Gurin and An decided to move on to the main topic of their meeting.
"So, An-san... what do you think of the souvenirs we were given?"
"Um, these instant food products seem safe enough. Considering they’re items so popular that they’re usually impossible to buy, it’s quite a blessing. It’ll be nice to have a freshly made meal so easily during mining breaks. And these commemorative coins... they’re quite valuable, aren't they?"
"Indeed. Since they were only given to those who attended this party, there are likely only about five hundred of them in the entire world. Their scarcity value alone must be significant."
The primary reason Gurin and An had gathered was to discuss the gifts distributed to every participant. They both felt that for the sake of their mental health, it was better to re-examine the souvenirs in the company of someone else who understood the sheer weight of the situation.
"And the real problem is... this wine. I don’t know the first thing about wine, but what about you, Gurin-san?"
"Hmph. As someone who aspires to join high society, I consider myself a student of the craft. Since the social circle and fine wine share an inseparable bond, I perform daily mental exercises to act the part of a connoisseur... but unfortunately, I haven’t yet progressed past the theoretical stage, so I’m actually quite clueless."
"In that case, we’re in the same boat. We have no idea what this is worth."
"Fear not! I anticipated just such an occasion, which is why I have this!"
Looking remarkably confident, Gurin produced a Magic Box. It was a pale orange color with a capacity roughly equal to a handbag. It was a luxury item that Gurin had paid a staggering sum for, and she used it faithfully every day. From within, she pulled out a single book and placed it on the table.
"This is the Latest Wine Information Magazine. I bought it and brought it along thinking I might need the knowledge during a party, but... the accommodation we were shown to when we arrived a day early was so incredible that the book completely slipped my mind until now."
"I understand the feeling. I could hardly sleep myself. Well, regardless, let’s see if this bottle is listed in there."
They could tell the wine looked expensive, but they needed to know exactly how valuable it was to determine how much care to put into its storage. Together, Gurin and An began to flip through the pages.
"Wait... isn't this it right here?! There’s only a photo of the empty bottle, but the design is identical."
"It seems so. Let’s see... 'An ultra-rare and best wine sought after by wine lovers around the world. One theory suggests it is a masterpiece crafted by the Creator God-sama herself, and it is said that only a few dozen bottles exist in the world. While there are no records of it ever appearing on the open market, it is estimated that if a bottle were to be sold, its price would easily exceed fifty million R'... Oh my..."
"Fi-fifty mil—"
Taking into account the rarity mentioned in the article, the book estimated the value to be at least five billion Yen. As they read the text, the blood drained from Gurin and An’s faces in an instant.
It went without saying that both of them were mere commoners. They had no idea how they were supposed to safeguard a luxury item of such a terrifying order of magnitude. Finding no answer, the two of them turned deathly pale and instinctively clutched their stomachs in a shared, silent agony.
Serious-senpai: "Six people getting stomach aches in a single chapter—I’m impressed. Though, since they do technically know each other, I suppose it’s not strange for them to be invited..."