Since Elis-san was personally guiding us to the tea party venue, Kuro and I chatted while following along behind her.
"By the way, Elis-san, how many people are participating in this tea party?"
"Since this is your first time attending, Kaito-sama, I thought it best to simply let you get a feel for the atmosphere. Excluding us, there are eight participants. I had hoped to invite some young lords close to your age as well, but as there were no suitable candidates, the group consists of eight noble daughters..."
"Oh, that's perfectly fine. In fact, thank you for being so considerate. If there are eight noble daughters, I suppose that means there will be about sixteen people total, counting their companions?"
Elis-san spoke apologetically, but I already knew that the ratio of women to men in this world was skewed, and I had enough experience being the only male in a group of women that it didn't bother me at all. However, I was curious about the numbers. Elis-san had said eight guests were coming, but since she specified they were eight noble daughters, I wondered if she was counting their companions separately. I recalled that nobles weren't allowed to act as companions.
"Ah, no. In the context of a noble's tea party, 'companions' are generally guards. While some feel anxious without a protector nearby, explicitly writing 'guard' on an invitation can be interpreted as a lack of trust in the host's security. Therefore, we use the term 'companion' as a euphemism."
"Wait, really? Is that how it works!?"
"Yes. However, it is merely a common practice for guests to bring guards. Bringing another noble or a friend as a literal companion, just as you have done, Kaito-sama, is not incorrect in the slightest. Please rest assured that neither you nor Chrome-sama have done anything wrong. The host always prepares the venue with ample seating to ensure there are no issues, regardless of who the companions might be."
So there was a tacit understanding that Companion meant Guard... I had no idea. It wasn't that bringing a regular friend was forbidden, but it was a surprising revelation nonetheless.
"Is that so? I didn't know that at all either," Kuro added.
"It is a noble custom—a convention, of sorts. Unless you are part of the nobility, you would rarely have the chance to learn such things, so your confusion is only natural. Beyond tea party etiquette, there are many similar traditions. Many exist without any profound reason; they simply persist because that is how things have been done for generations. Although I, as a noble, perhaps shouldn't be the one to say this, many of them are quite tedious."
As Elis-san gave a bitter smile, I suddenly remembered how I had been utterly confused by the decorative characters in a letter from Chris-san. Come to think of it, that had been another one of those noble customs. Realizing just how many of these hidden rules must exist made me feel that being a noble was a lot of hard work.
"I must admit, though, I am a little surprised. I expected that you might not know the nuance, Kaito-sama, given you are an otherworlder—and Chrome-sama has no record of ever attending a tea party—but I had assumed the Phantasm King-sama would have informed you beforehand..."
"Er, well, Alice is..."
"Shaltier will warn us if there's actual danger to Kaito-kun," Kuro interjected, "but if it's just a matter of us or Elis-chan getting all flustered, she'll just stay quiet and watch us for the fun of it."
Kuro was right. If my ignorance of the correct meaning of "companion" would have led to a genuine disadvantage, Alice would have told me. In this case, bringing Kuro wasn't strictly a mistake, and since Elis-san had prepared enough seats anyway, Alice probably judged that there was no real problem. She was likely watching us with amusement now that we had finally discovered the truth.
She seemed to sympathize with Lilia-san’s constant struggles, occasionally offering her support even when it didn't directly involve me, but Alice was still Alice.
As I was thinking that, Alice's voice drifted toward me from behind, though she remained hidden from sight.
"Hey now, it's not like I've done absolutely nothing. This time, for example, I gave a gentle warning to two noble houses that were up to some mischief."
"Ph-Phantasm King-sama!? You did?"
"Ah, don't worry, it's perfectly understandable that you didn't notice, Elis-san. Their influence was weak to begin with, and since I had a word with them before they could even start moving, there weren't even any actual signs of their plot."
Elis-san’s face was a mask of sheer astonishment. As the host, she must have been shocked to learn that noble houses were plotting right under her nose.
"Really, it wasn't anything major. Just some petty, clever little tricks. One involved pressuring the third daughter of a Viscount house scheduled to attend, trying to force her to introduce them to Kaito-san. The other was a plan to see if they could sneak a retainer merchant in as someone's companion, since nobles are forbidden from the role. Neither was grand enough to be called a crime, so I just gave them a gentle warning... Though they did end up prostrating themselves in tears while apologizing..."
"What on earth did you do to them...?"
Based on what she had just said, it really wasn't a grand conspiracy. It was just one person trying to use a participant as a social bridge and another trying to bypass the companion rules. They hadn't even taken action; it was still in the planning phase. But if they were prostrating themselves and weeping, how much had Alice actually threatened them?
"I'm serious, it was just a gentle warning. Since it was such minor mischief, Elis-san would have easily handled it even if they had tried something. It wouldn't have caused Kaito-san any real harm, so even if they had followed through, I would have forgiven them with just a light scolding... Well, if I had to name one noteworthy detail about the situation... I brought Eden-san along since she looked bored and had her wait silently in the background."
"You're a monster..."
Of course they'd be crying and begging for mercy! I’d heard that Eden-san had traumatized many nobles already. Setting aside people like me who knew the relationship between Machina-san and Alice, a normal noble would have no idea that there was any connection between the Phantasm King and Eden-san. They would just think Eden-san herself had taken offense and come to personally lay down the law. Having her wait silently in the background was terrifying beyond belief. The scene I was imagining was so hellish that I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of sympathy for the people who had tried to be sneaky.
Alice-chan: "It was just a bit of minor mischief, so I’ll forgive them. Even if they had actually done it, I would have been big-hearted enough to let it slide... but I wonder, would the person standing behind me have been so lenient?"
Serious-senpai: "That’s a scene straight out of hell."
Machina: "...Wait, let me make one thing clear so there’s no misunderstanding. I have absolutely no interest in the power struggles of meat slabs, and I wasn't angry either, okay? I’ll eliminate anyone who causes actual harm to my beloved child, but it didn't look like that was going to happen here. I was just standing there in the back because Alice told me to."
Serious-senpai: "Oh, so that's how it was..."
Machina: "To begin with, Alice asked me to go out for a meal with her. I thought it was a bit strange when she insisted I come in my Eden form, though..."
Serious-senpai: "She doesn't use her omniscience on Alice, so she gets tricked all the time..."
Machina: "I’m starting to feel a bit frustrated that I'm being used as a convenient tool for intimidation..."
Alice-chan: "No, no, I didn't mean to use you for intimidation at all! It was such a small matter that I just took care of it on our way to lunch. As for having you wait behind me... well, you know, it's only natural to want your best friend close by, right?"
Machina: "I—I suppose that can't be helped then. You're right, I understand the feeling of wanting your best friend by your side. In that case, I have no complaints at all. If anything, I’m sorry for misunderstanding your intentions."
Serious-senpai: "That was way too easy!"