I’d spent a lot of time imagining what a noble’s tea party would be like, but once it actually began, it didn't seem to involve anything particularly special. For the most part, it just felt like making small talk while drinking black tea.
Of course, in a normal setting, there would likely be a fair amount of the psychological maneuvering unique to the nobility—smiles masking a search for weaknesses or attempts to pressure one another—but today felt like nothing more than a casual conversation.
"This garden is quite beautiful. The flowers are so vivid, but I don't think I've seen many of these varieties before."
"The flowers at this villa are a bit special. We use specialized barrier magic to regulate the atmospheric pressure, which allows us to grow a collection of plants that normally only thrive in high-altitude regions."
"I see... Does that include things like Sky Flowers, for example?"
"Ah, no. Sky Flowers are, as one might expect, difficult to grow alongside other flowers, so they are not kept here."
When Elis-san mentioned gathering high-altitude flora, it made me wonder if Sky Flowers—the species of Erial-san's main body—were kept here too. Apparently not.
Just as Elis-san finished her answer, Kuro added a brief bit of context.
"Sky Flowers generally only grow near the peaks of mountains over five thousand meters high. It’s tied to magic power concentration, as well. They aren't exactly one-of-a-kind, but they’re still fairly rare. In the Demon Realm, for instance, you’ll mostly find them blooming on the mountains in the Southern Region, near where Magnawell lives."
"I see. I do remember there being many tall mountains in the area where Magnawell-san lives."
"They might even be growing on Magnawell's back. He meets the altitude requirements, after all..."
Now that I thought about it, Magnawell-san's height alone was over six thousand meters. Remembering that put his sheer, common-sense-defying scale into perspective all over again.
"Kaito-sama, do you indeed find yourself traveling to the Demon Realm often?"
"I have many acquaintances there, so I have plenty of opportunities to go. As for whether I’ve explored it thoroughly, I’m not so sure. I’ve visited the territories of all the Six Kings at least once, though."
I answered Cornelia-san's question after thinking it over for a moment. It was true that I visited the Demon Realm frequently, but I didn't exactly go around to various tourist spots or different provinces. Since I mostly went to see people I knew, the places I visited were fairly limited.
If anything, the place I set foot in most often was probably the Land of Death.
"Do all of you ever go to the Demon Realm?"
"I was gratefully invited to the first Six Kings Festival and participated then, but otherwise, I rarely have the occasion to visit."
"Like Elis-sama, I have experience participating in the Six Kings Festival. Also, since my family runs a trading company that deals in magic tools, I have traveled to Chromelake several times."
Elis-san and Cornelia-san were the first to answer my question, but a certain word they used caught my interest.
"...Chromelake?"
"It’s the name of the city near my castle," Kuro replied.
"Oh, so that city is called Chromelake. Was it named after you, Kuro?"
"It seems so. People just started calling it that at some point."
Kuro answered my question with a slightly embarrassed, bitter smile.
So the name of the city near Kuro's castle, where Kuro's Fledglings and their families lived, was called Chromelake. I had visited it many times, but I didn't remember ever hearing its name.
I felt like I should have seen it on a sign or something, but thinking back, while I went to Kuro's castle often, I hadn't spent much time in the actual city... except for when I walked around with Sieg-san. I should take my time to look around there again next time.
"I have never been there myself. Even if our house were to be invited to an event, a fourth daughter like me would almost never be included."
"Hmm, I'm sorry for being so ignorant about noble etiquette, but for invited events or parties, is it usually the eldest son or daughter who participates?"
"There isn't a hard rule, but generally, the heir participates. In social circles, it's better for the successor to attend to build connections. However, there are cases where siblings other than the heir are prioritized to look for potential marriage partners, and wealthy houses might bring several children at once. In my case, we are minor nobles with many children and little money, so there is simply no room for the fourth daughter to attend parties. I have only been taken along a few times just to experience the atmosphere of a social gathering."
"I see. Nobles have it tough in many ways, too."
Marie-san, who had mentioned this was her first time at a tea party, seemed to have very little experience with social functions in general. Indeed, being the fourth daughter meant there were at least three older sisters above her. If you included brothers as well, it probably wasn't feasible to bring everyone...
There were likely various noble power dynamics at play, too. It seemed like a complicated world.
...Ah, but there shouldn't be any problem with inviting them to a party that I host, right? It was like that during the shipboard party. It might be a good idea to hold one again at some point.
Stomach Pain Warrior Biographies II
Chronoa
Stomach Pain Power: ★★★★ Suction Power: ★★ Durability: ★★★ Piteousness: ★★★★★★ Amount of Stomach Medicine: ★ Breast Disparity: ★★★★★★★★★★
The God Realm’s designated victim of stomach pain. She was once a flat-chested warrior plagued by a superior and two colleagues who were all... significantly better endowed. However, the behavior of Fate—her primary source of stress—has improved thanks to Kaito’s influence, meaning her suffering has generally decreased. That said, whenever she does get caught in a stomach pain development, the cause is almost always Shiro. The force of a single blow from that direction is immense. Also, Lilia is dragged into it nearly every single time.
Lilliwood Yggdrasil
Stomach Pain Power: ★★ Suction Power: ★★ Durability: ★★★ Piteousness: ★★★★ Amount of Stomach Medicine: ★ Ratio of being on the side that deals stomach pain: ★★★★
The Demon Realm’s designated victim of stomach pain. Her primary sources of distress were once Isis and Megiddo, but with Isis’s significant emotional growth, her headaches now stem mostly from Megiddo. Though usually gentle and kind, she tends to be noticeably sharp with Megiddo, proving just how much he puts her through. However, as a Six King and a major power in the Demon Realm, she is a dual-natured entity who occasionally finds herself on the side dealing out the stomach pain. As long as Megiddo stays quiet, her suffering remains minimal. Unfortunately, Lilia is also dragged into most of the fallout surrounding Megiddo.