chapter 2

“Man, I’m really glad that you guys agreed to come along.”

Ait smiled with relief inside the swaying horse-drawn carriage.

Seated beside Ait was Jin, a man who possessed deep blue colored hair and eyes, while the two others seated on the opposite side were Syltina, a golden-haired and lavender-eyed woman, and Elaine, whose hair and eyes were the color of sweet chestnuts.

It had been 14 days since the birthday party invitation from the Kingdom of Lilith arrived. Currently, the four of them were headed to the kingdom to attend the aforementioned birthday party.

“Geez, they sure got us involved with such a stupid thing,” Jin grumbled.

“Jin……”

“Listen, Syltina. I only came because you said you were attending too. I don’t care about some country, or some stranger’s birthday. Moreover, it’s so ridiculous, that I couldn’t even get angry at getting involved in such a see-through plot.”

“So why are you in such a bad mood?”

“Hmph. I just don’t like it when people think they can easily have their way with me.”

“So you are angry. I’m begging you, don’t cause any trouble, okay?” Syltina said.

“I can’t guarantee that.”

“Geez……”

Syltina chided Jin who did not even hide his displeasure as he mumbled.

“Fufu… The two of you get along so well.”

Elaine, who had been smiling as she watched the interaction between the two, laughed merrily.

“By the way, Elaine, did Rain really let you come along as Master’s partner? You’ve only been married last month, after all.”

“Fufufu… Rain had witnessed Master be distressed over this matter, you know. He was the one who asked me to cooperate with Master. Besides, aren’t Syltina-sama and Jin-sama newlyweds as well? It was a mass wedding ceremony after all. It’s not a matter for the Guild to make public knowledge of, but if things like this continue in the future, we may have to do something about it,” answered Elaine.

“Hmm, well I don’t think it’s something that would die down easily once it’s made public after all. So it might be better to think about it again before anything else. Anyway, Master, do you truly intend to attend in these clothes?”

“Hmm? Yes, I do. Is there any problem with it?” Ait answered flatly.

“Personally, I don’t see any issue with it, but I wonder what the other party would think?” Syltina replied.

“Fufu. True, I do wonder what they would think as well.”

“…… You’re looking forward to it, aren’t you, Master?”

Syltina chuckled in astonishment at Ait, who smiled at her.

—–

It had been approximately 10 days since they left Sylkra. The continent they arrived at after crossing the ocean was not particularly big, but it was a peaceful country that was abundant in greenery.

It had been several hours since they boarded the shaky carriage that fetched them. It was about time they reached the castle where the party was going to be held. The party would have already started when they arrived. Certainly, they were likely to stand out for arriving late, and their attire would be enough to shock the whole place.

Using black as a base, the clothes were designed to look like military uniforms worn by knights, then emblazoned with the emblem of The Dipterous Sword on the chest.

Although it was a formal attire worn by the members of The Dipterous Sword during festivities in Sylkra, that attire would, unfortunately, stand out in a glamorous setting such as the party organized by the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Lilith.

Moreover, wearing military clothes to a birthday party was a surefire way to incur the wrath of the ruling Monarch if executed poorly. But as far as it goes, the only redeeming feature was that Syltina and Elaine wore skirts with their uniforms.

Nevertheless, it seems that the preference for clothes emphasizing ease of movement never changed…

“Are you planning something, Master?”

“Oh my. No, I’m not really planning anything in particular. Rather, it’s the other side who’s planning something. I’m only here to reciprocate when they try to pull a fast one on us, you see.”

Ait laughed as if he thoroughly enjoyed the moment.

Since he was the one who united the peculiar guild members, it was only natural that he would be the most peculiar one of them all. Having given up on getting the plot out of Ait, Syltina looked out the window.

“I just hope we could get home without incident……”

Syltina didn’t think that things would happen her way, but she still couldn’t help but blurt it out.

In the meantime, Syltina checked the dagger hidden under her skirt and pictured the escape routes in the map of the Kingdom of Lilith that was shown to her beforehand, making her the best accomplice for Ait even though she had not noticed it.

Ait laughed happily.

Elaine smiled cheerfully.

Jin had a sullen look on his face.

And, Syltina had an indescribable look on her face.

It was only a few minutes after the Royal Castle came into the view of the four people inside the shaking carriage, who all had different expressions.