chapter 3

The atmosphere was tense.

The gaze of the well-dressed nobles was focused on the quartet dressed in black. The guests couldn’t help but murmur.

‘It’s The Dipterous Sword……’

‘So, that’s the Guild Master Ait Blurantë.’

‘Isn’t the one beside him the ‘Smiling Gun Princess’!?’

‘And the ones behind them are ‘The Prodigy Knight’ and the ‘Lady of the Abyss’, aren’t they!?’

‘The Guild Master is accompanied by three of the Two-Name Holders……!!’

‘……Amazing. But, why are they in military uniforms?’

‘To come to a birthday party in an all-black attire……’

‘What were they thinking?’

The tension caused by the surprise spread like wildfire that even the music stopped. In the middle of it all, the people in question seemed to not mind at all. Syltina was the first to reaffirm her statement.

“See, we do stand out in this, Master.”

“You’re right. Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Rather, the Two-Name Holders sure are famous.”

“Aren’t you changing the topic, Master? Besides, if we’re talking about popularity, then, you’re just as popular as we are.”, Elaine refuted.

Meanwhile, Jin grumbled at the words of the guests.

“But, why is my second name ‘The Prodigy Knight’?”

“In Syltina’s case, her familiar Kreutz is the cause of it. Which reminds me, what happened to him?”, Ait asked.

“I had Kuro go with Mars-kun on a mission.”

“Now that I think of it, isn’t Syltina-sama overlooking Mars-sama’s training?”, Elaine followed.

“Yes, that is correct. I would normally accompany him during missions, but I was required to come here on short notice so I asked Kuro to accompany him since we can’t cancel accepted quests. Kuro said he’d follow right after they finish the quest, but I wonder if he’s going to interfere with Mars.”

“At the very least, he’s only there to be Mars-sama’s chaperone. However, Kreutz-sama seems to be the type to interfere.”

“You think so, too, Elaine?”

Because she understood her familiar Kreutz’s personality, Syltina just laughed and sighed as if she had given up.

A girl with golden hair and jade-colored eyes appeared in front of them as they nonchalantly conversed amid the tension.

“Dear people of The Dipterous Sword, I thank you for taking the trouble to come all the way here for my sake. I am the daughter of the King of the Principality of Lilith, Carona.”

Ait and the others straightened up and curtsied to Carona, who pinched the sides of her pink dress with a flutter and elegantly bowed back. He greeted the Princess.

“Why, it is an honor to be welcomed by Princess Carona. I am Ait Blurantë, Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild, The Dipterous Sword. Thank you for inviting us here tonight. While we may be late, please allow me to congratulate you on your birthday.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Waiting behind me are some of the finest people from my guild. Please allow me to introduce my partner tonight, ‘The Smiling Gun Princess’, Elaine Hughner, and the person you have extended your invite to, ‘The Prodigy Knight’, Jin, and his partner, ‘The Lady of the Abyss’, Syltina. We are pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“It is a pleasure for us to be able to meet you who are known as the Two-Name Holders. Please enjoy your evening.”

Appearing from behind Carona, the King spoke and raised his hand and waved it, signaling the musicians to start playing again.

“Thank you for your kind words. Please forgive us for attending in these clothes. After all, we are people from a guild, so, we do not possess clothes that are required for such a glamorous occasion. The invitation was sudden, so we were not able to prepare anything at all. That’s why we attended wearing the guild’s formal attire.”

“There is no need to apologize, after all, it was us who invited you on such short notice. I will overlook it this time.”, replied the King.

The King nodded generously as Ait bowed in a way that looked forced.

“Thank you very much.”

Ait looked at the three behind him after he bowed and watched the King leave together with the Princess.

“Isn’t it great that the King was gracious enough to allow us to attend in this attire?”

As he said it, Ait had a refreshed smile pasted on his face.