Chapter 9: Side Story: If It’s a Party, Then Escort Me Properly

“I’d like you two to attend a soirée.”

On the third day after our summoning, King Risharl suddenly dropped that line on us.

“In this situation?”

A soirée… a nobles’ party, basically.

From my perspective, all I can do is question the logic of it.

Sure, we’d decided to set off on our journey in a week, but shouldn’t the subjugation of the ‘Demon Dragon’ take precedence?

Though I knew it might be impolite, I asked anyway.

“Yes. The nobles have made a very strong request. Embarrassing as it is, some of them are already acting like we’ve won. Since the summoning succeeded, the ‘Hero’ will take care of everything… or so they believe.”

“We haven’t even started the journey yet, though.”

Raiga looked exasperated at how ridiculously fast they were jumping the gun.

“Perhaps it’s also because of the rumors about Lord Raiga overwhelming the castle guards. I can’t really blame them for clinging to hope.”

“So this is just a bit of amusement after the parade?”

“Yes. Personally, I’d also prefer the morale boost of you displaying your authority, rather than letting this place stay heavy with gloom.”

Honestly, I find it a huge pain.

If I had time for this kind of thing, I’d rather spend it gaining more knowledge about this world. A welcome surprise, though: the royal castle has a library. Its collection and preservation are excellent, apparently maintained with anti-decay magic.

What especially caught my interest were the documents on magic.

My room, which I’m borrowing for the time being, is now piled high with them.

In a world without science, maintaining a high standard of living means magic is essential. I’d like to avoid hardship on the journey as much as I can.

“I think it sounds fun.”

Unfortunately, my other half—Raiga—seemed enthusiastic.

He didn’t seem intimidated by the idea of entering high society. Now that I think about it, he comes from a wealthy family. Maybe he’s just used to the upper class.

“So, Lord Yuto, is that a yes from you as well?”

Since they’ve gone around broadcasting that I’m the ‘Saint,’ I’ve ended up in a semi-main character position.

And apparently, it wouldn’t look good for the ‘Saint,’ who’s seen as the Hero’s official partner, to skip out.

“…Fine. I’ll go.”

I could only nod in reluctant acceptance.

A little later, in the dressing room.

“You look absolutely stunning, Lord Yuto.”

The maid murmured after finally finishing the extensive decoration process.

She’s the same woman who helped me change clothes on the first day. Apparently, she’s in charge of taking care of me, and we’ve had quite a few interactions.

I braced myself and looked in the mirror.

The pure white dress was my own request. No way was I going with something gaudy like hot pink or red. The design was fairly modest in terms of exposure, too.

I just couldn’t handle putting my needlessly oversized chest on full display.

To be honest, even just wearing a skirt feels like it’s scraping at my soul. But cross-dressing was not allowed, so this was my tiny form of rebellion.

“The contrast between the black and white is quite striking.”

“Uh… thank you?”

She complimented me, so I gave a polite reply, but I couldn’t shake the discomfort.

Even my black hair had been styled elegantly.

I usually tie it up in a rough ponytail, but apparently that wasn’t suitable for the occasion.

It was gathered to the left in a floral shape.

The maid had tied it up in the blink of an eye.

Her hands moved so fast I couldn’t follow the steps at all. No matter how many times I replay it in my mind, it makes no sense.

Do women really go through this every time they need to show themselves in public?

At this point, I can only think of it as a kind of magic.

Waiting for me after I finished dressing was Raiga.

Apparently, he’s supposed to be my escort.

I didn’t have any particular objections.

When I told King Risharl that I had absolutely no idea about social etiquette, he gave me a crash course. Things like how to greet people without being rude, or how to politely refuse a dance…

Yes, the dance.

It’s a shame, but the reason this soirée was arranged wasn’t to welcome us visitors from another world.

In truth, the nobles who made the request only had one goal.

To cozy up to the ‘Hero’ and the ‘Saint.’

That’s all.

They want to butter us up before we defeat the ‘Demon Dragon.’

If they’re lucky, maybe even become our lovers—and secure political influence in the kingdom afterward.

—People’s thinking really doesn’t change, no matter what world you’re in.

Given the situation, Raiga is the perfect bug repellent.

Just having him nearby will make people jump to conclusions. He’s that kind of guy.

While feeling a twinge of self-loathing for constantly using others like this, I smiled at Raiga.

“Raiga, sorry to keep you waiting.”

I was zoning out in the waiting room when someone called to me from behind.

“Yo, Yuto. Took you lo—”

I turned around mid-sentence, and the words died in my throat.

Standing there was a full-on girl.

Completely different from how they looked during the parade.

Back then, the decorations had been minimal because they were riding a horse.

But now—light makeup on snow-white skin. The soft blush on their cheeks made them look adorable.

The glimpse of their nape through the carefully styled black hair caught my eye and wouldn’t let go.

The dress tried to hide their body’s contours as much as possible, but that only stirred a man’s imagination even more.

“Sorry. The maid was fast, but I underestimated how long I’d need… Raiga?”

“Ah. Ahh… Sorry, I was just… mesmerized. You look amazing.”

“What are you saying? Do you say that kind of thing to girls all the time?”

…Yeah, I’m definitely being misunderstood here.

Trying my best to suppress the urge to hang my head, we headed toward the venue together.

King Risharl's speech finally ended, and we heard the announcement prompting our entrance.

—Took him long enough.

Why is it that important people always have to give such long speeches?

To sum it up:

“We received a divine revelation and carried out the summoning ritual. It succeeded, so let us give thanks to the gods. Let our otherworldly visitors rejuvenate before they depart.”

That was the entire message—just those three lines—but he went on and on in a roundabout way.

I glanced at Yuto, who was looking at me with a troubled expression.

He was probably thinking the exact same thing.

“Well, shall we?”

“Yeah.”

We linked arms and began to walk.

…Something soft was pressing against me—not gonna say what.

But Yuto didn’t seem to care at all.

Am I the weird one for reacting to this? No, that can’t be right.

And so began a torturous period of silence, where I couldn’t say a word because I didn’t want him to look down on me.

About half an hour had passed since we entered the hall.

It was rough at first.

Even with Raiga standing right beside me, I was bombarded with invitations from men.

I’m sure I mentioned during the summoning ritual that I used to be a guy, but somehow they seemed to have completely forgotten. I even recognized some of their faces.

But none of them showed the slightest hesitation.

Same with Raiga—maybe that’s just how it is in this world.

I honestly don’t get it. Actually, I don’t want to get it.

Even when we first walked in, it was awful.

The stares from the opposite sex—or rather, from what used to be the same sex—felt like they were burning into me.

It gave me goosebumps. I was truly glad I had chosen a dress with low exposure. If I hadn’t, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

In that sense, I have to give Raiga credit.

At least he doesn’t look at me like that.

Maybe he’s just used to this kind of setting.

By the way, while I was surrounded by men, Raiga was getting the same treatment from the ladies.

Well, he’s a prime catch, so of course they’d flock to him.

Seems like he ended up turning them all down, though.

To my surprise, the men actually backed off more easily than I expected.

Maybe they figured it was worth a shot, but not a big deal if it didn’t work out. Or perhaps they didn’t want to risk making a bad impression in case I came back victorious after defeating the ‘Demon Dragon.’

…But that was naïve of me.

While the women seemed to take no for an answer, the men—well, they had other plans in mind.

“…Huh? Is that Karen-san?”

“Hmm? Where?”

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t seen Karen-san at all tonight.

She’s supposedly King Risharl’s cousin. It would actually be weird if she weren’t here.

So I’d been keeping an eye out for her… and finally managed to spot her.

“She’s over there.”

Pointing would be rude, so I gestured subtly with my gaze.

Raiga caught on and looked in that direction.

“…She’s swarmed.”

And not in the mild way I had been.

Karen-san was being completely surrounded by every man in sight.

When you think about it, she really is a top-tier candidate in her own right.

She’s of royal blood and a former ‘Saint.’ In a way, you could say she’s already fulfilled her role.

She was apparently the kind of woman who never used her status as the ‘Saint’ as a shield. Rather than acting superior to others, she focused solely on improving herself.

That noble attitude resonated with the people and became a symbol of hope.

Even after losing her Stigma, her popularity didn’t wane—if anything, it grew even stronger.

There was no way the unmarried nobles would leave someone like Karen-san alone.

In fact, maybe she was the real reason this soirée was organized in the first place.

Now that she was no longer the ‘Saint,’ she was, in more ways than one, a free agent.

Karen-san seemed to be turning them down with patience and grace, but there were simply too many of them.

Some guys even circled back to the end of the line right after being rejected.

“Raiga, go help her.”

“…Are you sure?”

I wanted to help her too, but I probably wouldn’t be much use. Best leave it to the right person for the job.

“It’s just… I feel bad for her. If they actually liked her, fine—but most of them clearly just want power.”

“Got it, got it.”

Raiga moved fast.

He sliced cleanly through the crowd in a flash and—

“Would you honor me with a dance?”

—said something absurdly smooth as he pulled off a textbook rescue.

The stunned looks on the elves' faces were incredibly satisfying. A few of them were even glaring daggers at him.

Of course, they weren’t actually going to dance.

Karen-san probably didn’t have the energy left for that anyway.

“Phew… Thank you.”

Karen-san exhaled as she tilted her wine glass, finally able to relax.

“Nah, just returning the favor. Help each other when we’re in trouble, right?”

Raiga waved it off casually.

From the outside, it probably looked like he was flanked by two lovely ladies—though I’m actually a guy.

“That must have been exhausting… Wait, do you drink alcohol?”

Watching a girl who looked about my age gulp down wine without flinching felt oddly dissonant. Her face wasn’t even turning red. Maybe she was a heavy drinker.

“Yes. Wine is one of Elgrand’s specialties. Do you and Lord Yuto not drink?”

“Uh, we’re still minors.”

That said, Raiga had been about to sneak a sip before I stopped him.

“Minors…?”

“It’s a term from our world. Humans there aren’t allowed to drink until they’re over twenty.”

“I see. That’s similar to a rule in the teachings of the Hero—though there, the age is fifteen.”

Elves, it turns out, are huge fans of Heroes.

Long ago, Elgrand was in crisis under siege by the Demon Lord. It was a Hero who appeared and saved them.

Elves live long lives, so those who were present back then passed the story down, and it became a lasting influence.

“Hmm… I wonder if that Hero struggled with alcohol too.”

“…Apparently, his family wasn’t very well-off. Every time his father drank, he became violent. That’s supposedly why the Hero left that teaching behind.”

That was… not something I wanted to know.

And seriously, how did even that part of the story survive over time?

“Well then, thank you, Lord Raiga, Lord Yuto.”

“You sure? You might get swarmed again.”

Raiga stopped Karen-san as she made to leave.

I agreed. If she walked away now, she’d be right back to square one.

“It’s all right. I’d feel bad intruding on you two.”

“We’d be happy to have you, Karen-san. Besides, it’s not like Raiga and I are together or anything.”

“Yeah… that’s true.”

Why does Raiga sound disappointed? We haven’t even started our journey yet.

In the end, I insisted she stay with us, and the three of us spent the rest of the evening together.

With the three of us as a unit, it became harder for others to approach us—that kind of atmosphere.

And so, without any major incidents after that, the lively night quietly wore on.