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Even Eren and the other maids appeared to be listening intently, their eyes sparkling with interest and their attention fully focused.

“Well, there is no lady I am currently seeing… but come to think of it, I recall that Fräulein Lieselotte has a fiancé who is three or four years older?” Viola teased, swirling her glass and watching Lieselotte’s reaction through the amber wine.

“Hmm, you got me. Indeed, my fiancé, Ricky… Cedric, is currently sixteen, but our relationship extends only to that of an arranged engagement, so there’s not much to talk about,” Lieselotte replied with a dismissive snort.

Despite her seemingly nonchalant attitude, Viola—along with every other young woman in the room—didn’t miss Lieselotte’s momentarily darting eyes and the slight movement of her maid.

“Oh, really? Rumor has it that since your fiancé is a count’s son, there were objections. But someone was deeply in love… I mean, insisted strongly on the engagement, and as a result, your betrothed was sent to study abroad while Fräulein agreed to enroll in the academy. Is that not true?” Viola continued to probe with a playful smile.

—Hohoho~

“Wha…?! Th-, those are baseless court gossip, embellished for amusement. I enrolled in the academy to broaden my horizons as a princess, entirely unrelated to Cedric,” Lieselotte protested, her face turning red, whether from anger or embarrassment.

Everyone watched with warm, amused gazes as Lieselotte hastily tried to explain herself.

“Oh, is that so? It seems Lady Lieselotte has someone special. That’s interesting. Out of pure curiosity, how far have things progressed? Given that he’s older, I suspect he’s quite advanced,” I asked, suddenly intrigued.

Lieselotte’s mouth clamped shut, and she let out a small groan. Viola whistled softly, giving a knowing smile, while the maids all leaned in eagerly, their ears practically twitching.

“I-, I didn’t expect such a question from you of all people. What a surprise… but since I was the one who brought up the subject of love stories, I suppose I should answer honestly… um, well, in confirming our feelings for each other, we’ve—”

“—Since he studied abroad, could he be an exchange student from the Graviol Empire? Given that he’s three years older, his field of study must have been pretty advanced.”

“Kisse…huh?”
“Pardon?”
““““………””””

“—A-, ahem, I should have known. …Anyway, what about you, Jill? Do you have someone you like? I mean, earlier you mentioned Prince Lucas and Priest Cestlavie, right? From what I saw during the day, both seemed interested in you. Which one is your main interest? I’d like to know.”

Immediately, Eren and the other girls in the room focused their gazes on me with intense curiosity.

Under the pressure that felt almost physically palpable, I managed to say, “Um… no comment—”

“““““NOT AN OPTION!!”””””

In an instant, they banded together to block any escape.

As I looked around at the predatory glint in their eyes, I began to search for a way to navigate this challenging situation.

♦♢♦

“They’re late.”

It was past midnight. The retreat, devoid of streetlights, was shrouded in darkness cast by the canopy of trees surrounding the buildings. If not for the moon’s full glow, it would have been impossible to see even past your own arm’s length.

At the illuminated main gate, lit by torches and lanterns, the leader among the members of the adventurer group Steel Wagon impatiently muttered while scanning the road leading to the town.

“How long do they take to clean up a few corpses? Even with their numbers, it shouldn’t take more than half a day.”
“Ain’t they having a blast in the town nearby?”
“This place is the heartland of the church. There’s not a single brothel in sight. They’d be bored out of their minds.”
“They’re probably drowning in booze right about now. Damn lucky.”
“I wish I had stayed back.”
“Hahahaha!”

The adventurers, each equipped haphazardly, echoed with crude laughter.

Among them, the leader wore a grim expression, his temples visibly pulsating.

“Don’t be so careless, damn it! Think beyond your usual antics! We’ve got sons and daughters of not only major nobles but even royals. I even heard someone from the Imperial Family is here. If we catch their eye, that could mean bidding farewell to our vagrant lives. Show some dignity, at least!”
“Yeah, yeah.”

As the leader was about to shout another retort, someone interrupted, “Oh, isn’t that Lazar and the others? Looks like they’ve returned.”

Promptly, one of their beastkin comrades, keen-eyed in the dark, pointed out a group approaching from the road ahead.

“Finally, darn it. Hey, you’re late!”

Silently approaching were a dozen adventurers clad in familiar gear.

The leader, about to shout once again, noticed they were walking slowly, dragging their feet. He frowned. “Are you injured? What happened? Speak up!”

Still met with silence from the approaching group, he instinctively drew his sword halfway from his waist, pointing the tip towards them.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer! Lazar, report from where you stand!”

With a slight delay, his comrades behind him also readied their weapons, aiming torches and lanterns toward them to illuminate the area.

“ —EEK!!”

The first to notice them was the beastkin man, accustomed to the dark.

Puzzled expressions dawned on the adventurers, led by the leader, as they soon realized the state of their approaching companions—or rather, former companions—in the illuminated zone, causing them to gasp.

“L-, Lazar, and you all… those wounds…”
“They’re… they’re dead…”
“Mo-, mo-, monsters!”

Initially mistaking them for merely dirty, the Steel Wagon adventurers realized the stains on their comrades’ bodies were blood, at first wondering if it was splattered on them, and finally understanding that the blood had flowed and congealed from their own bodies. That sight sent shivers down the bodies of the battle-hardened adventurers.

At that moment, the surrounding woods came alive with a collective rustling, as if a colossal creature was slithering through.

“Enemy attack! We’ve got an ambush!”

Upon the leader’s alarming cry, a deep, beast-like roar thundered from behind their former allies—now enemies—resounding from the inky depths where light dared not reach.

♦♢♦

“Oh? I think I hear some commotions from outside.”
“You’re still evading the question, I see.”