Chapter 1861: Before the Ship Party Starts ①
On the day of Kaito’s hosted ship party, Greene, with her hair neatly styled and wearing a rented dress, was heading towards the Teleportation Gate looking nervous, but somewhat enthusiastic.
[Alright, let’s do our best to make acquaintances with rich people and make my social debut…… also, unrelated to that, I might be able to see genuine n.o.ble ladies, so I want to check them out for future reference.]
Greene is a commoner who yearns for the life of n.o.ble ladies. She yearns for the glittering world of social life and dreams that one day, she too will be part of such a glittering world.
However, as a receptionist at the Adventurers’ Guild in a rural town, she has no chance to meet rich people such as n.o.bles, and even among the Adventurers, there are few high-ranking adventurers in rural towns, so she has no contacts.
However, thanks to her hobby, she met Kaito at the Flying Board Compet.i.tion she attended every year. Due to this, she was invited to the party this time, making her feel somewhat excited and hopeful.
……Well, the reality was that the party was a few hundred times more tremendous than she had imagined, but she had no way of knowing that at the moment.
[Welcome, where would you like to be teleported?]
[Errr, excuse me, I was told that if I showed this invitation, I would be teleported there……]
[Ahh, you’re availing the special transfer then. Please allow me to check your invitation for a moment…… Yes, we have confirmed it and will now return your invitation to you. Please come this way so we can prepare the Teleportation Gate for you.]
[Yes, thank you.]
While thanking the courteous attendant and moving on, Greene thought in her mind.
(Eh? Can I really teleport for free? Teleportation from Human Realm to Demon Realm should be quite expensive, right…… I brought a considerable amount of money just in case, but for them to only conduct a simple check, not even having to line up…… I- I wonder if this is what the upper cla.s.s calls VIP treatment…… I- I’m kinda getting nervous.)
Usually, when availing the services of the Teleportation Gates, one would have to wait for their turn to be teleported…… but it seems that special transfers are carried out at a different Teleportation Gate, where one is guided separately from the normal queue and the teleportation is carried out smoothly.
Upon arrival, she found herself inside what was likely a Teleportation Gate somewhere in the Demon Realm, but as someone who had little experience in the Demon Realm, Greene didn’t know where she was.
As she looked around, a woman dressed in a maid outfit who was near the entrance of the Teleportation Gate came up to her and bowed.
[Excuse me, I sense a reaction to your invitation, but would you happen to be an invited guest?]
[Ah, y- yes!]
[Well then, I beg your pardon, but I would like to confirm your invitation.]
[H- Here you go……]
Slightly overwhelmed by the presence of a maid, which she rarely encounters in her daily life, Greene handed over her invitation. The maid, after confirming it, nodded once before returning the invitation to Greene.
[Thank you very much. Well then, may I show you to the venue then?]
[I- I’m in your care.]
[Yes. The transfer will be carried out by teleportation. Besides direct teleportation to the interior of the magic ship, for those who wish to see the exterior of the magic ship, you can choose between two options: teleportation to a location where you can inspect the exterior before being teleported back to the interior later, or direct teleportation to the interior. Which option would you prefer?]
[Ahh, t- then, I’d like to inspect the exterior first……]
[Understood. You will be teleported in 10 seconds. Please note that teleportation to the interior will automatically take place 1 minute after you arrive at the location…… Well then, I bid you a good day.]
While the maid was confirming what Greene would like, the information reached Gluttony, who was waiting in the subs.p.a.ce, and the teleportation took place in the way the invitee wanted.
The seas in the Demon Realm, on a floating pedestal prepared to inspect the appearance of the magic ship, Greene was stunned with her eyes and mouth wide open.
[……Aehh? W- W- W- What is with this size……]
In front of her was a huge luxury liner of a size she had never seen before in her life, and witnessing its overwhelming scale made her involuntarily shudder.
(A- Arehh? Could this possibly be a much bigger party than I had imagined?)
Greene realized that she had been naive in her perceptions, but that didn’t mean she could do anything about it now, and while she was stunned by such a sight, a minute pa.s.sed and she was teleported to the ship.
The place she was teleported to looked like a reception area, where she presented her invitation and was given a key.
[……This key is?]
[It’s a key to a room that has been individually allocated to the invited guests. Please feel free to use them as needed, like for waiting until the party starts, changing clothes or taking a break.]
[Ah, yes.]
Never had she expected that a room would be individually prepared for her. Overwhelmed by the extraordinary treatment, her hands trembled as she received the key. Greene then moved away from the reception area and anxiously surveyed the luxurious interior of the ship…… Suddenly, she spotted an acquaintance who looked just as bewildered as her, looking around.
[Anne-san!]
[Eh? Ahh, Greene-san…… T- Thank goodness, I finally met someone I know…… Having found myself in an unbelievable place like this, I was feeling bewildered and confused.]
[I feel the same way. No, I mean, I was expecting a lavish party, but I didn’t expect anything like this…… I’m so relieved to see you here, Anne-san.]
[Geez, you could already feel how luxurious this place is from the interior…… a- anyhow, let’s move on.]
For Greene, running into Anne, a fellow Flying Board racer and acquaintance, was a blessing in disguise. Anne was in almost the same state as Greene, so without needing to confirm with each other, they decided to stick together, moving away from the floor with the reception area.
[……E- Errr, for the time being, should we head for our rooms?]
[However…… Where is it? This ship is so big that I have no idea where to go…… Shall we go back to the reception area and ask?]
In response to Anne, who anxiously asked if they should go to their allocated rooms, Greene agreed, but also said that the magic ship was too big and she wasn’t sure which was their cabin.
At the moment they considered returning to the reception area to ask, an ethereal voice suddenly resounded.
[……You seem to be having trouble, would you like me to help you?]
[ [ Eh? ] ]
When they turned around at the voice they heard…… they found a large woman with two humongous horns, dressed in a black dress that looked like a mourning dress, standing there with a smile on her face.
[Please don’t hesitate to rely on me…… By the way, this is just my hunch, but I think we could become very good friends…… don’t you think?]
To the bewildered Greene and Anne, the large-built woman…… the Humanized Tiamat wore a smile so beautiful that it sent shivers down one’s spine.
Serious-senpai : [For their first encounter to be Tiamat…… Did these two commit some serious crime in their previous lives…… That is just the worst……]
? ? ? : [No, well, Alice-chan is properly giving Tiamat guidance…… that kinda sounded wrong with that perverted snake involved. Anyhow, Alice-chan is properly instructing Tiamat, so she won’t reach out to ordinary people. There’s no need to worry about her. I can’t exactly say anything with their mental fatigue though……]