The Darkness Was Comfortable for Me

y aware… I have to thank them.
I just hope I get the chance to meet them though.” (Hikaru)

“In that case…there’s a party today, so I think you can meet them there.
That’s only if there’s no issues with your condition though.” (Rifreya)

“Party?” (Hikaru)

“It is a party prepared by the feudal lord-sama to celebrate the achievement of defeating the Demon Lord.
There will be an award ceremony there too, so if you don’t participate, you will end up missing your reward, you know?” (Rifreya)

I see, it seems like defeating a Demon Lord is quite the special occasion. 

However, a party, huh.
I don’t want to stand out, so I don’t really want to participate though…

“I don’t really feel like going, but how much are we getting?” (Hikaru)

“You will definitely be the highest contributor in the Demon Lord subjugation, so you should be able to get quite a lot.” (Rifreya)

“Money, huh.
I don’t think I will get the highest contribution though.
But if I am going to get something, I should go, I guess.” (Hikaru)

If I could get the Chaotic Spirit Stone of the Demon Lord, I definitely would go, but that’s probably impossible. 

However, if I have money, I can get Chaotic Spirit Stones of other monsters or Dark Spirit Stones. 

For someone like me who will be diving alone from now on, Create Undead will be practically my lifeline.
In that case, it would be better to participate in the party at least.

Also…there’s not too much when it comes to money. 

◇◆◆◆◇

It ended up with me participating in the party, but I don’t have any decent clothes. 

However, this is a party where adventurers participate, so there’s apparently no problems with regular clothes. 

Rifreya said she is going to be properly readying herself, so in the time I was waiting, I entered a clothes store close by, and bought a second-hand shirt and pants. 

The party venue will be the residence of the lord.
Even if normal clothing is okay, I can’t bring myself to participate with dirty clothes. 

Well, it is just a shirt that’s a bit better than my normal clothes, and black pants, but the other participants are probably going with something similar. 

I don’t think a rowdy bunch like explorers will have clean formal clothes. 

“…Even so, to think that it would change this much.” (Hikaru)

While I was waiting outside the inn for Rifreya, I was surprised by the change in the quality of the Spirit Energy drifting about in the city. 

There’s no change in the fact that there’s a lot of Spirit Energy because of the influence of the Great Spirits, but what’s coming out from the dungeon has decreased to the point that it changed the color of the air. 

I can see the entrance of the dungeon faraway from the inn of Rifreya, and the color of the dungeon’s crystal is almost transparent now.
It is most likely the effects of the Demon Lord subjugation. 

I should try asking the details from Rifreya later.

“Sorry for the wait!” 

I heard a voice, and when I turned around, there was a snow white Goddess there. 

A pure white long dress. 

Beautifully combed long platinum blonde hair that has a part of it braided. 

There’s a faint deep red on her lips, and she was looking at me with a slightly flushed face. 

“Rifreya…?” (Hikaru)

“E-Eh? What’s the matter? Making a face as if you had been befuddled by Spirits.” (Rifreya)

“…Yeah, you were just too beautiful.” (Hikaru)

I honestly said that. 

She was a shining beauty to begin with, but a dressed Rifreya ready for a party was so perfect that it wouldn’t be strange to get praised endlessly. 

“…You are also cool, Hikaru.” (Rifreya)

She must have gotten embarrassed from my words, she hid her face with her hair and said that. 

For Rifreya, my case would be ‘the clothes make the person’.
No, those clothes are pretty iffy too, to the point that I feel embarrassed from it. 

“My clothes…are they not weird?” (Rifreya)

“They suit you incredibly well.
You had a dress like that?” (Hikaru)

“This…is the uniform of a Light Church priestess.
I brought them with me because it can also be worn for occasions like parties.” (Rifreya)

Now that she mentions it, at the time when the Great Fire Spirit had come out from the church in order to eat me, I saw a number of priestesses or priests, and I think they were all wearing what looked like dresses. 

“T-Then, let’s go!” (Rifreya)

“Y-Yeah.” (Hikaru)

Rifreya linked her right arm with my left arm. 

Looks like the princess wants me to escort her.