「Jeez, what have ya been up to in these three years?」

Iibsal began to talk while grabbing the gigantic lump of ham from the top of plate that was laid out on the table.

Iibsal bit off some ham while making a *Buchibuchi* sound. What a hearty way of eating.

「Even if you asked me what I did……」

「Thinkin’ that you’d immediately gain fame if it was a guy like you, I kept on waitin’, ya know? And yet, there wasn’t a single sign of you comin’ out.」

Gulping down the meat he held in his mouth with wine, Iibsal leaned back in his chair.

「Ahー, erm, I returned to my birthplace.」

「Your birthplace, huh. Well, I guess there’s no helpin’ it. By the way, what did you come to this town for?」

When I replied with my reason, he simply accepted it and changed the topic. Suddenly changing the topic was very much like him.

「To spectate, just to spectate. I’m not participating, okay?」

「Dahー, so it’s really like that. And here I thought I just might be able to fight you.」

When I said that, Iibsal drank up the wine that was in the glass, then caressed the ass of a waitress-san (the person that greeted me at the store entrance) that was nearby trying to pass by and demanded for another serving of wine.

……This jerk, he did perverted actions so naturally. However, the waitress-san didn’t dislike it, and in fact looked somehow delighted……Dammit, is it because he’s a pretty boy!

「Nn? Wait, then that means, Iibsal, you……Are you participating?」

「Correct. A written invitation from this place’s Feudal Lord was delivered to me. Recently, the fistfighters that would have a bout with me have also become scarce. It said that strong guys would be comin’ and so I’m participatin’.」

As expected of the fight loving 《Battle Maniac》, that was a muscle-brained reason.

Still, will a guy that is able to fight evenly with Iibsal show up?

Zephyr and Leonhart, they wouldn’t have to go that far, but they would have to at least be strong enough to be able to fight against a Mazoku as an opponent……。

「I know! Hey, Yuu, won’t you try participating in the Magic Clad Martial Arts Demonstration?」

Iibsal’s eyes were sparkling as if to say ‘Eureka!’. Sorry to say this but I have no intention of going.

「I’m not going out there. Rather, how could I even go at this point.」

「Tomorrow, a preliminary contest is going to be held in this Galarie. If you win there, you’ll appear in the real matches three days later. Hey, try going out there.」

「Sorry but I’m not doing it. I don’t really want to stand out that much.」

All the more so now that I know that Kaito and the others are in this town.

「Keh, how boring. Aーah, if only I could at least go at it with Leezelion’s Leonhartー.」

Sounding displeased, Iibsal bit off a piece of bread (something similar to the Indian food, nan). Iibsal and Leonhart, huh……That seems like it would turn out to be a fairly interesting match.

「Well, that’s too bad. There is quite a distance between Leezelion and Galarie after all. It’s physically impossible.」

Though, since he’s unexpectedly a battle lover, if Leonhart were in Galarie, he probably would have participated.

Thinking that, I held a mouthful of grape wine that was low in alcohol content in my mouth and,

「Ah? You don’t know? Right now, Leezelion’s Sylvia is here in this Galarie, you know? The Imperial Guard Leonhart should be together with her, you know?」

「Bufuuーっ!?」

I vigorously spit it out.

「Uwah, that’s dirty! What’re you doin’ all of a sudden!!」

Iibsal was angry from having grape wine completely spit out onto his face.

S, sorry, Iibsal. But, right now, I need to hear about that important and significant matter instead of that.

「S, say that one more time, Iibsal.」

「Ah? I said that was dirty.」

「I apologize for that. But, I meant before that.」

「Before……You mean about how Leezelion’s Sylvia is in this town?」

Yeah, that. I can understand it if it’s Kaito and Baba-chan and the others. But, why did Sylvia’s group in this town!?

「What’s this, what’s this, Yuu, are you a fan of Sylvia’s or something?」

「Eh? W, well, something like that.」

When I made a halfhearted response to Iibsal who was grinning for some reason, Iibsal gathered up the remaining food that was on the table, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed it after chewing a few times.

Uwah, incredible. In terms of eating with instant vigor, he was in no way inferior to Bernadette!

「Ussh, then let’s get goin’.」

Standing up from his seat, Iibsal said that.

「Ha?」

「Well, like I said, let’s go to where Leezelion’s Sylvia is.」

Haa!?

「I’ve got a bit of a connection with them, ya see. I’ll let you meet her, the Imperial Princess Sylvia-sama.」

Iibsal made a thumbs up. That face was saying 「I’ll grant my friend’s request」 and was filled with a kind of feeling of satisfaction.

……Though, this time, he’s granting an unwelcome favor.

◇

「Keep on searching! They shouldn’t have gotten too far from the estate!」

「We need to find them before Feudal Lord-dono arrives……っ」

In the vicinity of a certain building in the Free City of Galarie, full plated soldiers were searching for something with a solemn look.

There was the figure of a girl gazing at their state in a crowd of people that was a bit distance away.

「……」

Wearing a casquette cap (newsboy cap) low over her eyes, that girl that wrapped herself in a deep blue coat hid her eyes with the brim of her hat and slipped into the crowd.

「Sorry, Leo. ……However, if you lock me up for two days for no reason, it’ll make me want to do this.」

The girl breathed a small sigh while muttering a monologue.

「Besides, it’s said that the present day Heroes are in this town right now……I need to check on it myself.」

She extended her hand to her coat pocket. Inside of the pocket, there was stationary.

「……An ashen little, that resembled Aneue. ……I need to check on that being.」

Her emerald eyes, looked towards the sky.