Therefore, unknowingly, Prodia broke into a smile.

The same was true for Irtyss.

The sight of Prodia smiling with the flowers was truly beautiful.

After hiding the money bouquet in her room safe, Prodia went to meet Ed again.

He explained about the upcoming competition.

“It seems there will be a choral competition soon as mentioned in the trust.”

Finally.

Prodia’s eyes gleamed.

Her main stage was finally about to unfold.

But that wasn’t all.

“However, a suspicious situation has been discovered. First, take a look at this.”

Ed handed Prodia a piece of paper.

It was a pamphlet about the upcoming festival.
[Night of Aido.]

The ‘Night of Aido’ is a festival dedicated to honoring the bestowed Aido, held in Sudo Square for three days and nights after the hunting competition concludes.

During this period, the city becomes filled with various foods and entertainment.

However, the most crucial part is the last day of the festival.

On the evening of the third day, the grand procession begins, and the selected Aido, illuminated by the light of the hunting competition, offers prayers to Aido, concluding all the events.

His explanation continued.

“Most of the officials preparing for the choir competition have suddenly been mobilized for the festival. It seems a bit strange no matter how you think about it.”

Indeed, it does seem suspicious.

Even preparing for the competition alone would be time-consuming, and there’s no reason to divert resources to unnecessary places.

So, it sounds like they will be judging something during the festival.

Prodia pondered on this.

What could there be to judge during the festival?

“Impromptu street performances or competing sales for street vendors among participants seems unlikely. So, what could it be?”

No matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind.

Prodia asked Ed.

“Do you know where the officials for the competition have been placed in the festival?”

“It’s difficult to specify one place. They were scattered all over.”

Scattered throughout the entire festival venue.

‘Perhaps they are trying to monitor the participants.’

Thanks to this unintentional thought, Prodia recalled an old program she had forgotten.

That is, a hidden camera.

Could the royal family be secretly evaluating the actions of the participants during the festival?

‘No way. Even in this world, there’s something called human rights. They wouldn’t go that far.’

But the royal family did indeed do so.

Discount coupons for the festival, along with the competition acceptance notice, had arrived for the four men.

During the Night of Aido festival, the following benefits are provided.

50% discount on all food and beverages.

20% discount on all souvenirs.

On the first day of the festival, a special space is prepared exclusively for participants. We hope for your enthusiastic attendance.]

The letter stated that a reasonable excuse to give a vacation to those who suffered in the hunting grounds.

However, Prodia could clearly see the hidden intent between the lines.

Even if it’s during the festival period, there was no need to give a vacation by stopping the competition.

It might be different if they were to hold the competition utilizing the festival.

Prodia immediately called the four men and explained what she had in mind.

“Absolutely no actions that could be criticized during the festival.”

Everyone nodded.

A secret evaluation.

Given what has happened so far, it was entirely plausible.

Ed offered one suggestion.

“How about all of us wearing masks while moving around?”

It wasn’t a bad idea.

But there was one thing that bothered her about doing that.
“Perhaps the royal family might try to confirm your attendance at the festival.”

The reason behind setting up a special space exclusively for competition participants was clear.

To enter that area, participants would undoubtedly have to reveal their faces and verify their identity.

In other words, not showing one’s face during the festival could lead to deductions.

It could be for appearing unsociable, lacking in initiative, or having insufficient faith in Aido.

Afterward, Prodia gathered everyone and created three commandments to be observed during the festival.

One. Do not fight during the festival.

Two. Do not drink alcohol during the festival.

Three. Do not socialize with women during the festival.

The criteria for creating the commandments were simple – to avoid any behavior that could cast doubt on Buma’s qualifications.

The third item, in particular, was crucial.

Who would want to marry a participant seen flirting with other women?

Anyway, after establishing the rules, they proceeded to plan their festival participation schedule.

“First, you must attend on the first day. From the second day onwards, enjoy it cautiously.”

Finally, the Empire’s largest festival, the Night of Aido, began.

The four men headed to Sudo Square early in the morning.

They were all dressed as elegantly as possible.

They first headed to the participant-exclusive area.

The most crucial thing today was not participating in the festival but leaving a mark on the royal family.

As soon as they arrived at their destination, everyone realized that Prodia’s prediction was correct.

Irtis murmured in a low voice.

“Surveillance magical device on the front right.”

Even one official was distributing drinks to participants next to the magical device.

“Participants, welcome! Please enjoy today without thinking about the competition.”

After receiving their drinks, they casually pretended to enjoy the festival.

Fortunately, Sharack managed to create a friendly atmosphere.

“Oh, there’s a delicious smell coming from over there. Let’s all go check it out together!”

Thanks to that, the four men could perfectly act out the concept of being good friends.

The first day passed safely.

Then came the second day of the festival.

Fortunately, there were no separate schedules prepared by the royal family from today.

Still, they couldn’t afford to relax just in case.

The four men crawled back to the festival venue.

Everyone followed Irtis, pretending to get along in front of the magical device, and decided to return home.

But there was one thing they didn’t know.

Someone else had been quietly following them since a while ago.

That person was Prodia.