Chapter 87

After leaving Raitin, Aldis arrived in the capital Gran with Ted and the other members of the "Morning Star of the White Night."

After completing several errands at various locations, they headed to the market to procure a few chickens as promised to Nere, and bought a large amount of daily necessities.

Fortunately, with the "Morning Star of the White Night" along, the amount of shopping was even more than usual.

Since they had come all the way to the capital, Aldis decided to introduce Ted and the others to his home, which allowed him to buy a larger amount of goods than usual.

With Ted and Norris carrying the large amount of luggage, Aldis and the group walked along the road leading from Gran to the Kosus Forest.

"Turns out you built your house in the forest."

"In the city, it's impossible to keep the twins hidden from people's eyes."

On the way, Aldis answered Orphelia's question.

"If safety can be ensured while I'm away, it might be better. Wasn't it Nere? He stays at home, right?"

"Yeah, thanks to him, I can go out like this."

Understanding the background of protecting the twins and having met Nere before, the three felt comfortable inviting him to the house.

Conversely, Aldis had no intention of letting anyone else get near the house.

"So, Aldis, have you noticed? What are you going to do about those guys following us?"

Aldis, who was always in the spotlight in the capital, was constantly attracting attention.

Some of the gazes were friendly, while others were malicious.

There would certainly be people who would find it suspicious that Aldis, who rarely stayed in the capital, was leaving the city with a large amount of luggage.

Such circumstances sometimes manifested as tailing Aldis.

"Once we enter the forest, we'll lose them."

"Got it."

What Norris mentioned were a group of mercenaries who had been following Aldis and the group at a distance since they left Gran.

It was unclear whether they were hired by someone or acting on their own, but they had been tailing them all along.

"They won't make it to the house even if they follow us. They're not the type who can fight the forest's monsters."

As Aldis said, the group was soon attacked by beasts and retreated.

After about three hours of walking through the forest, they finally saw the house where the twins and Nere lived.

"Welcome back, my lord."

"Thanks for watching the house."

Aldis must have anticipated his return, as Nere was waiting elegantly in front of the house.

"Philia, Liana. I'm back."

"Welcome back, Aldis."

"O-Oh, welcome back..."

The twins, who usually would have rushed to hug him, were hiding behind Nere and didn't come out.

They were probably confused by the unfamiliar people.

"Do you remember them? You met them when we were in Tria, right?"

Trying to ease the twins' wariness of Ted and the others, Aldis reminded them of their previous encounter, but the twins only nodded silently.

They weren't scared, but they weren't acting as usual.

"Is it because Ted is glaring at them?"

"Probably because Ted's face is scary."

"It's my fault, huh!"

Ted, who was being criticized by the party members, raised his voice.

This only made the twins more wary, worsening the situation for the intimidating man.

"Well, anyway. Where should I put these chickens?"

Norris lifted the basket he had carried and asked.

Beside him, Ted was protesting, "This isn't good!" but no one was listening to him.

"Just put them in the chicken coop over there."

"Chicken coop...? That thing?"

Norris blinked at the object Nere pointed to.

It was understandable. The structure pointed to was far from what one would typically call a chicken coop.

It was surrounded by multiple layers of reinforced walls made from processed hard rock, and the coop itself was built from magic-reinforced blocks.

Its appearance and the aura it emitted were far too rugged and imposing to be a place for poultry.

Its defensive capabilities were likely superior to those of a nearby fortress.

"It looks more like a miniature military fort... Is that really a chicken coop?"

Orphelia asked, puzzled.

"Indeed. It is designed to withstand attacks from forest monsters and not easily yield. It will not be broken by any ordinary beast."

Nere answered, looking satisfied.

While Aldis had somewhat expected this, he still felt his cheeks twitch at Nere's lack of restraint.

"Well, whatever. Let's get some food. We bought some wine, so let's have a drinking party tonight!"

Ted carried the luggage into the house, as if to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

"Hehe. It's Aldis's house, so it can't be helped."

"Yeah, it's Aldis's house, after all."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?"

The homeowner, who couldn't accept the way he was treated, looked puzzled.

But when he noticed two small hands grabbing the hem of his robe, a smile naturally spread across his face.

"Let's have dinner. Philia, Liana."

"Okay!"

That night's dinner was quite noisy.

The number of people had increased to seven, but more than that, the alcohol had made the table particularly lively.

Aldis was not one to drink heavily, so he wouldn't lose himself even after drinking.

Nere, on the other hand, showed no change in behavior no matter how much he drank, truly living up to the saying that he could drink like a sieve.

The problem was today's guests.

"What is this dish! Oh, it's so delicious and not boring at all!"

"It's good, isn't it! Good food makes the drink taste better! Good job, Nere! You have great skills!"

"It's really delicious. I thought the food at Aldis's house would be different, but it pleasantly surprised me. We bought a lot of snacks in the city, but they weren't necessary."

The trio spoke freely and without restraint.

Norris, like Aldis, drank in moderation, so there was no problem.

Ted drank more than the average person but got drunk in a normal way.

He became louder, more cheerful, and a bit more carefree, causing some inconvenience to those around him, but in this place, there was no one to start a fight with Ted. At most, he would just make a lot of noise or sing.

In the city, this would be quite bothersome, but fortunately, there were no other residents in the area, so it wasn't a big issue.

But the most troublesome and difficult person in this situation was the red-haired female mage with a bad drinking habit.

"Kyaa, so cute! Silky hair! Big eyes! Soft cheeks!"

The twins, who were pitifully caught, were being firmly held by the red-haired woman, who kissed their platinum blonde hair and rubbed her face against their fresh cheeks.

"Philia... so cute! Liana... so cute! How cute are you! Nya! I'm about to get a nosebleed!"

The drunk woman, who kept calling the twins cute and fondling them, was there.

Her slightly dark red eyes were glazed over, and her focus was completely lost.

"A-Aldis! That's not fair! I want to live here too!"

"I respectfully decline."

"Give me one of them!"

"Say that in your sleep."

"That's mean! Norris! Aldis is mean! He's so cold!"

"Yeah, Norris, don't say such things! Sniff, sniff... It's okay. I have these kids! Right, Philia? Right, Liana?"

The twins, who were receiving another cheek-rubbing attack, were desperately seeking help from Aldis with their eyes.

For the two who had been persecuted, such physical contact was enough to cause confusion.

Especially being fondled by a drunk person, any normal child would be uncomfortable.

Their pale green eyes, tinged with a slight bluish hue, were gradually becoming moist.

"Orphelia, let the two of them go now."

"No way! I want to stay with them all day today! I want to sleep with them!"

"Looks like we have no choice."

Norris shrugged, exasperated by the childlike Orphelia.

"Alright, if that's the case, you can go to sleep first."

Aldis, who could not ignore the twins' pleading gaze, had no intention of going easy on her, even if she was a close friend.

Aldis placed his index finger on Orphelia's forehead. At that moment, Orphelia slumped in her chair as if she had lost all strength.

The twins immediately escaped from her arms and ran to Aldis's side.

"Nere, can you take Orphelia to bed?"

"As you wish, my lord."

Nere carried the snoring Orphelia to the bedroom.

Norris, who had been watching, analyzed the situation calmly.

"A spell to take away the consciousness of a touched person without incantation? Or maybe a sleep spell?"

Aldis answered with just a glance.

"Even if she's drunk, to so easily incapacitate a first-class mage like Orphelia... You really are something, Aldis. Can you use that in battle?"

Aldis gave a sly smile in response to Norris's question.

"Want to try it out?"

"...No, I'll pass. I don't want to feel that kind of helplessness."

After a moment of silence, Norris deflected the question with a light tone.

"Here, Aldis! Even without Orphelia, we still have plenty of wine! Let's drink to our heart's content tonight!"

Ted thrust a wine bottle at Aldis, as if to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

"Right. Since you won't be visiting Tria for a while, Aldis, we don't know when we'll meet again. Let's make the most of tonight."

"Got it. I'll get both of you drunk tonight."

Aldis drained his glass and provocatively held out an empty wine glass to Ted.

2019/05/02 Misuse correction: 荒げる → 荒らげる

2019/07/30 Typo correction: 例え → たとえ

2021/11/15 Misuse correction: 飲みつぶしてやる → 酔いつぶしてやる

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2022/11/04 Typo correction: いつもにも増して → いつにも増して

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