Chapter 43

"Underage drinking, no way, absolutely not! And giving it to them, no way, absolutely not!"

"What are you doing?"

"……!?"

The moment Yūri's voice was heard, everyone present stiffened. The reason was that Yūri's voice, which was usually soft and gentle, was unusually cold. The tone suggested anger, and since no one had ever seen this boy angry, they were shocked and turned around.

Sure enough, there stood Yūri with a frown on his face, looking extremely displeased. However, when he noticed everyone looking back, he smiled as usual. ...It was strangely terrifying.

"What are you doing?"

It was indeed very scary.

Moreover, since it was the first time seeing Yūri this angry, everyone's faces were twisted in fear. They didn't understand why Yūri was angry, which made it even more frightening. There's nothing more terrifying than anger without a clear reason, because no one knows what the breaking point is.

"…What, drinking party?"

Barloi answered, as he usually does without worrying about the details. The man who had left after a big commotion a few days ago had brought various ingredients as souvenirs and came to enjoy Yūri's cooking. Of course, Arshette, the inspector, was with him. However, Arshette was currently bathing with the other women, so Barloi was left unsupervised.

It was during this brief period of unsupervised time that Barloi, the brainless wolf, caused trouble. To be fair, for the honor of the wolf beastmen, wolves are generally thoughtful, kind, and wise creatures who value their pack. The beastmen also possess these qualities. Occasionally, a disappointing and brainless type is born, and Barloi is one of them.

"Barloi-san"

"Uh? What's up, Yūri? It's scary."

"…Barloi-san, sit in seiza."

"Huh?"

"Seiza!"

"Okay!"

His voice sounded like he was shouting "House!" He felt something he couldn't resist and obediently sat in seiza. In his hand, he held a large bottle of alcohol. Around them, there were several more bottles scattered.

...If only the bottles were the only problem, but among the scattered items were the faces of Yack and Camille, who were flushed red. Mag's face didn't change much, but he looked a bit nauseous. Urgus was looking at Yūri apologetically, so he seemed to be fine. ...And bowing their heads in apology were Curreish and Rerei. They had tried to stop Barloi and the apprentices but failed.

"Barloi-san, I think it's a bit late to ask, but did you give Yack and the others alcohol?"

"Yeah, I got some good stuff. Knowing good alcohol is a step towards adulthood, right?"

"But they are underage, right?"

"Uh? Yeah, maybe, but a little won't hurt."

"Underage drinking is prohibited, right?"

"...Yeah, you're right."

Despite his smile, the aura Yūri was emitting was incredibly scary. Looking down at Barloi in seiza, his eyes were not smiling, making him look like a completely different person. Moreover, Curreish, Rerei, and Urgus, who were not being scolded, had voluntarily sat in seiza and performed a perfect dogeza, as if pleading for mercy from an angry demon god.

"Why are you making underage people drink and get drunk? That's something adults shouldn't do!"

Yūri, who had never been seen angry like this, opened his eyes wide and shouted. The dogeza trio bowed their heads even lower, as if trying to sink into the floor. They weren't that bad, but the one to blame was Barloi, who had poured alcohol into the apprentices' cups without their knowledge. ...The apprentices drank it without realizing it was alcohol. Poor them.

Especially Yack, who thought it was water and drank sake after a bath, had passed out. It seemed he was fine, but he was babbling incoherently. Camille, who mistook fruit wine for juice and sipped it, was drunk and had fallen asleep. Mag, who was cautious, tried not to drink but was forced by Barloi and was now suffering from a headache and nausea.

...Urgus was fine because he challenged Barloi, the brainless wolf, to a fight over who would drink, and returned the cup. While Barloi, a wolf beastman, would be unbeatable if he got serious, Urgus, with his strong arm skill, was physically strong and had the strength to push back the cup and escape safely.

Then, Curreish and Rerei, who had sought help from Urgus, joined the drinking party. These two were adults, and Rerei was quite good at drinking, so they had managed to keep the situation under control. ...They had decided to have Arshette, who would return from the bath, take care of Barloi.

However, Yūri, who appeared before them, was already in an angry demon god mode.

No one could resist Yūri's sudden outburst. Yūri started a serious lecture for Barloi. The animal ears and tail on Barloi's head were drooping. He seemed to understand that he was being scolded and was somewhat remorseful. Although brainless, he could sense real danger.

"By the way, why do you think underage drinking is prohibited?"

"...To monopolize good alcohol?"

"What kind of reason is that! It's prohibited for minors because alcohol is harmful to their developing bodies! It's bad for their health, you know!"

"Eh?! Is that true?!"

"Rather, why don't you know such a basic thing, Barloi-san!"

Yūri shouted at Barloi, who looked genuinely surprised. However, the dogeza trio had raised their heads slightly to observe Yūri, so Yūri changed his mind. Perhaps in this world, the idea that alcohol is harmful to minors hasn't spread, he thought. Of course, he knew that the world of the other dimension and modern Japan would differ in many ways. Still, if drinking is prohibited, it must be because it's not good for the developing bodies of children, he concluded.

"Is that true?" Rerei asked, who loved alcohol and had occasionally begged her father for a taste when she was young. However, she only started drinking seriously after she became an adult. Because of this, she was worried about the apprentices who were now drunk.

"...At least, according to what I was taught, that's the case. Alcohol might taste good, but too much alcohol is toxic to the developing bodies of children. That's why they shouldn't drink until they're adults."

"Barloi-san, you should reflect!"

"You don't need to scold us too!"

"Stop being unreasonable!"

The three, who had heard Yūri's explanation, immediately blamed Barloi. No one respected his attempts to argue. How could they respect such a hopeless adult? To be honest, Jake, the worst adult in the hideout, was the worst, but he was so absorbed in his own world that he didn't directly trouble the apprentices. ...Sometimes he was found collapsed from lack of sleep or something, but that was a different story.

"...Hey, what's all the commotion?"

"Arshette-nee, you're just in time!"

"Arshette-san, Barloi-san!"

"Yūri is really angry!"

"Yūri?! What did you do, Barloi?!"

Curreish and Rerei called out for help, and Urgus relayed the facts, causing Arshette's expression to change. She, who had a relaxed and slightly puzzled look after her bath, immediately switched to a battle-ready mode, radiating a killing aura. She took out her favorite mace (coated in metal) from her magic pouch and, as expected, hit Barloi. ...Of course, a brainless wolf wouldn't be seriously damaged by that.

"It hurts, Al."

"Shut up! How could you make that kid so angry! You, while I was just looking away...!"

"But it hurts."

"Shut up!"

Arshette, holding her mace, trembled. She had just relaxed with her close friend after a bath, and this happened. Give me back my peace! she shouted while swinging her mace. She had no sin. Rather, she was a good person for taking care of Barloi, who had been problematic since their training days. She was too caring and had a tendency to point out his faults.

The half-ling swung her mace at her partner, who, despite being hit, didn't seem to be taking any damage and kept complaining about the pain. This was a common sight in the hideout, but everyone thought it was too rough, especially since the brainless wolf was so disappointing.

"Barloi-san, you're not reflecting, are you?"

"…Yūri?"

Yūri, who had been watching Arshette and Barloi, asked in a low voice. His face, looking at Barloi, was a black smile. His aura was still in angry demon god mode. The dogeza trio, who had returned to their positions, were watched curiously by Arshette, but she also bowed deeply, seeing Yūri's unusual behavior.

"Yūri, I'm really sorry. I failed to supervise this idiot properly."

"It's not your fault, Arshette-san. The one at fault is Barloi-san. So, please don't apologize."

"Yūri... You're such a good kid..."

Arshette, wiping away a tear (though no tears actually fell), was moved by Yūri's usual gentle smile. She could see how much she was being dragged around by her brainless partner.

Barloi, who was still confused, didn't really understand. He knew he had done something wrong, but he didn't show any signs of reflection. He was just stupid.

And to such a Barloi, Yūri solemnly declared the harshest punishment he could impose.

"Barloi-san's breakfast tomorrow will be bread, boiled eggs, and milk only."

Barloi let out a silent scream. For Barloi, who was conditioned to Yūri's meals, this was almost a death sentence. ...However, Yūri, who wasn't a complete demon, didn't declare a complete breakfast ban. He was still very angry, but he wasn't that cruel.

"Also, the boiled eggs will be hard-boiled, plain, and unadorned."

"Yūri!?"

"I don't care. I'm angry. Barloi-san, who isn't reflecting, needs punishment."

"Why!?"

"Why the hell are you doing to the kids while I'm away!?"

As Barloi tried to argue with Yūri, Arshette's mace hit the back of his head. She was very angry after hearing from the dogeza trio what Barloi had done. She was also ashamed of herself for leaving this idiot unsupervised. The usual exchange began. To the two, Yūri, with his still scary aura, smiled and declared again.

"I won't accept any changes to Barloi-san's breakfast menu. If he eats someone else's breakfast without permission, I will never cook for him again, remember that."

"Yūri!?"

"Anyway, it's time for me to go to bed. Good night. ...Curreish, Rerei, Urgus, can you help carry Yack and the others to their rooms?"

"Understood!"

Called by Yūri, who had retracted his angry aura, the dogeza trio quickly recovered and each carried one of the drunk apprentices. ...The lightest Mag was carried by Curreish, who had the least strength among them, so please overlook this. Rerei, who was half-cat, had strong arms, and Urgus had the strong arm skill. Curreish was the weakest among them.

Thus, from that day on, underage drinking became the greatest taboo at the "Crimson Lynx."

Yūri, becoming a real mother figure??

But underage drinking is really bad, you know. It's bad for your health.

And Barloi being a hopeless adult is nothing new, so please give up on him.

I look forward to your comments and feedback.