Chapter 2: Bad Timing


TL: Akabane


***


"I don't care if you'll regret banishing me later!"


Est had a devilish look on his face and walked out of the party house in a vindictive rage.


"......"


"What's with that guy, he's got a creepy little fish habit."


The air is horrible.


Athena is standing there with her head down, and Mirialia is pissed.


I've been to several parties.


There were parties where we parted amicably, and there were parties where we parted in a disgusting way.


But this was a tough breakup because of the circumstances.


I got up from my chair and picked up the money that was strewn all over the floor.


"Oh, what a waste. Est, you should have at least taken the money. What are you going to do now that you have no house and no money? Hey, Athena."


"......"


I asked Athena in a light-hearted manner while picking up the fallen gold, but she didn't respond at all.


No good, this is getting beat up pretty bad.


I guess she's not in the mood to attack anymore today.


Okay, I'll just coast through the day for the first time in a while.


"I'm sorry ...... but could you leave me alone for a bit?"


"I'm going to comfort you ...... Dale, take your hands off me or I'm going to roast you whole right now."


"You need to get your head out of the clouds, you randy elf."


I call out to Athena as I grab Mirialia by the neck, who is trying to take advantage of the heartbroken Athena.


"Don't get too worked up."


"......Ah."


With Athena's back to me as she replies with none of her usual high spirits, I go upstairs with Mirialia.


Before I go to my room, I'll warn the stupid elf.


"I'm going to bed, but you don't mess with Athena."


"Shut up. I know what you're talking about. I'm pissed off, so I'm going to bed too."


"Oh, go ahead."


She sniffs and turns on her heel.


After confirming that she had gone into her room, I went into mine and lay down on the bed.


"Well, I wonder what's going to happen now?"


I tried to think seriously about how the party was going to go, but soon sleepiness overtook me and I was coasting to sleep.


***


"Ummmmm......... I slept so well. When was the last time I slept like this?　I mean, it's already dark outside. ......Did I slept the whole day?"


Waking up feeling good after a long time of good sleep and stretching my arms out languidly, I was surprised to see that the view from the window had gone completely dark.


I got up from the bed and left the room, gurgling my stiffened body.


(Mirialia seems to be sleeping in her room. Is Athena downstairs?)


(Is Athena downstairs?) I can hear a presence, or rather snoring, coming from the room, so I guess that Mirialia is still sleeping.


She would sleep endlessly if I left her alone.


There is no sign of Athena from her room, so she might still be downstairs or out.


I go downstairs and press the switch to turn on the light fixture.


"Whoa!　You scared me~~ you're here."


I was freaked out so bad.


I didn't think anyone was here because the lights weren't on, but there was Athena sitting at the table.


Heartbreaking, really.


"What are you doing without a light on, you've been drinking?"


On the table is a glass cup and a half-empty bottle of wine.


It's rare to see this girl drinking alcohol. She always says that alcohol is poison to the body and never drinks.


After all, she didn't drink at the pub yesterday either.


I ask Athena, whose face is slightly red, as I sit down next to her.


"Even you couldn't help but drink, huh?"


"Yeah ...... I couldn't help but drink."


"If you regret it so much, you shouldn't have banished him."


"I thought about it ...... thought about it, thought about it, and made a decision. I knew I would regret it, but it's pretty hard."


"I'm sorry ...... I say something stupid."


I said something I shouldn't have said.


This girl thought about it more than anyone else, agonized over it, and came to the decision to banish her childhood friend.


Athena must have been very worried, especially since she is a serious person and the leader of the party.


Would she take her dream with Est or the party's breakthrough?


It must have been a hard choice.


And yet, I asked her lightly.


I'm older than her, but I'm still pathetic.


To change the subject, I asked her something that had been bothering me.


"It's good that you expelled Est, but now there are three of us. Are the three of us going to attack? Or do you have any guesses?"


"I've already talked to Frey, the ex-Dragonhead. We're meeting tomorrow."


"Oh, that horse. I'm surprised you asked her."


"Frey likes me for some reason. When I heard that she had left the party, I invited her to the party on the spur of the moment, and she agreed."


Frey reminds me of a woman from the dragon tribe.


She is a very polite kid with a big attitude, although she is very talented. I think I heard a rumor that she was the ace attacker of a silver rank party called Dragon Head, but she left the party because of a dispute with the members.


I guess the party got tired of dealing with the kid's selfishness and kicked her out.


"It's a good reinforcement for our forces, but I have my concerns. Are you going to be okay, leader?"


"I'll do fine there. I'm trying to be the best in the world. I can't afford to stumble over something like that."


With that said, Athena goes to pour the wine into the glass cup.


Before she did, I took the wine away and warned Athena.


"That's enough, it's going to affect you tomorrow."


"Haha...... I never thought I'd see the day I'd be warned about drinking by Dale. I'm out of my mind too."


Isn't that a terrible thing to say? You're absolutely right, though.


"I'm going to bed to prepare for tomorrow. I'm counting on you, Dale."


Athena stood up after saying that, but she couldn't find her footing and almost fell backwards.


I quickly tried to support her, but I was in a bad position and fell down with her.


Damn, it makes me cry that I can't support a single woman.


(I mean, how close to her face! .....Was she this cute?)


Athena's face was right in front of my nose.


Soft lips, snow-white skin, high nose and slender features.


Her sky-blue eyes were moist and her eyelashes were super long. Her golden hair hung over her face, giving off the scent of a woman.


I had never paid much attention to her before, but upon closer inspection, she was a beautiful pretty girl.


No wonder Est fell in love with her.


She was also very sexy with a flushed face, probably due to the alcohol she had consumed.


Her breath also reeks of alcohol, but even that seems lewd.


Just as I was admiring Athena, I heard a noise coming from the doorway.


I look to the side and see Est with a look on his face as if it were the end of the world.


Est, who had been in a state of shock, staggered back and ran away like a hare.


"Oh no~ I've done it."


What a bad pause.


To Est, it must have looked like I was pushing Athena down.


And the Athena, Est knew would surely have resisted.


But the fact that I wasn't resisting meant that it was an agreement.


I'm sure Est would have thought that Athena and I were having sex.


"Well, I don't really care."


Even if that guy was cuckolded!　I don't give a shit if he's mistaken.


If he didn't hit me here, it means his feelings for Athena are just that.


If it were me, if I really liked her, I'd just punch him and take her back.


"Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"


"Are you sleeping? The princess is so hard to take care of."


I take Athena, who is breathing in her sleep before I know it, in my arms and go to her room to put her down on the bed.


It was tough going up the stairs with someone in my arms.


"You're relying on me......? When you say something like that, it makes me want to work a little harder."


I covered her with a blanket and left Athena's room.



PREV | NEXT