Chapter 14: Victory Feast
Translator: “Pink Tea” Editor: ”Ryunakama”
Though the fieldzauruses already fell to the ground, the members of the militia were still petrified, standing without movement.
Looks like they don’t believe that the battle already ended.
I broke the stance and approached Feel that still stood stiffened by nervousness.
「We did it.」
「……Ye-yeah. Everyone, it’s over! It’s our victory!」
Feel shouted, raising her fist to the skies.
That spread to everyone.
While everyone was crying or smiling, Sinanis was staring at me with a grim expression.
「……Like hell you are F rank. Aren’t you actually damn strong.」
「Not really. It was you who took them down.」
I hardly participated in offense.
For the most part, I used taunt to keep attention on myself.
Thus, I simply didn’t have time to use offensive skills.
「Damn. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about the fieldzauruses…… I have to get stronger.」
「You will get stronger. You are still about sixteen, right? I’m already twenty. Did you hear me, twenty. Given four years, you can even surpass me.」
I’m not an old-timer, got it?
「Of course I can.」
His expression turned to a more friendly one, and he turned to his comrades.
Someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. Turning around I see Nin.
「……How much endurance did you lose this time?」
A sudden question.
I didn’t take that much damage.
「……About 15000.」
I used only about 10 potions.
Without Nin’s recovery magic it could’ve been dangerous.
「That much?! Shouldn’t that kill you many times over?!」
「You know that I have 9999 endurance. That is basically dying one and a half times.」
「That still would’ve killed you once anyway! ………Aaah!」
Nin stared at me.
No matter how much damage I take, all of it goes to my outer shell.
When I was in the same party with Kygras I took a lot more damage during a single raid.
……I guess it would be better if I kept my mouth shut about that.
「What’s wrong?」
「No, nothing. I’ll go and help with dismantling.」
That was close.
Heading towards the fieldzauruses corpses, basically escaping, Luna followed after me with unsteady steps.
「What happened?」
She looked depressed, so I asked without thinking.
Then, she spoke, a bit troubled.
「How should I put it…… Don’t you think, that those monsters……Were pitiful?」
Luna muttered, following me.
Unlike the tiger that we fought earlier, the feelings of fieldzauruses were plainly obvious.
And they seem to have gotten to Luna.
「We kill others to protect ourselves. And the same goes for fieldzauruses. ……Outside the town, might makes right. That’s the world we are living in.」
「……That is an adventurer, huh.」
「Yes. I won’t tell you to get used to killing. However, you better not think during a fight. If you do, you surely would stop moving.」
「Is it the same for you, Master?」
「It might be. That’s why I don’t think. I can’t afford to die.」
From humanity’s point of view, we are right.
However, for monsters we are evil.
It’s useless even to entertain this question.
……Or rather than useless, one just mustn’t think about that.
As I smiled at her, Luna, though still looking somewhat down in spirits, nodded, somewhat satisfied with the answer.
With the dismantling being mostly done, Feel clapped her hands.
「Let’s return to the town. Everyone must be worried.」
Several people were sent ahead with reports of the subjugation.
However, they surely won’t be able to have peace of mind unless they see everything with their own eyes.
Members of the militia have families.
And so do I.
I, too, want to see Manicia as fast as possible.
Carrying the dismantled raw materials together, we head to the town.
Then, on the way there.
Luna looked in a certain direction.
「……What’s wrong?」
「Thisーー」
A single egg was laying in the direction pointed at by Luna.
……It might be a fieldzaurus.
「Would it be better to destroy it?」
Luna’s eyes looked like she was about to cry.
「No…… Taking it with us might also be an option.」
At the capital, there is a fad of keeping monsters as pets.
From what I’ve heard, if one raises it from an egg, even a monster would grow attached to humans.
……If it doesn’t work then I’ll responsibly dispose of it.
Luna picked up the egg. It had the size of a human head.
It might be good for Luna to raise something.
「I can take it home?」
「Yeah. If you will look after it.」
「Thank you very much.」
This is probably better than just abandoning it here.
It also would be a problem if it awakened as a monster.
Upon returning to the town, we get applauded for defeating the fieldzauruses.
Denizens’ shouts of joy resound through the town. 「We are having a festival today」, came a voice from somewhere.
Returning to the headquarters of the militia, Feel reports on the situation.
Our job as the adventurers ends here.
Taking the reward we leave the building.
「Hey, Rude!」
Sinanis called me.
Turning around, I see him pointing a fist my way.
「The next time we meet I won’t lose to you!」
「I look forward to it.」
Sinanis smiled.
Seeing the boy’s innocent smile, I smile myself as well.
After he left, we returned home.
「Nii-san, you were fine?」
Manicia approached me as soon as I opened the front door.
I smile, seeing how relieved she looked.
「Of course.」
「Thank goodness.」
Breathing what appeared to be a sigh of relief, she sat back on a chair in the living room.
She is a bit cold since Nin and Luna are also here.
If they weren’t she might have even gone for a hug. Unlucky.
「Luna, wrap the egg. Though I think fieldzauruses egg would be able to hatch under any conditions.」
「Acknowledged.」
「We have extra blankets, you can use those.」
「Yes, thank you very much.」
I put the fieldzaurus meat that I’ve received into the cold storage.
A feast will be held tonight.
So for a meal, we better have something simple.
「Anyway, things seem to be pretty hectic. Fieldzauruses, the discovery of a labyrinth. Could it be that there is some kind of jinx on you?」
「That’s what we actually should be asking you, right? It’s after you arrived that all sorts of stuff began happening.」
「That surely is not the case. I had pretty good luck all my life until now.」
That doesn’t mean anything.
My life also was continuous happiness.
I mean, I can live together with my little sister Manicia.
That’s happiness that overshadows everything else.
〇
When the night came, the town was in a huge uproar.
Sitting around a huge fire people drank, ate, sang, and shouted…… They were going at it with their all, trying to get over the exhaustion of the boring everyday life.
But I didn’t have such an outgoing character as to take a part in that.
Together with Manicia and others, I sat on the edge, from time to time picking food.
「Hey, Rude! What are you doing sitting so far away!」
「The main hero of this monster subjugation shouldn’t sit in such a place! Come on! Get over here!」
I brush off the hand of a man of this town that grabbed my arm.
「I don’t want to. How annoying. I’m eating together with Manicia.」
「Goddamn! Ah, fine! Thank you for this once!」
「Yeah! Please spar with me sometime later!」
Smiling, they left to bother someone else.
……What a lively bunch.
I once again sat down and reached for the food on the table.
「This is nice. Just like a real festival. I like this stuff.」
Nin said, gulping down another drink.
You just want to drink, don’t you?
She just drank who knows which cup. I’m getting drunk just by looking at her.
Nin can hold her alcohol, so her face isn’t red at all.
「Are you having fun, everyone?」
Feel came.
Without her usual equipment and helmet, her beautiful blonde hair was shining in the dark of the night.
「What about you? Did it go okay?」
「……To be honest, I still cannot believe it. That we managed to take down fieldzauruses.」
「We surely did.」
After I replied so, Feel lowered her head, then showed a soft smile.
「…Thank you. Thanks to you we managed somehow.」
「I didn’t do anything.」
「You did. You guided me. And first of all, this plan wouldn’t have worked without you. ……I’m very grateful.」
「Then I shall accept it.」
She sat next to us.
Looking at the blazing flames that rose up to the sky, Feel smiled.
「I think father also thinks that it’s about time for me to succeed him.」
「Well, he already began balding after all.」
「Fufu, that seems to bother him quite a bit. So don’t dare to say that to him. ……With this event, I understood that I alone am still not quite adequate for the job. I’m used to swinging a sword under someone’s orders, but giving the orders myself turned out to be very different.」
I understand what she means.
I acted as a leader a number of times, but that pressure still feels tremendous.
The feeling that my own judgment is going to decide everything.
In fights with monsters, I prefer to entrust myself to others.
I’m too afraid to call shots.
Even so, if the situation demands it, I’ll do it.
「To be frank, I also rarely was in such a position. So it’s not like I gave you good guidance. I might’ve been helpful, or that might’ve been a mistake. But in the end, you were the one who made a decision. ……So this battle belongs to you.」
Feel moves her lips slightly, but then tightly pressed them together.
And as we’re having such talk, Nin, reeking of liquor, drew near us.
It looks like she is getting somewhat drunk. Getting between Feel and me she put hands on our shoulders.
「Aah, you guys! Everything went fine, so it’s fine already! Holding a review meeting during a feast is just a waste! C’mon, Feel, you drink as well!」
She pushed a glass into Feel’s cheek.
「S-sure…… Thank you.」
「Hey, no!」
Nin, wait, don’t give alcohol to Feel.
As Feel took the glass from Nin I hurriedly rushed to stop her.
However, it’s a sad thing. I didn’t have the speed for that.
*Gulp, Gulp* Feel drank the contents.
And, her eyes turn glassy. Aaah, too late.
I immediately tried to escape from Feel, but,
「Ruuuuuuuude! It was sooooooooooooo scary!」
Suddenly bursting to tears she grabbed onto me.
Nin’s jaw dropped open.
Feel…… Can’t hold alcohol.
She pushed herself at me. Sadly, she has no chest.
So wearing armor makes almost no difference. But I’ll be killed if I say that. If I mention tiny breasts, Nin and Manicia might also join in.
「Ye-yeah. It was so scary, yeah.」
I pat her on the back.
Since she caught me, there is nothing I can do at this point.
「I had enough! I’m not good with such position!」
「I know, you mentioned it many times.」
「Yeah…… So, you know. Rude, help me more…… I can’t do this alone……」
「I know. Didn’t I help you today? I will keep helping you. The militia is also often helping me.」
「Re-really?! Then, will you marry me?!」
「How did it come to this.」
「Bu-but…… You will become the leader of the militia instead of me, right?」
「……I won’t marry you. And I also won’t become a leader.」
「Ru-Rude…… How can you say that……」
Looking at her, about to cry any second, makes me want to growl.
「……I’ll help you if you have problems. Isn’t that enough?」
「Rude! I love you!」
Feel hugged me tightly.
……When drunk, Feel turns into a completely different person.
It hurts, can you stop pressing that hard armor at me?
Ah, she didn’t have any armor right now.
「……Nin, you shouldn’t give Feel alcohol.」
「You, you people…… Is that the sort of relationship you had?」
「No. Feel just can’t drink. And it also affects her memory, she won’t remember a thing later. And, Feel herself, thinks that she is good at drinking.」
「……So, that how it is.」
The next day she will act as if nothing happened.
No matter how much she drinks, she is full of energy the next day, so in a way, she is strong with alcohol, but………
「Feel-sama is a very level headed person, so I didn’t expect this.」
Luna stared at Feel in shock.
「Everyone has a lot of stuff going. No matter how confidently they act, deep down they are bound to have some conflicts.」
「That’s how it is.」
「……Indeed.」
Muttering so, Nin nodded.
Looking at the smoke rising up to the sky, I gently stroke Feel’s back, who by now fell asleep on my knees.
「……How nice.」
Manicia muttered such words.
Aren’t you doing pretty much the same lately?
If you’d like, then how about getting on onii-chan’s knees right here?
I tried to relay that message with my eyes, but Manicia pouted and turned away.