I don’t think I’ll be able to upload tomorrow or the day after. I’m going on an outing with my group.
After I get back from the outing, I’ll do a run of consecutive chapters. You can probably expect up to three chapters in a row.
@Deleted and reposted because of spam flooding.
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Judging by the newly painted roof and walls, it seemed the place had not been built long ago. Looking at it, Kasim gave an awkward smile.
“It must have appeared while I was away. I doubt business would be very good, though……”
“Excellent. Let’s stay there… What I’m most curious about right now is what Arne’s cooking is like.”
Perhaps he was terribly hungry, for Damon strode toward the inn without hesitation. Kasim, who seemed about to say something, soon sighed and followed after him. It looked as though there was something he was reluctant about.
“Welcome. You seem to be travelers. Welcome to Arne.”
Guided by a young clerk, the party headed first to the dining hall. Having eaten nothing but dried rations for a full day, they longed most for warm food. Perhaps because it was not yet mealtime, the inside of the dining hall was rather quiet. Kasim spoke to the clerk who came to take their order.
“This place doesn’t seem to have been here long, does it?”
The young clerk, who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen, answered with a smile.
“That’s right. It was completed about a month ago and opened for business.”
“In Arne, where there aren’t that many travelers, will it really manage to stay open?”
The clerk looked surprised.
“You seem to know Arne well.”
“I’ve stopped by a few times.”
Unexpectedly, Kasim did not reveal that he was from this place. Just as the others were finding that strange, the clerk smiled and continued.
“In fact, this inn was built personally by the lord. It’s because of the event taking place tomorrow. After that event is over, it will probably be used as a village hall.”
“An event?”
As if realizing his mistake, the clerk slapped his forehead.
“Ah. Since you’re travelers, you wouldn’t know. A grand feast is being prepared in Arne. Tomorrow is the day the lord’s daughter is to be married. According to custom, the wedding has to be held here, so this building was constructed. They need lodging for the guests from the groom’s side.”
“……….”
“It seems you’ve arrived at just the right time. Tomorrow, all the food served here will be free.”
The clerk, who had been about to continue, was startled. The other man’s reaction was far from ordinary.
“S-sir.”
Kasim was trembling all over. His eyes, widened as if he could not believe it, were filled with shock. He looked as though he had received a tremendous blow.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No. I suddenly felt dizzy. The order is enough. You may go.”
The clerk shook his head once as though puzzled, then turned away. With a stiff expression, Kasim looked at Damon.
“I’m sorry, but may we move elsewhere?”
It seemed there was some story behind it, so Damon rose without a word.
“Let’s do that.”
But just as the party was about to leave, a group of people entered the inn. By coincidence, they ran right into each other. In that instant, a gasp burst from Kasim’s mouth.
“Gah.”
Kasim barely managed to cover his mouth and quickly turned his head. Seeing him turn away and hide behind Mitchell, it was clear he was avoiding someone. Puzzled, Damon looked over the people they had encountered. The one who first caught his eye was the young man in splendid clothes standing at the front.
He was fairly handsome, but the way the corners of his mouth curled upward gave him a distinctly mean impression. Beside him stood a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. Considering that the average age of a bride at the time was from the late teens to the early twenties, she could be called a rather older bride. The others were all dressed as attendants and guards, and from that, it seemed to be the procession of a noble of fairly high status.
‘Who on earth is Kasim afraid of? Surely not this young brat?’
Just as he was wondering whether or not to teach him a lesson, the young woman’s sharp voice suddenly rang out.
“Kasim? It really was you.”
There was venom in the woman’s voice. As if realizing he could no longer avoid her, Kasim awkwardly revealed himself. For some reason, his face had gone rigid.
“L-Lady Matilda.”
The woman’s beautiful eyes were blazing with anger. She slowly walked over and stood before Kasim. Since they had no idea what was going on, the party merely watched. Perhaps unable to endure the woman’s gaze, Kasim did not know where to put himself and could only fidget.
“So you returned in the end, Kasim.”
“Y-yes. My lady.”
“You coward. Does a man have so little courage? Can you still call yourself a man after that?”
“……….”
“I simply cannot forgive myself for waiting nearly ten years for someone like you. I can’t even understand why I did it.”
“M-my lady.”
“In any case, it worked out for the best. Late though it may be, I’ve finally been able to find my place. I am no longer the immature Matilda of ten years ago. I don’t know what brought you here, but I hope you will leave the territory of Arne at once.”
As if she had said all she needed to say, the woman turned away coldly. Without another thought, she walked in the opposite direction, throwing a word to the young man who stood there looking bewildered.
“I’ll go ahead. Seeing that man has completely ruined my appetite.”
Kasim, his head hanging low, was trembling. Soon after, the young man approached and spoke to Kasim. Perhaps because he was a noble, he immediately spoke down to him.
“So you are that Kasim I’ve only heard about.”
“……….”
“The rumors were quite something. A mere guard who stole Lady Matilda’s heart… I wanted to meet you at least once someday.”
A satisfied smile hung on the young man’s lips.
“But what a pity. I’m sorry to say she is now my fiancée. We plan to hold a grand wedding tomorrow. So I do hope you will attend the ceremony. Only then, I think, will my fiancée be able to wipe such useless memories of the past clean from her mind.”
After finishing, the young man gestured to an attendant.
“Give this man an invitation……”
The attendant approached and held out an invitation to Kasim. Seeing the hand that silently accepted it trembling, he seemed to have been dealt no small shock.
“It is not a place just anyone is invited to, so you should be grateful. Only two people may attend with one invitation, so think carefully… Huhuhuhu.”
Letting out a sneer, the young man turned away coldly. It was behavior far too fitting for his vile-looking face. Unable to keep watching, Mitchell clenched his fist and stepped forward.
“You damn bastard……”
He felt he would only be satisfied after beating that arrogant brat to a pulp. Kasim silently reached out and stopped Mitchell.
“Leave it be, Mitchell.”
“B-but……”
“I’m asking you.”
At Kasim’s earnest request, Mitchell had no choice but to step back. As if he had gathered himself in that short span of time, Kasim looked around at the group.
“Now that things have turned out this way, I don’t think there’s any need to leave. Then let us all go in and have our meal.”
Having said that, Kasim turned away without waiting for an answer. The party silently followed after him.
After ordering their meal, the party remained silent for a while. They desperately wanted to ask Kasim what had happened, but none of them dared. They simply could not bring themselves to speak to Kasim, who sat with his head bowed, his face as dark as that of a man sentenced to death. In the meantime, the food came out, and the party silently began their meal.
“You must be hungry too. Why don’t you eat a little?”
But Kasim seemed to have no appetite at all. Seeing him silently shake his head, Damon clicked his tongue.
‘Tsk, tsk. What in the world happened……?’
But unless the person involved opened his mouth, there was no way to know. Since there was no way they could have much appetite, the party merely picked at the food before them. That was despite the quality of the dishes being fairly decent. Just as the party was nearly finished with their meal, someone approached them.
It was a man dressed as a guard in chainmail, and Damon remembered that he had been among the group from earlier. The man approached Kasim’s side and softly called his name.
“Kasim.”
As Kasim slowly raised his head, a look of delight appeared on his face.
“Taylor.”
The two soon clasped hands. Judging by that, they seemed to be childhood friends, or perhaps something even closer.
The face of the man called Taylor was filled with pity.
“Have you been well all this time, Kasim? How long has it been?”
“I’ve managed well enough. You’ve aged quite a bit too, Taylor. I can’t find even a trace of the greenhorn guard I remember.”
“Heh heh. Isn’t that true for both of us? Judging by your clothes, it looks like you became a mercenary.”
“That’s how it turned out.”
With his complexion somewhat improved, Kasim introduced him to the party.
“Ah, let me introduce you. These are my companions. And this is Taylor, my friend and former colleague. He is as close to me as a dear friend.”
The party soon exchanged greetings with Taylor. Once the introductions were over, Kasim slowly rose.
“I will speak with my old friend for a moment. Please go on eating.”
“Do so.”
Taking Taylor by the hand, Kasim went to the most secluded corner of the dining hall and sat down. It seemed they intended to have a conversation difficult for the party to hear. After glancing once at them, Kasim looked at Taylor.
“What on earth happened? Lady Matilda still hadn’t married… When I saw the letter that came to the mercenary corps several years ago, I thought she had already gotten married.”
Taylor nodded with a heavy expression.
“That was a scheme the lord devised. To make you give up……”
“I had already given up everything when I left this place. That’s why I haven’t set foot in Arne until now……”
“But the young lady did not give up. She declared that if it was not you, she would never marry. You know the young lady’s stubbornness well enough, don’t you? Once she insisted, even the lord had no choice.”
At those words, Kasim’s face filled with regret.
“I heard the ceremony is tomorrow. What happened? And who is that tasteless bastard?”
“You felt that way too?”
A faint smile passed over Taylor’s face. From that, it was clear he also did not think very highly of the groom.
“He is Lord Morcer of the Count Tudret family. The only son of a prestigious house that wields considerable power in Cordo.”
A bitter smile appeared at the corners of Kasim’s mouth.
“A political marriage, then.”
“He’s five years younger than the young lady. Well, isn’t his aim our territory of Arne? The lord has no children but his only daughter, so once he marries her, the entire territory will fall into his hands someday, won’t it? That’s why they persistently sent marriage proposals……”
Taylor continued with an expression that did not look at all comfortable.
“The young lady, who had been holding out, finally gave up. The lord’s persuasion—asking whether she intended to let the family line end like this—worked properly. After meeting Lord Morcer, the young lady willingly agreed to the marriage. This happened a month ago.”
“……….”
Kasim remained silently still. Since he had never dreamed that Lady Matilda would wait for him for ten whole years, his heart felt all the heavier. Taylor, who had been watching him in silence, quietly opened his mouth.
“You came at a truly bad time. As a friend, I advise you—it would be better to leave Arne right now. That way, even if you come back later, your heart will be more at ease, won’t it?”
“Is the lord in good health?”
“Of course. He seems to have taken such a liking to his new prospective son-in-law that he goes about with a smile fixed on his lips.”
“………”
“I’ll be going now. I’m currently carrying out a mission to escort the princess, so I should return. If you come find me later, we can catch up then.”
“Understood.”
Having said what he had come to say, Taylor rose to his feet. Though he left, Kasim showed no sign of getting up for a long while.
When Kasim returned to their table a little later, the group welcomed him warmly.
“We ordered a few dishes. Fill your stomach first.”
“Shall I?”
As if he had finished sorting out his thoughts, Kasim began eating in silence. The group said not a word and waited for him to finish his meal. After wiping his mouth, Kasim looked around at them.
“I apologize for causing you concern over a trivial matter. This is an extremely personal affair, so I would ask that you please not inquire further.”
As though he had expected Kasim’s reaction, Damon smiled faintly and called for a waiter.
“Did you call, sir?”
“Would you bring us some liquor? Choose only the finest, and bring about ten bottles.”
When Damon, having finished speaking, held out a gold coin, the waiter jumped as if he had been burned and rushed toward the kitchen.
“Y-yes, sir.”
After placing the order, Damon looked at Kasim with a peculiar smile.
“It’s been a long time since I shared a drink with my comrades. What do you all think?”
Everyone answered as one.
“An excellent idea.”
Watching them, cold sweat began to trickle down Kasim’s forehead. Only now had he realized that Damon was a high-level mage. Perhaps Damon had used magic to hear every word exchanged between him and Taylor.
“I… I’m not particularly in the mood for drink.”
“That won’t do. I’ve always been quite curious about how much the captain can hold.”
Damon cut him off in a single sentence, then extended a finger and pointed at Mitchell.
“That fellow is weaker to liquor than he looks. So today, I’m thinking of conducting the experiment on the captain instead.”
Mitchell smiled slyly and chimed in.
“That was then, and this is now. Today, I’d like to drink to my heart’s content as well.”
Of course, there was no way the other mercenaries would refuse liquor. They had spent a year in the north devoted to grueling training, without even a chance to lay eyes on alcohol, so every one of them could not help but long for it.
“Let’s have a drink. How long has it been?”
“Let’s drink until our noses are crooked for the first time in ages.”
Katroi, who had only recently discovered the taste of alcohol, joined in as well.
“I shall prove just how well a Dragon can drink.”
With everyone in the group in favor, there was nothing more Kasim could do. The group found a secluded table and soon began their drinking bout. It was so lavish that the ten bottles the waiter brought were emptied in the blink of an eye. Damon tossed out several gold coins and shouted.
“Bring every last drop from the liquor cellar!”
The waiters, quite literally, had to run back and forth to the cellar until the floor seemed worn down. As the empty bottles increased one by one, a reddish drunken flush began to spread across the faces of the group.
Contrary to expectations, not a single word about Kasim came up during the drinking. Each of them began sharing past experiences one after another, and every time, raucous laughter burst out. Only Kasim and Katroi quietly emptied their cups.
Kasim enjoyed the liquor in silence. Whenever his cup was emptied, the mercenaries seated beside him swiftly filled it again, and Kasim raised the cup and drank without a word. Kasim had quite a tolerance. He drank close to ten bottles by himself, yet showed no sign of being drunk at all; it was a capacity that suited his build perfectly. Katroi, who had somehow happened to acquire a taste for alcohol, also emptied bottle after bottle as if determined not to fall behind.
Gulp, gulp.
“Kuh… This really is quite drinkable.”
Seeing the liquor bottles strewn haphazardly in front of Katroi, Damon frowned.
“Stop guzzling so damn much, you bastard. Liquor is wasted on you.”
“You punk. I can just pay for it, can’t I?”
“You don’t even get drunk, so why are you so obsessed with liquor…?”
As Damon clicked his tongue, Kasim’s voice came.
“Do you wish to hear my story?”
The room fell silent all at once. It was as though they had all been waiting for this very moment. As if he had made up his mind, Kasim raised his bloodshot eyes and looked at Damon.
“It seems you have already heard, so I will not hide it any longer. Keeping secrets even from my comrades is not something I find pleasant either.”
“Wait a moment.”
Without delay, Damon formed a hand seal and cast a barrier around the group. There were quite a few people in the restaurant, and he thought it would be best if they did not overhear. After confirming that they were completely isolated from the outside, Damon looked at Kasim.
“I’ve taken measures so that only we can hear your story. Go on, then. Tell us.”
“Thank you.”
Kasim nodded in gratitude, then soon began to reveal his story.