༺ Nighttime Toasts Beneath The Moon (1) ༻
“Gaahhh! The moon is a real killer tonight, isn’t it?!”
Even though he was severely injured and wrapped in bandages all over his body, Darius laughed heartily as he admired the moon.
The moon looked as if it were sliced into neat halves, and as reinvigorating as it was, the moonlight seemed to carry a tinge of melancholy as it gently bathed the surroundings.
Thud!
Darius, who had been idly sitting atop an oak barrel, stood up. Amidst the picturesque night scenery of the garden, he chose to tip the wine glass tonight.
I did entertain the idea of getting drunk with some snacks while enjoying the moon after getting out of prison, but I never expected the opportunity to do so would arrive this quickly.
Once the Phantom of Griffin was annihilated, King Orpheus regained control of his body.
He stopped the Royal Knights and the Mage Tribunal Judges while acknowledging that he was possessed by the Evil Ghost.
And just like that, the incident was resolved.
For some reason, a nighttime drinking fest was held at the Royal Palace garden a few days later.
I wondered if it was necessary to do it now, but the King suggested that as the audience chamber would be under repairs either way, there would be no better time than now. That’s how we ended up gathering like this.
“Being sturdy is good and all, but I never knew she would be that sturdy.”
Deia was moving a cart full of wine glasses beside me.
I wanted to help, but I couldn’t move my arm easily due to the gunshot wound on my left shoulder.
“Gaaaahhh! Deia, bring on the drinks!”
And there was Findenai, walking right past me. She was still dressed in her maid uniform, somehow looking like a child while raising and swinging the largest mug excitedly.
“Chief, wait for me!”
“It’s a party!”
“Yay!!”
The Scrapyard Nomads’ trio trailed behind Findenai like ducklings.
Seeing their enthusiasm, which seemed like they had already downed a few drinks, Deia warned them.
“Hey! It’s already quite late, so keep it down!”
Since there were no servants around, and it was a small space just for us, causing a fuss might disturb those resting.
The servants had only arranged a campfire-like setup before retreating to rest, while Archmage Ropelican and his apprentices gathered to kindle the flame.
It seemed like they were betting on who could use the least amount of mana to conjure fire.
I took a seat on the bench in front of the flower bed where Eleanor and I often sat.
The massive pillar of fire, conjured by Ropelican, shot up sporadically like a geyser, lighting up the sky.
“Whoa! That’s way too much firepower!”
“M-Master! What should we do!”
“W-Wait!”
The mages were putting on quite a show.
[Wow, wow! I’ll just go take a look around for a moment!]
Perhaps impressed by the massive fire bursting gloriously, the Dark Spiritualist naturally drifted towards the mages.
As I was absentmindedly enjoying the fire while propping my chin, a female student sat next to me.
Aria Rias handed over the beer mug she was holding to me.
“Professor, you should have a drink as well.”
I warned her as I accepted it.
“Do not think about drinking, you are still a student.”
When I warned her sternly, Aria smiled mischievously and extended the glass in her other hand.
The scent of oranges hit my nose.
“I’m just having some juice. You really dislike it when students do things unlike students, don’t you?”
I didn’t bother replying with ‘because I am a professor’ because I hardly had any proper experience working as a professor.
Aria gently laughed and asked as I was blankly staring at the fire.
“Are you spacing out to the fire?”
“….”
“You know, you mentioned it a long time ago, Professor. A really long time ago!”
Was she talking about something from the first cycle?
I gulped down my drink without bothering to reply. Though it was a beer mug, it was filled with wine that tasted quite pleasant, most likely provided by the Royal Palace.
“So, what are you going to do from now on? Oh, don’t worry! Whatever you decide on, I’m on your side, Professor.”
“No matter what I do?”
As I brought the drink to my lips again and inquired, Aria responded without a hint of hesitation.
“Yes, of course.”
I held the mug close to my lips and momentarily contemplated before lowering my hand and asking again.
“What if I were to massacre most of the Kingdom like Heralhazard?”
I thought she would hesitate a bit.
Or she would at least pretend to question it.
“Yes.”
However, Aria answered with a bright smile, without a moment’s hesitation.
“You must have a reason behind it!”
Whether she realized it or not, her response just now had pricked my heart.
She was the character I used to play with. From her first steps till the conclusion of the story, I had fought alongside her and witnessed it all.
Watching Aria Rias, the protagonist, being this broken was more difficult than I imagined.
“Huff.”
Tap.
With my gaze fixed on the flames, I slowly extended my hand and placed it on Aria’s head.
I could feel that Aria was surprised and was staring blankly at me, but I didn’t want to look at her right now.
However, I felt sorry for her.
“It must have been difficult.”
I offered whatever comfort I could.
“Ah…”
While I may not be able to fully empathize with the extent of her suffering and agony that made her reach her breaking point, I could somewhat understand it.
“Everything will be fine. Relax your shoulders.”
“Aaaaaah, Professor!”
She was about to reach out and hug me.
But I had already withdrawn my hand from her head, pushing her away as she tried to get closer to me.
“Not this.”
“…I can’t do this?”
Genuinely disappointed, Aria clicked her tongue and murmured while carefully adjusting her butt to move closer to me.
Our thighs were touching, signifying the current proximity between us.
It was annoying, but seeing how Aria liked it so much, I didn’t feel like making an issue out of it.
Aria smiled in satisfaction as she seemed to enjoy the atmosphere.
However, a certain freedom-seeking barbarian abruptly appeared and ruined the mood.
“It turns out when you drink, you enjoy doing it alone, Master Bastard.”
“….”
“…Ms. Findenai, we’re having an important conversation right now, so could you please scram?”
Aria delivered a sharp remark, but Findenai responded with a smirk.
“Is smelling Master Bastard’s scent that important? Master Bastard, you, too, must have noticed that, but you just pretend not to.”
“….Pardon?”
Aria’s head turned like a rusty gear. With her face flushed, exhibiting a rare moment of embarrassment, she looked directly at me and asked.
“D-did you notice it?”
If she was talking about her getting closer to me intentionally, pretending to breathe while trying to smell my scent…
“Yes.”
I knew it.
Upon hearing that, Aria stood up abruptly, lowered her head deeply to hide her face, and stormed away.
Findenai then occupied Aria’s seat.
Casually leaning on the bench, holding a beer mug in the other hand, and resting one leg on the opposite thigh, Findenai adopted a posture that was inappropriate while wearing a skirt.
“Keep your legs down.”
I immediately furrowed my brows and warned her, but Findenai provoked me even more with her remarks.
“Why? Does it excite you? Does it bring back memories of your old libertine days? Shall we make tonight lively?”
“…Do not cross the line.”
“Tsk, don’t people joke around when they drink? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”
Findenai extended her mug towards me. Letting out a sigh, I reciprocated by gently clinking my mug against hers.
It was more of a thud than a clink.
Satisfied with that, Findenai gulped down her drink, and I, too, took a sip once again.
“Will you be staying in Graypond for a while?”
When Findenai asked casually, I calmly responded.
“Yes, it is not over yet.”
I had overcome all the trials from the King. So, the only thing left was for me to be officially recognized as a dark mage affiliated with the Kingdom. However, in reality, this was just the beginning.
I could already vividly picture the torrent of criticism pouring in and how I would be dragged to the debate hall.
“It will not just be noisy. Many mercenaries will be aiming to assassinate or kidnap me. When the time comes, you will have to deal with them.”
Because I had planned to have Aria return to the academy.
Hearing this, Findenai rummaged through her pockets.
“Assassins? It will be so much fun. Will I need to swing my axe every three days?”
Findenai pulled out a cigarette from her pocket. As I stared at her patiently, she immediately mumbled an excuse upon realizing my scrutiny.
“Ah, it’s a habit. I’ll just keep it in my mouth.”
“Huff.“
Anyway, regardless of the situation, Findenai would still be herself. Even though she was feeling tipsy and had a flushed face, she still casually broached a serious topic.
“That’s perfect timing. I’ve heard that some of our fellow countrymen are in Graypond. Though it’s a different resistance group, not the Scrapyard Nomads.”
“….”
“I want to go and meet up with them. It seems like I should gather information as well.”
I silently listened to the topic she brought up as if she was trying to remind me and make sure I did not forget that they were part of the resistance movement.
Certainly, there were other resistance groups that had come from the Clark Republic, and they were not only dwelling in Graypond, but also in several other major cities.
They had different names and proclaimed convictions.
They emerged as major villains in the chapter where Findenai and the protagonist Aria fought and Findenai, who unified all the resistance groups, took on the role of the leader.
‘Of course, such storylines no longer exist.’
Such a future disappeared the moment Findenai became my maid.
Therefore, Aria probably wouldn’t want to mess with Findenai for no reason, either.
In the midst of a rather serious conversation, Findenai glanced at me.
“Master Bastard, can I ask you one thing?”
“….Speak.”
Affected by her serious expression, I unintentionally focused on what she wanted to say.
“Back then, when I offered to lick your asshole, did you regret rejecting it?”
“….”
“You regret it, right? Right?”
“Findenai.”
My head was pounding. Since I was definitely not drunk, I naturally responded with an expression full of disgust.
“Get lost.”
