Chapter 143: Three Uncles Drink Alcohol

Three Uncles Drink Alcohol

* * *

This is a digression.

It has little relation to Arc 9.

It has no relation at all to Arc 10.

“Well then, to celebrate our reunion…”

“Cheers!!!”

Clink!

In the dimly lit room illuminated by magic lamps, the small sound of wooden cups clinking together echoed.

The liquid poured generously into them was sakate sake.

This golden-colored alcohol is derisively called a “cheap booze strong only in alcohol content” – by no means a high-class drink.

The three middle-aged men gathered here each hold, or used to hold, distinguished positions.

They certainly have enough money to afford better alcohol.

However, the host Baron Martz deliberately chose this sake.

Because this sakate sake is nicknamed the “adventurer’s alcohol.”

The nostalgic taste they used to guzzle down at town taverns after completing jobs together in their adventuring days.

That’s why he chose to clink cups with this sake.

“Ggahhh! Tasty!”

Likely not noticing Martz’s consideration at all, the man clad in a golden armor despite it being a banquet – the highest-ranked adventurer Golden Arcus – downed his cup in one go.

Martz promptly refilled it with more sakate sake, but it was emptied again in the next instant.

“Ahh, my bad for barging in so suddenly!”

Laughing cheerfully, Arcus leaned over to slap Martz’s shoulder repeatedly as he said that.

Not looking apologetic at all.

Seeing his troublesome senior’s usual antics, Martz could only wryly smile, yet felt nostalgic too.

“No no, having the renowned Golden Arcus-sama grace my humble abode is an honor that makes my barony shine brighter!”

“Wahaha! Martz, you bastard! You’ve really started talking like a proper noble these days!”

Arcus continued laughing while drinking at an incredible pace.

“I’m the only active adventurer left now! You juniors retired first despite being younger than me! Getting all high and mighty!”

“Well, about being high and mighty… I’m currently unemployed, you see.”

It was here that the large, scar-faced man Dakkante finally spoke with a wry smile.

He had served as the branch chief of the adventurer’s guild outpost in the town of Yoshanka until recently.

However, numerous irregularities within the outpost were uncovered, leading to him being docked three months’ pay as the supervisor, despite not being directly involved in the misconduct himself.

Even so, Dakkante didn’t consider his punishment fully absolved.

While he had assumed the branch chief position after retiring as an adventurer thanks to recommendations from the guild, he felt desk work wasn’t his forte.

So once outpost operations stabilized again, Dakkante resigned as branch chief.

“Shaddup! Dakkante, you were apparently offered a martial arts instructor role at the Deswaar Ducal House too, weren’t you?”

“What!? Is that true? Congratulations, Dakkante!”

“Eh!? Ah um, Arcus-san, how did you know about that…?”

“Guhaha! Don’t underestimate my information network! I’m the highest-ranked adventurer and now the hero’s master teacher! Gathering that much info is child’s play for me!”

His senior was truly terrifying.

Dakkante broke out in a cold sweat.

Despite usually behaving so casually, he somehow obtained information about Dakkante’s private discussions with the ducal house.

On top of his overwhelming power, he was formidable indeed.

“That’s right, Arcus-san. I heard the rumor that you became the ‘hero’s master and teacher’ even in my humble barony.”

Thoroughly cowed, the large-bodied Dakkante shrank down.

To prevent the amused Arcus from pestering and exposing more of Dakkante’s secrets, Martz deftly changed the subject.

“Oh? Ohh… Yeah, that’s right, I sure did…”

For some reason, the energetic Arcus lost his momentum and began sipping his sakate sake slowly.

“…? Is there some difficulty talking about it?”

“Well, um… About that brat…”

After seeming to ponder for a bit, Arcus began recounting his memories with the hero.

“That shaveling hero Torch, I first met him when his village was being attacked by the Demon Lord’s Army…”

“…?!”

The relaxed atmosphere instantly tensed up.

Martz and Dakkante gulped audibly.

“I rushed in to help but was hopelessly outnumbered. I could only rescue Torch himself and flee the scene.”

“How dreadful…”

“……”

A gust of wind blew outside, causing the walls of Baron Martz’s manor to creak and the magic lamps illuminating the dining hall to sway.

“Even then, I sensed Torch was the hero from his immense divine aura. I was just going to pawn him off on someone else since I didn’t want the trouble… but Torch pleaded with me, so I ended up becoming his master and teacher.”

“I see… The hero was quite fortunate then. To be taught swordsmanship by Arcus-san is an extremely rare opportunity.”

“Yeah! That’s right! You’d think so, wouldn’t you!?”

Arcus’s cup didn’t stop moving as he kept gulping down sake rapidly.

“…Did something happen between you and that hero?”

Dakkante tentatively prompted him to continue.

“Nah, he’s a good kid! Honest, kind, has a strong sense of justice too! Listens properly to what I say, learns quickly, has divine aura and talent aplenty! All I had to do was teach him how to use his power and fight, and he’d keep growing stronger on his own – that kind of amazing brat! But still…”

“…But?”

“One day, the Holy Goddess Laintorlie appeared in my dream…”

“…?!”

A divine oracle.

Even this flippant yet skilled senior had received a divine oracle.

Martz and Dakkante immediately realized the Holy Goddess must have had something extremely important to convey to Arcus.

“And I… got fired from being the hero’s teacher…”

“…?!”

Fired by divine oracle.

Have any of the heroic tales they’ve read ever contained such a thing!?

Just what did this troublesome senior do!?

“B-But why…?”

“……..”

Arcus gulped down more sake before continuing:

“Well, I was thinking about Torch’s future… so as his master, I taught him all sorts of things beyond just fighting techniques…”

“…’All sorts of things’, you say?”

“…Like how to sweet-talk cute older girls, y’know, all sorts of stuff…”

“Bfuh!!”

The two juniors accidentally spat out the sake they had been drinking.

“Ah um, Arcus-san… How old was the hero boy back then…?”

“Hmm? Like 6 or 7 years old, something like that…?”

(Just what was this man teaching a child that age…)

(He must have taught the boy all sorts of other ‘things’ too… No wonder he got fired…)

Martz and Dakkante could only cover their faces in exasperation.

“So after getting fired as the teacher, well, I had already drilled the basics into Torch, and he had gained a comrade named Chiron too by then. I figured they’d manage somehow and parted ways with them. The Holy Goddess even issued a divine oracle specifically telling me not to go around saying unnecessary things that would taint the hero’s dignity. This is actually the first time I’ve reminisced about those memories! Guhaha! But you guys will keep it secret, right?”

Another truth that could never be spoken became one more secret burdening the two uncles’ hearts.

* * *

“Anyway! Enough with just me rambling! I’m just a drop-in guest here! Martz! Dakkante! Didn’t you two have something you wanted to discuss together?”

It was about two hours into the drinking session when the jovial Arcus, who had been monologuing nonstop, suddenly said that.

As he mentioned, this banquet was originally organized by Martz inviting the newly available Dakkante after he resigned as branch chief.

Arcus just happened to be passing by, decided to drop in for old times’ sake to see his juniors, and ended up joining the three of them.

“Hahaha… Well, you see Arcus-san. Dakkante here had been diligently working as branch chief for a long time. This is just a little celebration to honor his efforts. While my barony is in the countryside, the climate is nice and comfortable for relaxing. I just invited him to unwind here occasionally.”

“Why not tell me some juicy, heavy stuff!?”

“Well, I did intend to hear about Dakkante’s future plans. If you’re serving the Deswaar Ducal House, that’s reassuring. Otherwise, I was just hoping we could enjoy drinking…”

“…No, I have something to talk about, Martz.”

While Martz was gently trying to deflect his troublesome senior who seemed intent on digging for gossip, Dakkante interjected with a solemn expression on his now flushed red face.

Dakkante had the largest build but was the weakest drinker.

“I’m sorry! …I’m so sorry, Martz!!”

Dakkante then stood up and staggered over to Martz, kneeling to press his forehead against the floor in apology.

“Hey? Dakkante!?”

“I couldn’t protect that girl! I’m really sorry!!”

“…?!”

Ah, I see, Martz realized.

Dakkante had seemed ill at ease ever since arriving.

This was the reason why.

“Raise your head, Dakkante. I’ve written you letters about that matter many times. You were away, summoned to headquarters. You’re not to blame. Rather, it’s my fault for sending her off without knowing the circumstances.”

“But, but! If I had returned to the outpost even just one or two days earlier! That wouldn’t have…!”

“…What are you talking about?”

Arcus furrowed his brow, demanding an explanation.

His usual slurred speech was gone.

While usually careless, Arcus was fundamentally a kind-hearted man at his core.

He couldn’t just ignore his juniors’ apparent difficulties.

Martz explained.

How a black-haired, black-eyed girl named Emi had once saved his wife and daughter from bandits.

How she became friends with his daughter.

How she saved his daughter and even his entire barony from the Topopolock swarm.

Dakkante explained.

How that girl came to his outpost with Martz’s recommendation letter to register as an adventurer.

However, the townspeople persecuted her solely for her black hair and eyes.

And in the end, despite slaying the Togūdo Commander to save the town, she was driven out.

“…Hah.”

After hearing their explanations, Arcus let out a sigh.

“Nothin’ changes in this world… Same as in the Ol’ Yogin’s days…”

“………”

Silence filled the room, the only sound being the gulp of sake passing their throats.

Even the occasional gusts of wind from earlier had ceased completely.

A beautiful starry sky stretched beyond the windows.

“…So, that black-haired, black-eyed girl, Emi was it?”

After draining his cup, Arcus set it down firmly on the table with a thud.

“Didn’t she have any other notable traits?”

“Traits, you ask?”

“I’m the most freely mobile one here. I wander constantly year-round anyway. I was thinking of trying to search for the girl myself.”

“Arcus-san…”

“However…”

Dakkante sighed while resting his forehead on his palm, elbow on the table.

“The guild is already searching for her whereabouts too, since she’s the biggest victim of that idiot’s blunder… But she can’t be found. Still missing. She might even be…”

“That’s not possible.”

Martz cut off Dakkante’s pessimism.

Despite having no basis, the conviction in that single statement made the other two stare at Martz in surprise.

“Emi is definitely alive… She’s not the type to die so easily.”

Noticing their gazes, Martz seemed a little embarrassed as he shrugged and fiddled with his mustache before continuing:

“An incredibly… strong girl. Almost frighteningly so. If she can’t be found in human settlements, she may well be living in the demon realms instead.”

“…Haha. I suppose that’s possible.”

“Well, I guess so.”

Yet Martz’s speculation was not too far off the mark.

“Anyway! We’re getting sidetracked! Traits, traits! Martz, tell me Emi’s traits!”

Arcus deliberately acted silly to steer the conversation back on track.

He aimed to search for a girl even the adventurer’s guild couldn’t locate.

It was no simple task.

Despite being the highest-ranked adventurer with an extensive information network, Arcus would undoubtedly struggle on this difficult mission.

He wanted to gather any possible leads beforehand.

“Yes, well, in terms of appearance, she has black hair and black eyes. Just that alone should make her stand out considerably… Furthermore, she has a frighteningly well-proportioned facial features. Slanted, double-lidded eyes. Age-wise, she should be around 8 years old now.”

Martz listed Emi’s traits as they came to mind.

“Also, she’s not very articulate. A relatively quiet child who rarely changes expressions. I’ve never once seen her smile.”

“A kid who can’t smile, huh…”

Arcus frowned slightly.

“Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, she’s frighteningly strong. High combat ability and survival skills. Yet she’s not supposed to be a blessed existence considering the black hair and eyes.”

“Hmm… Anything else? Like where she was born, did you hear about that?”

“Born, you say?”

Martz stroked his mustache as he searched his memory.

Come to think of it, Emi had painstakingly explained that area during their first meeting on that night…

“About her birth, yes, I did hear it once. A village in the Rayvlake Kingdom beyond the mountains… Fenoben Village, I believe she said.”

“…?!”

Arcus froze upon hearing that, clearly startled.

“However, according to her, she was persecuted in that village and not properly raised by her parents, living alone in the forest most of the time. For a young girl to live alone in the wilderness would normally be dismissed as preposterous… but with her strength, I believe it was the truth.”

“A cursed black-haired, black-eyed child getting abandoned… A tale you hear occasionally, but it’s still cruel.”

Dakkante furrowed his brow, shaking his head with closed eyes.

“Emi clearly didn’t think well of her village or parents either. She didn’t hesitate to call them ‘scum’. Even her parents, she referred to them like that. I only got her to reluctantly tell me their name once.”

“And that name was?”

Not noticing Arcus’s sudden silence, Martz and Dakkante continued their conversation.

“If I recall, her father’s name was Cody, she said. A drunkard, crippled former adventurer.”

Gataan!!

In that instant, a loud noise resounded through the dining hall!

Arcus had abruptly stood up, knocking over the chair he had been sitting on!

“C-C-C-Cody, you say…?!”

Arcus’s eyes were wide open, his body slightly trembling.

Stunned by the sudden event, Martz and Dakkante stared at Arcus in bewilderment.

“Ah um, Arcus-san? Could it be you know this Cody person?”

“Kn-Know him? It’s not just that! Th-That guy is… is…!!”

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Arcus shouted:

“My brother!!”

“…Hah?!”

Martz and Dakkante’s voices overlapped in surprise.

“Th-Then, does that mean Emi is actually…?!”

“My… niece?!”

Author’s note: Finally, Arcus recognized Emi as his own kin.

He will be getting involved with Emi going forward.

…However!

As I’ve mentioned similarly before, Emi doesn’t really approach human settlements much, so that episode is still a little further away.

After all, she usually stays in the mountains and wilderness…

She’s truly a difficult child to find.

Even so, some leads remain, so she will eventually be found.

Please wait until that time comes.