The Ace Scholar's Reunion (3)
“Um… Is the conversation over?” Tirsi asked, standing there in the most awkward way possible as we came downstairs. She looked pitiful. Maybe she was the most unfortunate person here today. She’d come running with a spellbook, thinking she’d found a new party and wanting to get along, only to walk straight into a romantic drama. It was like joining a company only to discover the entire office was caught up in an office romance scandal—seriously awkward.
So I pulled Franc into my arms and made a show of how close we were. “Yes. As you can see, I’m blessed with more than my share of wives. No need to worry.”
“Haa… I see. I’m relieved it worked out.”
Tirsi tied her hair into a ponytail as if it were suddenly too bothersome. Then she asked, “I was going to teach you the Lightning Arrow spell today. If you’re busy, shall we do it another time?”
“Hmm… Just a moment.”
We sat down at the table. I wondered how Dana was doing. Knowing her, she was probably sitting there blankly before drinking herself into a stupor and passing out. That’s what she did back in university when she made a huge mistake during a research project. Back then, there were people to drink with—me and the other grad students. But now? As the lab director, she’d flown ahead alone with the other researchers and equipment. Had she even booked an inn? She might be alone in an unfinished research facility.
‘She said she’d come find me first, but…’
I couldn’t guess how long it would take her to recover from the shock. First of all—if our hunch was right—Dana had feelings for me. Whether she was aware of them or not, there was no doubt she was fond of me to the point of her eyes nearly popping out when she learned I had a wife. Her reaction had been that obvious.
What worried me was how she would process it. ‘She already knows I’m going to have multiple wives.’
Wasn’t it Dana herself who first brought up that kind of talk with me? The reason I’d decided to walk the path of an otherworldly ultra-macho was because of the marriage realities in this world that Dana had worriedly explained after hearing my dream. Even if Dana wanted a deep relationship with me, she probably never thought she’d be my only wife. So the core of the issue was that Dana ‘hadn’t considered the possibility of me dating someone else.’
Even if she’d been aware of her own feelings, she wouldn’t have imagined this particular shape. That was why she’d been so confused. It was easy to understand if I put myself in her shoes. What if, after I’d been grinding away as an adventurer for a month without seeing Franc, Dana suddenly showed up wearing a wedding ring? I would’ve been so shocked my jaw would’ve hit the floor.
‘For now, I’ll give her the time to calm down like she asked.’
Going to find her first wouldn’t be good. If her feelings weren’t sorted yet, having the source of the chaos show up would be a bad move. It would be better to wait until Dana, whose heart must be in turmoil, either became aware of her emotions or sorted them out. That process probably wouldn’t finish in half a day. Right now, regardless of how things ended between me and Dana, it was right to learn magic in preparation for the ruin exploration escort request. Of course, excluding me.
“Tirsi. I’m fine putting it off, so could you teach Franc magic instead? Me being with another woman right now… feels a bit disrespectful to Dana.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
Tirsi agreed and the two of them gathered at the table to begin studying magic. I headed out to the inn’s well.
I sat on a rock and tried to organize my thoughts. Maybe some exercise would clear my head. But this wasn’t something I should clear my head of. And yet, until now, I still hadn’t properly understood my friend Dana’s strong mental fortitude.
“Hey, Norde. Big Sis is here.”
That night, at 6 PM—just ten minutes after sunset—Dana came to the inn where we were staying.
Dana’s nickname “Messy Hair” was something I’d given her. The expression for her frizzy hair didn’t exist in Britannia, and the indignant look on her face the first time she heard it was still vivid. Because the joke I’d casually dropped spread instantly among our lab colleagues, she’d even playfully strangled me once. But even with that messy hair, Dana sometimes tidied it up. When she had to attend official events or accompany someone to a presentation, she’d comb it thoroughly. Every time, I’d been impressed watching her class-change from lab slave to career woman. Thinking about it, that might actually be her real self. During her lab slave days, she simply hadn’t had time to take care of herself.
That was why I was inwardly surprised when I saw her. The Dana who came to the inn had combed and styled her hair, and she was wearing a neat dress. The feminine outfit I’d never seen her wear before looked stiff, as if she’d just bought it today. It didn’t look bad on her, but she herself seemed uncomfortable, like a teddy bear forced into a dress.
“…You came?”
When I looked at Dana, that was what I thought. The Dana who came to the inn had combed and styled her hair, and she was wearing a neat dress.
“Yeah. You came. Damn, you’re staying at a nice place.”
Dana stopped in front of the inn and said that. Spring’s Shelter was unusually crowded today. Maybe because the harvest season was almost over, farmers and the merchants who’d come to target them were catching up. I peeked inside the inn and chuckled.
“Yeah. The food here is insanely good. I haven’t tried the alcohol, but if it’s trash, I can just drink the soup as a side.”
“You’re joking. You trying to burst your stomach before you even get drunk?”
Dana answered as if nothing had happened. But if it were the old days, the verbal rally would’ve gone on much longer. Her eyes swept over the inn as if searching for a new topic. I felt a little sad. That act of ‘searching for a topic’ itself had been impossible between us until recently. How long had it been since silence with her felt awkward?
“…It’s cold.”
“…Yeah. We should be careful this winter.”
The conversation that cut off in an awkward place gave birth to more awkwardness. We’d always been able to exchange long, rapid-fire banter because we had no consideration for each other. Even if we disliked the other or our relationship soured, we treated them as someone we could be casual with. There was no way that was true. Until half a day ago, we’d had the certainty that ‘it’s okay to be shameless with this guy.’ It wouldn’t be wrong to say we never crossed ‘the line.’ In other words, Dana and I had been that close. A friendship forged through three years of shared hardship and joy. That distance had widened slightly compared to half a day ago. Both Dana and I, who weren’t good with words, watched each other’s eyes while choosing what we could and couldn’t say. The interrupted conversation and awkward atmosphere were because of that.
“What are you doing? I came to drink, so are you gonna keep me standing here? Today I’m using your stories as snacks, so it’s on me.”
Dana spoke as if trying to shake off the awkwardness. Her tone was more artificial than when I first entered the lab as a grad student slave. So I said, “No, let’s walk for a bit.”
At my words, Dana’s eyes widened before she smiled. “Why? Because I said it’s on me, so you want to go somewhere expensive? Smart bastard. Fine. Before I change my mind, bring your wife too.”
“She can’t hold her liquor. Isn’t it funny for a half-dwarf?”
“Really? She’s the complete opposite of me.”
Dana smiled bitterly and looked up at the inn’s second floor. “Put on a coat. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Yeah.”
Tirsi left before nightfall. The only ones left at the inn were Larilura and Franc, who heard the story later. I went up to the room and put on my coat. Franc, who had been waiting in the room, helped me dress. Even though I told her every time that she didn’t need to do this, she never listened.
“Norde.”
Franc stroked my cheek with the back of her hand. Then, while straightening my collar, she smiled. “I’m not Norde’s shackles. Don’t forget that.”
“…Yeah. I’ll be back.”
I hugged my wife tightly and came downstairs. Dana hadn’t come inside the inn. She kept waiting outside, then grinned mischievously when she saw me come out.
“Why didn’t you wait inside? What are you doing, looking so pathetic?”
“Is that something you should be saying? That coat—you’ve been wearing it since university, haven’t you? What’s the point of a guy doing well wearing that? You should start paying attention to your clothes now.”
“Leave it. When a handsome guy wears old clothes, it’s called vintage fashion, you know?”
“Aha! So you came dressed in vintage fashion? You can’t get into an expensive place with that, you know?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not drinking today anyway.”
When I said that with my hands in my coat pockets, Dana frowned. “Why? I want to drink. If I have to listen to all the trouble you’ve caused while sober, I’ll faint.”
She was probably right. I wanted to get drunk today too. Borrowing the courage of alcohol to have an honest conversation would be so much easier. Even if I said something stupid while drunk, it would be better than sitting there awkwardly unable to say anything and then parting ways. The fact that drinking sessions were good places for conversation didn’t change even in this other world. But I spoke firmly. “Dana. A month ago, we could’ve told each other our true feelings without needing alcohol.”
Dana, who had been pretending to be close friends, bit her lip. Two weeks ago, on the first night Franc and I spent together, we had needed alcohol. Franc hadn’t known how to express the goodwill she felt. That was why she’d borrowed courage from the alcohol to hug me. The goodwill Franc showed by hugging me—when she didn’t even know how to confess or seduce—must have been thanks to the courage the alcohol gave her. At that time, Franc still barely knew anything about me, but she’d been captivated by my words and actions. Because she thought, ‘This person is someone I could love as much as I want,’ she gave me her first love even though she didn’t know me well yet. In short, Franc had ‘given me love on credit.’ So I tried to return the love I received from Franc. Maybe because I worked hard, Franc told me she didn’t regret falling for me. ‘It sounds funny coming from me, but maybe it means Franc has an eye for men.’
The moment Franc felt attracted, she dashed forward, entered a relationship, and then discovered my good points. That must be why she said earlier that she fell for me at first sight. Achieving her first love by borrowing the power of alcohol was very dwarf-like. Usually it’s the opposite. The normal process of romance is slowly learning the good points of someone you’re attracted to and having what people in the 21st century call a ‘situationship.’
Just like Dana had been until a month ago.
“Having a conversation while borrowing the power of alcohol today would be simple. But that would definitely leave you with regrets, Dana.”
I spoke confidently without avoiding Dana’s eyes. I spoke shamelessly to erase this distance between us. “It’s been three years. The time you and I have known each other. During that time, I showed you my entire personality. If you cherish the time we spent together, you should never replace it with alcohol.”
I approached Dana and took her hand. It was cold. I covered her hand with mine. I didn’t care what kind of answer Dana had brought. No—even if she just wanted to talk without saying anything and then go back, that was fine. As long as she could accept that conclusion. So—
“That’s why we’re not drinking today. With just the time we’ve shared for three years, we can have a conversation.”
If Dana got drunk here, spilled her feelings, and left? Then the feelings she’d held until now would become something lesser than alcohol. Whether it was a late confession or whatever, it wouldn’t do to waste words she’d held onto for over three years—words that could be said after just a few drinks—in such a hollow way. Preventing Dana’s sincerity from becoming lighter than alcohol was my responsibility, since I was the one who created ‘that feeling.’
“Otherwise, Dana.”
I knelt down to match her eye level and asked, “Right now, in your eyes, am I a different person from who I was three years ago?”
Dana couldn’t speak for a long time. A time that made me feel great anxiety and guilt. After that time passed, Dana’s lips opened. “…Let’s go. I have a room at the research institute.”
Dana said, holding my hand tightly.