The Drunk Hero's Drunken Confession
The Mother and the commanding Amon-class monster had fallen, and the remaining monsters were swiftly exterminated. Most were slaughtered on the spot, while a few fled, only to be tracked down and wiped out almost immediately.
The sudden emergency had come to a clean end. It was truly fortunate it had gone so well.
“Abel, you’ve worked hard. You really did well.”
“Elfride worked hard too.”
Elfride and I encouraged each other in turn. We then began searching for the other hero, Revius—
“Where did Revius go?”
“He rushed off in a hurry. Since Saint Celine had left, he’ll need to recruit a saint from another church or hire a priest.”
“Ah… that makes sense.”
At that moment, the saint muttered behind us.
“…to run away right away? How shameless.”
“?”
What was that supposed to mean?
The saint noticed our gazes and turned to look at me.
“Hero, shall we depart as well?”
“Huh? Right now?”
“You’ve worked hard, so we’ll rest from training for a while. But we have plenty of things to do too. We should move quickly.”
“Hmm….”
That was only fair. We still had to investigate the Holy Sword of Order. It was a shame, but we had no choice.
“We’re leaving?”
Elfride asked with a reluctant expression, as if reluctant to part from me.
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“I see….”
“We’ll meet again soon. There’s a regular report meeting, and like last time, we might get summoned again.”
“Yeah… you’re right.”
I watched Elfride nod and began to turn toward the exit.
Just then, someone came sprinting toward us in a panic.
“Heroes! Please wait just a moment!”
“Baron Reynold? What’s the matter?”
The one who had run over with heavy breaths was the border defense commander, Reynold. Was there some urgent news?
“We were planning a modest victory party today… If both of you heroes could join us, it would be a tremendous honor!”
“…Eh?”
“I know it’s improper to make such a request, but the soldiers are so eager… so I must impose upon you in this manner.”
A modest victory party. Hearing those words, I recalled the small one we had held after defeating the ogre in the village, the kind of relaxed atmosphere shared with Saint Celine and me while Chloe watched the villagers enjoy themselves. I couldn’t forget it.
But were those village people doing well now?
“Saint, how about taking just one day off?”
“…You want to drink again.”
…Had I been too obvious?
“…Even so, the soldiers want you to join, and as a hero I can’t refuse.”
“Ha, all right. We’ll depart right after tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
I had worked hard, so I had to drink after all!
“Then we can stay a little longer today.”
Elfride seemed delighted that she didn’t have to leave immediately. It was sad to think she had been without friends for so long and still liked them so much.
So I decided to spend the evening with Elfride.
“Shall we make a bet tonight as well, Elfride!”
“Sure. This time I’ll win.”
“I’ll eat both wish cards~.”
“Carelessness is forbidden, Abel. This time it won’t be so easy.”
#
Elfride entered my personal tent for a short rest after agreeing to meet Abel that evening. She whispered quietly to Cynthia.
“Cynthia.”
Cynthia’s black eyes shifted. The owner of those eyes, who normally reflected Elfride’s appearance, answered with an unusually meaningful expectation.
“Yes, Elfride.”
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
Elfride had been troubled by questions. She had completed everything she wanted to say to Abel since the regular report meeting, and she had achieved her intentions. Even the saint who had been the biggest obstacle, Estelle, had not interfered greatly.
Moreover, she had seen with her own eyes that Abel was growing properly. She had felt more than satisfied and had nothing left to desire, yet there remained a lingering sense of loss in a corner of her heart.
“Why do I still feel this lingering regret? I properly defeated the monsters, I achieved my desire to become close with Abel. I can declare that the regular report meeting fulfilled everything I wanted, yet I don’t understand why I feel this way. Have I always been this greedy?”
“…Elfride, that’s very natural.”
“Natural?”
Elfride was puzzled. What was natural? If she had already accomplished her desires, was greed for more natural?
“You said you feel regret, didn’t you? That’s because you want to be with Abel more.”
“…Do I want to be with Abel? Why? Don’t I have a reason to be with him? I’ve already given him a gift, bought the alcohol he wanted, and become friends. There’s nothing left to desire, so why do I want to stay together?”
Cynthia’s face showed her frustration at Elfride’s words. She could only understand to a certain extent while being exasperated that Elfride couldn’t grasp her own heart. Elfride had never had a friend with whom to confide, nor had she experienced this kind of feeling in a romantic context, making it even harder to recognize.
Instead of speaking directly to someone unfamiliar with such experiences, Cynthia chose gentle words to advise her.
“It’s because you like Abel, Elfride.”
Cynthia believed this would be enough for Elfride to understand the hidden meaning. Elfride nodded after listening.
‘I do have various interests in Abel and hold high expectations for him.’
But she had not yet realized that those interests were as a romantic partner.
#
That evening, under the modest victory party hosted by Baron Reynold, soldiers gathered around a campfire in the center of the camp to enjoy food and drink. Many had not yet bathed or changed out of their armor, yet they smiled happily, far more cheerful than usual.
“…This is nice.”
I preferred this kind of atmosphere. The campfire vibe felt right, and the mood was relaxed.
I tilted my glass while watching the scene with a smile when a soldier approached.
“Hero! May I pour you a drink?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
I gladly held out my glass, and the soldier poured from his flask.
Pouring in the usual way meant it should be a single shot.
I downed the alcohol in a gulp, and the soldier gave me a thumbs-up.
“Wow! You drink well, Hero!”
“The taste is great!”
“May I pour you another?”
“Oh, sure. Everyone, pour some for me!”
Other soldiers also poured drinks, and I drank, drank, drank… drank…?
“…Huh?”
The pace was too fast. But as the soldiers kept coming over to pour for me, I had no choice but to keep drinking.
“…Uhehehe.”
Abel, who had remained completely sober even after Elfride and the others chugged down everything, quickly got drunk. Reynold scolded the soldiers who had made him like this, and they excused themselves by saying Abel had simply enjoyed the atmosphere too much.
“U… heh.”
“Hero♡ You’re so dumb~♡”
Estelle looked at Abel with adorable eyes and teased him. Celine giggled at his weird sounds.
“I’m not dumb….”
‘So cute♥’
Estelle giggled at Abel’s slurred speech and teased him with a crescent-moon smile.
“Then what does the Hero look like right now~?”
“Uuu… I don’t know….”
Abel let his head droop. Thinking he might have fallen asleep, Estelle poked him lightly.
“Hero, if you sleep here your mouth will turn upside down~♡ You’ll become a flatfish hero♡”
“…Saint.”
Abel’s speech had suddenly turned even sloppier. Estelle looked at him in mild surprise. Abel lifted his head. His eyes, while his speech remained slurred, had lost focus and were unfocused.
“Don’t tease me like that all the time.”
“But it’s fun~♡”
Abel let out a long sigh and brushed his bangs back. Seeing his forehead exposed, Estelle’s breath caught. The sight of Abel’s revealed features was dazzling.
With his bangs swept back, Abel looked at Estelle with unfocused eyes and said,
“You should show your feelings a little.”
“…Eh?”
“Even if you tease me because you like me, you won’t like it if you don’t show enough.”
Elfride, Celine, and the nearby Cynthia all stared at Abel in shock at his words.
In truth, Abel’s mind had already floated away. What he was saying now was simply the product of his unconsciousness. He had not realized it logically, but he was speaking his unconscious thoughts without any filter.
Estelle’s cheeks slowly flushed at Abel’s words. She countered with an obviously flustered voice.
“W-when?! This virgin~♡ Just because you think you’re special doesn’t make you special, you know, really~!”
Estelle forced a calm smile, but Abel said without blinking,
“Even teasing me as a virgin makes me happy, Saint, since I’m your first.”
“W-w-what are you saying!!!”
“If you keep teasing me, I might do something drastic like making both you and the saint lose your virginity at the same time.”
Estelle froze in place. She wasn’t the only one startled. Elfride, Cynthia, and Celine all looked shocked at Abel’s bomb of a statement.
After a long silence, Elfride recovered first and shouted,
“Abel! What nonsense is that toward a pure saint! You need to go rest immediately—!”
“Elfride.”
Abel’s unfocused eyes were now directed at Elfride. When his gaze fell on her, Elfride was startled.
“W-why?”
“You like me too, Elfride.”
“What are you talking about!?”
Elfride was bewildered by Abel’s nonsense, but oddly she felt no anger. After all, he was simply misunderstanding on his own.
“That’s not it. Otherwise, how could Elfride treat me so well? You have so many things—handsome, righteous, high-ranking nobility—and I’m just a commoner with nothing…”
“Ah, no… it’s because you’re a person to me, a hero to a hero, so I like you.”
Elfride corrected Abel’s misunderstanding. He mulled it over, then let his head droop.
“…So I’m not attractive as a man.”
“E-eh?”
Elfride, who had no idea why that mattered, was flustered. Cynthia whispered beside her,
“Elfride, this is your chance!”
“What are you saying again!?”
“Don’t lie to yourself, Elfride!”
“So what’s—?”
At that moment, Luna’s voice echoed directly in Elfride’s mind.
[That’s right! Humans are unnecessarily shy. If you like them, say so! If you want to kiss, kiss! Sex—]
“Stop.”
Elfride’s head spun from Luna’s teasing. Even through the dizziness, she couldn’t ignore Abel’s clearly disappointed look.
Elfride was also a little tipsy. She couldn’t judge logically because of her swirling thoughts and Abel’s words that flustered her, along with Cynthia and Luna’s odd comments. She shouted,
“I-I have enough appeal as a man, Abel!”
In the end, Elfride blurted it out.
Estelle, who would normally have been angry, couldn’t recover from the shock and didn’t hear what Elfride said. Celine’s eyes widened, while Cynthia smiled brightly and cheered.
[Well done, Elfride! Yeah, people should be honest with their feelings. Then they won’t stress and stay happy. Like I said. There were a man and woman who liked each other but couldn’t confess because of courage—]
Elfride ignored Luna’s useless chatter and watched Abel’s reaction. He said nothing.
“…Abel?”
Elfride approached cautiously and gently poked him.
“Cool….”
Abel had fallen asleep while Elfride was lost in thought… an idiot.