Adults' Time
Airi couldn't accept Camellia's wish to nullify her own. Naturally, she stomped her feet and threw a tantrum, and they eventually settled on playing together for a few hours. Even so, Airi refused to abandon her original wish. Treating a perfectly normal person like a pet? Wasn't that just shameless?
I was about to show her the wrath of Kunta Kinte firsthand when Camellia spoke up. "Then make the wish you originally wanted to make. I'll make the same wish as you."
Airi puffed out her cheeks in her usual habit and turned her back. Then, in a tiny voice, she agreed to a joint subjugation mission instead. As expected, Camellia was incredible. To silence that stubborn, four-dimensional girl... Was this what they meant by fighting fire with fire, or women with women? "As expected of you, big sis. Your words carry real weight."
"Haah... This is serious, really."
"Yeah, my situation's been pretty serious lately."
"No, I mean your disciple, Werner."
"Why my disciple?"
Aside from being a bit slow, having a bad personality, a foul mouth, being an idiot, lacking manners, and causing trouble everywhere, she was a fine kid. Thinking about it, there were way too many things to exclude.
"Let's have a drink tonight, Werner."
"Ah... I really hate dealing with drunk big sis."
She was definitely pretty, which made it all the more troublesome. When I drank, I never knew what I might do under the influence. And if something happened, I wasn't confident I could handle the aftermath. As a man, I wasn't entirely uninterested in creating quarter-elves, but it still felt awkward.
"I won't drink enough to get completely wasted. I just want to talk."
"Well, if that's the case... fine."
That day, I broke into a sweat trying to put Airi to bed—her mouth sticking out like a cricket's antennae. Even though she was already grown, she still wanted a bedtime story. After finishing that painful reading session, I found Camellia had prepared a modest drinking table. She'd sliced the cheese into easy-to-eat pieces and even peeled some fruit.
"I should've prepared this myself. Sorry for making you do it, big sis."
"Don't worry about it. I did it because I wanted to."
"Then I'll gratefully accept your kindness."
I picked up a piece of cheese from the plate and took a small bite. The aroma was a bit strong, but it tasted good. Compared to what I'd eaten as a child, it was a feast.
"Mmm, delicious."
"I just cut the cheese, though..."
"No, your knife work was exquisite. You'll make a wonderful wife someday. This grand mage guarantees it."
"Werner, you've gotten quite dramatic since I last saw you."
Even as she said that, Camellia's face had turned red. It was too early to blame the alcohol—she hadn't touched a single drop yet. I poured her glass full of rum so she could blame the drink for her embarrassment. The ice, suddenly meeting the lukewarm rum, let out a crisp crackling sound as it floated up. I filled my own glass as well. Mine didn't crackle since I hadn't added ice.
I raised my glass and tilted it slightly toward Camellia—just enough that the liquor wouldn't spill. "Unfortunately, I don't know any good toasts for drinking with a beautiful woman."
"What a coincidence. I don't know any good toasts for drinking alone with a man either."
Our glasses clinked together. I downed the full glass of rum in one go. It was bitter yet carried a faint sweetness and tropical fruit aroma that lingered on my tongue. Good thing I'd stocked the expensive stuff instead of the cheap sailor swill.
Camellia, having sipped her rum, set her glass down and spoke. "Now, about what we were discussing earlier..."
"Ah, our disciple? I don't think either of us has any major problems."
"No. That's exactly why I prepared this meeting—because you both have serious issues."
"Serious issues?"
Well, I did have one major problem. An eight-year-old fiancée was quite the issue. Who knew what kind of hell I'd face if she caught me?
"That child is far too immature, and you're far too lenient with her, Werner."
"Airi does have that side to her, but... am I really that soft?"
"Of course you are. Wanting to keep your own master as a pet? I couldn't even imagine such a thing in my day."
And there it was—the elf elder. Even her "back in my day" line was perfect, though her appearance was unmistakably that of a woman in her twenties. And she was beautiful, too. Elves were born with exceptional looks, but Camellia was particularly stunning. Glossy black hair, fair skin, and jewel-like blue eyes. Werner also had black hair and blue eyes, but the quality was worlds apart.
"But big sis, I'm a hands-off kind of guy."
"Neglect and irresponsibility are different, Werner. Even a ranch that lets livestock roam free still puts up fences."
Camellia angrily emptied her glass of rum. I refilled both our glasses.
"Why are you so soft on that child?"
This question had appeared in the official setting book as well.
"Because she's my first love's daughter. Isn't that natural, big sis?"
Just in case anyone was thinking BL, Werner's first love was definitely not a man.
"Werner, you..."
"Yeah, Media, Airi's mother. She was my first love. Well, she found a good man like Zeek, so I'm satisfied."
"I see... When was this?"
"From nineteen years ago until seventeen years ago. I wasn't interested in women who already had someone, so I gave up quickly."
"So that's what Media meant back then. Now I understand."
"What?"
I downed another full glass of rum. This time, it tasted strangely sweet—sweet enough that I didn't need any snacks. Why had Werner cared so much for Airi? Because she resembled his first love. Media Les, Airi's mother. To Werner, she was like a mother figure. He'd loved her but had no choice but to give up. Her heart had always belonged solely to the protagonist, Zeek.
Thinking about it, it wasn't NTR either—they'd already been dating by the time Werner was taken in. Because she was his first love's daughter, it felt awkward. Because she was his first love's daughter, he cherished her. Because she was his first love's daughter, he kept her close. Because she was his first love's daughter, he had to save her. And because she was his first love's daughter, she was worth sacrificing his life for.
That was the kind of person Werner was. He'd received unconditional love from everyone, yet the love he gave in return could never be reciprocated. Even if she never knew, even while knowing his feelings were shameful, he'd been honest with his emotions—and used dishonest methods to express them.
The alcohol must have been strong. I'd only had two glasses, yet a strange intoxication and Werner's emotions were beginning to mix with mine like a cocktail.
"Media always worried about you."
"Ah, Media did? That's nice to hear."
"She said that lately, even when you were there, it felt like you weren't."
"Did this grand mage's presence really feel that faint to her?"
"She said you seemed like a dandelion seed that would disappear on the wind at any moment. That even when you smiled, there was always an air of wanting to vanish."
"Hahaha... A dandelion seed, huh..."
The engagement had merely been the trigger for Werner's departure. Countless factors had pushed his heart away. Those factors had woven together like wires, forming a massive cage.
"She said something else, too."
"What, that she hated taking care of a damn brat like me?"
"No."
Camellia shook her head. Her glossy black hair swayed, still captivating. "She said she was sorry."
"What?"
"For forcing the engagement on you. For pushing you too hard."
"Media said that...?"
"She wanted to give a nest to a migratory bird like you who would soon fly far away, to keep you tied down."
Tears flowed on their own, even though she wasn't my first love. Were these my tears? Or did they come from Werner's instincts, realizing his first love had worried about him like this?
"She asked you to forget about an old lady like her and find a prettier, kinder woman."
"Haha... You're cruel to the very end, big sis."
The words slipped out without passing through my reason. It was as if they'd come straight from Werner's heart, bypassing my own mind.
"There's no way there's a woman prettier and kinder than Media, damn it..."
"Watch your language, Werner."
"At least she should've treated me like family... Then I wouldn't have even had the chance to misunderstand."
"Werner..."
I grabbed the bottle of rum on the table and drank straight from it. The strong liquor burned down my throat, but it didn't matter. My chest was burning hotter, making the alcohol feel cool by comparison.
"Getting sulky and leaving because of the forced engagement... Being satisfied raising her daughter alone... I feel like such an idiot and a disgrace that I want to bite my tongue and die."
"That's what love is, Werner. It's childish and ugly."
"Treating me like family and making me fall in love—is there another idiot like me in this world?"
Was it the alcohol? Or his instincts? The words kept spilling out without going through reason.
"She wasn't the only one, you know."
"What?"
"She said Media wasn't the only one who treated you like family."
"Yeah, all my seniors and seniors treated me like family."
My stomach churned, so I reached for a piece of cheese.
"Let's set aside the talk about your comrades for now."
Camellia grabbed my wrist as I reached for the cheese. The warmth from her hand spread through mine, easing the unpleasant churning in my gut.
"Yeah, you treated me like a mother too, big sis. Or maybe like a little sister..."
"...Right."
"But you said you were tired of it. That you were sick of treating me like the youngest who needed looking after."
"But to everyone, you're still the youngest..."
"Didn't we agree to set aside the talk about our comrades, big sis? No—"
With the courage borrowed from the alcohol, I managed to stop calling her "big sis."
"Camellia."
"What...?"
"Do I still look like that whining youngest to you?"
Alcohol was truly great. Without realizing it, our faces had drawn close enough that I could feel Camellia's warm breath.