184. Your Boss Is Asking You to Drink, And You Refuse?

My plan to stay completely outside the mansion and Teacher's opinion that I should come in together reached a dramatic compromise, which left me waiting in the reception room.

"Heua~ Refreshing! Home is the best after all."

Teacher, having finished her bath, plopped down onto the plush sofa in extremely light attire.

It was right next to my spot.

"How nice, so nice."

"Teacher, I am not a comfort doll."

"That's right... yes, you're not a comfort doll. You're an incomparably far greater treasure. My proud disciple...."

I didn't need to ask why she had sat down right next to me.

She draped her arm over my shoulder and pulled my body against her side.

Teacher's body, having just emerged from the bath, radiated a warmth hotter than usual.

Perhaps because she was wearing only a thin shirt and shorts over her underwear, the sensation of her soft skin was vividly felt.

The thickness of her arm draped over me, the softness of her flesh contrasting with her firm side, the dampness of her hair as a housemaid busily dried and tidied it—it was an incredibly reassuring feeling.

Which was ironic, since when I entered the Titan family manor, the main house where I was supposed to truly find stability, every nerve in my body stood on end.

'... We used to do this often back then.'

The circumstances were a bit different, but whenever we went on missions together outside, she would always tuck me under her arm in front of the campfire before sleeping.

Perhaps because it had been so long since I last saw her, I found myself lost in memories.

"If you like being home so much, then stop wandering around outside so much."

"But how can I help it if wandering around outside is even better?"

She suddenly stopped talking and stared at me intently.

"Hmm... No matter how I look at you, you seem really big."

"It's only a tiny bit, but I did grow."

"That's great! Didn't you say there was no hope before?"

Knowing that she recognized my growth, even by a tiny amount, made the corners of my lips slowly rise.

The comment about there being no hope was something I had said not long after I first met Teacher.

Back then, the fury that had been building for over ten years was constantly blazing, so although I wanted to grow, I had also somewhat resigned myself.

After all, I had even doubted whether the body could still physically grow after undergoing a near-complete rebirth upon becoming a Master.

I must have been exhausted from endlessly searching for the legendary drug called the Growth Potion without any guarantee of success.

"It was because I was exhausted back then. And you were the one who taught me, Teacher, that the body could still grow even after becoming a Master."

"Well, we both became Masters when we were young, after all."

There was a rumor that after becoming a Master, the body reaches its most complete state and can no longer grow, but that wasn't true.

It was simply that most people became Masters after they had already finished growing, so they couldn't feel it; it's said that people who are still growing continue to grow even after becoming a Master.

Both of the Empire's Masters, Linda and Wendy, experienced late growth even after becoming Masters, and it's said they look quite different from their academy days.

"Linda's work won't end for a while, so we have plenty of time. How about we catch up on what we've been up to?"

"Didn't I already do that?"

I felt like I had briefly explained the situation before the conference.

"You were way too brief. Just tossing out the things you did isn't everything. I'm asking if you had any fun stories."

"I suppose you're right."

"But why did you enter the Academy?"

"I didn't go to play. ... There was a professor there who was said to be making a growth drug, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I went to check it out."

"Hmm... That's a very you-like reason. So... ah, is that why you grew a little bit taller?"

"For now, that seems to be the reason."

I could feel her probing.

"And... well, you know."

"What is it you want to say."

"You do have a girlfriend, don't you? You're not going to tell me about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that?"

"Ah, you're being really annoying...!!"

When I shot up from my seat, she grabbed my shoulder and clung to me, dangling.

"Sniffle, are you having a late puberty or something? You weren't like this before... I'm very sad."

"Why on earth are you curious about that!"

"It seems fun!"

"I'm not telling you if that's the reason."

"If you keep coming at me like that, I'm going to storm the Academy too??"

"Ugh..."

She really seemed to want to hear about it, but I was absolutely not going to tell her.

Instead, we stayed in the reception room until sunset, chatting about trivial things like that, mostly centered on events at the Academy.

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As time slowly passed, we moved locations.

The tavern Director had mentioned was located near the Imperial Knights' barracks. The first floor was a place where you could drink comfortably, and on the second and third floors, you could reserve a room and have quiet conversations, so it was widely beloved by both regular members and officers alike.

The tavern owner was someone who knew his business well, treating the Imperial Knights generously so they wouldn't go to other taverns— simply being known as the regular tavern of the Imperial Knights had protected the establishment from all sorts of corrupt and unjust incidents.

Incidents like a drunkard causing a ruckus on the first floor, only to be grabbed by a regular Imperial Knight member (Expert Upper-rank, hobby: folding paper cranes out of iron plates) sitting behind them and stuffed into a trash can, were an everyday occurrence.

Occasionally, those Imperial Knight members would be the ones causing the ruckus, but they were fewer in number than the other drunks.

"Oho, officers, welcome! I don't know how many years it's been since I last saw you two. How shall I guide you today?"

As soon as we entered the tavern, the genial-looking owner, who recognized our faces, rushed over and greeted me and Teacher.

This was one of the reasons this tavern was beloved for such a long time.

At other taverns, they didn't remember customers' faces, so when someone as sensitive as me came in, their words or actions would often cause blunders and things would get overturned. But the owner of this tavern—

"Wouldn't a private room be better?"

"He'd probably like that more... but I don't really care for it. Let's stay on the first floor until she gets here."

"Let's do that."

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Director appeared 20 minutes later than the time she had mentioned.

I doubted she had stopped by the mansion, but she must have changed somewhere; she wasn't in her usual Imperial Knights Commander style.

Instead of her crisp white uniform, she wore casual clothes, and her always braided-up hair was let down loose— the image of a woman who had come out for a drink near her home, looking dressed up yet not dressed up.

She couldn't have seen it, but terrifyingly enough, her outfit was remarkably similar to Teacher's.

"You're late? What kind of work keeps you so busy?"

"I had a lot to handle regarding the events at the conference. Since she showed a positive attitude, I have to at least pretend to be digging around by dispatching some people."

On the surface, she showed absolutely no signs of fatigue.

There was likely no physical exhaustion.

However, her mental fatigue must have been considerable, as her eyes had grown sharp.

"Every time this happens, I think about it... Wendy, you... never mind, what do I expect from you."

Director sat down and started to speak but then cancelled it.

"What did you mean by that just now."

"You can't do it. Atlas, how would you like to take over as Shadow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Commander?"

"Me?"

Out of the blue, Director proposed the matter of resigning from her position as Shadow Commander.

"Whatever, it's a given that Wendy can't do this kind of work anyway... but you're good at this side of the job too."

"No way. Atlas is going to continue living as a Shadow with me. Why would we give this up when we have nothing to be unsatisfied about?"

"Being a Shadow has many advantages, but also many disadvantages. Atlas, you know yourself. You have a desire for approval, wanting to be acknowledged by many people. Don't you like it when everyone looks up to you?"

"You half-know, and half-don't. More than that, he hates it when strangers, whose faces he doesn't even know, judge him on their own! If he took over as Shadow Commander, he'd be a Shadow Commander who reveals his identity, and he'd get bitten back from all over the place— is there a reason to give up being a Shadow to that extent?"

"Even you, I can't hand Atlas over. Do you know the fun of pretending to be just some Silver Plate-level adventurer passing by, and then people's shock when you show a bit of your real skill? He's doing the same at the Academy right now, hiding his identity and playing around, I hear. Once his identity is revealed, he won't be able to play that kind of game anymore."

"That was unavoidable because he was infiltrating. If he really wanted that kind of thing, would he have beaten up Edward's son for everyone to see? That was a warning to everyone watching. Telling them not to mess with him carelessly, because this is how strong he is."

"That could still be a concealing-his-power concept... wait, what? Atlas, you beat up Edward's kid?? Why didn't you tell such a fun story!!"

"Because I figured you'd be like this."

Teacher also had a lot of bad blood with the Five Pillars during her school days, so upon hearing that I was entangled with the children of the Five Pillars, she couldn't stop laughing.

"This won't do. Bring the alcohol! After a few drinks, the stories will pour out on their own!"

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It hadn't even been that long, but both of their faces had turned red.

"Honestly, nobles are all just a bunch of crazy bastards. I don't want to comment on other people's family affairs, but it's hard to find a normal one!"

"Grilling one person until they become a psycho... or burning them with a swish-swish and making them kill each other... They're all insane."

"It's because they all must protect their positions, isn't it. In a world where the weak get eaten, it's a weeding-out process."

A discussion was underway about heir-raising methods, things like torture that nobles usually don't even bring up easily.

"... Yeah, just as you said, it's a world where you get eaten if you're looked down upon. But it made me think this. Is there a guarantee that I wouldn't do the same if I had a child?

Wouldn't I place more expectations on the child who does well and squeeze them to the point of death like those bastards?

Those nobles don't do it out of hatred for their children. They do it because they have 'high expectations.'"

Director tilted her glass and downed another drink.

The usual carefree and invincible image of the Empire's Greatest Sword was nowhere to be seen.

She was just one person— calm, emotional, and feeling anxiety toward herself.

If the words coming out of her now were truly from Director's heart, it was understandable why she still stubbornly remained single.

"You don't need to worry, Director. You will be a good parent."

"Me? That's a ridiculous thing to say. How can you say that when you know how I've exploited you?"

"Both Director and Teacher have treated me well."

"That was because you were a budding leaf with visible potential. If I mistake the affection I feel for my child as 'potential,' wouldn't that be hell for both of us?"

"I know because I was tossed around under those bad parents. You two are different."

I knew.

What kind of bastards truly damnable parents were.

Director and they were strictly different.

"...I'm grateful for the words. Atlas, you're a decent man."

"Thank you for taking it well."

Teacher, who had been listening to the conversation from the side, leaned her body against me again and tousled my hair vigorously.

"Honestly, you really have a sweet way with words. Here, here, I'll give you a reward, come here."

"Ack?! You're already drunk??"

A terribly strong smell of alcohol wafted from her mouth.

A Master's body can, if it wills it, instantly burn away all the alcohol inside, but both of them were so drunk they were staggering.

It seemed they had intentionally refrained from purging the alcohol in order to get drunk.

"Now that I look at you, you're perfectly sober, huh? Hey... you're no fun, not getting drunk all by yourself..."

Teacher, leaning her body against my upper body, poked my side with her fingers.

Director, who had been resting her chin on her hand in front of me, pointed a finger at me as she looked at my clearly sober face despite drinking the same amount.

"... It's an order. You get drunk too."

"Wow, Director, are you going to play that dirty?"

"Do you think it's right for you to be the only one sober when drinking with your superiors? If you don't hurry up, I won't leave you alone."

I could feel murderous intent in her eyes.

"Haa... No sooner do I say it than you act like this... This is workplace harassment..."

If I didn't, she looked like she would swing her sword, so I had no choice.

I grabbed a bottle of hard liquor, downed it in one go, and did nothing else.

The characteristic burning sensation of strong alcohol let me feel exactly where the liquor was traveling through my body.

"Keuk... Hot."

It wasn't that I didn't drink, but I had refrained from intentionally getting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drunk, so the intoxication hit me rapidly.

My head became much dizzier than I had anticipated.

I needed to do this moderately, but I seemed to have failed a bit in controlling it.

"Downed a whole bottle and crashed instantly?"

"I'm still... fine."

"Fine, my ass... Look at this."

I suddenly fell backward.

Teacher had given me a nudge, and it seemed I had just toppled straight over.

My head was spinning.

'Ah... this is dangerous...'

To end up in this state because I failed to control my intoxication properly was a massive blunder.

I didn't know about other things, but collapsing in front of Teacher, who loved playing pranks, meant the aftermath was terrifying.

-Plop

Someone placed their hand on my now defenseless upper body.

It had to be Teacher, no doubt. I figured she was going to play a prank on me while I was out of it.

"He's really out?"

"How can he crash instantly just because we told him to... No tact at all."

"Right now, it seems like it'd be easy."

I felt a warm breath near my ear.

Someone whispered into my ear.

"Ugh... Director...? What are you doing..."

"You said I'd be a good parent, right? For that, first, there's something necessary... will you cooperate...?"

Contrary to my expectation, what I heard in my ear was Director's voice.

"Hey! Don't cut in line!"

Teacher's voice was audible too.

"I was thinking of taking a little more time, but it's no use, I guess. You're always just running around all over the place, just like someone I know..."

"Right? It'd be such a waste to let him get snatched away by those young academy female students now."

"What... do you mean..."

I truly don't remember much after that.