The Price of Desire
“Cheers!”
“Drink up!”
“Bottoms up!”
Having completed our mission to slay the Demon King, our hero party lived freely, drowning ourselves in alcohol every single day. We no longer had to feel pity or rage at the sight of the people suffering under the Demon King’s army. Those days were finally over.
“Ah, that hits the spot.”
Tonight was another drinking party. Since every member of our party was wealthy, we had rented out the entire tavern for the day, leaving the place empty of other patrons. We were currently on our way to the capital to receive the Emperor’s commendation, planning to stay in this city for two more days before moving on.
“Nightstream, have a drink!”
Cornelia, the mage, poured alcohol into my empty glass. She was a woman with pink hair and a voluptuous body. Five years my senior, she was like an older sister to me. Having spent the last ten years together, I had spent every day staring at her ample cleavage.
“Here, Cornelia, you have some too.”
“Fill mine to the brim.”
“I know, I know. You love your booze.”
After ten years of traveling together, there was no way we wouldn’t know each other’s tastes.
“Man~ so, Nightstream, you’re finally becoming a noble, huh?”
Arandal, the hero sitting next to me, slapped my back and beamed. Me, becoming a noble in recognition of my distinguished service in slaying the Demon King… It was a repertoire we had repeated at these drinking sessions for days, but it felt good no matter how many times I heard it. When I thought about how I had been treated like dirt for being a Lurker… if I were to compile all those infuriating and unfair stories, I could write hundreds of books. Fortunately, being with such kind-hearted companions made the sorrow a little easier to bear.
‘To have spent ten years with such wonderful companions. I’ve truly been blessed.’
Someone thrust a glass in front of me, as if signaling for a toast. The skin-colored nail polish on her fingers—it was the hand of Elihart, the Saintess.
“Nightstream, let’s clink glasses with me, too.”
“Sure, cheers!”
Clink! I bumped my glass against hers and downed the drink in one go.
“If His Majesty doesn’t bring it up, I’ll strongly demand it. I’ll make sure he grants you a title, Nightstream.”
Arandal spoke with such reliability. He was truly the leader of our party. Whenever I looked at him, I couldn’t help but think he was a truly righteous young man.
“Thanks.”
After taking a sip of the expensive liquor, I looked ahead. Lito, whose androgynous features made it hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl, was drinking while stitching up a tear in a stuffed doll. He was over twenty, but he looked incredibly young, and his profession was that of a puppeteer. He was just a short guy with a bob cut.
“Lito, stitch that doll tomorrow and just drink.”
“No way. This is a new doll. I have to finish it today and test it out.”
As always, his obsession with dolls was immense. And thanks to that obsession, we had received countless amounts of help from Lito while fighting the Demon King’s army. Of course, it wasn’t just Lito; I, Arandal, Cornelia, and Elihart—we all did our best in our respective positions to defeat the Demon King. There wasn’t a single person among us who didn’t suffer.
‘So many things happened while coming this far.’
Over the past ten years, we had shared life and death to slay the Demon King, building a unique sense of loyalty and affection. We were truly like family now. We didn’t care at all about each other’s social standing. Everyone lived comfortably and without pretense. Even when we reached the capital and the final moment of our journey arrived, I was certain we wouldn’t disband. It was clear we would stay together in the future, just as we had until now. We were that special to each other, as if it were a matter of course, even without saying it out loud.
“Here is the extra order of deer roast you requested. The chef in the back was surprised, asking why you all eat so much. The owner, however, is quite happy.”
“Hahaha.”
Oh, I almost forgot about our porter, Mr. Madric. He wasn’t drinking with us, instead helping to serve food like a tavern employee; he was the reliable and diligent porter of our hero party. We had been together for three years now. Despite being in his forties, his immense strength and cooking skills made him an indispensable presence in our party.
“I’m going to step out for a moment to take care of some business.”
Arandal stood up from his seat midway.
“My bladder is about to burst.”
“Why not go here?”
“This place doesn’t have a restroom.”
“Is that so? Hurry back.”
He stumbled out of the shop. When he returned a short while later, for some reason, his face had turned pale.
“Phew, what a relief.”
Arandal, drunk, stepped outside with a smile. Having defeated his long-time nemesis, the Demon King, he had been in a great mood every day lately. All that remained was to go to the capital, receive his reward, and marry the Second Princess, Lucrezia, his long-cherished wish. Before we left on our journey, Emperor Ronan had clearly promised:
‘Hero, if you slay the Demon King, I shall give you my daughter. Choose whichever child you like, the first or the second.’
When I first courted the First Princess, she flatly refused, so I had no choice but to choose the Second Princess, who seemed kind and gentle. The Second Princess didn’t refuse. I fought hard, thinking only of her.
“It’s been four years since I last saw her… I wonder if she’s changed much… Ah, I’m gonna burst!”
I ran to a corner, unbuttoned my pants, and let out a refreshing stream of urine.
“Ah… it’s melting… it’s melting…”
Just then, I suddenly felt a presence, and a hand popped out from the darkness. It was soaking its palm in my forceful stream of urine! The stream splattered in every direction.
“As expected of a hero, your stream is quite powerful.”
“Gaaah!”
Arandal jumped back in surprise. He hurriedly zipped up his pants.
“Wh-who are you!”
“Allow me to introduce myself to the hero who saved the world. I am Mikhail, the commander of the Golden Centipede, the Gigantia Empire’s elite knight order.”
“Mikhail…?”
The man named Mikhail calmly wiped his urine-stained hand with a handkerchief and continued.
“It is nothing else, but I have rushed here in one breath to deliver some very urgent news.”
Right there, he dropped a shocking statement on Arandal.
“His Majesty is very uncomfortable with Nightstream being part of the hero party.”
“That’s absurd!”
Arandal initially protested strongly, but as Mikhail explained the current atmosphere in the Imperial Palace, he began to realize the truth, and his heart began to waver.
“If you offend His Majesty’s mood, your marriage to the Second Princess, Lucrezia, might be called off.”
“Th-that…!”
That was all I had been looking forward to! I had fought so hard until now, thinking only of marrying her!
“What should I do? What are you telling me to do! Are you telling me, a hero, to cast aside a comrade who has bled with me? I can’t do that!”
The wrinkles on the face of the middle-aged man in his fifties standing before me smoothed out slightly. Mikhail smiled sinisterly.
“The hero only needs to send him to us. I will persuade and soothe him well before sending him back.”
At those words, Arandal felt something unsettling and was half-in-doubt.
‘Surely… he doesn’t mean to kill Nightstream? That can’t be…’
In truth, even a shred of doubt should have been enough to stop him, but Arandal succumbed to his desires. The desire to possess the Second Princess. Years of waiting. He had finally reached the end of it…!
“…I understand. I will send him there right away.”
“You must act naturally so as not to arouse suspicion.”
Mikhail left. He had asked to have Nightstream sent immediately to a brothel in the city’s slums. I didn’t know what kind of conversation could be had in a place like that, but… for Arandal, the fear of losing the princess outweighed his rational judgment.
“N-Nightstream…”
“Yeah?”
“I have a favor to ask. A truly desperate favor. I’m too drunk to go, but could you go to a brothel with a sign that says ‘Hope’ in the North District for me? Actually, I stopped by there earlier and I think I left my wallet…”
“Ah~ you bastard. You went to a brothel?”
“Huh? Uh…”
Arandal’s face turned red to his ears as he hung his head. His companions clamored, saying they hadn’t expected that.
“You pervert! I regret healing you with my holy power until now!”
“Oh my, even Arandal goes to places like that. Wow… I see you differently now. I should’ve followed you on my doll.”
“It’s about time you were at that age. Don’t be shy, hero. It’s a pity this older sister couldn’t relieve you instead. Hehehe.”
I tapped Arandal on the head.
“Must’ve been nice, you fucker. Alright, I’ll go and be right back. I walk better than you when I’m drunk, so I won’t fall over.”
“Be careful on your way.”
“Yeah, Cornelia.”
“Don’t go having too much fun there. Teehee.”
“I won’t.”
I left the tavern immediately and headed toward the North District.
“Haha, that guy acted like he was so innocent, but when did he go to a place like that? Then… has he lost his virginity?”
Humming a tune, I arrived at the shop called ‘Hope’ that Arandal had mentioned. Bright light was leaking out from inside.
“It’s quieter than I expected.”
Is it closing time? Surely they wouldn’t close while business was in full swing.
Creak.
As I opened the creaky wooden door and stepped inside, the room was empty.
“What is this?”
At that moment, I heard the sound of the door locking from the outside. At the same time, as if they had been waiting, the candles went out. The room plunged into darkness.
Step, step.
I heard someone’s footsteps in the darkness.
“Nightstream. This place is your grave.”
“!?”
What? Suddenly? Why me? The moment that thought crossed my mind, fully armed knights quickly swarmed me.
A short while later.
Crash!
I threw my body through the third-floor window and leaped out of the building.
“Huff! Huff! Damn it! What the hell were those things!”
I ran for my life, bleeding on the street because my back had been deeply slashed. I was truly lucky. After fighting fiercely with the group that ambushed me inside the shop, I had used a smoke bomb to make a dramatic escape. My fingers were looking like two because of the alcohol, and if I had been any drunker, I would have really died.
‘Are they remnants of the Demon King’s army? Anyway, I have to let my companions know quickly!’
“There he is! That way! Catch that bastard!”
When I had shaken off their pursuit and safely arrived near the tavern, I looked around the dark street before going in.
‘There might be someone tailing me. I have to sneak inside while maintaining stealth.’
I climbed the wall at the back of the building, sneaking inside through a second-floor window so that even my companions wouldn’t know I had returned. I was carefully making my way down the stairs to the first floor when I heard Arandal’s voice suddenly coming from the table below.
“What are you going to do with him? Nightstream. Or rather, Haeru. Are you going to abandon him?”
Huh? My footsteps, as I was stealthily descending the stairs, came to a dead stop.
“If he stays in the party, we won’t receive any reward from the Emperor.”