The Feast and the Future
The heat of the feast was rising.
Oak barrels filled with ale were being emptied one by one. Theodore’s subordinates were drenched in sweat, grilling meat incessantly, while the rest of the members devoured it as fast as it was cooked. Some were chatting with the women, others were gambling with coin, some were singing, some were sharing precious moments with their families, and couples were dancing.
Everyone was enjoying the feast in their own way.
I looked over at Neir beside me; she was watching the festivities with genuine interest. She chewed on a piece of meat, her eyes darting around the scene. I noticed her tail—it was swaying ever so slightly. I felt a sense of relief knowing she was enjoying herself.
“Let’s goooo!”
In an instant, a group raised their voices. Simultaneously, the sound of clapping, stomping feet, and rhythmic percussion blended together to create a driving beat.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
A pair of dancers appeared before the rising bonfire and began to dance together. Everyone burst into laughter at the sight. I found myself smiling, too. It was heartwarming to see the member and his partner looking so incredibly happy.
“Ahahaha...”
Neir let out a laugh beside me as she watched them. Seeing her smile like this was a good sign. It was far better than seeing her sitting there with a long face. I felt, once again, that my choice had been the right one.
One by one, people gathered in front of the bonfire, drawn by the rhythm and the atmosphere. Small groups of men and women formed, dancing and enjoying themselves in their own unique ways. Watching them, I began to tap my foot, and Neir’s tail began to thump against the ground in time with the beat.
“Whoa!”
“Captain!”
Then, Adam appeared out of nowhere and joined the dance. He had brought a woman I hadn’t seen before. The members were even more surprised and delighted by his appearance. He was enjoying himself to his heart’s content, but even in doing so, he was fostering camaraderie with his men.
He began to look around. I realized immediately that what I expected was coming.
I looked down at Neir. She was still happily swaying her tail to the beat, oblivious to the future that was about to unfold.
“Hmm... hmm... hmm...”
Seeing the interest in her eyes as she hummed, I thought that perhaps she might want to join in.
“Hey, Berg!”
Adam spotted me. “Come on over and dance!”
In situations like this, the more you hesitate, the more pathetic you look. Since Neir was here, I stood up.
“...Huh?”
I reached out and took her wrist. Neir set down the plate she had been holding in her other hand and followed me.
“Be...Berg, right now...”
“Let’s go. We’ll do it quickly and come back.”
Neir’s tail froze. It seemed she had thought such an opportunity would never come to her. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to introduce Neir to the residents of Stakpin while I had the chance. I wanted them to know that she was just another person who knew how to enjoy life, just like us. Only then would she have no trouble settling into our village.
“Vice-Captain!”
Once we reached the front of the bonfire, I let go of her wrist and took her hand instead. Neir’s ears twitched. Adam chuckled as he watched us.
I raised Neir’s hand, and she spun around once, not knowing what was happening. Her tail drew a large, beautiful circle as it swayed. Cheers erupted from all around us. Neir’s stiff expression gradually began to melt away. She was being swept up by the laughter and applause echoing from every direction.
“Lady Neir, you look beautiful!”
“Come on, you guys dance too! Even the Vice-Captain is doing it!”
Neir began to smile. I led her so she could dance, and she gradually relaxed her body, entrusting herself to me. As we continued to dance, her smile grew wider.
“Not bad, is it?”
At my words, she burst into a bright laugh. It was a beautiful sound, made even more lovely by her soft, melodic voice.
“It’s much more fun than I expected, Berg.”
She said, clearly excited.
“I told you the feast would be fun.”
I chimed in with her. The members who had been watching us, satisfied, went back to dancing with their own partners. The attention on us gradually faded. Neir and I continued to dance, our hands still clasped together. Chatting occasionally was just a bonus.
“You’re a good dancer, Neir.”
“Hehe, you too, Berg. I’m surprised.”
Thinking this was the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the good atmosphere, I spoke to her.
“So, when are you going to drop the honorifics?”
Thanks to the smile already firmly in place, Neir playfully received my question.
“Actually, I haven’t thought about it...”
“Then let’s do it now. While everyone is watching.”
Neir’s eyes curved into half-moons. I thought her eye-smile was cute.
“...”
“Hurry.”
Neir giggled.
“...Should I...?”
She asked cautiously, smiling. It was a good thing I brought it up in this atmosphere. I smiled back at her. It felt like long-forgotten senses were waking up. A feeling of warmth in my heart. The hole in my chest was slowly being filled.
“Yeah. I think I’d be more comfortable that way, too.”
The cheering grew louder. The fire flickered even more intensely. The sound of clapping and instruments filled my ears until they were muffled. But for us, holding hands, each other’s voices rang out clearly. As if we were the only ones talking.
Neir smiled for a long time before looking up at me. It seemed like the answer she had finally reached after much deliberation.
“...I understand, Berg.”
She and I smiled at the same time. Neir continued.
“It’s awkward, but... I’ll try.”
The next day, I woke up at home. I felt a sense of comfort looking at the familiar ceiling. It finally felt like I had returned home.
“...Umm...”
Of course, this time, something had changed. A soft moan echoed from beside me. When I looked over, Neir was curled up, fast asleep. There was a wide space between us—perhaps a visualization of our psychological distance. But the one improvement was that there was no longer a pillow placed between us.
Yesterday was a day that would leave many memories. We ate, played, and danced. Neir had agreed to drop the honorifics. Of course, she might have just promised it because she was swept up in the atmosphere last night, but in the past, she would have absolutely refused. I was satisfied just with the fact that she had said she would at that moment.
I slowly got out of bed. A busy day awaited me today. First, I had to hold a proper funeral, and I needed to check the requests I hadn’t been able to review while I was in the Blackwood territory. Oh, and there was the matter of tidying up the house. Since this was a home I shared with Neir, I couldn’t just leave it in a mess.
As I put on my shirt and prepared to leave, Neir stirred and opened her eyes.
“...Berg?”
I looked at her and said, “Keep sleeping. I’m going to go see Adam.”
Neir looked at me with half-open eyes and said, “...You don’t have to tell me where you’re going. Go and come back safely...”
Her voice was sleepy. They said the Wolf-kin valued the freedom of their partners above all else. Perhaps this was her own way of showing consideration, born from that culture. Maybe it meant trusting each other without needing to explain everything. Of course, there was no love between us yet, but regardless, I felt at ease thinking of this as her own form of consideration. It was a good thing we started as friends.
“Yeah. I’ll be back.”
“....Okay.”
I was about to walk away when I suddenly became curious.
“...Didn’t we agree to drop the honorifics?”
“...”
Neir’s body stiffened. She rolled her half-open eyes around, then closed them, feigning ignorance. I smiled and turned around.
“...Come back soon.”
Then, a thread-like voice rang out from behind me. Neir had already curled her body into a ball, hiding her expression. I chuckled again and headed outside.
-Knock, knock.
-Creak.
“Brother.”
“Sleep well?”
Adam opened his door, scratching his disheveled hair. At the same time, a woman brushed past him, leaving the house.
“Captain, see you next time. That was fun.”
The woman kissed Adam on the cheek and left. He waved at her leisurely as he saw her off. I watched her back, and when she was far enough away, I spoke.
“You look good, brother.”
“It’s fun, kid. Aren’t you the same?”
We laughed lightly at the banter. I stepped past him into his house. I sat in the chair that was always there for me. Seeing a decent-looking bottle of liquor rolling nearby, I grabbed it and took a swig.
“Drinking from the morning?”
“This is how you rest and enjoy yourself. The work is done, after all.”
He watched me quietly before saying, “...You seem to have gained quite a bit of leeway?”
“What?”
He smiled. “Hey, I was right, wasn’t I? You needed a woman in your life. Just a few weeks ago, you were the guy asking if you were really a captain or just a village head...”
I had nothing to say to that. It seemed he was right. Maybe he had been right all along. Of course, it was hard to say that my married life with Neir was fully realized. Regardless, I was certainly more at ease. I felt like I had more room to breathe. Maybe it was because of Neir’s casual speech this morning.
“...I’m sorry about that time.”
I accepted his words and offered an apology. I had definitely been sensitive back then. If Shawn had died this time, I might have been the same. Adam laughed and replied, “That’s a refreshing apology. I’ll accept it.”
As I drank, I asked him, “So? Any requests come in while we were away?”
He scratched his messy hair and walked over to the wooden table in the living room. A pile of documents was already sitting there. He held them up and said, “A lot.”
I felt something was off. I had expected requests to come in, but... the amount was beyond my imagination.
“...Why are there so many?”
“Word must be spreading fast. We saved Blackwood this time. I’m sure there were many people watching the situation there closely.”
However, Adam let out a long sigh. “But there aren’t many worth taking. Everyone is clearly struggling. The pay is, without exception...”
“...Without exception...?”
“...Pitiful.”
He flipped through the documents one by one. He lingered on a few of them for a bit longer. Finally, he set the papers down and said, “Anyway. Let’s worry about that later. Let’s prepare for the funeral.”
“We should.”
“I’m going to wash up and head out, so you get some things ready outside.”
I nodded and stood up. After taking one more drink, I set the bottle down. As he was about to leave, he stopped me.
“Oh, Berg.”
“Yeah?”
“What are you doing after the funeral?”
I remembered my promise to Neir. “I’m supposed to clean the house.”
He nodded. “Once you’re done with the basics, take your wife and show her around the village.”
“Got it.”
“Right. See you later.”
As Adam said, there seemed to be a lot to introduce to Neir. Even just looking at Blackwood, there were countless things different from us. Besides, since Neir had to live here now, an introduction was perhaps essential. I sighed and gathered my thoughts. I had to prepare the funeral for the members we had lost.
After Berg left, Adam examined the documents left on the table once more. He had thought such a phenomenon might occur, but there were certainly more requests than he had anticipated. Saving Blackwood might be the Red Flame’s greatest achievement yet. On top of that, there was Berg’s emergence. He had lived in hiding, but now he had decided to make a name for himself. The results of that choice were already appearing.
Adam checked the rewards for the requests one by one. There were many offering wealth and food, but... there were even more requests offering their own daughters. Various nobles from various races had made proposals. Berg’s name appeared frequently in the requests already. His hunt for the four leaders and his march in front of the Wolf-kin seemed to have promoted his reputation and ability.
Adam smiled and thought, ‘Yes. This is how it should be.’
Adam felt a great affection for Berg. He thought of him almost like his own younger brother. He was relieved that Berg was finally finding the fame he deserved. Until now, Berg had only enjoyed drinking; he hadn’t indulged in any luxuries like building a large house, chasing women, or buying jewelry. Adam had felt guilty for succeeding while Berg seemed to enjoy nothing.
Of course, arranging the marriage with Neir was also done with the Red Flame in mind. And just as importantly, it was out of a desire to take care of Berg. He felt at ease, as if Berg was finally on the path to finding happiness. Sometimes, there were cases where Berg had to be forced to do something. Since he was stubborn, Adam had to push him, even if he had to make up excuses. It was the same this time. Seeing Berg find some leeway, Adam felt his judgment had been correct.
He flipped through the documents again. Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to find another decent woman. Two would be better than one to ensure the future of the Red Flame. Two would make Berg even happier than one.
“...”
Of course, he knew it would be difficult for Berg to accept that process. He would be the type to throw a fit, asking why his brother didn’t just get married instead. ...But for Adam, marriage with a demi-human was something he couldn’t even dream of.
“...Phew.”
He let out a long sigh. He set the documents down. Then, he prepared to wash up.