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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Scent of Dark Beer
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…!
Startled, I shot up reflexively, which was a huge mistake.
*Crash!*
The chair, knocked by my legs, fell over with a loud clatter.
"What—what was that!"
"What's that sound? Ugh, my head…"
At the sound, Luspell’s eyes flew open, and Owen lifted his head from the table.
Even Leonhart's dark eyes were beginning to focus.
The moment he sensed the commotion, he used his aura to dispel the effects of the alcohol.
*I'm so screwed!*
I immediately spun around and bolted outside.
I ran as fast as this body could carry me and tumbled into the carriage parked at the back of the building.
"Hah, hah! Go! Now!"
As I pounded on the carriage wall, the startled driver yanked the reins.
*Hee-neigh! Snort!*
The four horses began to run, letting out long whinnies.
The carriage passed by the front of Charles's Beer.
Through the window, I could see Leonhart, Luspell, and Owen.
They had come out of the building and were looking around.
*They're looking for me!*
I quickly ducked down to hide my face.
My heart was pounding so hard that I struggled to breathe even while sitting still.
Just as I was feeling indignant about why I had to hide, the carriage stopped without warning.
"What, why did we stop… Gasp!"
Outside the window, Leonhart was approaching with a terrifying expression.
*I can't just ignore him and run… can I?*
He must have recognized the crest on my carriage.
"I'm so screwed!"
I quickly took off my cloak and shoved it under the seat.
Just as I straightened my disheveled hair, a *knock, knock* sounded on the window.
I feigned composure and opened the window.
"Your Highness? To see you here—"
Leonhart raised a hand, cutting me off. Then, in a voice dripping with displeasure, he asked.
"Are you stalking me now?"
"Stalking you?"
"Weren't you just at Charles's Beer, running away?"
"Charles's Beer? What's that? I was just on my way to find Professor Luspell."
"Luspell?"
"I needed his help with something. Hm? Oh, you were with Professor Luspell?"
My gaze shifted to point behind Leonhart.
But Luspell's demeanor was strange. He was showing clear signs of wariness.
He'd always acted annoyed with me, but he'd never shown outright hostility…
*Did Leonhart say something to him?*
"Professor Luspell, have you forgotten your promise to me?"
"Ah, about that, let's just forget… Hm?"
Luspell suddenly stopped talking and took a deep breath.
Then, he nonchalantly changed his tune.
"I'll help you tomorrow."
"…Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"I'll trust you one more time."
I shot Luspell a warning glance before turning back to face Leonhart.
"Your Highness, may I be excused now?"
"…You really weren't at Charles's Beer?"
"Do I look like someone who would seek out a commoner's drink?"
Leonhart stared at me for a moment before stepping back.
I tapped the carriage wall and leaned back against the seat.
My eyes fixed straight ahead, I endured the stinging gazes I could feel on my cheek.
The moment we were out of their sight, the tension left my ramrod-straight back.
"Haaah, I thought I was caught."
At that moment, I truly had no idea.
That Luspell had smelled the dark beer on me.
***
The three men gathered again at Charles's Beer.
Not a hint of drunkenness remained on them.
They had each used their unique abilities to purge the alcohol from their systems.
Leonhart ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"What are you thinking, Luspell? Are you really going to help that woman?"
"Yeah."
"Lord Luspell, is there a reason you changed your mind?"
Instead of answering Owen's question, Luspell called for Charles.
"Charles, did anyone come by while we were drunk?"
"Yes, someone in a deep hood, so I couldn't see their face, but her voice was a woman's. She said she was a friend of you three?"
"Did you see what she did here?"
"She just sat there. I felt sorry for her, so I gave her a glass of beer."
"Dark beer?"
"That's right… W-wait, wasn't she your friend?"
"Friend? Hardly."
"N-not your friend? She said it so earnestly, I really thought she was… Oh my! I was completely fooled and disturbed you three. I'm so sorry!"
"It's not your fault, innkeeper. She's the type to get her way no matter what."
"But, who in the world was she…?"
"Now that I'm sober, I'm a bit hungry. Innkeeper, do you have any snacks to go with drinks?"
"Eh? Ah, yes! Of course! Please wait just a moment! I'll bring some right out!"
Charles, having received a new order, went into the kitchen.
With only the three of them left in the tavern, Luspell's low voice filled the space.
"It was her. Adrian Ivrante."
Owen tilted his head.
"How do you know?"
"She smelled of this place's dark beer."
"Ah… then it must be true."
Leonhart's previously listless eyes sharpened in an instant.
*I couldn't believe it, but did she really follow me all the way here?*
And she even had a drink while watching him get drunk.
A shiver ran down Leonhart's spine, and his expression hardened.
"She denied it so brazenly. It was a lie, after all. How in the world did she find out I was here?"
"That's what's strange. No one knows we meet here once a year."
Owen toyed with his rosary and gave a cold sneer.
"It seems our fallen sister has a highly competent informant. One skilled enough to tail us without our notice and pinpoint our location."
"That's what I think, too."
Leonhart pressed his brow with a weary expression.
Adrian, who had been quiet for the past five years, was up to her strange antics again.
When would she finally give up on him? He was truly sick of it.
"Since when did she have someone following me? Honestly, I didn't sense a thing."
"That's why I'm going to meet her tomorrow. If I plant a Paper Doll on her, I should be able to find out how she deceived a swordmaster's senses."
The Paper Doll was a magical device created by Luspell.
It was originally intended for communicating with distant comrades, but it could also be used to spy on the space where it was planted.
It was a shame it couldn't move or hear sounds, but it would be no problem to see who Adrian was meeting.
"But…"
Leonhart shook his head.
"Is that really necessary? Who knows what kind of tricks she'll pull if you meet with her."
"I may be broken, but I'm not an idiot. I'm not so far gone that I'd fall for her tricks, knowing she's after Your Highness."
"At the Academy…"
"That was just because I ran into her without any prior knowledge and got confused. Besides, I'll just plant the Paper Doll and leave right away. I won't have to see her for long."
Owen and Leonhart were still worried about Luspell, but in the end, they couldn't stop him.
It had been a long time since Luspell had taken the initiative to do something.
A faint spark of life had returned to his perpetually dead eyes.
He, who had been nothing but listless since Adela's death…
That was why Owen and Leonhart couldn't bring themselves to stop Luspell.
They knew what a precarious state he was in.
If this incident could help Luspell regain his will to live, they were willing to pay a certain price.
*'I pray that Lord Luspell regains his strength.'*
*'I can't lose another friend.'*
And so, Owen and Leonhart made a decision they would regret for a long, long time.
Because they never imagined that Luspell, the most prickly of them all, would be the first to fall for Adrian.
***
The next day, late in the morning.
I lay in bed, groaning, having skipped breakfast.
"D-damn, this hangover…"
To my surprise, this body couldn't even handle a single glass of dark beer.
My temples had been throbbing and my stomach churning all through the early morning, making it impossible to sleep.
I couldn't fathom how Adrian had lived in a body like this. There was a reason the butler never offered wine at meals.
"It wouldn't be so bad if I'd had a lot to drink… Ugh, my stomach hurts."
- Oh my, are you really like this after just one measly glass yesterday? Our Rian has gotten so weak…
- Lady Rian, don't be too disheartened. Now you can get the full effect of being drunk with just one glass. It's much more cost-effective.
- You used to be fine even after drinking a shit-ton. Is that body of yours made of cotton? What do you think, Gnome?
- …
I pressed my temples.
"Haven't you guys returned to the Spirit Realm yet?"
- Ugh, don't even ask. I told them to go, but they threw such a fit about not wanting to.
- Lady Rian, I wanted to say something about this matter. Why do you only keep Undine by your side?
- Yeah! Dammit, contractor, why do you always call on that water-idiot? Does she tell you where to find water veins or something? Gnome, don't just stand there, say something. You don't want to go back either, right?
- (Nods!)
This is why I don't summon all four great spirits.
I say one thing, and they say four.
Their noisy chatter next to me is making my head hurt even more.
I wriggled under the sheets and covered my ears.
It seemed best to just leave the spirits be.
If I tried to force them away, they might just make my head explode.
*It's not like I'm overexerting myself to give them mana.*
Just as I was about to drift off while clutching my aching stomach, a thought I didn't want to entertain jolted me awake.
- Hey everyone, about that meaningful thing Leonhart said yesterday. 'It's not a misunderstanding.' What do you think that means?
