Chapter 90: From Capital To Mirare Town - Part 12

On the fourth day of its expedition, just before sunset, the Annual Caravan finally arrived and made a stop at the first town neighboring the capital. Although it was a decently large town under the governance of a noble viscount, receiving a caravan of more than eight hundred individuals was still a challenge for the town's inns. Therefore, as was the customary during the expedition, the caravan had to set up camp in the open field outside the town. Regardless, even though they had to camp outside for the night, it didn't mean they couldn't go in and explore the town. "So, how about we go for a drink tonight in town, Arezu?" The invitation came from an adventurer Arezu had been acquainted with and had completed a few hunting quests alongside. He bore stone-gray hair that matched his rough look and dark skin, giving him the appearance of a rare gargoyle monster. Arezu had gone drinking with George before, back when Lynn had taken a few days of leave after the challenge for the title of Dungeon Conquerors, so he didn't have a problem accepting his invitation. However, this time, that decision wasn't his to make on his own. "My, my... how dare you ask Mr. Arezu to cheat on me right in front of my face, Mr. Gargoyle?" Lynn said, making no effort to hide her threat toward George or her refusal to let Arezu accept his invitation. Whether she was being unreasonable or not, Arezu understood that Lynn wouldn't allow him to go out and drink with George and his party—unless he offered a compromise. "Then how about you come with us, Lynn? Only if you're old enough to drink," he said, still unsure of Lynn's actual age. "I'm old enough to do what I want to do, Mr. Arezu," Lynn muttered as she agreed to his compromise. Though George hadn't planned on inviting Lynn, he didn't have a choice if he wanted Arezu to come. Leaving Leo, Cliff, Senna, and Casey under Beatrix's supervision, Lynn and Arezu followed George into the town. They headed toward the bar in the Adventurers Guild. There, George's party—the trio of a female mage, swordsman, and priest—waited, along with another person Lynn and Arezu had met just yesterday. "Thank you for accepting my invitation, Mr. Arezu—" Ellric said, only to be surprised when Lynn appeared from behind Arezu. "—and you too, Ms. Lynn." Shifting their gazes toward George, Lynn and Arezu demanded an explanation for Ellric's presence. Threatened by Lynn's glare—which reminded him of the time he got hit in the face with an ice block when Lynn went on a rampage at the capital's Adventurers Guild—George promptly explained why Ellric was with them. During the four days the Annual Caravan had been traveling, George's party had been working alongside Ellric's party at the front of the caravan. When George mentioned earlier that morning that he knew Arezu, Ellric had asked him to arrange a meeting, which led to their current situation. George also added that their party was already aware of Ellric's identity as a hero candidate. "Aside from why you want to meet Mr. Arezu, couldn't you just have asked Liz and Hannah to introduce you to him?" Lynn asked, eyeing Ellric suspiciously—only to receive a pat on the head from Arezu, telling her to stop being rude. Understanding their suspicion, Ellric promised to answer their questions once they were seated and had ordered drinks and food. "Since he'll be paying, let's order the most expensive wine and meal, Mr. Arezu." "Even if he is, please don't do that, Lynn." When Lynn and Arezu's orders arrived, Ellric finally began to explain. "First of all, I wanted to personally thank both of you for saving Alex." Ellric didn't elaborate, making it sound to George's party as though he was referring only to the rumors about Alex falling ill during the goblin-slaying quest. But for Lynn and Arezu, it also included the time Alex went rogue and tried to kill them during the bounty-hunting quest. Even though Alex ended up losing his divine gift, Ellric was still thankful to Lynn and Arezu for keeping him alive. Continuing, Ellric explained his relationship with Alex. Although he came from a commoner family serving the ducal house of Von Envier—unlike Alex, who was from a noble baron family allied with Von Envier—they were trained together from a young age. They had been close enough to call each other brothers, while also being rivals, since only one hero candidate was allowed to represent a noble house. Alex later became the hero candidate for the ducal house of Von Envier, not because he was more skilled than Ellric, but simply because— "—because Ms. Sweet-Sylvie refused to let you become a hero candidate, right?" Lynn cut in, interrupting Ellric's story. "Just how much do you actually know, Lynn?" Arezu muttered, voicing everyone's thoughts. "You really are suspicious, just like Liz said, Ms. Lynn." Adding to what he'd said, Ellric explained why he hadn't asked Liz and Hannah to introduce him to Arezu. "Liz doesn't want me to get involved with you. As for Hannah, she keeps saying I shouldn't interfere with either of you." "What does that mean?" Lynn asked, unable to understand Hannah's reasoning—just like everyone else, including Ellric. Their conversation about Alex ended there, followed by random chatter about the Annual Caravan. However, with everyone except Arezu growing drunk—even though he drank as much as the others—their discussion turned to a bolder topic. "Aren't you a bit lucky, Ellric? Like that last guy Alex, your party includes three beautiful, kind girls," George said, clearly jealous. And he wasn't the only one—many other adventurers shared the sentiment. Like Alex, Ellric was handsome enough to attract plenty of female adventurers who wanted to join his party. Yet unlike Alex, who flirted with every girl who approached him, Ellric only had eyes for one. And as drunk as he was, Ellric stood from his seat and proudly declared who that was. "My heart only belongs to Sylvie and no one else!" Everyone was shocked—not just their group, but also the adventurers eavesdropping nearby. And their shock only deepened when Arezu blurted out: "Isn't she your foster parent?" "What's so wrong about that, Arezu?" Trying to defend himself, Ellric—under the influence of alcohol—blabbered to everyone about his relationship with Sylvie. He told them how Sylvie had adopted him after his parents—her friends—died on a quest. How she had raised him on her own. How he fell in love with her. That Sylvie was already around 150 years old, which, for an elf demi-human with an average lifespan of 300 years, was considered a marriageable age. "And our relationship as foster parent and adopted child only makes me love her even more!" —"WAAAARGH!!!"— All the men listening erupted in excitement at Ellric's declaration, some even shouting in envy. The women, on the other hand, looked at him with disdain. Meanwhile, Lynn and Arezu— "What's that word again?" "Degenerate... I think that's the word you're looking for, Lynn." "That's right, Mr. Arezu."