In the end, perhaps because that first victory had been so exhilarating, or perhaps because the fruit wine at Mia's place was simply too easy to get drunk on, the celebration feast went on much longer than expected.
By the time it finally came to an end, even Kyoubou, the black bear that could eat more than anyone else in the room, was clutching its round belly and sprawled flat on the floor, letting out a deeply satisfied burp.
"All right."
Haimer set down what was probably his I-don't-know-how-manyth empty wine cup and glanced over the group, all of whom were slumped in one way or another.
"It's getting late."
"There's still tomorrow to think about."
"Let's call it here for tonight."
With that, Haimer rose to his feet.
Almost at the same time, Shakti stood up as well. Her movements were crisp and efficient as she pulled out her money pouch and headed for the counter to settle the bill.
That smooth, practiced sequence of actions left the well-fed and slightly tipsy Tsubaki staring for a moment before she shook her head, amusement filling that single eye of hers.
"Heh."
"One of these days, I ought to find an excuse to make the Guild treat me too."
After drinking, Tsubaki let out a long, contented breath.
…
"Thank you for your patronage!"
As the group got up and started heading toward the door, the two figures who had been pretending to be dead in the corner finally seemed to come back to life.
From the shadow behind the counter, two pairs of eyes locked onto the armored back moving away, and only after the oak door had been pushed open and that suffocating presence had completely disappeared into the night did they finally breathe again.
"Haaah"
Their sighs came out in perfect sync.
"She's finally gone, nya…"
Chloe looked like all the bones had been pulled out of her body as she slumped against the counter. The cat ears that had been plastered flat against her head the whole time finally trembled their way back upright.
"That scared the life out of this cat, nya…"
"As long as that woman's around, even breathing feels hard, nya…"
"No kidding…"
Runoa looked equally relieved to have survived the ordeal. She wiped the fine layer of sweat from her forehead and let out a shaky breath.
"As long as she's still wearing those gauntlets, I can't stop feeling a chill at the back of my neck."
"It feels like the next second she'll pin me to the floor and grind my face against the boards."
The two exchanged a glance and saw the exact same emotion in each other's eyes.
Thank goodness they had survived.
This had probably been the hardest night they had faced since leaving the underworld behind and hiding under Mama Mia's wing to make an honest living.
Still,
behind the counter, after seeing the group off, Mia couldn't help rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"Interesting…"
"This god's backing is already something else, and he can even make someone from the Ganesha Familia follow him around like that."
At that point, the other waitresses who had finished their work also drifted back toward the counter.
"Yeah, Mama Mia."
With a tray tucked under one arm, Anya leaned in and asked curiously,
"Do you think what that Tsubaki woman said was true, nya?"
"That group of rookies…"
"Did they really reach the twelfth floor on their first day, nya?"
"That's way too ridiculous!"
"When I was still Level 1, I spent half a month just wandering around the first five floors, nya!"
"Exactly."
Runoa clicked her tongue, still finding it hard to believe.
"And did you see that red-eyed girl with the katana?"
"She can't even see."
"But when she set that sword on the table earlier, I sneaked a look."
"That edge…"
Runoa made a gesture with her hand.
"That was definitely a first-class weapon."
"How are those rookies?"
"They're more like an elite team armed to the teeth."
"Man…"
Chloe sighed and slumped even harder across the counter, her black cat ears drooping listlessly.
"Comparing people really does make a cat want to die, nya."
"If we'd had treatment like that back then, we wouldn't have ended up doing all those dirty jobs in the shadows, nya…"
"But speaking of that…"
As if she had just noticed something, Anya turned her head and looked around.
"Where did Ryuu go, nya?"
"She said she was taking out the garbage."
"It's been forever now. Why isn't she back yet?"
The moment she said that, the others who had been gossiping all froze.
That was true.
Ryuu wasn't very talkative, but she was the most reliable one among them.
It was only taking out the trash.
How could it take this long?
…
Mia's hand paused briefly on the wineglass she was wiping.
She lifted her head and looked toward the door leading to the back alley, her gaze deep and unreadable.
"She's probably just tired."
After a moment of silence, Mia answered lightly.
"Syr wasn't here today."
"She had plenty of extra work to cover."
"Let her be."
"She's probably gone to handle something else."
With that, Mia lowered her head and went back to polishing the glass in her hand.
At the same time, inside the tavern hall, now that that group had left, the discussions that had been suppressed before finally erupted like a pot coming to a boil.
Voices rose one after another.
Envy, jealousy, doubt, amazement and other kind of emotion errupted.
No matter what kind of reaction it was, one thing was certain.
After tonight, the story was bound to sprout wings and fly through every street and alley in Orario.
…
As for the group itself, on the streets now wrapped in night, the cool evening wind gradually blew the smell of alcohol off them.
Walking alongside the group, Tsubaki suddenly stopped and pointed behind them with a puzzled look.
"Lord Haimer."
"If my sense of direction hasn't been soaked rotten by those drinks just now…"
"then Lady Hephaestus's Familia residence should be back that way, right?"
"I don't mind taking everyone out for a little walk to enjoy the night scenery, but with all these bags and bundles, and two bears…"
"If we keep going forward, we'll be entering the high-end residential district in the northwest of the city."
Tsubaki looked in the direction they were heading, her face full of confusion.
After all, since they were currently staying with the Hephaestus Familia, shouldn't this have been the part where everyone went back, washed up, and went to sleep?
However,
"Heh-heh!"
Hestia, who had clearly been holding it in this whole time, finally jumped out.
She planted both hands on her hips, puffed out that shockingly impressive chest, and wore an air of mysterious confidence.
"That's where you just don't get it, Tsubaki!"
"Just keep following Haimer!"
"This guy's prepared a huge surprise for his children!"
"A huge surprise?"
Tsubaki exchanged looks with the girls beside her.
Before any of them could figure out what that huge surprise was,
…
Twenty minutes later, when they arrived at the prime section where North Main Street and West Main Street met, a place quiet in the middle of the city's bustle,
Haimer stopped in front of an enormous black wrought-iron gate.
"We're here," he said softly.
"This…"
Tsubaki looked at the clearly expensive stone house, then looked back at Haimer, her eyes widening more and more.
Under the moonlight, the massive black iron gate gleamed with an unmistakable air of luxury. The tall stone walls hid almost everything inside, revealing only a corner of the three-story stone building and a few fresh branches stretching out over the top of the wall.
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