A Former Child Soldier Who Uses a Magic Sword Wants to Live with an Older Sister of a Former Enemy Executive - Chapter 91

• Chapter 91 : The three women stopped by a bar…

That evening, Seto and Satis returned to their inn.

After finishing an early meal, they decided that Seto would stay in their room.

[Well then, Seto. Be a good boy, okay?] (Satis)

[Hey, Satis. Maybe I should also—] (Seto)

[No, you can’t.] (Satis)

[So I can’t, huh…] (Seto)

[Children aren’t allowed in a bar. Because it’s also a place where adults drink alcohol.] (Satis)

[Ugh, fine. I’ll be waiting for you.] (Seto)

After gently patting Seto’s somewhat dissatisfied-looking head, Satis went to the bar inside the inn.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the faint smell of alcohol and a moderate amount of darkness.

Satis took a seat behind the counter.

Swaying by the candlelight, she took a sip from the glass of liquor she had ordered.

Immersed in the rich flavor, the coldness and lingering sound of the ice shaking in the glass, Satis waited for her drinking buddy of the night.

Hydra, who arrived a few minutes later.

[I apologize for making you wait.] (Hydra)

[It’s okay, I was enjoying myself first.] (Satis)

After the award ceremony, Seto and Satis went to see Hydra.

Hydra readily accepted Satis’ proposal to have a chat and went to the aforementioned bar.

[Would you like to drink something? You’re already old enough to drink alcohol, right?] (Satis)

[Well, I am. But I’ll refrain. I’ll just have water.] (Hydra)

[I don’t want you to hold back. If you do, I’m calling off this meeting…] (Satis)

[Eh?! You’re that serious about it?! T-Then… I’ll just have a glass of milk.] (Hydra)

[*Sigh*… Fine, I guess.] (Satis)

Hydra sat down on Satis’ left and decided to chat with her while waiting for her milk to arrive.

All the while, Satis never let go of her glass, watching the ice cubes floating on top of the amber liquid.

[I heard from Seto. So you became friends with him?] (Satis)

[Y-Yeah. That’s what he suggested. He asked me if we could be friends. …I don’t think I deserve his friendship. I’ve been so horrible to him…] (Hydra)

[Absolutely. …Is what I would like to say, but I’m painfully aware that I can’t say that.] (Satis)

[Why?] (Hydra)

[Isn’t it obvious? …Don’t you remember what my previous job was? You and your former party did terrible things. But I’ve done even worse.] (Satis)

Hydra gasped in realization.

Satis was a former executive of the Demon King’s army, and a clear enemy of Seto and the others.

Yet by a strange twist of fate, the two had fallen in love with each other.

Satis even felt that Hydra was similar to herself.

[If Seto wants to be your friend… then I won’t complain. What about you?] (Satis)

[What about me? …I’ve already made up my mind. I’m Seto’s friend. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but not only did he forgive me, he even offered me his friendship. That alone is enough. In fact, it’s a luxury I don’t deserve.] (Hydra)

[I see… If that’s what Seto decided, and you’ve resolved yourself to it, then I have nothing more to say about it.] (Satis)

With that, Satis grabbed her glass.

By that time, Hydra’s milk had arrived, and they both drank their beverages peacefully.

It was then that another person cheerfully joined them.

[Heya, Satis! You buy me a drink?!] (Gravis)

[You really never show any restraint, do you?] (Satis)

Gravis sat down in Satis’ right, looking pleased with herself, and ordered a slightly more expensive drink.

Satis let out a sigh, as if to say that she wished she could take a page from Hydra’s book in that regard.

However, she was curious about Gravis being in a strangely good mood, but when she asked her about it, her explanation made her want to sigh even more.

[I used the lunch money you gave me to go to the casino, and I hit the jackpot!] (Gravis)

[It takes some real nerve to spend the lunch money someone gave you on gambling.] (Satis)

[It’s fine, it’s fine! I won, after all.] (Gravis)

[I don’t have to buy you a drink, then!] (Satis)

[This and that are different things!] (Gravis)

Hydra took a long look at Gravis as the two of them had their strange interaction.

I-Is this person Seto’s friend as well? She seems to be, well… a different type of character than Satis. …Does Seto like that kind of woman? (Hydra)

Gravis noticed Hydra’s gaze and lightly waved at her.

[Hi there, stranger. Are you also friends with Seto and Satis? Well, well. Is the boy’s inner circle full of beautiful ladies?] (Gravis)

[Gravis-san, if you don’t shut up a bit, I’ll kick you, okay?] (Satis)

[Now, now. …Um, my name is Hydra. Gravis-san, was it?] (Hydra)

Thus did she modestly introduce myself.

Gravis’ expression turned clouded and serious, and she began to ponder about something.

[Um, is something the matter?] (Hydra)

When Hydra asked fearfully, Gravis, as if remembering, shoved Satis away and brought her face close to Hydra’s. 

[Hydra? …! I knew that name sounded familiar! You’re a member of the Hero’s party who set out to defeat the Demon King, aren’t you?!] (Gravis)

Satis, who looked peeved at being shoved aside, could not hide her shock at this revelation.

Gravis knew Hydra.

And the reason for it was surprising.

[Hey, why are you on your own? Where’s Reid? Is he safe?] (Gravis)

[Oh, uh, um…] (Hydra)

[…Oh, I’m sorry. I got a little too excited.] (Gravis)

According to her backstory, Gravis and the Hero Reid used to be childhood friends who lived in the same village.

Gravis was three years older than him, and he loved her like his own sister.

Soon, however, he left the village with his family and moved to the royal capital, convinced that he was fit to be the Hero.

Which brings us to this day.

[I see. So Reid did that…] (Gravis)

[I… I’m sorry. If only I weren’t so incompetent…] (Hydra)

[It’s fine, I don’t care. That guy’s prone to extreme prejudices and stuff, after all… What a moron, seriously. He’ll always be a moron to the bitter end.] (Gravis)

Gravis was wearing a gloomy expression on her face.

[Here’s your order.] (Waiter)

A glass filled with the liquor she had just ordered was placed in front of her.

The round ice balls clinked against the glass, and when she took a sip of her drink, its mellow taste and slight sourness intoxicated her.

[Um, Gravis-dono. If I can help you in any way with that, please don’t hesitate to ask.] (Hydra)

[It’s okay, really. I think that’s the kind of stuff I gotta settle myself.] (Gravis)

[Yourself?] (Hydra)

[Yeah. …Haaa. And this is what I learn on the same day I get information on a magic sword?] (Gravis)

[Does this mean you’ve already found out where to obtain a magic sword?] (Satis)

[Yeah. I came all this way just to become strong like my uncle. …But it looks like I’ve found another reason to use it.] (Gravis)

Gravis took another sip.

In this dark space filled with the scent of alcohol and calmness, each journey was connected by a strange bond.

Satis herself did not feel as if Gravis’ story was just someone else’s problem.

And she had a hunch that Seto would feel the same way.

[…Come to think of it, Hydra. You and Satis seem to know each other, but… What’s your relationship? Do you know Seto too? Could it be that… the “evicted party member” you mentioned earlier was actually Seto?] (Gravis)

[Eh…? Well, um…] (Hydra)

Hydra deliberately kept Seto’s name a secret out of consideration for him and Satis, but Gravis’s intuition was so sharp that she was at a loss for a reply.

It might have been impossible to keep it a secret, but Hydra still felt that she had to protect his anonimity, and was about to tell Gravis another lie when…

[Let me take it from here.] (Satis)

[You’re going to tell me more, Satis?] (Gravis)

[It’s too crowded here, so let’s discuss it with Seto in our room. This is something your idol Ryodou-san also knows about, and above all, he has agreed to keep the relationship between me and Seto a secret. Do you consent to it as well?] (Satis)

Gravis readily acquiesced and took another sip of her drink.

Everybody was in the mood for a little drink today.

Although she felt sorry for Seto, Satis had a relaxing girls’ night out.

At the same time, there was “a certain development” in the city of Ulaine Donagh.

[Excuse me, Captain Osiris.] (Guard)

[What is it?] (Osiris)

[We have received a report from Holmes in the capital.] (Guard)

[From Holmes? Huh, that was fast.] (Osiris)

Osiris took the report from his subordinate and looked it over.

A cold sweat of nervousness ran down his cheeks, and his eyes spontaneously sharpened.

[I see. It’s her…] (Osiris)

[“Her”, sir…?] (Guard)

[—Tell me, how much do you know about “Sorcery”?] (Osiris)

[Sorcery, you say? …Well, if I’m not wrong, it’s divided into two categories: “Major Sorcery” and “Minor Sorcery”… And Major Sorcery has long since faded away, with no documentation of it left anymore…] (Guard)

[Good. You’re dismissed.] (Osiris)

After ordering his subordinate to leave, Osiris walked to the window, gazing out at the darkening sea by himself.

The beautiful golden vermillion tinge on its surface that stood out just a moment ago was starting to be replaced by a dark color, as if in envy.

[The woman with the epithet of “Nephthys of the Tearful Dead Souls”, a wielder of Major Sorcery, an art that should’ve been lost since time immemorial. Facing the Demon King’s army is already enough of a headache, and yet… Things are really going to get busy.] (Osiris)

Thus did Osiris mutter the name of the dangerous person mentioned in the report.

She had been on the wanted list of various countries for a long time, but she was truly as elusive as a phantom.

Even Holmes seemed to have completely lost track of her.

The woman named Nephthys was, so to speak, a calamity with a will.

No one could tell what she was up to.

Which was why the scale of the damage she caused was extraordinary.

And she was about to extend that extremely dangerous hand of hers to a certain character.

[So the Hero Reid is that way, then…] (Nephthys)