Chapter 77
After seeing Deborah off, I headed upstairs to my room on the second floor.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly into the air, then slowly pulled out the item I’d tucked into my skirt pocket.
The token Deborah had given me.
“……”
Just looking at it made my chest feel heavy again. Should I have treated her a little better? Even if there was no lingering affection between us.
‘But I can’t pretend to feel something I don’t.’
I feel sorry for Deborah, but I don’t think I’ll ever have a reason to use this token.
Lycian has helped me countless times, yet I’ve never felt overly burdened by it. Not once.
…Come to think of it, suspicious in many ways as he may be, he was someone who slipped past the walls around my heart with startling ease from the very beginning.
Like Ninabel said, I thought maybe I was just a sucker for a pretty face….
‘But he feels like a missing puzzle piece—like someone who fits perfectly into my heart… That’s what Lycian is.’
I turned the token over in my palm, brushing it up and down with my thumb.
Deborah was different from Lycian.
She was… yes, I’ll admit it now—someone who made me uncomfortable.
Accepting help from someone like that—it weighs on you, psychologically….
‘It’s not Deborah’s fault. It’s just my issue.’
With a long sigh, I slipped the token into my inventory and flopped back onto the bed.
I’d said I wanted to be alone, so Lycian hadn’t followed me into the room. But he might be standing guard outside the door….
He was considerate—very much so—but at times, subtly… no, blatantly persistent.
After drifting through a mess of thoughts for a while, I pushed myself up. I should head back down.
What kind of host invites guests over and then disappears? I probably couldn’t exactly liven up the atmosphere… but I could at least make more food.
‘Alright. What should I make? What ingredients do I still have in my inventory?’
The moment I clicked the door open, my eyes met someone leaning against the wall directly in front of it.
“……”
“……”
‘Yep. My foresight stat just went up….’
I quietly averted my gaze and slipped past him. Lycian fell into step behind me, his voice casual.
“Muriel, heading to the kitchen?”
“Mm.”
“You don’t need to. Just let them entertain themselves.”
“I’m still the host… I can’t exactly ignore them.”
“If you go, it’ll just be a drinking party anyway.”
“…?”
I realized he was right the moment we arrived.
Two hours ago, this had definitely been a wholesome housewarming party.
Now it was absolute chaos…!
“Khaha! Guild Master, you idiot…!”
“My money, my—my money….”
…Somehow they’d found a folding table and set it up beside the dining table. A card game was in full swing.
Dante must have lost a fortune already—he was sobbing openly. Across from him sat Lucas.
In front of Lucas, gold coins glittered in a neat little tower.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Gambling in someone else’s house….’
I clicked my tongue in disbelief—then noticed Tierra and Nikke were nowhere to be seen.
Considering it wasn’t exactly appropriate for a child, I could only assume Tierra had quickly escorted Nikke somewhere safer.
‘Ninabel and Nigel aren’t here either. Did they go for a walk?’
“—Oh?! Muriel! You’re here? What about the Governor’s daughter? Did she leave?”
Daphne, who had just spotted me, called out loudly. In front of her sat over twenty empty bottles.
Apparently, no matter how much Daphne drank, she never got drunk. No limit to her tolerance, or so she claimed….
Still, drinking that much can’t be good for your liver, can it?
I should probably make some hangover soup tomorrow. Maybe it’ll come with a bonus effect for liver detoxification.
Running through ingredient options in my head, I answered her.
“She left about an hour ago. Daphne… did you drink all of that by yourself?”
“I see~ I figured she’d leave pretty quick! Of course I did. All mine. …But I’m out now~ I wanna drink more….”
…She can still drink more? Doesn’t she ever get tired of it?
Staring at her in disbelief, I watched as she tipped an empty bottle upside down, shaking out the last few drops.
Apparently a few measly drops weren’t enough—she suddenly sprang to her feet and staggered over to Mikhail, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him hard.
“Misha! Wake up, wake up! We’re out of alcohol! Teleport some more over!”
“Ugh…. Hk….”
Misha was her nickname for Mikhail. He had been slumped over the table, but now he lifted his head with a pained groan.
Then he started babbling like a man who’d lost his senses.
“I—I’m not drinking…. I can’t anymore….”
“Oh, you can stop! Just bring me ten bottles—no, twenty more!”
“D-drink in moderation…. You’ll die young at this rate….”
“Wow. That’s hilarious coming from someone who lives forever.”
“I’ve… lived over eighty years. I’ve seen things….”
Even as he scolded her, Mikhail sluggishly raised his left hand and completed the spell.
Moments later, twenty liquor bottles wrapped in a bluish glow appeared solidly on the kitchen floor.
Teleportation magic…. I’d heard it wasn’t easy. Mikhail’s skill was no joke.
“Oh yeah—!”
Daphne cheered and dashed over, grabbing two bottles at once.
Then she turned to Allen, who still looked perfectly functional.
“Allen, want more?”
“No, I’ll pass….”
“Come on~ Don’t be like that! You can actually hold your liquor pretty well!”
“Well… maybe just one glass….”
“One glass? You need at least a whole bottle!”
“D-Don’t bully Allen….”
With that final strained protest, Mikhail collapsed face-first onto the table. Daphne poked him a few times, but he didn’t respond. He seemed completely out cold.
In the corner, Camilla was sipping warm tea. She looked perfectly sober—not a trace of drunkenness.
When our eyes met, she smiled softly and spoke in her usual languid tone.
“I only had one glass…. Hehe…. Losing your reason to alcohol is a mistake only fools make….”
“…….”
What a sharp little tit. A wise little tit.
The drinking match between Allen—who had claimed he’d only have one glass—and Daphne lasted far longer than expected.
I made two more dishes for them: stir-fried sausages and bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms.
Allen was so overwhelmed by how good it tasted that he actually teared up. …That much?
“Let me go…! I’m meant for bigger waters!”
I was considering making something for Camilla too when Dante suddenly started causing a scene.
“Bigger waters” probably meant the gambling den.
“Calm down, Guild Master. You’ll end up broke again.”
Lucas, clearly used to this sort of thing, twisted Dante’s arms behind his back and subdued him with ease.
But Dante struggled violently, as if he’d die without setting foot in a casino.
“Let me go…. Tonight, I—I’ll show you something.”
‘What a load of crap….’
Watching quietly, I shook my head with a deadpan fox expression.
Dante really needs to quit drinking….
Lucas didn’t seem physically strained holding him down, but he did look troubled.
“Guild Master, I’m getting sleepy. I want to go to bed….”
Oh dear.
‘If Lucas wants his right to sleep protected, we need to separate him from Dante….’
I was wondering what to do when Lycian suddenly stepped forward.
“What’s so hard about it? Just do this.”
He grabbed Dante by the collar and yanked him away from Lucas.
Before Dante could react, Lycian struck the back of his neck with the edge of his hand, knocking him out instantly.
“Ghk.”
Dante let out a strangled sound and collapsed. Lycian didn’t even bother to support him—he simply let him drop.
Thud.
Dante lay sprawled on the floor in a ridiculous heap. Lucas hoisted him over his shoulder and left the kitchen.
He’d probably sleep in the guest room or the living room.
I’d left a few blankets in the living room, but just in case, I should go tuck them in. Catching a cold would be a disaster.
“See? Easy.”
Lycian turned to the others with a bright, almost artificial smile.
Allen chuckled awkwardly and nodded. Daphne gave a big thumbs-up.
And Camilla, still seated in the corner, gave a polite little round of applause.
Camilla insisted on handling the cleanup and practically shoved Lycian and me out of the kitchen.
I hesitated—would she really be alright alone? But given the sheer competence she’d shown time and again, I decided to trust her.
Sure enough, when we stepped into the living room, Lucas and Dante were already asleep—one on the sofa, one on the floor.
Dante had claimed the sofa; Lucas was sprawled out on the floor beside it.
Giving up the sofa for that menace… Lucas is way too nice….
‘Good thing I laid down a clean carpet.’
Applauding my own foresight for washing it in advance, I draped blankets over both of them.
Then I went upstairs with Lycian.
We didn’t have enough rooms for all the guests, so tonight… I had no choice but to share a room with him.
“…….”
One bed.
Two people.
Lycian had gone to wash up in the first-floor bathroom. I had already finished and come up first….
And now I was seriously considering locking the door.
It’s not like this is the first time we’ve shared a bed. Acting self-conscious now would be ridiculous….
‘But it still bothers me…!’
I was rolling around on the bed, clutching my head, when the door clicked open and Lycian stepped inside.
His hair was damp, still glistening with moisture.
Fresh from the bath, his skin looked even paler, almost luminous.
And… the bathrobe hanging loosely off him, half undone—obscene.
‘Y-you shameless fox!’
How dare he show up looking like that! I squeezed my eyes shut and vowed not to open them.
Shff, shff. The soft drag of slippers against the floor.
The mattress dipped under his weight at the edge of the bed.
Then, right beside me, Lycian’s low voice brushed against my ear.
“Muriel, what are you doing?”
“……”
“I just washed up. My hair’s still wet.”
“……”
“I was hoping Muriel would dry it for me.”
My eardrums might actually melt.
How can someone’s voice sound like that?
Trying to seduce someone with your voice alone—isn’t that cheating?
Then a gentle hand brushed across my cheek.
At first, the touch was cautious, almost tentative. But it didn’t stay that way for long.
Slowly, deliberately—like he was savoring it—his fingers traced the lines of my face.
Before I realized it, I was holding my breath, biting down on my lower lip.
A strange tension settled over the quiet room.