episode_0220

Amidst the warm atmosphere, our conversation flowed continuously even during the meal.

“So, you know. Deborah thought we were lovers, can you believe it? It’s just absurd.”

“Oh really? It’s amazing that she’d link a rascal with a Tower Lord.”

“Exactly! I mean, what’s our age difference…? Who in the world would like their grandmother’s grandmother’s grandm… *cough*! Anyway, who would like someone so old?”

Roxana hastily corrected herself after almost revealing her detailed age.

In the game, her age wasn’t explicitly stated either, so I was hoping to find out this time, which is a bit disappointing.

Still, I got a hint that it’s a three-digit number, so I decided to be satisfied.

‘Is that more than I thought…?’

Having lived on Earth where even centenarians are rare, Roxana’s age felt incredibly vast to me at that moment, but considering her level of power, it might actually be less than expected.

After all, most elves who live for a thousand years were at a lower level than Roxana.

While my mind pondered Roxana’s age, my mouth spewed out playful words.

“Age doesn’t matter to me, you know?”

“What? You said something like that last time too, and now you’re doing it again? That’s just talk because you haven’t actually experienced it. Your mind will change when it’s right in front of you.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Her confident appearance, without even a hint of hesitation, made me feel a surge of impulse to refute her.

I subtly glanced at Deborah.

Currently, she was squirming with embarrassment, unable to easily face the scene where her embarrassing past was being dug up.

At this moment, even a joke that crosses the line a bit might pass smoothly.

I made a decision.

“Then, how about we date for just one day?”

When I said it, playfully extending my index finger, Roxana’s eyes widened.

Perhaps flustered, she shot a glance at Deborah, then her eyes blazed as she shouted.

“Wh-what? Are you crazy? I’m Deborah’s Teacher-nim! Is there nothing you won’t say?”

“What’s the big deal? We’re not talking about serious dating. And more importantly, Deborah and I aren’t even really dating, are we? Right?”

“Th-that’s right. We’re just colleagues.”

Deborah looked glum, accepting it but seeming sad about this reality.

But when I winked at her, out of Roxana’s sight, she seemed to understand it was a joke, and her face brightened.

I looked back at Roxana.

“She says so, you know? What do you say, Roxana-nim?”

“Wh-what do you mean, ‘what do I say’? Stop saying strange things and just eat your food! I’m going to the restroom.”

“Huh? Are you running away? You should give me an answer.”

“What answer?! Of course not! Just try playing that kind of prank again. You’ll be in big trouble, I swear!”

Roxana, leaving a warning as if even answering such a thing annoyed her, promptly disappeared.

Once they were alone, Deborah subtly asked.

“Ruan. Uh… just in case, you’re not actually interested in Teacher-nim, are you?”

“What if I am?”

“W-what? Y-you are?”

Deborah was visibly flustered, perhaps expecting me to say no, but I left it ambiguous.

Her eyes darted around restlessly as she fell into deep thought, a sight that brought a smile to my face.

I enjoyed her expression sufficiently, and just as I was about to give the answer she wanted, Deborah, having finished her deliberation, nodded with a resolute expression.

“I’m okay with it!”

“What?”

“If Ruan wants Teacher-nim, I can support you. So there’s no need to worry about me!”

“Hmm…”

For a moment, I was speechless.

I never imagined she would even permit a relationship with Roxana.

And even support it?

‘Is that why?’

The other day, Deborah said this.

That she would strive to make this world better than her hometown. And that for that purpose, it would be fine if I brought 100 women.

And as if to prove her words, she incited Alisa to confess honestly.

In the end, it’s safe to say this decision was made in the same context.

I chuckled bitterly and asked.

“Deborah. It was a joke. A joke. Didn’t you understand that earlier?”

“The wink? I understood that. But Teacher-nim is so beautiful, you know? Even if it’s not now, your feelings might change if you keep spending time together. You never know what the future holds.”

Deborah seemed to genuinely believe that I could fall for Roxana.

Well, it’s not incomprehensible.

Roxana is indeed a beautiful woman as she said, and naturally, when men and women spend a lot of time together, feelings of affection tend to develop.

Someday, it might turn out just as she said.

But, at least, it wasn’t now.

“Let’s think about the future later. Do you want to live constantly anxious over something that might never happen? Today’s a party. Just enjoy it.”

I gently stroked Deborah’s cheek.

She rubbed her cheek against my hand as if enjoying the touch, and smiled.

“Yes! I will.”

“Good. Then, how about we officially start the party? Deborah. Do you have alcohol?”

“Yes, I do. Teacher-nim prepared it beforehand. She said it’s fruit wine made from the World Tree’s fruit!”

“Oh, really? Doesn’t that only grow once every 100 years?”

“That’s right! They say it’s incredibly delicious!”

Having escaped the serious mood, we began to set the table anew.

We cleared the empty plates and covered the table with alcohol and snacks.

Just after the table had completed its perfect transformation, Roxana returned.

“Huh? What is this? You’ve already set it up?”

“You’re back? Please have a seat. I’m eager to try the fruit wine.”

“Teacher-nim. Hurry!”

Excited at the thought of drinking the fruit wine, we quickly made Roxana sit down.

She let out a small laugh and said.

“What’s gotten into you two? Especially you, Deborah. You never liked alcohol.”

“I don’t *like* it, but I don’t dislike it either! Besides, fruit wine made from the World Tree’s fruit is different!”

“That’s right! Where else would we get to try something like this? Please open it quickly!”

Since the World Tree’s fruit only grows once every 100 years, if we missed this chance, we might truly only get to try it again in another century.

As I kept urging her, Roxana shook her head as if she couldn’t win, then opened the fruit wine.

*Pop!*

As the cork was pulled, the fruit aroma trapped inside instantly spread out.

“Oh…”

It was an indescribable scent.

A scent that was simultaneously refreshing and sweet, invigorating and profound, as if all the world’s fragrances were condensed into one.

Everyone, including myself, was captivated by the scent, silently focusing all their senses solely on their sense of smell for a moment.

The first to regain her composure was Roxana.

“The aroma is truly wonderful. I wonder what it tastes like?”

“Teacher-nim, you’ve never tried it either?”

“No. I drank plenty when I was young, so I haven’t really had much since. And when I was actively drinking, I didn’t have enough money to afford something like this.”

Roxana’s face was bitter as she spoke of the past.

It felt strange, like a researcher talking about their grad school days.

Soon, Roxana offered the fruit wine.

“Enough of the useless talk, let’s taste it right away. Here, take it.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Roxana poured wine for Deborah and me, then filled her own glass and raised it high.

“There’s nothing I really want to say at length. Let’s continue to get along well. Understood?”

“Yep!”

“Of course!”

“Good. Cheers!”

*Clink!*

Clinking our glasses together with Roxana’s toast, we immediately downed the wine.

The moment the turquoise liquid touched my tongue, a new world unfolded. Innumerable, truly indescribable scents and flavors exploded.

As I savored it, it naturally glided down my throat, and the taste and aroma vanished cleanly as if they had never been there.

It was a little regrettable, but precisely because of that, it left a lingering impression and never felt tiresome.

I found my eyes, which had been closed, now open.

The other two seemed to be like me, just opening their eyes with a hazy look.

“It’s truly delicious, isn’t it?”

“I know. If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve tried it sooner.”

“I feel like I’m going to get addicted to alcohol like this!”

Deborah quickly refilled her empty glass, seemingly truly fond of the taste.

She urged us.

“Everyone, let’s toast! Quickly!”

“Alright. Calm down.”

“Deborah. Be careful. Fruit wine made from the World Tree’s fruit can’t be detoxified by magic. You’ll collapse quickly if you’re not.”

“Oh, really? Still, let’s toast!”

Despite Roxana’s warning, Deborah’s desire for alcohol did not wane.

And so, we began to enjoy the fruit wine, drinking back and forth.

*

Inside the quiet room, Roxana, who had been sound asleep, suddenly felt thirsty and opened her eyes.

“Ah… is it still dawn?”

Outside the window, it was still dark.

Sweeping her hair back, she got up, put on a thin silk top, and left the room.

“Have they all fallen asleep already?”

She had been deeply immersed in the fruit wine, drinking it freely until the alcohol began to affect her, so she’d left early to give them some time alone. Seeing how quiet it was, it seemed the drinking party had already broken up.

Were the two of them still together now, perhaps?

Roxana subtly gazed towards Deborah’s room, her curiosity rising.

If she extended her senses, she could peek inside without anyone noticing, but conscientiously, and more importantly, personally, she didn’t particularly want to see anything.

What was so great about seeing her disciple panting in a man’s embrace, anyway?

‘They’re adults anyway. They’ll figure it out.’

Roxana resolutely cut off her curiosity and headed towards the living room.

Finally, upon reaching the living room, she discovered an unexpected sight.

“Haa… I’m going crazy.”

Deborah and Ruan were sprawled out, with scattered empty bottles and plates in the background.

Their tightly intertwined forms seemed to indicate their affection for each other, which was nice to see, but a headache for the one who had to clean up.

Roxana barely suppressed the urge to deliver a smack to their backs and stepped over them towards the water dispenser.

*Gulp! Gulp!*

“Phew!”

Having chugged the water, she let out a light sigh of refreshment and turned her back.

The messy scene came into view.

Each scattered bottle on the floor felt like a stone rising in her heart. If it weren’t for magic, she wouldn’t even dare to clean it up.

Roxana immediately activated a cleaning spell, making the empty bottles disappear.

“…Let’s tidy up the rest tomorrow. First, I need to take these two to their rooms.”

Having made a cool judgment, she immediately took Deborah to her room first.

As she laid her on the bed, Deborah began to mumble in her sleep.

“Mmm… Ruan. I love you. *Mumble mumble*…”

She puckered her lips as if trying to kiss in her dream, truly a sight not to be seen.

A sigh escaped her on its own.

“Sigh… I can’t live like this. She wasn’t like this originally, but one man ruined her completely, didn’t he?”

Roxana left the room, completely unaware that she was speaking like an overprotective parent defending their child.

Next, she helped Ruan to the guest room.

And just as she arrived at the bed and was about to lay him down.

“Don’t go.”

“Ah!?”

Suddenly, Ruan opened his eyes, pulled her wrist, laid Roxana on the bed, and climbed on top of her.

Their breaths mingled closely.

“You, you, what is this…”

As she, flustered, asked without even thinking of pushing him away, Ruan blurted out a shocking statement.

“I love you.”

“What kind of… *Gasp!*?”

At the same time, Ruan’s lips covered Roxana’s.