Ch.188Chapter 188: Return (4).

# Chapter 188: Return (4)

Valt gently lifted the sleeping Arias, as carefully as if she were made of feathers.

As he walked down the corridor toward the second-floor guest room, the boisterous noise from the banquet hall downstairs reached him faintly.

Her cheeks, flushed red from alcohol, and her even, childlike breathing resonated against his arms.

Valt unconsciously slowed his steps, focusing on the small warmth in his arms.

In truth, without Arias, Valt wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this much.

Meeting her had led to his encounter with Noise, which had become an indispensable source of strength for him.

Besides Lia, Arias was also his first friend at the Academy.

Though he didn’t show it, Valt cared deeply for Arias.

‘You’ve been through a lot too, Arias.’

Upon reaching the quiet guest room the innkeeper had shown him, Valt gently laid her down on the bed.

Under the soft moonlight streaming through the window, the sleeping elven princess looked almost surreally beautiful.

Instead of her usual pouting or shy expression, her unguarded, relaxed face resembled a sacred statue.

Valt silently gazed down at her for a moment, then shook his head briefly as if dismissing an uncharacteristic thought, and carefully pulled the blanket up to her neck.

‘…After all, a child is still a child.’

With a slight smile, he was just about to turn away when—

Grab!

“…!”

Slender arms wrapped tightly around his neck! Caught by surprise, Valt held his breath, his body stiffening.

Whether from the alcohol or in her sleep, her sudden embrace caught him off guard. He could feel her hot breath and slightly trembling shoulders against his back.

“Valt…”

Arias buried her face in his neck and mumbled in a voice thick with alcohol and tears.

“Hic… Why… why do you always ignore me? Back then in the East… when I used the Glaceon’s Eye! I gathered so much courage to tell you… hic… but you just left…! Do you… do you hate me that much…?”

Her voice trembled more and more, as if overcome with sorrow.

Valt was bewildered.

The incident in the East? When she used the Glaceon’s Eye… Ah, she must be talking about that chaotic moment during the fall.

He vaguely remembered her shouting something, but everything had been so hectic, and her words were drowned out by the sound of the wind as they fell.

Besides, everyone’s lives had been hanging in the balance at that moment.

Valt sighed deeply and gently patted her back.

“…I was too overwhelmed then, and couldn’t hear you properly.”

“…Liar… pretending not to know again… hic…”

“I’m being honest. I swear. It was such a desperate situation, and the wind was so loud… I couldn’t clearly hear your voice. I’m sorry. Would you tell me again what you said back then?”

At Valt’s calm and sincere explanation, Arias slowly raised her head from his embrace.

Her face was tear-stained and flushed with alcohol, but her blue eyes remained clear despite her intoxication, shining with a more serious and intense light than ever before. She hesitated for a moment, her lips quivering, but then, as if making up her mind, she looked straight into Valt’s eyes and gathered her courage once more, speaking in a trembling but clear voice.

“…You want me… to say it again?”

“Yes, this time I’ll listen carefully.”

“Listen… carefully…? Hic?”

“Yes, I’ll hear you out properly.”

Then Arias began to shout at the top of her lungs.

“I said I like you!! Valt. From the moment we first met…!! I’ve been… liking you all this time…!! That’s what I said!!”

Startled by her unexpectedly loud confession, Valt was taken aback.

Just then, a group of adventurers passing by outside whistled and smiled enviously, shouting back just as loudly.

“Whew~ Lucky guy! I remember when I was like that too.”

It was a formal and painfully honest confession, delivered once more.

Valt faced the sincerity in her tear-filled eyes without avoiding it.

His heart seemed to beat a little differently.

A whirlwind of confused and complex emotions swirled within him. But… he couldn’t give a hasty answer here and now.

“…Arias.”

Valt carefully chose his words after a moment of heavy silence.

“I appreciate your sincerity. Truly. But… I’m sorry, now doesn’t seem to be the right time.”

“……”

Seeing Arias’s eyes cloud with disappointment, Valt felt uneasy as well.

“We still… have too many issues to resolve. The Black Society is a massive threat right before us, and we don’t know when we’ll have to risk our lives in battle again. In such uncertain circumstances… I can’t give an irresponsible answer to you, or to myself.”

He gently held her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

“Please try to understand. When all these threats are gone… when true peace returns, then… I promise I’ll face your feelings seriously and give you an answer.”

His response was neither a clear rejection nor a hopeful affirmation. But it contained a minimum of consideration not to dismiss Arias’s feelings, and a cold recognition of the weight of reality that he had to bear as a leader and as an individual. Arias seemed to sense his sincerity; she said nothing more, just looked into his eyes before quietly nodding. Though tears still welled in her eyes, there was a glimmer of hope alongside her disappointment, as if she believed in his promise.

“…I wasn’t expecting an immediate answer… You’re… that kind of person… someone who thinks of others before yourself.”

“I’m sorry.”

Arias smiled with a strangely relieved expression.

It was a mysterious smile that contained both sadness and joy.

“I understand. I’ll wait. Until Valt is ready to answer.”

“Thank you…”

Responding in a small voice, Arias closed her eyes as if all tension had left her body.

The combination of alcohol and emotional exhaustion seemed to pull her into a deep sleep.

Valt laid her back down on the bed comfortably, carefully wiped her wet cheeks, and tucked her in properly.

After silently watching her sleeping face for a while, he quietly left the room.

Walking down the corridor, Valt unconsciously let out a deep sigh.

Had his answer really been the best one? Had he hurt her? A corner of his heart felt heavy and complicated.

But he shook his head. Now was not the time to be swayed by personal emotions.

There were too many problems that needed solving.

When he returned to the noisy banquet hall, Victor approached with an exaggeratedly sly expression, as if he had been waiting.

“Hahaha! Brother, weren’t you gone for a bit too long? Wow, you and our fairy princess must have been quite passionate up there…!”

Thwack-! Crash!

Before Victor could finish, a small mana bullet—or rather, something closer to a pebble—a condensed lump of earth energy that Valt had shot hit him squarely in the forehead.

BANG–!

Victor fell backward without even screaming, demolishing a table in the process.

“Argh! Ow ow ow… That really hurts…! There was definitely emotion behind that one! This hurts more than being hit by a northern monster!!”

His reaction set off another round of laughter in the banquet hall.

“Tsk tsk… Victor. I told you to watch your mouth… Your mouth is always the problem.”

“Ugh… As expected of the Death Knight Slayer… Such power without any preparation… The alcohol’s worn off now.”

Victor grumbled while rubbing his forehead, but soon got up as if nothing had happened and started drinking again.

The lively atmosphere continued.

Aileen and Seirun quietly exchanged opinions about their battle experiences in the North and the Holy Kingdom’s methods, Solphin was still drinking heavily and picking fights(?) with those around him, and Lisa was making new friends with Lati as they moved between tables.

Riduin and Shukbil were having what looked like a serious conversation about magical ingredient trading in a corner.

Time passed as they laughed and chatted.

As the alcohol flowed and the mood mellowed, the topic of conversation naturally returned to the reality they faced.

“So… what’s happening with the Black Society? What did the Chancellor say?”

When Elicia asked in her characteristically calm, princess-like voice, the noise in the banquet hall subsided a bit. All eyes turned to Valt.

“The Chancellor is aware of the gravity of the situation. He plans to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor soon to discuss a response at the imperial level.”

Valt answered calmly.

“But the problem is that their range of activities is far wider than expected. If they can cause large-scale incidents in both the East and North simultaneously… their power might be beyond what we imagine. No one knows when, where, or how they’ll appear again.”

His words brought a heavy tension back to everyone’s expressions. The realistic threat that followed the joy of victory. The invisible darkness covering the entire continent.

Just then, Lati slammed her glass down on the table with a ‘thud’ and exclaimed boisterously!

“Kyahaha! Don’t worry too much! What’s the big deal about some Black Society we can’t even see! Look at all the heroes gathered here who can save the continent! Right, everyone! If we stick together, we wouldn’t fear even if the devil’s grandfather showed up!”

Though delivered in Lati’s cute voice with a touch of bluster, her words somehow provided reassurance and courage.

At her exclamation, the atmosphere that had momentarily sunk heated up again.

“That’s right! We’re here!”

“We’ll crush the Black Society or any devil!”

“Whatever, we’ll just fight again!”

“We have Captain Valt! Valt! Valt!”

With another round of cheers, they patted each other’s shoulders and strengthened their resolve.

Yes, they weren’t alone.

Despite the enormous threat looming, there was nothing to fear with such reliable comrades by their side.

Valt watched his companions with a faint smile on his lips.

“Alright! Tonight, let’s forget all worries for a moment and drink once more to our victory and friendship!”

With Victor’s shout, the sound of clinking glasses filled the banquet hall again.

A night filled with laughter. They gave each other strength and prepared themselves for the coming battle.

At least for tonight, they would savor this brief peace granted to them.