Ch.557They Just Think Different

After downing what could only be described as a solid block of alcohol rather than a drink, Hush rolled his eyes back and collapsed with a thud. Proving that even on a black man, the whites of the eyes are indeed white.

Pernei, unable to steady herself due to intoxication, tumbled forward as if dragged by Hush, burying her head on the woman’s chest before falling fast asleep.

Between their snoring breaths wafted the strong smell of hard liquor.

“Haah…”

I massaged my temples while shaking my head.

I made the right choice quitting alcohol. When I was drowning in booze myself, I never realized it, but watching alcoholics from the side was an unsightly spectacle to say the least.

“W-what should we do, Haschal?”

“What else? We need to at least lay them down properly.”

I gave Millia, who was looking at me with trembling eyes, a sigh-mixed response as I approached the two who were sprawled out together.

“Ugh, the smell is really…”

Since they both looked like they’d bathed in hard liquor, just breathing near them made me feel like I might get drunk.

I held my breath, pulled Hush out from under Pernei, and gave instructions to the others for cleanup.

“Demian, open the windows. Millia, call the maids. Lena, check on Hush’s condition… heal that guy’s arm if you can, or at least bandage it if you can’t.”

“Got it.”

“Okay!”

“I’ll try!”

Demian headed for the window on the wall, Millia went outside the reception room, and Lena approached me.

I laid Hush on the sofa where Pernei had been lying until just now, then exhaled my held breath and stepped back.

Lena calmly examined Pernei’s wrist as she lay sprawled on the floor, then shook her head and simply wrapped it with a bandage.

So even a Guardian-class fairy can’t be treated with human miracles, huh?

When even the gods practice racial discrimination, it’s no wonder the religious people of this world naturally become racists.

Well… werebeasts and fairies still get off easy.

“How’s Pernei?”

“I don’t think I can heal her with Saulite’s miracle. But she seems to be recovering slowly on her own, so I think she’ll be fine if we just stop the bleeding.”

Must be thanks to the World Tree’s blessing. She doesn’t have the extreme regenerative abilities of werebeasts, but her recovery speed seems considerably faster than an ordinary human without any blessings.

“Then there’s no problem. What about Hush?”

“He just passed out from the alcohol, so he should be fine after a good sleep.”

Hush, being half-fairy, seemed to have no issues despite absorbing alcohol in such a manner.

—-

Not long after, the maids Millia called efficiently took care of the two intoxicated fairies.

They sent Demian out, undressed the fairies, wiped off the alcohol on their bodies, and changed them into fresh clothes. The procedure was so natural that Pernei must have been in this state more than once before.

“Count, shall we place both of them in the same chamber?”

Same bedroom?

Ah, they must think the two would get along since they’re both fairies, despite their contrasting skin colors. I suppose someone unfamiliar with half-fairies might make that assumption.

“No, there’s no need for that. Hush… the black fairy, can stay on the sofa as is. As for Pernei, wrap her in a blanket and just dump her in a corner.”

“Um… yes, as you command.”

The maids looked as if they were wondering if that was really okay, but honestly, I was already being quite lenient. Initially, I had considered hanging them from the ceiling like a mobile.

But I decided against it, fearing that if Pernei’s stomach turned, she might spin around in mid-air spewing gastric juices like a sprinkler.

If the reception room ended up in that state, I might not be able to resist the urge to make fairy-infused liquor.

—-

“Well then, Demian and I will go rest now. You get some good rest too, Haschal.”

After taking care of Hush and Pernei, Millia naturally headed upstairs to their honeymoon suite with her arm linked with Demian’s.

Going to rest… can that really be called resting? At least for Demian, it seemed far from restful.

“Ah, wait a moment, Millia.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

I gently placed my hand on Millia’s shoulder, which was already showing signs of excitement, and brought my face close to her ear. I intended to advise her on the importance of contraception, even if they were going to do their thing.

I didn’t think it was right to interfere in such matters between friends, but with Rotholandus having issued a warning, I couldn’t let a potential hero-level fighter stray from the path.

So, at the very least, I needed to phrase it in a way Millia could understand. What should I say…

“Listen, Millia, while a healthy marital life is good… I don’t want to have to order my friend to terminate a pregnancy, you know what I mean?”

“…What?”

Millia looked at me as if I was spouting nonsense out of nowhere.

Hmm… was I too indirect? I thought she would understand immediately since it was such an obvious matter.

“If a crucial fighter becomes unable to participate in future battles due to pregnancy or childcare issues, removing the ’cause’ is only natural. But I don’t want to do that to a friend. So—”

“No, how is that natural!? Do the Ka’har really do such things?”

Huh…? Isn’t it natural?

Millia retorted in a surprisingly vehement tone, but to me, it was completely obvious.

It might be common sense in the Republic of Korea rather than Ka’har, but it was standard procedure to immediately order an abortion if a key combatant on the battlefield became pregnant.

[What nonsense is that? Even the Ka’har don’t do such things.]

Oh… was this not common sense after all?

Was I the one who was wrong…?

Both Millia and Hersella reacted as if they were looking at a crazy woman, which momentarily made me doubt myself.

Could it be that in this world, abortion to prevent non-combat losses wasn’t common sense? Even in such a harsh world?

“Um… but there’s no other way, right…? A knight can’t just quit because of a child…”

“Haaaaah…”

After hearing my explanation, Millia let go of Demian’s arm and held her head, letting out a deep sigh.

“What kind of kobold nonsense is that… Are you saying all female knights must live and die as celibates? That can’t be right, Haschal…”

“Um…”

…Was what I said so nonsensical that it deserved to be called kobold talk?

I couldn’t find words to respond to the gap in common sense between them and me, so I just fidgeted with my fingers without saying anything.

“Anyway… I understand what you were trying to say, Haschal. I’ll be careful. So, let’s end this conversation here.”

“Oh, okay…”

An unprecedentedly firm conclusion. As I nodded blankly, Millia finally smiled and pulled Demian upstairs.

She didn’t seem angry, but her footsteps clearly indicated that she didn’t want to discuss this topic any further.

‘…Hey, was what I said really that strange?’

I asked Hersella what I had said wrong. Although Hersella was also an unreasonable person like a Ka’har, I had no one else to ask.

[It ranks among the top three pieces of nonsense I’ve ever heard.]

A merciless criticism flew at me.

[Killing a child when a warrior becomes pregnant? What insane country would do such a thing unless they were on the brink of extinction?]

‘…That’s my homeland.’

It wasn’t a failing country, and it wasn’t just our country’s common sense. Other countries had similar procedures.

[My goodness… you grew up in an extraordinarily insane place. No wonder you turned out to be such a lunatic.]

I’m older than you. Even just counting my Earth years.

Besides, do you have any right to call me a lunatic?

‘Insane place… what about Ka’har then? If an essential champion becomes pregnant and unable to fight, do you just leave them be?’

[There’s no such thing as an ‘essential champion.’ If forces are lacking, warriors can fight harder, and if that’s still not enough, we can put the slaves we’ve plundered on the front lines.]

…The way of thinking is completely different.

Their attitude was that using slaves solved the problem. Typical of a people whose way of life revolves around plundering.

Indeed, it wasn’t me who was out of my mind, but these guys.

—-

Despite returning to a place of rest after a long journey, I felt several times more tired rather than relaxed. But since there was still one more person I needed to meet, I couldn’t just go back to my residence at the academy and collapse.

…Perhaps it would be better to rest well here today and return to the academy residence after tomorrow’s administrative meeting.

I wasn’t sure what Ophelia was up to, but it was clear that meeting her would only add to my fatigue. Is this what they call a sense of foresight?

“Lena, Nigel. We’ll be staying here tonight, so please inform the maids, and you two should change and rest well. I’m going to meet Ophelia and come back.”

“Yes! I’ll wait in the room!”

“Understood. I should inform Lady Leonore.”

Ah, that’s right, Leonore was here too.

She had gone to the Rose Hall to inspect her knight order, but if the inspection ended early, she would naturally head to the professor’s residence at the academy.

And she would eat alone and sleep alone in an empty house.

That might be interesting in its own way… but I should still let her know. Isolating a woman who has lost her entire family for fun would be going too far for a prank.

“Tell her to rest well at the Rose Hall for the day. She must have a lot to talk about with her subordinates whom she hasn’t seen in a while.”

“Yes. I will convey that message.”

Nigel nodded and went out of the reception room to send the message through the servants. Lena also followed Nigel to be guided to my room by the maids.

With this, only I and the two intoxicated fairies remained in the reception room. Jahan had gone straight to the training ground after meeting me earlier, feeling that I had grown stronger and deciding he needed more training.

Physical training alone probably won’t mean much now that he’s reached the level of a champion… I should pay more attention to Jahan from now on.

To accumulate karma and help him be naturally accepted by the imperial people, I should have him participate in exterminating monsters and bandits.

Anyway, now it’s time to meet Ophelia…

I took out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it, trying to alleviate the fatigue that was already washing over me.

The cold wind flowing through the wide-open window scattered the white smoke in disarray.

“Mmmmm… it’s coooold…”

Finding it difficult to withstand the early spring chill in her drunken sleep, Pernei, who had been dumped in a corner, frowned and tightly hugged the blanket wrapped around her.

She looked like a bug wrapped in a cocoon.

“Huff…”

If we weren’t acquainted, I would have thrown her out.

I blew cigarette smoke toward Pernei’s face, then closed the window of the reception room and picked her up, laying her on the sofa opposite to Hush.

Though I considered just throwing her several times because of the alcohol smell that hit me with each breath she exhaled.