Ch.7171. Let’s Throw a Grand Party!!

KUWAAAAAK-!

*Ding ♪*

┗+1 Health has increased.

┗+1 Agility has increased.

┗+1 Magic Power has increased.

I took out the magic stone from the ogre’s corpse I had just killed and slowly turned my body to the opposite side.

There, Lucien was also extracting a magic stone from the ogre she had slain.

Judging by her expression, she seemed quite excited.

“Lucien.”

“Yes, Father!”

“Are you enjoying the hunt?”

“It’s fun! These weak monsters are cute when they squirm like insects before dying.”

What’s this?

She’s speaking so innocently, but why does it feel so eerie at the same time?

“What if it wasn’t a monster squirming like an insect before death, but a human?”

“Wouldn’t that be the same? As long as it’s not you or Uncle, I don’t really care.”

“It does matter, Lucien. To live as my daughter, you need to live more as a human than as a dragon.”

“W-well, that’s true.”

“Humans have a habit of helping each other in dangerous situations. Of course, there are exceptions.”

Lucien tilted her head in confusion as she put the magic stone into the bag on her back.

“Then I could just be one of those exceptions, right?”

“I’d prefer if you helped humans.”

“Really? Alright, I’ll follow whatever you say, Father.”

“I’m not saying you should help all humans.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means you don’t need to help bad people. That’s something you’ll learn to judge over time.”

“I’ll try my best to learn.”

Even though she has a human form, she’s a dragon by birth, so I need to teach her directly about human relationships.

Monster hunting and character education…

Despite the complexity, I continued our conversation, hoping that these talks would become a solid foundation for Lucien in the future.

“Is there anything difficult about hunting monsters?”

“Hmm, so far the monsters have been weak, so I haven’t found anything particularly difficult.”

“Do you sense any unusual energy?”

In response to my question, Lucien pointed her finger to the west.

“There’s a monster stronger than an ogre over there. And…”

“And?”

“I sense an unknown energy deeper inside. It doesn’t feel like a monster, but it seems dangerous.”

The direction Lucien pointed to was the area where Evarin said the cyclops would be.

So what could be even deeper in that area?

I was curious, but not eager to investigate.

I had promised Jawill Wilson not to enter dangerous areas, and I was planning to get information about the Forest of Death from Evarin anyway.

Half a year.

It may seem short, but it’s not insufficient time considering I’ve been carefully preparing since being possessed as “Selden Alphonse.”

Besides.

Even if a wave occurs, not all monsters from the Forest of Death might pour out at once.

This means there’s no need to venture deep inside to deal with them preemptively.

I determined that the best course of action would be to survey the terrain and set traps or devise useful strategies before the monster wave occurs.

I gazed steadily in the direction Lucien was pointing, as if looking at distant mountains, and continued speaking.

“We won’t be going that far.”

“Why not? I sense energy stronger than an ogre, but I think it’s something you and I could handle.”

“There’s no need to take unnecessary risks, and today’s purpose was also Lucien’s hunting debut.”

The sight of her small hands gripping a sword was both adorable and somewhat pitiful.

Even if she is a dragon, I felt like I was placing too much responsibility on Lucien, who was born not too long ago.

How could it be considered normal for a small girl, who should be showing affection to her father, to be swinging a sword and slicing monsters?

Unaware of my thoughts, Lucien smiled brightly, clearly excited about something.

“I want to come out like this with Father every day.”

“We’ll come out often from now on. When I’m busy, you can hunt monsters near Lake Territory with Uncle Jawill Wilson.”

“Uncle Jawill Wilson is nice, but he’s too weak. The other knights are the same. Well, there are occasionally humans who feel strong.”

“Are you talking about Rio and Luna?”

“Yes, that’s right! And the old man with a beard also seems quite strong.”

The old man with a beard must be the Knight Commander, Rain Breaker.

Indeed, if he were younger, I might have chosen him as a lifelong companion instead of Jawill Wilson.

Selden Alphonse, the youngest son of the Alphonse family, who was rumored to have been ostracized during his exile.

Despite being essentially cut off from the family, he’s someone who silently performs his duties out of loyalty to Baron Byron.

“You seem to be talking about the Knight Commander. I’m not sure about his skills, but he’s certainly someone worth learning from in terms of experience.”

“I’ve read about that in books too. Human experience should never be underestimated…”

“Our Lucien is quite smart, isn’t she?”

“Hehe, it’s all thanks to you, Father.”

As we continued our conversation about monster hunting and life lessons, the sun was already setting.

Thinking of Jawill Wilson anxiously waiting at the mansion, I chuckled and patted Lucien’s head.

“Shall we head home now?”

*

“Let’s throw a party.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said, let’s throw a grand party!!”

When I raised my teacup instead of a wine glass in the study, Pedericks sighed with an incredulous expression.

“Haa… Are you that happy about Lady Miria returning to the family?”

“You’ve been struggling too, having to deal with all the requests from my sister while she was here, right?”

“It was my duty as a butler of the Alphonse family.”

“Come on, there’s no need for pretense between us.”

Pedericks shook his head as if he couldn’t handle me.

“I’m actually more worried now. There’s no one left to restrain you.”

“What are you talking about? Don’t you know how hard I’ve been working hunting monsters?”

“Do you know how much trouble that caused me? I was constantly worried that Lady Miria would find out you went hunting in the Forest of Death.”

“See? You’ve been through a lot too. So let’s have a proper drink today.”

I was being sincere.

The last time I had a drink was with Baron Byron, which was already a month ago.

Besides, I’ve been spending all my spare time training while hunting monsters with Lucien.

That’s probably why Miria Alphonse returned to the family, complaining that I wouldn’t play with her.

Pedericks placed his palm on his forehead as if my exuberance was giving him a headache.

“I’m fine. If you want to drink, shall I call Jawill Wilson?”

“He needs to look after Lucien since I’m taking the day off.”

“Then how about Rio Sergan?”

“Drinking with Rio is a bit… he’s too uptight to be fun.”

When I waved my hand dismissively, Pedericks twitched his eyebrow.

“The pleasure district is out of the question.”

“Why not?!”

“If you leave Lake Territory again, Baron Byron won’t be so forgiving this time.”

“Haa… I need to end this cursed exile period soon. I can’t even move around freely in my own body.”

After I finished complaining, Pedericks quietly placed a bottle of whiskey on the desk and withdrew, apparently not wanting to hear more.

With no other choice, I trudged to my bedroom with the whiskey to celebrate alone.

Gulp-! Gulp-!

Sitting in a chair and looking out the window, the whiskey I drank solemnly tasted surprisingly sweet, perhaps because I had been so tired lately.

I was lifting my glass again with hopeful expectations, wondering if such peaceful days could continue after the monster wave and coming-of-age ceremony.

Creeeeak-!

I reflexively turned my head at the sound of the door opening without a knock.

“Hey, what about knocking?”

“I don’t know how to knock.”

Evarin promptly sat in the chair opposite me and glanced at the whiskey before grabbing it.

“So this is what humans call alcohol.”

“Want to try it?”

Evarin took a swig directly from the bottle and licked her lips.

“Hmm, it has a sweet taste that pleases me.”

“Can’t you fix that way of speaking?”

“What’s wrong with my manner of speech?”

I pushed an empty glass toward Evarin with my fingertip and continued.

“Never mind, it’s not something you can change overnight. Just drink.”

“…I’ll enjoy it.”

Come to think of it, the person who has helped me the most recently is Evarin, sitting right in front of me.

She personally surveyed the Forest of Death to identify what monsters were there and what dangers lurked, then shared that information with me.

Thanks to her, hunting with Lucien has been much easier.

I poured whiskey into my mouth and shook my empty glass noisily.

“Kah! That’s the taste. So, what brings you here?”

“I believe I’ve given you a lot of information.”

“Yeah, without you, I wouldn’t have been able to explore the Forest of Death to this extent.”

“Then I’d like you to grant my request now.”

Has the time finally come?

Until now, Evarin had only mentioned that she would ask for a favor while providing me with information, but she never actually stated what it was.

Well, I had agreed to grant her request as long as it was within my capabilities, so I wasn’t too concerned.

I nodded casually.

“What’s your request?”

Evarin, her face already red from just a sip of whiskey, cleared her throat.

“Do you remember when we first met? When my charm skill didn’t work on you.”

“Charm? Ah… I remember.”

“After that, you beat me relentlessly. It was the first time I experienced what it felt like to be beaten as a queen.”

I thought she might be asking for an apology for that incident, which seemed like an easier request than expected, making me smile.

“I’m sorry about that time.”

“I’m not bringing this up to receive an apology from you!!”

“…Then what is it?”

Still red-faced, Evarin placed her trademark black whip on the table.

Then she slowly raised her head toward me.

“I want to feel that sensation again…”