Chapter 177 \nTranslator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama\nI headed back to the castle, where Seraphin was waiting in the spare room. Noticing my arrival, she lifted a bottle of spirits on the table and poured two glasses on the rocks.
「Where did you go?」
「I was in the toilet.」
Fufufu, she laughed elegantly, placing a glass on my side of the table.
「Does that mean you went off by yourself so that you could…」
「What?」
I knew that she had been suspicious of me for a while now, but she chose not to mention anything explicitly.
「You spent quite a while in there.」
「I did.」
Seraphin was the only member of the Heroes’ Party who could drink. Elvi, though legally allowed to drink, never touched a drop for fear of having to nurse a hangover the next day.
「This reminds me of days long gone」, said the High Priest as she stirred her drink with her index finger.
「You made the army bend over backwards to accommodate your Party’s daily baths, didn’t you?」
「Fufufu. I remember that. Both Almeria-san and Elvi-san are young, innocent maidens. Don’t you remember all of us having that talk about the art of negotiation?」
「Did something like that happen?」
She nodded. I felt that time had slowly trickled by. A sudden gaze coming from the corridor made me snap out of it, and I looked in its direction to find the ‘Shadow’ peeking in through a gap in the door.
「…Can it come in?」\n「Sure」, agreed Seraphin.
She had most likely noticed it before I had spoken. I gestured for the ‘Shadow’ to enter.
「What will you do with her, Roland-san?」
The ‘Shadow’ scampered over to me nervously. I lifted it and placed it on my lap.
「Nothing. Once we get the collar fixed, I’ll put it on again.」
「Can you?」
「It’s what she wants.」
「Huh?」
Holding my glass with both hands, the ‘Shadow’ started sipping the alcohol inside. It looks like a child, I thought to myself.
「That’s unexpected」, said Seraphin.
「Both of us have relinquished our previous statuses. We live different lives now.」
「You can say that, but you’re still Roland-san, and with the connections made during that time to boot. Ta’uro’s request is the reason why you’re here at the castle, having a drink with me. Can’t the same be said for her?」
Hmm. I may no longer be an assassin, but there are still people asking things of me…
「That fear will be gone once get the collar fixed.」
「That’s fair. But if anything happens, can you win with only one arm?」
「Of course. I don’t count my odds based on the number of arms I have. While I may be at a disadvantage during hand-to-hand combat, my modus operandi is to catch my opponent off guard and deliver a single, fatal blow. One arm will suffice.」
「The things you say never change.」\n「Rest assured that I’ll find a way even if she changes her mind.」
The ‘Shadow’ glanced up at me, then continued indulging in the alcohol. Still wary of Seraphin, she had yet to say a word since her arrival.
「Ayo, Roland! I’m here!」, greeted Ta’uro as he barged even without so much as a knock.
「And why are you here?」, I asked.
「The guild gave me directions to your lodging, and said that you’d probably be in the castle if you weren’t there. So here I am. Thought I’d pop by to say a word of thanks.」
「Seraphin is the one you should be thanking.」
「It was you who brought her to me.」
「Roland-san can never be honest」, observed Seraphin nonchalantly. 「Typical.」
She showed Ta’uro to his seat and the three of us drank together. The Guild Master and I talked about the guild and its future while Seraphin listened intently.
「A man like you — who isn’t a noble — will fare better on the ground.」
「Eh? Is that praise I’m hearing, Roland…?」
「Not in the least.」
Seraphin chuckled. I had been here for quite a while by now, so I excused myself from the table.
「If you need anything, Ta’uro, consult Seraphin. And you, Seraphin, work with him for me.」
I left once I received their acknowledgment.
『Shouldn’t you have stayed for longer?』
\n「I’ve grown attached to life here. Status, power, whatever I have in the demon realm… I’m bored of it all. You don’t need to be so cautious.」
「If you say so.」
She stared at me like she had found a rare gem.
「A fine man you are…」
The Demon King hugged me tightly and ruffled my hair.
「You were worried that I wanted to go back, weren’t you?」
「No, not rea –」
「You’ve always had trouble expressing your honest feelings. Kufufufu. I won’t believe you no matter how much you deny it.」
She giggled. A smile like that can hold no lies, I thought.
「The alcohol must be kicking in.」
「Not at all!」
Crossing her fair, slender legs, she knocked it back in one go.
「To be able to imprison a former enemy, an assassin like you… my looks are a sin in itself」, she said pompously. 「To be no longer able to live without me… a fine man you are.」