Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 6 Episode 3 (section)

===Part 9===

「──And, why does even this me have to accompany you guys going out?」

Dozens of minutes later. Inside a small bar in the urban area of Ruin’s Gear, Greifer was showing a bitter face.

Inside the old gloomy bar built from wood, men who had finished their work for the day were crowding the place full.

It was the first time Lux entered a bar of another country, but fundamentally the air was the same.

However, looking at the surrounding men’s scars and tattoos, this place gave off the heavy smell of outlaws.

「Because, Greifer is the one most used to playing out. Even in the worst case that some kind of trouble occurs, it feels like the punishment will turn lighter because you are a Seven Dragon Paladin.」

「……Can I go home? Or rather, I’m going back yeah?」

Greifer’s chair made a sound *gata-* from him standing up, but Coral swiftly pulled down Greifer’s hand and he smiled.

「It’s fine to stay a bit more right? Remember how I’m staying quiet to Mirmiette-sama about the incident before this too.」

「Haa, just why has someone like this become my aide. Master, alcohol. Give me a strong one if possible.」

When Greifer sat down with a sigh, Coral ordered alcohol for Lux.

Somehow looking at the atmosphere of the two, it felt like it wasn’t just once or twice that they were coming to a bar like this.

「……Or rather, is it okay for us to be here? Won’t it be bad if we got found out?」

With the ordered ale before his eyes, Lux was hesitating with an awkward face, it was then,

「It’s fine. After all this is a little-known good place where you need an introduction to enter. Now now, try to take a sip.」

Urged by Coral, Lux tilted his beer jockey to his mouth.

It was slightly bitter.

Unique flavor and aroma that was like bread turned into liquid came out from the nose. Heat was welling up from deep inside the throat.

He had been tasting alcohol since his childhood at banquets, but since he came to the Academy he had rarely drank.

Perhaps the modest dinner from the dining hall had already passed through his stomach, because he became tipsy in the blink of an eye before the jockey even became empty.

「Hey, ask him quickly already, Greifer.」

「……I don’t get what’s your meaning yeah? What about?」

Greifer was responding to Coral’s demand with a dubious face.

「Lux-kun looks like he has a bit of worry, so it’s fine right?」

「You ask him! Why do you need to go through me huh!?」

「Really Greifer, how cold. Is it because you lost to Lux-kun before this? That’s not manly you know?」

「…………」

Greifer fell silent with a face that looked displeased from the bottom of his heart. Seeing that made Lux smile wryly.

This kind of unreserved dialogue between fellow man of the same age felt fresh.

In the end, seeing that Greifer wouldn’t start talking, Coral put the snack of cheese into his mouth with a sullen look.

「Haa, too bad……. Then Lux-kun. Once again let me say──thank you for today.」

「……Eh?」

Suddenly Coral said such thing to him.

When Lux was bewildered from not getting what it was about, Coral leaned his body forward suddenly from the seat beside him and he brought his cute face closer.

The face of the androgynous youth was blushing slightly from alcohol, which caused Lux’s heart to throb for a moment.

「It’s about Buzzheim. Sorry, we allowed him to obstruct you all many times and caused discomfort to your group. Even like that, the guy is the son of a big shot in the Vanheim Principality. Even we cannot carelessly lay our hands on him.」

The smile from before vanished and Coral murmured with a somber expression.

Lux who saw that smiled wryly with a ‘fuh’ while,

「Don’t worry about it. I also have heard about what the Old Empire did to the other countries, so something like that won’t just go away immediately.」

「I feel a bit at ease that you are saying that but──as expected, I think it’s not a good thing to bring in resentment into unrelated events. Right, Greifer?」

「Oi Coral. ……Have you brought me here to harass me?」

Coral smiled mischievously. Greifer clicked his tongue.

Previously, Lux’s impression was that the diligent Coral was supporting the audacious Greifer, but it seemed these two’s relation was taking balance like this.

「But, if you are worrying about the past, then I think it will be better if you ask Greifer. He too is a Seven Dragon Paladin right now, but in the past he had a lot of difficulty.」

「Difficulty?」

When Lux’s interest was attracted and he asked, Greifer sighed a bit.

「Then, I’ll leave my seat for a bit, so the two of you can talk cordially with each other okay?」

Coral waved his hand to Lux and Greifer and then he left the bar right away, vanishing into the town at night.

「…………」

Silence flowed for a few seconds.

The awkward air that was starting to flow between the two caused Lux to try to say something, it was then,

「I’ll say this first but, it’s not like I got anything to talk yeah. I’m also ain’t planning to get buddy-buddy with a guy of another country.」

Lux hung his head down from that curt rejection.

(As I thought, am I being hated……)

Lux was depressed inside while silently tilting his beer jockey into his mouth.

While he was getting even more drunk and looked dazed, the bearded master called out from the counter.

「Ou lad. How about taking some snacks on the side? You’ll get drunk quickly if you only drink beer.」

「Err, is there something that you recommend──」

「What about this? You’ll get a kick eating it yeah?」

The master grinned widely while pointing at a part of the menu.

「Then, please give me──, eh?」

When Lux was about to nod, Greifer’s arm quickly crossed in front of Lux’s eye.

The movement of the youth who should have been looking aside until now gave Lux a shock and he stiffened.

「Master, cancel that one just now. In exchange give us my usual.」

「Wai-!? Oi! I’m asking this lad here for his order──」

「Aa, I’m fine with that!」

It looked like it would become a quarrel, so Lux followed what Greifer said.

The master backed down grumpily and in the end he allowed the change of order.

「Err, the food I was going to order just now, was it no good?」

「You, are you a glutton unlike your appearance?」

Greifer kept his gaze averted while responding curtly to Lux’s question.

「No, I’m not like that though……」

「Then give it up, that menu is a whole roast with a lot of fat meat. The spices are also strong. It ain’t something you eat with a tired body after the exam. That master is greedy, so he was only trying to take an order for expensive food.」

「……I, is that so.」

While they were having that talk, the food Greifer ordered arrived.

It was a half-solid soup with bread and vegetable boiled until simmering.

「De, delicious. What’s this taste, I might really like it──」

The simple taste of the soup was healing his tired body gently.

(Could it be, he is being considerate of me?)

Greifer was showing a slovenly attitude like usual, but as expected it seemed he was a youth that was good at looking after someone.

Lux didn’t know it at the All-Dragon Battle, but it seemed that Greifer’s personality was really interesting.

「Then, I’ll cut loose. Oooi, old man, bring more alcohol here. The strong one.」

「Wait, it’s no good if you drink too much you know!? We are still not adults──!」

「Haa? It’s fine. In its own way it will be a challenge of how to return back in a state of complete drunkenness.」

「……That, rather than a challenge, it’s just a simple recklessness isn’t it?」

「Weell, I cannot deny that, but that’s how my disposition is.」

Greifer turned his eyes that were unfocused from tipsiness to empty air and he leaked out a small sigh.

「Originally I was a noble young master, but when my father, a military officer was caught by the Old Empire──he was indicted as a traitor to this country. The top brass of Vanheim also believed it seriously, my house was ruined and my family scattered. I too was living in the back alley since I was little. In order to earn money or eat food, I always gotta get reckless, if not I wouldn’t be able to keep living, yeah.」

「────」

「It’s the same regarding Drag-Rides. At first I was told that I got no aptitude and talent, but everyday I continued to use it until I almost fainted or vomited blood. But, one day I suddenly became able to use it skillfully, and I caught our princess’s eyes.」

His doctrine, 『reckless challenge』 seemed to have the meaning that he would be unable to survive without constantly acting recklessly as though gambling.

For the cause to be the Old Empire made Lux feel complicated.

「Well, I ain’t got any direct resentment to you, but the case about my father is smoldering inside me. I might wanted to settle it, at least once.」

「Settle……?」

When Lux asked back by repeating that word, Greifer huffed and showed a smile that was filled with jest.

「……Yeah, it ain’t gonna end with everything staying half-baked. Whether it ends in failure or success── I wanted to settle the feeling and thinking that were in me until now. Surely, that’s all there is to it.」

「…………」

「Well, even that ended in total failure though, but I accept it more or less. Weeell, when I challenge you next time, I’m gonna win for sure then.」

Greifer muttered that with a fearless grin.

Lux smiled wryly with a troubled look. Even so he didn’t feel bad from that.

(Settling one’s own wish and thinking, huh……)

The night’s tumult that was enveloped with the faint light of the lamp, which felt somewhat detached from reality.

The words that Greifer told to Lux from the side were permeating inside his chest.