Seeker 227

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Chapter 227. The Drunkard Of The Village

The village we had arrived at was one of the villages within the Holy Kingdom. 

In this world, there didn't seem to be strict national borders. 

Once you entered a country's territory, it was already considered the neighboring country. 

Well, people rarely came from the direction of the World Tree, so I hadn't had the opportunity to undergo anything like an immigration inspection.

Even so, it didn't seem like we were involved in illegal entry. 

When we entered the village, we, being outsiders, weren't particularly persecuted. 

We could accommodations and a place to eat without any trouble.

Cultural differences weren't very apparent either. 

The way people lived here didn't seem vastly different from the country we had been in before, which seemed to be called the Zandolt Kingdom.

However, there were some distinctive aspects. 

The incident occurred shortly after we arrived in the village when we had dinner at a tavern, courtesy of Rebecca-san.

Rebecca, Griffin in its shrunken form, Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and I had occupied a round table, ordered food and drinks, and were in a high-spirited mood, ready to enjoy ourselves. 

But at that moment, a middle-aged man who had been drinking at the nearby counter stood up and staggered toward us. 

He seemed quite drunk, with a flushed face and unsteady steps.

He came right up to us and began to provoke us in this manner.

"Hey, you guys are adventurers, right? It's obvious at a glance. You're the sorry excuses for Holy Knights... Hic."

"Hey, stop it! What will happen if you get killed?"

A companion who had been drinking with him tried to stop him in a hurry, but the drunk man roughly pushed him away.

"Shut up! Are the fields going to be plowed if we're scared of adventurers? ...Hm? But these guys and the young lady seem to have a somewhat Holy Knight-like demeanor. Hey, you guys, are you Holy Knights? What happened to your Holy Knight medals?"

"What are you talking about, mister? We're not Holy Knights or anything like that. We're just traveling adventurers."

"Ah, traveling adventurers...? Ah, I see, I see. Don't take it personally, then. You guys are still young, right? You and the young lady, work hard and become Holy Knights for the country's sake... Hic."

Whether the drunk man's words were understood or not Yuzuki's response, he continued to speak in incomprehensible language.

 Drunk people can be a hassle...

However, the drunk man then ignored the efforts of his companion and stared intently at Rebecca.

"But you, young lady, you're different, right? You couldn't become a Holy Knight, a dropout, right? It's obvious just by looking at you... Hic."

"..."

Rebecca-san, as if to show that she had no intention of getting involved, continued to sip her ale from the tankard, ignoring the drunk man. However, the heavily intoxicated man moved closer to Rebecca-san and confronted her.

"Hey, lady, what's with that smug look? Are you listening? I'm talking to you!"

"I told you to stop it! Seriously, you'll get killed! Hehe, sorry about that. This guy's just got a bad temper when he's drunk."

The man's companion tried to defuse the situation with a forced smile, then grabbed the drunk man and dragged him back.

The drunk man yelled loudly and struggled to break free.

"What, I'm just telling the truth, damn it! You're just dropouts acting all high and mighty despite not being anything special! Let go of me, you jerk!"

"Let's go, you idiot!"

"What's idiotic about it? I'm genuinely concerned about the future of this country—"

"You're an idiot! That's why I called you an idiot! Innkeeper, check please!"

After settling the bill, the companion dragged the drunk man out of the tavern in a hurry. 

The surrounding people, who had been watching nervously, breathed a sigh of relief.

The tavern returned to its normal state. 

However, if I paid close attention, you could feel the occasional glances directed toward us from various table seats and the counter, as if handling something delicate.

Eventually, the tavern's proprietress came over and said, "I'm... I'm sorry about that. This is on the house." and left an extra dish on our table. 

Her hand trembled slightly as she placed it.

After the proprietress left in a hurry, Kazane-san, who had been silently observing the situation, asked Rebecca-san.

"Are adventurers disliked in this country?"

Rebecca-san, while casually nibbling on her chicken butter sauté, replied. "Well, not necessarily disliked, but more like treated as troublemakers... Well, they don't have a very favorable impression of adventurers here. I was actually surprised when I went to other countries and saw that adventurers weren't viewed with prejudice."

"That drunk guy was talking about Holy Knights, right?"

Yuzuki asked, and Rebecca nodded in response.

"In this country, Holy Knights is an honorary position granted only to experienced adventurers who have been recognized for their character and abilities through the country's examination. Adventurers who cannot become Holy Knights are branded as individuals with questionable character or as underachievers whose abilities haven't been acknowledged. I don't think knights and adventurers from other countries are so overt about it, but it might be a cultural thing."

Rebecca-san delivered this somewhat sentimental explanation but then suddenly brightened up, putting on a cheerful smile.

"But don't mind that! It's on me today as a thank-you for saving my life. Eat and drink to your heart's content. Come on, let's have a good time!"

Indeed, continuing with unpleasant discussions wouldn't be much fun. 

So, we decided to enjoy the feast provided by Rebecca-san.

The rest of the evening was a regular party. Despite being a modest establishment, the food was delicious, especially the herb-roasted pork.

Eventually, Kazane-san and Rebecca-san hit it off and started getting lively, drinking and having a great time.

Rebecca-san seemed to have a high alcohol tolerance, while Kazane-san wasn't particularly strong when it came to drinking. 

Kazane-san ended up getting drunk and dozed off.

Then Rebecca-san turned her attention to me. 

She put her arm around my shoulder and began chatting cheerfully at a close distance. 

She was dressed in just a shirt, revealing her ample bosom, and she smelled nice. 

So, even if she told me not to get nervous, it was impossible.

But as I was contemplating whether Kazane-san's intoxicated state would hide anything, a composed Yuzuki intervened and forcibly pulled Rebecca-san away from me. 

Then, Yuzuki growled menacingly in Rebecca-san's direction.

She probably thought she was a tiger or a lion, but to me, she looked more like a kitten or a Chihuahua.

Rebecca laughed, saying, "Haha, you have a strong guard.".

By the way, the real wild beast (in its shrunken form) was perched on the table, sipping fruit liqueur and making joyful sounds with flushed cheeks.

Are you going to drink as well...?

As the night passed with various events, we woke up the next morning in our inn beds. 

Of course, Rebecca-san had her room.

Kazane-san, who was not a morning person, seemed to have a headache, possibly from drinking too much. 

Yuzuki couldn't resist telling Kazane-san about what had happened last night—how Rebecca had been hitting on her and how Yuzuki didn't seem too opposed to it.

Upon hearing this, Kazane-san looked at me with a slightly sulky and somewhat angry expression. 

Then, she said, "Nn," and extended her arms toward me.

I approached her with trepidation, wondering if this was what she wanted, and tentatively hugged her. 

Kazane-san responded by hugging me tightly and said, "Ehehe, that's good♪.".

It seemed like her mood had improved, which was a relief.

By the way, Yuzuki also asked me to do the same, so I obliged. 

The little tattletale Chihuahua who clung to me laughed and seemed extremely pleased. 

She was too cute to resist, so I forgave her.

Afterward, we had breakfast at the inn and set out on the road towards the royal capital, with Rebecca-san accompanying us. 

It was said to be about half a day's journey from the village to the royal capital on foot.

Our return to the original world was still 77 days away.