Vermillion

Chapter 32 – Glory

Kei had become the champion.

It was a grand victory where the contestants dropped out one after another as he displayed his overwhelming difference in skill.

Kei received his share of the reward, personally awarded to him by the Archduke’s grandson and successor, Hereditary Duke Dietrich Aurelius Urvan Acland, and then returned to the HangedBug where they were currently holding a lively victory party.

“Now, may the fame of Kei, the top hunter of the duchy, keep growing to new heights. Cheers!!”

“”Cheers!””

Holland took the lead, raising a toast in the center of the tavern, and the rest of the party attendants followed up in unison. Present were Kei’s acquaintances like Mandel and Edda, other contestants that Kei got to know during the tournament, and even random regular customers that used the chaos to join the party.

Surrounded by them, Kei cheerfully raised his own cup, already being slightly tipsy.

“You were spectacular, Kei! You overwhelmed everyone!”

“Hehehe… I suppose I was!”

Kei felt a little embarrassed from Aileen’s praise who stood to his left, but still answered with pride.

“The preliminary’s challenges were more or less what I’d expected, so I wasn’t overly nervous.”

“…Good lord, it was a disaster for the other contestants.”

Mandel muttered seriously from across the table where he sat with a cup of distilled liquor in his hand.

“I could handle it somewhat since I already knew about your skills. But the others who had to compete against you for the first time… probably tasted true despair.”

“I decided to go all out seeing how I was participating anyway.”

Mandel smiled wryly at Kei’s aloof attitude.

“Geez. I can’t blame the folks who withdrew in the middle of the tournament. Normally, your heart would break if you witnessed such a gap in skill.”

“But you were quite amazing yourself, Mandel. I didn’t know you could use your short bow like that.”

“Oh please, that was more like a street performance. You can do it as well if you try, Kei. At the end of the day, it was no more than a petty trick. I was no match for you.”

“Still, I honestly respect your guts for attempting that under those circumstances and the nerves of steel to actually pull it off. I wouldn’t be able to copy that. To be honest, I was really drenched in sweat there.”

“Pft, then I suppose I succeeded in putting up a little bit of a fight. I feel honored to receive your praise.” Mandel shrugged, but in reality, he had won the second prize.

It led to the unexpected outcome of an outlander and a commoner obtaining the two top spots and thus leaving all the military archers and mercenaries in the dust, despite it being a tournament sponsored by Urvan.

“Though to be honest, I think I’m glad that I lost to you, Kei. Just imagining what would’ve happened had I advanced to the finals makes me shiver.”

“Oh yeah, that part was really something else. I never imagined it would turn into that.”

“I didn’t realize this would be the meaning behind ‘bring your normal equipment.'”

Mandel spoke emotively, while Kei looked amused, and Aileen exasperated — each of the three thinking back on the finals in their own way.

“But I believed you’d be alright, big bro!”

A brown-skinned girl poked her face from under the table at Kei’s right side. It was Edda, Holland’s daughter.

“You defeated the Grande Urs as if it was nothing, so that much should’ve been no problem for you!”

“Well, I guess. Though I would’ve probably gotten anxious if I were to be taken to the center of the parade grounds and that thing started without a warning.”

“You looked completely composed there, big bro. You were so cool!”

Kei swayed his cup while feeling embarrassed as Edda gazed at him as if admiring a hero.

“…Thanks. But I was far better off this time compared to the time with the “Grande Urs,” as they properly warned us in advance.”

“Hahaha, if you say that, the other contestants will lose face!”

A breath reeking of alcohol reached him from behind. Turning around, Kei saw Dagmar, his face flushed red.

“Hey there, hero! You drinkin’ or what?!”

“Yeah, I am. Not as much as you, though.”

Kei showed his cup while joking. Dagmar, on the other hand, seemed to be drinking straight from a small wine jar.

“Hahaha, time to drink, time to drink! It’s free alcohol after all!”

“Huh? I was planning to have everyone pay for themselves, though.”

“…Come again?”

Seeing Dagmar’s expression fall apart, Kei burst into laughter.

“It’s a joke. Why get so serious all of a sudden?”

“…Damnit dude, you had me scared there for a moment!”

He put Kei in a headlock and grinded his wine jar against Kei’s temple. While Kei kept protesting about it being painful, he pondered whether Dagmar had really drunk so much that he was scared of the bill. But at this point, it did not matter to him much anyway.

“Okay everyone, I don’t think I need to repeat myself, but the bill’s on me today! Keep drinking!”

Kei’s declaration caused the crowd to get all hyped.

“Now we’re talking!”

“As expected of the champion!”

“Thanks, chief, you’re so generous!”

Everyone was devoted to buttering up to Kei. Getting even further full of himself, Kei kept adding orders, as many others enjoyed his goodwill. Aileen went ‘oh dear’ next to him, but she wasn’t as tactless as to stop him.

Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, the dwarf-faced tavern owner was delightfully screaming we need more booze!, while Jamie and other staff were busily running around, attending to the customers.

“Still, though, I wonder if that archer from the finals is alright.”

“Oh, him?”

Returning to the topic of the finals, Kei asked Dagmar who responded with a triumphant face while folding his arms.

“It seems that his right shoulder was ripped up quite badly. Thanks to the fact that he gave up right away, and because they had expressly prepared a high-level healer to heal the contestants, he managed to cling to life. He’s apparently fully recovered without a single scratch remaining.”

“I see, that’s great to hear.”

“That said, even with his injuries gone, the sensation in his arm still hasn’t returned. It looks like he may even need to resign from the army.”

“Oh, I see…”

As Kei muttered with a sad expression, a plate of skewers was placed in front of him.

“…Your senses often don’t return once you suffer an injury.”

Following the thick arm upwards with his eyes, Kei’s eyes met with the face of a dwarf who was wearing an apron – Derrick.

“I also got hit by an arrow in the past… Thanks to that, I’m currently in this sorry state.”

Derrick clapped his right knee to get his point across. So that’s why he was limping, Kei was convinced.

“So you were a warrior too?”

“Rather than a warrior, a mercenary would be more accurate.”

Derrick looked away while awkwardly scratching his nose.

“He was actually quite famous when I was a brat.” Dagmar, on the other hand, brought his face close by bending over and spoke happily as if talking about himself. “He was a natural power fighter. During the military campaign he even demolished fortress walls with his ax. If you speak of Red Nose Derrick who worked under Giant Denner, there’s no one around these parts who wouldn’t know who’s meant.”

“You bastard, call me that one more time and I’ll rip out your tongue!!”

Dagmar’s comment triggered Derrick to yell with veins bulging on his forehead.

He looked quite pissed, but the flushed expression made his red nose stand out even more, making Kei and Aileen blast out their alcohol. While the two turned around, holding their mouths, “S-sorry about that, old man, it just slipped out…” Dagmar tried to pacify him with a faint smile on his face.

“…B-But anyway, I’ve been in his care back when I was a rookie mercenary. Right, old man?”

“Yeah, this guy used to be a snot-nosed brat back then. When I first took him to the battlefield, forget snot, he even pissed—”

“Agh! Wait! Please don’t bring up that story!”

Dagmar started to panic due to the revelation of his inglorious past which he had actually started himself.

“We’re eating here!” “Leave that disgusting talk for later!” came jeers from the other people, who started to throw wooden plates and bony leftovers at Dagmar for some reason.

“Ouch, ouch… why me…”

“HEY! You bastards, stop wasting food! Also, stop littering the store!”

“Oh shit, Red Nose is pissed!”

“Run for it!”

“Grrr, which one of you said that, huuh?! I’ll beat the shit out of you!”

Derrick rolled up his sleeves with bloodshot eyes and charged towards the source of the voice.

Along with the sounds of toppled chairs and broken plates, also came shrieks and angry yells, “Eeeekkk!” “So it was youuu!” The party had only just begun, but the place was already turning into pandemonium.

“Arggh, I wanna have fun too!”

While the storekeeper was engaged in a brawl, Jamie’s hands were full with beer mugs, tears having welled up in her eyes. She skillfully avoided the hands of the perverted old men trying to feel up her butt and glared reproachfully at Kei, the root of all evil.

Kei on the other hand observed Derrick’s scuffle while laughing with a goblet in his hand. It was big enough a brawl that someone could have gotten injured, but considering how he was still laughing, it seemed that the alcohol had already done its job.

On Kei’s left Aileen held onto his arm, while on his right, Edda was contending with her.

“……”

Aileen aside, even Edda, a girl of tender age, was trying to hit on Kei. Meanwhile, Jamie, who was stuck with filthy, harassing old men while dripping with sweat because of all the work, suddenly stopped with a distant look in her eyes. The old perverts used that chance to extend their hands for her butt and thighs.

“…Okay,” before long, she nodded, obviously having made up her mind, and put the mugs on a nearby table. “I’m done with this!” she declared with a refreshing smile.

She threw the tray away and, ignoring the flabbergasted customers, rushed back into the kitchen.

She quickly came back, holding a plate of raspberry tart.

She set it down on a nearby table, also putting down a fork and knife, and very gently called out to Edda who was fawning over Kei.

“Hey, young lady. I have a special sweet for you. It’s a raspberry tart. Would you like to eat it?”

“Ohh, it looks so good!”

Being baited by the tart, Edda quickly left her seat. Jamie revealed an evil grin and flopped down on the seat on Kei’s right.

“…Hey, misteeer.”

She loosened the string of her blouse at the chest, emphasizing her cleavage, and snuggled up to him. Kei was taken aback by her sudden advances, while Edda, who was stuffing her cheeks with the tart, yelped with her eyes wide open, realizing her blunder.

“Why not leave this filthy place and have some ‘fun’ with me instead?”

She drew a circle on Kei’s chest with her index finger while giving him a flirtatious glance. It was a killer technique she had practiced mentally while no one was looking. Now that the time was ripe, she unleashed it.

“……”

Aileen poked out her head from Kei’s other side, sending a damp, freezing gaze her way. It was even mixed with some chilly bloodlust, but Jamie mustered all her courage and endured it.

She pretended not to notice Edda who had abandoned her tart and was barraging her back in protest.

“Hmm…”

Kei, on the other hand, downed his goblet with an unexpected calmness while his gaze—perhaps the nature of being a man—was drawn towards her cleavage.

I see, they are certainly worthy of emphasis.

If he compared Aileen’s to grasslands, then hers would be mountains. Her light brown skin further caused them to very naturally resemble abundant crops.

That attack is certainly not easy to handle.

In the end, Kei was a man too, so his expression carried a tinge of lewdness. But even so, it ultimately was limited to interest, and strangely enough, his heart was not moved.

Perhaps he became broadminded because of the alcohol. Or maybe it was due to his left arm creaking from Aileen tightening her entwined hold on it.

“…Sorry, but I can’t.”

At any rate, Kei put down his goblet and gently pushed Jamie away.

“It’s a wonderful invitation… but I already have someone I love.”

He spoke with a very serious attitude and kissed Aileen’s forehead, who was holding his left hand.

Aileen was befuddled for a moment, followed by her cheeks flushing red. The guys around them started to cheer at that. Jamie was astonished, never imagining that she would be shot down so swiftly. Behind her, Edda’s expression was also colored by despair.

“I…I have confidence in my figure.”

Thinking that emphasizing her cleavage was not enough, she slightly raised her skirt to show off her beautiful slender legs. Edda behind her looked down on her body and felt dejected.

“Well, I can see what you mean…”

“You might lose interest if you stick to just one girl, you know? How about some fresh stimulus, hmm?”

She realized her primary goal would be impossible, so she quickly lowered her target to being his mistress. But even then, Kei shook his head.

“I don’t think I would ever lose interest. I’m crazy about Aileen.”

She could not say anything else after he declared this with a straight face. Following that, Kei embraced Aileen and started flirting with her in front of everyone.

“K-Kei, it’s embarrassing. Everyone’s looking…”

“Like I care. I don’t care about anything else as long as you’re with me.”

“Oh, Kei, come on now…”

Everyone around had their fill of the sweet and picturesque lovers atmosphere of the two.

As Edda looked at them in envy, Jamie prostrated herself on the table.

“Ugh, there’s no place for me to slip in…”

She gritted her teeth, mumbling, “And here I had finally found an ideal person too.”

The other men around started going, “There are other good men around, you know!” but they did not appear to be on her radar.

“…Argh, fine! I’ll just drink! I’ll drown myself in booze!”

Becoming desperate, she started screaming, “Bring me booze!” However, a large shadow grabbed her by the neck and carried her off.

“What are you blabbering about? You’re the one who needs to carry them.”

It was Derrick who had wrapped up his fight. Wiping blood spurts from his face, he spoke with a refreshing smile, “Okay, break time is over. Time to work like horses!”

“N-Noooo! I wanna have fun too!”

“Hahaha, this is our peak period, no way we can waste it.”

“Grrr… I’ll slip away… I’ll definitely slip away.”

“For now, go wash the dishes. Rejoice, there’s a lot of it.”

“Nooooooo!”

Jamie struggled and whined as Derrick shouldered her towards the kitchen. This spelled her retiring from the front lines. Or rather, dropping out.

Edda took the plate with the tart she had only taken two bites of so far, and reoccupied Kei’s right side.

“…Hey, big bro, wanna eat tart? It’s super good!”

“I-It does look tasty. I guess I’ll have some of it.”

Kei stopped flirting with Aileen in response to Edda’s innocent words. He probably decided that it wouldn’t be good to keep messing around in front of a child.

As the corners of Edda’s mouth went up with her eyes pinned on Aileen, Aileen’s brows twitched.

“Here you go. Say aah.”

“…T-Thanks.”

He could not bring himself to say, “I will eat it on my own,” when presented the tart with such an innocent smile, so he awkwardly bit into it.

“Mmm, this is really good.”

“Right?”

As Kei chewed in satisfaction, Edda sent a provocative smile towards Aileen.

“……”

Aileen also counterattacked with a ‘calm’ smile of her own.

The party had only just begun.

†††

—————– End of Part 1 —————–

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