102 #101 Relaxing after the battle
Beastmaster (Lv. 6) 159/320 NXP
I was practicing with my wings on my way from the village back to Oarburgh hideout and when I was only a few kilometers away from my destination, I met someone who I have never expected to meet while traveling through the dense forest.
"Oh? What a nice surprise to meet you here, Akashi. However, where is Taeko?" Mera looked at me with a surprised expression when our paths crossed.
"Taeko should already be back in your hideout...Since you aren't aware of it, you must have gone somewhere even before she returned which should be a few days ago." I said with a slightly surprised tone and expressionless face.
"Since we are both returning how about you join me?" Mera smiled and gestured with her hand next to her while she was using her umbrella to protect her skin from a few sunrays that escaped through gaps between leaves of the trees.
...She is changing too fast.
"I have no problem with that." I said with a calm tone and joined her, walking through the forest right next to her.
"I contacted Rebels to put off the contract we formed so right now we are free." Mera said with a smile while glancing at me.
"I have completed my revenge which means that 2 kids from that group are already dead." I said with a blank face while looking at the ground in front of me.
Although it seems like a waste, I mean their deaths. They are just being used by the Empire but one can't just change their beliefs in a few days, they have been raised to believe that what they are doing is for the good of common people...
Even if one can show them evidence, it will take a long time to convince them. I wonder if they will send that group to investigate the disappearance of all people within that village. If yes, I wonder who will be the first to find those documents I have left there.
"Really? That's great since I have just reported that we killed 2 of them so I can rest easy now." She said with a slightly surprised tone before resting her head on her chest with a relieved smile.
What the fuck is going on with her? Isn't she acting too...ladylike? refined?
"You reported it without even knowing if I will actually kill that guy?" I asked with a raised brow while glancing at her.
"What can I say...I had faith in you that you wouldn't let him live after attacking your precious Taeko." Mera said with a teasing tone and wide smile.
"Yeah...whatever. Can you tell me how the meeting went and who did you even meet?" I asked her with a slightly curious expression.
"I have met one of their Generals, short silver hair-" She immediately started explaining with a smile but I quickly interrupted her.
"Najenda perhaps? Not many women have silver hair and are strong enough to be General...Was there something else distinguished about her?" I muttered while holding my chin before asking another question.
"Hold on, let me explain first. And yes, she had a metallic right arm, she had purple eyes and that's about it. She also had 2 companions but they were hiding under the cloak so I didn't see any of their faces. However, my hunches told me that they are strong, they definitely must be wielders of Teigu." Mera explained everything to me and I just kept nodding.
It must be Najenda without any doubt, I have heard something about high-ranking Imperial Officer running away from the Capital together with Teigu in his hand. All thanks to my organization because for now it is meant to be secret. They wouldn't be able to bear humiliation that someone was able to escape from them right under their noses. He could be the one with Najenda right now.
When we finally got back to the hideout, Taeko instantly welcomed me back with a warm smile and a few kisses and amidst this, even Kiyomi came to cuddle with us which was a bit strange but since Taeko didn't mind, I didn't say anything.
.
.
.
"Here is money to hire your loyalty, not sure if it is for eternity but a few years is definite." I said while throwing an enormous bag full of coins onto the wooden table that instantly split in two.
"Oops" I muttered while scratching the back of my head with a blank face.
Mera threw me an annoyed look before checking the bag out.
"There should be more than 15.000 gold coins, right?" Mera asked after just taking a quick look and moving the bag up and down a few times.
"17.000 precisely, don't ask me where I had stored it before taking it out. You can count them if you don't believe me" I said with closed eyes and folded arms.
---
'To be honest, I think that we somehow ended up cooperating without even accepting your money...It's really strange, I feel like I don't even want to accept this money but I should accept them at least for the appearance's sake' Mera thought with a complicated expression while looking at the bag full of money.
---
"...Sure, I won't check anything, I believe you. Gil, if you can, please." Mera said while gesturing for Gil to take the bag away from here.
"Of course, Mera-sama" Gil replied with a big smile while taking away the bag.
"..."
I only looked at Gil leaving the room with her satisfied smile.
"Anyway, were you able to find out Chouri's hiding spot?" I looked back at Mera sitting in front of me and asked her with a curious tone.
"Yes, it is one not so particular city behind the borders with Northern tribes. It took a lot of manpower to find him and to be honest, we found out about him only thanks to luck. We have a minimal amount of spies behind the borders so we mostly followed rumors of his travels when he was still within the Empire." Mera said while sipping on her red wine.
"You want some?" She asked me while elegantly offering her glass to me when she noticed me glancing at it.
"...I can try." I replied with a slightly curious look and took it from her hand. This was my first time tasting alcohol in this world so I was quite interested in its taste. If it's worse or better than in my original world.
Although I have never been a drinker and very rarely I have been to any wine degustation events, the moment I smelled the aroma of the wine, I knew that it was definitely expensive and one of the better ones out there.
The wine's aroma was fruity and after I took a sip, I instantly felt the bitter-sweet fruity taste in my mouth, it wasn't the aggressive type of wine and it was definitely the softest wine I have ever tasted yet I could feel that amount of alcohol within it wasn't that low. The finish and aftertaste it left in my mouth were sweet instead of bitter but it left my mouth slightly dry, wishing to take another sip.
---
While Akashi was tasting the wine with his eyes closed, Mera was intensively looking at the particular place on the wine glass. It was the place from where she drank the wine and it was also the place from where Akashi drank without even thinking about it since he didn't think of such a small thing as something important.
'Why am I feeling embarrassed just from one indirect kiss? Am I a little kid or what?' Mera blushed a bit and quickly shook her head with closed eyes.
'?' Dora who was carefully holding the bottle of wine while standing on their side and observing Mera couldn't help but tilt her head to the side in confusion when she saw how Mera was acting. She looked at Akashi with a puzzled expression who was still tasting the wine with his eyes closed.
---
"S-So how is it?" Mera asked when I finally opened my eyes and handed her glass back.
"It's definitely top quality. I definitely wouldn't mind a bit of relaxing with this wine around." I replied with a satisfied smile.
"Then you have a unique opportunity to relax here with this wine of mine together in a company of two beauties, no, it will be three once Gil comes back. You can spend a night here and go to meet Chouri tomorrow morning. So, what do you say?" Mera offered with an inviting smile while crossing her almost entire bare legs. She isn't even wearing any underwear under that light outfit of hers.
"?! Huh?" Dora who was standing near us suddenly flinched in surprise when she heard Mera's words. She secretly threw a glance at me but both I and Mera were able to notice it.
"Well, I am quite tired and it certainly is once in a lifetime opportunity. I have killed a lot of people today and I have heard that alcohol tastes even better after such act, not to mention having 3 gorgeous women around...Maybe this already tasty wine will become so-called heavenly wine." I said with a blank face.
Dora blushed a bit while averting her gaze when she heard my words but Mera only chuckled.
"Heh, saying such sweet words with a blank face...only you can do that." Mera said with closed eyes and a small smile while slowly shaking her head.
That night, I decided to spend my time in a room together with Dora, Gil, and Mera. We mostly just drank and talked about unimportant things but as time flew by and we slowly started to feel a bit tipsy, Dora and Gil snuggled close to Mera while I remained alone on the other side but I actually enjoyed it, having the opposite side of couch completely all to me.
"Hehe, you are smiling a lot, that's some very rare sight around here." Mera chuckled and said with flushed cheeks when she saw me enjoying myself with closed eyes and a genuine smile across my face.
Although we are assassins and have some resistance to alcohol and other addictive harmful substances, we are still humans so if consume such things in large margin...There will still be some effects. Of course, I can always burn any harmful substances from my blood vessels in case I am attacked but right now I am trying to relax so I am letting myself get drunk since it has been a while since I was drunk. The last time must have been with Arno.
However...we already drank more than 12 bottles and we are still going, not to mention that it has been only a few hours.
"Then enjoy it while you can, you won't see me drinking very often." I spread my arms and rested them on the back of the couch in relaxed manner before saying this with an unusual smile that I would usually show only to Taeko.
"!!" All three of them opened their mouth in shock and started staring at me in a dumbfounded manner.
? What? I haven't done anything to earn such a reaction, no...?
---
'Why is his smile so captivating? Is it because he usually doesn't show such an honest and innocent smile or is it because of the alcohol in my blood?' Gil thought with flushed cheeks but one was unable to tell the reason since all girls were blushing a little due to alcohol.
And Gil wasn't the only one who had those thoughts, even Dora and Mera had very similar thoughts.
---
"Akashi, *hic* why are you sitting there all alone? *hic* There is a lot of space here for all of us..*hic*" Gil stood up and swayed a few times before she regained her balance, she quickly approached me and started dragging me by my hand to their couch.
"Wait, I am quite comfor-" I wanted to refuse but she suddenly used her superhuman strength to throw me on to their couch right next to Mera.
She was able to do so only because I was slightly affected by the alcohol and because I didn't expect that her strength would be even greater than what she had shown to me before.
Before I was able to stand up, she jumped on my legs and lied across the couch, her thighs rested on my legs while her back rested on Mera's thighs and her head rested on Dora's small thighs.
...I thought that if they are all lesbians, they wouldn't involve me in this even if they would get drunk. Well, as long as they won't try anything too drastic, I am fine with relaxing this way.
I thought while looking at the ceiling with a small smile but then I suddenly felt someone touching me down there. When I looked down, I saw Gil touching me in that area with her foot covered in black tights that belong to her maid outfit.
I instantly frowned and looked at her and when she saw my glare, she threw me a slightly lewd smile that was saying 'just relax'.
