Chapter 75

Chapter 75: The Reason for Strength!

In the center of the tavern, Murasaki and Shikibu, the bride and groom, were receiving congratulations from everyone.

They had taken a two-shot photo with Laura using the "camera," changed into their wedding attire, and arrived late at the tavern, where the others were already in high spirits.

I stood with Kuro and Shiro at the edge, watching this.

I spotted Toguru and left Kuro and Shiro behind as I got up from my seat.

Placing drinks and food in front of Toguru, I said, "Thank you!"

I expressed my gratitude and took a vacant seat.

"It's not like I did it for you."

"Well, that's true. The ones who really contributed this time are you and Ilia."

"Hmm, it's definitely you!"

"No, I only handled the preparation for the wedding and provided the outfits and rings. I did little else, apart from heckling today."

"That's all you did?"

"You must have had a hard time deciding on a gift from the guild members. But you understood what Murasaki and the others wanted. That's a role I, who recently joined, could never fulfill."

Toguru didn't seem convinced.

"Besides, photo frames are not something you can easily find even in a tool shop. You must have searched around a lot."

Toguru remained silent and drank his sake.

"When it's your turn to get married, I'll celebrate too."

"What?! Don't say stupid things; I still need to get much stronger."

"What are you getting stronger for?"

I suddenly felt curious and asked.

"There's no reason to get stronger!"

Toguru emptied his glass in one go.

"If it bothers you, I'll apologize first, but getting stronger is a means, isn't it? If you don't have a purpose, you can't get stronger, can you? You can't keep running aimlessly without a destination; you'll definitely give up along the way. I've been through it myself, and I know that unless you understand, you won't grow. But once you do, growth is inevitable. For example, protecting each other like Murasaki and Shikibu, isn't that one of the strengths of their purpose?"

Toguru fell into deep thought.

"Well, I'll return to my seat then!"

Toguru didn't reply and remained silent.

As I returned to my seat, Ilia and Yukari were sitting next to Shiro.

Ilia seemed quite drunk.

"Takuto-san, do you have any idea how busy we've become since you arrived?"

Small talk with a drink... this is going to be annoying.

"Ilia, you seem to be drinking quite a bit."

"Huh, I'm not supposed to get drunk!"

There's nothing less trustworthy than a drinker who claims not to be drunk.

...This is troublesome.

"Oh, Shiro doesn't have a drink? Why don't you get one with Ilia?"

"Yes! Let's go, Shiro-sama. I'll guide you!" Shiro smiled wryly as she helped the unsteady Ilia to the counter.