Six hours later.
As I stepped outside, I felt a tingling sensation in my lower body. Not to mention my waist ached, so I moved around a bit to stretch.
But still, I felt a certain pride since I managed it better than before; it wasn’t as hard as it used to be.
Enjoying the sensation of victory like a general who defeated the enemy, I suddenly heard heavy footsteps in the distance.
Emerging from the bushes, Kurika held a large bottle of liquor in one hand. It was the divine liquor, Mi-Ju, that he highly prized.
“Wow, there it is. You’ve still got some left.”
As I welcomed it with a smile, Kurika also replied softly with a grin.
“If I had to name one good thing about regression, it would be this. I get to enjoy Mi-Ju again and reflect on life.”
Indeed, it was a rare liquor that made you exclaim ‘Mi-Ju.’ Kurika, who guards the gods’ treasure vault, treasured this liquor above all.
Back in the days when he lived as a Sherpa, when signs of the continent’s destruction began to show, Kurika and I had shared a drink together.
And then he went off to fight Rin one last time.
What felt like a last supper back then turned into a memory I could now smile about, which felt oddly amazing.
Anyway.
Holding the sloshing bottle filled with a drop of life’s blessing, Kurika stood in front of me, with a hefty magical beast in his other hand that looked perfect for grilling.
“Where are the other girls? I caught a big one on purpose to share.”
“Ah…”
I scratched my head awkwardly at Kurika’s question.
“If they’re getting ready, they should come out soon.”
“Sniff sniff Smells pretty good.”
“Don’t sniff around! It’s embarrassing.”
I really couldn’t figure out why he acted like he knew everything but sniffed anyway, shaking his head at me.
“Anyway, I’ll start the fire. Go grab some seasoning for the meat from the house.”
“Got it.”
With that, I headed home, feeling a bit strange. Who would imagine having a barbecue party in the Forest of the Demon Realm, known as hell on the continent?
Upon opening the door, a musty smell hit me. I hadn’t noticed it before, but it was strong enough that Kurika definitely couldn’t miss it.
I cautiously tiptoed past the kids who had collapsed and fallen asleep and headed to the kitchen.
I heard Eris managed to live here somehow, so there were various seasonings laid out.
“Eris likes strong-tasting food.”
As an elf who was used to bland food from the forest, I recalled how delighted she would get eating food from outside. It seemed she had seasonings to suit her taste while living here.
I gathered the seasonings and turned back towards the door.
Seeing Tana sleeping soundly while dressed, I let out a sigh.
“I messed up.”
Of course, I didn’t dare touch her.
No matter what, she was my friend and also Eve’s best buddy. It made no sense to cross that line.
Plus, if Rin, Eris, and Mei found out there was another girl, who knows what might happen to me.
Although it couldn’t have been easy to fall asleep with all the noise from the kids, Tana was definitely exhausted and had drifted off.
I had seen her discreetly comforting herself before that… but let’s ignore that. If I mentioned it, she’d be too embarrassed to lift her head.
“So, I said to hold on a bit.”
The real problem was Elise. Then there was Hayun. They both seemed competitive as they lit the fire together.
“You’re here; are they all sleeping?”
“Yeah, they look tired.”
By now, Kurika had gathered sticks from around and started the fire. He skewered the meat on a long stick and began grilling it.
“Yeah, I used to spend many nights with my wives too.”
“…?”
Staring blankly at the sizzling meat, I suddenly lifted my head to look at Kurika. He shrugged, asking what was weird about it.
“Just because you look like this doesn’t mean I wasn’t a king. Of course, I had multiple wives. It’s actually weirder that you have multiple wives and aren’t even a king.”
“That’s not it. It just felt awkward hearing you talk about sharing love and all.”
“Hah, I’m still a male. It’s natural to have a desire for females. I indulged so much there was no need for more.”
“Wow…”
I made a face that showed my discontent but couldn’t help but get curious.
“So, you must have kids then?”
“Probably not. I was always afraid of my power spreading elsewhere.”
“…I see.”
“Anyway, what good comes from me talking about my life? Let’s drink.”
“Sure, thanks.”
He handed me a glass and poured the liquor. We clinked our glasses and gulped down the drink.
Beyond description, it tasted heavenly, and the buzz hit me just right.
“This is amazing.”
“I never thought I’d drink this Mi-Ju again while alive.”
“Don’t go guzzling like back then; sip this time.”
“Yeah, I need to be careful not to get too drunk.”
Back then, the situation didn’t allow for enjoyment, so we just poured it down. As we shared a laugh, the cabin door opened.
“Is dinner ready? Smells good.”
Tana appeared with her messy hair tied up, rubbing her eyes.
Kurika and I urged her to sit next to me as we served her some grilled meat and poured her some divine liquor. She took a sip and was instantly surprised.
“Wow! What is this? It’s so good!”
“It’s the liquor hidden by the gods. It’s one of a kind.”
“Is it from the Goddess of Time? She doesn’t look like someone who would drink.”
That was true.
I thought death and life must have clinked glasses and shared drinks together.
“What about the other two?”
“Probably still sleeping? You got a bit intense with them.”
“…”
Feeling a bit awkward, I turned away while Tana jabbed me lightly in the ribs.
“Couldn’t you have taken it easy? I’m right here.”
“If I had taken it easy, we’d still be at it.”
Thank goodness we didn’t bother with the mood and just gave in to our instincts and desires, or I would’ve been stuck in an endless loop of rest and recovery with them.
That was the experience I had with Rin and Eris.
“Ugh, I was wondering what Eve meant by having a hard time but liking it, but now I get it.”
“…What kind of conversation are you having with Eve?”
I tried to tease her a bit, but Tana snorted and poked my side again.
“Are you scared I’ll badmouth you?”
“Nah, not really.”
I awkwardly deflected while grabbing some more meat. Tana sighed and stared into the crackling fire.
“Geez. You showed me something weird, so of course, I would think of something strange.”
Tana was complaining. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the fire or just her feeling flustered, but since her reaction seemed serious, I decided to poke at it.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Nothing at all.”
She subtly turned her head while covering her face, making it even stranger.
“What is it for real? Your reaction makes it seem like it’s not something trivial.”
“…”
Tana glanced at me, took a big gulp of liquor, and then pushed me away.
“Eve has been trying to convince me to become your girl too recently.”
“…Huh?”
“So! Stay away from me! I was just starting to forget, so don’t make me feel all funny!”
She kicked me away now. I blinked at her in confusion.
“Did you… like me?”
“No! I thought I felt that way a while ago, but I’ve gotten over it!”
“Ah… I see.”
I slowly leaned back and took a bite of meat. Honestly, I was thrown off by Tana saying something like that, as I only thought of her as a friend.
She was my oldest friend from the Academy, and I thought of her as a laid-back female friend.
Thinking about how she probably kept quiet and sighed due to the whole situation with Eve made me feel a bit sorry.
But even so, I couldn’t do anything for her. After all, I already had many women I needed to be responsible for.
A long silence stretched out.
The only one continuing to fill our glasses with a cheeky grin was Kurika.
Hic.
Tana, who had been drinking continuously, was now blushing and hugging her knees while hiccuping.
Hic.
“Hey, you’ve had too much to drink.”
“Who cares!”
Tana, who had tried to kick me but fell to the floor instead, instantly fell asleep. I could surely tell a story about drinking in the Forest of the Demon Realm someday.
“Sigh.”
As I tried to carry Tana back to the cabin, Kurika gave me advice like an old man.
“Don’t touch a sleeping woman. Wake her up instead.”
I just rolled my eyes at him, annoyed by his meddling advice.
