"..."
After hesitating for a moment, I grabbed the cup Ais had been about to touch and drained it in one go.
The foul smell of alcohol stung my nose. It must have been pretty strong, because my throat burned.
Ugh. Bitter. So bitter.
"..."
At the sudden sensation of someone staring at me, I turned my head and found Arphia looking at me.
"Is something wrong?"
"...You, too—"
She got that far, then mumbled into her cup.
"...No. Never mind. It's nothing."
She snapped her head away and started drinking again.
"What was that about?"
I gave a small laugh and took another drink. For some reason, the bitter liquid went down easier than expected today.
"Uuu..."
"Ais, no."
"Uuuuu...!!"
She made strange noises and pouted, but no meant no.
Still dissatisfied, Ais started kicking her legs and fussing about.
"Good grief."
Why was she so childlike? No, she was a child, wasn't she.
I wondered if I was getting drunk, because my thoughts felt a little hazy. If I drank any more, I might not be able to hold out.
I set down my cup and looked over the table, planning to grab a few snacks.
Let's see... hm?
"Huh? Why is there a potato doll?"
"Potato doll?!"
The eyes that had been glaring at me snapped around. Seriously.
"Potato doll... where?"
"No, I just smelled something..."
I sniffed around to find the source of the scent, and the savory aroma of potato dolls drifted in from outside the window.
Come to think of it, there was a potato doll stand right out front. Hmm...
"At this point, should we sneak out and buy some?"
Nod, nod.
Ais, who had been glaring at me just moments ago, was gone, replaced by Ais overflowing with anticipation. Honestly.
I barely held back the laughter rising in my throat, then picked Ais up and left the noisy banquet hall behind.
"Potato doll. This one, and that one, and this one..."
"Can you eat all of that?"
"Possible."
Her words had gotten shorter and shorter, too. Just how much did she like potato dolls?
It was ridiculous, but I decided to think of it as a child's affection. She'd even ignored the limit of three without saying a word... Well, just for today, I supposed.
There was nothing more boring than being dragged along to a drinking party. Ais could have one thing to enjoy, no harm in that. And if there was a problem, Riveria would handle it anyway.
Ais held a bundle of potato dolls in her arms and wore such a happy expression that I found myself smiling too. Just looking at her made my heart warm.
"Take those and go in first. I've got something to do for a moment."
"Mm."
Normally she would have clung to me and insisted we go in together... So you really liked potato dolls that much, huh.
Understanding Riveria's feelings a little, I headed into a dark alley by myself.
Was this behind the banquet hall, structurally speaking? Either way, since it was late at night, the alley was dark and empty, with no sign of anyone around.
In other words, there was no one watching. I was alone here.
So at last, I let out what I'd been holding back.
"Hk...!"
Was my stomach spinning from the unfamiliar overdrinking? Anyone who didn't know better would have thought that.
Drip, drip. Through the fingers clamped over my mouth, red drops of blood fell one by one.
"Uweeeek...!"
Thud. And then the blood came pouring out in a gush.
"Hah... hah..."
How many times had I retched like that? After what felt like ages to me, though objectively not all that long, I finally stopped coughing up blood and managed to calm down.
I pulled my hand away from my mouth. My palm was soaked in a liquid the same color as my own eyes.
Why had it come to this...? There was no need to think about it. What I had done had caused an enormous backlash. That was all.
It was just a vague feeling that I had finally been pushed to my limit, to the point where my body was reacting at last. Up until now, it had only hurt.
Why was this happening? Because this change had been too violent? Or because my body had been driven to its limit?
Probably the latter. I had a feeling that was the case.
I had to assume there were no chances left. With one more change, everything in me would disappear.
What would happen to me then? Would I die? Or would I vanish?
A strange emotion began to creep up at the shadow of the end that had come so close. I clenched my fist as if to shake it off, but there was hardly any strength in my hand.
That only irritated me more. Then, as if to turn my eyes away from that feeling, I shook my head hard.
The smell of blood was thick. If I went back in like this, everyone would notice.
I hurried off to find a well so I could wash the blood away.
"So it really was..."
Someone watched Vesta from far away with a complicated expression.
"This way!"
"Obviously it's our side!"
When I washed the blood off and returned to the shop, the inside had already turned into complete chaos.
What is this situation?
"You finally came."
"Muu, you're late."
"Sorry, I had something to take care of for a moment."
After apologizing to Arphia, who was snapping at me, and to Ais, who had puffed out her cheeks, I asked what was going on.
"You don't even need to ask. Just listen for a bit and you'll understand."
At her words, I listened in on their conversation for a moment. Then I understood why she had said that.
"The child should be raised in Zeus Familia!"
"We're raising them in Hera Familia! How could we raise a kid in a Familia with that filthy old pervert in it?!"
"And Hera Familia is just a bunch of hysterics! I haven't said anything until now, but your temper is absolutely rotten!"
"What did you say?!"
"What did you say?!"
Oh, wow...
"...What exactly is this?"
"Can't you tell just by looking?"
"No, I mean, I do, but..."
It was just that I couldn't understand it even though I knew. Thanks to all the drinking, their faces were already bright red. If a scene like this had appeared in one of those erotic doujinshi the gods talked about, they'd definitely be waking up naked in the same bed the next morning.
Putting aside why those drunkards were fighting over this...
"Isn't it true that every Familia is fixed by gender in the first place?"
Wouldn't it be simpler to just have the boy join Zeus Familia and the girl join Hera Familia? Of course, from the perspective of someone who knew the answer, Hera Familia might feel wronged, but they didn't know that.
"If you look at it from the standpoint of the Familia, yes. But is there really any need to make them join a Familia at all?"
"What do you mean?"
"Two of the Three Great Quests are already done. Next is the Black Dragon."
Black Dragon. The words, heard after so long, made me flinch before I knew it. Maybe even more than when I'd heard the baby's name.
Arphia, who had been glancing at me, closed her eyes and said calmly, "By then, there's no need to force the next generation's child to become an adventurer, or so someone said."
"...So that means?"
"In other words, if they're not going to be an adventurer, there's no need to worry about their gender."
"...Hmm."
That did make sense. It really did, but...
"Wouldn't it be fine to raise them together in the first place?"
"No."
Arphia denied it in a firm voice.
"Could you raise a child under that lecherous old man? Absolutely not. A child has to grow up in a good environment."
"Haha..."
Every word she said made me wince. It wasn't like living with Grandfather had been bad, though. Besides, was Arphia just assuming Hera Familia would be the one raising them?
Me, raised by someone else... huh. That was kind of interesting, actually.
Would that future me still admire adventurers? I couldn't really imagine it. Imagining things I'd never experienced was hard. Very hard.
I couldn't imagine myself as anything other than an adventurer. If it were me, I'd probably admire adventurers no matter the situation and head for Orario.
Ah, if these people were safe, maybe I'd even end up living in Orario from the start.
"What about the parents?"
But leaving that aside. Isn't this the sort of thing the parents decide? Isn't it strange to leave the parents out of it and have them argue over who gets to raise the child?
"Of course we're not planning to separate the parents from the child. Though I don't know whether that trash can do a proper job as a father."
"Hahaha..."
"This conversation is, if anything, more about deciding which Familia will look after the two of them. The man isn't reliable, and Meteria is frail."
That was true. It wasn't that the two of them were bad, but if they were told to live on their own, it would be hard not to worry.
So they were deciding which Familia would support them.
"At first, they were going to take turns... but before anyone knew it, it turned into an argument, and now we're here."
"I see..."
So in the end, it was just drunken bickering. What a disappointing conclusion.
No matter what conclusion was reached here, it probably wouldn't affect the future much. Once they sobered up, they'd be able to decide peacefully.
...Right? Even as I thought it, I suddenly wasn't very convinced.
"By the way, where are the gods themselves?"
I asked, feeling like if the gods were here, they could settle this mess.
"...Over there."
Seeing Arphia say that with a disgusted look on her face, I realized just how naive I'd been.
It feels odd to say it now, but...
"You rotten old bastard!!!"
"Woooo! A fight! A blood carnival!"
"Place your bets! Five hundred thousand valis on Hera winning!"
"Eighty thousand valis on Zeus crying and begging for mercy!"
"One million valis on the old man getting sent home!"
...Is this really the strongest Familia in history? Just listening to the conversation makes it feel like I'm talking to a bunch of powerful drunks.
And the betting was completely one-sided. So Grandfather was the kind of husband who got beaten, huh.
"What's going on over there...?"
"That lecherous old man apparently groped one of the priestesses' breasts."
"Huh."
"He shoved his hand under her clothes, too."
Thinking about it carefully, I started to feel like maybe he had it coming.
Haa. My ears are turning red again after a long time.
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