[Charles Beer]

Late afternoon, with the sun hanging over the ridge of the mountain.

A man in a hooded cloak sat astride a white horse, staring at a weathered tavern sign for a long while.

“It’s already been one year”

It was a pub he had once frequented almost every day.

Adella, who had loved beer, had been especially fond of the house-brewed ale they served here.

Thanks to her, he had come to appreciate the taste of beer.

He had experienced what it meant to be dead drunk, and he had suffered through how miserable a hangover was the next day.

For a man whose entire experience with alcohol had once been limited to the occasional glass of wine with a meal, it had been a whole new world.

Inside that tavern, two people who, like him, had learned to appreciate beer because of Adella were probably waiting.

He wasn’t particularly looking forward to seeing them. Meeting them inevitably meant thinking of Adella.

They likely felt the same way.

The man handed the reins of his horse to a employee and stepped inside.

There was only a single table occupied.

Every year on this day, they rented out the entire tavern in remembrance of the anniversary of Adella’s death.

Charles, the owner of the pub, spotted him and smiled warmly.

Since Leonhart had worn down the threshold with how often he’d come here in the past, Charles didn’t make a fuss over the fact that he was royalty.

He returned the greeting with a nod and walked over to the only occupied table.

A mage and a priest. A combination rarely seen in a tavern.

They simply stared silently into their respective beers, not speaking.

Leonhart took the empty seat and pushed back his cloak.

Brushing his disheveled hair back, he ordered a mug of beer from Charles.

An icy silence hung over the table occupied by the three men.

Leonhart, who had remained silent until the beer arrived, took something out of his suit and tossed it onto the table.

A meticulously folded paper doll.

It was magic used to secretly deliver messages to an opponent or stealthily scout enemy lines, as it emitted no detectable traces of mana

“What does this mean? ‘Who is Adrianne’?”

“……I heard she’s a Duchess.”

Leonhart brows furrowed in irritation.

Ruspell had been so uninterested in anything other than magic that he barely knew the Emperor’s name.

Though even that interest had vanished after Adella died.

Regardless, the fact that Ruspell knew Adrianne’s name perfectly was unusual.

It meant he hadn’t just overheard it in passing, but had actually met her and experienced something memorable.

“That’s not what I’m asking. Where did you hear that name? Did you actually meet her?”

“At the Academy.”

“Why?”

“I heard she came for an observation…”

Observation? Was it because Adrianne had mentioned sponsoring a child a while ago?

Leonhart continued.

“And?”

“She called me ‘Pell’.”

“What…”

“That woman called me ‘Pell’.”

Owen, who had been staring at his beer with an expression devoid of warmth, finally looked up.

He was visibly shocked.

“Did Professor Ruspell mishear… Ah, that’s impossible.”

Oddly enough, Ruspell’s five senses were even sharper than Leonhart, despite Leonhart being a sword master.

He was capable of hearing conversations through walls; there was no way he had misheard something said right in front of him.

“Ha!”

Leonhart let out a hollow laugh, twisting his lips. Adrianne had tried the same thing with him, but he’d never imagined she would try to get under Ruspell’s skin as well.

“She’s insane, trying to pull a stunt like that on you too.”

“On me… too?”

“She called me ‘Leon’.”

Ruspell and Owen’s eyes widened.

Pell for Ruspell, Leon for Leonhart, Wen for Owen.

Those were nicknames that only Adella had been allowed to use.

“It seems she hired expedition members to dig into my background. I was quite surprised at first, too.”

“Ah, a background check…”

“That’s what she’s good at. She’s the type of woman who isn’t satisfied until she knows everything about me. I’ve dealt with it exhaustively since I was a child.”

“Because she likes Your Highness?”

“She doesn’t understand what it means to like someone. She just wants to marry me and settle into the Ducal house. That’s why she’s always trying to keep tabs on me, so I can’t go off and do anything she doesn’t approve of.

Despite having spent years with Leonhart, it was the first time they’d ever heard him speak about this.

A gloomy expression spread across Ruspell’s face, and disgust clouded Owen’s.

“Marriage…? Is that something Your Highness agreed to?”

“Of course not. That woman doesn’t seek consent from others. She’s the type who believes the other person should naturally follow her decisions.”

“What a frightening woman she is. But why is she suddenly acting like Ms. Adel?”

“Because Adel is my only weakness.”

“……So, because Your Highness wouldn’t fall for ordinary methods, she started imitating Ms. Adel?”

Owen asked in disbelief. Leonhart gave a small shrug.

“I can’t think of any other reason she’d do something like that.”

“I’ve never heard anything so bizarre. It’s honestly hard to believe.”

“The truth is, I volunteered for the expedition because I didn’t want to marry that woman. She stayed quiet for a while after that, so I thought she’d given up, but I guess she was looking for another way.”

“Then why did she do that to Professor Ruspell? Professor Ruspell has nothing to do with any of this.”

“He’s my friend. So you be careful too, Owen. She’ll come after you next.”

Owen laughed cynically. The warm and kind aura he once possessed was nowhere to be found.

“That’s fine by me. I’ll merely guide this fallen sister back into God’s embrace.”

Ruspell, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly clutched his head.

“Ha, and I didn’t even realize…”

“Professor Ruspell.”

Long ago, when the spirit king took away Adella’s sword, Lulu, he had mentioned something in passing.

• • Adella’s body has perished. However, her spirit pact remains intact. Consider why that is.

A spirit pact is a soul pact, which meant Adel’s soul was still alive.

As such, the three men believed that if they could find a way to retrieve Adel’s soul, which the Demon King had taken to the Underworld, then saving her might not be an impossible dream.However, the only beings capable of contacting the Underworld were dark sorcerers, and most of them had been executed five years ago for the crime of summoning the Demon King and 99 demons into the world.

So in their search for any remaining dark sorcerers, the three men met every year on the anniversary of Adel’s death to share information. And just like that, five years had passed.

“Damn it…”

Ruspell drained his beer in big gulps.

Adella’s death had never been an ordinary loss to him.

He had been powerless in the face of her death.

The strength he had prided himself on was never even used.

The time he had spent endlessly researching and experimenting felt futile.

He no longer wanted to strive to increase his power.

Magic that couldn’t even save one precious friend…

‘I’d rather just get rid of it.’

For the past five years, he had regretted it every single day.

I shouldn’t have acted so superior to Adella. I shouldn’t have ignored her, thinking a spirit swordmaster was below a mage.

I shouldn’t have yelled. I shouldn’t have snapped. I shouldn’t have cursed.

I should have just done whatever she wanted. When she’d asked me to have a beer with her, I should’ve gone; when she told me to stop experimenting, I should have stopped.

When she told me to sleep, I should have just slept instead of resisting.

Ruspell, who remembered everything, could not forget. Guilt only continued to pile up.

Now, even breathing was painful, and he felt it would be better to just end his life.

A few days ago had been one of those days.

But then Adrianne appeared and saved him. By calling him ‘Pell’.

Even though he knew it couldn’t be, Ruspell couldn’t abandon the vain hope.

The hope that perhaps Adella’s soul had been watching over him and told Adrianne.

Was that why he had followed the Dean to visit her?

With the expectation that he might feel Adella again.

“…Sigh. I really must be in worse shape than I thought.”

To fall for such a ridiculous trick because of such an absurd fantasy…

Ruspell ran a hand over his haggard face.

“So that’s why she dragged me into it under the pretense of asking for my help. It was because of you.”

“What did she ask you to help with?”

“She said she’s conceptualizing a proposal for the Grand Plaza construction. She said she needs a mage’s knowledge, so I’m supposed to go to the House Ivrante this evening.”

“Ah… that. She was actually serious about it?”

“She’s already started.”

Muttering that Adrianne really had an endless supply of ideas, Leonhart took another drink of his beer.

“I could’ve refused… but I wasn’t in a good state of mind. For a moment… she felt like Adel. So I agreed.”

Leonhart smiled bitterly. He, too, had been reminded of Adel by Adrianne.

“That woman is quite a good actress. Even I was surprised.”

Ruspell fell into thought.

It wasn’t that Adrianne’s way of speaking or acting was similar to Adella’s.

It was the atmosphere around her.

The way she nagged about things no one else did, while her eyes were full of worry, was just too…

“……No. I must have been mistaken.”

“So, do you intend to help her?”

“Why would I? She’s not Adel.”

“Good call. Even if you help, I have no intention of approving her plan.”

“I’m in no position to be helping anyone right now… It’s exhausting enough just trying to breathe.”

The depression that had momentarily faded while meeting his friends settled over Ruspell once again.

Owen, who was well aware of Ruspell’s severe depression, placed a hand on his back.

A warm energy heated Ruspell’s body.

But it lasted only a moment.

An even deeper sense of helplessness washed over him.

“About finding a dark sorcerer… should we give up?”

At Ruspell’s question, Leonhart and Owen shook their heads firmly.

“No, I will never give up.”

“I’m going to keep searching until the end. If all else fails, I’ll even look into how to become a dark sorcerer myself. Wouldn’t a dark sorcerer who can actually exercise power be better than a powerless priest?”

It was a terrifying thing to say if anyone overheard.

Especially coming from a priest.

But Ruspell and Leonhart understood Owen.

Who could blame a priest who, through the death of a friend, came to curse God and distrust humanity?

Leonhart ordered another round of beer and raised his glass.

“A toast.”

“To what?”

“To the soul of our friend, who must be waiting for us in the Underworld.”

The three men clinked their glasses and downed the drinks in one go.

Despite the large pint glasses, not one of them paused for a breath.

Because that’s how their closest friend had always done it.

Beer is meant to be downed in one go.

Empty beer glasses piled up quickly on the table.

As they did every year, they laughed and cried while talking about the things that had happened with Adella, eventually becoming completely intoxicated.

That was why they didn’t recognize the woman who appeared, her face hidden deep beneath a cloak.

“Look at this. You guys really were binge-drinking, huh?”

[I told you, right? I said they’d be binge-drinking here.]

[It reminds me of the old days. Back then, Rianne used to get wasted like these gentlemen quite often.]

[At this rate, they’’ll be walking on all fours soon. Fucking hilarious. Is beer really that tasty? Gnome, shall we try some too?]

[…….]

Ruspell never showed up, even after the appointed time had long passed.

Having wasted an entire day, I couldn’t contain my anger and sent someone to the Academy.

However, when Ruspell couldn’t be found at the Academy either, I began to feel anxious.

I wondered if Ruspell had done something reckless again.

If Undine hadn’t mentioned Charles Beer as the place Ruspell was most likely to be, I probably would’ve searched the entire capital in the middle of the night.

I’d come here only because it seemed worth checking…

But I never imagined he’d actually be here.

“What a sight.”

Leonhart was asleep, face-down on the table, and Ruspell had crawled under the table and passed out…while tightly hugging Leonhart’s leg.

He could have at least slept gracefully on top of the table like Owen. What on earth was he doing on the dirty floor?

“Well… this is something.”

It was honestly impressive.

It was remarkable. Those three hardly ever got drunk, yet here they were, completely wasted.

“Just how much did they drink?”

Sure enough, several empty beer kegs were rolling around beside the table. It seemed they had emptied every drop of alcohol in the tavern.

“They must be crazy… Do they plan on drinking themselves to death?”

Charles Beer was my regular pub back when I was Adella.

Their house-brewed beer tasted remarkably similar to my favorite canned beer, so I used to come here all the time.

Before they met me, these guys were young lords who had never even touched beer.

At first, they didn’t even like it.

‘Would a commoner’s drink have suited the tastes of young lords? They just went along with it because I liked it.’

Ruspell, in particular, was the type to scowl the moment I suggested going for a beer.

And yet, to think they had grown to love beer enough to gather and drink without me.

The years that had passed suddenly felt painfully real.

And, somehow…

I even felt a little left out.

‘…Ah. It’s been so long since I smelled beer.It smells incredible.’

I swallowed involuntarily.

‘I want one too…’

As I stared longingly at the heavy pint glasses, Charles approached me cautiously.

I quickly pulled my hood down to hide my face.

“Excuse me… Customer, I’m sorry, but we’re all out of alcohol. Please visit us again next time.”

“Those guys are drinking just fine.”

“Ah, those gentlemen are an exception. They rented out the entire shop to commemorate the deceased.”

“Commemorate? Who died today?”

Charles’s expression turned strange. As if he couldn’t believe I didn’t know what day it was.

“You must have forgotten. Today is the 5th anniversary of the passing of the hero, Adella Helsington.”

“Uh…”

“No matter how busy life gets, we must never forget the hero who gave her life for us. We may not all be able to honor her the way those gentlemen do by renting out the entire tavern every year, but we shouldn’t forget her.”

Charles finished with the solemn air of a man delivering a heartfelt speech.

It was more or less a speech praising me, but honestly, I wasn’t listening to a word of it.

‘Today is the day I died.’

I blinked blankly before asking.

“Wait… every year?”

“Well… at the very least, anyone with a heart would, yes.”

“Those guys. They’ve done this here every year?”

“Uh, yes, well, that is correct…”

The happiest day of my life after transmigrating into this world had been this very day five years ago.

But for them…

Today was probably the most painful day of the year.

‘What on earth am I going to do with these boys.’

Charles suddenly stopped his speech and asked cautiously.

“Um… you seem awfully familiar with those gentlemen. Are you… acquainted with them?”

“I’m… their friend.”

“Wh-What? Their friend? B-But I’ve never seen you here before.”

“I only recently returned after being away for a long time.”

“Ah! That’s why you didn’t know what day it was…”

Leaving behind a Charles who had thoroughly confused, and then convinced, himself, I walked over and took the empty seat.

“Uh, uh? W-wait a moment, customer!”

“What?”

“Even if you’re their friend, I’m afraid I can’t let you join them. One of the gentlemen specifically told me not to let anyone else sit with them… Besides, as you can see, the three of them aren’t exactly in any condition to hold a conversation. To be honest, they probably wouldn’t even recognize you.”

“I don’t intend to talk to them. I’m just going to watch over them.”

“…Pardon? Well… if that’s all, couldn’t you come another day…?”

“It has to be today.”

Because only when they don’t recognize me can I comfort them.

I took out a coin pouch and tossed it casually to Charles.

Charles caught the pouch cleanly out of the air as it traced a graceful arc toward him.

“I’ll just sit for a moment and then leave.”

“But…”

“I won’t do anything. If you’re still worried, you can keep an eye on me.”

After hesitating for a moment, Charles handed the coin pouch back.

“Please keep this. Since a friend has visited after a long time, I’m sure the three of them would understand. Um… would you like some beer? I think I can give you a glass or two.”

“One glass of the dark craft beer, please.”

“Oh? You really must have visited my tavern before, seeing as you asked for the dark beer immediately.”

“Mhm…a long time ago.”

A moment later, Charles brought the beer.

“Please drink slowly. Our tavern’s beer is a bit stronger than others.”

“I know.”

I stared quietly at the beer and took a sip. Along with a pleasantly bitter taste, a deep floral scent surged through my mouth.

“Still tastes great.”

Slowly savoring the beer, I silently comforted my friends as they mourned my death.

I couldn’t tell them I was glad to see them, let alone tell them that I was Adella.

I must never express how much I had missed them, how much I had longed to see them.

Sitting here for a moment, like a thief in the night, knowing they won’t remember any of this, is all I can do.

By the time I’d finished about half my beer, the spirits’ dejected voices drifted into my mind.

[Rianne, are you upset?]

[Are you sad because they don’t recognize you?]

[Fuck, you didn’t force them to drink all that beer, Pactmaker. They did that on their own so there’s no reason for you to be upset! Isn’t that right, Gnome?]

[……It’s okay, Rianne.]

Since when did Gnome start comforting me? Do I look that pitiful?

I smiled bitterly and drank the rest of the beer.

I should get going. I don’t know when someone might wake up.

Thanks to their strong mana, all three of them were slow to get drunk, but they sobered up very quickly.

I emptied the beer completely and set the glass down.

“Ah…”

Whether it was because it had been a long time, or because Adrianne is weak to beer, my head spun after just one glass.

Steadying myself against the table, I gave my head a little shake.

Then, just as I fumbled for the money to pay for my beer and started to stand-

“Adel, you have foam on your lips.”

“……!”

My breath hitched.

Leonhart was staring at me, though I didn’t know when he had woken up.

Leonhart never looked drunk, no matter how much he drank.

He spoke clearly, and his complexion was the same as usual.

But I knew.

I knew exactly how to tell how drunk Leonhart really was.

“Leon.”

“Yeah, Adel.”

“What was the illness you had when you were young?”

“Asthma.”

“Who is the person you hate the most?”

“Adrianne Ivrante.”

“How drunk are you?”

“Very.”

Leonhart smiled, his pitch-black eyes curving gently.

When Leonhart got drunk, he had a kind habit of answering any question truthfully, and when he was completely wasted, he fell asleep.

If he woke up smiling like that and started answering everything honestly…

…it meant he’d completely blacked out.

I let out a sigh of relief.

“You scared me. My heart almost stopped.”

“I scared you? Why?”

“Ah… just because. It would be troublesome if I were caught.”

“Sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”

“It’s okay if you don’t.”

“Should I wipe your mouth for you?”

“Huh?”

“The foam, it’s bothering me.”

“W-wait…”

Leonhart reached out and gently wiped the foam from my lips.

Then, as naturally as breathing, he licked the foam from his thumb and flashed me a dazzling smile.

“Delicious.”

Heat rushed to my face in an instant.

I’d shared countless drinks with Leonhart over the years…

Yet this had never happened before.

I was so flustered that I didn’t know how to react.

I sat there stupidly and then shouted for no reason.

“You… I told you not to smile like that!”

“Yeah, you did.”

“Our Leon is so good at answering questions. If you smiled like that at anyone other than me, they might end up thinking you like them. Men should be more demure!”

“But I can’t help it. I keep smiling whenever I see you.”

“Saying that with that face is cheating! Do you have no conscience? Even I’m starting to misunderstand!”

“Go ahead. Please, misunderstand me.”

“Uh…”

Leonhart reached out and cupped my cheek. His hand slid gently to the back of my neck before drawing me closer.

His hot lips brushed against the curve of my ear.

“But Adel, I’d rather it not be a misunderstanding.”

“……!”

Startled, I shot to my feet on instinct.

It was a terrible mistake.

Clatter!

The chair pushed by my leg fell over with a loud noise.

“W-what!”

“What was that sound? Ugh, my head…”

At the commotion, Ruspell’s eyes flew open, and Owen lifted his head from the table.

Even Leonhart’s unfocused gaze was already sharpening.

The instant he sensed something was wrong, he burned the alcohol out of his system with the power of his aura.

‘Sh-Shit!’

I spun around and bolted outside.

Running as fast as this body could manage, I threw myself into the carriage waiting behind the tavern.

“Huff, huff! Go! Now!”

As I pounded on the carriage wall, the coachman pulled the reins in panic.

Neigh! Snort!

With a shrill whinny, the four horses lurched into a gallop.

The carriage passed in front of Charles Beer.

Through the window, I saw Leonhart, Ruspell, and Owen.

They had come outside the building and were looking around.

‘They must be looking for me!’

I quickly lowered my posture to hide my face.

My heart was beating so fast that it was hard to breathe even while sitting still.

I barely had time to feel indignant about why I had to be the one hiding…

…before the carriage came to an abrupt stop without warning.

“What, why are we stopping… gasp!”

Outside the window, Leonhart was approaching with a terrifying expression.

‘I can’t just… ignore him and run away, can I?’

Because he had accurately recognized the seal of the carriage I was in.

“I’m fucked!”

I quickly took off my cloak and stuffed it under the seat.

The moment I tidied my disheveled hair, I heard a knock, knock, on the window.

Pretending to be composed, I opened the window.

“Your Highness? Fancy meeting you he-”

Leonhart raised his hand to cut me off. Then, in a voice dripping with displeasure, he asked,

“Have you started following me now?”

“Follow who?”

“Weren’t you just at Charles Beer before fleeing?”

“Charles Beer? What is that? I am currently on my way to find Professor Ruspell.”

“Ruspell?”

“I have something I need help with from the professor. Hm? It seems you’ve been with Professor Ruspell.”

I gestured past Leonhart with my eyes

Something about Ruspell seemed off.

He was unmistakably on guard.

He had always found me bothersome, but he had never openly shown hostility…

Did he hear something from Leonhart?

“Professor Ruspell, have you forgotten the promise you made me?”

“Ah… about that. Let’s pretend it never happen-…Hm?”

Ruspell suddenly stopped mid-sentence and took a deep breath.

A moment later, he calmly changed what he was about to say.

“I’ll help you tomorrow.”

“……Do you mean it?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll trust you one more time.”

After sending a warning glance to Ruspell, I looked at Leonhart.

“Your Highness, may I leave now?”

“……Have you really never been to Charles Beer?”

“Do you think I would seek out alcohol that commoners drink?”

Leonhart studied me for a long moment before finally stepping aside.

I tapped the carriage wall and leaned back into the seat.

Keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead, I endured the burning stares directed at my face.

Only after the carriage had finally left them behind did the tension drain from my rigid back.

“Haa, I thought I was caught.”

At the time, I had no idea…

...that Ruspell had caught the scent of dark beer on me.