After leaving Laitin, Aldis arrived at the royal capital Gran with Ted and the other members of the Byakuya no Meisei.

　They went to the market to buy some chickens as promised to Nere and a lot of other daily necessities.
　Fortunately, the "Byakuya no Meibei (luggage carrier)" is with me, so the amount of shopping is even greater than usual.

　Since we came all the way to the capital, we decided to show Ted and his friends to Aldis' house, and in that case, we decided to do some shopping as well, which is more than we usually do.
　With Ted and Norris carrying a large amount of luggage on their backs, Aldis and the rest of the group walked down the road leading from Gran to the Caucasus Forest.

'So you built your house in the woods after all.

I just can't keep the twins out of sight in the city.

　Aldis answers Orphelia's questions on the road.

'If it keeps us safe while we're away, that might be a good idea. Did I say Nere?　He's still at home, right?

Yeah, that's why I'm out here.

　Because the three of them knew how to protect the twins and also knew Nere, they could safely invite him to their home.
　On the contrary, none of the other people had any intention of letting any of them near that house, Aldis.

'So, Aldis. You do realize that, don't you?　What do we do?　That thing in the back.

　Aldis, who had made a name for himself in King's Landing, was always in the spotlight.
　Some of them looked at him fondly and some looked at him maliciously.

　There would be those who would be suspicious of Aldis's behavior as she went out of town with a large amount of luggage on her back without staying in King's Landing much.
　Such circumstances sometimes appeared in the form of a tail on Ardis.

''I'll scatter them after I enter the forest.

Yes, sir.

　Norris mentioned a group of mercenaries who were following behind Aldis and the others without leaving the rear of the group.
　I don't know if they were asked by someone or if it was their decision, but they have been following us ever since we left Gran.

''We won't be able to reach home if we leave them alone. We're not the kind of people who can fight the demons of the forest anyway.''

　As Aldis had said, they entered the forest and shortly after they entered, they were pulled up by a beast attack.
　After three hours of advancing through the forest, they finally saw the house where the twins and Nere lived.

''It's a lively return, my Lord.

Thanks for staying at home.

　He must have been expecting Aldis' return. Nere was waiting for her in front of the house, standing gracefully.

'Filia, Liana. I'm home.'

Welcome back, Aldis.

Oh, welcome back: ......

　The twins, who would normally jump on him and hug him, didn't come out, hiding behind Nere.
　They are probably confused by the presence of a person they are not normally accustomed to seeing.

'You two remember me, don't you?　We met when we were in Trier, didn't we?

　With that, he tries to get the twins to let their guard down on Ted and the others, but they just nodded their heads silently and coyly.
　They're not frightened, but it's not like they're always going to be.

'Maybe it's because Ted is staring at them?'

It's because he's afraid of Ted's face, I'm sure.

It's not my fault!

　Ted can't help but raise his voice when his fellow party members berate him.
　This makes the twins more and more wary of him, which makes the situation even worse.

Well, that's okay. Where do you want me to take this chicken?

　Norris asks, lifting the basket he came carrying.
　Beside him, he says, "It ain't good! Ted protested, but no one listened to him.

'Just let him go to the tori shed over there.

'The Tori Shed ......?　That one?

　Norris blinked at the object that Nere was pointing at and blinked his eyes.

　No wonder. I'm sure you'll be able to see that it doesn't look anything like the structure that is commonly referred to as a tori hut.
　The entire surface of the hut is double and triple walled with a wall made of hard rock, and the hut itself is made of blocks reinforced with magic power.

　Its appearance and the aura it exudes are too rugged and impersonal to be a home for fowl.
　If it were only for defensive strength, it would be better than any of the other forts out there.

It just looks like a miniature military fortress. ......?　Is that really a birdhouse?

　Orphelia asked quizzically.

It's a good thing. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. I'm not going to be able to defeat a simple beast.

　The answering Nayle is satisfied.
　Aldis felt his own cheeks tug at Nere's production, which, although he had expected it to some extent, did not know its own weight.

'Well, okay. Let's get on with our meal. We've bought some booze, so let's have a drink today!

　As if to shake off the delicate air, Ted carries the bags into the house.

'Haha. It's Aldis's house, I guess it doesn't help.'

Yeah. It's Aldis's house.

What's that supposed to mean?

　The owner of the house is uncomfortable with the way the people around him treat him because he is Aldis, and he has an expression of disbelief.
　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing for you.

...... Shall we have dinner? Filia, Liana.

Yeah!



　That day's dinner turned out to be quite a noisy affair.
　The number of people has increased to seven, but the table is much more lively due to the inclusion of alcohol abuse.

　Aldis is not a deep drinker by nature, so he doesn't lose himself just because he drinks.
　Nere, no matter how much he drank, showed the same behavior as usual, and he was so strong in his drinking that the expression "monkey" is appropriate.

　The problem is today's guests.

What is this food!　Oi-hi-yi!　Hey, it's boring!

I don't care how good it is!　Good food and good booze!　Don't you dare!　You've got a good arm!

'It's really good. It's Aldis's house, so I wasn't expecting what I was going to get, but it turned out to be a nice surprise. I bought a lot of snacks in town, but I didn't need them.

　They were a trio of people who were all talking about the same thing.

　It is not yet a problem for Norris, who, like Ardis, knows how much to drink.

　You'll be able to find a lot more to drink than anyone else, but it's a very normal way to get drunk.
　You can get loud, jovial, and a little unruly, but there is no one to pick a fight with in the city's bars, let alone here. At best, they'll make a lot of noise and sing loudly.
　If it was in the city, that would be annoying enough, but fortunately there are no other residents in the area except for Aldis and his friends, so it's not a problem.

　However, the most troublesome and troublesome person in this place is the red-haired female magician with a bad drinking habit.

'Kyah, pretty!　Hair dryers!　Oh, my eyes!　Cheeky pnipunny!

　The poor twins are all caught together by Orphelia, who is completely drunk.
　The redhead hugs the struggling twins tightly in her hands, kisses their platinum blonde hair and rubs her face against their fresh cheeks.

'Fillier-chan ...... is so cute!　Rhiana is cute too ......!　How adorable!　Whew!　Your sister's nose is going to bleed!

　There was a drunkard there, stroking the twins, calling them cute.
　Their slightly dark red eyes were sluggish and never quite focused.

''Ah-ru-dee-fu!　It's too late!　I'll live here!

I politely decline.

It's one or the other!

"You don't talk in your sleep.

Terrible!　Nooooo!　A certain someone is terrible!　I want to get stuffed!

'Yes, Orphelia. Don't get Aldis in trouble for being too reckless.

You can't just say "no" to them.　Siksiq ......, it's a good thing. I'll have my own little girl for my watahini!　See?　Furia. Hey?　Rhiana-chan.

　The twins' gazes, under cheek-to-cheek attack once again, were desperately seeking relief from Aldis.
　For two people who have been persecuted for a long time now, a favor that involves physical contact is probably enough to confuse them.
　Even a normal child would not want to be caught and fondled by a drunkard.
　Slightly bluish sallow green eyes were slowly becoming moist.

It's time to let them go. It's time for you to let them go.

Oh no!　I'm going to be with you all day!　We're going to sleep together!

Oh, f*ck.

　Norris shrugs his shoulders and is dumbfounded by Orphelia, who seems like a spoiled child.

''I see, it can't be helped. Then go to sleep first.''

　For Aldis, the twins' gaze for salvation was not something she could ignore.
　Even if the other party was a close companion, he wasn't going to go easy on them.

　Aldis placed his index finger on Orphelia's forehead. At that moment, Orphelia seemed to deflate and threw her entire body into the chair with a curtis.

　The twins, who had quickly escaped from her arms, ran to Aldis' side.

'Nere. Can you put Orphelia to bed for me?

Yes, my Lord.

　Orphelia, who was smiling and breathing in her sleep, was carried by Nere to a room with a bed.
　Norris, who was watching the scene, calmly analyzed the situation.

''A spell that dazes the person it comes in contact with without chanting?　No. Is it the magic of sleep?

　The first thing you need to do is to look at it.

It's a good thing that you've got a good idea of what you're doing. It's interesting to see how interesting Ardis is. Can that be used in battle as well?

　Aldis smiles wryly at Norris' question.

'Do you want to give it a try?'

...... No, I'll refrain from doing that. I don't want to feel too helpless or anything.

　After a moment's silence, Norris passes it off in a lighter tone.

'Here, Ardis!　Even with Orphelia gone, there's still plenty of booze to go around.　Let's drink all the way through today!

　Ted sticks out a bottle of liquor from the side to blow off the delicate air.

'Right. Aldis isn't going to be hanging out with Tria for a while anyway, is she?　I don't know when I'll see you again, so I'm going to make sure you stick with me today.

All right. I'll drink you both to death today.

　With a gulp of the glass in his hand, Aldis offered the empty drink cup to Ted as if to provoke him.