Departure

Inside the chieftain's manor...

The mood of this large residence, which had previously been gloomy and lifeless, now became bustling with barely restrained joy.

"She's alive! She's really alive!" a father's voice echoed loudly throughout the manor.

When Namur heard of his daughter's recovery, and witnessed her breathing body being taken back by his most trusted servant, he nearly exploded in a fit of happiness. The unthinkable fact that his daughter was still alive despite visiting the most perilous location in the world drove him almost over the edge of rationality. Had Walter not stopped him, the proud chieftain would've thrown away all dignity and howled like a grieved animal again to express his feelings.

The other servants weren't faring any better, as they too were beyond ecstatic at the return of the chieftain's beloved daughter. It seems that Walter wasn't the only servant besides Namur who was depressed by her disappearance. Practically every person in this household was wildly celebrating at this incredible news.

And when the chieftain's mages were able to slowly recover the daughter's lost vitality and regain her consciousness, the atmosphere of the manor reached a new high.

"Is it true?! My sweet angel is truly awake?! Are there really no lasting injuries?!!"

Under the constant pestering of the chieftain, the mages were finally able to confirm that all was well with Namur's daughter. This threw nearly everyone into a celebratory mood. To express the feelings they felt, a party needed to be in order.

In this bustling atmosphere, only the adventurers chose to reserve their emotions. That was to be expected, as they were essentially strangers in a different household. They were also more concerned about taking care of one of their own.

When Leo was carried back to the carriage, he was severely drained of mana from his combined exploration into the Frozen Hell and the burdensome battle with the mausoleum's golems. When he also awakened like the chieftain's daughter, the account he gave was met with shock and disbelief by his friends, giving the whole team new concerns to ponder about.

Nevertheless, the adventurers weren't able to have time to ponder for long, as they were inevitably roped into the party set up by the chieftain himself.

----------

"Come, come!" Namur waved his furry hands around while holding a glass of wine. "Drink till you're full!"

At a large dining room, a feast was held in celebration for the most miraculous event that has occurred in these lands for the last decade. Everyone in the manor, including the adventurers, were compelled to join in for this wondrous occasion.

"Man, I'm feeling dizzy," Alex complained while holding a cup of wine.

Due to the insistence of the beastmen around him, Alex was unable to resist their requests to join them in drinking numerous shots to satisfy the surrounding mood. Despite his warrior's composition, he found himself struggling to endure the strong contents of the consumed alcohol.

Judy and Sarah hardly drank much in comparison, but they were actually under heavier strain than their team leader.

"If this keeps going, I feel like I'm gonna puke till morning." Judy desperately held her hand to her mouth as she started swaying to the side.

In one of her rare moments, Sarah did not add anything interesting to the discussion. This was because, like her friends, she was also struggling to hold in her liquor, and was on the verge of passing out.

Strangely, Leo, who was still recovering from his exploration, appeared the least affected among all of them.

"Yeah, it is a bit too much," he agreed with Judy's words after gulping down some red wine that reminded him of the golem's attacks.

Each of his friends gave him the side-eye.

"How come you're still fine after drinking so much?" Alex demanded with a serious expression.

During the party, Leo was also roped into drinking numerous shots with the festive beastmen.

"Eh?" Leo appeared startled at the sudden inquiry.

"You're the most injured one here, and yet you actually drank more than each of us!" Judy stated with a face that begged for an explanation.

"Erm, well..." Leo shifted uncomfortably as he tried to divert the topic. "Despite how I look, I actually am feeling quite drunk! I'm just more experienced in handling the effects of alcohol, that's all. Besides, isn't the chieftain's daughter even more injured than me? She's also drinking a lot of wine...!"

But when his words continued to receive narrow stares from his team, Leo could only relent.

"Sigh, alright... You guys recall that I once said I came from a merchant family, right?" When all his friends slowly nodded in response, Leo looked down at his empty cup before continuing, "You see, when I was twelve, I got a sip of some high quality liquor that my father was unable to sell during one of his trades. Since that day, I would occasionally break into my parent's cellar to secretly drink some of their alcohol when they weren't looking."

"Se-seriously?" Alex's jaw dropped down in shock.

Never mind that he aspired to become a true knight one day, but in his previously esteemed family Alex would never have even considered doing something this brazen. The consequences and shame that came with it would have been too severe for his noble character to handle.

"Yeah, it's true." Leo shrugged his shoulders with a slightly blushed face. Whether that was due to the wine or simply his embarrassment remains to be determined. "I started out only taking extremely small sips using a clean cup during my first two years. But as I grew older, I eventually got carried away with my habit, and even once snuck a whole bottle into my room until I was caught by my family."

"What did they do?" Judy asked apprehensively.

Leo didn't look too perturbed.

"They mostly gave me a fierce scolding and forbade me from drinking wine in our home ever again."

Still looking pretty calm, Leo glanced around at the wild celebration.

"Anyway, let's not just stand around. We still got a long night ahead of us."

Ignoring the groans coming from his companions, Leo strutted forward to reach for another bottle at a nearby table.

----------

It was late morning time when the adventurers finally woke up to leave. Needless to say, three out of four of them were suffering from severe hangovers.

"Ugh, my head!" Judy cradled her skull as she dazedly walked downstairs after eating breakfast.

Beside her, Alex was doing a decent job in mirroring Judy's actions. As for Sarah, she was leaning on the handrails behind them while unsteadily tiptoeing herself down the stairs. Only Leo moved normally, and he was currently doing his best in preventing any accidents from occurring as the rest descended.

Waiting for them at the entrance, there was the ever-so-diligent butler, Walter. In addition to him, Chieftain Namur and his daughter (who's name turned out to be Ramiel Boreas) were also waiting downstairs to send them off.

"We cannot thank you enough!" Namur praised Leo for the dozenth time. "If it weren't for your efforts, my daughter wouldn't be here today! You have my sincerest regards!"

Leo, who has already gotten used to the chieftain's grateful attitude since yesterday, took these words with steady courtesy.

"Hm. Your most welcome," he replied succinctly. "Contact our guild again if you have any other important quests."

"Then, if you will," Namur gestured to his butler who was standing at the ready, "the carriage is readily packed with our gifts for your departure. May fortune be with you all."

The team nodded in response and walked up to leave through the manor's doors.

"Um, mister adventurer, please wait," Ramiel, who was still weak from her captivity, suddenly called out to Leo in a small voice, making the latter turn around to meet her gaze. "I know this to be a little rude, but may I have the honor of knowing your full name?"

"Err..." Leo did his best to remain calm. "It's Leo Ester."

"Ah! Leo Ester, I see," Ramiel repeated the name as she gazed at him with eyes full of passion. "I swear someday that I'll repay the debt I owe to you! We will definitely see each other again once I'm feeling better!"

Upon raising her voice a little, she soon started coughing as a side-effect of her current state.

"Ramiel, you need to restrain yourself," Namur scolded while delicately holding her shoulders as she bent forward.

"*Cough* *Cough* I-I'm fine, father." Ramiel straightened her back and met her eyes with Leo's again. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to what the future will bring!"

"Hm, then I wish for your full recovery," Leo said in an attempt to lightly respond to Ramiel's blazing declaration.

Near the side, Alex and Judy were doing their best to keep a straight pose. Although they struggled with their drunken state from last night, they could still recall how the chieftain's daughter once attempted to strike up an intimate conversation with Leo as everybody else was happily celebrating.

"Alright, it's time to head out now. See you all later!" Alex motioned for Leo to come along with a small grin on his face.

----------

Inside the carriage that was departing from the manor, the team was unable to stop themselves from teasing their comrade.

"Heh heh, I think she's taken a liking to you," Judy gossiped in great amusement. "Perhaps one day she might give you a surprise visit at the guild."

"If that happens, it has a good chance of causing a scandal if word got out about this quest's subjugation," Sarah stated with a hand held to her chin. "For an adventurer to start a relationship with his client's daughter after saving her..."

"Better make sure to clear it up with Ramiel first before that time comes." Alex patted his teammate on the back. "Otherwise the guild staff might get mad."

"Ah, come on, guys!" Leo grumbled with his arms folded. "I just rescued her as part of the request. It shouldn't invite any trouble."

"I don't know," Judy mused with a smile. "It's better to be prepared just in case. And kind of like Alex said, make sure to take responsibility for Ramiel's feelings or things may get difficult at the guild."

The group chuckled, leaving Leo to fume silently as he sat back in the moving carriage. Part of him wondered if his friends were still dealing with their headaches from yesterday...

----------