The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol 14 Page 11

  “There are?” she replied. Ah, so she was one of those. Unaware of her own assets. I just wanted to put an end to this quickly, anyway. I needed to wipe out Motoyasu II. He hadn’t touched the drink I spiked yet at all.

  “To be honest, speaking personally—” she began, ignoring him and looking at me again.

  “What race are you? I’m so jealous of you being able to drink so much.” In the end, Q’ten Lo was a country with a lot of demi-humans and therianthropes. There were humans, but the ratio was fairly low. One of the characteristics of this world was that no one was especially bothered about my physical appearance. What’s more, some in Q’ten Lo actively concealed their demi-human traits. There were various reasons for this, including things like family standing. That was a custom not found in Siltvelt.

  Maybe this woman lived close to where Sadeena had lived. That would explain their similar sensibilities, such as being attracted to people who can hold their drink.

  “I’m human. What of it?” I said.

  “Eh? Humans can hold their drink this well? You must have someone, a distant relation, from a race who can drink,” she wondered. So that was how they looked at me in these demi-human nations. Of course, seeing as I was Japanese, summoned here from a completely different world, I could definitively say that wasn’t possible. But stating the truth would only complicate things in a different way.

  Ah, Motoyasu II looked pissed at being ignored.

  “Being a man is about more than just drinking. Let’s play a game!” he roared. With that, Motoyasu II brought out some dice. “How about some Cee-lo!” Uwah! I didn’t expect that to show up in a parallel world. I looked over at S’yne to see her getting out some cards. She was the famous player Murder Pierrot from the Zeltoble underground coliseum, after all. Of course she had some cards. Personally, I preferred that too.

  “Better to play with cards,” I said.

  “I bet this lovely lady doesn’t know how. That’s a point, my dear. I haven’t got your name yet. What should I call you?” he pondered.

  “Ah, I’m Zodia,” she announced. It was a pretty venomous name. Was it my innate nature as a gamer that made it sound like just saying it would summon some terrible demon god?

  “Zodia. Do you know how to play cards?” the Keel doll translated for S’yne.

  “Card games? Like ones with nice pictures on them . . . maybe a little,” she said.

  “You mean hanafuda?” I wondered. This place really was like Japan. I only knew a little about that myself though.

  “Not that old game. I play the modern version,” she went on.

  “Ah, gotcha,” the perv said. Motoyasu II didn’t sound too into it. “The hands are so complex though, and the cards are so thick. There’s nothing we can use around here—” Even as he droned on, Zodia reached into the holder at her waist, took out a deck of cards, and placed them down on the table.

  “O-oh!” Motoyasu II babbled.

  “I have something of a taste for it.” She grinned. It looked more like a serious hobby—like she had her own set of cards!

  I checked the deck. Hmmm, it looked like a card version of mahjong.

  “So you place them like this to create a hand?” I asked.

  “Yes. You know it?” She beamed.

  “Just another game like it,” I said. And only a little I played in a few arcades—and maybe mini-games in other games. I’d never played it seriously. “If this is my first time, it might not be that much fun.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll teach you as we go.”

  “Okay, okay.” With that, the cards were dealt, and we started to play. S’yne—well, she actually looked pretty confident.

  “You okay with this?” I asked her. She nodded in response to my question.

  “During my travels—”

  “Apparently she has played a similar game during her travels,” the Keel doll translated. As she wandered through various worlds, she probably learned it in a tavern somewhere.

  First you get thirteen cards and then draw one and discard one. Those were the rules. It was basically mahjong. It also looked like it was going to take some time.

  “As we’ve got some beginners here, let’s use different rules using five cards—” she suggested.

  “Isn’t that like poker then?” I said.

  S’yne started to dexterously shuffle the cards. They were similar shapes to the cards I knew, so I reckoned we could make a go of it.

  “We just gotta play along with Zodia, you dolt!” Motoyasu II bellowed.

  “Okay, okay. I get it. Let’s go,” I conceded. So we ended up playing poker with clunky playing cards that had four of the same type. At least the length of each game was incredibly short. Her plan was likely to teach us a little at a time and then transition to something a bit more serious. Honestly, it looked like a bunch of beginners barely managing to play. We played about ten rounds like that.

  “It’s finally getting fun!” Zodia announced, drinking heavily between each hand. Getting a bit carried away she played a powerful hand. A straight, perhaps, if this was poker. Her personality seemed to be changing as she got more drunk. “Kabloom! Take that!”

  “Heh.” I had four cards of the same type, so I played them along with one other plain card. This wasn’t a variant of mahjong, but poker, right? I didn’t know the hands in either case.

  “Oh damn. I lost!” she groaned.

  “You don’t know how to read the room, do you? Meathead!” Motoyasu II roared. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, considering Motoyasu II hadn’t played a single decent hand yet. It wasn’t like he was discarding good cards on purpose either. I was starting to think he sucked at gambling too.

  He was also starting to get pretty drunk.

  “At least I haven’t lost every single game. You’re too drunk!” I jabbed.

  “I’m not—not dwunk at all!” he said as his head was wobbling from side to side! It was only going to take a little more to bring him down.

  “What about this?” S’yne dropped her hand, three plain cards and two with the same symbol on them. Maybe something like a full house, if this was poker.

  “Both of you are so good at this! Now I’m really having fun!” Zodia beamed. The booze was pushing her into the stratosphere. Yeah. She really didn’t feel like Sadeena’s sister—her sister would be a lot stronger than this.

  “Moron! You hold—hold beck! Now, dwink!” That was how Motoyasu II foisted more alcohol on Zodia. I think it was about time to put an end to this.

  “Thank you! I’m gonna drink this place dry!” Zodia was getting more and more pumped. At least S’yne was resolutely staying on the wagon.

  “Try this—” S’yne also smoothly handed Motoyasu II the spiked booze that I’d been hoping he would drink.

  “Uwah, so cute! How couwd I wesist!” Slurring his words, Motoyasu II took the proffered cup and drank it down in a gulp. “Guh!” The cup promptly fell from his fingers, and then he looked quizzically at S’yne. It would be a pain if he misunderstood, so I pushed into his eye line and pointed to myself, grinning for the full effect.

  “Y-you dog! You set me up!” he shouted.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s about time this little drinking party came to an end.” I spoke softly in order to draw him in. Seriously, why had simply going to visit the old guy led to all of this?

  “Gah! At least let me collapse piwowed on a pwetty girl’s tits!” he mumbled. Such gracious last words! I’d only put a few drops in, anyway, so he wasn’t going to die.

  “Oh damn. He’s collapsed under all that drink. Let’s call it a night,” I quipped. A little forced? No, a lot. Still, I hoisted up the unconscious old goat. The bill—yeah, it was coming out of his pocket.

  “Oh, no! I want to drink and play some more!” Zodia announced, sounding like a petulant child.

  “I know you’re having fun, but staying out too late will be detrimental to tomorrow,” I warned.

  “But I still want to play!”

  “
And I don’t want to deal with your selfishness,” I barked.

  “Uh! At least tell me your name! Please! Let’s play again soon. When? When can we play?” she begged. Drinking clearly turned her back into a child. If possible, I never wanted to see her again.

  “If we meet again, sure. I’ll pass some time with you,” I groaned.

  “Really? So tell me your name!”

  “Sure, sure, pipe down. I’m Naofumi Iwatani.”

  “Ah! Cute little Naofumi.”

  “I’m neither cute nor little.” The drunkard side of her was a lot like Sadeena. My fading suspicions rose again.

  “Sweet Naofumi, then. Hahaha! We’ll meet again, I promise! Ahaha, oh, the lights are so pretty!” Zodia stated and staggered a little toward us, then took Motoyasu II’s other shoulder as I supported him. She was surprisingly strong.

  We paid the bill and left the tavern.

  “Well then. See you again soon! That was so much fun! I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun!” she went on.

  “Yeah, sure, sure.” She was close to tipping over too. Definitely not as strong as my party’s resident drunkard who never got as sloshed as this.

  We did have a drinking competition once, and I won, but she quickly recovered and returned to normal. It might be more accurate to say that she was always drunk.

  “Uwah. I’m so hot!” she began.

  “Hey! Keep your clothes on!” I yelled. Zodia started to strip, basically, so I reined her in. Although maybe I could use this chance to find out what kind of demi-human she was?

  “I’ll just stir up a little breeze, then. Zweite Wind!” Zodia caused a gust to blow with a pretty short incantation.

  “And don’t use magic in the street either!” I fumed. The strong wind picked up a swirl of dust. I couldn’t handle two drunks at once, seriously.

  Hold on! She still had a drink in her hand! She chugged the entire bottle in one gulp, and then her back straightened and she turned to face me. What now? I thought she was drunk, but now she seemed sober.

  “Well then. To commemorate today,” she said, and with that she gave me a card from the holder, or whatever it was, at her waist. The card had a gemstone set in the middle, and the image on it was pretty unique. It depicted a killer whale.

  “This feels so strange. I think I’ve taken a liking to you. Would you become my husband?”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I know someone else who often says things like that.” She was like Sadeena, after all. Could she be the current water dragon’s miko priestess, here undercover?

  “Hahaha, are you turning me down?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this, so fixated on something. I’m looking for a storybook romance, anyway, so I’ll leave it at this tonight.” With that, and skipping as she went, she disappeared off into a side street. Was she going to be able to find lodgings? Her sense of direction sucked so badly I honestly wondered how she’d made it to today. Perhaps all the drink had pickled her brain?

  Should I really be letting her go alone?

  It was a serious question, but after I followed casually after her just a little, she was gone.

  “Will she—” S’yne began.

  “Will she be okay?” the doll finished.

  “No idea.” Even if I chased her down, I wasn’t sure I could detain her. Letting her walk the streets alone at night might not be a great idea, but S’yne and I already had one drunk to deal with. I’d just have to count on the relative safety of the streets of Q’ten Lo.

  “Let’s just get this drunkard back to the old guy and then get on home,” I said.

  We proceeded to take Motoyasu II back to the old guy and then hurried back to the house.

  Chapter Eight: Big Sister

  “Welcome back.” Raphtalia greeted us upon our arrival.

  “It’s time you were in bed. Staying up late is bad for your skin,” I scolded.

  “Hah. You never stopped me in the village when I was going out to intercept Atla,” she retorted. Ah, so she was annoyed by me coming back late. I should have made better use of S’yne.

  “I got stuck spending time with that pervert. S’yne and I set a little trap for him.”

  “I don’t need the details, if possible. I sent one of the servants to the old guy and heard that much, anyway.”

  “Ah, yeah, he mentioned that.” A messenger from the house had come to check where I was, something like that. I had been on my way back at that point though, so I didn’t think it mattered.

  “Anyway, you go and get your rest, Raphtalia. We’re going to be busy again tomorrow.”

  “Very well.”

  “In which case—”

  “In which case we’ll go to bed too. If you need us, we’ll be right there.” S’yne entered the house and went off to bed.

  “What about Atla?” I asked.

  “After bathing, she ate the food you made, Mr. Naofumi, and then got a bit rowdy. For now, she’s resting.” The “for now” part worried me a little. Sounded like they’d had their fair share of fun here too.

  “Big sister!” That was Fohl, and it was directed at Raphtalia. Huh? “Big sister?” Fohl was calling Raphtalia big sister now? What the hell happened here tonight?

  I pointed at Fohl, and Raphtalia’s reply was mixed with a sigh.

  “I finally had enough of Fohl enabling Atla’s spoiled rampage and gave him a bit of a lecture. This is the result,” she explained.

  “Okay, you’re going to have to fill me in,” I said. Raphtalia proceeded to give me the details.

  As it turned out, there had been a scuffle with Atla after I left, because she wanted to follow after me. As always, Fohl had tried to keep her under control. Sometimes he did, but he always needed someone’s help to do so.

  “Brother, please. I’ve spent so much time with you today. Please, move aside.” Atla had turned her wiles on Fohl in order to get him on her side and then escape. Raphtalia, Filo, and Sadeena had still stood in opposition to her.

  “After spending so much time with you both, I know how important Atla is to you. But just sitting by and watching your precious Atla’s violent tantrums, I have to wonder—is that really the way a gentle brother should act?” Raphtalia had lectured.

  “Uwah! I’m—I’m on Atla’s side! She’s been so kind to me today. I have to repay her for that!” Fohl had said and proceeded to take a swing at Raphtalia. But his fist didn’t reach her, and instead Raphtalia landed a slap on the violent Fohl’s cheek. Of course, with the modifier from the katana vassal weapon, he didn’t take much damage.

  “If Mr. Naofumi said something odd, I’d warn him and put him right. Worst case scenario—physically, if it came down to it,” she had denoted. She wasn’t wrong. Raphtalia would indeed get physical if I looked to make a mistake. The first time I used the Shield of Rage, for example. I could still remember that vortex of negative emotions. I couldn’t allow them to swallow me.

  Yes, she was right. Raphtalia always stopped me if I was going to make a mistake.

  “But what about you? You handle your kid sister with kid gloves! That’s not going to resolve anything,” she had fumed.

  “Uh . . .”

  “She even causes trouble for Mr. Naofumi. If you don’t help keep her in line, Mr. Naofumi may end up hating your precious Atla!” Raphtalia had warned.

  “Him? Hate Atla? That’s impossible! This is Atla we’re talking about!”

  “You think everyone loves Atla unconditionally, do you?”

  “Brother, don’t listen to her!” Even while she had cautioned Fohl, Atla had looked for openings in Raphtalia’s defense.

  “A-Atla is my precious sister who everyone loves!”

  “And I’m asking if you think that’s in the best interests of your sister!” At Raphtalia’s outburst, Fohl had backed away in something close to terror.

  “If you don’t caution her about these tantrums, she’s the one who’s event
ually going to suffer,” Raphtalia had gone on.

  “W-what? Atla? You think so?”

  “Do you know the kind of person that Mr. Naofumi doesn’t like? Women who use others, trample them, and enjoy their suffering!”

  “You’re right. When Atla trampled me, he did have a very unpleasant look on his face.”

  “Indeed. If you truly want the best for Atla, you need to take the reins and raise her into a respectable woman. Isn’t that what a good brother should do?” Had Raphtalia been aware that she was saying something a bit odd? Did a brother have that authority? That said, though, Fohl was not only Atla’s older brother, but also her parent-like figure. So maybe Raphtalia wasn’t so far off the mark.

  “Oh my. Don’t get too carried away, little Raphtalia,” Sadeena had cautioned.

  “Hmmm? I’m exhausted. Isn’t Master back yet?” Filo had whined.

  Ignoring this background noise, Raphtalia had voiced her concerns directly at Fohl. As though snapping back to himself, Fohl had looked at Raphtalia.

  “You’re right. I’ve been so fixated on Atla I’ve not been thinking about her at all. I’ve come to accept him, a little, but I’m not going to let that guy take Atla, no matter what!” Fohl had spouted. He accepted me? If I’d been there, that’s what I would have asked about.

  With that, Fohl had swiftly turned and launched a technique at Atla. His sister barely saw it coming and just got out of the way.

  “Brother, is this some kind of joke?” she had questioned.

  “Atla, if you stray from the true path, I will stop you with everything I’ve got!”

  “You’re betraying me?”

  “Betraying? I am, and always will be, your ally. I’ve realized that if you remain so selfish, the one you wish for may end up disliking you. As your brother, I will ensure that you grow into a fine, responsible woman!”

  “Hah. So you’re finally turning on me, brother? I won’t hold back, even for you.” And so Fohl and Atla’s scuffle had begun, and as a result, tonight Fohl had been the winner.

  This was all starting to make my head ache. I pressed my hand to my forehead and sighed.