My sluggish mind was shocked awake as if doused with cold water. I had been wondering what he was going to say… but in the end, he was just trying to see if I still had lingering feelings for Fabian. Thinking about it, Mayer and I were close enough business-wise, but not so intimate as to show his weakness like this. What a cunning man. At first, I thought he was simply a bad drunk, but he could have orchestrated this situation to probe my thoughts. Not to mention, I had drunk a lot of wine as well. Clearly, he had planned to make me fess up my thoughts with the aid of intoxication, to see whether I would betray him or not.
I regretted feeling sorry for this man for even a moment. A drink for a job well done, my foot!
But regardless of how betrayed I felt, I was once Fabian’s dog so I could understand why Mayer would try to fathom my thoughts. Putting my feelings aside, as far as appearances went, I couldn’t have seemed more loyal to that traitor. I might’ve seemed like a blind fanatic even up to the moment I joined the Dark Knights; it was understandable that the duke was having difficulties trusting me.
Furthermore, he was hiding the crucial fact about him being the core of the Demon Lord. Seeing as how it wasn’t a secret that could be shared with just anybody, he could only be careful about choosing who to keep by his side. Since I had proven how useful I could be, he had to be measuring how much trust he could place… With that being the case, I had to work even harder in gaining his trust. After all, I could only plan future strategies if he revealed his possession of mana to me.
Clearing up my thoughts, I sighed, a frown on my face. “As you always say, Captain,” I began, raising my voice in annoyance, “my lies show on my face so I’m just going to be straight with you. Are you making fun of me right now?”
Taken aback by my anger, Mayer’s eyes widened, but that didn’t stop me from running my mouth. “Disappointed? Going back to Fabian? Are you branding me as a person without honor because I switched flags once?”
“That is not what I think, I—”
“Then you wouldn’t have even asked that question in the first place. Is it because I was Fabian’s dog? Because dogs don’t change owners?”
“Jun,” he muttered.
“Did I ever mention this? I hated being called that way.” He stared at me, silent, and I continued, “I only did my best as a member of the corps and yet, for some reason, they got the wrong idea.”
Mayer fell silent, as I knew he would. In moments like these, it was effective to play innocent or get overly angry. In his usual state of mind, Mayer would’ve noticed something was up, but I presumed the alcohol was kicking in; he only sat there sweating in confusion at my unexpected outburst as he apologized, “…I am truly sorry that I said such things when we first met.”
“Unlike you, Captain, I have a large heart, so apology accepted.” His befuddled silence prompted me to go on talking. “So then, why did you ask such a thing out of nowhere? Did you do something, by any chance? Sacrificed your men like Wipera or something? Is that why you were trying to beat me to the punch?”
He hesitated. “That… is not it.”
“Then it’s fine.”
“Fine?”
“Of course, you’re the one who proposed that I join the corps. But in the end, I thought things through before accepting your offer. I chose you, Captain, because you met my conditions,” I explained somewhat indifferently, leaning back against my chair as much as I could. One of my hands was still being held by Mayer. “We’re both on the same boat already. You need to defeat the Demon Lord no matter what, Captain. It’s no use even if you complain. If it turns out that you aren’t as strong as I thought…” I met Mayer’s eyes and continued, in a clear voice, “I just need to make you stronger.”
Mayer stared at me blankly, wonder in his eyes. “You…? Me?”
“Why? You think I can’t?” I asked with a taunting grin. I knew his physical specs in and out so that didn’t matter, but the problem lay in his mentality. To begin with, I chose Mayer despite knowing that he would turn into the Demon Lord. Since I was already assuming the worst to happen, there wasn’t much Mayer could do to put me at a loss. “I just always do my best as a member of the corps, and doing my best means perfectly supporting you, Captain.” I continued to explain. “So don’t worry; even if you suddenly say you don’t want to fight the Demon Lord, I’ll send you to his castle even if I need to kick your ass over there. What else do you think I’m suffering here for?”
Mayer still looked disbelieving regardless of my composed attitude. The man was fidgeting with my poor hand so much that I felt they were getting worn out. Still, I let him do as he liked and had some wine to wet my throat that was dry from talking so much. Sipping at my glass, I glanced sideways at Mayer, whose face had turned much gentler than before. Feeding me alcohol to probe my thoughts… talk about shocking. I wouldn’t ever be drinking with him again. Then again, the liquor in my mouth was far too sweet, and Mayer’s handsome face was a fine appetizer to go with it… so maybe just one more time.
I was changing my mind like flipping a coin. If I could drink bottles of this standard of liquor, I could bear with some questioning anytime.
My sluggish mind was shocked awake as if doused with cold water. I had been wondering what he was going to say… but in the end, he was just trying to see if I still had lingering feelings for Fabian. Thinking about it, Mayer and I were close enough business-wise, but not so intimate as to show his weakness like this. What a cunning man. At first, I thought he was simply a bad drunk, but he could have orchestrated this situation to probe my thoughts. Not to mention, I had drunk a lot of wine as well. Clearly, he had planned to make me fess up my thoughts with the aid of intoxication, to see whether I would betray him or not.
I regretted feeling sorry for this man for even a moment. A drink for a job well done, my foot!
But regardless of how betrayed I felt, I was once Fabian’s dog so I could understand why Mayer would try to fathom my thoughts. Putting my feelings aside, as far as appearances went, I couldn’t have seemed more loyal to that traitor. I might’ve seemed like a blind fanatic even up to the moment I joined the Dark Knights; it was understandable that the duke was having difficulties trusting me.
Furthermore, he was hiding the crucial fact about him being the core of the Demon Lord. Seeing as how it wasn’t a secret that could be shared with just anybody, he could only be careful about choosing who to keep by his side. Since I had proven how useful I could be, he had to be measuring how much trust he could place… With that being the case, I had to work even harder in gaining his trust. After all, I could only plan future strategies if he revealed his possession of mana to me.
Clearing up my thoughts, I sighed, a frown on my face. “As you always say, Captain,” I began, raising my voice in annoyance, “my lies show on my face so I’m just going to be straight with you. Are you making fun of me right now?”
Taken aback by my anger, Mayer’s eyes widened, but that didn’t stop me from running my mouth. “Disappointed? Going back to Fabian? Are you branding me as a person without honor because I switched flags once?”
“That is not what I think, I—”
“Then you wouldn’t have even asked that question in the first place. Is it because I was Fabian’s dog? Because dogs don’t change owners?”
“Jun,” he muttered.
“Did I ever mention this? I hated being called that way.” He stared at me, silent, and I continued, “I only did my best as a member of the corps and yet, for some reason, they got the wrong idea.”
Mayer fell silent, as I knew he would. In moments like these, it was effective to play innocent or get overly angry. In his usual state of mind, Mayer would’ve noticed something was up, but I presumed the alcohol was kicking in; he only sat there sweating in confusion at my unexpected outburst as he apologized, “…I am truly sorry that I said such things when we first met.”
“Unlike you, Captain, I have a large heart, so apology accepted.” His befuddled silence prompted me to go on talking. “So then, why did you ask such a thing out of nowhere? Did you do something, by any chance? Sacrificed your men like Wipera or something? Is that why you were trying to beat me to the punch?”
He hesitated. “That… is not it.”
“Then it’s fine.”
“Fine?”
“Of course, you’re the one who proposed that I join the corps. But in the end, I thought things through before accepting your offer. I chose you, Captain, because you met my conditions,” I explained somewhat indifferently, leaning back against my chair as much as I could. One of my hands was still being held by Mayer. “We’re both on the same boat already. You need to defeat the Demon Lord no matter what, Captain. It’s no use even if you complain. If it turns out that you aren’t as strong as I thought…” I met Mayer’s eyes and continued, in a clear voice, “I just need to make you stronger.”
Mayer stared at me blankly, wonder in his eyes. “You…? Me?”
“Why? You think I can’t?” I asked with a taunting grin. I knew his physical specs in and out so that didn’t matter, but the problem lay in his mentality. To begin with, I chose Mayer despite knowing that he would turn into the Demon Lord. Since I was already assuming the worst to happen, there wasn’t much Mayer could do to put me at a loss. “I just always do my best as a member of the corps, and doing my best means perfectly supporting you, Captain.” I continued to explain. “So don’t worry; even if you suddenly say you don’t want to fight the Demon Lord, I’ll send you to his castle even if I need to kick your ass over there. What else do you think I’m suffering here for?”
Mayer still looked disbelieving regardless of my composed attitude. The man was fidgeting with my poor hand so much that I felt they were getting worn out. Still, I let him do as he liked and had some wine to wet my throat that was dry from talking so much. Sipping at my glass, I glanced sideways at Mayer, whose face had turned much gentler than before. Feeding me alcohol to probe my thoughts… talk about shocking. I wouldn’t ever be drinking with him again. Then again, the liquor in my mouth was far too sweet, and Mayer’s handsome face was a fine appetizer to go with it… so maybe just one more time.
I was changing my mind like flipping a coin. If I could drink bottles of this standard of liquor, I could bear with some questioning anytime.
