Chapter 19

The 19th-century German philosopher Nietzsche once said,

“God is dead.”

And in the year 20XX, after being reincarnated as the protagonist’s master in *Draghinty Fantasy 2*, I said,

“I’m so screwed now.”

In the original story, Airi and Werner made a promise. No matter what, they would always eat dinner together and never stay out overnight. Back then, Airi was clearly around 9 years old.

The full conversation went something like this:

[Master, I really dislike you, but I hate eating dinner alone and living in this big, lonely house even more!]

[Hey, you said you hate me, so why do you care if I stay out?]

[You went out without telling me yesterday and only came back in the morning! I really hate that!]

At the time, Werner had just gone out to take down a criminal organization that was targeting Airi.

[I don’t want to be alone anymore.]

For Airi, who had filled the void left by her parents with Werner, his absence meant loneliness.

[Alright, I won’t stay out anymore, and we’ll always eat dinner together.]

And in the side story, Werner and Camelian Peony also made a promise. When Werner’s older brothers first took him to a bar, Werner got drunk, used magic to wreck the place, and caused a scene. Of course, the brothers who took him there were punished all day, and Werner promised Camelian Peony that even if he drank with her, he wouldn’t cause any trouble.

But now, after running out of the house, getting wasted, and staying out overnight, he broke both promises. And to make things worse, he got caught by a slave trader? His skin wouldn’t survive this.

Especially with Camelian Peony, she’d definitely tell his older brothers and sisters, and then he’d be dragged away immediately.

There’s no solution. No solution at all.

My father used to say… Oh wait, I don’t have a dad. Damn, I can’t even use the cheat code of “fatherly advice.” What should I do?

Maybe I should buy some soup? If I bring soup, they’ll be too angry to eat it, and I’ll end up dead before becoming a hero. Let’s just kill them before they become heroines.

Enough with the pointless chatter. When I opened the door, only a lonely silence greeted me.

“Big sis… and Airi, I’m home.”

No response. They’re definitely mad. I could feel the seriousness of the situation.

I had no choice but to bow in apology and knock on the door.

“Big sis, it’s me. I’m sorry for drinking and staying out, but hear me out first.”

No response. Camelian Peony is scary when she’s angry. A simple gift might not cut it this time.

Then there’s only one solution. I’ll win over Airi first. If I patch things up with Airi, Camelian Peony will be the only one left mad over a resolved issue.

Good, the plan is perfect. Now, I just need to fix things with Airi. I knocked on Airi’s door.

“Airi, yesterday I got hit by a carriage and flew to another world to save it… I’m sorry. I just got drunk and slept on the street.”

No need to mention getting caught by a slave trader. If they find out, they’ll get mad, and then it’ll be a black mark on my history. I’d become Chun-sik, not Werner.

Unfortunately, no response. It seems the women have teamed up to take me down.

Feeling lost and frustrated, I sat at the table and let out a long sigh. Seriously, I’m 29 years old. Is it such a big crime to drink, sleep on the street, and get caught by a slave trader?

Where did the spirit of freedom in this era go? Oh wait, if such an era existed, there wouldn’t be slaves. I guess I really messed up.

“Haaa…”

As I sighed deeply, the door suddenly opened, and Camelian Peony appeared.

“Werner…?”

“Oh, big sis, were you out?”

So, I was just making a fool of myself in front of Camelian Peony’s room for no reason. What a waste of time.

“Werner, where have you been all this time?”

“Uh, well… I had some trouble with slave traders…”

Trouble, huh? More like I got caught by them.

“I’ve heard rumors about an illegal organization kidnapping people and selling them as slaves around here lately… Did you fight them or something?”

“Well, I gave them a little beating.”

Thinking about it, I used wind magic to take them down. Was it a wind hole or a beating? Well, I chopped them up, so it was a beating.

“…You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Ah, I sprained my ankle a little.”

The restraints didn’t fit well, so my ankle got bruised. Thinking about it now, I’m mad. I should’ve just cut off their ankles and left. Well, I locked them up in iron bars, so they can starve or die of thirst for all I care.

Camelian Peony quietly approached and hugged me.

“I understand that you were abused by slave traders when you were young, but…”

Wait, I just got drunk, slept on the street, and got caught, okay?

“Don’t go fighting out of hatred. I can’t bear to see someone like you, who’s like a younger brother to me, get hurt because of that…”

No, I just got drunk, slept on the street, got caught, and bruised my ankle because the restraints didn’t fit.

But Camelian Peony’s tone wasn’t her usual cold and stiff one. Instead, it was warm and pleading.

“Big sis, I’ve already forgotten about the past, but…”

“…Werner.”

“What is it, big sis?”

“You smell like alcohol.”

Camelian Peony’s tone turned cold and stiff again.

I’m screwed. I couldn’t hide the alcohol smell. Seriously, why do elves have such a good sense of smell? Shouldn’t they have good hearing instead?

“I just had a drink after the fight, and it brought back some old memories.”

“Werner… we made a promise, didn’t we?”

“Ah, big sis, wait, I forgot I had something to do at the adventurer’s guild.”

I don’t remember clearly, but it must’ve been something. It must’ve been. I’ll make it up.

“…Werner, today’s the adventurer’s guild’s regular day off, isn’t it?”

“Damn it.”

What kind of adventurer guild has days off? They should just take whatever jobs come their way and say, “Thank you, sir!” If they keep taking days off, families will fall apart, and society will collapse.

“Werner, what promise did we make?”

“…I promised not to cause you any trouble with my drinking.”

“But you broke that promise.”

A cold chill pierced my body. Plus, since she was hugging me, there was no way to escape. Damn, this is why I shouldn’t let close-combat swordsmen get near me.

“Big sis, this wasn’t about drinking causing trouble. I caused trouble first, then drank.”

“Werner, do you really think that kind of excuse will work?”

Honestly, even I thought that was nonsense. I just tried it out, but it seems like a bust.

“Sigh… Big sis, I’m really sorry. I messed up.”

“No, I’ve teased you enough, so you don’t need to apologize.”

“No, I’m really sorry. I’ll treat you to food and drinks next time.”

“Hmph… drinks again? You really like alcohol, huh? Is it the influence of the leader or the other comrades? It seems we’ve been a bad influence on you.”

Thinking about it, the members from *Draghinty Fantasy 1* were the ones who taught Werner to drink, arranged his engagement, entrusted Airi to him, and even taught him gambling. What are these people doing to the youngest?

No wonder the youngest went from a naive boy to a cynical old man.

“No, big sis, asking you to drink with me isn’t just because I like alcohol…”

I had to play my cards here.

“Last time I saw you drunk, you were really cute. For some reason, I wanted to see it again.”

Camelian Peony’s face turned red. Maybe there are a lot of northerners around here. But no matter how red the people around me are, my anti-communist spirit won’t waver. Even if Stalin showed up, I’d still shout that the Communist Party is wrong. Thinking about it, an archmage could easily take down Stalin, right?

“Hmph… Hmph. You’ve grown up so much that you can even make jokes like that. Time really flies, Werner.”

“No, big sis, I’m serious.”

“What… what?”

“I don’t joke about women’s faces. Your drunk face was really cute. I mean it.”

Of course, I don’t joke around, even if I lie. And honestly, Camelian Peony’s drunk face was really cute. Cute enough to make my lower half stand at attention. Though the hangover was a bit much.

“What are you two doing right now?”

Just then, Airi returned. And at the exact moment Camelian Peony was hugging me. They say unlucky people break their noses even if they fall backward. Just as I dealt with Camelian Peony, Airi became the problem.

Why is my life like this?

Why is life so hard?

There’s no answer. What does this guy even know?