Chapter 24

Airi couldn’t accept Camelian Peony’s wish to nullify her own wish. Naturally, she stomped her feet and threw a tantrum, and they agreed to play together for a few hours. Still, Airi refused to give up on her wish. Treating a perfectly fine person like a pet? Isn’t that just shameless? Just as I was about to unleash the wrath of Kuntakinte, Camelian Peony said this:

“Then, wish for what you originally wanted to wish for. If you do, I’ll wish for the same thing as you.”

At that, Airi puffed out her cheeks as usual and turned her back. Then, in a small voice, they agreed to take on a subjugation mission together.

As expected, Camelian Peony is amazing. To shut up that stubborn, fourth-dimensional girl like that. Is it like controlling fire with fire, or women with women? This girl, that girl?

“Big sis, your words are sharp as always.”

“Sigh… This is serious, really.”

“Yeah, my situation has been pretty serious lately.”

“No, not that. It’s about your disciple, Werner.”

“Huh? What about my disciple?”

Well, aside from being a bit slow, having a bad temper, a sharp tongue, acting foolish, being rude, and causing trouble, she’s a great kid. Thinking about it, there are a lot of things to subtract.

“Let’s have a drink tonight, Werner.”

“Ah… Dealing with a drunk big sis is the worst.”

She’s definitely pretty… and that’s the problem. I don’t know what I might do under the influence of alcohol. Plus, if something happens, I don’t think I can handle the aftermath. As a man, I’m not uninterested in making a quarter-elf, but it’s still a bit uncomfortable.

“I won’t drink enough to get completely wasted. It’s just to talk.”

“Well, if that’s the case…”

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That day, I was sweating bullets trying to put Airi to sleep, who was acting like a cricket with her mouth wide open. She even asked me to read her a fairy tale before bed, despite being all grown up.

After finishing the painful reading session, I found Camelian Peony had prepared a modest drinking table. She had cut the cheese into bite-sized pieces and even peeled some fruits.

“I should’ve prepared this, but I feel bad making you do it, big sis.”

“Don’t worry about it. I did it because I wanted to.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept your kindness.”

I picked up a piece of cheese from the plate and took a small bite. The flavor was strong, but it was tasty. Compared to what I ate as a child, it was a feast.

“Mmm, delicious.”

“It’s just cut cheese, what are you…”

“No, the knife work is exquisite. Big sis, you’ll make a great wife. I, the Archmage, guarantee it.”

“Werner, you’ve become quite the flatterer since I last saw you.”

Despite her words, Camelian Peony’s face was red. It was too early to blame the alcohol since she hadn’t even taken a sip yet.

To let her blame her embarrassment on the alcohol, I filled her glass to the brim with rum. The ice suddenly met the lukewarm rum and made a sizzling sound as it floated up.

Then, I filled my own glass with rum. I didn’t add ice, so there was no sizzling sound. I raised my glass slightly towards Camelian Peony, just enough so the drink wouldn’t spill.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know any good toasts for drinking with a beautiful woman.”

“What a coincidence, I don’t know any good toasts for drinking alone with a man either.”

We clinked our glasses.

I downed the full glass of rum in one go. It was bitter with a unique sweetness and a faint tropical fruit aroma lingering in my mouth. It was definitely not the cheap stuff sailors drink but something a bit more expensive. I was glad I had prepared it.

Camelian Peony, who had been sipping her rum, set her glass down and spoke.

“So, let’s continue the conversation from earlier…”

“Ah, about our disciple? I don’t think there’s any big problem with her or me.”

“No, both of you have big problems, which is why I prepared this occasion.”

“Big problems?”

It’s true that I have a big problem. The issue with my 8-year-younger fiancée is pretty big. Who knows what kind of trouble I’d be in if she caught me.

“That child is too immature, and you’re too soft on her, Werner.”

“Well, Airi does have that side to her… but am I really that soft?”

“Of course. Daring to treat her master like a pet? I couldn’t even imagine such a thing in my time.”

Wow, the elf boomer has spoken. She even drops the “back in my day” line, though her appearance is clearly that of a woman in her 20s. And she’s pretty too… Elves are generally born with outstanding looks, but Camelian Peony is especially beautiful. Shiny black hair, smooth skin, and jewel-like blue eyes. Werner also has black hair and blue eyes, but the quality of the colors is worlds apart.

“But big sis, I’m a laissez-faire kind of guy.”

“Laissez-faire and irresponsible are different, Werner. Even in a pasture, you set up at least a minimal fence.”

Camelian Peony, filled with anger, downed a glass of rum. I refilled her glass and my own.

“Why are you so soft on that child?”

This question was also in the official setting book.

“She’s the child of my first love, isn’t that natural, big sis?”

For those who might think of BL, let me warn you: Werner’s first love is definitely not a man.

“Werner, you…”

“Yeah, Airi’s mother… Media, big sis. Actually, she was my first love. Well, she met a good man in Zick, so I’m satisfied.”

“I see… Since when?”

“From 19 years ago to 17 years ago. Well, I’m not into women who are taken, so I gave up quickly.”

“So that’s why Media said that. Now I understand.”

“What?”

I downed the full glass of rum in one go. This time, the alcohol tasted strangely sweet, to the point where I didn’t need any snacks.

Why did Werner take such care of Airi? Because she resembled his first love. Airi’s mother, Media Les. To Werner, she was like a mother.

Werner loved her but had to give up. She only loved Zick, the protagonist, with all her heart. Thinking about it, it’s not NTR; they were already together when Werner was taken in.

Because she was the child of his first love, it was awkward. Because she was the child of his first love, he cherished her. Because she was the child of his first love, he kept her by his side. Because she was the child of his first love, he had to save her.

And because she was the child of his first love, she was worth risking his life for.

Werner was that kind of person. He received selfless love from everyone but gave love that would never be returned. Even if she didn’t know, he was honest about his feelings, even if it was shameful, and used methods that weren’t entirely honest.

The alcohol was quite strong; I had only had two glasses, but a strange drunkenness and Werner’s emotions began to mix with mine like a cocktail.

“Media was always worried about you.”

“Ah, Media was? That makes me happy.”

“At some point, she said it felt like you were there but not really there.”

“Is my presence as the Archmage that faint?”

“She said it felt like you might disappear like a dandelion seed in the wind. Even when you were smiling, she felt like you always wanted to disappear.”

“Hahaha… A dandelion seed…”

The engagement was just a trigger for Werner to leave. Countless factors made him want to leave. Those countless factors became threads, and the threads wove together to form a giant cage.

“And she said this too.”

“What, that she hated taking care of a brat like me?”

“No.”

Camelian Peony shook her head. Her shiny black hair swayed, still captivating.

“She said she was sorry.”

“What?”

“She said she forced the engagement on you and pushed you too hard.”

“Media said that…?”

“She said she wanted to give a nest to the youngest, who would soon fly far away like a migratory bird.”

Tears flowed without me realizing it. Were these my tears? Or were they from Werner’s instinct, realizing that his first love had worried about him like this?

“She said to forget about an old woman like her and find a prettier, kinder woman.”

“Haha… Big sis, you’re cruel till the end.”

The words came out without passing through my rationality. It was as if the words stored in Werner’s heart had jumped out on their own.

“There’s no woman prettier or kinder than Media, damn it…”

“Watch your mouth, Werner.”

“At least if she hadn’t taken care of me like family… I wouldn’t have mistaken it.”

“Werner…”

I downed the bottle of rum on the table. The strong rum burned my throat, but it didn’t matter. My chest was even hotter, so it felt cold in comparison.

“Throwing a tantrum and leaving because of a forced engagement… Raising her daughter alone and being satisfied… I feel like such an idiot, so ashamed I could bite my tongue and die.”

“Love is like that, Werner. It’s childish and ugly.”

“Being treated like family and falling in love… Is there another idiot like me in the world?”

Was it the alcohol? Or instinct? The words kept coming out without passing through my rationality.

“It’s not just her, is it?”

“What?”

“The people who treated you like family aren’t just Media.”

“Yeah, all the big brothers and sisters treated me like family.”

My stomach ached, so I reached for a piece of cheese.

“Let’s put aside the talk about comrades for now.”

Camelian Peony grabbed my wrist as I reached for the cheese. The warmth from her hand spread through mine, easing the unpleasant ache in my stomach.

“Yeah, you treated me like a mother too. Or maybe like a younger brother…”

“…Yeah.”

“But you said you were tired of it. Tired of treating me like the youngest who needed taking care of.”

“But to everyone, you’re still the youngest…”

“I said let’s put aside the talk about comrades, big sis… No.”

Borrowing the courage from the alcohol, I called her by her name instead of “big sis.”

“Camelia.”

“What…?”

“Do you still see me as the whiny youngest?”

The alcohol was great. Without realizing it, our faces had gotten closer, and I could feel Camelia’s warm breath.