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“Ilias, I have finished preparing the meat.”

That man brought the ingredients while I was looking after the fire.

We invited a friend for today’s dinner and decided to have a barbeque in the garden of my residence.

He places the ingredients down and sits by my side with a bottle of alcohol in hand.

“Good work. Let’s begin cooking.” (Ilias)

“Right. Haah, it is nicely done no matter how many times I look at it.”

He is praising himself for the brick stove that I was looking after.

I have done a barbeque before, but it was a simple one made with rocks when camping.

What we are using right now is the one that he built from zero. According to him, it is a hobby on Earth called D.I.Y.

Speaking of which, there was a period when my father would try to make handmade toys.

My mother joined in the middle, but the two of them were bad at handiwork, so I don’t remember seeing a finished product.

I am sure they would have been praising their own work if they had finished one just like that man is doing right now.

Rakura and Wolfe came here while I was thinking about this.

The temperature is lowering since the sun is going down, so the two of them are wearing handmade shawls made by Saira. That sight of them reminded me a bit of the past.

“Shishou, is there anything I can help with?!” (Wolfe)

“I have already finished preparations. Please tell the people over there that we have food too. You can just help out by having fun after that.”

“Got it!” (Wolfe)

“Also, we are using fire, so tie it up properly and don’t let it sway too much.”

“Please tie it!” (Wolfe)

That man was a bit dumbstruck by the unreserved request, but he smiled soon after and tied the shawl of Wolfe.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes, this is okay! Thank you very much!” (Wolfe)

Wolfe spun happily as if showing off her shawl and headed to the place of the others.

I feel like she is more energetic than normal. There’s no way she is drinking alcohol, right?

“It has become awfully lively compared to before!” (Rakura)

“Right. You were already drunk since the preparation stage as always, Rakura.”

“I worked in gathering the firewood and bricks after all! You are using me as a convenient cutting tool, Counselor-sama!” (Rakura)

“I simply provided you an opportunity after you used all the money for the ingredients and alcohol that we planned on using together with the orphanage, and you were crying about not being able to participate.”

“Ugu.” (Rakura)

He was actually using her as a convenient tool, but Rakura also had a reason she couldn’t refuse.

What’s more pitiful is that Ekdoik was also caught up in that despite having paid for the participation fee.

That said, the person himself agreed simply because he could work together with that man.

Ekdoik was left with looking after the stone kiln set a little distance away.

That one was also made by that man.

The reason why there’s distance is so that the smell of cooking meat doesn’t reach Ekdoik.

“Well, I am grateful. It is not easy to slice up rocks into brick shapes after all. The barbeque stove could be made with random bricks, but the stone kiln is a different story.”

“Hehe. Be more grateful! The alcohol will taste better!” (Rakura)

“I would have even hugged you if you paid the money too though. Now, if you are going to brag, do so to the people who are around the stone kiln.”

“Okay~! Everyone, did you know that stone kiln was made by me and Ekdoik-niisan~?” (Rakura)

There’s already food being distributed over there with a dish called pizza being one of them.

They are pretty lively.

It is nice that it is getting crowded, but I don’t know about Ruko-sama being the one who is doing the cooking.

The reactions of the people around has changed greatly after Ruko-sama became a queen. For Ruko-sama, that man is one of the few friends that hasn’t changed.

That’s why she happily accepted a role like this one, but…I personally am worried about His Majesty showing up anytime to check how things are going.

“Marito said he is busy today, so he can’t come. He was making a super mortified face. We even made a promise to invite him personally some other day.”

“I-I see…” (Ilias)

I was relieved, but also smiled wryly at how I have gotten used to him seeing through me.

I looked at his profile and he was watching the place where everyone is with a gentle smile.

“Does it make you that happy?” (Ilias)

“You could say that. I was making new memories when I just came to this world after all. It feels nostalgic being able to recreate things I thought ‘I want to do this again’. That faint sense of achievement is comforting.”

“…That’s why, huh.” (Ilias)

The reason why Wolfe was that happy…

Anyone can tie her shawl. But having that man tie it up for her had bigger worth in creating memories.

“You can’t recreate the exact same scenery. There will be growth, increase in numbers, decreases; there will always be some sort of change. But feeling nostalgia together with someone is…truly blissful.”

“Right. I also feel a bit ticklish.” (Ilias)

It is different from obtaining a new, fresh experience. The happiness of sharing memories with someone and treasuring them.

I looked up and I felt like the starry sky was more beautiful than normal.

This starry sky and this scenery with everyone is something that we could have seen yesterday or tomorrow. Even so, I can tell that this is a scenery that will be burned in my memories as its own special thing.

“What are ya doing indulging in the moment as if ya were an old married couple…?”

The Gold Demon Lord showed up with a slightly taken aback expression while I was enjoying this.

She had a slice of pizza in one hand and alcohol in the other. It seems like she is enjoying the moment.

“I have to stay here so that it doesn’t get burnt after all. There’s nothing to do aside from sitting here and chattering.”

“Ya can just have Kutou do that. Ya just had him on standby so that no troubles would happen to him, right?” (Gold)

“Half and half, I guess.”

“Getting all harmonious at the distance. I couldn’t get close without being drunk.” (Gold)

“It is not like that. See?”

He said this and smacked his own lap lightly.

The Gold Demon Lord must have felt good with that, she jumped onto the lap of that man with a satisfied face.

The scent of him and her mixing reached even me, and I could feel the atmosphere change a little.

“Nfufufu, that’s admirable. Ya seem to be in a far better mood than I imagined.” (Gold)

“That’s right. People are having fun with the barbeque set I made. I am feeling good with the sense of accomplishment and all that.”

“I see. It seems like yer a bit drunk as well. It is rare to see ya being drunk, Ser.” (Gold)

I didn’t notice because of the light of the fire, but his face is certainly a bit red.

It is not rare to see him drinking, but it is pretty rare to see him do actions that would make you think he is drunk.

“I normally make it so that I won’t get drunk even when I drink.”

“You can do that?” (Ilias)

“It is the opposite way of getting drunk with the atmosphere. If I am conscious of where I am standing at all times, it is harder to get intoxicated.”

I understand what he is trying to say. It wouldn’t be easy to get drunk in a tense atmosphere.

But can you readily do something like that while enjoying the atmosphere?

“It is fine to relax though.” (Gold)

“Who knows what will be done to me if I were to get dead drunk.”

“I can’t deny that.” (Gold)

“Please do.”

I don’t plan on commenting about this, but it is true that there would be a lot of people who would get drawn into doing a lot of evil stuff if he were to get dead drunk.

Lately, he can’t even lower his guard towards Wolfe.

But he is still drinking little by little even while talking about that, so I can feel that his guard has lowered quite a lot.

Well, it is partly because I am here though.

“Nfufu, I would like to see ya seducing me in yer drunken state though.” (Gold)

“That would only be troubling to react to.”

“Who do ya think this one is? I am a Demon Lord that has lived centuries, ya know? On the contrary, I could whisper to ya in a way that would make ya panic…to a degree…where it brings ya back to yer…senses…” (Gold)

I look over there at the change in the Gold Demon Lord’s tone, and I spit out my drink at the sight.

That man was hugging the Gold Demon Lord from behind with his hands that were now empty.

He placed a hand on her cheek and moved his face close to a degree where their foreheads could touch.

“What’s the matter, Gold? You are going to fluster me, right? Come on, try whispering. I am all ears. Go on.”

“—”

No, isn’t that more like a threat rather than seduction? -is what I wanted to retort with, but the Gold Demon Lord’s face turned red as she froze in place, so I let it be.

He moved his face away after a bit and put away his spine-chilling smile, returning to his loose face of before.

“So you can switch even when drunk.” (Ilias)

“I can easily change my standing if my self-control is messed up after all. That’s why I normally try to not get drunk. It would just confuse you if I were to suddenly switch, right?”

“True. But that just now was you switching partly to tease her, right?” (Ilias)

“Haha, being drunk is scary.”

He shook the frozen Gold Demon Lord that’s within his arms while laughing.

It seems like he is pretty drunk here.

“Right. Ending up doing things you normally don’t do is scary. A lot of emotions moved in that action just now after all.”

“…Yeah.” (Ilias)

He may not have noticed since he is green when it comes to battle, but there were a lot of people who were paying attention over here from the very beginning.

If there’s a change in the Gold Demon Lord on top of that, it is natural for them to look this way.

Also, if the person you are talking to suddenly looks elsewhere, that person’s eyes will be drawn to that place too.

Basically, there are a lot of people over there who saw the exchange just now.

“C-Counselor-sama?! W-What a bold thing to do when there are eyes around!” (Rakura)

“N-No, that was just me playing along while drunk…”

“Oh? Not bad. Can you do that to me too?” (Purple)

“M-Mister Friend, how about switching to Me-dono while at it…” (Mix)

“Shishou, I don’t mind being last, but please do it to me too!” (Wolfe)

He would normally be able to easily imagine what kind of reaction his surroundings would make if he were to do something like that.

“As expected of Brother… Will I be able to do the same…?” (Haaku)

“I think it would be impossible for you when you collapse in a heartbeat, Haakudoku.” (Masetta)

“I see… That’s a good reference.” (Ekdoik)

“Don’t, Ekdoik.” (Blue)

“Ah, this the thing taught by Master. If pheasant doesn’t sing, it doesn’t get hit*!” (Kutou) <TLN: Don’t say something bad to avoid disaster.>

He would have also considered the development afterwards and restrained himself… Being drunk really is scary.

I better make sure not to be drowned by it even if I drink alcohol.

But well, it wouldn’t feel bad to be approached in such a manne—I really might be drunk.

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