Chapter 208: Bell Cranel Will Definitely Become a Hero!
"Gareth! Do you dare to come and drink with me!"
Loki grabbed a barrel of alcohol and two cups, approaching the dwarf warrior.
"Hmph, who's afraid of who? Today I'll show you what this old man can do!"
"By the way, the winner gets to do whatever they want with Riveria as a prize!"
"What?! In that case, l-let me join too!"
"Me tooooo!"
"I want to join in as well!!"
"And me too!"
"Hic... ah, I'll join too..."
"Eh?! Captain!!!"
As the party progressed, many began showing signs of intoxication.
Things they wouldn't dare say or do normally gradually emerged at the drinking table.
"Ri-Riveria-sama, what should we do..."
Hearing the drunkard's nonsense wager, Lefiya looked nervously toward the elf princess.
"Just ignore them."
However, Riveria herself didn't seem that concerned.
Sitting quietly beside her rowdy companions, Ais maintained her own pace, silently eating.
But predictably, she couldn't avoid being drawn in.
Soon, several members surrounded her with drinks, whether hoping to cheer her up or wanting to get closer to her.
Their attempts to get her to drink troubled Ais greatly, and the blond girl kept declining apologetically.
"Alright, everyone, stop trying to make Ais drink."
Coming to the girl's rescue was mama elf, who also wasn't drinking.
"Um... does Miss Ais not drink?"
Lefiya hadn't been in the familia long enough to know why Ais didn't drink.
Taking advantage of Riveria's intervention, she asked, hoping to learn more about her idol.
Lefiya knew why Riveria and Luke never drank alcohol- their principles about alcohol were never hidden.
But she truly didn't know why Ais didn't drink, as Ais herself never mentioned it to her.
"Ah, I know, I know!"
The cheerful amazoness sister Tiona came over after hearing their discussion.
After downing her glass in one go, she explained to the confused Lefiya:
"I was curious about this too before, so I asked Luke."
"Luke told me that Ais becomes really terrifying when she is drunk!"
"Eh?! Terrifying??? Are you sure??"
"Well, Ais can't handle alcohol at all, she gets drunk from just one glass."
"But the problem is she goes crazy when drunk... no, even beyond that. I heard Loki was almost killed by Ais once while she was drunk."
"Tiona... please, stop."
Ais, sitting nearby, blushed unusually red after hearing her shameful past.
She pushed at Tiona, trying to stop her from continuing to talk.
Going berserk while drunk was the girl's dark history, and Ais didn't want others discussing it.
She was still a girl after all, and acting wild while drunk was embarrassing enough.
This way the party's atmosphere gradually became more lively.
Led by the Loki Familia members, other customers in the shop also joined in the high spirits, laughing loudly.
Food and drink kept disappearing, surrounding customers kept laughing, and everyone enjoyed what could be called a delightful time.
...
Just then, Luke, who had slipped away from the party, came to Bell's corner.
"Ah! Luke-san!"
Bell, who had been watching the Loki Familia side, immediately noticed Luke's arrival.
"You know, no need to be so formal. Just Luke is fine. Adding 'san.' feels strange."
Looking at Bell who excitedly stood straight up from his chair, Luke smiled and sat down beside him.
However, Luke's casualness made Bell even more nervous.
"No, no, no, how could I address you so directly?"
"And... and..."
Suddenly, Bell became dejected, as if remembering something.
His hesitant tone and guilty expression made Luke understand what was happening.
"I see, Hestia went back and told you everything, right?"
"Ah... yes..."
Bell lowered his head.
After talking with Luke today, Hestia had made up her mind.
Not wanting to be a burden, she told Bell about the skill when he returned from the dungeon.
She also told Bell everything about her conversation with Luke today.
This was what made Bell feel so guilty.
"Discovering a skill, and a rare one at that, should be cause for celebration. Why do you look like someone died?"
Luke waved to Ryuu nearby, signaling her to bring two drinks over while talking to Bell.
"Of course I'm very happy about getting the skill... but, but..."
"...but this skill makes me feel like I've wronged you, Luke-san."
"It feels like I'm just taking advantage of you for my benefits without doing anything worthy."
Getting a skill was certainly good, but for Bell, benefiting from someone else in this way felt somewhat awkward.
Even though Luke wouldn't suffer any loss, the fact that Bell benefited because of Luke was undeniable.
Though he knew there was nothing wrong with it, Bell still felt this was somewhat 'sleazy'.
This youth was simply too kind-hearted, so kind that even taking a shortcut made him uneasy.
Luke rubbed his forehead, finding Bell's dejected appearance somewhat amusing.
"In that case, let's think about this from a different angle."
"Don't see this skill as taking advantage of me, but rather as my expectations for you."
"You becoming stronger through this skill is like responding to my expectations."
"How about that? Can you accept it this way?"
Luke's words greatly surprised Bell, who looked at Luke and said somewhat frantically:
"Eh?! Expectations?! ...But, but, I'm just a rookie who just became an adventurer, how could I..."
However, Bell's words were interrupted by Luke.
He patted Bell's head, then said with a smile:
"Don't think too much. You're someone who wants to become a 'hero', right?"
"But, can I... can I really become a 'hero'?"
"Of course! I, who is also called a 'hero' in this city, guarantee that you: Bell Cranel will definitely become a 'hero' in the future!"
Bell stared blankly at Luke.
Recognition from his idol completely stunned the white-haired youth.
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