Volume 11 Chapter 32 It's Been A While
The next morning, I woke up with a guilty conscience, feeling like I'd left a bunch of stuff undone, after drinking with Gyurvi.
"Trouble..."
The only thing I vaguely remembered was returning to the inn with Gyurvi, getting taken care of by my wives, and being carried to my room by the Ice Knights.
Everything after that was a complete blank, and I was tormented by a hangover headache as I got out of bed.
"Good morning, Master~♡!"
"Uh? Ah, good morning, Rollo..."
I lost my words as I greeted Rollo, staring at her.
"Hmm~? What's wrong~? You're looking at me like I'm a completely different person or something~..."
Rollo chuckled, "Hehe, nihihi~♡" and gazed up at me with a mischievous grin.
Rollo's observation was spot on. At first glance, Rollo looked like a completely different person.
Her appearance hadn't changed at all. But inside, she was different.
It was as if she was suppressing some intense energy that was about to burst out, and it was visible to the point that Rollo seemed to have changed overnight.
"...Did something happen yesterday?"
"Hmm~? Nothing major happened, I suppose~. If I had to say, maybe I just let something slide or overlooked it~?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It's a secret~♡."
Rollo said, descending to the first floor. I followed, curving my mouth into a wry smile, and muttered, "You're still the same, huh?"
Downstairs, everyone was gathered, eating breakfast. I made a sour face and said, "Uh, good morning. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused yesterday..." as I showed my face.
"Good morning... Wade-kun. Are you okay after what happened?"
"After what happened?"
"I brought you water, but you were already asleep, Wade-kun."
"Ah, I'm fine. Thanks, Ice, you're so kind."
"U, no... hehe..."
I gently patted Ice's cheek, appreciative of his concern. Then, Toxy said to me:
"The hero who defeated the Leader Chiero won't be complained to for that much. Gyurvi-san...-kun?"
"Yeah, that's right, Wade. Go ahead and eat breakfast first."
"You're too used, Gyurvi."
Gyurvi was already eating breakfast, looking like a kid. It seems he's being spoiled by Toxy and the others.
I sat down and checked on my party members.
Everyone was present and accounted for. My 2 mentors weren't there, but that's okay, they do what they want. The demon bunch was mostly here too, with Rollo, Renril, Mung, and...
"Toxy, where's Sur?"
"Ah... He's been sleeping in. I'll go call him after breakfast, okay?..."
Toxy said, looking concerned.
"He hasn't been acting normally since yesterday."
After finishing breakfast, I headed to Sur's room, with Rollo following me.
"Rollo, don't be a bother, okay?"
"I won't, I promise~!"
Lately, Rollo has been behaving, so I decided to trust her for now. The two of us visited Sur's room.
"Sur, can I come in?"
"Come in, yeah..."
I slowly opened the door, and a pitch-black room greeted us.
I touched the magic tool, and the light turned on. To let in the sunlight, I opened the curtain.
The figure of Sur I saw was terrible.
"..."
He was staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes wide open. Or maybe he wasn't looking at anything.
His once healthy, sun-kissed skin was now pale and dull, and his black hair, which used to have a gentle wave, was now disheveled.
"...Sur."
I had heard that he killed his family. But I was shocked to see him in such a terrible mental state.
I, on the other hand, had clashed with my father, but I didn't kill him, and I was able to resolve some of the emotional baggage in my heart.
In that sense, I thought Sur couldn't do the same. But he ended up killing his family in a brutal way, and now he had a face that couldn't express anything but regret and helplessness.
"..."
"Master, don't you think we need to do something more~, or Uncle Sur won't react~?"
"...I can't do it."
"Eh~?"
I bit my lower lip and looked at Sur. Then, I reconsidered.
I didn't think that just a little encouragement from me would be enough to change Sur. I couldn't say anything that would resonate with his heart. I wasn't even sure if we could have a conversation...
As I was thinking that, Rollo spoke up.
"I guess there's no other way~, so I'll do it instead~!"
"Wait, what?"
"Yay!"
With a loud "slap!", Rollo slapped Sur's face with the palm of her hand. He covered his face with one hand, saying "Ah...".
"Rollo, what are you doing with that kind of force?"
I was about to say that, but then...
"――――!"
Sur suddenly sat up with a loud thud, throwing off the blanket. His face was twisted in a fierce expression.
"S-Sur...?"
"I-I just... Wade-sama, just now...!"
Sur's eyes were wide with excitement as he leaned in close to me. I had no idea what was going on, so I raised my hands in surrender and froze.
The only one who remained calm was Rollo.
"Hey, over here,"
Rollo said, and Sur slowly turned to look at her. Rollo was sitting in a nearby chair, looking relaxed.
"It's been a while. How've you been?"
"...?"
They just met yesterday, but it's been a while...?
gnoring my confusion, Sur straightened up and replied,
"...Yes. I've had my ups and downs, but I'm doing well, thank you."
"Is your sense of self still the same, Uncle Sur?"
"Yes, it is. My knowledge and abilities are still intact."
"That's good. But you're not perfect, right?"
"No, I'm not."
"Well~, you're just like Rollo and the others, then."
Just as Sur was about to say something, Rollo interrupted him.
"Shh..."
Rollo playfully put his finger to Sur's lips,
"See..."
and Sur slowly calmed down, taking a deep breath.
"So, what do you plan to do next?"
Rollo thought for a moment before responding. "Well~, I want to make sure everyone is happy."
"What do you mean?"
"Everybody's everybody, yeah. Even Brother, Uncle Mung, Uncle Sur, and....
Rollo clings to my arm, hugging it tightly.
"Master and everyone~♡"
"R-Rollo...?"
"So, I feel like Uncle Sur can help me put the last piece together."
"...Yes, that's correct. I understand. I'll do my best to help everything go smoothly."
"Thanks~♡, but it's not a big deal or anything."
A mysterious promise is exchanged between the two. I'm confused, and I stare at them.
"Hey, what's going on with you two...? You're acting differently than usual."
"Hmm~♡, hehe, hihi♡."
Rollo is rubbing her face against my arm, looking happy.
While looking at her, Sur talks to me.
"Wade-sama, we've finished all the preparations to infiltrate Demon King Castle. Although there are some concerns, we can't wait any longer."
"...Yeah, that's right. We've taken down Bazaar, Slum, and Circus. The Demon King's army is also in a state of paralysis after losing their top leader."
It's now or never. We have to take down Demon King Castle and defeat the Demon King, and it has to be now.
"However, Wade-sama, I think everyone's feeling tired. I recommend taking a break today and launching the attack on Demon King Castle tomorrow or the day after."
"Ah, I was thinking the same thing. We even talked about doing it tomorrow during breakfast."
"Is that so? I apologize for the unnecessary advice."
I forced a smile, and Sur smiled back politely. At first glance, it seemed like he had recovered, and he was acting like his usual self.
But something was off. Something was still broken, and he was just pretending to be okay on the surface. That's the vibe I got from Sur.
"..."
But I couldn't push him to talk about it. As long as Sur was pretending to be fine, I couldn't do anything.
"Hey~, let's all relax and have fun today~! Master~!"
Rollo, on the other hand, was being her usual energetic self, even more so than usual. She said to me.
"We can flirt with each other~, tease Ice-sama, or play cards together~! Let's have a blast on the eve of the final battle~!"
Rollo was getting excited all on her own, and I tried to match her energy while still keeping an eye on Sur. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan!" I said.
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