282nd Episode
A Short Leisure Time #4
Actually, drinking with Elpride wasn’t something entirely new for me.
Even back when I was still a slave, Elpride and I had many opportunities to eat or drink together—though it wasn’t exactly a casual drinking session. It always felt more like one of those mandatory office outings where you’re sitting stiffly in the presence of your superior. But as the time spent together grew, I gradually came to understand her—enough to carry on conversations without crossing any boundaries.
But today is different. There’s no need to worry about such things.
I am now a freeman, equal to Elpride. Soon, I’ll even elevate to the same silver tier as a proper adventurer, and I’ve already paid off most of my mental debt to her.
So with nothing holding me back, I indulged in cold drinks and warm meat while chatting casually about nothing in particular.
“Don’t scold me again!”
“Oh, sh*t.”
I watched as Elpride’s pointed ears, peeking through her hair, turned bright red. She must be angry because I called her a “dry elf.” For some reason she absolutely hates being teased like that.
Normally, if I were still her slave, I might have already received a slap for such jokes—but Elpride merely trembled, enduring it without saying much in return.
This must be what freedom tastes like.
It seems worth every single silver coin I saved over the last two years.
“I don’t get mad over things like that anymore. My mind is my own now.”
With a deep sigh, Elpride took another sip of her drink. Her pale face was unusually red, either from consuming too much beer or from trying to suppress her anger.
For a moment, I considered teasing her again, but then I remembered the last time the tavern caught on fire, so I decided to call it quits. She’s kind of like a powder keg, so you have to be careful.
Because of that, an awkward silence settled between us for a bit. We had just been having such a good time, but now there was a cold river of silence flowing between us, bringing me back to my senses.
“…”
“…”
We both had important things to say to each other, things we needed to discuss—but for some reason neither of us wanted to take the first step. It felt like we were engaged in a silent bet, with just the back of our throats itching awkwardly.
Since then—after the trial specifically—Elpride and I had avoided talking about the incident where we set the city on fire or anything related to that tribunal. Maybe we both thought it would be better not to bring up things that would stir up painful memories for each other. At least, that’s what I thought.
So we just silently sip our drinks.
“Hey! Bartender! More liquor please. My cup is empty!”
“Yes, coming right up!”
After polishing off five glasses of beer in rapid succession, I could no longer bear the suffocating silence and decided to break it first.
“So, you seem to have something you want to tell me. What is it?”
“Something to say? Me?”
“Yes. I know you, Elpride. If you had nothing to say, you wouldn’t have bothered to come looking for me. You wouldn’t have wandered around different inns just to find where I am.”
“…”
Elpride didn’t respond but instead slammed her wooden mug on the table with a loud clunk. Seeing her ears perk up slightly, I knew my words had struck home.
Of course, her ears didn’t rise dramatically—just a bit, imperceptibly to most people. In fact, only someone as skilled at dodging her whiplash as I was could even notice it.
“So, what do you want to say?”
“Well, actually, I did have something to say.”
With my persistent questioning, Elpride reluctantly admitted to having something to say. Tension mounted as I watched her shift her eyes around distractedly, stalling like someone unsure of where to start.
“If you become a silver-tier adventurer, then you’ll need to go to Delphi, right?”
“Delphi?”
“Yes, all silver-tier adventurers of this continent must go to Delphi to receive an oracle.”
“Oh, is that a thing?”
“You didn’t know that? Anyway, I’ll be going to Delphi soon too. Turns out, I have some business there as well… uh…”
Just moments ago, Elpride had been loudly yelling and drinking rowdily, but now she suddenly became strangely hesitant. Her unusual awkwardness started making me feel uneasy too, and my drunkenness quickly wore off.
People can be intuitive about things, whether they like it or not. When you see someone struggling to say something that makes them uncomfortable, you are bound to feel awkward yourself.
Elpride continued to stall for a while, dragging out her “ummm… wellll…” It wasn’t like her at all. She was someone who usually spoke straight from the hip, so her current hesitance made it clear how tense she was.
“So, what is it you want to say?”
“Well… about Delphi… I can’t really go with you.”
“What?”
As if I hadn’t heard correctly, I asked her to repeat it, and Elpride frowned slightly.
“What I mean is, I want to go with you to Delphi.”
“So, you do?”
“To Delphi, it’s a month-long journey even by carriage. These days, famous monsters are known to be appearing everywhere, and the world seems rather unstable. Don’t you think you should have at least one mage in your party?”
I thought back to the month-long journey. It was true; we might encounter bandits or strange toll collectors along the way. And then there were the highwaymen who specialized in attacking carriages.
I had my own experience with being attacked by bandits, so I knew how much of a threat a mage could pose to them. Mages were like heavy shotguns strapped to your back, capable of intimidating most potential troublemakers.
Still, one thing wasn’t clear to me—why exactly did Elpride need to go to Delphi?
“Why do you want to go to Delphi anyway? Is it because you’re following me?”
“Huh? That’s ridiculous! I have my own business to attend to in Delphi. I still haven’t finished everything I need to do there, you know.”
“Related to setting the World Tree on fire?”
“Yes. It seems the trackers withdrew this time, but my original crime hasn’t been wiped away.”
Indeed. The trial we just went through only dealt with the crime of setting the city on fire, not the burning of the World Tree, which was the real reason why Albrheim’s trackers sought to bring Elpride to trial.
In the end, her fundamental crime against the trackers had not been absolved. What difference would going to Delphi make, then?
“Anyway, think it over carefully. It’s a long journey to Delphi even by carriage, taking about a month. To become a silver-tier adventurer, you should carefully choose your party members.”
A month-long journey.
Living with someone for an entire month. Yes, I should definitely take heed of Elpride’s advice.
Delphi, huh…
“Oh, and if tomorrow is your promotion day, you might want to be careful.”
“Careful of what?”
“On promotion day, senior adventurers usually like to give rookies baptism by fire. Think of it as territorial behavior. Some silver-tier adventurers might try to provoke you.”
“That’s bad news.”
The morning after drinking briefly with Elpride.
I woke up early, tidied myself up, and left the inn.
Creeak.
The first place I headed was the well behind the inn. There, an ominous club I’d left planted had firmly rooted itself into the ground and showed no signs of budging, seemingly quite satisfied with its spot.
“I’ll deal with you later, buddy.”
On my way there, I thought about picking up an axe and chopping its roots. With that thought in mind, I headed toward Mars Guild.
I wasn’t sure if I should feel heavy-hearted or light-hearted. My steps felt somewhat unsteady.
Today, at Mars Guild, I wouldn’t be Hassan, the rookie bronze-tier adventurer, but Hassan, the seasoned silver-tier adventurer.
It’s a joyous occasion, but I can’t help but worry that promoting at such a time might stir up some resentment from others.
“Someone who set the city on fire advancing to silver-tier… I cannot accept that.”
There it was. The promotion ceremony at Mars Guild. As Hippolyte was about to hang a silver necklace around my neck, someone protested.
Didn’t something similar happen when I advanced from the bronze rank? It seems nothing ever goes smoothly.
While I slightly narrowed my eyes, Queen Hippolyte, who was standing on the platform, spoke up for me.
“Ah, it’s the bl**d-drinker Caliph. I heard you’ve been out on a long mission and have just returned to the city. When did you arrive?”
“Your Majesty Queen Hippolyte, that you remember my name fills me with joy I hardly know how to express.”
Swoosh.
From the crowd, a man with quite a large build stood up.
His muscular, scarred upper body was exposed, and belts crossed in an X pattern. His face was striking, with flaming red hair and a beard, as if he were some kind of evil wrestler. He looked strong. Was he an adventurer from outside the city acting under Mars Guild? His silver necklace indicated he was likely a silver-tier adventurer.
The man, known as bl**d-drinker Caliph, spoke again.
“I cannot agree with letting that boy be of the same silver tier as me. Have you ever heard of Caliph the bl**d-drinker? I personally killed the bulls of Demos Wilds barehanded and smashed Geryon’s tree monster. I am the epitome of a true man—but what has he done aside from burning down the city?”
Laughter broke out here and there in the crowd, with some people whistling in agreement with bl**d-drinker Caliph’s remarks.
Elpride had warned me the other day to be careful on my promotion day because there might be territorial behavior—indeed, what she said was true. Watching it unfold was strangely amusing.
Swoosh.
“Hotan?”
I cut off Hippolyte, who was about to speak, and positioned myself in front of the man who was addressing the crowd.
With his towering muscles and menacing appearance, I didn’t notice from afar, but up close, the man was about a head shorter than me.
This made him look up at me while I looked down at him. Yet despite the physical disadvantage, the man showed no signs of shrinking back.
“Wild boy, do you think I scare you with just a glance?”
“…”
“I’ve heard of you, Wild boy. You caught a lion barehanded and smashed mechanical constructs. Idiots might believe such tales, but not me.”
“Then let’s not waste time talking—come at me, boy.”
With those words, the man smirked. He must have been waiting for me to fall for his bait. Then, as if moving his hands behind his head, the man, Caliph, prepared himself.
What is he doing? Is he showing me his armpits? This must be some kind of devastating mental attack. Honestly, it makes my brows furrow automatically without any effort.
“d*mn, using such despicable attacks! What a piece of work!”
“What attack? I am the dual-axe-wielding Caliph, also known as the Decapitator Caliph.”
The man grabbed the two axes on his back and held them in each hand.
Ssshh, Ssshh.
That X-patterned leather across his chest wasn’t some fashion statement but a pair of axe sheaths. The axes, though rugged and old, looked rather practical.
Ziiit.
At that moment, a prickling sensation ran down the back of my neck. As I threw my head back sharply, a sharp axe blade narrowly grazed my nose.
Kssssss.
Despite clearly dodging, I felt a sharp tearing sensation on the bridge of my nose and cheek, and bl**d spurted out. How…?
Upon closer inspection, a glowing, pale yellow aura seemed to emanate from the confident man, Caliph’s axes. It looked as if the blade was coated with a thin layer of energy, making it slightly thicker.
“d*mn!”
I must have misjudged the range. Hipolyte warned me multiple times about keeping a safe distance when fighting an aura user, but I guess it only truly sinks in when you experience it firsthand in combat.
Indeed, a veteran silver-tier adventurer would naturally be skilled at surrounding their weapon with an aura. They must feel confident enough to provoke me like that.
“Whoa, you dodged that…”
As I wiped bl**d from my nose and put some distance between us, the man laughed in surprise.
That laugh… It was more like a distortion of his face, revealing sharp fangs. What a savage brute.
Still, I dodged well, so my nasal breathing isn’t affected. I calmed my breath, and soon the bleeding stopped. At that point, I took in my surroundings clearly.
Those who didn’t like me muttered complaints. Some bystanders watched this duel with casual interest, and the dual-axe wild man showed no hesitation about killing me.
As usual, the situation looked pretty bad.
Without my club, could I possibly withstand the reach of an axe-wielding opponent?
I took a steady breath. My focus was on the life force emanating from my lower abdomen. I clenched and relaxed my fists—energy surged through my bloodstream, and my gloves emitted a faint glow.
It was the activation of my blessed ability, Shining Fists*. Some people gasped when they noticed my illuminated fists, glowing brightly even in the daylight.
“Look at that! He wraps his fists in energy!”
“Wow, isn’t that an elf monk’s technique? I didn’t think I’d ever see something like this in person.”
Of course, it’s just an illusion. My fists only emit light, but if it’s enough to momentarily confuse my opponent and create an opening—that’s all that matters.
Ignorance breeds fear, and I know this all too well as someone easily frightened. To the onlookers, my glowing fists must seem as if they carry mystical power.
I could clearly see the smirk on the dual-axe wielding silver-tier adventurer faltering.
Pow!
I seized that moment and forcefully pushed off the ground twice, propelling my body straight through the air at a constant speed.
“Cheh!”
“What, he’s gone?!”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
