The tavern fell silent, as if a gust of wind had swept through.
Leontaine could feel everyone’s eyes on her.
Pity, sympathy, curiosity.
The expressions directed at her were varied, but what Leontaine felt in her chest was not the sadness of unrequited love.
“Ah-hah-hah-hah-hah!”
“Leontaine…?”
Hermina peered anxiously at Leontaine’s face, who had suddenly burst into laughter. She must have mistaken her for being driven mad by the shock of lost love.
“No, no, it’s fine, Hermina. Of course, it is. Just think how many years it’s been. Enough time for that little girl who reeked of piss to grow into a fine mercenary. There’s nothing strange about that incredibly strong ‘Demon’ having a family.”
“Y-yeah…”
“I’m actually happy, you see. Just knowing that he’s not rotting as a corpse on some battlefield somewhere is enough for me.”
Leontaine downed the contents of her mug in one go and then held the empty vessel high above her head.
“In commemoration of my lost love! Tonight is on me, so drink as much as you like!”
A roar of excitement arose, followed by a flurry of orders.
She knew that using unrequited love as an excuse was strange, even to her own ears, but on a night like this, she couldn’t help but drink and make merry.
Hermina, the other waitress, and even the young girl washing dishes were overwhelmed by the sudden surge in orders.
“L-Leontaine… A-are you sure about this?”
Hermina, carrying three mugs of “Toriaezu Nama” beer in each hand, asked anxiously. The edges of her well-shaped eyebrows were downturned, and it looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
Leontaine swallowed the words “I’m the one who wants to cry,” and vigorously patted Hermina on the back.
The owner, having given up on taking individual orders, brought out large platters of food one after another. It seemed the idea was for people to take what they wanted on smaller plates.
Among the colorful dishes, there were some Leontaine had never seen before, but they were all delicious and, above all, went well with the alcohol.
As she watched the drunken customers freely sharing drinks, knowing it was on the house, she suddenly heard the sound of the glass door sliding open.
“Hey, hey, what’s all this commotion?”
The moment she heard that voice, Leontaine’s heart fluttered like that of a maiden.
There was no way she could forget it. This voice belonged to the “Demon.”
It was undoubtedly the voice of that “Demon,” the one she had heard in her dreams for years and years.
Turning around and looking towards the door, she saw that the man was indeed standing there.
“Demon… It’s the Demon, isn’t it?”
Leontaine almost rushed over, but she managed to restrain herself with the self-control she had honed on the battlefield.
The Demon’s bewildered face was the same as when he had shown mercy to Leontaine on that battlefield.
“Um, you are…?”
He didn’t recognize Leontaine. Of course not. There was no way he would remember someone he had crossed blades with only once, years ago.
A twinge of loneliness burned in the depths of her chest, but it was unavoidable.
“Could you be, the mercenary with the squid helmet?”
Thump.
Her heart raced again. It couldn’t be. There was no way he would remember.
That day, which felt like yesterday to her, must have been just another ordinary day on the battlefield for him.
“It is you, after all. That build, there’s no mistaking it.”
“Y-you remember…?”
It couldn’t be possible.
She had crossed countless battlefields since then, but she had never encountered him, not even once.
If the Demon still remembered, what an incredible coincidence that would be.
The Demon rubbed his left arm with his index finger and smiled shyly.
“It’s rare to see a female mercenary as skilled as you.”
Unable to look him in the face after hearing those words, Leontaine hastily grabbed a large bowl of the seafood soup that had been poured for her and slurped it, using it to hide her face.
The salty soup was soothing to her tired body.
“Demon, tonight is on me. You and your wife should drink together.”
“Are you sure, ‘Squid Helmet’?”
“It’s no problem at all. I’m feeling a bit flush right now.”
Looking at the Demon’s smile, Leontaine made a secret decision.
Tomorrow, she would leave the old capital. If she kept looking at that smile, she might not be able to give up on him again.
The Demon now had Hermina, a fine wife.
Before her lingering affections deepened, she would leave this town.
But, just for tonight. Just for tonight, she wanted to keep loving the Demon.
As she thought about this, the seafood soup she was drinking seemed a little too salty.