[V10EX3] Boys Night Out ~Welcome Silas-kun!~

Silas Page, the newest member of the Seven Sages, was assigned to investigate the Red Dragon of Dalsmore. However, that very same night, he was also invited to the office of the Artillery Mage, Bradford Firestone.

“Starseer will be taking care of your formal welcome later,” Bradford began. “So tonight, we’re celebrating by drinking with the boys.”

While Silas had no intention of getting too friendly with the other Sages, he had been instructed by his master, Graham Sanders the Thunder Mage, to respect his seniors.

Thus, Silas gave a reluctant nod, saying, “Fine, I could go for a little drink.” He did love alcohol, after all.

Recently, Silas had been busy with various preparations for the Sage Selection Exam, so he didn’t have much time to sit down and enjoy a proper drink.

Considering he would be heading to Dalsmore tomorrow, this was quite the welcome opportunity to wind down for a bit.

(And well, there’s nothing better than free drinks.)

Despite earning a decent amount from dragon bounties, Silas was usually broke due to the development costs of his anti-dragon tools.

Perhaps joining the Sages meant he no longer had to worry about costs.

(Oh yeah, that prince offered to invest in my magical tool development… I could use the money, but there’s gotta be a catch, right?)

Setting aside those thoughts, Silas entered Bradford’s office. As expected of a Sage, his room was pretty spacious.

The tables, sofa, and other furniture were expensive enough to fit into any other room of the palace. However, the walls were lined with bottles and even barrels of various alcoholic beverages, next to a dirty-looking travel bag and coat. It was clear to any onlooker that Bradford primarily used this office as a storage room.

The room had one other guest, a man with braided chestnut hair sitting on the sofa and sipping at a glass of wine. It was the Barrier Mage, Louis Miller.

Apparently, Louis had barged in and started drinking before the rest of them arrived, but Bradford didn’t seem to mind. This was probably just the usual.

Meanwhile, Bradford brought out some jerky, cheese, and a jar of pickles from a cupboard before turning to Louis.

“Hey Barrier Mage, where are our two young pals?”

“I believe they should be arriving any time now… Ah, speak of the devil.”

Louis gestured toward the door with his chin, right as someone opened it with a light knock.

“Hey, Bradford-san, thanks for the invitation! I brought Ray too!”

“This is the worst… Why am I at a drinking party for old guys…”

The cheerful Thorn Witch, Raul Roseberg, entered the room. His right hand held a large cloth bag and his left hand was firmly latched onto the Abyss Shaman, Ray Albright.

Raul effortlessly dragged Ray into the room, then placed the bag on a low table.

“This is a gift from Mary-san. She told us to share,” Raul explained.

“As expected from the ever considerate Starseer. This is some pretty good wine,” Bradford replied.

The bag contained two bottles of wine, along with crackers, cheese, and dried fruits.

Louis immediately picked up a dried fig and cheerfully tossed it into his mouth. Apparently, he had quite the sweet tooth.

Meanwhile, Bradford haphazardly poured wine into a set of glasses and distributed them to everyone.

“All right, time for a toast! Cheers to our new comrade, Silas Page the Dragon Slayer Mage!”

The only one to return a hearty “Cheers!” was Raul. Louis had already started drinking on his own, and Ray was just muttering complaints. Despite all of this, Bradford sipped his glass without a care in a world.

The power dynamics within the Seven Sages seemed to be a complete mystery.

The slightly exasperated Silas emptied his first glass, which prompted Bradford to grin.

“Oh, I see that you can handle alcohol, Dragon Slayer.”

“Yeah, since I’m from eastern Ridill.”

The common stereotype was that people from northern and eastern Ridill were strong drinkers. Silas was no exception; he could hold his liquor reasonably well.

Noticing this, Louis spoke with a smile as he spread jam across a cracker.

“Good to hear. Hopefully, that means the old man here won’t drag me into any more drinking contests.”

“Hey, Barrier Mage,” Bradford interjected. “Just so you know, I won’t stop challenging you until I win.”

“So it’s a lifetime commitment then? Please just give up already.”

“Oh, you’re on. Pass me a glass, we’re drinking until one of us falls. And Dragon Slayer, you’re joining us!”

While Silas did enjoy a good drinking contest, he needed to ride a carriage to Dalsmore tomorrow. Waking up with a hangover was not an option.

“Sorry, but I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Hmm, that so? Oh yeah, I almost forgot. In that case, just enjoy at your own pace.”

Bradford gave up on his challenge, then started carving a chunk of jerky with a small knife, dropping the pieces onto a plate.

Louis quickly swiped a piece, heated it with a shortened incantation flame, then popped it into his mouth.

Meanwhile, Raul was munching on a turnip that he pulled out of his pocket, and Ray had barely touched any of the food.

With everyone else eating and drinking as they pleased, Silas followed suit, grabbing a piece of jerky.

While arranging dried vegetables on a plate, Raul opened his mouth.

“Bradford-san, you seem pretty happy. You might even be the most enthusiastic about Silas joining the Sages.”

“That’s because you youngsters never join me for a drink!” Bradford retorted.

Bradford was glaring at Ray and Raul, so it was clear who he was referring to.

Despite being under the stern gaze of a big man who was even more intimidating than Silas, Raul and Ray both seemed indifferent.

“Well, I prefer fruits and vegetables to alcohol. Also, my farm work requires me to get up early in the morning, so I can’t drink all night.”

“…I don’t want anything to do with a bunch of old guys who constantly reek of alcohol… Ah, I hate it here. I can’t stand the atmosphere of a drinking party where you people think you can say whatever comes to mind…”

Despite hardly touching his drink, Ray was the one speaking his mind the most, mainly in the form of irritated grumbling.

Noticing this, Raul frowned and apologized to Silas.

“Sorry about him, Silas. Just having Ray actually come is practically a miracle. Forgive him, will you?”

“…A miracle…?” Ray spat out. “You dragged me here yourself with your ridiculous strength…”

“So in other words, I’m a man who can make miracles happen?” Raul smiled cheerfully. “Aw, you’re making me blush! Thanks for the compliment!”

“…Damn it all, how are you supposed to be sarcastic to a blockhead who doesn’t get anything? Am I supposed to preface it with ‘the following statement is sarcastic’? Ugh, that just makes me look incredibly stupid…!”

Ray hung his head as if having witnessed insurmountable despair. Meanwhile, Bradford pushed a plate of cheese toward him while continuing from where left off.

“Anyways, you know me. I’m always happy to drink with the boys… More importantly, Dragon Slayer, there’s something I need to ask you.”

Bradford looked directly at Silas and voiced his question in a serious tone.

“You a chest guy or a butt guy?”

“Chest. I like them big.”

Silas answered immediately, which caused Bradford to grin and look around at the rest of the people in the room.

“You heard that, boys? This is what a healthy man-to-man conversation is like!”

Louis, who was eating jam directly from the jar, retorted with an expression of dissatisfaction.

“I would appreciate it if you stop implying that I am unhealthy. I already have a partner for life, and she is the only woman I need.”

Upon hearing those words, the depressed Ray suddenly raised his head. His pink gem-like eyes were shining brightly.

“Partner for life…? T-That answer is genius! Yeah, there’s only one woman I need… Hehe, perfect… Oh, but ‘wife’ would sound cuter… Yeah… wife… wife… Hehehehe…”

Despite having barely consumed any alcohol, the blushing Ray swayed back and forth as if he was drunk.

Silas secretly wondered if he was okay, but it was probably fine since no one else seemed worried.

Meanwhile, Bradford finished emptying his first bottle, then leaned forward towards Raul.

“And what about you, Thorn Witch? Might as well ask while we’re still on the subject. You a chest guy or a butt guy?”

Raul said nothing because he had just taken a big bite of a vegetable. His cheeks were puffed out.

To the background noise of his chewing, Bradford continued with the face of an adult passing on his knowledge to the next generation.

“I must admit, I was a chest guy in my youth… But one day, I realized the truth. The good women usually have big butts.”

Apparently, Bradford was a butt guy.

As the only representative of the chest side, Silas felt a need to counter this argument.

“Nah, boobs are way better. Especially when you can tell they’re big even under an apron.”

“Dragon Slayer. You know, the size of a woman’s bosom and the size of their butt are generally proportional.”

“I see,” Silas replied. “So those with both are the strongest?”

“Precisely.”

By the time the chest and butt factions had signed a peace treaty, Raul swallowed and let out a mutter.

“Honestly, I think personality is the most important…”

There was a lot of truth in those words. After all, Raul did have a well-endowed sister with a bit of a problematic personality.

Silas observed Raul again. The Thorn Witch was a man with a strikingly handsome appearance.

There were many issues Silas could not help but ponder, such as why Raul wore farm clothes under his robe, and why he only talked about vegetables and toilets. However, it was clear that Raul would be pretty attractive if he never opened his mouth.

“Thorn-niisan. You seem like you’d be pretty popular with the girls.”

Silas muttered his honest opinion, but Raul shook his head.

“Nah, not at all. I just want to be friends with a girl who will notice me properly. Or just friends with anyone…”

Raul let out the mutter with deep emotion, but Louis and Ray only gave him blank expressions.

“Then you end up as just friends, without ever realizing each other’s feelings. It always happens with guys like you,” Louis added.

“…I hope all the handsome guys suffer from athlete’s foot…” Ray cursed.

Silas agreed with those opinions to some extent, but he swallowed those with another sip of wine and continued in a low tone.

“Come on, Thorn-niisan, don’t tell me you can’t get a date with that face. I don’t believe it at all.”

“Eh…? Well what about you, Silas? What’s your ideal girl? Setting aside the chest and butt stuff.”

To the pursed lipped Raul, Silas scoffed.

“Isn’t it obvious? I want a considerate girl who can do cooking and housework, and looks good in an apron.”

“Dragon Slayer. I take it you like aprons, huh?” Bradford asked.

“Is there any man who doesn’t?”

“All right, our next topic of discussion is ‘What do you want your girl to wear?’ Come up with something that can beat an apron!”

“Yeah, her apron was really cute…” Ray replied, sinking down into the sofa as he covered his blushed cheeks. “Definitely something special… Oh, but her riding outfit was so cool too…”

“If it’s the girl you’re in love with, she’ll look cute no matter what she wears,” Louis countered, casually praising his own wife as he poured jam into the glass of wine.

Silas had been wondering about this since a while ago, but wasn’t Louis consuming way too much jam?

After staring at the mixture of jam and wine for a few seconds, Silas voiced the conclusion of this topic.

“Then we all agree that aprons are the best.”

“Aprons are the strongest?” asked a voice from Bradford’s side.

In response, Bradford returned a deep nod.

“Yeah, for now at least. You got anything better? Silent Wi…”

Everyone fell silent simultaneously as they turned toward the entrance.

Standing there, at the entrance of the room, was the Silent Witch, Monica Everett.

Monica flinched once she realized everyone was staring at her. She quickly approached Silas while twiddling her fingers.

“P-Please excuse the intrusion. They changed the location of our meeting tomorrow… And, erm, I marked it on the map since the Magic Corps dormitory has several entrances and is difficult to navigate.”

“T-Thanks…”

Silas awkwardly accepted the map, then Monica bowed her head slightly.

“Um, I look forward to working with you tomorrow. G-Good night…”

With those as her last words, Monica darted out of the room.

The room where men had been getting excited about chest and butt sizes was filled with an awkward atmosphere.

Bradford placed a hand on his forehead and looked up at the ceiling.

“Damn, Starseer is going to give me hell for this one…”

“Waaaah!” Raul screamed. “What if she says she hates us and wants to end our friendship!? What should we do, Ray!”

“This is the worst…” Ray mumbled. “Now she thinks I’m the same as these old drunks… I want to die…”

“Oi, I have to ride in the same carriage as Nee-san tomorrow…!” Silas mourned.

With everyone else in tatters, Louis looked genuinely indifferent as he licked the jam off his spoon.

“Just so you know, that little girl doesn’t have the slightest clue what we were talking about. Right now, she’s probably thinking about the defensive power of aprons or something.”

＊　＊　＊

Louis’s interpretation was partially correct.

Monica recalled the words of her foster mother while on her way back to the guest room.

——”The apron is our battle uniform in the kitchen. However, it can also be substituted with a lab coat. In fact, a lab coat has sleeves, so it may be considered safer.”

Hilda Everett often went into the kitchen wearing a lab coat. Perhaps she had failed to find the apron because her home was too messy.

(A lab coat has sleeves, so it is safer than an apron… In other words, the best equipment is a lab coat… That said, stains are really noticeable on a white lab coat, so a black robe seems to be the most convenient…)

She arrived at her room while lost in such thoughts.

Monica removed her Sage robes and reached for her sleepwear, before noticing her reflection in the mirror.

It was the reflection of a thin and petite little girl.

“You look like a complete child.” “No extra meat to speak of.” These were the words she had once heard from her friends.

(…I thought I gained some weight since leaving the mountain hut, but…)

Monica recalled the discussion about chests and butts that she had overheard before knocking on the door of the drinking party. Then, she looked down at her own body.

“…”

Perhaps she had developed enough to be concerned about her lack of curves. Monica changed into her nightgown and slipped into bed with a sense of helplessness.

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