Pour...
"Sigh... Damn it..."
A swordsman in Far Eastern attire grumbled as he poured himself another drink.
Gulp, gulp!
"Haa..."
Pour!
It was Akumo, his expression twisted into a scowl.
He was currently drowning his sorrows, unable to accept the absurd and stressful situation he had been forced into.
"Hehe..."
"I'll pour that for you!"
Customers began to slink toward him.
"Piss off, will you?"
Chill!
"""!!!?"""
Infuriated by their approach, Akumo glared and released a wave of bloodlust, but...
"""So cool...!"""
"Shit..."
Thud!
"Sigh..."
Akumo let out a heavy sigh. Seeing the customers actually swooning over his murderous aura, he had no idea what to do anymore.
'Since things have already turned out like this, they'll probably just see anything I do as part of the act...!'
Slide.
"Where the hell did you even get this?!"
Akumo grabbed the massive Odachi that had been planted in front of him with one hand and questioned Syr.
"Ah... well, you see..."
Glance!
"////"
Syr tried to answer, but as she caught sight of Akumo's suddenly transformed aura, she hurriedly turned her head to hide her blushing face.
"Don't you dare get cocky!"
"Dressed in those ridiculous rags!"
"Just go die already!"
"...I'm actually going to kill you lot, you know that?"
Even as Hogni, Hedin, and Allen exploded with rage at the sight, Akumo simply glared back with an annoyed, feral look in his eyes.
"Dammit...! To think we'd be overtaken so instantly after our performance just because of that look!"
"""Urgh...!!"""
The Gulliver brothers also expressed their frustration at how quickly the atmosphere they had carefully built had shifted.
Whish!
"..."
'It's obvious Tsubaki made this...'
"Ha! This is just absurd..."
The Far Eastern inscription on the Odachi—[Great Wolf]—and the rugged yet delicate blade that reflected a certain someone's boisterous personality were proof enough.
"I don't even know why she made me something like this..."
Gulp, gulp!
"And the fact that she actually made it so well is what's truly annoying."
Emptying another bottle in one go, Akumo stood up and walked toward someone.
"H-hic!? Akumo?"
"Asfi, you seem to be enjoying this quite a bit, don't you?"
"N-no, that's not it..."
Thud!
"Eek!?"
As Akumo approached and slammed the Odachi back into the floor, Asfi's drunken stupor seemed to vanish instantly as she looked at him in a panic.
"Fine... let's just drink together..."
"...Pardon?"
"I don't even care anymore..."
"...?"
Asfi stared blankly at the bottle Akumo set down on the table.
Snap!
"I'm going to drink my fill for the first time in a while!"
"""!!"""
In that moment, everyone realized that the line Akumo usually maintained had finally snapped.
"I-if that's the case...!"
"Is it for real...?"
Akumo was a hero of Orario who had put various Familias in his debt.
He had saved countless individuals personally, not just Familias.
Because of that, there were many who secretly harbored feelings for him...
'...This is my chance!'
Slide!
"Manager? Bring a whole batch of champagne over here!"
"Y-yes!?"
Customers suddenly swarmed around Akumo's table and began ordering drinks.
They naturally started placing orders with Syr just to share a drink with him.
"W-wait a minute...!! Akumo hasn't even finished his training..."
"Eeeh? Miss Waitress? If we're happy with it, what does it matter?"
"Urgh...!?"
"We're going to spend plenty of money, so don't worry~"
"..."
Seizing this miraculous opportunity, the customers clung to Akumo.
Grit!
"Ha... ha...?"
Syr was flustered by the sudden turn of events, feeling swept away by a situation that had completely defied her expectations.
"That's right, that's right! All the other waiters can focus on [Perseus]!"
"We just need this one man!!!"
Asfi, now completely sobered by the chaos, tried to stop them in a panic.
"E-everyone...!! If you do this...!"
"You were enjoying it yourself just a moment ago!"
"T-that's...!?"
"No fair!"
However, no one was willing to listen to Asfi after she had already been seen enjoying herself. Just as the situation was about to be completely taken over by the customers...
"Enough. You guys sit down too."
""Eh?""
"You've wanted to play since earlier, haven't you? Then just come and drink. I'm not particularly picky about my company."
Tap, tap.
"If you don't want to, you can just leave."
Akumo called out to Syr and Asfi, patting the seats beside him.
"B-but what about the serving..."
"We have them, don't we?"
Point!
When an Elven customer questioned him, Akumo simply pointed toward a group that had been unable to join the atmosphere in a corner of the tavern.
"U-us!!?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
It was the [Aphrodite Familia].
"You said you came here to consult, right? We don't really need that anymore, so help out with the work."
"Eeeh!! That's so mean...!!"
"Then you guys can just play among yourselves. It's not like you have any customers anyway."
"!!!!"
"Or..."
Paying no mind to Aphrodite's shock, Akumo gestured again.
Tap, tap!
"Do you want to drink with us?"
Gulp, gulp!
"""""..."""""
The [Einherjar] were speechless at the sight before them.
"Phew! Hey, bring another bottle!!"
"""Another bottle!"""
Their intention had been to drag him here and embarrass him, but now Akumo had completely let loose and was showing a side of himself they had never seen before.
"That guy... he could actually be this wild...?"
"I never knew because he was always busy cleaning up after everyone else's messes..."
"How has he been hiding this until now..."
"Crazy bastard..."
The Gulliver brothers muttered their impressions while continuing to serve drinks.
"He's just downing them one after another, that lunatic...!"
"...Even a dragon couldn't drink like that..."
Hedin and Hogni watched in horror as Akumo downed several bottles of hard liquor in succession, looking at him as if he were no longer human.
"A-Akumo... aren't you overdoing it...?"
"Overdoing it? Ahaha!! You've got a great sense of humor, Asfi!"
Slide.
"This is nothing. Compared to when I first came to this tavern... Ahaha!!!!"
With the alcohol in his system, Akumo's energy was twice as high as usual, and he began to sweep the entire surrounding atmosphere along with him.
"Excuse me... [Pioneer]... I mean, Akumo?"
"Yeah?"
Lean.
Noticing that his guard and sense of morality were far looser than usual, an Elven customer whispered something into his ear.
"Ah~"
"..."
Gulp!
"Hmm~"
As Akumo fell into thought, resting his chin on his hand, the Elven customer was filled with tension as if she were making a massive gamble.
"Kyaaaah!!!!! It really was an Elf!!!!"
When Akumo's appearance shifted from his Far Eastern attire to that of an Elf with beautiful long hair and pointed ears, the customer's face turned beet red.
""""Kyaaaa!!!!!""""
Naturally, the other customers also had an explosive reaction, and the tavern's atmosphere soared even higher.
"W-wait, Akumo! That form is...!!"
"That's blasphemous, you lunatic!!!!"
Hedin and Hogni were the only ones flustered, trying to stop Akumo from running wild in his current form, but...
"Eeeh? I'm perfectly fine with it!"
"Fine or not! Is that something you should be showing to others so easily?!"
"I-it's blasphemous! It's not kingly at all!!!"
"Even Hogni... you guys are so noisy~"
Hedin and Hogni were left speechless by the fact that he was not only revealing his secret ability to change races without hesitation but also using it as a service for the customers.
"Me next! Me!"
""!!""
This time, a Chianslope customer raised her hand, looking at Akumo with sparkling eyes as if she were wishing for something.
""""""Kyaaaah!!!!!""""""
A few minutes later, the tavern was filled with the cheers of the customers.
The reason was obvious...
https://images.novelpia.com/imagebox/26/26fafa0a90851fcacf0368f5e9572b31_684902_1786104941_ori.file
https://images.novelpia.com/imagebox/9d/9df29568841918b80495a7463d25710a_64390_1782643543_ori.file
https://images.novelpia.com/imagebox/0a/0a9b09803d68bc864e5108b25df96cab_37881_1782643549_ori.file
https://images.novelpia.com/imagebox/b3/b3b6574dd665016a916fbff019513d9c_49837_1782643578_ori.file
Wearing all sorts of outfits—suits, activewear, work clothes—and assuming various forms, Akumo was satisfying the customers' needs to the extreme, drawing every eye in the tavern to himself.
"That guy..."
"He's completely enjoying himself..."
"Crazy bastard..."
The [Einherjar] watched in horror. Their previous anger had vanished, replaced by a sense of dizziness as they watched Akumo serve the Princesses better than anyone else.
"I don't think we're needed anymore, Lady Aphrodite..."
"N-no, that's not true!"
The [Aphrodite Familia] had been pushed to the background, quietly sipping their drinks.
Clink!
"Syr~ your face is looking a bit red. Are you drunk~?"
"Y-yes!?"
Whether he was aware of the stares or not, Akumo clinked glasses with Syr and gave her a sly smile. As he peered intently into her face, Syr's expression turned crimson.
Lean.
"How do I look right now?"
"!!!!"
When Akumo, having shifted into his appearance from Olympia, gently lifted Syr's chin, she was completely overwhelmed.
Grit!
"That bastard...!"
"Allen~ are you jealous?"
"Can't you stop this nonsense already!!?"
Allen, burning with intense jealousy, looked ready to charge at Akumo at any moment, but...
Grab!
"Heehee!?"
"My Princesses are right here by my side. Surely you're not thinking of starting a fight~?"
Akumo nonchalantly used Asfi as a hostage to deflect Allen's hostility.
"Grrr...!!!!"
Allen grew even more infuriated.
"Hey, you guys!!!!!"
"Eh, why us...?"
"Shut up! You said the [Aphrodite Familia] are experts at this sort of thing, right?! Isn't there anything we can do!"
Realizing he couldn't stop Akumo on his own, Allen shouted at the cowering Boecklin and Sandro, but they had no solutions either.
"I mean, even if you say that..."
"A super-elite ace like that is uncontrollable..."
"Dammit!!"
Just when it seemed like Akumo's rampage would be unstoppable...
"""..."""
The customers' gazes began to turn increasingly suggestive.
'Maybe...'
'Could it be...?'
'Just perhaps...!'
Such thoughts filled their minds.
After all, Akumo was an adventurer loved by so many that he even had a fan club in Orario.
And now, a man who was already so well-liked was acting this aggressively.
This situation sparked a certain possibility in their hearts.
"There is a way."
"Ottar?"
And Ottar did not miss that look.
"He may seem uncontrollable now, but his essence remains the same."
Slide.
"He looks like a philanderer, but in reality, he's more whipped than anyone I know."
As his close friend, Ottar had heard and remembered many of Akumo's candid complaints, so he could say this with certainty.
"W-what are you going to do...?"
"Measures have already been taken."
""""?""""
"Just be ready to run."
This was the ultimate solution using every communication method currently available to Ottar.
"I've spread information about this tavern to the Guild and the Familias."
"""""""Ah."""""""
In this strange tavern, the [Pioneer] was playing late into the night.
And he was drinking and smiling with an ever-increasing number of female customers.
Step.
"I was wondering what kind of work you were doing so late at night..."
Crack.
"You're certainly living the life, Akumo."
The silver-haired woman who had been waiting for him at home after his single message saying he'd be late.
The Elf who had thrown down her tea and rushed over the moment she heard the report at her Familia.
Clench!
"Noise pollution, and even a business practice bordering on the indecent."
"A.ku.mo~"
The sisters known as the shield of the citizens, who had come out with their weapons upon hearing the strange rumors during their night patrol.
""This looks fun, doesn't it?""
Naturally, their eyes were burning with a fierce, murderous light.
Hiccup!
"...Uh?"
The ominous feeling was not something Akumo could ignore.
"P-Princesses...? I think I need to be going now~"
Feeling a terrifying chill, Akumo immediately tried to get up and flee.
Murmur, murmur!
"Is it really here?"
"I'm telling you! The [Pioneer] is definitely in there..."
"...!"
'The path... is blocked...?'
The front entrance was already swarming with customers who had followed the spreading rumors, cutting off his escape.
Chill!
"!!"
Then, he felt that chill again.
"Hehe... so this is the place?"
"You want to die?"
"Little brother~ come on out!"
Two red-haired goddesses and a bronze-skinned Dwarf.
Unlike the goddesses who were exuding a menacing aura, the bronze-skinned woman seemed to be in a good mood, but she didn't look like she was going to let Akumo go either.
"Can we even handle this...?"
"Just run for it."
Whish!
"Ah..."
'We were the ones who caused this...'
That day, numerous testimonies were recorded of a massive clash of power in a certain district of Orario.
According to witnesses who claimed the scale was comparable to a God's descent, adventurers and the Guild sought out the suspects for information, but...
"I-I can't say...!"
"I was satisfied, truly satisfied!"
"He even returned the money, it was perfect until the end...!"
"Of course, at the very end... it was a little... no, it was incredibly terrifying, but..."
The customers trembled with fear at what they had seen that night, but at the same time, they held back their words with happy smiles.
""""Never... again....""""
Stagger.
"Urgh.... Goddess..."
"...I almost died."
For some reason, the [Einherjar] were so badly injured that they had to convalesce for a while, leaving them with no energy to provide answers.
"Women are scary...!!!!!!!"
And for some reason, Hogni's fear of women seemed to have grown particularly severe.
Flash!
"Gah...!?"
At that moment, Akumo opened his eyes in a dark room.
Throb!
"Ugh...! My body...?"
'Why does my whole body ache as if I've been beaten to a pulp...?!'
His question was soon answered by someone slowly emerging from the shadows.
"Oh? You don't remember?"
"A-Alfia...?"
"It's only natural your body would be tired after dealing with so many 'Princesses' last night."
"!!"
Only then did the memories of last night come flooding back to Akumo.
'I'm screwed!!!'
"T-that was an unavoidable circum—"
"For someone saying that, you certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself while wearing all the clothes I made."
"Big sis!?"
Slide.
"Hiiieee...!!!?"
In Tsubaki's hand was the Far Eastern clothing that had been heavily infused with someone's specific tastes.
The evidence was undeniable.
"I was drunk... yeah, it's because I was drunk...!!"
"So you transformed into an Elf, wore all those clothes, and drank every drop of alcohol given to you just because you were drunk?"
"..."
At the sound of Riveria's voice following right after, Akumo briefly expanded his senses to check his surroundings.
Stare.
Cold sweat poured down his face as he felt the gazes of over a dozen people fixed upon him.
"Save me."
"Of course we'll save you..."
Smile.
"After you've dealt with every single Princess here?"
Akumo's night was not over yet.
"...Haha."
Tear...
Even so, Akumo was someone they couldn't help but love.
"Don't ever do this, you guys.... Sigh... Damn it...."