Chapter 89 - Close Friends
I confessed my past to Elgis-san and Fiona-san, and of course, I was scolded.
Specifically, it was for putting Flora in danger, which led to her kidnapping and injuries.
I apologized desperately for that, and they were satisfied once I told them that I would never put Flora in danger again, that I would never let her go no matter what, and that I intended to take responsibility.
Flora's face was bright red from embarrassment, but Elgis-san and Fiona-san looked pleased.
Having confessed to Elgis-san and Fiona-san like that, I decided to take my leave for today.
I would have liked to stay and chat slowly while talking about my past, but there were two more people I wanted to talk to.
They were Toak and Aisha. They were close friends I'd been close with ever since I came to this village.
The policy was to keep the fact that the A-rank adventurer Aldred was living in Nordende hidden as much as possible unless it was an emergency, but I wanted Toak and Aisha at least to know.
Knowing those two, I thought they would accept it quite casually.
Though I expected it might take a little time to make them believe it was the truth.
The problem was that I had one other concern.
"...Aldo-san, what's wrong?"
Was she worried because my face looked clouded? Flora looked up at me and asked.
"No, just a little concern..."
"Is it about Toak-san and Aisha? Those two seem like they'd just brush it off?"
"No, I'm not that worried about that part..."
The problem was Aisha. I had been told by her before that if I ever made Flora cry, she would punch me. In last night's confession, I had made Flora sad and made her cry. And even though she was safe, she had been kidnapped because of me.
There were plenty of reasons for Aisha to justify punching me.
"...?"
Since it was phrased in a way only Aisha and I could understand, Flora tilted her head.
If possible, I didn't want to tell Flora, but knowing Aisha, she seemed likely to just punch me without a word. Thinking it would be better than Flora being shaken up on the spot, I confessed that Aisha might punch me.
"Eeeeh!? You made a promise like that!? What should we do!? I have to persuade Aisha not to punch you when we see her...!"
Then, as expected, Flora began to panic.
She probably would have been even more shaken if it happened after I actually got punched.
I gently grabbed the shoulders of the flustered Flora to calm her down.
"It's fine, Flora. This is like a promise between me and Aisha."
"No, but for Aldo-san to be punched because of me..."
"I did something that warrants it. It's only natural to be punched."
"Ah, no... but..."
When I said I intended to accept it, Flora didn't seem to know what to say. Meaningless words leaked from her mouth.
This was a matter between me and Aisha. Besides, no matter how many reasons I listed to explain myself, Aisha's personality wouldn't let her be convinced. It was better to just accept it cleanly.
"...But Aisha's punches are painful, you know? I heard that a long time ago, she got into a fight with Toak-san and knocked him unconscious with a single punch..."
"............"
...Toak was knocked out in one hit? I wonder if I'll be okay?
I wanted to trust my body, which had been tempered by my life as an adventurer, but there's nothing you can do if a human's vital point is hit.
While hoping it wouldn't be too heavy a blow, I looked off into the distance as Toak's house came into view.
First, I'll call out to Toak. Then I'll call out to Aisha—no, maybe I should call Kurune, who can use recovery magic, just in case.
While thinking of such arrangements in my head, I knocked on the door of Toak's house.
"Welcome, Aldo."
Then, Kurune came out of Toak's house with a smirk.
"...Why is Kurune here?"
"Well, since I'm staying in this village for a while, I thought I'd take a look at the furniture. I came to see it with Aisha."
"I-I see."
"S-So that's how it is."
Kurune spoke with a smile, but for me, this was terrible.
It was good that Aisha and Kurune were already gathered, but I hadn't finished mentally preparing myself.
"So, what did Aldo come here for?"
"I told Elgis-san and Fiona-san about my past, so I thought I'd tell Toak and Aisha next..."
Kurune had been smiling brightly, but the moment she heard my words, her expression became serious.
"I see. Then come in."
"Hey, why is Kurune acting like the homeowner? Who came in—oh, it's Aldo..."
"It's fine, isn't it? You act pretty freely at Aldo's house too."
"I'm not as rude as you, so don't lump us together."
When I entered the house, it was lively, likely because Toak and Aisha were there.
Aisha and Toak, sitting listlessly in the living room chairs, had begun shouting insults at each other as they heated up, as usual.
I've already gotten used to such a sight.
"It smells like wood."
"It's relaxing, like being in the middle of a forest, isn't it?"
Even Flora, who used to be flustered every time Toak and Aisha bickered at first, was now this used to it.
Now she was leisurely talking with Kurune about Toak's house.
Come to think of it, was this Flora's first time coming to Toak's house?
"So, what did Aldo and Flora come here for?"
Perhaps because the argument with Toak had settled down, Aisha spoke as if she just remembered.
Kurune and Flora, who knew the reason, stood by so as not to interfere.
"What's wrong?"
Toak, sensing an atmosphere different from usual, asked suspiciously.
"...There's something I want to talk about."
While Aisha and Toak both tilted their heads in unison, I confessed my true name and my past.
Then, Toak said while furrowing his brows.
"...Who the hell is Aldred?"
At Toak's single sentence, everyone's faces went blank.
Well, Toak has little social interaction and tends to stay cooped up in the mountains or his house. He must be out of touch with outside information.
"...He's the A-rank adventurer who defeated a dragon in the Kingdom of Abalonia."
Aisha answered with a sigh to Toak, who was making a puzzled voice.
Perhaps because she takes care of the vineyard outside the village and deals with travelers, peddlers, and adventurers from outside, Aisha is well-informed. When we first met, she didn't recognize it as a distant country, but she seems to have heard the rumors and even remembers the country's name perfectly.
"...And you're saying this guy is him?"
"I mean, that's what he's saying himself, right?"
"Don't call me 'this guy.' It's true."
I immediately interjected, but Toak and Aisha looked at each other, appearing puzzled. I'm a little concerned about their evaluation of me.
"...Hey, Kurune. Is it true that Aldo is a dragon-slaying adventurer?"
Aisha, knowing that Kurune was a fellow adventurer, asked Kurune again.
"It's true. Aldo and I are in the same party. It's largely thanks to Aldo's power that we were able to defeat the dragon."
Hearing Kurune's firm words, Aisha and Toak looked at each other.
It was embarrassing to be told that, since we were only able to defeat it because everyone worked together.
"Well, I don't really know how strong a dragon actually is, but Aldo is strong enough to defeat a Red Bear by himself. I guess it's possible."
"...I knew he was a former adventurer, but I didn't think he was such an amazing one."
To think that defeating a Red Bear alone would come in handy in a place like this.
Even so, Aisha and Toak's gazes were too rude. Even though they were saying those things, I could clearly hear their inner voices saying, 'There's no way a guy like this is an adventurer who can defeat a dragon.'
"Flora, you've got an amazing husband. A dragon slayer husband."
"An A-rank adventurer husband."
"Y-Yes! I'll do my best to become a woman worthy of Aldo-san!"
They were having that kind of conversation, but I could only think that Aisha and Toak were teasing us. In fact, they were wearing smirking grins.
"...By the way, since when did Flora know about Aldo's past?"
At Aisha's casual remark, my spine naturally straightened.
To explain that, I would have to explain yesterday's incident with Zoack. If I said that, Aisha would probably punch me.
"E-Err..."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
When Flora instinctively averted her gaze toward me, Aisha made a suspicious sound.
While Flora's eyes wavered with conflict, I gave a firm nod.
Then, Flora slowly opened her mouth while looking anxious.
"Umm, I found out yesterday."
"...Yesterday? Why so suddenly?"
"True. Why did you decide to say it only now?"
That's true. Normally, one would be curious why I decided to tell such a secret only now.
My wretchedness stood out, but I had no choice but to say it.
While everyone's gazes were gathered, I told them.
That yesterday, Flora was caught up in my troubles and kidnapped. And that Flora was hurt. The pathetic reason why I had kept my identity a secret until now. And that I wanted to tell those close to me so that I wouldn't repeat the same thing in the future.
"...I see, so that happened yesterday. I didn't notice at all."
"............"
Hearing the story of yesterday, Toak spoke quietly.
Aisha said nothing. However, her gaze alone was directed strongly toward me, and I could tell she was angry just from the atmosphere.
Flora was also watching anxiously, sensing that Aisha was angry.
Toak and Kurune were also watching, having understood.
"...So you let Flora be taken hostage and got her involved without her knowing what was going on... and then you told Flora about your past and your real name?"
"...That's right."
"...Flora cried, didn't she?"
"...Yeah, she cried."
To Aisha's confirming line, I answered firmly without averting my gaze.
Then, Aisha slowly stood up while staring at me.
"A-Ah, Aisha..."
"...Sorry, Flora, move aside."
Flora timidly spoke up to try and calm her down, but Aisha didn't listen.
"...You remember what I said the other day, right?"
"Of course."
The moment I answered, Aisha approached and punched me in the cheek.
Aisha's small fist sank into my left cheek, violently shaking my brain.
It was a weight as if I had been punched by a man. It was a weight that made it understandable why Toak had been knocked out in one hit.
Fortunately, perhaps because I was mentally prepared, I wasn't pathetically blown away.
However, I involuntarily stumbled at Aisha's heavy blow.
"A-Aldo-san!"
Flora, who had been watching, came over with a worried voice.
I stopped the worried Flora with my hand and turned my gaze toward Aisha.
"...Flora is kind anyway, so she probably didn't even give Aldo a single slap! This is in Flora's place!"
It was just as Aisha said. Because Flora, Elgis-san, and Fiona-san were all kind, they hadn't punched me.
"You're an A-rank adventurer and even defeated a dragon, right? Unlike us, you have the power to protect, so get it together!"
Aisha was the only one who shouted at me and punched me like this.
Being punched and shouted at... it felt like it had been a very long time since someone had faced me so seriously. Getting angry out of concern for someone else is not something that can be done easily.
I felt happy that Aisha cared about me and Flora that much.
Words that seriously care for someone enter the heart very naturally.
"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll definitely protect her. I won't let Flora be hurt."
I bowed my head toward Aisha and said.
I will never repeat the same thing next time. I won't hurt Flora. That is already an absolute for me.
Aisha directed her gaze toward me as if sizing me up.
While a tense atmosphere flowed, Toak, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, opened his mouth.
"...Hey, isn't that enough? Don't take your frustration out on Aldo just because you were incompetent during the Red Bear incident."
"...I-It's not like that! I just gave him a pep talk as Flora and Aldo's close friend."
Aisha said, somewhat faltering at Toak's words.
Aisha had previously put Flora in danger during the Red Bear incident. That's probably why she couldn't forgive me, who had all sorts of power, for being so sloppy.
Aisha, whose cheeks had turned red as if she were somewhat embarrassed, cast a sidelong glance.
"...Well, I'll forgive you with just this much for this time."
"Thank you for worrying about me and Flora, Aisha."
When I replied, Aisha's face turned red and she sat back down in her chair.
Seeing Aisha like that, Flora and Kurune laughed in relief.
"Haha, she's blushing."
"...Just shut up. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."
"Hah!?"
"You're the one who's always saying unnecessary things, aren't you? I'm just putting up with it every time."
"It's the other way around, obviously! Why are you acting like you're the sensible one!?"
And immediately, Toak and Aisha began bickering.
The tense atmosphere from before became peaceful as if it had been a lie.
"Hey, Aldo—"
Toak, who had been bickering, stopped as he was about to call my name.
"The name Aldred is long, so it's fine to just call you Aldo like before, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
Despite everything they say, they accept me. Sometimes we act like fools together, laugh, and sometimes they get angry or admonish me.
I love Toak and Aisha like that.