The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 54. The Top-Class Enchanter Drives Away Enemies Without Swinging a Staff

54. 54. The Top-Class Enchanter Drives Away Enemies Without Swinging a Staff

After finishing the bath and returning to the newbies. 

The swordsgirl looked down shyly. The mage girl puffed her cheeks in anger. And the thief girl, despite having been seen completely naked, was expressionless as usual with half-lidded eyes.

I had apologized thoroughly just earlier. So another apology shouldn’t be necessary—but still, I felt like I should apologize one more time.

“Sorry. Really sorry. It was an accident.”

“Even if it was an accident, peeking at a girl’s body is the worst. I’m disappointed in you.”

The one fuming was the mage girl.

The swordsgirl, rather, was calming her down. She said, “Well, well, Lux-san didn’t do it on purpose.”

But the thief girl muttered under her breath, “Among us, you’re the smallest, after all.”

“What did you sayyyy!!”

“Calm down.”

The mage girl’s eyes were sharp. She was about to punch. But thankfully the swordsgirl grabbed and restrained her in time.

Quiet-looking, yet actually the scariest, was the mage girl.

“Ahem. I understand it was unavoidable. Lux-san has helped us a lot. So I’ll grant acquittal just this once.”

“Then treat us to dinner as an apology. Come on, that’s fair, right?”

“Mhm, good idea. I want a feast.”

“Hey, you two! That’s too easy, isn’t it!?”

“Mmm, honestly, it didn’t shock me that much. My personality’s kind of boyish, you know.”

“If it were anyone other than Sensei I’d hate it. But since it’s Sensei…”

The mage girl grabbed her head and yelled, “Why me only!?”

That only made me feel even more guilty.

She was clearly the most reasonable one. The other two… well, let’s say they were a little off.

Just then, Nonon came back. She was freshly washed.

Drying her damp hair with a towel, she walked toward us in good spirits.

“Sorry for the wait. All refreshed and squeaky clean.”

“Nonon-san! If you’d like, I can dry your hair with magic!”

“Oh really? Then I’ll take you up on that.”

Usually, Nonon wore twin-tails. But now her straight hair after bathing carried an odd sense of allure.

Sitting on a rock, she let the mage girl create a soft breeze to dry her hair.

While watching, the swordsgirl tugged at my clothes.

“Is the inside of Grannaughts really Nonon-san?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I still can’t believe it. Grannaughts always had the image of a silent, kind-hearted, stern-faced macho. Even Bronk, wielder of the Silver Blade, said with a proud face, ‘He’s a man among men. Equal to or greater than me as a tank.’ I’ll have to tell him he was wrong when I get back.”

Please, spare him.

Even Bronk would cry in embarrassment if he heard that.

“Nonon-san is easy to talk to. I like you better this way.”

“Yeah, me too. Before, I couldn’t tell what Grannaughts was thinking. But once I learned it was Nonon inside, it made sense. Like, I get why Felice-san, Zain-san, and Nonon-san hid their identities.”

The swordsgirl quickly reacted to the thief girl’s words.

I tilted my head at the “it made sense” part.

“What do you mean?”

“All three of you are super beautiful and attractive, right? I bet tons of men came after you. And it must’ve been troublesome.”

“I don’t think there was a need to disguise even your gender though.”

“On purpose. O-n. P-u-r-p-o-s-e.”

What the heck is she saying.

Maybe I should ask Zain to cast holy magic on her head.

“Wind magic is super handy. When we get back, maybe I’ll make a magic tool that creates wind just for drying hair.”

“Eh, Nonon-san, you can make magic tools!?”

“Not as good as a magician or alchemist. But I can make decent stuff. Some parts of Gura use magic too. And since we’ve got a top-class enchanter for engraving, no problem. Easy peasy.”

Tying her hair into twin-tails, Nonon said, “Thanks a bunch, Bell-chan.” Then she gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Fwah!?”

“She’s blushing. Cute.”

“Geez, Nonon-san!”

Watching them, I muttered, “Kind of erotic…”

◇

We got a table on the second floor of the tavern and made a toast.

On the table was the specialty of Stocklex—marbled Walking Mushroom.

Thick, juicy mushroom steaks. They were so meaty in taste that one could mistake them for actual meat. On top, the tavern’s proud special sauce.

After years as an adventurer, you naturally pick up info about cheap and tasty places.

This was one of the places I’d learned of back in my solo days.

“What’s this, crazy delicious!”

“Told you.”

“Wait, did you come here with your girlfriend back in your solo days?”

“If I had one, I probably would’ve… oh no, tears…”

Of course, I’d never had a girlfriend.

I’d confessed a few times, sure. But the memories were painful. So let’s drop the subject.

“I… I see. So you never had one.”

Nonon turned her face away. She feigned disinterest.

“Sensei is… a virgin.”

“Hey. Stop that. Girls shouldn’t say things like that.”

The thief girl said it. She was as expressionless as ever

Still don’t know what’s in that kid’s head.

“We’re heading back to Avantale tomorrow. But Akane-chan and the others, what are you gonna do?”

“We finished our designated request safely. So I guess we’ll return for now. I’m curious about the Stocklex dungeon, but I feel like we don’t have enough experience to explore it yet.”

“Cautious, huh. But that’s exactly the mindset newbies need. Hey, why don’t you come back with us? I’ll teach you firsthand what it means to be front-line fighters. Oops, I’m out of ale. Hey, waiter, another ale!”

Emptying her huge mug, Nonon flagged down a waiter to order.

We all stared wide-eyed.

She looked completely sober. Yet she had already drunk twenty mugs.

And she was still drinking at the pace of water.

The village had no tavern. So she used to drink from barrels in her room. But seeing it like this in person, I really felt—yeah, she’s definitely a dwarf. Actually, even among dwarves, only a few could drink this much.

Dwarves are well known to be strong drinkers and huge alcohol lovers.

They’re the race with the most alcoholics. Their saying “the real deal starts when your hands start shaking” is famous. The higher-ranked elder dwarves surely strive for that stage too. But… what does “the real deal” even mean?

“Pwaahh, this is the best! Grape wine and fruit wine are good too, but ale is the real deal!”

“Well, well. Look at all these fine women together. Hey, come over here and pour us a drink.”

“Hah?”

The ones who stumbled in were rough-looking men.

Judging from their gear, probably fellow adventurers. Maybe C-rank.

One can roughly guess rank from equipment quality and bearing, though it’s not always right. So one shouldn’t rely too much on it.

I discreetly drew my short staff and hid it behind me.

This was a tavern where many came to enjoy themselves. I wanted to settle this peacefully if possible.

“We’re just customers here to drink and eat normally. If you want that kind of service, ask the right people.”

“Didn’t ask for your opinion. Move. We’re not interested in men. Don’t listen, and you’ll get hurt.”

“This is inside the tavern.”

“So what. You scared or something?”

The men drew their swords.

That alone made the other customers scream. And the tavern broke into chaos.

Their faces were red—maybe drunk.

Well, now I couldn’t back down.

Too close for a proper fight. First, a warning—

“You do realize you’re picking a fight with ‘Unknown’, right?”

Nonon stood. Her gaze was sharp as blades stabbing into the men.

Even in the battle with the Rock Eater, she hadn’t radiated this much killing intent.

The men flinched for a moment. But they then grinned again.

“Never heard of Unknown. What party’s that?”

“Hey, idiot! Unknown means S-rank!”

“S-rank? Quit bluffing. No way S-ranks would be here.”

“Wait, this guy—he’s Lux Thirdwood, isn’t he!?”

One of them shouted. And not just the men but the whole tavern stirred.

Adventurers on both floors checked my face and shouted:

“No mistake, it’s Lux!”

“The Vomit Enchanter!”

“Miss, bill, now!!”

Realizing the situation, the men turned pale. They quickly stumbled back and ran away.

“…Running away just from hearing my name? Isn’t that rude?”

“Pffft, hilarious! Raku-cchi, people are seriously scared of you! That put me in a good mood, so another round!”

I just couldn’t accept this.

I furrowed my brow deeply.