11 – The Best Leader (6)
-Cooorrr….
Gerrard severed the last remaining shark demon’s windpipe.
Having turned dozens of them into corpses, he wiped the blood off his sword and put it back into its sheath.
“It’s… over… right?”
An overwhelmingly strong absolute powerhouse.
Gabriel cautiously asked a question as he sensed a hint of power emanating from him.
“Yes, it’s done,” Gellert replied in a quiet voice.
There was no sense of victory or joy in his response, as if it were a matter of course and there was no need to be boastful. As Gabriel observed him, he began to feel a fluttering sensation in his heart, something he had never experienced before, despite having met countless people.
At that moment,
“Well then, with this, the mission is complete. Shall we go back?”
“Just a moment.”
“Yes?”
Without moving from his spot, Gellert began to examine the corpses of the sharks strewn about. Seeing him like this, Gabriel approached with suspicion, questioning the devil hunters.
“What’s going on, leader?”
“Why, Master? Is there something there?”
“This.”
Gellert wordlessly extended something towards the devil hunters in response to their inquiry. In his hand was a small bead-like object, emitting a black light and giving off a strange, ominous aura.
The peculiar thing was that, despite just being taken out from the devil’s bloody ship, the bead had a completely pristine appearance with not a single bloodstain on it.
” ? What is this?”
“It’s a dark crystal… um… a black crystal. You can acquire about seven of these by dissecting the devil’s ship.”
“A black crystal? I’ve never heard of such a thing…”
“Wow… It looks quite beautiful, doesn’t it? Then where’s mine…”
Just by its look, it resembled a precious gem like a black pearl.
As a result, the other devil hunters, for some clear reason unknown, followed Gellard and collected the black crystals from the shark corpses.
Even Niko, who was trembling in fear while being embraced by Jannette just moments ago, actively started swinging an axe.
Thus, the demons, who had just moments ago instilled a sense of imminent death, became prey to the devil hunters in a literal sense.
With that, the hunt in this village came to a neat conclusion.
“You all did well.”
“hehehe… I collected a bunch. They’re really pretty.”
“But Leader, what exactly do we use these beads for? They definitely seem quite valuable to me.”
The devil hunters voiced their doubts.
In response, Gellard gazed at the black crystal in his hand and spoke in a quiet voice.
“I’ll let you know later. For now, just make sure to keep them safe.”
Gellard’s words seemed to hold some important meaning.
With that, the devil hunters, while still feeling uncertain, carefully packed the black crystals they had gathered according to his intentions.
“Then, since the job is really finished, let’s go back and have a drink.”
“That sounds good. It’s been a while since I drank outside.”
“I’m fine with that too.”
Jannu happily conversed, while Gabriel and Nico agreed with the suggestion.
Seeing their demeanor, Geralt also began to smile faintly.
“Alcohol… I don’t know how long it’s been.”
*
“Cheers!”
A beautifully set table.
Luxurious dishes and well-aged premium wines were abundantly placed there.
The devil hunters lifted their glasses.
“Gulp! Gulp! Kyaaa! This taste! Expensive alcohol truly is different.”
Jannu, who filled her glass with wine and drank it all in one shot, exuberantly exclaimed.
Starting from that, she continued to pour alcohol into her mouth as if drinking water, while tearing into the meat. Seeing her, Gabriel’s impression slightly furrowed.
“Jannu… This is a rare luxury wine. Can’t you savor it with a bit more dignity? Slowly taste it and relax…”
“Sorry, but I’m just a low-class commoner unlike you~ Whether I drink it hastily or slowly, alcohol is simply something to enjoy.”
Jannu spoke energetically.
Honestly, looking at her disheveled appearance that was no less attractive than any noble lady in terms of looks, Gabriel felt a bit disappointed and said to her.
“Of course, that’s important too, but etiquette and propriety are necessary in all things. As devil hunters, don’t we need to maintain a certain level of dignity?”
“Ah… You’re being so uptight. If you’re so concerned about etiquette and all that, you won’t be able to enjoy anything. In that regard, our noble Gabriel should learn from Nico~”
“Huh? M-me?”
Nico expressed a slight confusion while holding the cup in her hand in response to Jeanne’s words.
In this moment, she didn’t know what to do under the gaze of the two seniors looking at her.
Then.
“Please don’t worry about it too much. No matter which side you choose, just enjoy it according to your own taste. Whether you’re a noble or a commoner, it doesn’t matter.”
Napolea’s words entered the room.
Upon hearing this, Jeanne approached her with a bright smile.
“Napolea, come on in.”
“Ugh…”
Jeanne tightly embraced Napolea, showing a higher tension than usual.
Buried under the attack of a figure as tall as her shoulders and a superior chest,
Napolea blushed and stood there with a slightly suffocating feeling.
“That’s a relief~ It’s been a while since we had a drinking gathering, and I was worried if you wouldn’t come, but you arrived faster than I thought.”
“Lady Eli suggested that I go first as a consideration. Thanks to her, I was able to leave work early today.”
“Oh~ Lady Eli said that? Our owner truly is something. Her heart is so big, it’s amazing~ Anyway, stop standing there and have a drink too. Come on, bottoms up~”
Napolea slowly drank the liquor in the cup handed to her by Jeanne.
She elegantly and neatly emptied her cup, showing a similar yet slightly more reserved demeanor than Jeanne.
And,
Gabriel, who had been observing their interaction, asked with a voice containing slight curiosity and seriousness.
“But where is Lady Eli actually? And… I don’t even see the leader’s figure.”
“If you’re talking about Gerald, the leader, he said he had some finishing up to do and would come a little later.”
“…Really? Both of them separately…you mean?”
“Yes, they said it won’t take too long, so they’ll be here soon…Oop!…”
At that moment, Jeanne brought a piece of meat to Napoleon’s mouth.
She then filled his glass again and said with a cheerful voice, “Come on, the protagonist is always fashionably late, right? Let’s keep enjoying ourselves until then, go, go! Otherwise, what’s the point of risking our lives in Paris if we can’t enjoy it when we have the chance, right?”
Jeanne spoke with a slightly tipsy voice.
Napoleon chuckled quietly in response while still having the meat in his mouth.
*
“You did a great job. You worked hard until the end.”
“No, regardless of how it turned out, since I was in charge of this task, it’s only right for me to finish the paperwork myself.”
Ellie spoke with a calm smile.
Gerald responded with a serious tone, “After all, it’s the right answer to complete the finishing touches myself.”
After finishing the final arrangements,
Ellie stood up from her seat and approached Gerald, who was sitting in front of her.
With twinkling red eyes, Ellie stared at Gerald, slowly standing in front of him.
Then, just like usual, she emitted a mysterious yet charming atmosphere.
Without haste, Ellie slightly lowered her head towards Gerald.
“…Ellie?”
“I want to thank you once again for handling this task perfectly. And for keeping those children safe.”
In Eli’s words, a profound sense of relief was palpable along with a serious undertone.
At this, Gellard showed a slightly surprised face, but soon, he smiled once again and said in a calm voice.
“It’s too high a praise. I have merely lived up to the trust you placed in me by entrusting me with the task. None of this would have been possible without your decisive action.”
Eli slowly lifted her head in response to Gellard’s words.
Then, looking at the man before her, she said quietly,
“Thank you for saying so.”
A deep smile quietly began to adorn her lips.
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“But even if my judgment helped, the undeniable truth remains that it was your merit that played the largest role. In that sense…”
With those words, she slowly took another step toward Gellard.
And then,
the distance between the two,
became close enough to feel a slight thrill.
“I would like to offer you a small token of gratitude.”
Eli spoke in a whisper-like tone.
At this gesture from her, Gellard momentarily wore a dazed expression as he gazed upon this enchanting woman before him.
Eli’s hand, approaching Gellard’s face,
found its way to the tip of his chin and there it lingered, slowly.
Her fingers began their ascent along his jawline, gliding up his cheek.
Warm and tender.
Simultaneously, her touch held an irresistible allure.
Then, with a careful yet bewitching motion, her hands framed Gelard’s face.
Watching this,
Elli asked,
“Are you alright?”
A simple question, yet laden with complex meanings.
And to this,
Gelard, facing the woman before him — a woman of undeniable charm — responded in a quiet voice,
“There is no reason… not to be alright.”
“…hehehe.”
With that, her smile deepened,
And Elli brought her face close to the man before her.
And then,
– A soft touch at the edge of their lips.
A sensation, so intense and novel, it overwhelmed me, unlike anything I’ve ever felt in this life or the last.
Sweet and warm.
The taste so enchanting, it felt like ecstasy.
Slightly abrupt, yet,
As I had put into words, there was no reason to refuse it, as I relished the moment.
For a brief time, I was utterly captivated by the blissful feeling, my entire heart and mind focused on her warmth.
And a moment later,
Her lips parted from mine with a deep sense of longing.
Then before me, my face flushed with warmth enough for me to feel,
I saw Ellie, as ever, maintaining her composed expression.
“How was it? Did you find it at least a little enjoyable?”
“…Well, it wasn’t bad.”
“Is that so?… That’s a relief then. It means there was some meaning to my gesture of reciprocation.”
My response came as calmly as possible,
And Ellie’s words, tranquil like a still water surface.
Her demeanor was one thing,
But given that I also held an image of dignified maturity befitting middle age, it was troublesome to show any excessive unrest in this situation.
However, separately from this,
At this moment, I found myself desperately trying to suppress the intense emotions still simmering within me.
‘That was a kiss… far more pleasant than I had imagined…’
A definite lesson on why men oftentimes can’t keep their wits about them and succumb easily to a woman’s temptation.