That day.
Magus and Groh stepped through the door of the Adventurers' Guild and immediately froze, wide-eyed.
“Wahaha, and then...huh?”
“Huh? What’s wro....”
“Bosses... did something happen...?”
Their underlings, following behind, also went silent as soon as they stepped inside.
Everyone’s attention was locked onto a corner of the guild tavern.
“…………”
There, sitting at a small one-person table, was Allen, drinking alone.
That alone would have been a normal sight, but the problem was his expression.
It was dark. Too dark.
His eyes were sunken, unfocused, as if staring into the void.
Like a broken automaton, he kept pouring strong liquor down his throat, but showed no signs of drunkenness.
It was as if a drinking party was being held for the dead.
The tension radiating from that one corner made the rest of the tavern steer clear, leaving a bubble of empty seats around him.
Magus and Groh huddled together, whispering nervously.
(H-Hey, what the hell…!? Didn’t the Demon King say he was gonna confess to the young lady!? Why does he look like he’s about to drop dead!?)
(How should I know!? We haven’t seen him even once since then!)
It had been about a week since they’d helped Allen prep for his confession.
They hadn't seen Allen and Charlotte since then.
everyone had just assumed, without saying it aloud that they’re probably off floating on a cloud of love.
However, the reality here.
Allen's face was clearly marked with the look of death.
"In that case, it can't be..."
“Yeah… it’s that, huh.”
Magus and Groh exchanged a solemn nod.
Then, steeling themselves, they approached Allen. Their lackeys followed in silence, united in one mission.
“Yo, Demon King.”
“If you’re drinking, mind if we join you?”
“…It’s you guys.”
Allen barely glanced at them.
Undeterred, they dragged over chairs and tables, forming an impromptu drinking circle around him. The atmosphere was technically lively, but stiff with awkwardness.
When everyone had a drink in hand, Magus gave Allen a hearty slap on the shoulder.
“Well, uh… cheer up, Demon King.”
“Yeah! There’s a million women out there, y’know!”
Groh nodded fervently. Their underlings wore equally serious expressions.
But Allen just frowned deeply.
“...What the hell are you talking about?”
"Well, you were dumped by the young lady, weren't you?"
"We were just trying to comfort you."
".........What are you guys talking about?"
Allen poured himself a drink and continued brusquely.
“The confession went fine. Charlotte and I are lover now.”
“Hm”
“Heh”
Everyone froze at once.
Allen didn't care and continued sipping his drink at the same pace, but――
““WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?””
“Whoa—!”
They all screamed at the same time, as if in unison, causing some of the drink to spill.
Allen glared at everyone present as he wiped the table.
"What's wrong with you guys? Can't you just drink quietly?"
“No, no, no!? Then why the hell are you sitting here all gloom-faced, drinking like the world just ended!?”
“Yeah! If the confession worked, shouldn’t you be flying high right now!?”
“…That’s what I thought, too. At first.”
Allen gave a self-deprecating smile.
It was exactly as they said. If he was united with Charlotte, then a rosy future was surely waiting for him. Allen was convinced of that, but...
“But… a certain serious problem has arisen. And I’ve been struggling to deal with it.”
“P-Problem…?”
“Yeah… even I don’t know how to handle this one.”
Gulp.
From Allen's tone, they seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation.
As they watched with bated breath, Allen covered his face with trembling hands and screamed.
“We’re dating... what on earth should I do?!"!!”
CRAAAAAASH!!
The table shattered, liquor bottles flew through the air, and a large hole was made in the floor as the giant Magus fell over.
The people around were suddenly shocked, but when they saw the faces of the people who were the source of the commotion, they quickly lost interest.
‘Just those guys again, huh.’