Drink but Don't Dance at Meetings

Eltaref, a city in the western part of Ciel-Terra, was the center of Earl Keely's domain, and is a medium-sized city.

The city spread out around the castle where the Earl resided, and it was further surrounded by the city walls.

Even though the sun had already set, there was still some light in the downtown area of Eltaref.

On a street where drunks and stray dogs roamed, there was a bar, the Leaping Fish Bar. Four adventurers were occupying the bar, which had a sign that read "Closed Today".

"Night Pythons..."

A woman in a converted priest's uniform sighed, reeking of alcohol, as she filled her empty glass with liquor. A long wooden bottle was clasped between the fingers of her hand.

The woman seemed to be a little bit of a whore. Her eye-catching features included an attractive weeping brow and blood-red lipstick.

She was dressed in a white and dark blue priest's robe, adorned here and there with metal-colored accessories and a skirt with a large tear in it and a slit. No reasonable priestess would ever dress like this.

She was propped up on the table with her elbows sloppily resting on her knees, smoking a pipe and continuing to drink.

Her name was Diana. She was an adventurer of the fourth class in this town and a member of the party "Dragon's Throat".

 (TLN: forth class = Guard class, the other party was a fifth class aka Adept class)

"The home base is in another territory, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. The whole country is networked, so one lord can't eradicate them all by himself, right?"

The man who responded to Diana was a man wearing thick armor and drinking alcohol. He was a man with a round-cropped head and a sturdy body, but his height was about average and he seemed a little short of stature for a vanguard.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was wearing heavy-looking armor, but his atmosphere was somewhat light, which made him look less dignified.

His name was Hugh. He was the "Dragon's Throat" tank. (TLN: tank/shield)

The man who was biting the grilled meat on the bone nodded at Diana and Hugh's words with a questioning look.

“Earl-sama doesn't want to go that far. He wants to get them out of his territory in any case."

A large, muscular figure wrapped in dark brown fur; he was a large man with a dog's face. His ears were triangular and pointy, and they rested atop his head.

Needless to say, he was not human. He was a Kobold, a type of beastman.

He was the leader of the "Dragon's Throat". He is Benedict, the fighter.

"Maybe nothing has to be done right now... "

"I think it has to be now. Earl-sama has been working against Night Pythons for a long time now. But I don't know what will happen to the country in the future. He might not be able to move due to a change in circumstances, so he wanted to settle the matter before that happens, even if it means moving the plan forward."

"I see."

The owner of this bar and Benedict were friends and today, they were renting the bar as a meeting room for the strategy meeting of the party. They are eating and drinking on their own, paying for their drinks and food afterwards.

They were discussing a series of measures being taken by Earl Keely, the lord of the city and the surrounding area, to eliminate the Night Pythons, a criminal organization.

Benedict had heard that it was finally coming to a head.

"So, our job is exactly as we knew in advance. Our job is to protect Earl-sama's personal safety in the meantime."

“Leader. Are you sure you want to do this ...?"

The night sky-colored eyes of Diana stared at Benedict. She looked a little sleepy, perhaps from the alcohol.

"I don't mind. But, you know, this is the most dangerous thing..."

"I don't care."

The girl who interrupted Diana's words was the girl who was eating the grilled fish politely.

"That's what adventurers do."

Shoulder-length blond hair with gentle waves. Wisteria-colored eyes and cherry-red cheeks. Her dark-colored hooded robe was a bit large and looked a bit untidy.

She was Iris, the last of the "Dragon's Throat". At only 11 years old, she was a genius magician, a fourth class one.

Iris continued to eat with a composed expression on her face, but Diana seemed unhappy.

"Even if ... Iris is fine with it, I'm against it."

"Not that I care about Iris's opinion, either."

Benedict shook his head in defense.

"Are you sure about this, Iris?"

"Diana. I'm a fourth-class guard adventurer, just like everyone else here."

" So ... you are."

" And what would Catherine-chan do without me?"

Most of Earl Keely's family are knights and adventurers. Even his wife, a former Priestess, knows a little magic. The most vulnerable of them all was his daughter Catherine, who turned 11 that year.

If the Night Pythons were to threaten or retaliate, she would be the one most at risk of being targeted. The Earl was concerned about this as well.

The Earl requested "Dragon's Throat" to provide protection. One of the requests was for Iris to be Catherine's secret double.

Diana was about to say something, but seemed to swallow it.

"Okay, well, that's fine, but be careful not to do anything dangerous. I don't think the four of us are going to be defeated by any ordinary opponent. They're a big organization, and I'm sure they'll use all kinds of dirty tricks to get us."

"Yes, of course."

" Then tomorrow, we will ask the Earl."

Benedict concluded the conversation, seeing that Diana also grudgingly agreed.

But here, Hugh raised his hand lightly as he sipped his mug with one hand.

“Leader. I've had enough of this, but I don't think I have to stay here forever to be loyal to the Earl."

"…"

“I have no complaints about Earl-sama's work, he pays us well. But there are not enough jobs here at the right level for us. I can't do this if I have to travel to look for work all the time. I'd rather go where the jobs are better."

The Adventurers' Guild branch in Eltaref was in charge of the entire Earl of Keely's territory.

Its size was not very large.

A party of fourth-class Guards was a mid-level group of adventurers.

It would be bad form to deprive adventurers of lower-level quests, such as exterminating giant rats in the sewers, and more importantly, it would be unprofitable.

However, it is difficult to say whether there is a constant stream of request quests suitable for a party of fourth-grade Guards in the small territory of the Earl's domain. Therefore, the "Dragon's Throat" would sometimes travel to neighboring territories, or even to the royal capital, to earn money.

Before becoming an adventurer, Benedict worked as a bodyguard for the Earl Keely, to whom he was indebted and to whom he had connections. He was still frequently asked by the Earl to take on assignments because of this connection.

However, it was difficult for them to make a living only from the requests from the Earl.

" It's not just that. Although the coup ended the civil war, what could happen in the future? What will happen next? War with the Federation?"

" ... I'll think about it and come to a conclusion by the end of this job."

Benedict said with his triangular ears lowered.

Hugh, who was skilled in world affairs, had the quality of thinking ahead, and his role was to criticize Benedict if he was naive in his thinking. But there are often times when "even so" would come up and Benedict would make the final decision.

"Is that it? Well, I'm going back to the inn first."

Iris, who had finished her grilled fish, saw that the party meeting was now over and stood up.

"Shall I'll walk you back?"

"I'm fine. It's only a few steps away."

Iris picked up a staff that was propped up against the wall. It is a long staff with many gold rings on it.

"If anyone tries anything stupid, I'm going to hit them back."

"...Well."

Diana laughed and blew a thin plume of purple smoke from her mouth.