The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 323 Contract

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"What's wrong, Rifa?"

"Umm... I'm not sure."

Rifa quickly returned to her usual blank expression.

However, she seemed somewhat restless, frequently glancing in my direction.

"When I thought about saying goodbye to Rain, I felt lonely."

"I see... but we're not leaving right away. Like I said earlier, we're planning to stay in Krios for a while to keep an eye on things."

"Yeah. That's right."

Rifa nodded, but there was still a hint of dissatisfaction in her demeanor, and she couldn't quite settle down.

――――――――――

Night.

Ordinarily, this would be the time when everyone is fast asleep, but on this night, the lively voices of people echoed throughout the city.

There had been repeated instances of stampedes. The people of Krios, the strongest among them, were prepared for the city to be destroyed... but it was averted at the last moment. Thanks to the hero from Horizon, the demonic mastermind behind it all was defeated, saving the city. A celebration continued late into the night.

"Phew! Victory drinks sure do taste amazing, huh?"

Rezona was among those celebrating, drinking with Al at the lord's mansion.

"Honestly, you drink like there's no tomorrow. This is some fine quality liquor, you know? How about savoring it a bit more?"

"It’s all good! It’s just booze! You gotta drink it with gusto; that’s how it’s supposed to be."

"Well, since it's a party, I won't nitpick. Drink up, Al! More drinks till you’re out!"

Rezona, her face flushed from the alcohol, poured more liquor into Al's cup. Her coordination was a bit shaky, and some of it spilled.

Al raised a finger as if to say "what a waste." The spilled liquor, instead of hitting the floor, stopped in mid-air and floated, then drifted back into the cup.

"How do you even do that kind of magic?" 

"As long as I’m around, not a single drop of alcohol is getting away from me!" 

While demonstrating this incredible power for something so trivial, the door to the guest room opened slowly. Rifa peeked in. 

"Oh, hey, it’s Rifa! Wanna join us for a drink?"

"No thanks, I'm fine. I just need to talk to Mom."

"Huh? Talk? Does it have to be right now?"

"Not necessarily, but the sooner, the better."

"Alright, can it be here? Al will be around, but is that okay?"

"Yeah, that’s fine."

"You look like you've got something on your mind. We can help you sort it out."

"Actually, I was wondering..."

――――――――――

"... Phew." 

Nina held a large cup with both hands and drank down the entire contents in one gulp. It was a sweet, juice-like alcohol, which seemed to suit her taste. She gave a big, cheerful smile.

However, the alcohol seemed to hit her all at once, turning her face red, and she started to sway from side to side.

"Are you okay, Nina? You might want to go easy on the drinks."

"I'm totally... fine. I'm one of the strongest... so I can handle alcohol... nya." 

"That’s my line!? I feel like everyone's been borrowing it lately!" 

"That's not true, nya." 

"That's not true, nya." 

"Blatant provocation!?" 

"Everyone's pretty drunk, huh? You should really savor your drinks more slowly." 

"Yeah, that's right. Hey, Tania, your cup's empty. I'll refill it for ya." 

"Thanks."

Everyone was enjoying the party in their own way. Seeing everyone's smiles made me happy too. It was fun. I wished these times could go on forever, but is that asking for too much?

"Rain."

When I heard my name, I turned around to see Rifa. At some point, she'd vanished, but now she was back. 

"Where did you go?"

"Oh, I was just talking with my mom."

"Talking? About what?"

Did she have something on her mind? Was it something to do with her brother, perhaps?

"Rain, I have a favor to ask."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I want to be yours."

"What!?"

Her sudden declaration caught me off guard, causing me to choke on my drink. The liquor went down the wrong pipe!?

"Nya, nya, nya—! Did Rain already make a move on Rifa!?"

"Hey, what is this, Rain!?"

"Hold on, you've got it all wrong! Cough, cough. I haven't done anything!"

"Wait, Rain, aren’t you happy?"

As I frantically tried to calm down, Rifa tilted her head in confusion. Hearing those words, I wondered if she was saying it because she thought it would make me happy. But it was the opposite—I was just freaking out.

"Why did you say that out of the blue...? What's this about?"

"Earlier, I figured out why I was feeling weird during the day. I realized I want to be with you, Rain. I need to repay you somehow, and I want to spend more time with you."

"Don’t worry about repaying anything... And didn't we agree that you'd show me around Krios? Wasn't that the plan?"

"That's not enough. I want it to be more balanced. I need to do something more meaningful to repay you. I thought about it, but I couldn't figure it out, so I asked my mom for advice."

"Did Rezona suggest you say what you just said?"

"Yeah, she did."

What is that woman thinking!? I internally screamed.

"Mom said that if I said that, guys would be head over heels. So, are you head over heels?" 

"Uh, well, you see—" 

"Wait, Rifa, does wanting to be with Rain mean you want to join our party?"

Rifa lowered her gaze slightly and thought for a moment at Kanade's question. After a pause, she replied.

"Yeah, it might be that. I want to be part of Rain's team. I want to repay him."

"Nya, another one falls for Rain's charm..."

I'm not charming anybody! But everyone else was giving me that same skeptical look that Kanade was. Why!?

"Uh, are you serious? Did you really think this through?"

"Of course. That's why I asked my mom."

"And what did Rezona say?"

"She said I could do whatever I wanted."

If Rezona approved, I guess there's no reason for me to object. Besides, Rifa, for all her quirkiness, had a good head on her shoulders. She probably didn't say she wanted to join lightly.

"Okay, got it. I don't mind. What do you all think?"

"I think it's a great idea. I'd be sad to say goodbye to Rifa."

"Me too. No objections."

"New teammates are always welcome."

"Indeed, it seems I have another junior to mentor! Go fetch some bread!"

"Shall we go together?" 

"I'm fine with it too."

No one had any objections.

"Alright, Rifa, welcome aboard."

"Okay."

I extended my hand, and with a faint hint of joy, Rifa took it.

"And also, I want to form a contract with you."

"You too, huh?"

"I don't want to be left out. I want to make a contract."

"Um, okay. Let's do it."

I couldn't say for certain, but I had a feeling we'd be able to make it work. Contracting with the strongest species was rare, but given my current situation, it seemed possible.

I bit my finger and drew a magic circle on my palm with the blood. I'd done this several times, so I was used to it by now.

"... I am Rain Shroud. By forming this contract, we create a bond. With this oath in our hearts and hope in our spirits, we gain power. What is your name?"

"... Rifa..."

A magic circle appeared on Rifa's body.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, the contract's sealed." 

I reached out to Rifa again.

"Looking forward to working with you, Rifa."

TL Note- Rain added one more girl to the harem *cough* one more member to his party...

Next

Prev