Chapter 18: From Legend to Old Drunkard...

The cave was warm.

Or at least as warm as a cave could be in the middle of a snowy mountain.

And around the fire...

Two alcoholics had just become friends.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Nox and the old man clinked their bottles together.

The glass echoed throughout the cave.

Audrey watched the scene from the side.

Leaning against Claws’ enormous white fur.

She looked comfortable.

Much more comfortable than Tessa.

Because the inquisitor was still tied up.

And still gagged with Nox’s dirty underwear.

And she was resting against an uncomfortable rock.

Asleep.

Or at least, that was how it seemed...

"Mmph..."

Nox decided to ignore her.

He raised his bottle again.

The old man did the same.

And both drank.

Audrey sighed.

"I can’t believe you two got along so well."

"Alcohol brings people together."

"That’s not true."

"It is."

The old man nodded solemnly.

"The lad is right."

Audrey rubbed her forehead.

"Of course you’d agree with him."

Then she looked at the bottle Nox was holding.

"...Hey."

Nox turned his head.

"Yeah?"

"Do you still have some of that drink left?"

"Which one?"

"The one you said tasted like..."

Audrey tried to remember.

"...vermouth and soda."

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"I don’t know what vermouth and soda is."

He adjusted himself near the fire.

"But it sounds delicious."

Nox smiled.

"Because it is."

He opened his bag and carefully searched through the bottles.

Eventually, he found one.

"This one."

He pulled out three cups.

One for himself.

One for Audrey.

And one for the old man.

Then he poured the drink.

The old man was the first to try it.

He took a sip.

Thought for a moment.

Took another sip.

And finally nodded.

"I don’t know what vermouth and soda is."

Nox waited.

The old man raised the bottle.

"But this tastes like vermouth and soda."

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Nox burst into laughter.

The old man did too.

Even Audrey ended up smiling.

"You two are idiots."

"Probably."

"Definitely."

They toasted again.

◇◆◇

Some time passed.

The campfire continued to burn.

And several empty bottles were already resting near the flames.

Nox looked at the old man.

Something was still bothering him.

"Sir."

"Hm?"

"Thanks for not trying to fight us."

The old man smiled.

"You’re welcome."

"But I’m curious."

The old man raised an eyebrow.

Nox pointed at him.

"Just how strong can a simple blind old man like you be?"

The old man let out a small laugh.

"Simple."

He placed a hand on his chest.

"A long time ago, I was a man of legend."

Nox blinked.

The old man continued.

"I disappeared to live peacefully in these mountains."

The fire barely illuminated his face.

"Perhaps I no longer possess the title the world once praised me for."

A smile appeared on his lips.

"But I’m still strong enough to handle two titled women."

He raised one finger.

"A four-armed bear."

He raised another.

"And a demon."

Nox nearly spat out his drink.

"...What?"

Audrey’s eyes widened as well.

The old man laughed.

"Did you really think I didn’t know?"

Nox pointed at his own eyes.

"But you’re supposed to be blind!"

"I am."

"Then... how the hell do you know all that?"

The old man pointed at his head.

"Because this still works."

Then he pointed at his ears.

"And these do too."

Finally, he pointed at his nose.

"And because I can recognize a title anywhere."

Audrey froze.

The old man turned toward her.

"You just obtained one."

Then he pointed at Nox.

"And I’d recognize the smell of a demon even if he were on the other side of the mountain."

Nox swallowed.

"That’s pretty terrifying."

"I’ve met several demons."

Nox blinked.

"...Seriously?"

The old man nodded.

"In my prime, I had to fight a few of them."

Nox felt like he had just heard something important.

But before he could ask...

The old man sighed.

"Whew."

He fanned himself with one hand.

"I’m getting hot."

Nox laughed.

"Sure."

He thought it was a joke.

Until the old man removed the enormous hide he was wearing.

And then...

Nox stopped laughing.

Audrey did too.

Because underneath the hide...

Was a monstrous body.

Defined muscles.

Scars.

Ancient marks.

Wounds that looked as though they told stories of war.

The old man looked less like an elder.

And more like a retired hero.

"...Holy shit."

The old man smiled.

"Thank you."

Audrey studied the scars.

"How did you lose your title?"

The old man’s smile faded slightly.

For several seconds, he simply stared into the fire.

Eventually, he answered.

"The same god who gave it to me."

The cave fell silent.

"It was the same god who took it away."

Nox frowned.

"...The gods in this world are complete assholes."

The old man burst out laughing.

"That was pretty direct."

"Because so far, I haven’t heard a single good thing about them."

Audrey nodded.

Nox continued.

"The Church is awful."

"Yes."

"The inquisitors are awful."

"Also true."

"And the gods seem even worse."

The old man kept laughing.

Then he took another drink.

And said:

"Let me guess."

Nox raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Your goal is to oppose the gods."

Nox nodded.

"Yeah."

The old man was smiling.

Nox continued.

"That’s exactly the plan."

And then...

"PFFFFFT—!!"

The old man sprayed all the alcohol in his mouth.

Directly into the campfire.

WHOOSH.

The flames exploded upward.

Almost reaching the ceiling.

Audrey jumped.

Nox’s eyes widened.

"What the hell?"

The old man pointed at him.

"I WAS JOKING!"

"Well, I wasn’t."

The old man looked like he was having a heart attack.

"Boy."

His voice became serious.

"I strongly recommend against doing that."

Nox shrugged.

"I don’t care."

The old man lowered his gaze.

And for a moment, he looked much older.

"I lost my family."

His smile had vanished.

"I lost my friends."

The fire illuminated his scars.

"I lost my title."

He tightened his grip on the bottle.

"And I lost everything because of that god."

The cave fell silent.

"Now all I have left is to wait."

He stared into the flames.

"Until my life ends naturally."

Nox remained quiet for a few seconds.

Then he said:

"Join us."

The old man blinked.

"What?"

"I can give you a title."

Suddenly...

A window appeared in front of Nox.

[Target incompatible.]

"...Huh?"

[Fallen Genesis can only be applied to heroines.]

Nox blinked.

"Why?"

[The system can only turn heroines into villainesses.]

"..."

Nox remained silent.

Then he turned toward the old man.

"Serious question."

"Yes?"

"Do you happen to consider yourself a woman?"

The old man froze.

Then burst into laughter.

"Not a chance!"

Nox sighed.

"Then my apologies."

"Why?"

"I can’t give you a title."

The old man laughed again.

"Now that’s a good joke."

He raised his bottle.

"A demon handing out titles."

A huge yawn interrupted the conversation.

"Aaaah..."

Audrey stretched.

Then settled herself against Claws.

"The alcohol made me sleepy."

Nox looked outside.

The night was completely dark.

"...Yeah."

He put away the bottle.

"It’s late."

The old man nodded.

Then simply dropped onto his coat.

A few seconds later, he was already snoring.

Audrey looked at Nox.

"Come here."

"Hm?"

"You can sleep here."

She gently patted Claws’ side.

"There’s room."

Nox looked at the enormous bear.

Claws was already half asleep.

"I guess so."

He finished the last sip remaining in his bottle.

And lay down beside Audrey.

The fur was absurdly comfortable.

For a moment...

He remembered his previous life.

The beds.

The hotels.

The women he had slept with.

The empty nights.

And finally...

Jessica.

The only person who had truly meant something.

Nox closed his eyes.

"...I’m going to kill you someday."

He didn’t know whether he was speaking to the goddess.

Or to fate.

But it didn’t really matter.

Because he was tired.

And tomorrow, they would continue moving forward.