Chapter 26: A Drunken Hero and a Night Show...

After they replaced the destroyed target and repaired part of the wall Audrey had shattered, the dart competition continued.

Or at least, they tried to.

Because Audrey kept playing.

And she kept winning.

Again and again.

The village drunks seemed incapable of accepting reality.

"I’m definitely beating you this time!"

"That’s what the last five said."

Bullseye.

"I’ve been playing for twenty years!"

Another bullseye.

"That was pure luck!"

And another bullseye.

Audrey smiled as she collected yet another small pile of coins.

"Thank you."

The man who had just lost stared at the target.

Then sighed and went off to drink.

Meanwhile...

Nox was sitting at the bar.

He had left the hat full of money on a nearby table and was now focused on something much more important.

The two-for-one beer promotion.

"Excellent investment."

The bartender placed two massive mugs in front of him.

Nox nodded in satisfaction.

"Now this is how you’re supposed to spend money."

Just as he was about to take his first sip...

A voice appeared beside him.

"Hey, masked guy."

Nox turned his head.

A red-haired man had just sat down on the stool next to him.

He was wearing an elegant black-and-white suit.

Though at the moment it looked fairly wrinkled.

Mainly because the man was drunk.

Nox could smell the alcohol from where he was sitting.

And instinctively made a disgusted face.

"What?"

The redhead pointed at the two mugs.

"You’re really going to drink both of those by yourself?"

Nox raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

The man waited.

Nox waited too.

"..."

"..."

"...And? Is that a problem?"

The redhead sighed.

"Truth is, I ran out of money."

He pointed at himself.

"And I wanted to keep drinking."

Nox looked back at his beers.

Then looked back at him and decided to completely ignore him.

He picked up one of the mugs and took a long drink.

The redhead let out a laugh accompanied by a hiccup.

"Hic. How cruel."

Nox continued pretending he didn’t exist.

The man didn’t seem offended.

Quite the opposite.

He looked amused.

"Hic."

He pointed toward the dart area.

"What that woman did was incredible."

Nox smiled.

"I know."

He took another drink.

"That’s why she’s with me."

The redhead started laughing.

"The best part was when that idiot thought he could beat her."

He pointed at Audrey again.

"And walked straight into the most obvious scam in the world."

Nox spat out part of his beer from laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

He slapped the counter.

"I know."

He wiped his mouth.

"I’m pretty good at scamming people."

Both of them burst out laughing.

And only then did Nox realize something.

"...Wait a second."

The redhead looked at him.

"Hm?"

"You knew it was a scam."

"Of course."

Nox studied him.

The man looked completely calm, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Hic. It was pretty obvious."

Nox began to suspect this guy was far more observant than he looked.

Or maybe he was simply too drunk to care.

"Out of curiosity..."

He turned toward him.

"Who are you?"

The redhead smiled.

"For now..."

He rested an elbow on the counter.

"...you can call me Leo."

Then he extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

Nox hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually shook the man’s hand.

And at that exact moment...

A window appeared before his eyes.

[Target is not compatible with the system.]

Nox blinked.

"Huh?"

The window immediately changed.

[Leo Pyrell]

[Title: Fire Lion Knight]

Nox’s eyes widened.

’What?’

For a second, he froze completely.

’A hero?’

He looked back at the redhead, and the man was still smiling.

’Even heroes can show up in some random tavern in the middle of a fishing village...’

Nox swallowed.

’Great. If he finds out I’m a demon, he’ll probably try to kill me.’

Instinctively, he was about to let go of the man’s hand.

But then something unexpected happened.

Leo stopped moving.

He blinked a couple of times.

And then...

His head dropped directly onto the counter.

"..."

"..."

Nox stared at the hero.

The hero was completely asleep.

"Hic..."

Nox stared for a few seconds.

"Seriously?"

Leo answered with a snore.

Nox burst out laughing.

"Well."

He patted him on the back.

"It was nice meeting you."

The hero didn’t react.

He remained completely unconscious.

Just then...

Several lights inside the tavern went out.

The conversations began to quiet down.

And the customers turned their heads toward the main stage.

Nox did the same.

The few lights that remained lit were now focused on a wooden platform.

A dwarf with an immaculate black beard and an elegant white suit walked toward the center.

He took a small cane and tapped it against the floor.

The tavern fell silent.

The dwarf smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Several people applauded.

"Welcome to the nightly performance of the One-Eyed Fish Tavern!"

More applause.

"We hope you enjoy the show put on by our beloved Masked Dancers!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

"And of course!"

The dwarf raised a finger.

"Don’t forget to take advantage of our two-for-one beer promotion!"

The entire tavern exploded with celebration.

Nox raised his mug.

"Now he’s speaking my language."

And he finished one of the beers in a single gulp.

He set the empty mug on the counter.

Picked up the second one.

And stood up.

’Let’s see what they’ve prepared.’

He began making his way through the crowd.

As he walked, he spotted Audrey finishing the process of emptying another poor drunk’s pockets at the dart competition.

The huntress smiled when she saw him approaching.

"Already finished one?"

Nox raised the remaining mug.

"Of course."

Audrey shook her head with a smile.

The crowd applauded once more, the stage lights began to intensify, and Nox felt a small spark of curiosity.

Because after what he had seen that afternoon...

He had to admit it.

He wanted to see that Misty girl dance again.