Of course, that didnt mean I was going to forgive everything. Still feeling some resentment, I yanked my hand out of Mayers grip and gruffly said, You promised me youd make the name of Jun Karentia go down in history.

Yes, I did.

You werent lying, were you? I squinted at him.

No, I was not.

This weak act youre putting up doesnt make you sound persuasive, I grumbled, initially pretending to be angry but I ended up feeling somewhat irritated for real.

As if realizing that all his troubling thoughts were in vain, Mayer chuckled. Heh You must be the definition of a strong person, what with that unchanging attitude of yours.

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You speak as if youre familiar with how I was back in the first playthrough.

Of course I am. Why else would I have come to rescue you so suddenly? My eyes have been on you for a long time.

Whenever Mayer mentioned these memories, I trembled inside, my past attempted assassinations prickling my conscience. Thankfully, his words had nothing to do with that.

By chance, I heard Fabians expedition corps discussing which dungeon to raid. I do not quite remember which performance report meeting it was, but just to be clear, I was not spying. Your people were simply talking too loudly. A faraway look appeared on Mayers eyes as he reminisced. They seemed to be having trouble deciding between two dungeons and were adamant on choosing the one you said was impossible for everyone to raid.

I remembered that. Usually, I tended to stay back in meetings and such where one had to be vocal, but sometimes, when the corps had been about to pass over a special dungeon with good loot, I hadnt remained quiet. You were steadfast regardless of how others ignored you for being a support mage and it left a deep impression on me, he added.

And indeed, they had completely disregarded the supporter who hadnt even fought a monster properly before The thought of Mayer witnessing my moment of shame made me flush in embarrassment, feeling awkward. In the end, my opinion wasnt accepted, I mumbled.

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Well, it matters not. We are in the second playthrough, anyway, he said. Back then, I had wanted to try working with you Who would have guessed we would be together like this now?

No wonder; I mustve been marked by him way back then. Speaking of which, the dungeon I had recommended I was sure the Dark Knights had cleared it. At the time, I had thought it was merely a coincidence, but could it be that they had listened to my words? It made sense why he had paid attention to me; after all, the dungeon had been full of treasure. The duke must have thought that I was either very lucky or had information everyone else didnt, which was why he recruited me in the second playthrough Life was truly unpredictable, like the flapping of a butterflys wings causing a hurricane on the other side of the planet.

Besides you also remember the first playthrough and that makes you very reliable. I am most happy that you became my vice-captain.

Was he trying to probe me under the guise of drunkenness? I raised a brow and pointed out, I never dreamed that your good treatment of a vice-captain included bearing with the noble captains drunken behavior.

Haha.

Next time, please dont do something like this, okay?

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Alright, alright. Mayer raised both hands in surrender at my grouching before straightening his face. From now on, I will be trusting you completely.

What a liarhe still hadnt mentioned that he had demonic power! Still, I felt that he would let me know the truth at some point so I decided to be content with sharing a secret with him.

I will do everything in my capability to give you what you desire, he vowed. So long as I can kill the demon lord I can even give you the emperors crown.

He had to be kidding. The captain of the expedition corps that slew the demon lord was supposed to become the emperor. If he passed the crown to me, there would be a huge opposition, and it wasnt like that was so easy to achieve in the first place. However, Mayer didnt look like he was joking; he seemed to have zero interest in the throne. Then, all of a sudden, I recalled something Axion had said to me before:

At times, His Excellency gives the impression that closing dungeons is his only purpose in living. Honestly, its to the point where Im curious about his plans after the demon lord dies and everything is over, he had said, back in the mess hall. The flame mage had seen right through Mayer; the man was willing to burn his entire being to kill the demon lord, even though he would later crumble into white ashes. To their captain, wealth, glory, and unmatched power were all secondary objectives. His primary mission was to take down the lord of evil.

The wines making you say all kinds of nonsense. I wont care even if you regret this later when youre sober, I replied, feeling bitter from the thoughts bouncing in my head.

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I will not regret.

I sighed at Mayers stubborn and fretful reaction. Before I knew it, we were deep into the night and I didnt know if it was the time or the wine, but I was feeling drowsy. I got up to leave and discreetly took the remaining bottle of liquor, intending to enjoy it by myself later. Ill be taking my leave now, I announced, excusing myself.