Stray

“…Jesse, get out of the bathtub.”

“This is the guest room. You said I can use it casually!”

“That’s because you said you wanted to take a hot bath. I have to remind you that the average hot bath doesn’t last for five hours. Now you look like you want to stew your own soup. Of course, if you really have this idea, I’m willing to help—” Nemo cracked his knuckles.

“I like this bathtub,” Jesse said.

He specially shrank his beast shape a little bit so that he could stuff himself into a large round bathtub. The long white fur floated on the hot water surface emitting hot steam, and the shrunken beast put its long mouth on the edge of the bathtub and squinted its blue eyes comfortably.

Not far from the bathtub was a window that had accumulated a thick layer from the swirling snowflakes that floated onto the windowsill. Jesse hummed comfortably, and even added a circle of insulation runes to the bathtub for free.

Nemo took a deep inhale: “…Mr. Cross!”

Hearing the call, footsteps sounded from the stairs. Ten seconds later, Adrian Cross pushed the door in.

“…” After glancing at the scene in front of him, the former Knight of Judgment pinched his brows. “How long has he been soaking?”

“More than five hours.”

“I suggest you use just directly use a freezing spell,” Adrian proposed politely.

“Less than five hours!” Jesse protested. “Adri, my heart is breaking. How can you be so cruel—”

“It’s been five hours and seven minutes since you said you were going to take a hot bath,” Nemo interrupted cruelly. “Debby did your share of work for you. Jesse, don’t tell me you’re just going to go down to dinner like this later.”

“Strictly speaking, our friendship has been for tens of thousands of years, right? My dear Pillar of the World, you don’t care about these short five hours—”

“Then you can choose not to eat later.” Nemo rubbed his hands slowly. “I’ll tell Debby to stop picking thornberries and turn the rest into jam because the fresh thornberry cake specially prepared for someone is no longer needed.”

Jesse shook the tips of his ears.

“By the way, we can add a dish to dinner, stewed wolf broth. Anyway, the ingredients have already washed itself very clean.”

“…You know I’m not a wolf.”

“It’s okay, the guests doesn’t.” Nemo straightened his sleeves and smiled, and he stepped out of the bathroom with one foot. “I’ll leave it to you next, Mr. Cross.”

Jesse huffed back, “Okay, okay. Give me ten more minutes, and I’ll go down and pick those damn thornberries.”

“Ten minutes might be too late.”

Adrian picked up the bath towel, wiped the beast’s head, and covered its two pointed ears under the bath towel.

“Miss Light used it to feed Bagelmaurus as she picks them. In ten minutes, there may be nothing left. I suggest you get out quickly and use a drying spell.”

The cool black nose poked out from under the bath towel and poked the side of Adrian’s face. Adrian stopped the movement of his hands and kissed the bridge of the beast’s furry nose lightly. “Stop it, Jesse…Okay, Lord Zenni.”

Only then did Jesse step out of the bathtub with satisfaction and change back to human form.

“After all, it is an important day for those two.” Jesse lifted up his long golden hair and steamed it dry by himself. “I will make up for the lost progress, don’t worry.”

Nemo walked out of the guest room on the second floor. Instead of going downstairs, he walked to the top floor of the house.

The ceiling on the top floor was very high, but it was just the beveled roof style of a wooden house. More than half of one wall was covered with glass windows, and the view was surprisingly good. The balcony outside the small door was covered with thick snow, and under the action of the magic array, the interior was as warm as spring.

This room was only arranged today.

The soft sofa was placed in the middle of the room, the wide wooden table in front of it was equipped with a tablecloth printed with a heat preservation array, and the teapot on the table was still spewing hot air from its spout.

The fire in the fireplace was burning vigorously. The carpet was fine and thick that it was very comfortable to walk up barefoot. There were warm-toned landscape oil paintings on the walls, and Nemo knew very well that there were countless Tumbleweed mission photos hidden behind them— Even if they were sealed in a solid stone box in advance, he and Bagelmaurus took a lot of trouble to get them out of the bottom of the Abyss.

Not far from the corner of the painting stood an elegant bird stand, with a nest covered with soft velvet. Lord Bagelmaurus wouldn’t be able to pick anything wrong.

They covered it with a cloth and decided to use it as a surprise.

The large bed was hidden behind a semi-enclosed partition, covered with brand-new soft sheets. The vase on the small wooden table at the head of the bed was filled with fresh flower branches, and the two water cups were attached together and placed next to the vase.

After coming out of the bottom of the Abyss, he bought a lot of books, and now they were neatly placed on the bookshelf not far from the bed.

Stuffing the few books scattered on the table back into the bookshelf, Nemo poured himself a cup of hot tea and looked out the window at the lively scene…

The late winter celebration was approaching, and the entire city of Noer was covered with all kinds of lanterns, flashing warm flames in the gradually dim night. Most of the nearby houses had only one or two floors, and the roofs were covered with frosted snow.

People carried bread and mulled wine, talking and laughing, and returned home, while children screamed and laughed, rolling around in the snow.

Unconsciously raising the corner of his mouth, Nemo walked to the other side of the room and added some milk to the tea.

The back of the house could be seen here.

He and Oliver built a small garden at the back, which was now also buried by heavy snow. However, the necessary roads had been cleaned out, and the exquisite lanterns had already been hung up.

Oliver’s black horse was freely walking around in the small garden, as if it was spreading joy while the fuller goat honestly stopped in its comfortable shed and chew fresh forage leisurely.

A pair of warm arms circled his shoulders from behind.

“Someone’s being lazy.” Oliver kissed his ear from behind.

“Two minutes ago, I just scared our great God out of the bathtub.” Nemo pushed down the muscular arm and turned his face sideways. “That’s worth a cup of tea.”

“I saw Jesse. He just caught up with the cleaning work.” Oliver contentedly put his chin on his lover’s shoulder. “You know, Jesse is enough for one person for this job, and he wanted everyone to take a break, so he dismissed them. Now only Mr. Cross and Bagelmaurus are still with him on the first floor. Wait, you wouldn’t have guessed this before you just—”

“I’m done eating anyway!” The shrill scream of the gray parrot came from the first floor. “Do you want me to spit it out, huh? You won’t eat the thornberries I spit out, Dylan. Don’t think you… Ahhhhhh! I apologize, I apologize. Don’t do it—!”

Then a ear-splitting sound of tables and chairs banging to the ground resounded.

“…Is he really cleaning up?” Oliver choked. “I’ll go down and have a look.”

“Commander, wait. Commander, you can’t just—” Debby’s voice came from the door, getting closer and closer.

“Okay, I won’t go.” Oliver changed his words solemnly, speaking quickly.

As soon as Nemo put down the teacup in his hand, Oliver stuffed himself into the closet and carefully pulled the door close.

The power of this newborn God was getting stronger. If it weren’t for seeing Oliver get into the closet, it would be difficult for Nemo to notice that a living thing was inside at first glance.

As soon as Oliver hid himself, there was a heavy knock on the door.

“Come in.” Nemo coughed dryly. They could all feel the powerful aura of the visitor— The guest didn’t bother to hide it.

“Where’s Ramon?” Seeing Nemo, Godwin subconsciously put his hand on the hilt of the sword; his expression completely blank.

The leader of Horizon was wearing ordinary clothing that covered his eyes and ears and a funny cloth hat that was buttoned on his head. There was still a lot of half-melted snow left on it. Godwin put his right hand on the hilt of the sword, holding an invitation tightly with his left.

“Long time no see, brother.” Nemo’s tone was very pleasant.

Hearing this address, Godwin sighed fiercely like a toothache. He took a half step back, grinded his teeth, and repeated in a flat tone, “Where’s Oliver Ramon?”

Debby looked around and decided to stand between Nemo and Godwin, trying to block her eldest brother who was much taller than herself.

Godwin Lopez, who he hadn’t seen for more than half a year, had slightly longer hair, and his tone didn’t sound like he just wanted a brotherly hug.

“The commander of the team is very angry,” Debby poked Nemo’s arm and whispered. “At first he was going to publish the killing of the ‘Demon King’ as a collaboration and take our investigative information to clear the name of the ‘almost total sacrifice’ of Tumbleweed to reverse the notoriety.”

“Then what?” Nemo asked back in a low voice.

“Ollie must have said something underground, and almost everyone decided that he didn’t have time to escape, as Godwin said, but stayed back ‘for the bone jade’. The proof materials prepared by the commander were also taken away in advance, and I guessed who did it when I thought about it—”

“Oh, I probably know what Ollie was thinking…”

“I also know what he’s thinking.”

Godwin gritted his teeth and joined the conversation.

“If this kind of thing was said in advance, I will never agree to it. Yes, I know that concealment will be more low-key, but the comments outside are really… His name deserves to be remembered by the world! I have warned Mr. Ramon a long time ago, ‘Don’t lie to me anymore’. Now I’m here to beat someone up. I hope he’s ready.”

“Commander!”

“I can’t even explain too much for him!” Godwin shouted, subconsciously trying to insert the sword in his hand on the ground. As a result, the leader of Horizon glanced at the thick and soft carpet on the ground, and bitterly retracted it from the scabbard. “Every time I explain—”

“…Poor Mr. Lopez, who was robbed of the name of the Hero by his own blood relatives, and excusing that bastard in this way.”

Debby interrupted Godwin’s words, took out her handkerchief, pretended to wipe away tears, and deliberately raised her voice thin and sharp. “He’s really too good. Miss Light, can you help me deliver a love letter to him?”

“After such a trip, the one who contributed the most was obviously from Horizon. Oliver Lopez just grabbed the last blow… As a result, in order to steal the bone jade, Tumbleweed with the exception of Savage, was obliterated. He really deserved it!” Nemo cooperated with Debby and imitated it with interest.

“You two know very well that I can hear you, right Lights?”

Godwin took a deep breath. “And, Mr. Light, think about your identity. Don’t talk about the last blow— I’m pretty sure you two are immortal now.”

“Speaking of which, Godwin, do you want bone jade? I can grab a piece for you.”

“…Stop talking.” Godwin rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. This topic had brought up his stomach pains again.

“Oliver is in the closet over there.” Nemo smiled and shook his head, and there was a muffled scream in the closet.

Godwin walked to the closet mercilessly and opened the door.

“Nemo,” Oliver slowly pushed himself into the back of his clothes, his voice aggrieved.

“You can’t hide from him for the rest of your life.” Nemo picked up the teacup. “Would you like a cup of hot tea, Debby?”

“Considering that today is your wedding, Mr. Ramon, I won’t punch you in the face.” Godwin punched Oliver in the stomach without a smile.

“It’s been a long time since I saw you. I miss you too, brother.” He didn’t avoid that fist and was punched in the abdomen. Oliver bent over like a shrimp, and he didn’t forget to pat Godwin’s arm on his hand.

Godwin’s facial muscles twitched, and he let out a long cold snort.

“Don’t be fooled by that stinky face. He brought a gift and it’s downstairs.” When Oliver straightened up, Debby stood on tiptoe, trying to get her face over Godwin’s shoulder to mouthed words to Oliver.

“Having said that, since you are ready to carry the stigma all the time, I thought you wanted to keep a completely low profile.” Godwin didn’t notice Debby who was doing little tricks behind his back. “Why did you choose such a place?”

Oliver was startled.

“The scenery is pretty good and the whole town can see it. I heard that you have repaired this house this year and it seems that there’s even a garden behind it.”

Godwin looked meekly out of the window into the garden, and then quickly took his gaze back from the black horse that was trotting around.

“Since the third floor has been added, why not just raze it and rebuild it? It’s faster that way. We just glanced at it, and the second floor basically maintained its original layout.”

“An old friend’s house.” Oliver smiled, glancing at Nemo, who was drinking tea in silence. “We don’t want to damage those rooms.”

“Debby once told me that you directly bought the Dawn Tavern and the land. Old friend… Do you know the former owner of Dawn Tavern?” Godwin raised his eyebrows.

“Nn,” Nemo responded. “…He’s a good friend of mine.”

Godwin opened his mouth, obviously wanting to ask again. As a result, the gray parrot rushed into the room, covered with mud.

“Ready!” Bagelmaurus flapped its wings and quickly flew to Nemo’s shoulders, pretending that nothing had happened. “Banquet, banquet! Free banquet! There are a lot of people looking around at the door!”

“Where’s Ann?”

“She came a long time ago, and brought Delia. Her picky knight just wiped down every table again. It was terrible. I just plucked a thornberry from the corner of the table and planned to eat it, but he directly burned it with a spell! Isn’t it just a little dirt?”

“……”

“Can I beat him up?” Seeing Nemo’s helpless expression, the gray parrot jumped eagerly a few times.

“Strictly speaking, Ann is our largest benefactor. Her knight does have the right to supervise.” Nemo scratched the feathers of the gray parrot. “I’ll buy you some fresher ones tomorrow.”

“…Tsk, okay.”

Seeing Oliver next to him walking towards the door, Nemo put the teacup aside, put down his rolled-up sleeves, and smoothed the folds of his cuffs.

“At any rate, it’s the first day of the Dawn Tavern’s re-opening.”

Stopping at the door, Oliver put on his formal clothes and stretched out his right hand. His face was full of smiles, and the ring on his left hand looked like a warm star under the yellowish indoor lighting.

“Even if it’s a wedding between two male shopkeepers who are ‘not blessed by God’, I don’t think there will be too few guests.”

“That’s right.”

Nemo raised the corner of his mouth and stretched out his left hand wearing a ring.

“Take me away, my knight.”

From time to time, noisy laughter came from the first floor, and the deep winter festival in the center of the town had already begun. The snow was blown by the wind, and the fireworks that couldn’t stop burning brightened the dark winter sky.

The lights on the third floor of the Dawn Tavern went out.

The moment its new owner closed the door, the brilliance of a spell jumped out of his fingertips and lit up gently. The branches in the vase by the bed stretched out in an instant, and more than a dozen small fragrant flowers bloomed in the dark.

The tiny flowers were illuminated by the fireworks in the distance, flickering in the dark.

When the owners of this room returns again, the name “room” may no longer be appropriate…

In this case, people usually like to call it “home”.

The author has something to say:

Happy New Year everyone!!!

They got married in the New Year—! From now on, they are legal husbands(?) (*/ω＼*)