Chapter 16: First Feast

"Where did you come from, Nuoya? What is your relationship with Igor?"

The questions came one after another.

Qiu Nuoya explained everything that had happened that day to the three women.

After hearing his story, Aria visibly relaxed.

Then she began petting him again.

"Oh, so you weren’t Igor’s secret child after all."

"There is no way Igor could pull off something like that. Besides, he doesn’t have ears, so he is obviously human."

"But a beastman and human child has a fifty percent chance of being born human."

Sunna and Elina continued teasing Aria who looked relieved after learning that Qiu Nuoya was not Igor’s child.

"Even if it wasn’t true this time, if you keep spacing out like that, someone else is going to steal him away from you, Aria~"

"W, well, it’s not like I feel that way!"

"Come on, come on. You’re so cute, Aria."

Qiu Nuoya watched the three women teasing each other with a confused expression.

Sunna teased Aria while giving her a playful warning and Elina poked Aria’s cheek.

Somehow, even Qiu Nuoya could understand what was going on.

Could it be that Aria liked Igor?

Well, considering that a man and woman of the same age were living under the same roof, it would be strange to assume nothing was happening.

Besides, having this kind of conversation right in front of him made it obvious that he was completely outside their romantic interests.

Actually, if a ten year old child was considered a romantic target for them, that would be a serious problem.

"You all seem very close."

"We are a party of three. Sometimes we also team up with Igor and Viktor."

"I see."

Now that he thought about it, Igor and Viktor had mentioned something similar earlier.

It looked like a lively and enjoyable group.

Qiu Nuoya had never really been part of gatherings like this before, but perhaps this was what university clubs and groups of friends were like.

"Will you live here too once you become an adventurer, Nuoya?"

"Um... that depends on the price. Do you think I can afford to rent a room with the money I earn?"

"If you decide how long you want to stay, you can rent a room for several months at once, or you can pay by the day. The price is also cheaper than staying at an inn. Rather than searching somewhere else, this place is much safer."

Aria smiled.

"If you gather medicinal herbs every day, you can earn enough for one night’s stay. Or you could join us in hunting slightly more difficult monsters and make some money. If you do that, you should be able to stay here for quite a while."

"I see..."

So the cost of one night’s stay could be covered by gathering medicinal herbs.

However, Qiu Nuoya quickly realized it would not be that simple.

He had no spare clothes, no food expenses covered, and there would surely be many other miscellaneous costs.

After all, even fighting slimes apparently required leather armor.

Before he could even think about defeating monsters, he first needed to obtain proper equipment.

"For now, I will think about it after I pass tomorrow’s test."

When Qiu Nuoya said that, the three women encouraged him.

"Do your best."

They continued cheering him on while feeding him various kinds of food.

Apparently, they had been eating together here before he arrived.

His first meal in another world was not particularly delicious.

However, everything looked and tasted unfamiliar.

Every dish was something new to him, and despite his confusion, Qiu Nuoya found himself having a surprisingly enjoyable time.

After spending some time like that, Igor suddenly appeared and peeked into the room.

"What? They already fed you?"

He laughed as he said it.

"Why don’t you eat with us too, Igor? If there isn’t enough food, I’ll make more."

Apparently, there was a shared kitchen at the back of the multipurpose hall.

Aria happily invited Igor over and he joined them.

Before long, several other adventurers also came over and joined in.

What had started as a simple meal quickly turned into something like a banquet.

Once alcohol started flowing, Qiu Nuoya wondered if it was really okay for a child like him to be in a place like this.

However, the young adventurers were all friendly and kind people, and he found himself having a genuinely enjoyable time.

That being said, the way they drank made him nervous.

They drank as if they were simply pouring the alcohol straight down their throats.

Wasn’t that dangerous?

Could they get alcohol poisoning?

The men collapsing from drinking too much was still somewhat understandable, but seeing the women drinking just as heavily made him even more worried.

"Sunna, you can’t sleep here. If you’re tired, you need to go back to your room! And Elina, wake up too!"

When Qiu Nuoya called out to them, Sunna burst into laughter.

"Nuoya, you sound just like a mother."

Meanwhile, Elina hugged him tightly.

"A child’s body is so warm."

She refused to let go.

What was he supposed to do with these drunk people?

"Oh? Kid, surrounded by beautiful girls already? Looks like you’ve got a bright future ahead of you. Here, drink."

"Wait... I shouldn’t be drinking yet, right? Besides, I can’t drink alcohol!"

The glass that was supposed to contain tea was suddenly filled with alcohol.

Qiu Nuoya let out a sigh.

Everyone was letting loose way too much or was this just what a normal drinking party was like in this world?

It was completely different from any drinking gatherings he had ever attended before.

Eventually, adventurers of all ages and genders began collapsing from drinking too much.

At that point, Igor looked at Qiu Nuoya and said,

"Let’s go to our room."

It seemed Aria and the others had also decided it was time to return to their rooms.

Qiu Nuoya bowed his head and said, "Good night."

But once again, he was immediately grabbed and hugged.

"So cute!"