Chapter 1711 - 238 - A Night with Natasha (1)

It was nighttime by then, and the camp had become considerably darker compared with how lively it had been during the day. The darkness was not exactly overwhelming, since several bonfires had been lit throughout the camp, their flames throwing enough light around to keep the surrounding area visible. The fires also gave the whole place a strangely comfortable atmosphere, especially after the battle we had just finished fighting. There were still soldiers moving around here and there, some talking about the battle, some tending to their equipment, and others simply enjoying the rare opportunity to relax after surviving another day of fighting.

I was currently drinking with Lionel and Reilhahand, which was probably not the most responsible thing to be doing while we were still technically in the middle of a war. Still, Lionel had apparently decided that winning the battle gave us sufficient reason to celebrate, and once he had made up his mind about something, trying to convince him otherwise was usually more trouble than it was worth.

Besides, it was not as though we were sitting around completely defenseless.

There were guards around the camp, and the important members of the army were still keeping watch over the surroundings. We were simply taking some time to enjoy ourselves after what had been a rather exhausting battle, so I figured that I could afford to relax for a little while.

Lionel and Reilhahand certainly seemed to think so.

The two of them were being incredibly boisterous, laughing loudly and talking as though they had completely forgotten that there was a war going on around them. Seeing them like this was honestly quite amusing because they were usually much more hostile toward one another.

Under normal circumstances, they would spend most of their time throwing insults at each other, and considering that they had been enemies for centuries, I suppose that behavior made perfect sense. Their history together was apparently complicated enough to fill several books, and I had only heard pieces of it so far.

That was why seeing them sitting together and drinking like old friends was such a strange sight.

They looked almost like two veterans who had finally decided to stop arguing after remembering that they actually used to enjoy each other's company.

"Kuhahahahaha!" Lionel suddenly burst into another loud laugh, raising his drink as though he had just remembered the funniest thing in the world. "I did not think this battle would turn out to be quite such a grand one! My blood is really pumping again. I had forgotten how much war used to excite me when I was younger!"

He sounded genuinely happy.

Although, considering that Lionel's head was that of a lion, I could not exactly read his expression the same way I could with an ordinary person. His voice, however, made his mood pretty obvious.

He was having a fantastic time.

"Reilhahand, isn't that right?!" Lionel shouted toward the centaur sitting across from him.

Reilhahand was a centaur, so naturally, the way he sat was considerably different from how either Lionel or I sat. His lower body was that of a horse, with his four legs resting against the ground while his upper body remained upright.

Even while sitting, he still looked considerably taller than both me and Lionel.

Actually, he looked much taller than me even when I was standing.

I had already gotten used to seeing different races and their various physical characteristics, but a centaur that large was still difficult to ignore. Sitting beside him made me feel like I had somehow ended up at the children's table, which was not exactly helping my pride.

"I have not been able to fight properly since the Great Forest became peaceful," Reilhahand replied. "After we temporarily settled our differences, there was little opportunity for us to experience something like this again. Putting all of that aside, however, I truly enjoyed fighting alongside you once more."

His voice was calmer than Lionel's, but I could tell that he was enjoying himself just as much.

The two of them really did seem like they had once been the best of friends before their relationship had fallen apart.

It made me wonder what had happened between them.

Whatever had caused their friendship to turn into centuries of hostility must have been something serious, because people generally did not spend that long hating someone without having a pretty good reason.

At least, I hoped they had a good reason.

"By the way, Leon," Lionel said suddenly, turning his attention toward me with a grin.

I immediately had a feeling that whatever he was about to say was going to be troublesome.

"You are doing your duty as a man to my daughter properly, right?"

I nearly stopped drinking.

That was certainly not what I had expected him to ask.

Most fathers did not exactly want to hear about their daughter's private life, especially when the subject involved something as intimate as that. Yet Lionel was asking me about it as casually as though he were asking whether I had eaten dinner.

I looked at him for a moment, wondering whether he was actually serious.

He appeared completely serious.

Was he genuinely interested in hearing about it?

Maybe he simply did not care about such things. Alternatively, perhaps he already knew what was happening and therefore saw no reason to be embarrassed about asking directly.

Either possibility was equally believable when it came to Lionel.

"Why did you suddenly go quiet?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me. "Do not tell me you have been neglecting your nightly duties to my daughter."

"I have been spending plenty of time with your daughter, so you do not have to worry about that," I replied.

Lionel stared at me for a moment before his grin returned.

"Is that so?" he said. "Then you should hurry up and make her pregnant."

He said it so casually that I almost wondered whether I had heard him correctly.

"I am not exactly young enough to assume that I will still be around forever," Lionel continued. "I want to have the chance to train your children with her while they are growing up. As their grandfather, I would like to take on that responsibility for as long as I am capable of doing so."

Well, I suppose I could understand his reasoning.

Lionel was getting older, and he wanted to see his grandchildren while he was still healthy enough to spend time with them. Considering how dangerous the current situation was, his desire probably made even more sense than it initially seemed.

We were at war, after all.

There was no guarantee that any of us would still be alive when everything finally ended.

"And considering that we are currently at war, I would also like to see the grandchildren you have with my daughter," Reilhahand added.

I turned toward him.

He had apparently decided that this was a perfectly normal conversation to participate in.