Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

When night came, everyone finally had some time to rest… while the battle ended in the middle of the morning, the clean-up work still had to be done. The golem masters tried to help after they lost their side of the wall. Still, more than half of the survivors ran away while using their golems as mounts once they saw another gate exploding.

So, some soldiers had to go and hunt them… it was unlikely that they would be caught, though.

Aside from that, the people also had to dispose of the corpses. With their heads down, the inhabitants of the city that survived that battle and the battle of three years ago helped the soldiers dispose of the bodies and clean the city… at the same time, some soldiers went to the capital to bring some mages to repair the walls.

While it was small, there was a chance that the magic people would try to fight back to take Tristan.

Such thoughts were dispersed after one week. The walls were completely repaired thanks to magic, and the garrison of the city was fortified. Everyone finally had the chance to rest for a bit and celebrate their victory.

"Hehehe, this is the stuff!" Jori said while raising a cup of wine and then drinking it afterward.

Jori's group was partying around a campfire. Rain was eating a huge chunk of meat from the six-legged cows that he saw the other day while watching Jori and the others drinking. He was still wondering if they should drink, even more so if they should drink until they become drunk… they are still growing, after all.

Still, that was a rare opportunity to let loose for them, so he assumed that it was fine. After risking their lives, they had to enjoy the good things of life. What was the point of risking their lives if they couldn't do that?

"Come on, Rain! You need to drink a bit too!" Jori said while he raised a cup of wine.

"You guys can take the wine. I will keep all the meat instead," Rain said.

"No, you won't!" Reca said that she had two chunks of meat in both of her hands, and she tried to eat both of them at the same time.

"... You look like you would look fine with a massive beard and a horned helmet," Rain furrowed his eyebrows.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Reca asked. "You say weird things some times."

Reca was drunk as well, so she didn't care that she looked like a dog eating meat. The other girls were also drinking their wine like it was some sort of honey while holding their cups close to their mouths and smiling. In the end, they were lucky that Rain was around and his head was clear to stop them from doing stupid things.

"Geez, Rain, you would look so much more cute if you weren't scowling all the time," Terra said while she was poking Rain's cheeks. "That isn't the expression of a kid, you know."

"That is right, that is right!" Asche said while doing the same. "How come you are not even ten, but you act older than us? You embarrass me!"

"I have three little sisters, so acting like an older brother comes with the territory," Rain explained.

In the end, Rain felt like he didn't have to be so guarded around those guys. They were good kids, and since they acted sincerely to him, he had to answer with sincerity as well.

"...That is probably the first thing you ever told us about yourself," Liss said while studying Rain.

"You guys don't talk about yourselves that much either," Rain said.

"... You do understand how weird we would look by opening up to someone of your age, right?" Liss asked.

"Then we can say that such worries are what create barriers between us all," Rain shrugged.

Liss was the one who looked the least drunk in the group. That or she gets serious and too analytical when she gets drunk. Rain knew that people change in all kinds of ways when they get drunk, but that was a new type for him.

"Eh? You have three little sisters?" Terra asked. "Their future sure will be hard if people compare them to you since you are so talented."

"It isn't talent; it is hard work. Hard work beats talent all day, every day," Rain said.

"Are you sure about that?" Jori asked. "I have been working hard for the past ten years, but I still lose to you."

"You just need to use your head more and think of ways to make your training more efficient," Rain said while showing the earth rings on his legs and arms. "Work hard, but you also have to work smart."

"Woah, this is heavy…" Jori said. "Can you make one for me?"

"Tomorrow, once you aren't drunk," Rain said. "I can say that you will want to train once I make them."

"I am not drunk!" Jori protested. "I am just relaxed… being a leader isn't easy, you know?"

It wasn't surprising that Jori was the type that complained when he got drunk. He was also the type that says sentimental stuff… he said to Rain how happy he was when another guy joined the group; it was a bit suffocating to be surrounded by girls and worrying about them all the time. Rain could only see him bragging while saying all that, though.

In any case, despite the noise, it didn't take long for those kids to be knocked down by the wine. Before long, Jori and Reca fell asleep while resting against each other's backs. Liss did the same to Rain, while Asche and Terra fell asleep while resting their heads on his bis shoulders.

When they wake up, they will probably try to drink until they forget about that since they used a boy much younger than them like that. That is how a perfect vicious cycle starts.