It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

13. The Magnificent Tra

───What happened?

I couldn’t help but cover my face at the sight of the naked Tra.

I never thought I’d make a mistake with a woman due to drunkenness, not even in my past life.

In my case, I didn’t get drunk.

I recalled yesterday’s events. Up until the Goblin subjugation, everything was fine.

“The young men were delighted, and yesterday’s problem is solved.”

“Kuhahaha! I troubled Kail, but I’ll treat him to dinner tonight!”

Tra laughed magnificently, his low voice and physique exuding pressure.

Just a while ago, I had informed the boy who was Tra’s victim that the request was complete.

He had also brought back the forgotten fishing rod, and was overjoyed.

At that time, Tra was also present, so I had Tra apologize to the boy and promise to the family that it wouldn’t happen again.

It took some effort, but Tra’s problem was resolved. I hope it won’t happen again.

“Although it’s a personal matter, I’ll tell you since it’s happened so many times. Why did you try to do something indecent to the boy?”

“Initially, I wanted someone stronger than me, but it’s hard to find someone stronger than me! Later, my sexual preferences shifted towards those weaker than me.”

“And why the boy?”

“Hmm, the boy waved at me with his left hand, so I thought I’d respond to his goodwill and take him home! He just happened to match my preferences perfectly!”

“And then, I got caught.”

I won’t even think about it.

Tora-san’s sexual orientation is none of my business. It’s a personal preference, and I don’t intend to comment on it.

The problem lies in the differences in values between species.

Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Beastmen each have their unique cultures. Naturally, their values differ as well.

Tora-san’s attempt to bring a boy back was also due to this difference in values.

In Beastmen culture, waving one’s right hand towards someone is a greeting towards a close acquaintance. Then, what about the left hand?

From our perspective, it’s the same, but it’s not.

Waving one’s left hand towards someone is an act of conveying affection and love in Beastmen culture, as Durandal taught me.

That’s why it’s better not to wave one’s left hand towards Tora-san.

Of course, the boy wouldn’t know about such cultural differences.

The fact that the boy happened to be left-handed also contributed to the tragedy.

From Tora-san’s perspective, the boy was expressing affection towards him, so what’s wrong with responding in kind?

I just wish we could learn more about each other’s cultures.

“I understand that you didn’t intend any harm, Tora-san, so let’s think more about our cultural differences.”

“I’ll do my best!”

Tora-san bursts into laughter, “Kuhahahaha!”

It’s hard to expect anything from this. I let out a deep sigh.

From now on, similar incidents might occur. Thinking about it makes my footsteps heavy.

“For now, let’s drink. We won’t get drunk, but we can enjoy the atmosphere.”

“Tonight, I’ll treat you, so drink as much as you like!”

“I will. And, don’t touch my butt, don’t touch it.”

“Your butt is still great, Kuhahahaha!”

I almost said, “Why do you keep touching men’s butts?” but stopped myself.

It’s a personal preference. I won’t delve deeper.

We headed towards the inn where we were staying to eat and drink.

Along the way, I had to dodge Tora-san’s attempts to touch my butt several times, so please forgive me.

“What kind of woman does Kail like?”

“There’s no particular type. If I had to say, it’s personality?”

If possible, I’d like a woman who is gentle on my stomach. I didn’t say it out loud.

Tora-san nodded thoughtfully and took a drink. His drinking style was also bold and manly.

We’ve been drinking for about an hour now? I won’t compare Tora-san to Sasha, who’s a monster, but Tora-san can hold his liquor quite well.

“What about me?”

“If Tora-san were a woman, that would be great, wouldn’t it?”

Tora-san tilted his head at my response. I didn’t mean to make a strange comment…

“If she were a woman, that would be good.”

“That’s right. I know Tora-san’s personality, and it would be easy to get along with.”

“Really!”

Tora-san nodded with a slight smile, looking a bit pleased.

Still, if she were a woman. Tora-san sometimes causes problems, but fundamentally, he’s a reliable older brother-like figure.

We have a mutual understanding. It’s not bad, I suppose.

But if I had to insist, I’m normal. I have no interest in the same sex.

Then, I spent about an hour drinking with the strangely good-natured Tora-san, and we wrapped things up.

Even so, our destination was the same. The room was also on the second floor, right in front of mine. We chatted as we walked together to my room.

“If I were a woman, would that be okay?”

Tora-san asked me this in front of my room, his face slightly red from the alcohol.

I wondered why he was so persistent in confirming this, but I replied,

“If you were a woman, that would be fine.”

The moment I said that, Tora-san pounced on me and took me to my room.

That’s when I first learned of Tora-san’s gender, and I was swept away, completely consumed by him.

───It’s all my fault.

Looking back on the events at the bar, I realize that I provoked Tora-san, and this is the result.

If I had to make excuses, I thought Tora-san was a man.

If I had known his gender, I would have responded differently, for sure.

There’s no use regretting it now. What’s done is done, and I can’t undo it. I should take responsibility.

I let out a sigh.

“Hmm…”

Tora-san reacted to my sigh and moved. I approached him to check on him, and our eyes met. It seems he’s awake now.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Tora-san was his usual self, unchanged.

I felt a bit relieved, but when I thought about it, Tora-san was naked.

After what we did, it’s not like I could help it, but I was at a loss for what to do with my eyes, so I handed Tora-san a sheet.

Tora-san laughed, “Kuahahaha,” and covered himself with the sheet, then turned back to face me.

“Tora-san, um, about that…”

I was being honest, but it was really hard to say.

It’s outrageous to mistake someone for a man, especially when it comes to a woman.

If I said that, I’d get slapped, and if it came from Tora-san, my head would definitely fly off like a goblin’s.

No, I wasn’t scared to say it, but…

“I’m sorry, I thought you were a man, Tora-san.”

After I said that, I gritted my teeth, thinking I’d be lucky to survive, but the slap never came.

As I tensed up, I heard Tora-san’s laughter, “Kuahahaha.”

“Did you think I’d hit you?

I’m not that sensitive, and my heart isn’t that narrow. I wouldn’t get angry over being mistaken for a man.”

I was at a loss for words. The guilt was overwhelming.

“In other words, I thought you were a man at the bar, so I misunderstood and jumped the gun. That was bad.”

“The fundamental problem lies with me, so don’t apologize.”

“Is that so? Alright. I understand. Kail, I’ll ask you just one thing. Do you have feelings for me?”

He had a serious expression. It wouldn’t be good to dodge the question.

No, I didn’t have those feelings from the start, and I wouldn’t lie to Tora-san. I’ll be honest.

“As a friend, I have good feelings towards him. But if you ask me if I have romantic feelings towards him, I’m not quite sure myself.

Honestly, there’s a lot of confusion going on in my head.”

That’s my honest feeling. As a friend, I have good feelings towards Tora-san.

If you ask me if I have romantic feelings towards him, I’d be at a loss for an answer. Until recently, I thought of him as just a guy, and I’m still a bit confused about it.

Tora-san didn’t seem angry with my response, though. He just laughed heartily and replied, “Well, in that case, you don’t have to take what happened last night too seriously. You can even forget about it if you want.”

“No, that’s not possible…”

“That’s okay, then! From now on, I’ll make sure to express my feelings only to Kyle! I’ll whisper my love to Kyle alone!

If you ever decide to respond to those feelings, just let me know. We can get married.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll tell you then.”

What can I say? He’s a strong person. Even though he’s a woman, he’s got a really masculine vibe going on.

That’s why I always end up relying on him. I’m sure that even if I develop feelings for him in the future, I won’t end up disliking him.

Tora-san laughed with satisfaction, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

───Tora-san, the bold and dashing one.