Skor City, Nishiki Palace.

Zheng Ming, who came to this coastal port city with Lancelot and his party, unknowingly stepped into this place at the warm invitation of Bernard.

The little fat man Bernard with a meaty face showed a lewd smile to Zheng Ming, and then said goodbye and left, leaving Zheng Ming, who was speechless, surrounded by a group of warblers and swallows.

Nishikimiya. This is a very famous Fengyue place, which is equivalent to the Qinglou in Zheng Ming's cognition. The décor is luxurious and the surroundings are beautiful. Not to mention all kinds of beauties dressed in light gauze rings, fat swallows and thin swallows, just those exquisite sculptures and decorations and delicious food give people a sense of great value.

Zheng Ming, who was half-dragged into a private room by two glamorous girls, fled the scene in a hurry and wandered around the public entertainment place of the Jin Palace. The delicately carved stone gallery is bordered by a wine pool filled with fine wine, in which men and women are deeply immersed, and the sound of laughter and noise can be heard from time to time. On the side, a delicate young man and a plump beauty dressed in tulle walked slowly with swaying steps.

The aroma of wine, flowers, incense, and an inexplicable smell of luxury permeate the air, forming a smell called hormones.

"Well, sure enough, this half-hidden, looming costume makes people want to find out. It's good to be a man. ”

Just when Zheng Ming was staring at the graceful figure in front of him with appreciative eyes, it happened that the plump woman with long red curly hair turned around, and her watery blue eyes also happened to look at Zheng Ming.

Seeing Zheng Ming staring directly at her chest, the red-haired woman was slightly stunned, and then nodded at Zheng Ming with a smile. Looking at the eyes that were curved like a crescent moon, Zheng Ming realized his gaffe in hindsight. looked at the woman who turned around and walked towards her, and hurriedly fled.

"Whew~"

At the scene where he seemed to have to escape, Zheng Ming hurriedly walked in a secluded corridor that was inaccessible, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no one around. At this time, although he still has blue hair and blue eyes, his skin has returned to the color of a normal human being, but it is slightly whiter than before. Not only that, but the appearance of an eleven or twelve-year-old child has also become seventeen or eighteen years old. The most important thing is that inside his clothes, since his death in his previous life, he has finally returned to a normal, qualified male body.

These changes are due to that battle with the Dorn. After devouring all the clones who cleaned up the battlefield, Zheng Ming was finally able to transform into a human being, and at the same time obtained a gender.

It was precisely because Zheng Ming gained the appearance of a teenager that the city lord's son, the little fat Bernard, would take him here to have fun.

"Huh. I didn't expect to die once, but I was still the same as in my previous life! The fat man didn't know where to go. Damn, bring Lao Tzu over and throw it aside, and go to the side to cool yourself. ”

After confirming that there was no one left and right, Zheng Ming smiled bitterly and muttered and walked inside. Passing through the slender corridor, walking through the crooked corner, Zheng Ming's eyes suddenly brightened up when he came to the end.

It's a secluded little courtyard. Unlike the extravagant styles that preceded it, it was unusually simple. There is only a simple stone round table and a few small stone piers in the courtyard. A figure in a men's aristocratic robe was sitting at the round table with his back to Zheng Ming, half-lying on his stomach.

Zheng Ming looked at the blue and red clothes in front of him and the long golden hair tied into a ponytail, and a sense of familiarity arose.

"Arthur?"

Hearing Zheng Ming's soft call, the figure in front of him sat up suddenly, and turned his head slightly stiffly.

"Naru? Why are you here? ”

"Why are you here?"

The same words came out of the mouths of both men almost at the same time.

"I was brought by that little fat man from Bernard. I heard that you rejected his following? So he had to come to me and see if he could find a way to convince you. By the way, I thought you had been busy with something lately? I didn't expect to meet you here. ”

"I ...... I...... I ......"

Looking at Arthur's stammering and slightly flustered demeanor in front of him, Zheng Ming stepped forward and sat down beside him, and continued nonchalantly: "You have been recognized by the Holy Weapon, and you are a true dragon knight, and every time you pass by a place, they will help you publicize it, so you have to be busy dealing with those local nobles who come one after another. I can understand this if you don't explain it to me. So I had to fool around with someone like Bernard who doesn't have the right to you. ”

"I'm sorry."

"What do you apologize to me? But to be honest, although the little fat man is called a gentleman, no one can take the sword riding on the table, but his brain is quite flexible, and he likes to read. I don't think it's okay to take him with me. Just find me a playmate. ”

"I refused, he wasn't ready to subdue his subordinates. I don't agree with everyone. But since you think he's good, it's okay to let him follow us. ”

"So it's decided? Get. Hehe, not in vain the gold he spends on me these days. ”

Arthur glanced at Zheng Ming, who was half-lying on the stone table with his arms on his pillow, and couldn't help but say, "Although I haven't seen you much in the past few days, I have also paid attention to your movements. There are many people who approach you with a purpose, why do you just accept a useless fool? I remember you as a very ....... ”

"Very withdrawn people?"

Zheng Ming twisted his body and changed to a more comfortable position. He glanced at Arthur, who was staring at him with a serious face, and said, "I really hate people who have impure intentions and deliberately approach me. Still. That little fat man is an exception. If I had to say it, it was intuition. ”

Speaking of this, Zheng Ming glanced at Arthur, who had calmed down, and decided to change the topic to adjust the slightly dull atmosphere. So he sat up straight and turned to face Arthur, staring straight at his face, until Arthur looked away from him unnaturally and then smirked.

"When you run to this kind of place, you don't hug left and right to enjoy, but hide in this kind of remote corner. You don't have something unspeakable, do you? Do you like men? ”

Ever since he became the boy he is now, Arthur's attitude towards him has become subtle. For example, the common act of hooking shoulders and backs when children used to look like children is now quietly avoided by Arthur. And a close look like the one just now would also make Arthur look unnatural. That's why he had this question.

He didn't really think that Arthur was as good as Longyang. After all, there are many shy and introverted people in this world, and it is not incomprehensible that they don't like to contact and look at each other. The reason why he kept clinging to this point was purely because he thought it was funny to tease Arthur to see his reaction.

As he expected, hearing Zheng Ming's reaction, Arthur suddenly changed his dullness from the dullness of a little adult in the past, his face flushed in anxiety, and he stammered to resist.

"You...... You...... You...... You're the one who likes men. Didn't you run here too? Do you like men? ”

"I just don't think an emotionless union is any different from a beast in heat. Besides, there are also young handsome men for those with special fetishes, what does hiding here have to do with whether you like men or not? ”

"You...... Obviously, you first said that you like men when you hide here. ”

"Hey, hey, you should listen carefully when others ask questions. I mean, are you hiding here? This is a problem. Do you like men? That's another question. Is there any necessary connection between the two? ”

Seeing Arthur choking in anger, Zheng Ming couldn't help but chuckle.

Just as the two were talking rather "pleasantly", there was a noise behind them. Zheng Ming and Arthur hurriedly turned their heads to look, and found Lancelot, who was flushed and carrying a wine jug in both hands, standing there awkwardly looking in.

"Uh-huh. It's going to leave the day after tomorrow. I was pulled by my subordinates to relax, thinking about finding a place where no one was there to sober up, and before I knew it, I came here. That one...... Didn't bother you, did you? ”

Seeing Lancelot's half-sideways body as if he was about to run away at any time, Zheng Ming said angrily: "Who is my Dao?" Isn't this Lancelot? Hey, that's it. The two virgins in the team who have the cleanest private life and are rumored to have the good of Longyang have all arrived. Come on? Have a drink together? ”

"They all look like male and female are indistinguishable, and they like to stick together, and they don't fake to others. It's the two of you who are rumored to be tired, right? ”

Lancelot glanced at Zheng Ming, who was not conscious at all, with a strange expression, and after complaining secretly in his heart, he was not polite, and went straight to the stone pier beside Zheng Ming and sat down.

"I have always been strict with myself for the sake of my goal. I didn't expect it to become a habit. Now I want to relax, but I can't let go of myself. ”

Lancelot said and poured a sip of wine, slapped it on the stone table and pushed it in front of Zheng Ming.

Facing Lancelot, who signaled if he wanted to drink, Zheng Ming silently picked up the wine jug. I saw the black flame rising on his right hand, slowly compressing and turning into three pitch-black wine glasses. Then he pointed and cut off the slender spout of the flask, and then poured the contents into the glass.

Seeing Zheng Ming cut off the part of the spout that his mouth had touched with disgust, the corners of Lancelot's mouth twitched twice.

"Lancelot, you know I don't like you very much, right?"

Hearing Zheng Ming's words after taking a sip of the wine, Lancelot's pupils shrank, and then nodded with a wry smile.

"Of course. I'm not stupid. I don't remember offending you before, though. That's what I've always wondered. ”

"I don't like you very much, but I admire you. You have the demeanor of a leader, and along the way, you will be able to see your ability to clean up the children of the nobles of all races and their subordinates. I think of you even better than the Duke Arthur next to me, whom I often call an idiot. Sometimes I often wonder if it would have been easier if it wasn't Arthur who summoned me, but you. However, in the end, the answer was no. ”

"Why?"

Zheng Ming glanced at Lancelot, who was suddenly excited and had a rare gaffe, and continued to speak: "Because I don't like you!" It's not about character or ability. The most intuitive difference between you and Arthur is that Arthur is very sincere, while you are hypocritical. ”

"Hypocrisy?"

"yes. A person who has suppressed himself all year round in order to maintain the perfect evaluation of outsiders. A person who puts on a well-tempered smile on anyone, and a person who maintains grace and grace at all times and places. Of course, you can get admiration and awe, but you expect to trade your kind of performance for sincerity? Do you think it's possible?

Perhaps that's the most effective way to help you succeed. However, for people who are close to important people, I think it is appropriate to show sincerity and show the real side that is not so perfect. This has the potential to expose your weaknesses and become less invulnerable. But it is precisely because of this that you will appear to be a man of flesh and blood, rather than a family coat of arms or a model of aristocratic etiquette. ”

Speaking of this, looking at Lancelot, who looked down as if he was contemplative, Zheng Ming poured a glass of wine and pushed it in front of him and continued: "I am telling you this today because I think you have rarely shown your true side today, and it seems that you have been trying to get close to Arthur and improve your relationship recently. If you listen to me. I welcome wonderful people like you to be friends with us. Of course, if you don't listen, I don't have any right to stand in the way of things between you and Arthur. It's nothing more than a drunken person picking out what he hates about you. ”

Lancelot silently looked down at the reflection in the cup, where a handsome face that should have had a perfect smile was staring at him expressionlessly. And Zheng Ming also closed his mouth after saying this, picked up the wine glass and gently sipped the wine inside.

Arthur on the side looked at the silent two, felt the atmosphere that had become heavy, raised his wine glass, and smiled unnaturally as a peacemaker.

"Naru. You've really drunk too much. Look what you're talking about. Lancelot, don't pay attention to his nonsense. He likes to talk nonsense, and you don't know it. Actually, both I and he admire you very much. Come, I'll toast you. They are all people who hide here to be pure, and we only drink and say nothing else. ”

Lancelot looked up at Arthur who was raising his glass to him in front of him, and a wry smile gradually appeared on his expressionless face.

"Arthur, you're really not used to courtesy between nobles! Hehe. I really envy you. Whether it's your luck, strength or ......"

After speaking, he glanced at Zheng Ming, raised the wine glass in front of him and drank it all, stretched out his hand to stop Arthur, who was also vaguely pulling the corner of Zheng Ming's clothes after drinking the wine in the glass, and continued with a wry smile.

"Naruto makes a lot of sense. I'm really trying to figure out how to improve my relationship with Arthur. Before, I thought that with my ability and the power I had worked so hard to accumulate, it should be a win-win situation for both parties to come together. I didn't think about the kind of aspect you mentioned. To be honest, being flawless all the time has become a part of my life, and I learned it from the teachers who taught me and the books. If I was asked to change suddenly, I was not confident that I would be able to do it. I'll try to be sincere, though. As for today, how about we just drink and talk about nothing else? ”

Zheng Ming raised his head and stared carefully for a while, and Lancelot smiled after meeting his gaze without dodging. He picked up the flask and poured each another glass of wine, and then said, "This is what I admire and think you can't do." Okay, let's just drink today and don't say anything else. Lancelot, this cup is for you. ”

In this way, the three teenagers sat around the simple stone table, without saying much, but kept filling the cup in front of them and drinking it all again. In this silent exchange, in the frequent clinking of glasses, the atmosphere became more and more harmonious and relaxed.