Betrayed, I Met The Demon Lord

Chapter 128 - The End Of War, Part 4

"...Before you tell me what you wanna tell me," Marcy interrupted, holding his gaze. "I feel like I need to get drunk first. I'm demanding."

"But you can't—" Van began, then paused as Amoria's voice suddenly echoed in his mind:

"I don't drink, but Marcy and the others do—they act like they can get drunk. Not because they need to, but because they want to keep a part of themselves alive... the part that remembers how fun it used to be."

Van exhaled, his shoulders relaxing.

"...Fine," he agreed quietly. "I guess I haven't had a drink in a while."

Marcy gave a small, relieved exhale through her nose and smiled faintly, leading him down the stairs of the guild toward the storage area behind the counter.

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Anne laid down on her bed as Misa nodded to them. "I'll come check on you girls in a bit. Anne, try to get some sleep, alright?" Her voice was soft, comforting.

Anne weakly nodded, saying nothing. With a short sigh, Misa stepped outside, leaving Anne alone with her tangled thoughts.

"...Anne," Lizzy's hesitant voice broke the silence, barely above a whisper. They lay back-to-back, neither facing the other.

Anne remained quiet for a moment, then replied, her voice drained. "What is it?"

"You... um..." Lizzy paused, shifting nervously, as though unsure whether she should continue. "You like Van, don't you?"

Anne didn't respond immediately, caught off-guard. Too tired to come up with excuses or defenses, she spoke honestly. "Yeah. I do."

"But it doesn't matter," she added bitterly. "He's leaving anyway."

"You don't know that," Lizzy whispered. "Maybe Aunt will change his and his father's minds."

Anne said nothing, eyes staring blankly into the darkness.

Lizzy took a breath, her voice tight with guilt. "I... I want him to stay too," she confessed quietly. "At least for a while. I didn't even get to thank him..."

"Then why didn't you thank him just now?" Anne interrupted, sharper than intended. "Why pretend you were asleep?"

"I didn't want to disturb you and Aunt..." Lizzy's voice grew softer, tinged with shame. "And... I felt ashamed. I trusted Michael. Trusted him even more than... forget Van—I trusted him more than you."

Anne's silence stretched, taut with tension. Her breathing grew heavier, tremors shaking her voice. "Yeah. You did trust that leech. You SHOULD be ashamed." Her voice broke, her anger cracking through her composure. "You damned fucking moron. This is the last fucking time I ever hang out with anyone you know."

"That fucker... That motherfucker..." Anne's words dissolved into sobs, muffled cries punctuating her fury. "How dare he..." Her body shook, the pain overwhelming her anger. "How dare he..."

Lizzy turned slowly, startled but understanding, and quietly embraced Anne from behind. Anne stiffened at first but soon surrendered, crying openly in her sister's arms.

"I'm sorry," Lizzy murmured, holding her tightly as Anne's tears continued to fall, raw and unrestrained.

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"YOU'RE NOOOOT ACTING DRUNK ENOUGH, HELMET-HEAAAAD!" Marcy's voice boomed playfully.

Van laughed awkwardly, glancing downward. "How does a drunkard even behave...?" he murmured between hesitant laughs. "I'm wobbling my head, not looking anywhere too long..."