The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

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~~ Eighth Day of the Ninth Month, Ninety-Sixth Year of the War Demon Calendar ~~

The morning sun graced the capital city of Eddo in T’oued with its presence.

Its rays illuminated the eyelids of Asley, who resided in the Silver Mansion.

“It’s so hot… feels like my eyes are being roasted…”

Grudgingly, Asley opened his eyes.

In the War Demon Nation, there were four seasons, and T’oued was the same.

In the first half of the ninth month, the intense sunlight of T’oued still persisted, unyielding even to the world’s strongest man.

As Asley raised his upper body, scratching his ruffled hair, he glanced back at Pochi, who was sleeping soundly behind him.

Leaving Pochi, blissfully asleep, behind him, Asley rose from his bed.

As he stepped into the hallway to head to the bathroom, children passed by on the way.

“Good morning, Asley!”

“Morning, Asley!”

“Mm-hm, morning.”

In the bathroom, Tarawo was busy wiping his face with a towel while his master, Tifa, watched.

Surprised by Asley’s sudden appearance, Tifa let out a startled, bewildered voice.

“Hyah?”

“Hyuh?”

“Hyoh?”

Startled by Tifa’s voice, Tarawo and Asley, with a toothbrush in his mouth, exchanged simple utterances.

Tifa, who had covered her face with the towel, only revealed her eyes to Asley and slowly backed away from the bathroom, making sure not to show her back.

Finally, she ran off and disappeared, leaving Asley and Tarawo staring at each other, tilting their heads in confusion.

“Dude, you’re not supposed to enter the bathroom when a girl is using it. Isn’t that just common sense?”

This remark came from Bruce, who peeked in from the bathroom’s entrance.

However, as it turned out, Bruce’s common sense was not the same as Asley’s.

“Wait, really?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t know that, either.”

And indeed, Tarawo’s common sense was different as well.

As Bruce chuckled, Betty popped out from behind him.

“Ugh… I wish the sun would just die already.”

Dipping her towel into the washbasin, Betty began to wipe herself down with it.

Face, arms, armpits, stomach — and finally, she attempted to wipe her chest, prompting Bruce to stop her.

“You’re not supposed to do that in front of guys, you know!”

“Huh? Why should I care? It’s not like it matters how people see me. Oh, Asley, can I get some ice for this barrel?”

“Sure, one Ice Pillar coming up.”

As requested by Betty, Asley dropped a piece of ice, sized just right, into the water-filled barrel.

“Ayy, nice and cold! Awesome♪!”

Now happy with the temperature of the water in the barrel, Betty scooped some cold water with a bucket and soaked her towel again.

Then, as she wiped her neck, an unusual sound escaped from Betty’s mouth.

“RARRRRRR~~~~”

Startled by the inexplicable sound from Betty, Tarawo was astonished.

“She… she really is the Silver Tiger! Such a terrifying intimidation…!”

“Nice and cool~~♪”

Amidst Betty’s jubilant voice, Blazer entered the bathroom.

“Hmm, it’s pretty crowded in here. Take your time — I’ll come back later.”

Despite being in a mansion, there was not enough space with Tarawo and Asley included.

“No need, Blazer. I’m done here.”

“I was just about to leave, too.”

Tarawo and Asley stepped out into the hallway, making space in the bathroom for Blazer.

As Asley and Tarawo made their way from the corridor to the dining room, they conversed.

“Hey, Tarawo? Blazer went into the bathroom even though Betty was there, right?”

“Betty isn’t a girl. She’s a tiger.”

“Uh-huh…”

Asley was oddly satisfied with Tarawo’s explanation.

As they arrived at the dining room, Asley’s face broke into a smile as he observed Haruhana bustling about with preparations.

Tarawo seemed similarly pleased.

“Oh, Haruhana’s cooking today.”

“Fwahahaha! Looks like we can expect a good meal, Asley!”

“Oh, Sir Asley and Tarawo. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Haruhana.”

“Hmph, yes, I suppose I should say it, so as to not incur Tifa’s wrath! Good morning!”

As the three exchanged morning greetings, someone unexpected for this setting approached from behind Haruhana, carrying dishes.

“Ah, good morning — Asley and Tarawo.”

“Holy hell, an ancient Holy Emperor is carrying dishes…”

“Asley…?”

“Ah, nothing. Never mind that. Good morning, Leon.”

“Hmph, yes, I suppose I should say it, so as to not incur Tifa’s wrath! Good morning!”

“We must be sure to eat plenty today. Please wait while I set the table!”

As Leon spoke, a voice from the kitchen interrupted,

“Oh, Sir Asley! Perfect timing! I need you to cast the Boil spell!”

“Sure thing!”

“Fwahahaha! Would you like me to use my Purgatory Breath, Itsuki!?”

“No thanks!”

“All right, then. I shall get myself seated!”

As Asley headed toward the kitchen and Tarawo settled into a corner of the dining room so as not to be in the way, breakfast preparations continued.

Tifa, now dressed up, and Betty, with a refreshed face, joined them.

“”Good morning, everyone!””

Lina and Fuyu arrived, and gradually, the seats filled up.

“You ready, Fuyu?”

“Yes, all set!”

Fuyu clenched her fists with determination, earning a smile from Lina.

“Good morning.”

Lylia walked in and proceeded to sit beside Lina.

“”Good morning.””

Lylia nodded in response to Lina and Fuyu’s greetings.

“Are you ready, Miss Lylia?”

Lina posed the same question as she had to Fuyu, but it seemed she chose the wrong target.

“Hmm? Ready? For what?”

“Huh?”

Fuyu whispered to Lina,

“I don’t think she needs to prepare for this. It’s probably a routine thing for her.”

“Oh, okay.”

While Lina agreed with Fuyu’s statement, Lylia tilted her head, unable to understand.

Mana arrived amidst their conversation and took a seat beside Lylia.

“Mornin’, Lylia. You ready for this?”

“Again with that… ready for what, exactly?”

Lylia’s puzzled response elicited a wry smile from Lina and Fuyu. Fuyu leaned in to whisper to Mana, and this time, Lylia leaned in too, eager to hear the explanation.

“Oh, THAT thing…”

Lylia said, seemingly understanding what it was now.

After the conversation among the four ended, Adolf and Reid arrived at the dining room, chatting as they walked.

“…I mean, yeah, but seriously, isn’t that luggage a bit excessive?”

“Huh? Really? You can never be too cautious, you know?”

“Eh, it’s fine. Worst-case scenario, we can just shove it all into Asley’s storeroom.”

“Reid, you’ve been acting pretty sloppy lately, you know?”

“What!? I never expected YOU of all people to say something like that, Adolf!”

Reid retorted indignantly, but Adolf seemed entirely unfazed.

“Grrrrrr…!”

Reid’s words caught in his throat.

Immediately after, he felt a jolt against his back.

“Hey, my sloppy dude!”

Bruce said as he smacked Reid on the back.

“Oof–!?”

Reid winced and tried to resist the pain shooting through his back.

“Dammit, Bruce! You little–“

Reid’s anger suddenly disappeared as he sensed an unsettling aura directly behind him.

When Reid turned around, he faced the weathered countenance of a seasoned warrior.

“It seems you’re not diligent enough, Reid.”

“C-Chief, it’s not…”

“I don’t think it’s admirable to rely on magic for everything.”

“Oh, um… Yes, sir…”

As the diminished figure of Reid moved aside, Reyna and Natsu chuckled as they passed him.

“Huh? Pochi’s not here yet?”

Natsu asked the group.

In response to Natsu’s inquiry, Asley’s voice echoed from the kitchen.

“Still sleeping! She’ll probably wake up when she smells the food anyway!”

“Hmm… Oh, Blazer’s here! Reyna, let’s go over to Blazer!”

Taking Reyna’s hand, Natsu headed towards Blazer’s seat.

Reyna smiled as she watched over her. However, she also harbored some questions about the two.

[They’ve been close for a long time, but what does Natsu really think of Blazer? A parental figure? Brother? Love interest? No, the last one isn’t it. Perhaps more than friends but not quite a love interest… and slightly leaning towards a parental figure…? In any case, I mustn’t take my eyes off the future developments of their relationship…!]

Sitting next to Natsu, to the other side of whom sat Blazer, Reyna muttered to herself.

Blazer and Natsu looked on at her, puzzled by her contemplative expression.

“So in the end, you didn’t prepare anything? Unbelievable…”

Another voice from the hallway reached the dining room.

Everyone immediately recognized it as Idéa’s voice.

“Well, you see… I just couldn’t decide, and before I knew it, it was morning…”

“You didn’t sleep at all!? You damned idiot…!”

Idéa, expressing both exasperation and anger, sat on one random cushion in the dining room.

“Well… I did drink Pochibitan D, so I’m not tired… that’s fine, right?”

“Not at all! You’re being sloppy, you know that!?”

“Y-yeah. Sorry.”

Midors, sitting beside Idéa, also shrunk down like Reid.

Observing their interaction, Bruce burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! He’s a sloppy guy too, huh? This is getting out of hand! Now there are TWO of them!”

Though normally Reid and Midors would not retort, this time it was different for the pair.

“Bruce, you’re not exactly a shining example either.”

“Yeah, as our senior, you’re far from ideal.”

Betty burst into laughter at their unexpected comeback.

“AHAHAHA! I know, right? I mean, he just went broke and had to borrow from his juniors for DAILY NECESSITIES — that’s not good at all! Ohohohoho!”

“Gah–!? Well, I couldn’t help it! Besides, weren’t you also enjoying yourself when you were drinking!?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I? Drinking with someone else’s money makes the booze taste the best! Didn’t you know that?”

Bruce had lost all his money, and the ones who had benefited the most were undoubtedly Pochi and Betty.

Consequently, Bruce ended up borrowing money from his juniors, Midors and Reid.

“Damn it… If only Asley had lent me some, it wouldn’t have turned into such a big deal…!”

Frustrated, Bruce sat next to Asley.

“Well, you see, I don’t have enough money to lend — I’ve got a SUPER GLUTTON with me! Plus, things are only going to get tougher from here.”

“Yeah, right…”

Bruce sighed as he crossed his arms. Then a voice came from behind him,

“Why do you worry so much? You did already find yourself a job, didn’t you?”

“Oh?”

Bruce turned to face the owner of the voice, and saw that it was Bright, accompanied by Ferris.

“Good morning, everyone.”

In response to Bright’s greeting, everyone reacted with a polite greeting of their own…

“Morning.”

…And to Ferris’ confident greeting, the response from everyone else was somewhat awkward.

Ferris’s aloof attitude seemed unchanging.

“I mean, yeah… But that doesn’t mean I don’t have my doubts about it.”

With Bruce responding like that to Bright’s earlier comment, Asley chuckled dryly.

“It’s all right, Bruce. By next year, you’ll become a trillionaire.”

“…Look, man, I ain’t gonna kill anyone for money.”

“That never was in the job description, though?”

“Yeah, but y’know… your aura tells me that you might resort to it at some point…”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

As Bright was getting uncomfortably close to Bruce, it was Ferris who intervened and pulled him away.

“Bright, over here.”

“W-whoa! What was that for, Ferris!?”

Dragged along, Bright was led to an empty seat by Ferris. As he sat down, Asley asked him,

“Huh? Bright, what about Chappie?”

“He’s peeking into Pochi’s room. It’s almost like he’s stalking her.”

“Huh… well, they’ll come right down the moment we start eating. Both Pochi and Chappie.”

“I’m sure they will.”

Bright nodded in agreement with Asley’s words.

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