18 Episode 17: When I praised it with a light feeling, it was more effective than I had imagined.

You're also a freakishly strong adventurer, and on top of that you're a brilliant medicine man. That's a hell of a talent. ......

Iris rolled her eyes in surprise.

'Could it be that you made the bear armor yourself?'

'You mean the armoured bear armour?　Yes, of course.

'Wow. ....... You're an awesome bear.

It's not a bear. It's a human being.

Oh, I'm sorry. I think I'm getting a little drunk. I'm not very strong.

Iris's cheeks are faintly blushing.

When she first spoke to me, she seemed a bit stiff, but now the atmosphere is a bit more seamless.

If I were a little younger, I'd say, "Keep making her drink like this, one chance! I might have had an evil thought like that. A piled-up canine. Just a one-channy.

Joking aside, it was a bit surprising that Iris wasn't a strong drinker.

She's of the dragon race, but when you think of dragons, you have the image of a drunkard.

You see, like Yamatano Orochi in Japanese mythology, he was assassinated for being a drinker, and that's why he was assassinated.

Let's get to the point.

Iris coughed and brushed back her long red hair as she cleared her cough and coughed.

'Actually, I'd like to give away about three of your heel potions.

How come there are three?

For safekeeping, ornamental purposes and as a backup.

You don't use ...... for recovery?

I don't know if it's an emergency, but it's basically a collection. In the old stories, don't dragons collect a lot of treasures in their nests?

You mean, they have the habits of a dragon?

'Yes. It's like a habit. Of course, I won't ask you to give it to me for free. You can set the price as you see fit. I'll buy it for you fairly and honestly at my asking price, in the honor of the dragon tribe.

I don't know what is fair and impartial about it, but it's pretty cool and imposing.

As expected of a dragon, I guess I should say.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to take the suggestion.

I'm going to have to say three.

Thank you. So, how much do I have to pay you?

Can you pay me with something else, not money?

'Do you mean like a body?　Do you have a crush on me or something?

Iris whispers teasingly upward.

Her rhythms are more than a little suspicious.

She doesn't look like she's been drinking much, but is she drunk?

Well, I don't know how to answer that question.

I'm not used to being a woman, so I don't have a model answer for this kind of situation.

Well, I don't like pretentious repartee, and I'm almost certain to slip up.

Let's try to be safe here.

...... I'm at a loss as to what to say or do to make it a "safe response".

It's not like that.

First of all, I'll be honest with you.

But this alone would give the impression of being shunned, so I added the words.

'But I think those red eyes are beautiful. They look like rubies.

The reason I mentioned the name of the jewel is because earlier Iris said that dragons collect treasure.

I'm sure it's a perfect compliment to the dragon man.

...... So, for me, it was a casual compliment to Iris, but the response was unexpected.

When Iris's cheeks and ears turn bright red, she looks down in embarrassment.

"Well, you know what I mean when I say that you look like a ruby, right?

What do you mean by "......"?

"Wow, wow, you didn't even know what you were saying. Yeah, well, I hope so!

Iris spoke up quickly, as if she were in a hurry, and drank the contents of her glass as if to pause.

I don't know if it was wine or beer, but I'm pretty sure it had alcohol in it.

Would it be okay to drink it all at once like that?

'Ugh, I'm getting kind of nervous ...... what the hell is going on, already ......'

That was probably due to chugging alcohol.

'You know what, Ko. When you compliment a dragoness, likening her to a gemstone is like courting her. ...... I think it's common knowledge that everyone knows this much.

I'm sorry. I don't know much about common sense from living so deep in the mountains.

"Then I'd have to go to ...... ugh ......

Iris is still embarrassed, or maybe she's still embarrassed, but she looks at me and quickly looks away.

''So, so what do I have to pay for the heel potion?''

As I said before, my day job is just production. I'm sure there are times when you go out of town to gather materials, so can you ask for an escort?

Is that what you want?

Yeah. That's important to me.

Given my experience of being attacked by a pack of Lonely Wolves, the more prepared I am for the demons, the better.

I managed to get through today on my own, but the two of us would be even safer.

Moreover, Iris is rank A, her ability is unquestionable.

I'm fine with that. I'm also interested to see what you make of the materials you use.

Thank you. Okay, I'll get right on that tomorrow. We'll meet at ...... at 10:00 a.m. at the gate, right?

Yeah. It's nice to meet you.

You too.

Iris gripped her right hand in a goofy grip and lightly raised it.

I responded with a knuckle-dragging fist.

It's nice, this kind of thing.

It's like something out of a movie or a comic book.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it. I'll see you later.

Iris said and got up from her seat ...... wobbling and losing her posture.

I catch the body as soon as I can.

The sensation I received in my arms was lighter than I expected and smelled good.

'I'm sorry. I think I had a little too much to drink.

It would be .......

Perhaps it was the chug I took earlier that gave me a tome.

Iris's eyes are somehow unfocused and glazed over.

If this is all there is to it, it's adorable, but Iris's complexion paled in a flash.

There was even a hint that she was about to reverse somehow.

It would be a bad idea for a man to leave this behind.

I took out an antidote potion from the item box.

Of course, this was also of the highest quality, and it was also given a "Delicious A+" effect.

Drink this. Maybe it will work.

'Oh, thanks ....... I owe you .......

When Iris received the detoxification potion, she tipped the bottle and began to drink it with gusto.

The effect was immediate.

Her complexion instantly improved and her eyes became clearer.

"Oh, delicious ......!　Delicious!　It's like a nice grape juice. It has a great aftertaste. The refreshing acidity and fruity sweetness of this wine are in perfect harmony with the fragrance!

When I gave my impressions as if I was reporting on a foodie report, Iris added: "Hey, give me this!

'Hey, give me this one too!　One for ornamental and one for storage, and about 100 for tasting!

I don't mind, but how are they going to pay for 102 bottles?

I don't have a feeling that if I had to pay her with an escort, I would have a very long relationship with her.

Well, Iris is an interesting type of person to watch (?). So I don't really hate it, though.

* *

By the way, I was told later that Iris rarely drinks alcohol.

As for why she was drinking that day...

I don't have the courage to go up to a man I don't know, either. But I need a heel potion and with the help of alcohol, I spoke to him.

It seems that this is what it means.

As a result, I was on the verge of getting drunk, but was this a doofus?

When I pointed it out to her, Iris said, "Already ......! I sweltered in embarrassment.