Chapter 34: Alcohol is a Problem (1)

After chatting with Edin and the others, the event of Gathering began in earnest. The actual event was just a short speech by the moderator, a few words of encouragement to relax and enjoy the venue, and a band playing music.

However, the atmosphere in the auditorium became more ripe after the speech was done. Before this, there was a bit of a raucous atmosphere, but that changed after the band started playing.

But my interest in the music they were playing and the instruments they were using was fleeting, and I was busy chatting excitedly with Edin.

“You’ve read a lot too, Mr. Isaac. That’s great.”

“No. Mr. Edin is more amazing. I have a lot of free time because I am a literature person, but you are not, by your own admission.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Have you read the autobiography of Alexis the Explorer?”

“Of course, I have read it. I especially enjoyed the part about eating caterpillars and them tasting like vomit.”

“Oh. I see you remember that part, so...”

As I talked to Edin, I learned a few things: he’s a bookworm, just like me. Moreover, his favorite genre was autobiography or stories of explorers, so we had an easy conversation.

Because of that, I didn’t notice the time passing as we chattered, so I naturally ended up drinking a few glasses of wine. I think I had about five while Edin finished only one.

“Mr. Edin, have you ever fought a monster?”

“Once upon a time, I went hunting with my father. I was a bit surprised when an orc suddenly appeared. But it wasn’t too difficult.”

“Oh... and what about ogres? I heard ogres are really strong?”

“Well? I’ve only met one, and at that time we cooperated with other knights to subdue him.”

Because of this, time passed and I was able to last to the end. Unlike Jackson, Edin had a firm grasp of the concepts and a cool personality that made me feel comfortable with him.

Edin, too, seemed to like my hesitant approach and broke out into a hearty laugh every now and then.

“Hahaha! That’s true... Ah, right. Mr. Isaac? I was wondering about something, if I may ask?”

“Sure. What is it?”

Was it because I had too much wine? Normally, I would have been a little wary, but the sweetness of the wine took over my brain and I didn’t think about it. The wine was not bitter, but sweeter, and I’d had too much.

Meanwhile, Edin looked around for a moment, then, realizing that no one was near us, leaned in close and asked me in a whisper, “A while ago, Lady Reqilis and Princess Cecily fought over you.”

“Uh...”

“Can you tell me why they fought then?”

It felt like my mind, which was a bit hazy, started clearing up. I shook my head vigorously after hearing the question, then checked his face. There was no malice in his expression, just pure curiosity. The expression on his face was so bland and cool that it was difficult to distinguish his expression, but I could tell this much.

In response, I pressed my finger firmly to the bridge of my nose and opened my mouth. It must have been because I’d had too much wine, and my head was spinning.

“It’s just... Cecily-noona was joking with me. Marie saw that and told her to take her hands off me. You know, linking arms is something lovers do, right? But demons are different. Marie was worried about that, too, so she told her, and me, to pull away.”

“Cecily-noona? Are you sure you can address Princess Cecily noona in such a friendly way?”

“Ah...” I was speechless again. I shook my head vigorously once more at Edin, who had asked this in surprise.

But words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. Still in a daze, I barely managed to answer. “Uh, yeah. We’ve talked a few times and become close. Maybe that’s why we play jokes well with each other.”

“Hmm... Really? Have you had a few glasses of wine, by the way? Because your face is the same color as your hair.”

“Well? Ah, maybe...” Hearing Edin’s question, I pondered.

Once at the very beginning. Once before the event started. After that... I just remembered that I drank every time the wine glass was empty.

“I don’t know?”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes. It was delicious, so I drank it every time my glass was empty.”

“......”

At my answer, Edin stared blankly at me. It’s like he’s trying to gauge how drunk I am.

But contrary to his thoughts, I was fine. Although I was a bit hazy and my tongue slurred a little, I was still capable of normal thoughts. At least, as far as I’m concerned.

“... Just drink that much for today. Otherwise, you will make a mistake later.”

The next place we arrived at, led by Cecily, was a table with various foods. As soon as Cecily arrived at the table, she softly asked the waiter who was waiting with the wine.

“Can you get us some more wine, please?”

“Of course, my beautiful lady.”

“Then Isaac, you take a drink first.”

“Ah, sure...”

Following Cecily’s words, the waiter brought out clean wine glasses and poured the wine neatly. It was not a purple wine, but a deep red wine.

I noticed that it was different from the wine I had drunk so far and asked the waiter. My pronunciation was so twisted that I slurred like a mollusk. “Is this mousse wine?”

“It’s Red Kali. Unlike Alcione, it’s more sour.”

“Try it once. It’s delicious. Before that...” Cecily sipped the last of the wine and handed the glass to the waiter. Without saying anything, the waiter poured more wine into an empty glass.

The color of the wine and Cecily’s dress were similar, now that I think about it. A dazzling beauty holding a glass of wine similar to the color of her dress in one hand. When viewed in this light, it appeared to be a painting.

As I stared blankly at her figure, Cecily smiled. An alluring voice dug into my ears as she said to me, “I heard that in the human world, there is a culture of clinking glasses before drinking. Is it called a toast?”

“Originally, the dwarves did it first...”

In my previous life, it was a culture that happened by chance, but here it was a culture that was created by humans after following the dwarves. That’s a fact that I learned by accident while reading various history books.

However, many people mistake toasting for human culture, because the number of humans is overwhelming and the dwarves don’t care.

“Huh? I had no idea.”

“As for the demons... do you have a toast that you do?”

“There’s something similar. We raise the glass slightly. It’s like a tribute to honor a kindred who met a sad fate. That’s why we don’t do it often on such a joyous day.”

“I see...” I nodded and lowered my head slightly.

Conversing with Cecily like this, I learned new characteristics of the demons that I could not find in the books.

Last time, I learned what stroking a demon’s horn meant, and I also learned that a demon’s ‘inner evil’ grows stronger with each cycle. So these little details...

“...that would be nice...” Could it be because I was drunk? The words slipped out of my mouth.

Fortunately, I had my head lowered and murmured softly, so all Cecily could hear was...

“...write it down... Isaac?”

No. Even though I was embarrassed, I raised my head for a moment and faced her. “...Huh?”

“Shall we make a toast?” Cecily smiled brightly and held out her glass of wine, inviting me to join her. I could see the red liquid swirling in the glass.

In my mind, I knew I shouldn’t drink anymore, but my body was already moving. I’m not sure if it was because I hadn’t had a drink in a while, but despite Edin’s warning, I wanted to drink more.

Clink-

As we clinked our glasses, a clear and pleasant sound was heard. Cecily grinned and raised her glass to her lips as soon as she made the toast.

I also brought it to my mouth to drink the wine. Then, a reddish liquid gradually flowed into my mouth.

“Ugh...” I trembled. Just like the waiter explained, unlike Alcione, it was more sour than sweet. A less sour lemon flavor, I judged.

“Isaac.”

While I was still reeling from the sour taste in my mouth, Cecily called my name. I managed to open my mouth, despite feeling like I was about to snap. “Yes...noona...”

“There’s something I’ve been wondering about, do you mind if I ask?”

“What is it...?”

My vision now was more than blurry, it was hazy. In addition, the voices of the murmuring people and the music of the band was deafening, echoing in my ears. But strangely enough, I could hear Cecily’s question clearly.

“Do you like to write?”

(End of chapter............ Thank you for reading...............)

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