The Goddess's Request
At first, I had no idea what she was talking about. Creating a mage? Had it reached the realm of manufacturing homunculi? The creation of life was God's domain—a territory no mere mortal had any right to approach.
"Well, I'm not sure what you mean..."
"Come on, you know exactly what I mean..."
"Unfortunately, I have no interest in that sort of thing."
Creating new life was the kind of mad-scientist, end-of-days nonsense I had zero interest in. What I cared about wasn't fighting or struggle, but a life like the one in The Heart of Plants... nothing but that kind of peaceful existence.
Even though I'd just uttered something that sounded like a line from a serial killer, I genuinely wanted a tranquil life. Being the imperial court mage was exhausting, but if I only handled a reasonable amount of work, I could live peacefully.
It really had been an absurdly long detour. An unbelievably, agonizingly distant one.
With that thought, I lifted my coffee for a sip.
"But I heard you did it with Glacia."
I nearly spat out my coffee. So Glacia had told Airi about that. This was exactly why women with loose lips were a problem...
"...That time couldn't be helped because I was drunk. Listen carefully—alcohol is the most terrifying demon that dominates the human mind..."
In truth, not a single drop of alcohol had entered my body that night, but I had no choice but to lie through my teeth.
It wasn't that I had zero desire to embrace a woman like Airi. I was a man with perfectly healthy sexual appetites, and I liked Airi quite a lot. But I had to consider the cost of making that choice.
Zeke might cherish Werner, but not nearly as much as his own daughter. So if that daughter had her purity stolen by a twenty-nine-year-old man the moment she turned eighteen? Even I would lose my mind and start swinging a sword.
"Then we can just drink. It's your coming-of-age ceremony anyway... It's been a while since I've had a drink... No, I'd like to try drinking for the first time."
"Did I just hear something completely insane...?"
"Aww~ Don't overthink it."
Airi raised her hand and ordered the strongest liquor in the shop from the server. The server nodded and brought out a bottle filled with crimson liquid. The moment I saw its color and design, I knew exactly what it was.
That was Tears of the Water Dragon.
The drink known as Tears of the Water Dragon was an item in the game that inflicted the Drunk status on enemies. Of course, it wasn't actually made from killing a dragon and draining its blood. It was a liquor brewed from fruits grown in dragon territories, a pinch of drake bone powder, and pure northern spring water.
Its description and appearance resembled white wine, yet its alcohol content was an insane sixty percent. How wine could even reach that level... Well, it was easier to just chalk it up to game logic and fantasy allowances.
To think they'd actually serve this...
"Ahaha... I asked for the strongest one, but this looks like some weak, juice-like... No, this is incredibly strong."
"Well, it's a spirit that exceeds sixty percent alcohol. It's famous for sending even the most seasoned drinkers to the grave. It's also disgustingly expensive."
One bottle of this cost two months of a palace guard's salary. Now that I'd recovered my accounts and received a performance bonus from the imperial family, I could afford as much as I wanted. The problem was that I simply didn't like drinking.
"Just one glass."
I poured roughly half a glass of Tears of the Water Dragon into Airi's wine glass. It had tonic properties and was good for the heart, so a little wouldn't hurt.
After all, alcohol was something one should learn from a proper adult. Better to learn from a Confucian man like me than from a hopeless case like Melissa.
I, Werner, descendant of Dionysus, would teach her proper drinking etiquette.
"First, before drinking something with such a delicate aroma, wipe your mouth with a napkin. Any grease or sauce from food will ruin the taste and scent. Usually, the man performs the first tasting. When you do, tilt the glass toward a light source to check the color. A clear liquor like Tears of the Water Dragon typically has no sediment and displays a pale green or light amber hue."
I tilted the glass toward the candlelight. Sure enough, a perfectly clear pale amber revealed itself.
"Next, you gently inhale the aroma. Poorly stored liquor will smell like rotten wood or vinegar."
The fragrance that filled my nose felt like breathing in the condensed essence of every tropical fruit imaginable. It also pleasantly awakened my senses, like waking from a refreshing nap.
"Finally, you taste it. Take a small sip, gently roll it across your tongue, and slowly savor the flavor."
With those words, I took a light sip. It was so sweet it felt like my tongue might melt, yet it wasn't the sticky, heavy sweetness of sugar or saccharin. It was a refreshing, delightful sweetness that made the corners of my mouth lift on their own. The perfectly balanced acidity highlighted that sweetness even further. A refreshing fruit aroma spread through my nose while I held it in my mouth. Then, as I swallowed, a deep and profound new layer of scent embraced my entire body.
Ah, fuck. So that's why it's so expensive.
It paired beautifully with the sole meunière that had been served.
Airi quickly followed my example. She must have found it delicious, because she wore an ecstatic expression. Though somehow it seemed less like she was enjoying the taste of the liquor and more like a heavy drinker finally taking a sip after far too long. Probably just my imagination.
"So are you going to drink the rest, Master? What will you do after you finish it? Maybe..."
"I'll have one glass and take the rest home."
"Then wouldn't Sister Camellia end up drinking it?"
"Ah, that would be a problem..."
"Should we just finish it all ourselves?"
Damn it. That really was the only answer.
If Camellia saw liquor this strong, something catastrophic would definitely happen. She was the kind of woman who could annihilate an orc legion while drunk on even the weakest alcohol. Showing her something like this? The capital would be reduced to ruins by morning.
For the sake of the capital's peace, as the imperial court mage, I had a duty to dispose of every last drop.
Master was staggering drunk on nothing more than a beverage like Tears of the Water Dragon. Back when I used to shut myself away, I would chug down liquor far stronger than this while immersing myself in research. It was the only way I could endure work that was impossible to face sober.
Supporting my intoxicated master as we stepped out onto the street, the brilliant nightscape of the city assaulted my eyes. I hadn't realized it in the past, but every single moment like this spent with Master had become a treasure to me.
But as always, bugs appeared to ruin the moment.
"Hey, where you going with your wasted girlfriend?"
"C'mon, with a beauty like that, why not ditch the drunk and hang with us instead? Huh?"
Bugs like these existed everywhere. The pathetic insects who only looked at faces and bodies before swarming over.
"We're on a date, so get lost before I kill you."
"Whoa, that's pretty brutal. Saying stuff like that with an angelic face makes us big brothers sad, you know."
Ha, fuck... Because I couldn't use my real power, even trash like this...
I was starting to understand why Glacia hated that self-proclaimed hero from another world.
"Hey, don't be so cold~ Just have one drink with us big brothers, yeah~?"
The bastard reached out to grab my hand. It seemed I'd been too kind lately.
"Dark spirit that erodes the earth, open your maw. It is time to feast."
Their shadows gaped open and swallowed the insects whole. Since there were no people nearby, disposing of garbage like this wouldn't cause any problems. How dare they interrupt precious time alone with Master? They deserved death.
When I looked up at the sky, the moon was shining beautifully. After Master had left me, I used to stare at that lonely moon and drown in memories. But now it was different. Master was right beside me, and she would stay with me from now on.
"You know it's hilarious when the person responsible for that thought and that death says something like that, right?"
Before I knew it, the damn crow sent by the brat goddess was perched on my shoulder. When had it flown over? I was certain I'd locked it in its cage.
"Aww~ Did you really think a mere cage could stop a god's messenger? Your head isn't as good as I thought, huh?"
"Shut your mouth, you damn brat. Give me back the contracts with the Spirit Kings. Those belong to me."
"Aww, but didn't you form that contract with the Spirit Kings thanks to your master right there? And I already told you—I can't allow special perks for returnees."
I wanted to snap the chattering crow's neck, but I couldn't. After all, that damn brat goddess and I were bound by a contract.
"Then what was that idiot we saw who claimed to be from another world?"
"Oh, that guy? There was an idiot who jumped off a bridge saying he wanted to go to another world, so I summoned him just to watch the show..."
The crow frowned as it continued.
"Well, the bastard charged at me screaming 'Loli goddess! You killed me because you fell for me... I absolutely won't forgive you!' so I tossed him aside. Turns out 'tossing him aside' dropped him into this world..."
"So you mistook the trash can, huh?"
"Honestly, guys like that are just unpleasant, aren't they?"
"Ah, I completely agree."
If someone like that had approached me, I would have melted them with magic on the spot.
"So why did you come?"
"I wanted to permanently return one of your Spirit King contracts. While I'm at it, I'll return some of your mana too."
"Really?"
Just having that one back would let me easily clean up most vermin. But I quickly regained my senses and remembered one fundamental truth. There was no way that foul-tempered brat goddess would return anything for free.
"Ah, you caught me. What a shame..."
"What's the condition?"
"Lately that Black Round Table or whatever has been getting on my nerves in all sorts of ways. Sending my Apostle would be sufficient, but... it's annoying on multiple levels, so I'm asking you to take care of it yourself."