Elven Liquor (4)
"The more I look at you, the cuter you get. Here, drink up, little one. This liquor is yours now."
"Yes!"
Roy snatched up the cup at once.
"Ah—don't be startled. I'm going to call a spirit before I drink."
"A spirit?"
After a brief explanation to the astonished baron, Roy immediately activated his Golden Eyes.
He wanted to see exactly how the liquor would react inside his body as it increased his mana.
Truthfully, he would have preferred to take the drink to his room and savor it alone in secret. But under the contract between the witch and the house, he had to drink it here and now.
But then, what was that stuff in the mansion's underground vault? The baron must have drunk his here too—so was that extra compensation for… some intimate arrangement?
Roy shook his head hard to scatter the useless idle thoughts.
Whatever. As long as I got to drink it properly thanks to that, it's fine.
Everyone who watched the boy's eyes dye themselves gold and shine with a luminous brilliance stood with their mouths open in silent astonishment. Even Lily, who had seen Roy's eyes several times before, was deeply surprised. This was the first time she had looked at them so closely, in such detail.
Roy paid no mind to the surrounding stares.
At last the cup touched the boy's lips.
Gulp. Gulp.
A cool, refreshing intensity several times stronger and richer than what he had tasted years ago in the mansion basement. That same sweet fruit fragrance blooming up, as crisp as ever. The taste of Elven Liquor, sliding down his throat lighter than anything else in the world, was truly exquisite.
It's way better than when I drank it before.
Had he simply grown old enough to understand the taste of liquor? Or was it because, as the witch had said, his mana had grown to its limit?
Roy even stuck out his tongue and licked up the very last drop from the cup.
"Ahh…"
A moan of admiration escaped him unbidden.
He could feel it. The dense mana that had gone down his throat was being absorbed from his organs into his body. At tremendous speed. The absorbed mana rode his bloodstream throughout his entire frame, and the mana that had scattered gathered again into a single point.
Insane.
This was on a completely different level from what he had felt at five years old. The mana inside him swelled larger and larger. The mana he already possessed and this mana of a different nature blended naturally together, forging something massive and singular. It was not one plus one equaling two. It was approaching three—or even four. Like a giant serpent writhing through his body, the combined mana thrashed and coiled within him.
How much time passed like that?
"Huuuh…"
When Roy let out a deep breath, everyone's eyes—who had been holding their breath beside him—sparkled with anticipation. The eyes that had been dyed gold returned to their original color.
The first to speak to the boy was the witch.
"How was it?"
"It was the finest taste. Thank you so truly for such a precious gift. If there's anything you desire of me, I will always do my utmost to repay you—as my highest priority."
"Puhahaha. Looks like the effect was quite something, eh?"
The baron burst into laughter. But Roy felt not the slightest embarrassment. If he had been even ten years older, he might have become the witch's plaything right then and there. If no one else had been watching, he would have heaped every flattering word in existence upon Ilia. Even if he had handed over every scrap of gold he had accumulated over four years, it would not have felt the least bit wasteful—that was how thoroughly Roy had tasted the true power of Elven Liquor.
The corner of Ilia's mouth curved into a soft arc. Was there ever a more endearing child the more you looked at him? She found herself thoroughly taken with the boy named Roy standing before her.
"Heh. Are you drunk already?"
"No. I mean every word."
Ilia's eyes deepened like a lake, as if recalling the past.
"That the son would show me the eyes I so longed for in Clive… I truly am fond of you, Roy."
Roy did not look away from the witch's eyes. Nor did the witch. Their gazes held each other for a long while. Like lovers who had fallen for one another. Enough to make the watching Lily and the baron jealous.
After drinking the Elven Liquor, Roy slept the entire day. He had been fine at first, but eventually the alcohol took him under completely. It was only natural for an eleven-year-old body. That said, he did not suffer a severe hangover.
When the boy came to after the sun had set, he immediately examined his own body.
Insane. How much is this, exactly?
He had been shocked while drinking, but he was shocked all over again now. His current mana capacity was so far beyond imagination that he almost felt like a completely different person from yesterday.
At this level… isn't this almost on par with a count's bloodline?
He did not know exactly how much magical power count-class nobles possessed, so it was only a guess. But he was certainly far beyond the average for a baronial house like Greenhilt. Roy had only just surpassed the baron's mana capacity a short while ago, and from that state it seemed to have nearly doubled again.
But why is the difference so huge compared to when I drank it before?
Roy found it strange. It could not simply be because he had drunk Dragon's Breath twice. The witch would not have taught him falsehoods either.
Is it literally because I drank it after my growth was complete… Even so. The difference is too big.
The boy sat dazed for a moment.
"Ah! I give up!"
Then he flopped onto the bed, arms and legs spread wide, and stared up at the ceiling. Someday he would find out. For now, there was still work left to do here.
My mana grew much larger than expected, so this time it won't be impossible at all.
Roy sprang up from the bed and gathered the scrolls he had prepared during the six days of waiting for the Elven Liquor to be completed. Then he ran straight out of the room. His target: Lily. To smoothly execute the plan in his head right now, he absolutely needed that girl.
The girl jumped at the knock on her door. Normally the witch would call for her in a loud voice; she never knocked. Which meant it was probably one of the outsiders currently staying in this house.
She hurriedly put away the book she had just opened, intending to resume her long-neglected magic studies. Somehow she did not want others to see her putting in effort.
Is that man here again?
Lily thought of the man who had been persistently trying to strike up conversation with her these past few days. He was not particularly annoying, but there was something suspicious about his eyes. That man was the lord who owned this vast land including the forest and the nearby village. Ordinarily he should have left this house tomorrow, but he had said he would stay three more days.
Wondering what business he could have this time, Lily quietly opened her door.
"Oh?"
But the person standing there was not that man—it was the boy named Roy.
"Hi."
"What, it was you."
"Why? Disappointed? Want me to go fetch Father?"
"No. What do you want?"
"Why so cold? Did you actually want to talk to Father?"
"I said that's not it!"
"Getting angry with such a pretty face—even your angry look is cute."
"…What? You… what did you just say?"
"Standing around out here is awkward—can I come in?"
Lily found the boy named Roy thoroughly suspicious about whatever he was plotting. So she shook her head vigorously.
"No."
But her face had turned red as a beet from hearing such strange words.
"Really? Too bad… I was going to give you a present."
"A present?"
"Yeah. You said you wanted this."
What Roy showed her was the magic-enchanted sword he had received from the baron as a seventh birthday gift.
"Y-you're really going to give me that?"
"Well, not for free exactly… Look, can we go inside and talk?"
"……"
In the end, Lily brought Roy into her room.
"So, what's your business?"
Once inside Lily's room, Roy looked around. It was not decorated femininely like Anna's room, but it was neatly organized. Unable to withstand Lily's fierce glare that looked ready to shoot lasers from her eyes, he got straight to the point.
"Want to come to the dungeon with me?"
"I was wondering what nonsense you'd say, and it's that again?"
"I really need you."
"No. The witch would never allow it."
"That's why we go in secret."
"…You're telling me to deceive the witch?"
"Have you never done that even once in your life?"
"No."
Their gazes crossed. Roy was surprised by Lily's firm expression. Never even once in twenty years—if the baron heard that, he would cry. Because Roy had been deceiving the baron nearly every day.
Never lied even once, seriously… What is she, a slave?
But he could not give up. Roy immediately held out the sword he had brought as a gift.
"I'll give you this sword."
"…Still no. Why do you want to go into that dungeon so badly anyway?"
"There's something. I'll bring it out from inside."
"Bring it out?"
"Curious? Want to come along? You'd get to see it first, and closest. Plus I'll give you this sword, and I won't ask for your spirit anymore either."
"But still…"
Lily furrowed her brow, looking conflicted. She wanted to visit the dungeon—that unknown place—but to her the witch was an absolute being. Whether a promise made with the witch, a rule she had been told to keep, or a coercive command. Defying the witch's word was taboo for Lily. The memory of being scolded harshly for summoning Shady, of being driven from the witch's house and wandering in tears for days, remained an indelible wound even now.
She's harder to convince than I thought…
From Roy's perspective, he absolutely needed Lily to go to the dungeon. Because of the spirit she possessed.
No matter what monster appears, as long as we have that spirit…
Concealment magic that could be cast instantly without incantation would play a huge role in an unknown place where anything could happen.
In the end… do I have to use my last resort…?
Roy finally decided to deploy his secret weapon.
"Alright. Then listen carefully, because I'll only say this once."
"Huh? Suddenly what am I supposed to listen to?"
"S… Si…"
"……?"
"Big sister! Lily, big sisterrrr! Please come to the dungeon with me!"