Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 159
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 159
Lion lifted the glass without a moment’s hesitation and took a sip.
“Mmm…!”
The first thing that hit him was the sweet flavor unique to the berry.
Next, the juices of the lemon and lime spread cleanly through his mouth, amplifying that sweetness, and the smooth, savory texture of Snow Cow milk gently wrapped his tongue along with the alcohol.
Gulp.
Once he swallowed the cocktail past his throat, he finally felt that characteristic warmth near the back of his throat that came from drinking alcohol.
He thought that was the end of it…
“…!”
Then, the white spore-like parts in the Mushberry Liqueur burst with a pop, and the orange aroma cleared his tongue and the inside of his mouth cleanly.
‘Whoa… this is incredible, isn’t it?’
Lion was genuinely amazed.
Smooth yet clean, sweet yet refreshing!
It was a flavor that made him wonder if such a thing was possible, harmonized exquisitely.
The taste and sensation were so astonishing that the horror he had felt upon first seeing the Mushberry Liqueur didn’t even cross his mind.
What was more,
[Luck increases permanently by 1.]
His luck really had improved a bit.
‘This Mushberry… I want it!’
So thinking, Lion tipped back his glass and emptied the rest of the cocktail into his mouth.
“Did it suit your taste?”
“It was the most delicious alcohol I’ve ever had.”
This was no exaggeration.
Before his possession, he had mainly enjoyed soju, but that didn’t mean he had no experience with cocktails.
And among them, the one he had just drunk was the best by far.
‘This is the kind of flavor I’ll remember for a long time.’
It was enough to make him think it would be nice to make one for Rickshel when he became an adult.
Perhaps because of that, a desire to try making it himself began creeping up.
However…
‘Hmm.’
Lion silently observed the bartender.
Despite having received such praise, the bartender’s expression showed little change.
‘That’s strange.’
Of course, there were plenty of people who responded calmly to compliments or became embarrassed later.
Or perhaps he had simply grown accustomed to hearing them so often.
But… this bartender didn’t seem to fit that mold, either.
Lion felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
This bartender…
‘…He’s like Grandfather.’
That is, like Grandfather before he took the Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion.
Lion watched the bartender for a moment, then grinned to himself.
In return for a delicious drink, he thought he might try using a little bit of magic.
“Then shall I give it a proper try? Ah, the ice has melted, so it’s fine if I start from the beginning, right?”
Without waiting for the bartender’s reply, Lion began making the cocktail from scratch.
The base he had prepared had already been diluted by the melted ice.
‘Now that I’ve tasted it, I understand.’
This cocktail must absolutely never have a bland taste.
If it did, the milk’s smooth and savory flavor would be diluted, and the intense texture of the mushroom liqueur would confuse the tongue.
Lion placed the various liquids into the glass again and covered it with the lid.
Then… recalling what the bartender had done earlier, he began to shake.
“…!”
Watching this, the bartender was secretly taken aback.
‘I didn’t expect him to say he’d try making it even in this situation.’
The truth was, this Mushberry Fizz contained a single trap.
That trap was the fact that the customer tasted the incredibly delicious cocktail made by the bartender first.
Doesn’t a good drink have the effect of loosening a person’s tension?
As a result, most people didn’t bother trying to make it themselves anymore.
-As expected, the best drinks are the ones made by the bartender!
…They might even say that and ask for another glass.
The bartender would have gladly made them another, too.
Because it was his job.
‘No.’
The truth was, the normal reaction was to run away the moment one saw the Mushberry Liqueur.
Yet this guest had drunk the cocktail, admired it sincerely, and still wanted to try making it himself.
…Why was he so passionate?
Unable to contain his curiosity, the bartender posed a question.
“Sir. If you’ll excuse my impertinence, may I ask you a single question?”
It was certainly a different attitude from when he had accepted the praise earlier.
“As many as you like.”
Lion strained the ice as he had seen the bartender do, and shook the glass again.
“Well…”
The bartender began to ask but hesitated briefly at the sight of Lion.
The experience of hearing the sloshing of liquid not by his own ear, but from a distance…
‘It’s unfamiliar.’
And yet, he felt it was not an unpleasant experience.
It had been nearly thirty years since he began working here as a bartender.
Before this arcade opened, in other locations.
He had always made cocktails for guests and silently listened to their trivial worries.
But now, somehow… it felt as though those roles had been reversed.
He knew he shouldn’t be acting this way during work…
But for some reason, he was seized by an odd sense that he must not let this important moment slip away.
“Why do you make cocktails yourself?”
The bartender repeated his question calmly.
“Are you asking me why I go to the trouble of making it myself when I could sit still and have a delicious cocktail handed to me?”
“…I apologize if I was rude, but yes. That is correct.”
Lion poured a little Mushberry Liqueur into the glass and answered nonchalantly.
“It’s simple. You looked like you were having fun.”
“I looked like I was having fun?”
What part of it?
Did he mean the act of blending liquids of various colors to create a splendid cocktail?
Or if not that…
“Yes. You looked quite happy, making cocktails and serving them to customers. So I thought I’d try it myself.”
I looked happy?
‘Indeed…’
The bartender nodded his head.
Of course, he had never once found his work here difficult or tiring.
But that didn’t necessarily mean he felt it was fun…
‘No, that’s not true.’
A long time ago, he had felt joy.
And a sense of reward from his work, too.
But as that situation continued, those feelings seemed to have been heavily diluted.
Like a drink whose flavor had been watered down by melted ice.
Had he simply failed to notice it?
“How long has it been since you started working here?”
“It’s been well over thirty years.”
“It’s inevitably difficult to enjoy doing the same thing for such a long time. That’s admirable.”
Lion carefully poured the cocktail into the glass.
“…”
The bartender watched the cocktail slowly foam up and couldn’t continue speaking.
He felt as though his heart was swelling up just like that drink.
The fulfilling feelings he had experienced in his youth.
The days when he listened to the petty worries of his customers, grieving with them and rejoicing at good news—all of it came flooding back.
“You’re right… It seems I’d been living having forgotten.”
Why had he forgotten? Was it because of all those long years?
If it hadn’t been for this customer.
That is, if this person hadn’t been sitting at the bar as a ‘customer’, he might have ended up as tasteless as a drink whose ice had completely melted and diluted it.
“Let’s make this a toast to you, for all the hard work you’ve put in all this time.”
Though it probably won’t taste as good as yours.
Lion grinned and slid the Mushberry Fizz, topped with a rich head of foam, across the counter.
The one slightly different thing was…
[Lion’s Special Mushberry Fizz (★★)]
-A variation on the cocktail learned from the bartender, with a new garnish added.
-When drunk, it brings back one thing you had forgotten while living.
That instead of the crispy meringue cookie, colorful leaves were placed on top!
Those leaves were none other than Star Fern leaves.
‘It might not be as effective as the Mental Fatigue Recovery Potion, but it should still work well enough.’
Even without directly consuming the leaves, their scent alone should provide some degree of recovery.
Besides…
‘I had a feeling that characteristic scent would match pretty well.’
One could say it substitutes for the bitter and refreshing scent that comes from orange or lemon peel.
Fortunately, the bartender did not question the leaves and downed the fizz in one go.
Foam clung to his stylishly grown mustache, but that didn’t matter as he tipped the glass, shaking every last drop into his mouth.
‘A bartender receiving a drink from a customer.’
This was a top-tier dereliction of duty.
Recalling his younger days, the bartender wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set the glass down.
He said nothing for quite a long while.
He seemed to be deep in thought.
“…That was the finest glass I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad.”
“I truly thank you.”
“I only used you for my own enjoyment, so don’t let it trouble you.”
“Haha!”
He was even being considerate.
The bartender let out a laugh, asked Lion to wait a moment, and then rummaged through his pocket as if looking for something.
That something was none other than a stamp.
“This is the final stamp of the Left Playground. You have sufficiently met the conditions, sir. Please, do accept it.”
“Is that so.”
Lion silently accepted the stamp.
Then, the stamps on the invitation card glowed as if resonating with each other, and a new line of text was added.
-A special gift has been left in your room. Please check it when you have time.
‘Oh.’
A special gift; he wondered what it could be.
“And here are the Egg Coins.”
The bartender additionally handed over three Egg Coins.
‘I didn’t expect him to give me three.’
This meant Lion now had a total of thirteen coins in his possession.
‘Not bad…’
He might even be the customer with the most coins in both the left and right areas combined at this point.
“Do you plan to head to the right area now?”
“There doesn’t seem to be anything left for me to enjoy here.”
“In that case…”
The bartender hesitated slightly before opening his mouth.
“I recommend that you do not use the Egg Coins I just gave you.”
Lion nodded, understanding what those words meant.
‘He’s telling me not to squander them recklessly and ruin everything I’ve collected so far.’
And it was also likely a warning to be cautious, since the other area had more people who were fanatical about competition and gambling.
Of course, Lion had anticipated that to some degree.
He had prepared accordingly in his own way, but now that a staff member here said as much, he figured he should steel his resolve a bit more firmly.
“I understand.”
“Then, I hope you will come back here whenever you are thirsty.”
The bartender offered a polite bow with a voice that held a little more strength than before.
Simultaneously.
[Alchemy Proficiency has reached Skilled Lv.6.]
His level had increased.
‘Now that’s unexpected.’
He had thought that making cocktails had some commonality with alchemy to a degree.
But after all, what Lion had made wasn’t a potion.
Strictly speaking, he had thought it was closer to cooking.
Yet he had leveled up.
‘In any case, doesn’t this mean that the bartender recovered that much?’
He figured it was probably a good thing.
Lion left the left area and headed toward the right area.
Swaying slightly with his tipsiness.
* * *
And around the same time.
“…”
Having obtained Egg Coins at the hunting ground, the Second Prince, Kyle, immediately moved his steps to the right area.
‘Egg Coins, is it.’
He had received documents informing him that Easter had created an interesting facility.
It indeed looked as though they had put considerable effort into it, but it didn’t capture Kyle’s interest.
He slowly turned his gaze.
From the start, his goal was a single thing.
No, a single person.
‘Lion Asteri.’
If that Lion Asteri truly was no ordinary man, then the probability was high that he was active here.