Drunken Truths #3
Drunken Truths #3
Somehow, I'd ended up in a drinking contest with Kate, but I wasn't worried.
I've always had a strong head for alcohol — I can down several bottles of hard liquor and not get drunk.
Incubus racial trait.
I'd heard about it in passing rumors.
That the Dream Demon Clan possesses a mysterious physiology that makes them immune to losing their wits to alcohol.
— Don't even think about casually buying booze for those dream demon bastards.
— What now? What'd those bastards do this time?
— No matter how much liquor you pour down their throats, it never ends. I promised to buy one round and nearly lost my entire fortune. By the end, the guy was chugging wine straight from the bottle — terrifying. You watch yourself, too.
Things I'd occasionally overhear from drunks in taverns.
Honestly, a dream demon being defeated by mere alcohol would be absurd.
If you're trying to seduce a woman at a drinking party, don't you need the mental fortitude to outlast everyone else?
The dream demon race has evolved over thousands of years of history for the sole purpose of sex.
I assessed the drinking match against Kate as follows.
'I'm not confident.'
'I have no confidence in losing.'
Some puny human nun could never match the talents of this Mongma-nim. Tonight, Kate would get drunk and spill all her honest feelings in front of me.
Rebecca hadn't returned to the next room by evening. I had no choice but to leave for the tavern alone without saying goodbye to her.
The Moon's Blessing Tavern.
By dusk, the place was already bustling with customers.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, the patrons shot sidelong glances at me, the incubus.
It was a scene I was all too familiar with by now.
"The stares. Problematic."
I tossed out the flat statement and looked around.
I scanned the tables carefully, but the blonde nun was nowhere to be seen.
The meeting time was almost here — she was still coming, right?
I took a seat at a table near the entrance.
So Kate could spot me the moment she walked in.
"Hey, look! An incubus."
"He come in to drink alone?"
I ignored the chatter around me and waited patiently for Kate. About ten minutes past the agreed time, the tavern door burst open and someone rushed inside.
Jingle!
The small bell on the door rang.
The instant I heard the chime, my eyes snapped to the entrance. Sure enough, Kate had appeared there, panting for breath. Her veil was soaked with sweat — she must have run all the way here.
She was late.
How dare she set up a drinking date and then keep me waiting!
"Hm?"
But before I could get angry.
Looking at Kate, I couldn't help but furrow my brow. She was clutching a glossy suit of leather armor to her chest. Why in the world would she bring armor to a drinking session? Was she planning to march straight onto a battlefield after a few drinks?
"Mongma-nim!"
Kate, who had been glancing around, finally spotted me.
I gave her a light wave as she approached. Though my eyes were still fixed on the armor she was carrying.
"You're a bit late. But what's with the armor?"
"Studded Leather Armor I purchased at the blacksmith. I was late because I was picking out a good piece."
Studded Leather Armor.
A product reinforced by hammering studs into leather armor to boost defense. Even at a glance, it looked superior to the leather armor I'd been wearing around all the time.
She was late because she'd been picking out armor?
As I stood there baffled, Kate abruptly thrust the armor toward me.
"Please take it! It's a gift from the heart!"
"A, a gift? You're giving this to me for free?"
"You should finally throw away that armor you've been wearing forever, Mongma-nim. It's ragged and practically trash. If you keep fighting monsters in that thing, you'll die!"
"Ah, yeah."
It was honestly time to change my armor. The set I'd been wearing for over a year was in terrible shape. A kobold's fang had even poked a small hole through it. Apparently, Kate had taken note of my pathetic armor situation.
"How much was this?"
"20 Silver."
"Urk."
20 Silver armor? At that price range, it had to be made from the hide of a special monster. No wonder it felt so light compared to its apparent hardness.
"I-is it really okay for me to accept a gift like this?"
"Of course I'm not just giving it away! Nothing in this world is free!"
Kate clasped her hands together atop the table and wore a serious expression. Her blue eyes stared directly at me.
"Actually, there's something I want to ask of you, Mongma-nim. I know it's an incredibly shameless request to bring up now."
"What is it? I have to hear it first."
"Please add me to your Fixed Party, Mongma-nim!"
Fixed Party?
I was flustered by the sudden talk of forming a party. Hadn't the Fixed Party issue been settled ages ago? Back when we were running subjugation quests, I had cleanly refused Kate's offer to form a Fixed Party.
Because the condition was that I had to drop Rebecca.
"Didn't you say dating was forbidden in your fixed party? That you couldn't stand seeing Rebecca and me together. If you're making the offer on the same terms, my answer is obviously still no."
"I've changed my mind. It's fine if you don't drop Rebecca. I mean it's okay for you two to date."
She'd tolerate watching us date in the party?
I stared at Kate with a shocked expression. She'd flipped her stance completely. Was this truly the same nun who used to shout 'Solo Heaven, Couple Hell' in the streets?
I couldn't quite grasp the change of heart Kate had undergone. Had she, too, come to realize the greatness of love while I wasn't looking?
Kate gazed at me steadily and said,
"Because losing a talent like you, Mongma-nim, just because of Rebecca... you're too valuable for that. You're an incredible mage whose quest contribution is always several times higher than anyone else's. This Promotion Quest would have definitely failed without you too. I've thought about it long and hard, and I simply can't give you up."
"Aren't you overestimating me?"
"I'm a nun, so I've been in parties with high-tier adventurers before. Personally, I believe you have the potential to break past Gold Tier, Mongma-nim. Your growth rate as a mage is amazing, after all."
Kate's voice was calm, as if she were stating objective facts. With no hint of pretense in her words, I couldn't help but feel genuinely happy.
"So I'll join your Fixed Party, Mongma-nim. I'm sorry for pointlessly being so stubborn until now."
"You'd be welcome! Having a nun in a fixed party means we'll practically never die. Rebecca will definitely welcome you too, no question. She's a tank, so she gets hurt a lot."
"So you're saying you'll accept me into your Fixed Party?"
"Yeah, Kate."
"Thank you!"
The moment I gave my consent, Kate was so happy she was practically stomping her feet under the table.
A nun begging a dealer for a fixed party!
How ironic! I felt like I'd woken up in some bizarro world of reversed chastity.
"Let's toast to forming our Fixed Party! Cheers!"
Come to think of it, we hadn't even ordered drinks yet. The sudden Fixed Party talk had completely distracted me. I called over a barmaid and ordered drinks and food.
Soon enough, bottles of liquor and dishes were laid out on the table. The drink I'd ordered was a high-proof brandy. A terrifying substance that goes down sweet like a beverage and gets you drunk in no time.
Clink!
After filling each other's glasses to the brim, I toasted with Kate. Watching her knock back drink after drink, I thought to myself. It seemed about time to get to the main topic.
*
The glasses kept coming and going. But as time passed, I realized that Kate was no easy opponent. No matter how many times I poured hard liquor into her mouth, she didn't falter. Her claim back in the carriage about handling her drink well must have been true.
Still, maybe she was getting tipsy, because Kate looked at me with a slightly flushed face.
"What do you think of me as a party member?"
"Party member?"
"We've done so many quests together now. In your eyes, do I seem like a decent party member? Enough to form a Fixed Party with."
Was she a decent party member?
Honestly, if you asked me about my first impression of her as a party member, I could only call it a failure. The Kate I met during the caravan escort was the textbook example of a freeloading nun. But as time went on, I came to see her in a different light.
At the very least, she was a nun who used her healing spells diligently. I still haven't forgotten how, after the giant subjugation, Kate ran around busier than anyone else in the coastal cave.
"You're a decent party member. A healer just needs to heal well. And lately, you've been trying to contribute in combat too. I rate that highly."
"That's a relief."
Kate let out a sigh of relief at my answer. I had closed my mouth and was wetting my throat with a drink.
Then, out of nowhere, Kate's face flushed red and she threw a question at me point-blank.
"In that case, Mongma-nim. What do you think of me... as a woman?"
Pfft!
At the bizarre question that flew in without warning, I nearly spat out the drink in my mouth. I barely managed to force the liquor down my throat and stared at Kate. I spoke to her as she shyly averted her gaze.
"Wh-what do I think of you? As a woman?"
"Yes."
Kate spoke while covering her heated cheeks with her palms. Embarrassing words, even for her to say herself, spilled from her lips.
"The ph-physical contact. I initiated physical contact with you several times during this quest, Mongma-nim. I did things that a man would typically be happy about, but you didn't react at all. Even if we're just friends, it hurts my pride."
"I'm not supposed to react! I'm already seeing someone."
"Even so! I wanted to know. What Mongma-nim thinks of me as a woman. The answer you gave me in the alley wasn't enough."
"Why do you want to know that?"
"I'm just curious! Is it a crime to be curious?"
Kate stared at me with a brazen expression. With her asking so boldly, I was at a loss for words. She'd openly admitted to trying to seduce me? I'd originally planned to circle around and dig it out of her indirectly, but she'd just thrown a straight ball right at me.
After some deliberation, I decided to give Kate an honest answer.
I wanted her to know just how much her lewd pranks had rattled me.
"You have plenty of charm as a woman. When you press up against me with your body, my head spins. You're pretty, you've got a great figure. Your personality's a little shameless, but I guess you could call that charming too. I'm just holding back out of respect for Rebecca."
"So you do see me as a woman."
"Does that answer your question?"
"Yes."
Kate nodded, her face burning bright red.
As if trying to resolve her embarrassment with alcohol, she downed several drinks in a row. Enough that it made me worried just watching her.
"S-so, Mongma-nim! The fixed party!"
Perhaps to break the awkward atmosphere, Kate quickly changed the subject.
Drunk and with her tongue getting tangled, she earnestly spoke up.
While gauging my reaction.
"I think us forming a Fixed Party is a really great idea! We've got a mage, a nun, and a solid tank! It means the only thing left for us is a meteoric rise in the adventurer industry."
Was the only thing left for us a meteoric rise?
I could have just played along, but I didn't. Because the Fixed Party we were forming wasn't necessarily filled with nothing but hope. The composition was absolutely perfect, but the problem was me.
I was a dream demon.
A dream demon who absolutely did not belong with a nun.
"It's still going to be pretty tough, Kate."
"Why?"
"I'm a horned dream demon. A being people misunderstand as a devil. If you're standing next to me, people might point fingers at you. You should brace yourself for that, at least."
The cold gazes of people who'd been watching me, the dream demon. Bright-natured Rebecca didn't seem to care, but it was something Kate might take sensitively.
If Kate formed a Fixed Party with me, she might end up getting hurt in the future. I felt I had to make this clear. I decided to apologize to her in advance.
"Sorry for being a dream demon."
That was the moment I bowed my head toward Kate.
In that instant, Kate's voice rang in my ears.
"There's no need for you to be sorry. Why are you apologizing to me, Mongma-nim?"
"Huh?"
"The bad ones aren't you. It's the people who misunderstand you. I know. That you are absolutely not a bad person. I've known since I watched over you as a child in the orphanage. Because you're the one who made me smile in that dark place."
Kate looked at me with an earnest expression.
"I don't care who points fingers. If there's anyone who disrespects you, Mongma-nim, I'll clear them all away myself. Please trust in my abilities as a nun."
"Y-you don't need to go that far. If someone ignores me, just leave them be."
"I can't just leave them be!"
Kate raised her head and looked at me.
Her glistening blue eyes met mine straight on.
"Why?"
"—Because I like you, Mongma-nim."
A confession rang out across the table.
The moment I heard the words 'I like you,' it felt as if time had stopped.
Inside the crowded tavern.
The only thing I could see now was Kate.
I knew it.
I knew how Kate felt about me. But the confession that rang from her lips made my heart start pounding.
I couldn't calm my racing heart.
"I like you, Mongma-nim. I can't just leave a man I like alone. Even if he's seeing someone, this is a once-in-a-lifetime connection. I treasure it."
Kate confessed to me.
She poured out all the secrets she'd kept locked in her heart.
"—Because you're my first love, Mongma-nim."