Chapter 143 : Chapter 143
Chapter 143: Influence of Alcohol (1)
Tiaria was a city of vibrant color, in complete contrast to the black and white of Krom.
Perhaps that was why, when I finally swam up from the depths of the sea and saw the scenery of Tiaria again, the feeling of returning to where I belonged was even stronger.
If even I felt that way, how must the forcibly taken prisoners have felt?
The moment they stepped onto the land of Tiaria, onto the continent again, they showed even more emotional reactions than when they were first released from the iron cages.
So, after receiving their thanks once more, we handed Kain over to the Krom soldiers as promised.
Just as the returning prisoners had left for Krom, Kain was dragged away with his hands and feet bound in chains.
Ibi watched his retreating back for a moment, then quickly snapped her head away.
As if he was a person she would never have to see again in her life.
Then, she stretched herself, and.
“Hey, Bin.”
She lightly tapped my arm with her raised elbow.
“Let’s go hit the booze for a change.”
Saying she would make up for the time she missed by going all out today.
It was a good plan, and there was no reason to refuse, but that was a task for the evening.
Immediately upon arrival, Toric summoned the Kapers' pigeons and sent out a carrier pigeon.
Not long after, Logan immediately came to find us with other Kapers.
They stood speechless for a long time, gaping at the fact that we had truly stormed into the heart of the enemy's territory, Krom, and safely brought back all 2,500 prisoners without significant support.
But it was only for a moment; Logan quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor and did what needed to be done.
That is, finding and helping those who were still in shock.
When the situation had been somewhat settled and only the Kapers and us remained.
“──Thank you.”
Logan suddenly bowed deeply towards us.
“As a Kaper, as a citizen of Tiaria, and as a person, I owe you a great debt.”
“Ah…!”
Miki, greatly flustered upon receiving such a formal greeting from a Kaper he had always admired, quickly bent at the waist, as if bowing in return.
“You are heroes.”
Saying this, Logan handed me a silver insignia.
It was a token that only Kapers, and among them, high-ranking Kapers, carried.
“I heard you are heading to the Demon King's Castle.”
In other words, it was their oath that, although we were not members of Kapers, they would henceforth accept us as beings equivalent to those high-ranking Kapers.
“When the time for the decisive battle comes, we Kapers will wield our swords by your side.”
「Insignia of Alliance (Kapers)」.
Following Stout and Daian, we had officially become allies of Kapers.
“Thank you.”
Toric, who understood the significance of this insignia better than any of us, wore a faint smile and gave Logan a brief nod of acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, Miki, who was looking down at the insignia placed carefully on his palm with disbelief, suddenly found his eyes starting to water.
Miki was someone who, until recently, felt unrecognized even by his own family, and had always been slighted while wandering from one adventurer party to another after leaving home for that reason.
But now, he had received recognition from the apostles of justice he had admired since childhood.
“It’s, it’s an honor…!”
His emotions were bound to be overwhelmed.
“What, are you crying, Miki?”
Ibi saw that and giggled, flashing a childish smile as she teased, ‘Look, he’s crying.’.
“Ah, I am not!”
Miki frantically shook his head and wiped his moist eyes with his sleeve, but it didn't look very convincing.
Ibi chuckled once more but did not tease him further.
It was as if her intention was not truly to mock, but rather to lighten the mood a little, anticipating Miki's potential embarrassment later.
“Is everything done? Then seriously, let's go get some drinks now.”
“How badly do you want to go?”
“Have you not tasted the liquor there? Seriously, I couldn't figure out what flavor they made it for, goddammit.”
In fact, it was less that the taste of Krom’s liquor was drastically different from the 'outside,' and more likely that Ibi simply had no appetite while she was there.
It was literally a place where it was hard to even breathe properly.
“Hey, Mr. Kaper.”
Ibi turned back to Logan and said.
“Usually, after getting something like this, the alcohol in that city was free, right? So you guys are paying today too, right?”
At her words, Logan immediately laughed heartily, and.
“Of course, we must.”
He replied in a confident voice, saying there was no need to worry at all.
“Today, we will treat you to the finest liquor available in Tiaria.”
“Ooooh—”
“──Surely, you’re not planning to open ‘that’?”
“Yes, Mr. Silverhand. ‘That’ it is.”
Logan smiled faintly at Toric, who had immediately grasped the meaning and asked.
“Huh? ‘That’? What is it?”
“It’s a long-standing tradition that has been passed down since the Kapers were founded.”
“Kapers drink the liquor they brew themselves when there is cause for celebration, especially after the success of a major operation.”
“It’s a deeply flavorful liquor, aged for hundreds of years.”
At the two men’s reply, Ibi unconsciously licked her lips.
Seeing that, Logan grinned and said.
“First, I must go to Miss Clara and tell her we need to close the shop for the day.”
***
And so, we reserved the Kapers’ pub for the day and threw a wild drinking party, just as Ibi had wished.
“Cheers!”
“To the heroes who saved countless lives!”
The first drink was even the Kapers' traditional liquor, 'Kaper's Wine,' which Toric and Logan had boasted about.
It seemed the claim of aging for hundreds of years was no exaggeration, as even Ibi, a relatively heavy drinker, started showing signs of feeling the alcohol immediately after just one glass.
Had I not qualified as an honorary member of the Coward's Club by merely tasting a single sip, I might have been lying down next to Lily—who collapsed the moment the aroma, which she inhaled while trying to merely simulate a drink for the sake of the Kapers' sacred tradition, hit her—equally passed out.
Leaving aside Toric, a Dwarf who is known to have a naturally different tolerance for alcohol, I couldn't fathom how Logan, a middle-aged human, managed to look so composed as usual.
Seeing him, I momentarily wondered if the joke circulating among the Kapers—that only those who could withstand this potent 'Kaper's Wine' could become high-ranking Kapers—was not just a humorous exaggeration.
Miki also began to feel dizzy after just that one glass, but perhaps because his body was inherently robust, he managed to endure it and was currently listening to the old anecdotes shared by the two admirable Kapers with sparkling eyes, like a child listening to heroic tales.
Rine, on the other hand, who did not particularly enjoy drinking, was surprisingly continuously sipping her drink next to me today.
In short, even Rine was tipsy from that first glass.
She couldn't even taste the alcohol she usually avoided simply because it was bitter and unpleasant.
So when I, worried, tried to discreetly move the bottle away.
“…Mine.”
The fact that she snatched it back with her usual composed demeanor confirmed she was definitely drunk.
But.
“Hey—Hey, hey, heyayyy—”
She was not as drunk as Ibi.
Ibi, who had endured the first glass but then couldn't resist its wonderful taste and downed a few more, eventually had her face completely flushed and started giggling uncontrollably.
She had never been this drunk, no matter how much she drank, and this was definitely the most intoxicated I had ever seen her.
If she hadn't been.
“Hey, heyyyayy—Why are you ignoring meeee.”
She wouldn't have suddenly clung to my shoulder, leaning her head on it and rubbing her cheek against me like a cat begging for attention—something she would rather cut her own cheek with a knife than do.
At first, I thought I was so drunk I was hallucinating.
“Oiii—Did you already pass outtt?”
But the feel of Ibi’s hand firmly pinching my cheek, which I hadn't reacted to, proved that this was no hallucination.
“……Isn’t it you who passed out?”
“No, I didn’ttt—Only alcohol lightweights get drunk on stuff like thisss—Hic. Do you think I'd get drunk from just thisss?”
“Wow, she’s completely gone.”
It was true that Ibi's attitude had been noticeably softer since returning from Krom.
In fact, she had started calling us by our names instead of nicknames naturally at some point.
But fundamental personality traits do not change easily.
This meant she hadn't softened to this extent.
“Biiinn.”
This… this wasn’t just soft; this was practically melted.
It wasn't merely a metaphor; she genuinely looked like a melting ice cream cone.
Even if she were so drunk that she could barely control her body, the sight of that Ibi clinging to my side, limply melting, couldn't be easily explained unless she was genuinely liquefying.
…I had never wished for a camera to exist in this world as strongly as I did now.
Of course, there were Magic Tools that served a similar function, but they weren't items that could be carried around like a smartphone.
“Sing a songgg.”
“A song?”
I really needed to record this and tease her with it for the rest of her life.
“What song?”
“Just sing anything I like, all your songs.”
“Well, look at you revealing your true feelings, Ms. Ibi? You usually nag me, saying I'm loud and all that.”
“Nooo—I actually like your voice.”
Oh, seriously.
I need to record all of this.
So whenever she nags me about being loud, I can just play the video evidence so she can't argue back…!
Given such an enthusiastic request from an audience, my soul as a Bard would not allow me to hold back, even if I was a little tipsy.
So, the moment I was about to go get my lute leaning in the corner.
“Hoo—”
Ibi suddenly flopped down, resting her head on my leg, which was about to stand up.
She closed her eyes, probably either very sleepy or trying to hear my song better.
“…Why aren’t you singing?”
Seeing that she opened her eyes again shortly after, it seemed to have been the latter.
“How can I go get my instrument, esteemed audience member?”
“Just sing without ittt—”
Ibi whined, sounding annoyed that I was stalling, and then suddenly reached a hand toward me.
She grabbed my chin to hold it steady, and then stared up at my face looking down at her.
“Why? Are you going to admire my face instead of a song?”
“……Tch.”
Ibi clicked her tongue and then muttered in a small voice, as if she couldn't help but admit it.
“…Honestly, you’re not bad-looking.”
“Puh-ha!”
I couldn't help the burst of laughter that erupted from me at her too-honest, drunken truth.
Someone, please give me a camera, a camera to record all these confessions.
“Then I’ll have to charge you every time you admire it, won’t I? I'd get rich faster than by singing.”
“……If you just shut up, honestly, your face is totally my type. That mouth is the problem, that mouth.”
“Aww, it's just a joke. I wouldn't charge a Companion full price, even so. I'll give you a special dis…”
“…So, just.”
Ibi suddenly sprang up from my lap, and this time, she stretched both hands out to cup my cheeks, holding me in place just like before.
“Shut up, just shut up.”
“──Huh, what?”
“Before I make you shut up.”
Was I also really drunk?
Since when, no, why is she suddenly so close?
“Wh-what the──”