Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Drinking to Our Hearts' Content
"Cheers!"
Beer mugs clashed together, foam flying everywhere! Adventurers who returned from the dungeon would generally come to the "Ship's Anchor" tavern to drink their fill. Whether it was because Bedrock Town was too far out in the middle of nowhere, or simply because everyone was poor, there were no restaurants to speak of in the town—only a single tavern. It served roast chicken, bread, and all manner of drinks, with the primary selling point being that the portions were enormous and no one left hungry.
Now, Lilu was also seated at one of the wooden tables, mug of beer in hand. Aernis sat beside her, downing her drink in great, hearty glug glug glug gulps. Lilu had never been much of a drinker back on Earth—a single glass would put her flat on the floor—and sure enough, after just a few sips her head had already started to swim.
"Are you alright, Lilu?" Aernis patted her head. "Want me to take you back first?"
"I'm fine," Lilu said stubbornly. "I'll just…… drink a little less."
"Hahaha—that's our Lilu."
Her head was given a vigorous rub, leaving her hair slightly disheveled, but Lilu didn't mind the warm, boisterous atmosphere one bit. To celebrate everyone making it back alive from the dungeon, the leaders of all three parties had pooled together to host this small celebration.
Lilu quietly glanced at the table beside hers, where she could see Fred drinking merrily with the two party leaders. Roger, the square-built powerhouse, sat on a raised seat, his knotted and muscular thick arms holding up his mug, his braided beard dotted with more than a little foam. Doniel, by comparison, was considerably more refined—he held the handle of his mug in one hand and clinked it gently against Fred's.
"Fred," he lowered his voice, "the Count doesn't intend to hold Miss Maria accountable—you know that, right?"
"The Church was quite firm at first," Fred said, "but then suddenly softened. The Count must have reached some kind of interest exchange with that venomous woman—and if she keeps this up, I won't be able to leave Lilu at the Church that woman manages any longer."
That venomous woman? Lilu's long ears twitched slightly. Which woman? It couldn't be Serina, could it? She had always felt that the Archbishop wasn't as good to her as she appeared on the surface—that woman always seemed to be wearing a mask, keeping her true self hidden under layers of careful concealment.
"That doesn't seem wise," Doniel lowered his voice. "You may hold the Hero Class and have already pushed past Level 40, but have you considered what consequences would follow from a Holy Maiden and a Hero growing too close? Setting everything else aside—your two races aren't even the same. Without using special magic, having a child would simply be impossible. Do you think…… His Majesty the Emperor would ever give his blessing?"
"Hmph," Fred let out a cold scoff. "These are not things you need to concern yourself with."
"You're right—they aren't," Doniel took a sip of his drink, "but I genuinely think you're a good person, so I let my mouth run away with me. Forgive me."
The two of them clinked their cups together, and the slight stiffness that had settled over the atmosphere dissolved in an instant.
Lilu watched the way those men expressed their friendship, her eyes flickering with quiet emotion. Wuuuu—was this what people called the legendary sharing drinks and speaking from the heart? Back when she was still a boy, why had she never had friends like these? It must have been because the her from back then wasn't strong enough—so she never had any truly genuine friends. But now that she had become a girl—could she have this kind of friendship too? Would it be filled with the same superficiality she remembered from the girls in her class?
Wuuu wuuu wuuu, she dared not think about it—she needed to stop thinking about it!
Her train of thought had run itself into a dead end. Lilu poured a large mouthful of alcohol down her throat, forcing herself to calm down. Her person calmed down, but her brain became sluggish in exchange, her gaze shifting into the same hazy, unfocused state of a grandmother's glassy eyes, gradually losing all depth of field.
"Lilu," Aernis patted her head, "are you alright? You're starting to sway—let me take you back."
"I'm fine," Lilu let out a hic, "I'm great, not drunk at all, hic."
Aernis smiled wryly. That's exactly what everyone who was drunk said.
"Hey!" Lilu's brain had crashed entirely, and she began rambling. "Aernis—do you think Fred doesn't like me?"
At the table beside hers, Fred's ears twitched—almost imperceptibly—and immediately swiveled around like a radar dish. He found it distinctly strange. Why on earth would Lilu say something like that?
"What's hard about that," Aernis's own buzz was kicking in too, "just go ask him directly later—it's not like you don't know where he lives."
"As expected of Aernis!" Lilu's brain continued to crash. "That truly is…… a great plan! Hic!"
Fred's heart gave a sudden thud. He had a feeling these two, now that they were drunk, were about to cause trouble.
"I have something I need to say to Fred clearly," Lilu clenched her little fists, "tonight I…… hic…… I'm going to say it clearly! Hic!"
"Charge, Lilu!" Aernis gleefully added fuel to the fire. "If Fred says anything he shouldn't—come find me in the guest room downstairs and we'll beat him up together!"
"Deal! Hic!"
The two of them clinked cups. Lilu lifted her mug and drank in great glug glug glug gulps. By the time she set it back down, her cheeks had gone as red as apples.
"Meow hahaha, I feel like I've turned into a little tabby cat."
"Ahahahaha—you already were a little cat. A very cute one."
"There are two Aernis's now? Do you have a twin sister?"
"Absolutely not—in our tribe, twins are a symbol of evil. One of them is randomly sacrificed to the Ancestral Spirits to strengthen the other."
"Ah, I see—— hic, hahahaha~~~"
Watching Lilu teeter right on the edge of a full drunken breakdown, Fred felt he probably ought to do something.
"Aernis," he said, "would you mind taking Lilu home?"
"Yes sir, party leader! Mission guaranteed to be completed!"
Aernis drained the last of her drink in great glug glug glug gulps, tucked Lilu under her arm like a little cat, and walked out of the tavern. Lilu's limbs dangled in midair, swaying back and forth like noodles, and paired with that dazed and adorably vacant expression of hers, she looked incredibly cute.
After several more rounds of drinks, Fred decided it was time to head home and rest. He cast a glance at Roger, who had already drunk himself face-down on the table, said his farewells to Doniel, and left the tavern. The noise and clamor faded into the distance behind him, and Fred's head cleared considerably—yet Lilu's drunken words kept jabbing at his heart like a little knife, over and over.
"Haven't felt this restless in a long time…… Lilu……"
Cold moonlight spilled across the street. Fred walked through it, the wooden houses lining either side casting deep shadows over him. To defend against the heavy winter snowfall, the houses here all had steep, pointed rooftops. Their walls were mostly built from piled rubble, the gaps filled with red clay, and above them rose the sharp triangular peaked roofs—with the second floor, or rather the loft, tucked away inside the roof itself.
The house Fred had bought was not far from the town wall—a cozy two-story building. Aernis occupied the ground floor guest room, while he slept in the bedroom upstairs. From the guest room at this hour came a muffled rumbling sound—it seemed Aernis had also drunk quite a bit. Fred pulled her door shut, then climbed the wooden staircase up to the second floor.
He pushed open the bedroom door—and there sat the beautiful Elf girl in front of the window. The cool moonlight fell across her long hair, casting a sacred, ethereal glow. The pointed ears hidden beneath the ends of her hair trembled softly with each breath, their flushed tips seeming to hint at something.
Fred pressed a hand to his forehead. He had asked Aernis to take Lilu home—not to his home! Just as he stepped over to pick her up, Lilu suddenly opened her eyes.
"Fred," her gaze was hazy and unfocused, "do with me as you please."
Those words alone were enough to flip a switch inside Fred. His Holy Sword stirred with restless intent, and the beast within him—under the influence of the alcohol—awoke completely. Ahh—that look. That dewy, fawn-like gaze. The very first time he had laid eyes on her in the Goblin Forest, he had already been lost to it.