Chapter 119: As Substitute for Booze (Swordâs Point of View)
Shadow finally poured the wine in the kingâs glass, and we toasted.
ââŠOkay, just as I thought, this stuffâs really good. The aroma comes out when itâs not cooled too much, huh?â
âItâs cool, isnât it?â Shadow retorted.
âIf you cool it down a bit more, itâll become easier to drink. But, the aroma wonât be able to fully unfold, I sâpose. By the way, booze becomes sour if you donât store it in a dark, cool place or so I heard.â
âEh?â
While I talked with Shadow, Arkhide drained down his wine. While at it, he also wolfed down the snacks which hadnât been tested for poison yet.
ââŠHey, wait a minute! I take my eyes off you for a moment, and then this!â
Shadow had finally noticed the kingâs antics.
âIt doesnât really matter anymore, does it? Iâve been starving here, okay? This wineâŠitâs frustrating to admit it, but itâs really superb. âŠShit! Being an adventurer must be so nice! Iâve become a king, and yet I canât drink such great wine, you know?â
âVery well, then we will have Sword offer it to you as a gift.â
âWait a sec. Could you not steal my booze as you please?â
âAlso, these snacks are great. Where did you get these?â
âHmm? I got Indra to make âem for me.â
Shadow froze audibly.
âYou mustnât, my Liege! They are poisoned!â
âNo, theyâre not. By the way, Indra was also the one who brewed the drinks. I just provided the cash.â
Shadow stiffened up once more.
âHooh! Indra Springcoat appears to be a fairly talented woman despite being born into nobility.â
âThatâs why we call ourselves ăAllroundersă. She also made the clothes Iâm wearinâ today. âŠAt this pointâŠI really wonder why Shadow would pick a fight with a girl like herâŠâ
If that girl seriously enters her S-mode, it wouldnât end with things just gettinâ dangerous. Youâd get tortured on end, man. Youâd turn into a total cripple, you know?
âOkay, I am terribly sorry! I did not intend to pick a fight with her, however!â
âEither way. please donât piss her off, âkay? That girl grew up in a shit hole of permanent abuse, resultinâ in her beinâ quite crazy. Sheâs capable of beinâ kind to frightened monsters, but sheâll joyfully torture any human opposinâ her. I mean, even youâd hate to have your skin peeled off with the sole excuse that itâd be curable with a special-grade healinâ potion, right?â
Not only Shadow, but even Arkhide became pale.
âSheâs crazy, seriously. The responsibility lies with her parents. Though Iâve heard her motherâs died already.â
âThatâs true. âŠThe marriage over there was apparently the worst. In the first place, the present Earl Springcoat was famous for being an extraordinary womanizer and lustful man. His marriage with the young lady of the ducal house caused a huge discord. But, Earl Springcoat belonged to the neutral faction during my enthronement, and since heâs still loyal to me, I canât interfere.â
I shrugged my shoulders, âAt this point, it probably doesnât matter ânyway. It looks like she can lead a much better life with me than at the Springcoat mansion.â
Ah, I remembered due to the talk about special-grade healing potions.
âIâll give you these as a substitute for booze, so please leave my drinks alone.â
I handed healing potions made by Indra to Shadow.
âThose are?â
âIndraâs carefully produced, special-grade healinâ potions. She said it can heal any injury, as long as itâs bones or somethinâ regarded as bones. However, if it also has to fix muscles, you apparently wonât be able to move the body part well afterwards. Youâll need to do rehabilitation, but thatâs still fine as long as you can recover, right?â
The two were lost for words.
ââŠâŠIndra Springcoat can even produce special-grade healing potions, is what youâre saying?â Shadow asked while beinâ at a loss.
âRather, she can do ânythinâ. Is there actually ânythinâ she canât do? âŠOh, she mentioned she canât imitate how I ăsomehow perceive an enemy without hearinâ or seeinâ âemă. But, since sheâs able to see stuff you canât see with the naked eye, itâs basically the same in the end.â
Which reminds me, she mentioned she canât simply follow orders and sheâs unable to go easy on othersâŠyeah, âkay, letâs forget âbout those.
Shadow sighed, ââŠâŠâŠIs that so? So, you are saying almost nothing would be impossible for you, if you and her team up. Certainly, then it will not be a smart choice to be hostile towards you two,â muttered Shadow, apparently havinâ grasped it himself, at long last.