CH 11

Chapter 11: The Strongest Onmyoji Drinks

As it turned out, it was totally sufficient.

In fact, it was too much.

It seems that the deer shells were all high-grade magic stones, and even after paying for the door and the floor, I was left with a surprisingly large amount of money.

Thanks to this, I suddenly had a lot of leeway in my life.

However, the guild members were very angry with me.

They told me not to put monsters in the item box and not to take them out at the guild.

They were absolutely right, and I had no choice but to apologize.

By the way, nobody seemed to know about the monster.

But I could guess what was going on.

Perhaps the deer-shaped monster had endured the harsh emptiness of its phase by covering its entire body with a shell of magic stone.

No beast in my previous life could have done the same thing. It was an interesting incarnation, I see.

When I said something like this with such glee, Amiyu and the others were taken aback.

So our adventurer’s life began with trouble, but after that, things were going well.

Gradually, we expanded our horizons, and once we found that we could stably dive even in mid-level dungeons, they became our main hunting grounds.

Perhaps these girls would have no problem in higher level dungeons.

But there is no need to overreach.

On the way home from an adventure.

Walking along the street at dusk, Amiyu and the others talk.

“What’s it called?　The restaurant we’re going to.”

“It’s ‘Kinshitei. Sounds like an expensive name, doesn’t it?”

“Enjoy.”

We were getting tired of the taste of the guild’s bar for good, so we decided to try a different restaurant today.

It would be nice to have this level of luxury once in a while.

We eventually arrived at Kinshitei, an old but prestigious restaurant with a magnificent appearance.

But when I opened the door, I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows.

“Gahahahaha!　You look like an orc!”

“And, since that idiot died…”

The restaurant was overflowing with adventurous customers.

I had thought that a more expensive store would be less likely to have a bad reputation, but I guess I was naive. Since it’s an adventurer’s city, there are plenty of thugs who can earn money.

“… should we change the restaurant?”

When I say this, Ifa and Mabel agree.

“Yeah, that’s right…”

“It’s too noisy”

But Amiyu tilts her head.

“What? Why?　It’s a little crowded, but that’s okay. It’s hard to find another place now, isn’t it?”

She then walked into the store.

We had no choice but to follow in a hurry.

As we looked around the restaurant for an empty seat, we noticed that there was a lot of noise coming from many tables when they saw us. Some of them were whistling.

Probably half of them knew us.

The party of four newcomers had already made a name for themselves by unleashing monsters, destroying guilds, and quickly becoming a fixture in the mid-level hunting grounds.

But the other half would be the guys who …… simply saw a good-looking young woman and wanted to mess with her.

“Hey, there, redhead!”

A bald-headed little man sitting at a table by the wall exclaims.

“Come over here and play with me!　I’ve got money!”

And then, he laughs a lowly laugh.

In our world, being a woman does not necessarily mean that you are powerless.

Depending on training, magical power can be converted into physical ability. Even a girl can defeat a big man in some cases. That is why there are not a few female adventurers.

From that position, there was no way they could not have seen Amiyu’s staff sword.

So that must have been some kind of a joke, a test of courage.

I wanted to change the store because of this …… and I was so disappointed, Amiyu snickered at the little man and said,

“Oh my, the goblins are talking. Is it a higher species?　And if you look closely, you can see he’s bald.”

The bar was filled with laughter.

The small man, his face contorted, kicked his chair and stood up.

“You said it!　You said things you shouldn’t have said!”

Amiyu, on the other hand, looked happy.

“Bar room brawl!　I’ve always wanted to try that!”

“Well, please take it easy. You’ll be banned.”

And if you break things, you’ll have to pay for it: ……!

I was wondering how to stop it, then.

“Lamprog?”

I heard a familiar, calm voice.

I turned my head and saw Lloyd, who was occupying a corner of the bar with his friends, smiling softly and raising his glass to me.

“You seem to be on a roll lately. How about a drink over here?”

When Lloyd said this, the bar became a little quieter.

The bald-headed little man also sat down with a small cluck of his tongue.

He looks like a gentle man, but as expected of the head of the second largest party in Lakana, he seems to have a certain amount of influence.

“Eh, yeah, by all means!”

I responded with a “thank you” and headed for Lloyd’s table, pulling a slightly disappointed Amiyu along with me.

When the others packed up, there was room for exactly four people.

“Well, thank you for your help.”

I say this as I sit at the table, and Lloyd chuckles and says.

“I don’t want any trouble, okay?　I like this place a lot.”

“I have no intention of doing so.”

“I’m not trying to get into a fight. They were the ones who started the fight with me.”

“I’m not saying don’t get into fights, just take them outside. It’s part of the town’s etiquette.”

Lloyd says calmly.

No, is it manners?

“Long time no see, sweethearts!　Can you all drink?”

A big, muscular woman sitting next to Amiyu smiles.

The heavy warrior with a hammer who served as the vanguard in the Living Mail Forest.

Amiyu answered with a little hesitation.

“Well, it’s normal, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never drank…”

“Me too”

“Me too.”

In this life, though.

“I recommend the fire wine in this restaurant, sir.”

A man in monk’s robes with a rounded head says.

The man in monk’s robes with a rounded head is the one who was in the vanguard along with the heavy woman warrior.

“It is no less than the secret wine of my hometown. ……”

“Who would recommend a distilled spirit, you idiot!　You should start with fruit wine. All the liquor here is very good.”

The heavy warrior ordered and four cups arrived shortly after.

I sipped from my cup and my eyes widened.

“Heh…”

“Wow, this is delicious, Seika-kun!”

“sweet”

“! Huh hmm”

I thought for sure it was a grape wine, but it seemed to be a strawberry or something similar.

It was quite easy to drink, with a sweet flavor.

Amiyu slurped down her cup in one gulp and said with a pleasant smile,

“Ha-ha-ha!　This is good!　Excuse me, one more!”

“Oh, you’re a good drinker.”

The heavy female warrior pats Amiyu on the back.

“How was your harvest today?　Did you make any money?”

“Not bad!　The dungeon we went to today is —-”

When Amiyu answered in a good mood, questions flew in from the adventurers around us.

Apparently, everyone was curious about our party, which was the talk of the town.

I watched quietly as Ifa and Mabel joined in the conversation, occasionally making a few pleasantries.

“Hey, did you hear that?　What’s going on in the Imperial City?”

At that moment, I suddenly heard a curious conversation coming from a table beside me.

I listened closely to the conversation between the two adventurers.

“A very powerful demon tribe attacked the Imperial Castle by itself.”

“Oh my God, that’s terrible. ……!　Did they kill the emperor?　I don’t think so, but I hope they don’t start a war like they did hundreds of years ago.”

“Well,……, that demon tribe apologized and left without doing anything.”

“What?”

“They even magically rebuilt all the walls they knocked down. According to the peddlers, they don’t even know which parts of the walls were destroyed.”

“What’s that? Is that a joke?”

“That’s what the royal court has officially declared. Besides, it seems that there are quite a few people among the residents of the imperial capital who saw the walls of the imperial castle destroyed last month.”

“That’s a lie. …… It’s a setup anyway. Maybe that emperor is trying to start something again?”

“Gahahaha, I guess so!”

The two adventurers laughed and quickly moved on to other topics.

I, who had been listening, was filled with a …… sense of unease.

Fiona …… I’m sorry …….

It seems that she really went to a lot of trouble to cover up the mess I had caused.

When I imagine how hard it must have been to get such an impossible story through, I feel sad.

Maybe I should apologize again someday.

“Hey, Seika!　Are you listening to me?”

“What?　Oh, yes, yes. ……”

I rush to answer the drunk’s call and order some more drinks.

The customers were noisy, but the sake tasted good, as it is an expensive place. It was probably a good place for them to have their first drink.

They may have to go through a lot of hardships in the future, but I hope they can at least enjoy themselves at least at a time like this.

A couple of ticks after thinking about that.

“Why am I weak?”

“……”

Amiyu was lying on the table with a bright red face, crying.

I looked down at her with a dumbfounded expression on my face.

“…… you’re a weak drinker.”

”Huh?　Tsk!　You’re so annoying, of course everyone is weaker than you!　They said I was a genius!　I’ve been an adventurer longer than you!　What kind of genius do you think you are, falling behind Elder Trent!　Aaaaaaahhh!”

“……”

Next to Amu, Mabel was not moving, with her head tilted back.

It seemed that she was sleeping.

I sigh.

“…Let’s go home. Ifa, can you help me carry them… Ifa?”

When there was no response, I looked and saw Ifa staring at me with a big smile on her face.

“Eh~?　Eh heh heh heh heh heh!”

…… No. Maybe I should wait until these kids sober up.

I sigh and sit back in my seat.

I look around and see that Lloyd’s friends are pretty much ready as well.

“Lamprog, you seem to be able to drink quite well.”

Lloyd looked at me and said in surprise.

I replied, tipping the cup of sake I had ordered to try it out.

“Yeah, well. Seems so.”

I recall that in a previous life I could not get drunk no matter how much I drank, probably because of my constitution.

I didn’t think it would be the same in my body in this life, though.

“But you seem pretty strong yourself.”

Lloyd answered with a wry smile.

“I only drink water.

“Eh, is that so… I wondered if all famous adventurers are heavy drinkers.”

“That’s a terrible prejudice. Alcohol and adventure have nothing to do with each other. I’m proof of that.”

Certainly, if Lakana’s second largest party leader says so, it’s convincing.

“By the way, it’s been a while, but was there a gathering today?　It seems that there were quite a few people drinking.”

“Oh… just a minute.”

Lloyd said with a meaningful expression.

“We are planning a large-scale adventure soon.

“A large scale adventure, what do you mean?”

“The defeat of the boss in the east”

When I remained silent, Lloyd continued.

“My party is getting pretty elite, we have gathered information on the location of the boss and the surrounding terrain. With careful preparation, I am sure we will be able to accomplish this.”

“…I have a few questions.”

I quietly ask.

“Eastern boss… By that you mean the boss monster in the mountain east of Lakana?”

“Yeah. Each of the three mountains around Lakana that I mentioned before has become a huge dungeon. There are boss monsters in each of the north, south, and east. It’s like the Wandering Forest. The attached dungeon boss is actually something like a mid-boss.”

“If you defeat the boss monster… won’t the dungeon lose its power? Isn’t defeating the boss a taboo for this town, which is dependent on the resources that the dungeon produces?”

“That’s if the boss monster is the nucleus of the dungeon. The nucleus of the dungeon around here is not the boss monster.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s simple. It’s because the boss monster has been defeated several times in the past.”

“…..”

“This was back when Lakana wasn’t such a fine town yet. So the dungeon did not disappear, you see. It still continues to create wealth, and a different monster from the defeated boss reigns as the current boss. The mountains to the north, the mountains to the south, and the mountains to the east. Perhaps the nucleus is not the boss monster, but something else. We don’t even know what it is.”

I put my concerns to the back of my mind and ask another question.

“Why …… bother with that?”　What do you get out of risking your life to beat the boss?”

“Fame.”

Lloyd continues quietly.

“The “Linked Tree Alliance,” which has been doing well up to now, is beginning to show signs of a decline in the number of its members. We need to make a big and visible achievement in this area. If we remain the second largest party in Lakana, …… my organization will never truly reach completion.”

His expression did not change, but I could see the embers of will in his eyes.

I was about to open my mouth to say something, but then I closed it.

Lloyd smiled slightly at me and said,

“I don’t mind if you don’t officially join the party, I’d even like you guys to help me out if you can. …… No, thanks. I understand. I don’t think you’re the kind of person who is driven by fame and rewards.”

“sorry”

I said, looking away.

That was a more difficult proposition to accept than being asked to join the party.

Although I had no proof, taking down the boss could lead to a very bad situation.

But that didn’t mean I had the words to stop him.

I had no choice but to change the subject.

“Speaking of which, what kind of party is the Lakana First placed party?”

When I asked that, Lloyd looked slightly bitter.

“It’s a party called ‘Red Wings’. If you ask me what kind of party it is…”

At that moment, the door to the tavern unexpectedly opens.

With the sound of equipment clanking, five figures entered the bar.

Just like that, the entire …… bar was quiet for a moment.

The first time I saw them, I knew what I was getting into.

A heavy warrior, a swordsman, a thief, a magician, and a priest.

I used to say that rumors cast shadows.

This is the “Red Wings” —- party of the first rank in Lakana?

“Hey, 5 bottles of beer! Bring the food!”

A large man, a heavy warrior, shouts wildly to the back of the restaurant and sits down with his friends in an empty seat.

Suddenly, a faint smell of blood stung my nose.

Are these guys on their way back from the dungeon?

“Hmm?　Oh, ain’t that Lloyd!”

A large man who appeared to be the leader looked at us and shouted in a loud voice.

Lloyd frowned for a moment, then raised his cup to the big man.

“Hello. Long time no see, Zamlug san.”

“Ha, Lloyd. Is that water?　When are you going to learn how to drink? You’re not doing the half-wits you’re babysitting any favors, are you?　Gahahahaha!”

The big man called Zamlug continues, regardless of Lloyd’s ferocious companions.

“Who are those kids over there, recruiting again? You have no respect for others, picking up a chick who’s going to die tomorrow. Do you know the difference between a party and a woman’s ass?　Big is not good enough. ……”

“They know the mayor.”

Interrupting Zamlug, Lloyd said with a smile.

“I was asked to teach them about Lakana. That’s all.”

“…Tch. Hey! Is there alcohol yet?”

Turning his head back from Zamlug, who shouts to the kitchen, Lloyd says disgustedly.

“I was talking about what kind of party “Red Wings” is. You’ll see. They love booze, money, and violence, and they care more about freedom and honor than anything else. —-”

It was as if Lloyd was disgusted by their presence.

“— typical, adventurer’s party.”