Chapter 143: Hangover
“For now, let’s make sure we can dismantle it cleanly. We need to go at it decisively.”
“Decisively.”
Retze’s half-lidded eyes are a bit concerning, but I can’t let that get to me.
“Yeah. But for some reason, it seems like I can only dismantle it after defeating it.”
“Why would the creator not know that?”
Retze lets out a tired sigh.
I can’t help but think that maybe he picked up on my vague thoughts and decided to cooperate, aiming to fulfill as many hopes as possible while discarding unnecessary functions. But I can’t say that out loud.
When I was making weapons for the children, I thought, “Kids grow quickly, so the sizes might not fit anymore,” and the excessive paralysis effects probably stem from my own image of incapacitating enemies being more about “rendering them immobile” than “killing them.”
Dinoss and Dean’s fire and Chris’s light were easy to visualize, so I kept them as they were.
Chris’s light rapier, when infused with magic power, shines brightly and seems useful in the mine shaft—but wait, it’s meant to intimidate enemies and temporarily blind them. It also blinds our allies, but since it’s just a strong source of light, I suppose that’s unavoidable.
By the way, Dinoss has been chugging beer one after another. Isn’t that going to lead to a lecture from Shiva later?
“I’ll drink too. Do you have anything strong?”
“I understand your feelings, but it might be best not to overdo it…”
“No, I just want to lose consciousness.”
The butler gently tries to stop me, but Retze is eager to get drunk.
Aside from the first time he got drunk and made a fool of himself, I think his behavior since then is more a reflection of his own nature rather than the alcohol. So, I want to keep my distance from people I don’t want to deal with when they’re drunk, even when they’re sober.
Maybe it’s because I’ve never been drunk myself that I feel this way. However, Dinoss, Dean, and Chris are amusing when they’re intoxicated, so I’ll encourage them to drink.
“How about this?”
When I think of strong alcohol, tequila and vodka come to mind, but unfortunately, those aren’t in the pantry. Among the alcohol I have, whiskey is probably the highest in alcohol content.
I pick a glass from the shelf. According to the Appraisal, the thinner the rim of the glass, the smoother the taste. There are also factors like the glass’s shape and the diameter of the opening, which can significantly change the flavor of the whiskey based on the angle and speed it flows into the mouth…
Well, whatever. I’ll just choose a glass with a thin rim and pour the whiskey.
When Retze gets drunk, he tends to become a bit careless, but that’s reasonable given how he has to deal with the drunken Dean and the others.
“Here you go.”
A beautiful amber color.
“This glass looks like it could break easily.”
“Isn’t it beautiful? Both the glass and the alcohol.”
“It smells nice.”
I hand some whiskey to the butler, who shows interest. I’ve never seen him drunk.
“The alcohol from Lord Jean’s collection is both visually stunning and wonderful.”
“Yeah.”
The two of them tilt their glasses with smiles.
“Burp!”
“…”
The two of them almost spit it out for a moment before swallowing.
“Is this firewater?!”
“This is some strong stuff.”
The butler seems fine, but Retze coughs a little.
Firewater is a type of beer favored by northern tribes, but it’s incredibly strong. In Japan, alcohol content is regulated by type, so it’s not produced there, but high-alcohol beers do exist overseas. I think it exceeds sixty percent alcohol content?
Originally, I secured the whiskey because I wanted to try Irish coffee, so I’m not very knowledgeable about how to drink it.
But thinking about it, when drinking straight, it’s usually just a shot or two—small amounts. I poured a generous amount! HAHA!
The next day, I peek into the room where Daifuku rolled Retze over. Daifuku is there, snuggled up to Retze, but the part he’s cuddling is his rear, and his face is right there. I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I should be envious of their cozy sleeping arrangement.
I open the shutters to let the lingering smell of alcohol out of the room. The sword I left by the window for Retze seems to be basking in the sunlight, and I reach out to pet Daifuku, who wags his tail proudly, but that’s when Retze wakes up.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning. Sorry, my head hurts.”
Daifuku glances at Retze with a bored expression before jumping onto the shelf using me as a stepping stone. He quickly hops into a box.
Hmm, he has a basket, but he prefers the box. Ah, but maybe he’ll use the basket when it gets warmer?
“…Is there something there? A cat or something?”
“Yeah.”
Even with just my gaze, he picks up on it and, despite waking up, manages to deduce it’s a spirit. That’s impressive.
Or maybe it’s just that I’m easy to read? The butler is smiling with narrowed eyes, and Ash is squinting with a scary look. Perhaps they’re trying to hide their reactions!
“You’re thinking something weird again, aren’t you? Open your eyes, open your eyes.”
When I squint, I get rejected.
Damn it, you’re a pathetic adult who got wasted!
“Wait. That’s terrible.”
Retze looks at the sword I left by the window.
“Why is it stuck in a flower pot?!”
“Uh, well, it’s a vine, right? I watered it!”
“…”
Hearing his own voice echo, Retze buries his head in the bed.
“My head hurts.”
“Hangover.”
“…That’s definitely not it.”