Ch.34Alcohol is the Problem (1)

As the formal event began after chatting with Edin and others, it turned out to be quite simple—just a host briefly speaking on stage, encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves, followed by a band playing music.

Still, the atmosphere in the grand hall grew livelier after the ceremony. Before, there had been a somewhat chaotic feeling with all the murmuring, but things changed once the band started playing.

Though I was briefly interested in the music and instruments, I was soon busy chatting excitedly with Edin.

“Mr. Issac, you’ve read so many books. That’s impressive.”

“Not at all. You’re more impressive, Edin. I’m in literature so I have plenty of free time, but you don’t.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Have you read Explorer Alexis’s autobiography?”

“Of course. I especially enjoyed the part where he ate caterpillars and said they tasted like vomit.”

“Oh, you remember that part! Then…”

While talking with Edin, I discovered several things about him—he was a bookworm like me. Moreover, his favorite genre was autobiographies, especially explorers’ stories, so we could converse without any awkwardness.

Before I knew it, I’d had several glasses of wine while chatting. In the time it took Edin to finish one glass, I must have had about five.

“Edin, have you ever fought monsters?”

“I once went hunting with my father. An orc suddenly appeared and startled me a bit. Still, it wasn’t a particularly difficult opponent.”

“Oh… what about ogres? I heard they’re really strong.”

“Well, I’ve only encountered one once, and we took it down through cooperation with other knights.”

As time passed, we even dropped formal speech. Unlike Jackson, Edin had a solid sense of propriety and an open personality, which made me feel comfortable around him.

Edin seemed to like my uninhibited approach too, as his cold impression gave way to occasional hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! That’s… Oh, right. Issac? There’s something I’m curious about. May I ask?”

“Go ahead. What is it?”

Perhaps because I’d had too much wine, I didn’t feel the caution I normally would have. The slightly tipsy feeling dominated my thoughts. The wine was sweet rather than bitter, which is why I’d drunk too much.

Meanwhile, Edin glanced around briefly. Noticing no one was nearby, he leaned in close and asked in a whisper:

“Earlier, Lady Reckyless and Princess Cecilly were fighting over you.”

“Uh…”

“Can you tell me why they were fighting?”

My foggy mind suddenly cleared. I shook my head vigorously before checking his expression.

His face showed pure curiosity without any malice. Though his features were naturally cold, making expressions hard to read, I could tell this much.

I pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose and began speaking. I’d definitely had too much wine—my head wasn’t working properly.

“Just… Cecilly noona was joking around. Marie told her to stop. As you know, linking arms is something couples do, right? But demons are different. Marie was worried about that, so she told her to stop.”

“Cecilly noona? Are you actually calling Princess Cecilly by such a familiar term?”

“Ah…”

I’d slipped up again. I shook my head vigorously at Edin’s surprised expression.

But once words are spoken, they can’t be taken back. With my still-foggy mind, I barely managed to answer:

“Yeah. We talked a few times and became close. That’s why she jokes around with me.”

“Hmm… really? By the way, how many glasses of wine have you had? Your face is the same color as your hair.”

“Let me think… probably…”

I pondered Edin’s question carefully.

Once at the very beginning. Once before the event started. After that… I just remembered drinking whenever my glass was empty.

“I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure?”

“Yeah. It was delicious, so I drank whenever my glass was empty.”

“…”

Edin stared at me intently after my answer. He seemed to be assessing how drunk I was.

But contrary to what he might think, I was fine. My mind was a bit foggy and my tongue slightly twisted, but I could still think normally.

At least, that’s what I subjectively believed.

“…Stop drinking for today. You might make mistakes later.”

“Stop drinking something this delicious? No way.”

“Issac, wine isn’t meant to be drunk because it’s delicious. It’s for cleansing the palate.”

“Then I’ll have just one more glass.”

“Well, if it’s just one glass…”

Edin reluctantly agreed to my final proposal, though his expression showed he wasn’t entirely convinced.

Regardless, I downed the remaining quarter glass of wine. At first I tasted bitterness, but then a mysterious blend of sweetness and sourness dominated my mouth.

It was perfect for someone like me who wouldn’t even drink beer in my previous life because it was too bitter. I felt like I could easily drink several bottles of this.

“Whew! Still delicious. What’s this wine called again?”

“Alcyone. It’s one of the world’s famous wines. The taste varies greatly depending on how many years it’s been aged. As far as I know, the wine provided at this gathering has been aged about 10 years.”

“Must be really expensive.”

“Not that expensive. It’s famous because it’s easy to produce. That’s why even commoners can easily access it.”

Edin kindly explained, but his words weren’t really registering. Perhaps that last glass was the tipping point, but my head was spinning more than before.

No matter how sweet it is, alcohol is still alcohol. I tried my best to stay clearheaded, but my foggy state remained unchanged.

Edin seemed to notice my poor condition and suggested with concern:

“…You’re properly drunk now. Stop drinking.”

“Just one more glass.”

“When you’re drunk, one glass becomes two, then three. That’s enough…”

Just as Edin was trying to stop me:

“Issac?”

A familiar voice pierced through my dizzy mind. I blinked at the sweet female voice and turned my head.

Cecilly was standing there with a wine glass in hand, looking at us with wide eyes. She should have been with Rina, so why was she here? The event must have concluded.

Meanwhile, when Cecilly appeared, Edin’s eyes widened slightly as he quietly asked:

“…Princess Cecilly?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Cecilly notice Edin’s presence and began formal introductions.

“Hello. I’m Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin, Princess of Helium. Please call me Cecilly.”

“I-I’m Edin Marvie Signar, eldest son of the Signar Count family. It’s an honor to meet the heir of Helium.”

Edin lowered his gaze momentarily before greeting her according to proper etiquette. I’m certain his eyes went to her chest. Judging by his stammering, it was obvious.

So you’re a man after all. Honestly, anyone regardless of gender would be drawn to Cecilly’s current appearance.

“I’m pleased to meet you too. By the way…”

After exchanging introductions, Cecilly turned her gaze to me and asked Edin:

“May I ask why Issac is like this?”

“Ah, well… he drank quite a bit of wine.”

“I didn’t drink that much…”

My pronunciation was slightly slurred. But don’t worry, I’m just a little dizzy but otherwise fine.

Probably.

“Hmm.”

Cecilly checked my condition and then raised the corners of her mouth with a subtle hum. Though my vision was blurry, I recognized that smile—the one that appears whenever her mischievous side activates. Seeing that smile made me slightly anxious.

Just as I instinctively stepped back upon seeing that smile, Cecilly quickly grabbed my wrist and asked Edin:

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I take Issac with me?”

“Pardon?”

“Is that okay?”

Tell her it’s not okay, man. But Edin betrayed my expectations.

He looked back and forth between Cecilly and me, then reluctantly agreed.

“I don’t mind… but please don’t let him drink any more wine. I’m worried something bad might happen.”

“Of course. Let’s go, Issac.”

“Uuugh…”

In the end, I had no choice but to follow Cecilly’s lead. I focused my remaining attention on not dropping my wine glass.

Of course, I didn’t forget to say goodbye to Edin before leaving. Though my pronunciation was a bit slurred, my intentions seemed to get across as Edin warned me to drink moderately. I’m not drunk, I tell you.

The place Cecilly led me to was a table with various foods. As soon as we arrived, she asked a waiting waiter in a gentle voice:

“Could you give us more wine?”

“Of course, beautiful lady.”

“Issac, you receive first.”

“Okaaay…”

Following Cecilly’s instruction, I held out my wine glass, and the waiter poured wine with elegant posture. It was a deep red color, not purple.

Noticing this wine was different from what I’d been drinking, I asked the waiter. My pronunciation was not just slurred but almost gelatinous like an invertebrate.

“Whaaat kind of wine is thiiis?”

“It’s Red Cali. Unlike Alcyone, it has a stronger sour taste.”

“Try it. It’s delicious. But before that…”

Cecilly drank her remaining wine in one gulp and held out her glass to the waiter. The waiter silently filled her empty glass.

Looking now, the color of the wine was similar to Cecilly’s dress. A dazzling beauty holding wine that matched her dress color—it truly looked like a painting.

While I was blankly admiring her appearance, Cecilly smiled brightly and said to me. Her alluring voice penetrated my ears.

“I heard that in the human world, there’s a culture of clinking glasses before drinking. Was it called a toast?”

“That was actually started by dwarves first…”

In my previous life, it was a culture that developed naturally, but here it was a culture humans adopted from dwarves. I learned this fact while reading various history books.

However, most people mistakenly think toasting is human culture, both because humans vastly outnumber other races and because dwarves don’t care about the misconception.

“Really? I had no idea.”

“Do demons… have a toasting culture?”

“We have something similar. We slightly raise our glasses upward. It’s like a tribute to honor our kin who met sad fates. So we don’t usually do it on joyous occasions like this.”

“I see…”

I nodded slightly, lowering my head.

Talking with Cecilly like this, I learn characteristics of demons that can’t be found in books.

Last time, I learned what it means to stroke a demon’s horns, and that their inner evil intensifies during certain cycles.

So these detailed aspects too…

“…I wish I could write this down…”

Perhaps because I was drunk, what I was thinking in my mind accidentally slipped out.

Fortunately, I had my head down and was mumbling quietly, so Cecilly wouldn’t hear…

“Write it down… Issac?”

Or not. I looked up in surprise and faced her.

“…Yes?”

“Shall we toast?”

Cecilly smiled brightly and offered her wine glass to me. I could see the red liquid swirling in the glass.

In my mind, I knew I shouldn’t drink any more, but my body was already moving. Perhaps because it had been a long time since I’d had alcohol, I wanted to drink more despite Edin’s warning.

Clink-

When our glasses touched, a clear, crisp sound rang out. Cecilly smiled brightly after the toast and brought the glass to her lips.

I also brought the glass to my mouth to drink the wine. The reddish liquid gradually flowed into my mouth.

“Ugh…”

I shuddered. As the waiter explained, unlike Alcyone, it had a stronger sour taste than sweetness.

A lemony taste, but less sour? That’s how it felt.

“Issac.”

While I was distracted by the sour taste filling my mouth, Cecilly called my name.

Despite feeling like my consciousness was about to slip away, I managed to open my mouth.

“Yesss… noona…”

“There’s something I’m curious about. May I ask you?”

“What is iiit…?”

My vision was now not just blurry but hazy. The voices of the murmuring people and the sound of the band’s performance didn’t register in my ears, instead echoing distantly.

But strangely, Cecilly’s question came through clearly.

“Do you like writing?”