Drinking Party

After flying for several days, I arrived at the vast ocean, causing the waves to ripple with my wings.

The cool sea breeze felt refreshing against my scales.

“Anyway…”

I glanced at Nis sitting on my back.

She maintained her elegant posture throughout the long journey over land and sea.

Not a single wrinkle in her black dress.

“You seem comfortable. Is my back comfortable for you?”

Thinking about it, I had never let anyone else ride on my back except her.

“Next time, I’ll let Rico ride too.”

Finally, a familiar silhouette appeared in the distance over the ocean.

A deep, vast trench.

It seemed we were almost at Desmere.

“Look, Frostia-nim! It’s over there!”

Nis’s voice cut through the wind.

It was much brighter than usual.

“Yes.”

I replied briefly.

I wanted to return quickly and see Rico.

As we approached the trench, its unique features became clearer.

The temple at the bottom of the ocean, shaped like a shell, surrounded by the dark waves of the deep sea.

The great labyrinth of the deep sea, ruled by Nis for thousands of years.

It had plenty of seafood and rare treasures, but it wasn’t to my taste.

I preferred the ice and snow of Shia Kalt.

And most of all, the place where Rico was.

Thinking back, I had left Rico alone for too long.

Even though Rico had grown stronger, I still felt a lingering anxiety, worrying that something might happen.

“I need to hurry back.”

I flew quickly toward the trench.

It was a familiar place, having visited several times before.

Each time, I would dive deep into the ocean in my dragon form, then transform into human form to enter the temple.

As I dove into the water, the cold current flowed between my scales.

The deeper I went, the darker it became, but with my dragon vision, I could see clearly.

The massive temple on the ocean floor came into view.

As always, its sheer scale was overwhelming.

Grand pillars and intricate carvings, reminiscent of ancient myths.

Suddenly, I remembered when I came to pick up Nis.

Even then, she had sat elegantly on my back, chatting joyfully.

Her cheerful demeanor brought a slight smile to my face.

Upon arriving at the temple, I slowed down and transformed into my human form.

Suddenly, a figure emerged.

“Nis-nim! Oh, Frostia-nim! You’re back safely!”

It was a woman in black armor.

Her entire body was covered in dark armor, only her red eyes gleaming.

“It’s Deiana.”

Nis’s most loyal Death Knight.

She stood stiffly, like a soldier, which was somewhat comical.

“Yes.”

Nis waved her hand and said.

“How was your trip?”

“None! Everything was fine!”

Deiana’s loud voice hurt my ears.

She had an exaggerated enthusiasm, like a trained soldier.

“Why are you so loyal to Nis…?”

Nis and Deiana’s relationship had always been puzzling.

Whatever had happened between them, Deiana was excessively devoted.

“Yes?”

Nis smiled slightly and said.

Deiana’s eyes sparkled even brighter at her words.

“Thank you, Nis-nim!”

“It’s fine.”

It was time to return.

Having safely delivered Nis, I needed to head back to Shia Kalt.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

I prepared to transform back into my dragon form.

“Rico will be waiting.”

“Oh, already? We’ve just met, and we haven’t talked much!”

Nis suddenly grabbed my sleeve.

Her face showed clear disappointment.

“Just a little longer, okay?”

“I’m tired.”

I replied honestly, though not entirely refusing.

“You’re being too harsh on your only friend.”

Nis pouted, looking like a child who had been denied candy.

“Friend…”

Her words made me pause for a moment.

Yes, Nis was similar to me.

Perhaps we were the same kind of being, and no one else had been by my side as long as she had.

Thinking back, I had only talked about Rico when we met.

I had been wary of Nis’s interest in Rico, but hadn’t had a proper conversation with her.

“Fine. I’ll stay a bit longer.”

At my words, Nis’s face lit up.

“Really? Yay! Follow me!”

Nis skipped ahead, excited like a child.

Deiana looked puzzled for a moment, then bowed and stepped aside.

We followed Nis deep into the labyrinth.

The damp, musty smell of the deep-sea labyrinth filled the air.

I missed the cold, dry air of Shia Kalt.

After walking through the complex corridors, we finally arrived at Nis’s room.

As always, it was filled with treasures.

From gold and silver treasures to rare weapons and beautiful accessories.

Nis’s hobby was, as always, collecting.

“Here we are!”

Nis approached a fancy display case.

It held various bottles of liquor in different shapes and colors.

“These are all very rare. Since Rico likes alcohol, shouldn’t we let her try some?”

She took out several bottles and offered them to me.

A crystal bottle with blue liquid, a wooden flask with amber liquor, and a small glass bottle with silver liquid.

“For Rico?”

I had mentioned in passing that Rico liked alcohol while flying.

“You don’t have to go to such trouble.”

Nis’s actions made me realize she didn’t have ulterior motives.

I felt a bit sorry for doubting her.

“It’s fine. I don’t drink anyway.”

Nis smiled and said.

Then, she suddenly looked thoughtful and exclaimed.

“But why don’t we have a drink together?”

“…I don’t need to eat or drink.”

For a dragon like me, food and drink were mere indulgences.

“I know that. It’s just for fun.”

Nis said with a meaningful smile.

“Sigh…”

I inwardly sighed.

In truth, I didn’t handle alcohol well.

Due to my physiology, I got drunk much faster than humans.

So I preferred to avoid it.

Just as I was about to refuse, Nis took out something from the back of the display case.

It was a golden bottle adorned with gems.

Rubies, sapphires, emeralds…

The bottle, decorated with glittering gems, was a treasure in itself.

“What’s that?”

I couldn’t help but ask.

“Oh, this? It’s something I took from the dwarf royal treasury after crushing their kingdom about a thousand years ago.”

Nis replied nonchalantly, as if it were something trivial.

“It’s a golden wine made by the dwarves’ finest distillation techniques. I’ve been saving it for a special day since I haven’t tried it yet.”

Nis’s sparkling eyes made it hard to refuse.

Thinking back, this was the first time I was drinking with someone.

“If only Rico were here…”

I thought wistfully, imagining how much better it would be if Rico were here.

Remembering the time Rico got drunk and confessed to me, I couldn’t help but smile.

Then Nis suddenly said.

“Actually, this is my first time drinking alcohol.”

“…What?”

I was surprised.

That Nis, who had lived as long as I had, had never drunk alcohol before.

“Why collect all these if you’re not going to drink them?”

I couldn’t understand.

“Well… because they’re pretty.”

Nis shrugged and smiled.

“…Ridiculous.”

Her way of thinking was eternally incomprehensible.

She was like a magpie, hoarding shiny, pretty things.

Nis brought out two crystal glasses and poured the golden wine.

The transparent liquid, with a golden hue, filled the glasses.

“Let’s do it!”

Nis said, handing me a glass.

I also took a glass and lightly clinked it against hers.

“Clang!”

Nis exclaimed, taking a sip.

I carefully took a small sip as well.

“Wow, it’s delicious!”

Nis exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.

It was unexpectedly good.

The fragrant aroma filling my mouth, the sweet aftertaste, and the warmth flowing down my throat.

Not as good as Rico’s nectar, but if I hadn’t tasted that, I would have thought this was the best.

“Not bad.”

I said honestly.

“See? I told you! I should’ve tried it sooner!”

Nis laughed brightly.

“You should have.”

I replied dryly.

“Right? Alcohol isn’t something you drink alone. It’s meant to be shared with someone!”

Nis refilled her glass and continued.

“This is my first time drinking, so I don’t know, but…”

She spoke as if she had some profound philosophy.

Despite being a novice drinker, she had strange notions.

It wasn’t so bad, though.

It was nice to have a casual conversation for the first time in a while.

By the third glass, Nis’s eyes sparkled even more brightly, and her chatter increased as the alcohol took effect.

“Oh, by the way, aren’t you curious about the news from the other labyrinths?”

Nis suddenly changed the subject.

“No, I’ve been in Shia Kalt. No need to care about other labyrinths.”

I shrugged indifferently.

In fact, only Nis and I knew who the rulers of the Eight Great Labyrinths were.

And even that was only about each other.

As for the others…

We only knew they existed.

“Deedhead, my subordinate, brought some interesting news. He traveled the continent gathering information.”

Nis swayed her glass and said.

Her face was already red from the alcohol.

“Hmm. What did he hear?”

I asked, uninterested.

“Remember? Teretes of Eld Island!”

“Teretes…? Oh, the steel golem.”

I vaguely recalled.

A massive golem-like ruler of a labyrinth, made of steel.

I had seen him once, a long time ago.

“Yes! That’s right! Teretes is apparently creating massive golems these days. Deedhead heard that he made something called Petramos…”

“Petramos?”

“Yes! It’s a giant golem made of rock. Adventurers who entered Eld Island were wiped out by it, or so the rumors say…”

Nis spoke excitedly.

But I wasn’t particularly interested.

What other labyrinth rulers did was none of my business.

“Interesting.”

I replied half-heartedly.

“And the eastern labyrinth is even stranger!”

“East? Ah, where those humans gather…”

“Yes! There… um… what was the name of their empire? Diate? Dihus?”

Nis tilted her head, trying to remember.

“Anyway! The labyrinth there has reportedly reopened after being inactive for hundreds of years.”

“What about its ruler…?”

In fact, I didn’t know much about that ruler either.

Had never even seen them.

“I don’t know! Deedhead only saw a silhouette shrouded in darkness.”

Nis shrugged.

“So what? Is it important?”

I asked, finding it boring, swirling my glass.

Thinking about other labyrinths was less interesting than thinking about Rico.

“It’s not important! It’s just an interesting story.”

Nis giggled.

“As for the other labyrinths… well, Deedhead told me more, but I wasn’t really interested…”

Nis’s voice grew softer.

She, too, didn’t care much about other labyrinths.

…

Nis continued to pour drinks, and we talked about various things.

Mostly her talking, though.

Her collection stories, episodes from the deep-sea labyrinth, and above all, interesting episodes of dealing with humans.

After a few more glasses, I began to feel dizzy.

My body felt heavy and drowsy.

“Hmm… I think I’ve had too much…”

The room’s lights seemed brighter, more dazzling.

Nis’s voice grew distant.

Looking at her, she had already fallen asleep on the table.

Her face was slightly red, and her breathing was steady.

“She’s passed out…”

My eyelids grew heavy as well.

“I need to go back…”

Rico might be waiting.

She might worry.

But I was too tired.

From recent activities, my body ached with fatigue.

“Just a little nap…”

Resting my head on the table, my consciousness faded.

Even in my drunken state, Rico’s image lingered.

Her cute flower petals and crimson stamens made me smile unknowingly.

And I lost consciousness.