by Ennki Hakari
I gestured for her to stop. I’d always wanted to say this. Now was my chance.
“Keep the change, ma’am.”
I struck a pose. The women simply looked back and forth, wide-eyed, between the coins and me. It seemed as if she wanted to object, but instead, she thanked me. I put the small cask under my arm.
“Now, about our rooms?”
She hurried out from behind the counter and showed us to a pair of nicely decorated rooms at the far end of the second floor before rushing off again to grab our dinner. I instructed her to bring both meals to my room and closed the door after her. Even in the back of the building, we could still hear the muffled bustle from downstairs.
“I was supposed to pay for our lodgings, you know. Anyway, can your body actually consume liquor?”
Ariane drew back her hood and tilted her head up to fix her golden eyes on me.
“I’m not particularly hurting for money right now. Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve had any liquor.”
I’d also figured that if I set myself up as a heavy spender, it would keep the innkeeper and other townspeople from meddling in our affairs. My armor made me stand out as it was, so I didn’t think throwing money around would draw any extra attention.
I’d originally become a mercenary to eke out an existence, but now that I had more than I could possibly need, my attachment to it had faded. It also didn’t really feel like I was even spending money, given how different the currency was in this world. But maybe that would all change once I adjusted to living here.
Right now, all I wanted to do was get a taste of the local liquor.
A delightful blend of wood and something I couldn’t place wafted up from the small cask under my arm. There was probably more than enough alcohol inside for both Ariane and me, but carrying it around in my bag didn’t seem like a viable option.
The innkeeper soon reappeared with our dinners. After locking the door, Ariane took off her cloak and we sat at the small table. She shook her head, running her fingers through her long, white hair, and let out a sigh.
I gently lifted Ponta from my head, then removed my helmet and set it on a chair.
The meal consisted of vegetable soup, with a piece of black bread and some flame-broiled meat. It was much simpler than what we’d eaten back in the elven village, but it was also better than a lot of the human food I’d tasted in other inns.
I looked at the cask on the table, then up at Ariane.
“Do you drink, Ariane?”
She scowled in response.
“Of course I do! I was drinking back in Diento, remember?”
I noticed she didn’t look at me directly as she said this.
I thought back to our time in Diento, searching through my memory. I recalled Danka and Ariane buying some alcohol while we waited for night to fall so we could rescue the enslaved elves, but I didn’t remember her getting drunk or anything.
I grabbed one of the glasses the innkeeper had provided.
“Well then, would you care to have a drink with me?”
She took the glass from me, and I pulled the cork from the cask, pouring a measure of amber liquid into it while she watched with narrowed eyes.
“If you don’t drink that much, there’s no need to push yourself.”
Ariane replied by tilting the glass back and downing it in a single gulp. She slammed the empty glass onto the table and shot me a defiant look.
“I’m not a child, all right?”
“Kyi kyiiii!”
Ponta wagged its tail excitedly, as if asking for its own glass.
“Sorry, Ponta. Have some of this instead.”
I cut off a chunk of flame-broiled meat and set it on a separate plate in front of Ponta.
“Kyiiiiiiii!”
As soon as the plate touched the ground, Ponta let out an excited squeal and buried its face in the meat. I poured myself a glass of liquor and took a whiff. It had a unique smell, with just a hint of herbs.
I took a swig, and my mouth was immediately filled with a slightly bitter taste followed by a sweet tingling that assaulted my senses. The back of my throat burned as I swallowed, warmth filling my body.
The alcohol content was much higher than I’d assumed.
“This tastes pretty good! I wonder if I could put it on the rocks with a little ice magic,” I mumbled to no one in particular.
A hand slamming onto the table startled me from my thoughts.
“Jussa second there! Are ya gonna refill my glass or what?”
“Huh?”
I did a double-take at Ariane, surprised by her already-slurred speech.
The room was lit only by oil lamps, which were far dimmer than the magical ones used in elven villages, and filled the room with a pungent smell. The glow they gave off was about the same as you’d get from a bean-sized bulb in my world. I couldn’t be sure in such low light, but I thought Ariane’s amethyst hue had taken on a reddish tinge.
“Hey! Didja hear me?”
In stark contrast to her usual, cool demeanor, Ariane glared at me through half-lidded eyes.
“Huuuuuurry uuuuuuuup!”
She held her empty cup out to me unsteadily, her eyes struggling to focus.
It was certainly strong alcohol, but if I had to guess, I’d say it wasn’t higher than forty proof. And she’d only had one glass. It had become quite clear that Ariane was a lightweight when it came to drinking.
Hmm. Now that I thought back on it, I couldn’t remember having seen her take a drink in Diento. Had she not even touched the glass back then?
“Miss Ariane, I really think it’s best that you quit while you’re ahead.”
I picked the cask up from the table and set it down behind me. Ariane’s hands lunged forward at lightning speed, grasping my skull on either side.
“Aww, yer such a tease, Arrrc! You’re not gonna gimme anymore booze?”
She continued glaring at me through unfocused, glistening eyes, shaking my head back and forth. The world started to blur, and I could hear my bones clattering about.
If I’d been in a human body while this was happening, I’d have certainly thrown up by now.
“C-calm down Ariane! Why are you acting desperate?”
She tightened her death grip, raised her voice, and brought her face even closer to mine.
“Desperate? No one here’s desperate for nuthin’!”
Her golden eyes widened, and I could smell the sweet scent of alcohol on her breath as it blew across my fleshless face.
“You ’member that thing Carcy was sayin’ about elves and humans comin’ together? D’ya really think that’ll ever happen?”
She snatched the cask away from me and poured herself another glass, once again drinking it in a single gulp. She let out a satisfied sigh.
Obviously, Carcy’s view of the world was at odds with Ariane’s, at least for as long as humans were buying and selling elves. Given everything Ariane had been through, it only made sense she would have a negative impression of humans. However, compared to someone like Danka, whom we’d worked with back in Diento, her disdain toward humans seemed less extreme. I’d like to think it had even decreased since meeting me.
Ariane had treated the children we’d met back in the Houvan slums no differently than she treated any of the elven children I’d ever seen her with. She’d even taken a chance on me, despite my humanity.
Looking at it in that light, perhaps Carcy and Ariane’s feelings toward humans weren’t all that far apart, though she seemed a bit uncertain about it herself, at least, when she let her guard drop.
“There are many kinds of humans, Ariane. It can’t hurt to believe that there are at least some people out there willing to move forward together.”
Like she and I had. Though, I left that part unsaid.
Her golden eyes stared at me, and she looked like she might fall asleep at any moment.
“Hmm…”
“Besides, I’m a human. Or…at least, I think of myself
as one.”
I took the cask from Ariane’s hands, filled up my own glass, and took a drink.
“What’re you talkin’ about? There’s nuthin’ human about you, Arc.”
Her rose-tinted cheeks drew close again, her unsteady eyes still trying to focus. She raised her voice, as if trying to compete with the cacophony rising up from the floor below.
“Harrumph. Humans and elves, hand in hand. What a joke.”
Maybe she was right. But it was precisely that kind of thinking that made it necessary to build up relations, bit by bit.
Ariane continued muttering to herself as she tried to stab one of the pieces of meat, chasing it around the plate. I used my own fork to hold it down for her, earning a half-lidded glare from her. She almost looked like some sort of dangerous beast. Her golden eyes bore straight through my empty eye sockets, locking onto the blue-white flame that danced about inside my skull.
The atmosphere in the small room had grown tense.
“I thought all elves were vegetarians.”
“What’re ya talkin’ about? Soldiers can’t survive on a diet of leaves!”
I blocked Ariane’s fork with mine and pulled the meat toward me. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glint of the knife in Ariane’s other hand. With a slash, she chopped the meat in two, sending a chunk flying into the air. Both our forks shot up after it, looking like gleaming arrows arcing into the night sky.
“Heh. You’ll get a stomachache if you eat something you’re not used to, Ariane.”
“Don’t worry about me. If yer not gonna hand over the meat, then gimme the booze!”
“Kyiiii!”
A certain green, cotton-tailed fur ball dove through the air and expertly caught the meat in its mouth, dashing away into a corner of the room and munching happily on its prize.
Ariane and I shouted in unison.
“P-Ponta?!”
“Pontaaaaaa?”
Ariane’s golden eyes once again locked on the flame flickering inside my skull.
“You know, Miss Ariane, sharing is caring. We both could stand to learn that.”
“Ya know, yer right. We’re both fighters, but at the end of the day, we’re on the same side.”
After offering up our apologies, we clinked our forks together.
“Hahaha…”
“Hyahaha…”
We shared a warm, broad smile. I broke the silence.
“Oy, Ponta!”
Ariane turned to see what I was shouting about. While she was looking away, I stabbed my fork toward the last piece of meat.
“It’s mine!”
“Too slow, Arc!”
A gust of wind blasted me in the face.
“Only a coward would use magic!”
“Big words coming from someone playing dirty tricks!”
Ariane had already snatched the meat from the plate and offered it to Ponta. She held the cask of liquor by her side.
“Gonna need to watch your flank better, Arc!” She shot me a sweet smile.
“Slow down, Ariane! I really think you’ve had enough for one night.”
But she paid no heed to my protests. She tilted the cask back, preparing to drink straight from the spout. I rushed over to try and stop her.
While we battled over the alcohol, Ponta finished eating the meat and curled up on the bed, falling asleep instantly.
It took much longer to calm Ariane down and get her to bed.
The next morning, the innkeeper remarked that it had sounded like we’d had a pretty wild evening the night before, apparently misunderstanding what we’d been yelling about. All I could do was bow my head in embarrassment.
My room had been pretty trashed after last night’s events, but somehow, I’d managed to make it presentable come morning. If I’d been hoping for some sort of compliment from the innkeeper, none was forthcoming.
Ariane hadn’t taken to liquor well. As for me, it seemed like I wasn’t able to get drunk in this body. I hadn’t felt my senses dull at all last night, and I wasn’t feeling hungover this morning. I felt a bit jealous of Ariane’s ability to laugh and have a good time.
I looked over toward her. She returned my gaze, giving me a glimpse of her ashen face beneath her charcoal-gray hood.
“Nng…my head huuuurts. What happened last night?” she groaned, rubbing at her temples in a vain attempt to make the headache go away.
I made a mental note as I watched her walk out on unsteady legs. In the future, it’d probably be better if I just drank alone.
Chapter 2:
The Elf Bride
Unfortunately, the sunny skies of the previous day had given way to a thick cloud cover.
We left the town early and followed the road west, using Dimensional Step to teleport over the mountains. We soon found ourselves atop a small hill, a vast sea on the other side. The water reflected the dark gray of the clouds above, giving it a rather ominous appearance. Nevertheless, the change in scenery lifted my spirits a bit.
“Well, we finally made it to the sea.”
I put my hands on my waist and let out a loud breath. Above my head, Ponta caught a gust of wind blowing off the water and floated up into the sky for a better view.
I looked over my shoulder to find a still-ashen-faced Ariane trying to maintain her balance.
“Are you still feeling ill, Ariane?”
She wobbled over and sat on a nearby rock before popping the cork from her water skin and taking a long gulp.
“I’m feeling a lot better, thanks to your detoxify spell. I appreciate it.”
She claimed to have forgotten much of what had happened the night before, retaining only a few fuzzy memories of the events and no recollection of what she’d said. With no idea whether it might work on a hangover, I’d decided to try one of my Monk class detoxify spells on her. Apparently, it had been successful.
I gazed at the endless expanse of blue that lay before us. Ariane walked over to join me. She spoke quietly, her eyes crinkling in a smile.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen the ocean on this side of the continent.”
She pulled down her hood, letting the sea breeze blow back her hair. The fresh air seemed to do her some good—she was already looking a lot better.
I turned my gaze north.
“So, now all we need to do is follow the coastline, I suppose.”
The only problem was, now that we were on the far side of the mountains and back on the road, we’d have to contend with the occasional traveler. Once again, we wouldn’t be able to use Dimensional Step however we pleased.
We stepped off the road and, after making sure there was no one watching, started teleporting alongside it. Moving away from the road slowed our pace a bit, but it was still far faster than walking.
However, going out of our way to keep out of sight also increased our chances of running into other people trying to keep out of sight. As we walked down a hill through some shrubs and wild grass to get to a better teleportation spot, we ran across a large group of people. Or, rather, a small group surrounded by a much larger group, both in defensive stances with weapons drawn.
The group in the center consisted of five well-groomed young men, all outfitted in high quality leather and metal armor, probably mercenaries. They were each armed with a shield and a sword, which they used to keep the men circling them at bay.
The eleven men surrounding these mercenaries, however, looked like a much more rough-and-tumble crowd, dressed in leather armor and tattered cloaks. Judging by their style of dress and the way they were acting, they could have been an older group of mercenaries intimidating a bunch of newly minted ones. But the sinister grins on their faces, and the way they sized up their opponents, suggested they might be bandits.
Mercenaries or bandits, I supposed it made little difference.
I glanced over at Ariane, asking her the unspoken question. Should we get involved, or just move on?
I could see another hilltop on the far side of the
road, so it would be no problem to teleport away as if we’d seen nothing. But it pained me to ignore those in need. I’d have dived right in without a second thought if these men had been intimidating women or children, but when men squared off against each other, it was harder to summon up such sympathy.
I decided on a compromise. I picked Ponta up by the scruff of the neck and handed it to Ariane.
“Kyi?”
Ariane smiled, wrapping Ponta in a tight embrace. The smile widened across her face as she brushed its head and neck.
I set my bag down. “I’ll be right back.”
I jogged down the hill toward the group of men and called out to them, trying to sound as bright and sunny as I could.
“Well, hey there! I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if I could ask for some directions.”
All the men’s heads swiveled to looked at me. One of the men in the outer circle immediately started yelling.
“Oy! Are ya here to join yer friends?!”
Before he’d even finished, two of his comrades broke away from the circle and began running toward me, swords in hand. The blades didn’t look particularly sharp. I didn’t even bother to pull out my shield and simply blocked them with my gauntlets. The mythical-class Belenus Holy Armor was truly impressive and could easily absorb blows like these. I didn’t feel even a twinge of pain.
Looks of surprise washed over the men’s faces as their blades bounced away futilely. Their surprise turned to anger as my cloak billowed out, revealing the armor underneath.
“Whoa, he’s fully armored?!”
One of the men began moving around me, looking for a place to strike. I grabbed his blade and squeezed, crushing it into a useless lump of metal.
“Aaaaugh! My sword!”
My fist caught his chin, dropping him to the ground where he stood, his eyes rolling back into his head.
“Damn you!”
The other man spat angry epithets as he searched for an opening, lunging in to stab my neck. I seized his sword and pulled him toward me, headbutting him. Blood erupted from the man’s face as he doubled over on the ground, groaning.
