Chapter 40 (1/2)

Eve of Their Departure

「We are. Tomorrow.」Hikaru replied immediately. Seated on the counter, their eyes were level and straight. For a moment, Jill's face stiffened before taking a seat next to him.

「Give me your strongest drink.」Her eyes were already glazed. Hikaru sensed danger.

「H-Hey…」

「What I drink is none of your business, Hikaru.」

「Uhh… I… I guess…」

Not knowing what to do, Hikaru shot a beseeching glance at Lavia, who simply looked away. She probably meant to say ”You're on your own.”

「Hikaru-sama, you're a cruel man, you know that? Jill-chan was restless all the time you were in the royal capital.」

「I-I wasn't! I was just worried about him since he can be reckless. What if he was in trouble or he was dying? He looks perfectly fine, though.」

「Fortunately.」

Although one wrong move in my fight with Lawrence and I would've been a goner, Hikaru thought.

「Thank you for waiting.」

An employee brought a gla.s.s filled with amber-colored liquid. At a glance, it looked like whiskey - a distilled liquor.

「So, you quickly got promoted and then leaving Pond. I see. Okay. Ugh.」

After stirring the gla.s.s a bit, Jill downed its contents.

「Fwaaahh! More.」

「Whoa, whoa…」

「I'll have some red juice.」

Gloria ordered ”juice”, which was actually a c.o.c.ktail - a liquor mixed with juice from a red fruits that looked like pomegranate. Apparently it had a refres.h.i.+ng flavor and was easy to drink.

「I knew… you were going to leave Pond one day… But there's no need to be in such a hurry…」Jill muttered.

Hikaru was aware she cared for him more than others, but he didn't think she felt that attached to him.

「…Sorry. When I think about the dungeon, I just couldn't sit still.」

「You could've told me about how you wanted to get promoted, and I would've told you about safer ways to do that.」

「Well I didn't do anything dangerous. I just bought the stuff I delivered to the guild.」

That was what he told Gloria anyway.

「How much did you spend? The money you got from the Red-horned Rabbit should be almost gone, right? Money is important for adventurers. Also purchasing from someone else could be dangerous too, you know. If he's strong enough to hunt monsters, he could sell his loot in town. That way he can earn the people's trust and can even get promoted. The fact that he doesn't do that means he's hiding something.」Jill said.

「She's right. Unken said we need to be more vigilant if someone that strong is lurking in the area around the lake.」Gloria added.

Huh… I guess that's one way to look at it, Hikaru thought. He had chosen an inconspicuous method to get promoted quickly. It seemed the adventurers he saw at the lake today weren't just investigating whether or not Hikaru attacked other adventurers, but they were a.s.sessing how dangerous the ”guy” he bought stuff from was.

「Okay, I might've been a bit careless.」

「It's not like you to admit you were wrong. You just want to end the conversation quickly since you're not coming back anyway, right?」

「Wait, what kind of person do you think I am?」

「It's quite strange. You brought some excellent goods today as well, Hikaru-sama. But the adventurers we sent didn't find your seller.」Gloria said, being nosy once again.

「Maybe they're wary of skilled adventurers.」Hikaru replied.

「Perhaps. They must be shady people, then. It's strange how they just send you back though when you carry so much money.」

The owner brought metal cups filled with red juice. Gloria took a sip.

「I'm being careful. If you keep on investigating, I think you'll find them eventually.」

Hikaru wasn't about to take Gloria's baits. He simply gave her vague answers. Gloria gave a significant smile and said no more.

「Are you really leaving tomorrow?」Jill asked with a dejected look on her face, unaware of the battle going on between Hikaru and Gloria behind the scenes. She had already taken two shots.

「Whoa, slow down.」

「I want to get smashed.」

「Fine. I'll pay for your drink.」

「What?」

「In exchange, I'm going to choose what you drink. Chugging down strong liquors isn't good for your health.」

「All right, fine. Choose away.」Jill said arrogantly, but smiling nonetheless. She seemed happy that Hikaru was worried about her and that he was going to pay.

「Is there a type of drink you like?」

「I drink just about anything, but I guess I'm not a fan of the sweet ones.」

Hikaru recalled the time the manager offered free food but reminded Jill that she had to pay for beverage. She really was a heavy drinker.

He ordered a drink that was three parts gin and one part vermouth, garnished with an olive. This world had beverages similar to gin and vermouth. If they were a little bit too sweet, he requested lemon or something similar squeezed into it as well.

There were refrigerators in this magic-filled world. But the maintenance costs were high; either you use magic or a spirit magic gem. As such only restaurants with high sales had them. Pasta Magic had a fridge. Hikaru could expect them to serve cold c.o.c.ktails.

Back in j.a.pan, Hikaru, who was so interested in the grown-up world, studied c.o.c.ktails. He even used his father's account to order alcohol online and taste them. He'd get drunk right away though, making him realize he had little tolerance. It was back then that he learned how to make c.o.c.ktails.

「Oh… I haven't seen this one before.」

「Try it.」

There were c.o.c.ktails in this world as well, but they were lacking in variety. Most people just had one kind of alcohol, or mix a bit of citrus juice into it.

Jill lifted her gla.s.s - unfortunately it wasn't a c.o.c.ktail gla.s.s - and took a sip.

「Yum!」

Covering her mouth, she looked at Hikaru.

「It's called a martini. Back in my place, they call it the king of c.o.c.ktails. It's refres.h.i.+ng, but also strong-flavored.」

Although one sip and I get dizzy, he thought.

「I'm glad you like it.」

「Yeah. Thanks.」Jill said, blus.h.i.+ng. A smile blossomed across her face.

Phew. Looks like she's in a good mood now. Then out of the blue, Hikaru felt an elbow strike his side.

(Ouch! That hurts!)

(My bad. I didn't mean to do that.)

It was Lavia, who was seated on the other side.

(Wait, are you jealous?)

(You better watch out, or I might just elbow you by accident again.)

(Sorry.)

Hikaru felt happy knowing Lavia was feeling jealous. His side hurt, though.

「Hikaru-sama. Can you order something for me too?」

「You're getting ale.」

Ale was a type of beer.

「Did I hear that right? Ale?」Gloria asked.

No need to give this nosy woman a c.o.c.ktail. Hikaru ordered with a broad smile on his face.

「My treat… Ale for the lady, please. In the biggest tankard you have.」

A large mug, bigger than Gloria's face, was slammed in front of her. She was smiling, but her face was twitching.

「Isn't that great, Gloria? He's paying for yours as well.」Jill said with an air of innocence. Gloria could only nod in agreement.

「So anyway, Hikaru-kun. You're heading to Root Hubbard?」

「Yeah. I want to enter the dungeon.」

「You look worried.」

「Of course. Dungeons are dangerous. Don't you know that?」

「And so is completing requests. 」

「I guess… but you tried too hard in getting promoted to rank E. It's like you're rus.h.i.+ng through life.」

So that's how I look like from other people, huh… I'm actually trying to play it safe. I need to take Lavia away from the Four Stars of the East and then leave the kingdom as soon as possible.

「Listen. You need to be extra prepared before entering a dungeon. Gathering information is crucial and you've got to bring certain items for emergencies.」

Jill seemed to be drunk. She was getting more talkative, going all mentor mode.

「Ointments, medicinal herbs, and potions. Although the last one is a bit expensive.」