Part 2: Drink and Be Merry
MAYBE because my life had recently become more stable, I also had more time to think. Why had I been transmigrated to this world, and why had I ended up in this form? The more I learned about magic, the more I felt that magic had nothing to do with it. In all the literature I pored over, there was never any mention of magic capable of crossing worlds.
One option to find out more was to try making a really strong wish to return to my original world, but I didn’t want to accidentally make it a one-way trip and not be able to get back. And what if my wish was only partially granted and I ended up in my old world looking like this? I’d wind up a guinea pig in some lab. The risk was just too great.
More than anything, I hated the thought of having to part with my new friends.
I just want to know why, without having to go back and return to my old life. It occurred to me that if I traveled around the world, I might actually find the answers to my questions—and in light of my friends’ compatible goals, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea to make this my life’s work.
Elves lived for a long time, so with a long life stretching ahead of me, I thought it would be nice to have some sort of purpose in life. And unraveling mysteries that no one else could solve was very much the name of the game for an adventurer.
✦ ✦ ✦
A fresh mug of alcohol was placed in front of me, and I downed it in one long gulp. Then I heard a clang, and I looked over to see Montana doing something strange—pouring wine into a large flat plate. He hunched over in front of the dishware, resting his chin on the table, pulled the plate closer to him, brought it to his mouth, and sipped from it. Such bad manners. I could tell he was plastered from how red his face was.
Still watching him, I grabbed the bottle he’d put down and poured some more of it into my own glass. Montana seemed quite comfortable where he was, looking up at us.
“Keep…talking.”
“Montana, you… Fine, whatever.” Corinne seemed both exasperated and concerned, but she gave up trying to manage Montana’s drunkenness almost immediately. “Anyway,” she continued, “Al and I have tagged along to other towns with our dads, so we have experience traveling.”
“Oh, right, Corinne, your father’s a merchant. Does that mean Montana and I are the only ones who’ve never traveled?”
“I have.” Montana shook the last few drops from his plate with both hands as he answered. Even though it had been full to the brim just seconds earlier. I hadn’t paid much attention to him, but apparently, he’d been absolutely sucking that wine down.
“I traveled alone from the Principality of Dothart all the way here.”
“Alone! Without an escort?!” Corinne sounded shocked.
The Principality of Dothart was a country located south of the mountains, so it would have been quite a long journey, especially to travel by oneself. That’s Montana for you. Amazing. In a bit of a daze myself, I praised him and clapped my hands. Corinne gave me a baffled look. Had I done something strange? I honestly didn’t know.
Montana continued pouring more alcohol onto his plate, still hunched over the table. The large bottle was now empty, and he rolled it around on the table, his expression bored. Luckily, the bottle stopped when the handle caught on something, so I didn’t have to worry about it falling on the floor and breaking.
“Alone,” he said again. “Bandits chased me when I crossed over the mountains.”
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you made it out alive!”
“If you run fast enough, they can’t catch you.”
Montana flapped his arms and legs in an imitation of running. In his drunken state, he looked a lot more childish than usual, which only made him even more adorable.
“Haruka, that means you’re the only one who’s never traveled outside the city,” Corinne said. “You know, I think we might actually be able to manage an escort request on our own.”
I felt a little sad when I heard that. Apparently, I really was the one holding them back the most, despite being the oldest. At this rate, I was afraid they would abandon me. My heart grew heavy as I tried to determine the reason I was so unreliable. I’m not trying hard enough. I decided I had to work harder to avoid being abandoned.