“It smells good. It has that sting of a strong drink.”
He seemed to have suddenly become a whiskey critic. After enjoying the aroma for a moment, he brought the cup to his mouth.
“Gah! Wh-What?!”
I thought he’d choked on it for a second, but I was wrong. His eyes widened from shock, and he began swishing the whiskey around in his cup.
“This is so thick and sweet... It then hits you with a kick of alcoholic flavor at the end. I’ve never had anything like this.”
He stared at the whiskey in complete awe. There were all sorts of alcohol in this world, but maybe none of them were like this one.
Suddenly, Miguel snapped out of his daze and grabbed my shoulders with even more enthusiasm than when he’d been trying to invite me to his team.
He said, “Kudo, you have to tell me where you got this!”
“Huh? Well, I kind of just took it from my dad...” I told him.
“Your dad? Is he super rich or something?”
“No, he’s just an average white-collar businessman.”
“A white what? Never heard of it.”
Of course he hadn’t. Such a profession existing in this world would completely ruin the fantasy. If I heard words like “company” or “corporate slave” here, I’d probably cry.
“Do you have any more of these?” pressed Miguel.
“This is all I have on me.”
“Then can you get more?! I’ll buy them off of you! What do you say?”
“Well...it’s not out of the question,” I said.
This bottle was my dad’s, but I could surely go to a nearby liquor store to find more. I couldn’t buy it as a minor, but I could probably find a way with the help of a little magic. I’d still purchase it, of course. Stealing was bad. The clerk wouldn’t know I was a minor, so they shouldn’t be responsible for breaking any laws.
However, Miguel misinterpreted my hesitation and said, “I guess not, huh... I get it,” before backing down.
Maybe I’d bring another bottle when the time was right.
“But man, this really was good,” he went on.
“You liked it?” I asked.
“I loved it. And since this is all that you have, I can’t even tell Reverie about it.”
Maybe Reverie was one of his drinking buddies. He seemed to be planning on keeping the whiskey for himself. He was pretty gluttonous when it came to alcohol—and women.
“It doesn’t go well with these snacks, though,” he pointed out.
“Yeah, I figured,” I agreed. “I think chips pair better with beer. Oh, and I hear that this drink is good on the rocks too.”
“Rocks?”
“It means putting big pieces of ice in it and letting them melt over time while you drink.”
“But that would water down the drink,” he protested.
“They say the flavor changes as the ice melts.”
“What, you haven’t tried it yourself?”
“Well, I’m a minor,” I pointed out.
“A miner?”
“Never mind... Just think of it like a custom from where I was born. I’m not allowed to drink yet because of my age.”
“Huh, I don’t really get it, but sure...” Then, Miguel called out, “Hey! Are there any mages that can use ice magic?”
A nearby blue mage lady made him some ice with a friendly smile. They then began chatting pleasantly, and he let her have a sip of the cup he’d just been drinking from. The men around him were staring daggers at him. I mean, he was totally grabbing handfuls of her boobs.
Damn it. I’m jealous. Explode and die. Burn in the fiery pits of hell.
I felt like my envy would kill me if I watched any longer, so I stared in another direction.
Suddenly, a familiar sight came into view: walking into the Divers Guild just now was a muscular figure who towered over other adults as if they were children. His hulking stature wasn’t the only thing that made him stand out among the crowd—the newcomer had a lion’s head between his shoulders.
“Oh, it’s Lion-Maru.”
That was the nickname I’d given this superveteran Diver, Dracarion Hueller. I mean, he looked just like the old-school live-action television series hero by the same name. The only thing different was the color of his fur, but that was the first thing I’d thought of when I’d first seen him. He still looked like he was ready to cut down evil with a katana.
I waved as soon as I noticed him, and he flashed a broad smile and raised a hand in response.
He walked over with heavy steps, and Miguel said to him, “Good to see you, boss man. Are you about to go on a dive?”
“That’s right. Ha ha ha!” he bellowed delightedly.
As usual, his laughter was ridiculously powerful. It was so loud that it sent shock waves that shook the cups and windows in the room. It was a boisterous laugh befitting of his extremely high level.
Lion-Maru was friends with Miguel too. In fact, most people had at least heard of him. He was the man who could dive into the deepest depths of the Gandakia Dungeon. He had a reputation as the greatest hero of Freida, with the skills to match.
He drank some of the whiskey that Miguel had offered him and seemed rather satisfied by its taste. The drink seemed to be quite popular with the residents of this world.
Suddenly, Lion-Maru turned to me and grabbed my shoulders with his massive hands. He drew my face right up to his nose, and I let out a surprised “eek.” I couldn’t help but make a noise with his intense face so close to mine. He was actually a very kind and respectable person, but he had the face of a lion. I think it was fair to say anyone would be intimidated to stare at a lion’s face up close. Even more terrifying, he slowly opened his massive mouth, and the rows of sharp teeth grew closer.