Cold Beer
To be honest, I didn't expect him to charge at me so suddenly.
It seemed like he had been waiting for his strength to return and used some kind of artifact to instantly nullify the magic binding him.
I had meticulously woven the spell to make it difficult to dispel, but it was clear that I still had much to learn.
With that in mind, I began to weave a spell.
"[Barrier]"
I already had a barrier up, but seeing him charge like that, I knew he must have had something up his sleeve.
So I poured mana into the barrier spell.
And the barrier became even more robust.
“Die!!!”
The blade flashed, its light beginning to peel away the layers of the barrier surrounding me.
‘...Well, I don’t think I’m going to die.’
I had been using [Thought Acceleration] whenever I had the chance, and in the time it gave me, I realized that the One-Eyed Bandit wasn't breaking through the barrier as quickly as I thought he would.
So I immediately cast another barrier.
I figured I might as well test the limits of my barrier while I was at it.
Clang-!
Clang-!
Clang-!
How long had it been?
The One-Eyed Bandit, who had been relentlessly attacking the barrier, collapsed from exhaustion.
The light that had been surging from the dagger in his hand disappeared.
It seemed he had overexerted himself using his power.
As I watched him, the One-Eyed Bandit looked at me and uttered a single word before being subdued by his comrades.
I don’t know who his last words were directed at, but they were chilling.
Monster, he called me.
There was no one here more deserving of that title than him.
“...That’s a bit much, don’t you think? You’re the real monster here.”
“Me?”
“..Never mind.”
“Aw, don’t say it like that.”
An opportunity had presented itself, so naturally, I had to conduct some tests.
If there was a chance I could die, that would be one thing, but there was no way I was going to die here. So I experimented.
If I thought for a second that I might actually die, I wouldn't have done it.
Feeling slightly wronged, we handed over the bones to Teron.
He said he would dispose of them at once and distribute the earnings.
Now I had a lot to do.
I had to go to the lord who ruled Baruk’s Third District to receive the reward.
And I had to go to the Adventurers' Guild to report the completion of the mission.
I also needed to go to an inn and take a shower because I felt icky.
“Ugh… So much to do.”
When would I ever get all of this done?
It was beyond annoying.
If only I could just teleport… But if I was caught using teleportation within Baruk’s Third District, a warning wouldn't cut it.
I'd at least have to pay a fine, which is why I was stuck walking.
“Sigh.”
Still, a job’s a job.
*
I decided to go to the Adventurers' Guild first.
Meeting the lord could wait.
I didn't want to meet him in my current state anyway.
“You know, I was a bit surprised back there. When he suddenly broke free of the spell and charged.”
“...You make it sound like you were toying with him.”
“Ah, I wasn't toying with him. I was checking the barrier's performance because I saw absolutely no chance of him dying.”
“...You mages truly are insane.”
“Ahaha..”
I didn't know why she was saying that.
If I was going to do it anyway, I might as well do it when the opportunity presented itself. It saved time.
Trying to make time for it later usually meant no time and no opportunity.
That’s why I used the One-Eyed Bandit to test out a lot of my magic.
With that in mind, our four-man party opened the door to the Adventurers' Guild and entered.
And approached Esily.
“Ah, you’re back. Did you complete the mission?”
“Yes. Teron went to dispose of the byproducts, and the rest of us came straight here. Will this be enough proof?”
I presented her with the Orc’s nose.
Five noses, since there were five Orcs.
If I had burned them to ashes without thinking, I wouldn't have been able to bring back their noses.
And then I wouldn't get the reward money.
With that thought in mind, I spoke to Esily.
“And uh… We caught some bandits. Is there a reward for something like that? They were Gold Plate Rank.”
If they were that skilled, I figured they must have a hefty bounty on their heads.
With anticipation, I looked at Esily.
And her answer was…
“Ah, did they happen to have multiple Gold Plates around their necks?”
“Yes! They were famous, then?”
“Quite famous in Baruk. No one knows their real names, so they’re called the ‘One-Eyed Bandits.’ The reward is 100 gold.”
“Oh.”
An impressed gasp escaped my lips.
I was going to get a reward from the lord too, but to think I’d get one from the Adventurers’ Guild as well…
I was elated.
As I was riding the high, Teron, who had finished dealing with the monster byproducts, entered, scratching his shiny head.
“Hmm, I thought I recognized him. That’s the bastard with the 100 gold bounty.”
“You’re right. Now that you mention it, he was the One-Eyed Bandit. Ehahaha.”
Dontas was already seated at a table, drinking beer.
It was getting dark, so everyone was gathered at the Adventurers’ Guild.
Seeing that made me want to join the gathering.
These were the first people I’d met since coming to this world, after all.
Building connections here would definitely help me in the future.
With that thought in mind, I made a suggestion to the others.
“How about I treat everyone today? Let’s sit down, relax a bit, and chat.”
“..Sounds good.”
“Sure, why not? I’m getting another beer.”
“Ehahaha, the mage’s feeling generous!”
As expected, no adventurer could refuse free drinks.
So we took our seats and ordered some snacks and beer.
“To be honest, this is my first time drinking, so I’ll be taking it slow.”
“What? You’ve never had alcohol before? What a baby.”
Violet, her face slightly flushed, came closer and poked my cheek.
I was a little embarrassed.
I wasn’t used to this kind of attention.
It was a good thing I was wearing my robe.
As I was thinking that, the beer arrived.
But—
“Hmm…”
It was lukewarm.
Even if I knew nothing about alcohol, I knew beer was supposed to be cold.
So I wove a spell and poured mana into it.
Immediately, the beer frosted over.
This was definitely photo-worthy, so I snapped a picture and uploaded it to the forum.
And then I spoke.
“Anyone want some of this?”
As I conjured up a glass of ice-cold beer right before their eyes, Dontas’s eyes widened.
He really was a race that loved their beer.
“Well… Would it be alright if I had some, mage? I don’t usually ask for favors like this, but…”
“Ah, sure. Go ahead. Would anyone else like me to chill theirs too?”
As soon as I said that, Violet handed me her glass.
Teron followed suit.
“[Freeze]”
I carefully adjusted the spell and poured just the right amount of mana to create a thin layer of ice.
It might have looked easy, but it required a great deal of technique.
Maintaining that perfect balance between frozen and chilled was incredibly difficult.
As I chilled everyone’s beer, the atmosphere instantly livened up.
“...I don’t usually like mages, but I like you. Sorry for being cold to you earlier.”
“Ah, no worries. Mages do tend to have weird personalities.”
To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed him being cold.
I wasn’t very perceptive.
Feeling awkward, I took a sip of my beer, and Violet, sitting next to me, grinned and whispered in my ear.
“...You’re not actually drunk already, are you? Why are you so quiet?”
“Haha…”
I didn’t really have anything to say, so I just laughed it off.
And so we stayed there, ordering beer after beer, and ended up staying up all night.
*
“Ugh…”
My head was pounding.
Something had happened last night, but I couldn’t quite remember…
As I was trying to recall the events of last night, I looked around and realized I was in my inn room.
I managed to get back safely, even though I was drunk.
As I was thinking that, I heard a knock on the door.
My head still hurt, but I put up a barrier just in case and opened the door.
And—“Ah, hello…?”
Standing there was the person who had brought me back to the inn last night.
It was none other than Violet, a playful smirk on her face as she held up a small pouch.
“Morning, sleepyhead. You left this in the common room last night. Figured you’d want it back.”
My hand instinctively went to my side, confirming the absence of my subspace pouch. It seemed my drunken self had been careless. Relief washed over me as I realized Violet had found it and not someone who’d use it for nefarious purposes.
"Thank you," I said, accepting the pouch with a grateful smile. "I really appreciate you bringing this back. I must have been quite a handful last night."
"Don't worry about it," she chuckled. "You were pretty funny, actually. Especially when you tried to…"
She trailed off, her laughter bubbling up again. I could only imagine the kind of drunken antics I’d gotten up to.
“Well, whatever I did, I’m glad you found it amusing,” I said with a sheepish grin. “How about I buy you breakfast as a thank you?”
Her eyes lit up at that.
"Now that's an offer I can't refuse, Lead the way, mage."
As we headed downstairs, I couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with Violet. It seemed like our shared experience last night, embarrassing as it might have been for me, had forged a bond between us. Perhaps this was the start of a valuable friendship in this new world.
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Betting they yoinked it and gave them a regular pouch of similar look.
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