Chapter 92

“I guess it’s a relief that there wasn’t any dancing at the welcome party.”

The Dwarves’ welcome dance wasn’t a mixed-gender affair; it was mostly a guys-only show.

Not that they were hugging each other or anything.

Red-nosed, heavily drunk Dwarf men stood facing each other, doing a dance that looked sort of like a Cossack jig and laughing loudly. Around them, people were clapping along, while the band picked up the pace, urging the duo into a friendly competition.

One would eventually topple over, and that meant they lost. The loser would then down what looked like a whole barrel’s worth of booze, only for the dance-off to begin anew.

Isn’t drinking supposed to make it harder to keep your balance? It seemed like the more they lost, the more they drank.

It was a bit odd seeing noble-looking men act like this, yet they fit the stereotype of Dwarves perfectly.

The Dwarf women didn’t seem to mind the spectacle either, giggling from a distance while fanning their faces.

If the male Dwarves were the archetypal Dwarves, the women seemed like shrunken-down versions of human women. Their proportions weren’t off, but they appeared a bit plump and spread out.

However, among them were a few women who looked like ‘otherworldly beauties’ akin to princesses.

Maybe it was the effect of being in a web novel world and not a Western-style MMORPG. If this content had been made in America, Dwarf women would probably have facial hair.

“Aren’t you going to drink?”

“Hmm, not sure.”

I answered Ria’s question that way.

“Have you ever tried drinking?”

“…?”

Well, I did, once upon a time.

Technically, we were of age to enjoy a drink now. We were both adults this year. In Korea, they don’t fuss over whether you’re drinking before or after your birthday, so the moment the year changed, both Ria and I were legally old enough to drink.

“Have you tried drinking, Ria?”

“Huh? Uh-oh? I-I guess?”

Ria’s answer made my eyes narrow slightly.

So, she had drunk with someone else.

Oh, of course, that’s not a bad thing. It would be absurd to forbid something like that.

But, I couldn’t help but wonder who she had shared a drink with.

……

I didn’t quite know why I felt this way. Maybe I was overthinking it since Ria was the only one I could reasonably call a friend in this world.

“You drink well, then?”

“Me? Oh, I’m quite the liquor connoisseur.”

Ria answered, looking a bit flustered, her eyes flitting around.

Right, so it meant she had to have tested her limits.

Usually, knowing your drinking limit means you’ve pushed it to the edge of blackout. In other words, knowing your limit means you’ve drunk enough to be dazed.

I figured Ria hadn’t gotten into too much trouble. A sensible author wouldn’t embed hidden settings like that for NTR scenarios.

But still, it meant she might have shown a messy side to someone else.

And that was a bit uncomfortable.

“Really? Then could you teach me how to drink?”

At my words, Ria blinked.

“Uh… okay.”

“This way.”

I gestured to the bar I had seen earlier.

Right. Dwarves must drink booze instead of water because they had a bar squarely set up in the great hall of the king.

At the bar, Dwarf bartenders scurried around busily.

No matter how husky the male Dwarves were, they were shorter than us, so the bar stools were normal-sized, not towering like in a typical bar.

“Hmm?”

As Ria and I took a seat at an empty spot, the bartender gave us a slightly puzzled look.

“Could we each have one drink?”

The bartender glanced at Ria and then me.

“I’m sorry, but we only serve high-proof distilled liquor here. If you want beer, that’s over there—”

“Distilled liquor is fine too.”

At my response, the Dwarf bartender shrugged.

He then placed a small shot glass in front of each of us, filling it with amber liquor.

I picked up my glass and showed it to Ria.

She seemed oddly awkward holding hers.

We lightly clinked our glasses, creating a nice glassy sound—

And I then downed the entire shot in one go.

“Huh.”

The long-forgotten taste of alcohol made me let out a sound of surprise.

It seemed accurate to say that it was pretty high-proof because the liquor slid down my throat with a warm sensation.

It wasn’t that I was a complete abstainer. I had just ended up living that way. But even so, I had drunk quite a lot during my working years.

At home, I was told not to drink, but was that such a big deal?

After all, I didn’t have any ties to that life anymore.

Ria drank just like I did, but—

“…Gah!?”

Was it too strong? She coughed a bit after swallowing, almost like she was choking.

I chuckled at her reaction and raised a finger to the bartender. He shrugged again and poured another round for Ria and me.

“…Have you ever actually drunk before?”

Seeing me throw it back casually, Ria asked out of the blue.

I silently raised my glass again and downed it without hesitation.

After watching me, Ria collected herself and followed suit, but as her ears gradually reddened, it became clear that she might not be so good with alcohol.

“Oh my.”

The voice caught my attention, and I turned to see—

“Princess.”

The bartender bowed his head toward the person who’d spoken.

“You’re already having fun, I see.”

The princess strolled over leisurely and took the empty seat next to me.

“I’ll have the same.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

The bartender swiftly handed her an identical glass.

She tossed back the liquor and then spoke.

“Sister Anna.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of Dwarven welcoming rituals.”

“Sadly, this is my first time meeting Dwarves.”

“The welcoming method is simple. We serve drinks until our guests can’t feel the cold anymore and are completely drunk.”

Well, that sure is a Dwarvy way of welcoming.

“However, times have changed, and these days, there are customers who don’t really enjoy that traditional welcome.”

“It’s a shame that a beautiful tradition is disappearing.”

When I chimed in, the princess smiled brightly.

In the meantime, the bartender poured another glass for the princess.

She tossed that glass back too.

And just like that, we all ended up having two glasses each.

“But it seems you don’t particularly dislike drinking, Sister.”

“Well, actually, it’s my first time trying alcohol in my life.”

I glanced at Ria as I spoke.

Ria widened her eyes and stared at me.

“Is it alright if I represent the Dwarves to welcome Sister Anna?”

“Of course. That’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

At my words, Ria’s expression turned somewhat fierce.

The princess raised her glass, and Ria and I did the same.

We all tossed back our drinks simultaneously.

Our glasses were filled again.

“May drink erase all rudeness.”

The princess declared as she lifted her glass.

“A Dwarven proverb?”

I raised my glass in response.

“Hic.”

Ria answered with a hiccup.

*

Alcohol will erase all rudeness.

Though it was a Dwarven saying, it also served as a warning.

While you may forget any rudeness you’ve committed while drinking, it also means you could be the one who drinks and commits ‘rudeness’.

That ‘rudeness’ could include everything you blurt out without knowing what you’re talking about.

Important information could get mixed in, or you might get insight into a person’s true character through their drunken confessions.

I managed to stay steady all the way through.

Maybe it was because I had been drinking a lot in my past life, or perhaps that was simply the nature of a Saintess. But either way, it didn’t really matter.

I didn’t think the princess was trying to dig anything out of me. She seemed more interested in seeing what kind of person I was firsthand.

During our official meeting, all the formalities would be out in full force. No matter what, I would maintain my decorum.

The drinking contest ended up attracting a crowd of other Dwarves who came to watch—but—

“…Mmph.”

Unfortunately, one of us ended up being a terrible drinker, and the contest was called off.

“Uh, Ria, are you really sure you’ve drunk before?”

Well, I figured her tolerance was low, considering the amount we skillfully downed.

In the room we shared, Ria had latched onto me.

I was originally just going to support her over to the bed, but with her strength, she ended up pushing me onto the bed instead.

There isn’t something overly inappropriate going on—

Well, judging by how her face was buried in my chest, that’s not exactly accurate.

……

Then again, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Ria was just using my chest as a pillow and sleeping soundly.

“…Didn’t even wash.”

I muttered incredulously.

She then called out, “…Mom.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tear off my hug from her.

Mom. I wondered when Ria had ever hugged anyone like that. Ria’s father certainly wasn’t that kind of man. He was the type to hide his affection behind a stern demeanor.

“Mooooom….”

……I figured her drunken state had brought those words out without her realizing it.

I slowly lifted my hand and gently stroked her hair.

Just like she had done to me countless times before.

Normally, I would never think to touch her like this, but in this instance, I found myself wanting to do so.

“……”

As I brushed her hair, Ria gradually quieted down.

Before long, I could hear the soft sound of her breathing.

She still smelled a bit like alcohol, was sticky with sweat, and her cheeks were flushed, but—

Well, she was still pretty cute.

I chuckled quietly and decided to leave Ria be.

It seemed like the washing would have to be pushed to the early morning.