Chapter 67 : Chapter 67

Chapter 67: One Drink for the Me Who Has Just Become Pathetic (3)

The nights in Tutol were very short.

As the sun rose, the chilly air instantly heated up, transforming into a temperature no different from midday.

I, who was wearing a coat, felt sweat trickling down my forehead and immediately took off my clothes.

“I thought the cloth was thick for a tropical region... there was a reason.”

“The temperature difference is immense. If we had been in our original clothes, our stamina consumption would have been great.”

The two of us were devising a new plan in the inn room we had booked.

“So what does that mean? Are you telling me to have a drinking contest with Roston?”

“To be precise, it's about extracting information under the guise of a drinking contest.”

At the story Gerard brought up, I had a slightly reluctant expression.

“...Are there no other methods? Like mental magic.”

“Unfortunately, I haven't learned any magic of that sort.”

Gerard had raised his level a lot in the meantime and had reached level 23.

He had also benefited in various ways from joining the Sage's Tower and had learned new magic through a Magic Book, so he now had more skills than me. He had become a complete mage.

But Gerard hadn't learned all kinds of magic either.

“It's too... obvious, so I think Roston will notice.”

“Of course, if we go in this state, we might really get kicked out of the city, let alone have a drinking contest. So we'll use this method.”

Thud.

Gerard took out his Grimoire and examined something.

Then he suddenly faced me and muttered softly.

“Illusion.”

Pop!

In my vision, only a small cluster of light flickered. But Gerard had a satisfied expression and brought over a nearby mirror to reflect my face.

“Huh?”

The face I saw through the mirror had changed into that of a man I had never seen before.

“I changed your face with illusion magic. If you look closely, you might get caught, but it would be difficult to notice from having met just once last night.”

“That's cool.”

I touched my own face.

The skin of the man reflected in the mirror was completely different from my original skin, but the sensation I felt through touch hadn't changed at all.

“Now we just need to know where and when Roston drinks.”

“I've already found that out too.”

“What?”

When on earth?

I looked at him with a bewildered expression, but Gerard just nodded his head.

“Didn't we make inquiries at the clothing store? The owner seemed so close to Roston that he was on the verge of making things up.”

“Ah.”

Don't tell me it was during that light conversation with the clothing store owner?

I was there too. But perhaps because I was so focused on finding out where Roston worked, I had long forgotten the content of the idle chat we had shared.

“Roston stops by a pub every Friday evening on his way home from work. The name of the pub he frequents is Dawn's Rest. It's a popular pub that the people here often visit.”

“You're really amazing, Gerard.”

I said so with pure respect.

‘If I had been alone, I would have had to wander around for at least a few hours to get the information myself, and if I had, Roston would have heard about it.’

Gerard, however, was just writing something down in his notebook without any change in expression, as if it were no big deal.

“I just utilized the information. Besides, this plan cannot be carried out if we don't know if you can hold your liquor.”

Thud.

Gerard said so and placed a bottle of alcohol on the table.

It was something he had prepared in advance on his way back to the inn.

“So, from now on, we'll test your tolerance with this. We have enough money, so drink until the end.”

“Um... is this really the only way?”

“Is there any other way to check one's tolerance besides this?”

“No, that's not exactly what I meant... And when it comes to alcohol, you're here too, Gerard. I'm sure you can drink well.”

“My tolerance?”

Gerard let out a chuckle and said confidently.

“Unfortunately, I'm done with two glasses of this.”

“....”

“Jeina has guaranteed it, so you can believe it.”

“I didn't want to know.”

Really.

For real.

***

Flinch.

Roston, who was filling out documents, stopped his hand for a moment and let out a deep sigh.

‘Damn it. If this continues, I'll collapse from mental and physical weakness within two weeks.’

It had already been two days since those damned mercenaries came to see him.

Since then, he hadn't seen them at all, but Roston knew very well that they wouldn't just retreat like that.

‘That guy who called himself a Supreme-Grade Mercenary, it was definitely not a lie.’

He still remembered the events of two days ago clearly.

Neither the yellow-haired swordsman who appeared before him nor the middle-aged mage accompanying him had paid any attention to him drawing his sword.

Even if he had drawn his sword and charged at them, it would not have been a threat to them at all.

‘The fact that I'm the guard captain of this city probably doesn't mean anything.’

Mercenaries carrying out a request were people who didn't care about the city's rules.

He had just been lucky that day; Roston knew that he could be kidnapped by them at any time.

‘I have to strike first from this side. Who on earth is it? The person who is trying to dig into our backs.’

Creak.

Just as Roston was contemplating, someone entered the guard captain's office with a knock.

“Captain?”

“What is it.”

“You should go home. It's already past 6 o'clock.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Roston look at the hourglass on his desk. The sand in the hourglass, which he turned over every day when he came to work, had all fallen.

“I've been out of my mind lately.”

Roston, who got up from his seat while ruffling his hair, tidied up his various tools and left the guard post.

“Charles, have a drink with me.”

“Yes? Are you buying, Captain?”

“You might as well try to skin a flea.”

“I'm not even worth that much.”

“Haaa... alright.”

“Yay!”

It would cost a lot of money, but it was fine.

He wanted to have someone by his side today, even if it meant doing this.

A short while later, the two of them who had left the guard post arrived at their usual pub. As they opened the door and entered, the smell of alcohol-soaked wood and the aroma of crispy grilled smoked barbecue stimulated Roston's nose.

In this familiar and comfortable place of rest, Roston felt his nerves gradually relax.

“Two of you today? What can I get you?”

“Two beers and some dried snacks for now.”

“Ehh... you're being cheap.”

“Shut up. It's really dangerous to order something expensive from the start.”

Charles's gaze was truly sharp, but Roston tried his best to ignore it.

He felt sorry for his subordinate, but in reality, he didn't have much money left in his wallet.

Eventually, with each drink, Roston's face grew redder and redder.

“I'm so tired these days, I can't live like this.”

“I know, right... It's annoying enough that weird things are running rampant, but why are criminals so active?”

“That's not all I'm talking about....”

Just as he was continuing his complaints, someone approached the table where the two of them were sitting.

“Well, well, who do we have here. Isn't it the guard captain of this town?”

Flinch.

Roston flinched and turned his head, but realizing it was someone different from who he expected, he relaxed again.

“And who might you be?”

“I'm Jake. I came to the guard post last time to request a wanted poster.”

“Ah....”

A local villager?

At those words, Roston tried to recall the appearance of the young man named Jake, but perhaps because he had had several drinks in a row, he couldn't remember anything at all.

‘Well, there must have been something.’

In the end, Roston thought so and let it slide.

“I see. So what brings you here?”

Grin.

Roston didn't realize that Jake, who heard those words, had smiled without realizing it himself.

I'll tell you what to say, so you just have to act as I say.

Gerard, sitting at another table, looked around and then conveyed what Artier should do through the communication.

No one is suspicious, so continue.

And this plan was working much better than expected.

“I just wanted to repay the hardworking guard captain since we met like this.”

“Thank you, but I can't accept private rewards.”

“Come on, what guard post actually follows that rule. Hey, owner!”

I raised my hand and shouted towards the owner.

“A beer here and three servings of wild boar barbecue, quick!”

“...?!”

Roston, who had been tilting his glass nonchalantly, and Charles, who had been watching from the side, had surprised expressions.

It was a natural reaction. The wild boar barbecue he had ordered was the most expensive item on the menu at this restaurant.

“Mine too?”

“You've worked hard, so let's eat together!”

“W-woah?! Thank you!”

Roston silently looked at Jake.

Nevertheless, Jake just chuckled and handed a silver coin to the owner.

“I'm in a really good mood today. I can afford this much.”

“...I'll eat well.”

He wondered how a seemingly ordinary person could spend money so easily, but Roston stopped thinking at the smell of the barbecue.

In fact, he was getting tired of chewing on only dried snacks.

Besides, Jake's words weren't wrong either.

It was a rule that guards belonging to the Empire did not accept bribes, but there was no need to be so strict as to refuse a meal.

Eventually, when the food came out, the three of them clinked their wooden glasses. Roston and Jake emptied their glasses coolly.

“Mr. Roston, from what I hear, you're an amazing person. I heard you became a guard captain in just a few months.”

“That's....”

“Oh, don't even mention it. He caught five heinous criminals in three days and got a super-fast promotion.”

Roston was contemplating, but before him, the mouth of the excited Charles opened first.

“He accurately pointed out the location of the heinous criminals, subdued two of them in an instant, and even took care of the remaining one while he was injured! I saw it from the side, it was truly an unbelievable performance!”

“Wow....”

I clapped my hands and played along with Charles's tale of military exploits appropriately.

‘I think I've got a rough grasp of the conversation flow now... How should I ask questions to get information?’

If this were a game, dialogue options would have appeared, and I could just choose from there.

But this was reality. There was no way something like dialogue options would appear.

Just as I was contemplating, Gerard's communication came through to my ear as if he had been waiting.

“...?”

But even after hearing those words, I couldn't grasp Gerard's intention.

‘Did I hear him wrong? Did he really tell me to say that?’

Time was still passing.

There wasn't much time to think.

After hesitating for a moment, I immediately opened my mouth.

“Wow, that's an amazing achievement! But there were five criminals in the village? How did that happen?”

“Uh....”

Flinch.

Unlike Charles, who tilted his head as if trying to recall the situation at that time, Roston's expression was stiff.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.