Chapter 38: Alcohol

‘If I absorb more magic power, I think I’ll be able to polymorph right away.’

If it’s a familiar face, I’ll spare it, but if it’s a stranger and they act cocky like knights, I’ll kill them.

No!

They’re already cocky!

Because you interrupted my important time!

Just then, a new group of humans was caught by my old detection radar, my new area control radar.

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☆☆☆ 【Hapel】 Human LV108
☆☆ 【Harwin】 Human LV95
☆☆ 【Brian】 Human LV58
☆☆☆☆ 【Edgar】 Human LV121
☆☆☆ 【Adrian】 Human LV92
☆☆☆☆ 【Rain】 Human LV102

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‘What the heck is that combination?’

Brian and Hapel, who had been spending time together on the mountain range, were familiar faces.

Three people I was seeing for the first time.

And one of the knights who had run away?

Even Edgar, the knight who had run away, was being carried by Brian with his whole body covered in wounds.

‘Huh? He must have run away okay?’

Why did he turn out like that?

Are you perhaps bringing me back?

Are you trying to kill the knight I missed?

‘Hehe! Idiots! I let them go on purpose to spread rumors!’

He must have beaten up the knight who escaped and given it to me.

I wonder if he’d be a little touched by these guys?

But did the other one escape safely?

I sent a pollen of temptation to the wonderful humans to come quickly.

Then the humans quickly started running towards me.

However, the humans who entered the cave froze as soon as they saw the master.

Their movements stopped as if time had stopped.

With their mouths half open and their eyes wide open, it seemed as if five humans had turned into stone statues.

No, six?

Including Edgar, who was carried by Brian…

“Hmm? I told you not to show up again.”

The master turned his gaze to Brian and Hapel and said in a cold voice.

‘Oh right! They were warned.’

I remembered the last time the master threatened them when I met them on the mountain.

This is a big problem!

These are the humans I like!

《Wait a minute! “Those humans are extraordinary humans!”》

He quickly carved letters on the floor with his roots.

The sound of the black roots scraping the floor echoed throughout the hall.

He quickly carved large letters on the floor with the roots closest to the master.

The humans’ gazes turned to the floor at the same time at that sound.

A light of relief came into the humans’ eyes.

Their faces regained some vitality as if they were alive.

Brian nodded and gave me a grateful look, and Hapel slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“Huh? You taught me the language last time?”

“No, no! Look over there! I thought I missed that article over there, so I brought it back!”

He quickly moved his roots and carved letters again.

This time, he buried the tip of the root deeper, leaving large letters.

And at the end, he quickly added a cute flower drawing.

However, the humans’ expressions hardened again.

When they saw my writing, their eyes filled with despair.

Brian’s eyes, in particular, wavered.

Huh?

No?

“Huh? Is that so?”

The master asked the humans as if he was interested.

However, the humans were still frozen in fear, unable to say anything, and their whole bodies trembled.

In the silence of fear that engulfed the space, Brian took a trembling step forward.

His face was pale, but filled with resolute will.

“I’m sorry… but we did not come to capture the knight.”

Brian’s voice trembled.

“This knight… is my younger brother. His name is Edgar. And…”

He lowered his head for a moment as he continued speaking, then looked at his master again.

“I came to ask Lady Lycoris for treatment.”

‘Huh!?’

I was taken aback by the story that was completely different from what I had expected.

The knight who ran away is Brian’s younger brother?

And he came to me to receive treatment?

Hmm…

“Treatment?”

His master’s cold voice echoed through the hall.

“Who are you to make such a brazen demand?”

The air seemed to freeze at the master’s annoyed words.

Brian’s shoulders hunched.

“This is not a demand… This is a plea. My brother got into this state after fighting something. If this continues…”

Brian’s voice broke off.

At that moment, Glessia, who was lying in the corner, suddenly flinched.

The giant wasp’s eyes sparkled and then quickly became indifferent.

‘Huh? Glessia?’

Brian slowly lowered his head and continued.

“Take my life. But my brother…”

‘Ugh… I’m speechless.’

The knight I released was Brian’s brother.

And he was willing to give up his life for his brother.

A corner of my heart ached.

“Huh. The magic power I can gain from your weak life is nothing but a trivial thing.”

The master’s fierce gaze pierced Brian.

“Master! Brian and Hapel are not allowed!”

He quickly carved letters on the floor with his roots.

“Last time, I taught you the language and we talked a lot! They’re good people!”

I drew a small heart behind it.

The master sighed after seeing my handwriting.

“I know that, but… yes… do as you wish.”

The master said with a kind smile and turned his gaze to the humans.

“But I will not forgive rude behavior.”

The humans’ shoulders relaxed slightly in relief, but there was still tension.

I slowly began to examine the humans.

The three humans I was seeing for the first time each had their own unique aura.

The three unfamiliar humans showed different reactions.

The strongest-looking man, Lane, was tensely holding the handle of the sword in his hand.

His eyes kept moving back and forth between me and the master.

It seemed as if he was trying to assess the situation.

Harwin, a man with a slender body, was looking at me with wide eyes.

There was a sense of caution in his eyes, but curiosity seemed to be greater.

Adrian’s eyes next to him were filled with curiosity.

He looked like a scholar observing a rare plant specimen.

And he kept his hands in his pocket bag.

The magical power flowing out of the bag was interesting.

‘What is this?’

Curious, I slowly extended my roots and snatched Adrian’s bag.

“Huh?!”

Adrian exclaimed in surprise.

The other humans also looked bewildered.

I didn’t pay much attention and opened the bag in front of me.

Inside were various colored potions, strange liquid containers, and… bottles of alcohol!

‘Huh? Alcohol?!’

I thought of the alcohol I enjoyed drinking before I was reincarnated into another world.

Memories of drinking with my friends in college flashed through my mind.

“I’ll have some of this~”

I quickly wrote with my roots, took out a bottle of alcohol, and broke it with my roots.

I began to suck up the clear liquid that spilled on the floor with my roots.

“No!”

Adrian exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s alcohol for making potions! It’s a very strong 95-proof alcohol!”

‘…What?’

I could hear the words, but the alcohol had already spread through my roots to my entire body.

Hmm, 95-proof…

I already drank it all…?

‘Ahh… I feel so good! Is it really 95 degrees!?’

Along with the happy feeling, the area control radar suddenly started to act strange.

My vision shook and the space seemed to be distorted.

The shapes of the humans became blurry, and the shadows reflected on the walls seemed to dance.

‘Huh… I’m good at drinking…’

『Acquired the skill 「Poison Resistance LV1」.』

『 「Poison Resistance」

You gain resistance to poison. 』

‘Huh…?’

The status window seemed to say something.

The letters seemed to be dancing in waves, and some letters appeared to overlap in two.

‘Shut up… Ugh…’

The roots scraped the ground irregularly.

The root slipped off as I intended and the letters were engraved crookedly.

What was I trying to write?

I couldn’t remember.

My vision kept shaking back and forth.

The ceiling seemed to spin and the floor seemed to ripple.

My head became hazy, and the flower petals spread out brightly.

It felt like the flower petals were dancing on their own.

The status window appeared again, but this time the letters were blurry.

‘Hmm… Master… is more… beautiful today…’

A strange courage surged up.

Even though everything else looked blurry, Master looked radiant.

She had two… no, three silver hairs, and they were all beautiful!

Yes, confession!

The confession I couldn’t make earlier!

‘Hehehe…’

Slowly… no, staggeringly, the roots stretched out and wrapped around Master’s ankle… no, knee… uh, anyway, something.

Master looked down at me with a surprised expression, but his expression seemed to widen.

“Rikoya? What are you doing?”

Master’s voice hummed as if it was coming from underwater.

More roots climbed up the master’s legs… body… somehow, up somewhere and wrapped around his waist.

As if embracing him.

But the roots kept slipping.

“Jjuinnim… I love you…”

The roots scratched the floor, perhaps because of the alcohol.

The letters were strangely crooked and overlapped.

Did I write it correctly?

The master’s face was blurry, but it seemed like his usual cold and indifferent expression had disappeared.

I could see a red color spreading across his cheeks.

His hair seemed to be dancing as well.

The master’s hands were shaking slightly… two? three? It seemed like many.

The master, who always looked so confident… why did he look like so many?

‘Hehe… but still…!’

“Riko, are you drunk?”

However, I was already wrapped in happiness, hugging the master tightly with the roots.

A warm and cozy feeling mixed with the alcohol engulfed my whole body.

《You’re so pretty, Chuunibyou… I love you…》

‘Hehehe… I mustered up the courage to say it… Hehe…’

The roots trembled and scratched the ground.

The other roots were still holding their master tightly, but several roots seemed to be moving on their own.

The humans… huh? How many? Three? Eight? Their shapes kept overlapping.

Their expressions seemed to expand and contract strangely.

“Is that really… the rumored flower?” Someone’s voice was heard from far away.

“The last time I saw you, you didn’t seem to be normal…” Another voice hummed.

“That… Edgar…” A voice that sounded somewhat sad rang out.

The bugs seemed to be reacting in various ways as well, but they were all blurry and overlapped.

Where is Miel?

Oh, I see several things like blue lights. Are they all Miel?

Flapping sounds could be heard from several directions.

Glessia… There was a large lump in the corner.

It was hard to tell if it was one or many.

In the ball of fire, I could only see several twinkling lights.

Cecilia… red flames were circling around the flower.

Was that Cecilia?

The red color spread and spread, looking like small fireworks.

I could feel the petals burning like grains of rice.

It was hot.

The air was filled with a strange scent, a sweet and sour floral scent mixed with the smell of alcohol.

『 The level of the 「Poison Resistance LV3」 skill has increased. 』

The status window appeared again, but this time it was barely visible.

It was just a faint light shining.

‘Oh right. Where did you go, Nisnim?’

Nisnim… was there? Or wasn’t there? I couldn’t remember.

I just felt my surroundings were blurry and spinning.

I felt embarrassed that everyone was staring at me, but maybe it was the power of the alcohol that made me not really care.

‘Hehe~’

It seemed like the master was doing something.

Was he carefully pulling out my roots?

But the light shining in the master’s eyes was faintly visible.

A warm feeling was transmitted.

“Rikoya, right now… there are… humans…”

‘Huh? Ingandri… is it?’