Chapter 51

"Hmm, it seems like An-chan isn't drinking much. Could it be that you don't like alcohol?"

After finishing a few dishes and taking a breath, Liar suddenly asked me this, probably noticing that my mug of ale was still full.

Incidentally, the ale is for me and Liar, while Nesca and Kiki are drinking water. Aina, being a child, is drinking water as well, along with Stella, who doesn't like ale, and Rolf, who is prohibited from drinking alcohol due to his vows.

"Well, I do like alcohol, but this ale... it's just..."

As I hesitated,

"......Does it taste bad?"

Nesca suddenly blurted out. Kiki, sitting next to her, was giggling.

"I surrender," I said, raising my hands.

"You're right. To be honest, I don't really like this ale. Maybe it's because I'm not used to it."

Having grown up in Japan and knowing the taste of beer, I have to admit that this ale is too bland for me. It has a higher alcohol content than Japanese beer and a mysterious herbal aroma. Moreover, it's served at room temperature. Knowing the taste of ice-cold beer, I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

"I see. Well, I've never thought it tasted good either."

"Huh? Really?"

"Of course."

Liar said this and took a gulp of the ale.

"But, in a town like this, at the edge of the continent, the only alcohol we can get is ale, right? So... we have no choice."

"Sure, sure. If this were a trading city, we could have wine or apple cider."

Kiki nodded and took a gulp of the ale, seemingly used to the taste.

"You two don't seem to appreciate being able to drink ale. It's only because the Silver Moon's disciples have a branch here that we can drink ale at prices not much different from those in the capital. Don't forget that."

"Sure, sure, I get it."

"Even I know that much."

The two of them shrugged.

"Hmm, but if we could, I'd like to have some wine."

"Hmm, so Kiki likes wine?"

"Huh? Not really."

Her unexpected answer almost made me stumble.

"......Then why wine?"

"Because it smells like grapes, and it's better than ale. The wine we can drink is just sour and not very tasty."

"Ah, I see."

"Hey, hey, 'I see,' An-chan. You're not telling me you've never had wine at your age, right? Or is it that you, a successful merchant, have only ever had the expensive wine that nobles drink?"

"That's not the case. It's just that in my hometown, there are some cheap but delicious wines."

"......"

At these words, not only did the blue flash stop, but Stella also paused in her meal. Her eyes seemed a bit scary.

Feeling a bit intimidated, I continued my explanation.

"Basically, there are three types of wine: red, white, and rosé. Oh, and I've heard that orange wine is becoming popular recently. Anyway, each of these four types of wine has many brands, and the flavors vary widely. From sweet to dry, there are light and refreshing wines as well as rich and deep-flavored ones. The prices range from very cheap to extremely expensive. Some wines can be bought with a child's allowance, while others are more expensive than a house with a garden. Wine enthusiasts apparently change the wine they drink to match their meal of the day. Well, I'm not that into wine, so I don't drink it much. If I do drink, I prefer sake—"

Just as I was about to start talking about sake, I suddenly realized that the atmosphere in the tavern had changed.

"......Huh?"

There was no lively conversation at any of the tables, and everyone in the tavern seemed to be listening to my story. Even the cook in the kitchen was looking at me.

"......"

The tavern fell silent. The adventurers at the other tables were quietly waiting for me to continue, and the young adventurers at another table were fidgeting, clearly eager for me to go on.

The most striking was the old dwarf who had been sitting at the farthest table. When I noticed, he had moved to the table next to me, arms crossed, staring at me intently. Our eyes met.

"......Kid, don't worry about me. Just keep talking. About the alcohol from your hometown."

"Y-Yes!"

Pierced by the sharp gaze of a seasoned veteran, I couldn't help but straighten my back.

"Um, in my hometown, there are many kinds of alcohol—"

And so, I ended up talking about the various alcohols available in Japan for about an hour.

Everyone, please be careful of the coronavirus (´；ω；｀).