Chapter 32

"Alright! Priest! It's your turn!"

A cheerful uncle handed me an arrow.

This is the third throw. If I miss, I get a penalty game.

"Priest! Let me do it!"

"No way, Kevin. It's my game."

"But—!"

It's okay.

I'm getting quite a handicap.

I aimed and threw, but I missed again!

This is a tavern game.

Hit the target with three arrows.

The person with the highest score wins.

It's simple, but why can't I hit it?

The uncles cheered, "Look at that! Priest!"

What came around was a small glass that could be drunk in one gulp.

It was filled with an amber-colored liquid.

"Do you want sugar, Priest?"

"No, thank you."

"Priest! You can't do that! I'll drink it!"

You can't drink it, Kevin.

You turned red from just one cup earlier.

I gulped it down, and my throat burned.

This is bad for my throat. I shouldn't do this often.

"Damn, you drink it like water. I'm amazed. You didn't even change your expression."

Thank you. I'm good with alcohol.

The uncles started to get rowdy, "One more game!"

"Stop it!"

"It's okay. This will be the last one."

"No way! The lord will be angry!"

"You wouldn't know if the knight didn't say anything. Priest, it's like drinking water for you!"

No, it's not that bad. It's not delicious at all.

"Still the same, Priest! Knight, don't push yourself! Priest doesn't need a replacement. The lord passed out after one cup, but Priest had two!"

That's right. I'm better at drinking than Joshua.

The last time I visited here, Joshua was with me.

He turned pale and red, trying to stop me.

I drank a strong alcohol that burned my throat, licked my lips, and Joshua's face, which had turned red after his first cup, turned pale.

That was the first time he called me Arietty and scolded me.

After the decision to tour as a shrine maiden, I started traveling around the territory.

To spread hymns so everyone could sing them when the shrine maiden visited.

I selected a few songs and submitted them to the temple for consideration.

I don't know which ones will be accepted, but I want to make it as easy as possible for the people to sing along. I also included a well-known flower song from Carving.

I asked Joshua to help spread the songs through the influential people in the territory, but when I performed them at the meeting, I noticed that the melodies were slightly different.

This is common with local hymns.

To sing with the songstresses, we need to correct the melodies.

It's also an opportunity to improve the musical level by enjoying harmonies.

With that in mind, I decided to travel around the territory and teach the hymns directly.

Not all the people in the territory will come to the capital to see the shrine maiden, but many will visit.

Being able to sing with the songstresses will be a joy and a happy memory for them.

I know this from experience.

Between the march and the choir training, I started with the farthest places.

It takes three days to reach the edge of the territory, and a week to return after the training.

To avoid wasting time, I taught the hymns at each place, which sometimes took two weeks.

Eventually, Joshua started to accompany me.

Every night, as a greeting, we were offered alcohol, and gradually, the way Joshua looked at me changed.

I tried to drink in moderation to avoid getting a hangover.

And this inn.

Since it's close to the coal mine, the laborers gave us distilled alcohol.

Last time, I lost the game and drank a very strong alcohol. The uncles insisted that a man should drink it, so Joshua drank it for me.

His expression when he winced was incredibly cool.

But I drank the second cup.

Even though I was stopped.

I lost the game again and drank two cups in a row, and Joshua stood there with a demonic look, dragging me back to the room.

But the next day, Joshua was the one who got a hangover and threw up.

He had also been drinking beer before that.

The arrow came around again, and Kevin snatched it.

"Take a break, Kevin. It'll come around, right?"

"No, I can't. Priest has never hit the target."

"Well, maybe this time. I'm warming up."

"It's impossible. If you drink any more, I'll be in danger. The lord will really cut my head off."

"I'm strong, you know. I won't throw up."

"I know! But no! Besides, you've been drinking too much lately! The lord told me not to let you drink here!"

He's not my guardian.

I'm older than him.

Oh, he is my guardian.

But it's just a position.

He shouldn't be able to restrict my actions, right? He's not my husband.

While I pouted, Kevin threw the arrow and hit the target beautifully.

As agreed, the game ended there.

"Good night, Priest! Get the knight to bed quickly!"

"Come back again!"

I said, "Please come to the shrine maiden's tour," and quietly returned to the room, supporting Kevin, who could barely stand.

"Take it easy, Priest. I'll resent you!"

I got a lecture from the usually patient Kevin.

I'm sorry.

Belsamum is waiting for him, and he doesn't want to come home late with a hangover.