Now, there's only one wagon left, but I suddenly come up with a harassing thought.

'Window flowers, how much dwarf wine do you have in stock?

It's about 200 liters in a sealed container, but it's already 99.5% ethanol after removing the impurities. Can I use it for my purposes?

　It may be 99%, but alcohol is alcohol.
　Would it be okay if we added a mixture?

　They're the kind of people who get asked to be disposable, destined to be taken down at some point. They've probably only ever had cheap booze and can't distinguish it from fine spiced honey wine (mead).

Maybe we'll drink to each other after the ceremony?　And the core Commander and Deputy Commander are all of them. Only rich people drink imported fine spice mead. A mercenary or so won't notice it if you mix honey and spice with it, it's easier to sabotage if the commanders are all hungover.''

'Ryota-sama, the ceremonial cups in this world are the size of a large mug (average 700ml). Furthermore, it's a ritual after drinking at a banquet, right?　.... 95% alcohol and 5% of the mixture is probably a fatal dose.

　The window flowers are looking bad....

　But normally, you can't drink all that hard liquor, can you?　I could only drink a little bit of Spiritas in 30 ml, you know?

'You're not going to drink it all, are you?　Ninety-five percent alcohol is too much. Maybe you'll leave it in a sip or two.'

'Ryota, I don't think so, do you?　I heard my father once. "Regular mercenaries are always fighting over spunk when they get together. You can't even drink a glass of booze, you're on the lower end of the scale. You can't hear about dying from drinking in Ares, so I will drink it up!

　Midia, who is dexterously pursuing, joins the conversation. I warned you about the dangers of driving while driving, but you haven't elaborated. I tried to warn you to focus, but Anya said first.

I'm sure you're right, they wouldn't back down in the first place. You're not going to have to worry about it. It's a good idea to make sure that you're not going to have to worry about your own health.　If it's not, it'll be the end of the group or a total rout.

'Yeah, and what kind of spice mead is that?　The ones that look like they're just too hot to drink...　Ryota is going to successfully swap out with Mead and annihilate his commander with alcohol!　In Japanese stories, the heroes slay the ogre and the eighteenth serpent (Hydra) with sake!

　

　There's a death...
　NO!!!!　

''Window flower, even a bandit can't be poisoned, right?　Nah!　And I'm stuck with the C in the treaty!'

''No, no, it's a good idea, Ryota-sama, alcohol is not treated as poison. And if you force him to drink it, it is a problem, but he will drink it up on his own at the risk of his reputation. You're asleep at the wheel, now is the time to make your move!　If you've got the commander's head to yourself, you'll get your share of the prize money, too!

　Ignoring my reluctance, the window flower, dazzled by the reward, decides on a plan of its own.

　Anya poured alcohol into an empty barrel, mixed it with a little honey, and finally threw in some spices from the armored car's kitchen to taste it.

　According to Manya, [I'll just make it taste like the best spice mead ever! He was in a good mood.

　Dominic is in a groove, too. And then he jumps out. What he does is quickly approach the sleeping Gosha without making a sound. The sleeper hold puts pressure on his carotid artery, causing him to pass out before he can wake up.

'Ryota-dono, put on your cloak and pretend to be Gosha, please. I will hide you in the bushes to prevent a man from waking up, so don't worry. If you make him sit down again after you've finished swapping out the drinks, he'll think he was dreaming.

　Ha-ha. I'm going to be the main suspect in the Alhala massacre. No, it's a recording of the Ares Suspense Theater.　I think the detective role would be more popular with Palio-kun.


★ Disguised as Gosha.

　In about half an hour, a small, fast-footed fishing boat reaches the rock jetty. The sailors remove a cask of wine and a sacrificial goat from the boat and bring it to me.

I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but we're running out of time with the torch. I'll take care of the loading for you. And a vial of mead, as an apology.

　You don't even know it. You don't know what you look like when there are thousands of people in there and you can't remember their faces...

No, I'll take care of the guard. I don't mind being alone. Thanks for being so helpful, you're really good at what you do.

　After such an exchange, the sailors return. I pretend to drink the mead they gave me and wait for the boat to disappear into the night. When the fishing boat is out of sight, I finally signal the waiting group.

'Anya, bring me a suitable piece of board along with the keg.
All right, I'll take it. But the high end of spice mead ... can I have it?

'Depends on the report from Midea that came back, I guess.　I'll trade you a barrel of sake for a barrel of wine for now.

　Mr. Dominic has his eye on the booze (mead) too...

　Do you want a drink in this situation?　For the time being, we'll deal with the Numbskulls later. I scribbled a note on a piece of wood with coals from the fire.

[I loaded your bags for you. I put salt on his neck as a wake-up call, thanks.

　Then Manya switched barrels and Gonoha put her and Dominic on the wagon again. Finally, she placed a slab of wood on Gosha's thigh and rubbed salt on the back of his neck to hide him.

　After a while, the goats in the wagon, noticing the salt, begin to lick the back of your neck. Finally, he wakes up and jumps up. Next, he notices a piece of wood that has fallen and reads it. He mistakenly thought he had fallen asleep at the end and left in a hurry....

　That guy!　You left the campfire unattended!　You know, putting out fires is the most basic part of being outdoors!　It was all I could do, so I covered it with dirt and cleaned up after myself.

　Cleaning up the fire is the bare minimum of etiquette, and one day you're going to get hurt in a fire!