In front of us, local dishes from Anesa village and Hakoniwa dishes were laid out on the table.

　The dishes of Anesa village included a variety of mountain dishes such as grilled chicken with herbs, meuniere of river fish, boiled wild vegetables, and salads of wild vegetables, as if there was a river somewhere.



　He told us that wild vegetables cannot be picked in the snowy mountains, but are grown in the fields in this village.

　The Hakoniwa cuisine started with cabbage salad, followed by Hakoniwa's specialty, grilled meat with sweet and spicy sauce, and other dishes.



　I had not expected to be in such a situation with the people of this village, but this is the best part of the trip.



"Well then, cheers to your meeting with Mr. Locke!

　Guitin raised his glass high in the air with a loud voice.

　Everyone shouted in unison and drank their drinks in one gulp.

　There was not a trace of tension in the air, as if the Suiju nation was going to attack this village tomorrow.



　As if he could see through my thoughts, Guichin got involved.

"Don't worry. They won't attack us today. It's Mr. Locke you need to watch out for. Let's have a drink anyway.

　Guichin encourages me to have one too.



　I think there should be some sake from Hakoniwa, too.

"Mr. Gargoyle, do you have enough Hakoniwa sake for everyone here?

"Of course there is!



　Mr. Gargoyle returned to the box garden and came back with a large barrel.

　The mere appearance of the cask brought out the fruity aroma of banana.

　This sweet aroma and mouth-watering taste make it a rather dangerous liquor. It is easy to gulp down, but the alcohol content is surprisingly high.



"Mr. Gargoyle, let him try it. Guitin, I'd like to invite Margret to join us, if you don't mind.　I'd like to thank her for the domorte."

"Oh, call her!　Actually, we'd like to get to know each other too. But the chief and his superiors are getting on my nerves. But since Mr. Locke is locked up here. It's not a problem if he comes to visit us.



"Okay. Domorte, will you go for a run?

"Sure, but I'm going to need my own box of booze. But you'll have to leave me some of the liquor from my garden.



"It won't go away so easily. It's easy to drink, but it's strong.

　Domorte looked at him as if to say "Look at that!" and saw Mr. Gargoyle and the villagers were happily comparing drinks. They were drinking from large mugs and toasting each other at a tremendous rate.

　Are you okay, ......?　Drinking that strong liquor so vigorously.

　By the way, Mr. Gargoyle was very quick to open up to the villagers.

　Within a few minutes of bringing the keg, he was serving it to the villagers and engaging them in conversation.



　This is a social skill of an adult that Patra and the other youngsters cannot imitate.



"I can't stop him from doing that, so you'd better get going.

I'm going to miss being on my own so much!

The more we talk, the less we drink.

I'll be there as soon as I can.



　Domorte soon returned, probably because the cave where the dragon was sealed was close by.

"I've got him! "I've brought him... you're always picking on me and making me squirm..."

"Domorte is curious. And Margret can't be spared by anyone else."



"Ha-ha-ha! What are you doing here? There are even villagers who don't like me.

"I thought we should have a drink with the villagers too. I'm sorry for inviting you out of the blue.

"Ha-ha-ha, the villagers won't allow such a thing..."



We don't mind. We don't mind. We're rather grateful to Margret, even though we don't speak to her directly. It's just that the higher-ups are a pain in the ass.

"They have little balls."



　My first impression is that neither Margrethe nor Guitin are bad.



"Well, it may be impossible to get along with them right away, but let's not talk about the details today and have a nice meal and a drink.

　Mr. Gargoyle immediately brought drinks for Domorte and for both of us.



"This is the best smell I've ever smelled in my life. ...... I've never smelled such an aged banana before. I've never smelled such an exciting aroma.

"I think you'll be surprised by the taste as well."

　Margrede's nose twitches and she sips slowly from her cup, fully appreciating the aroma.



"Which ...... hahaha!　This is delicious. If you hadn't told me it was alcohol, I would have gulped it down. Is this what you used to get Domorte drunk so you could beat him up?　You're a bad guy too..."

Domorte doesn't get drunk and he doesn't have a sense of taste.



"No, Domorte is not intoxicated by alcohol and has no sense of taste.　You can use all that magic, but you haven't created a sense of taste?　It's easy to give a rich man a sense of taste.

"What?　Can you create a sense of taste for Domorte?

"Ha-ha-ha! That's no big deal. Come on, Domorte, open your mouth."

　Margret puts her hand into Domorte's mouth as hard as she can.



"Blah, blah, blah!"




　Domorte is suffering, but Margrethe stirs it in her mouth for a while without question, then pulls it out at once.



Then he pulls it out in one gulp. It will take a little time, but I've made it possible for you to convert what Domorte eats into magic power. Now you can enjoy yourself like a normal human being. Ha-ha-ha!"

　Domorte does as she is told and takes one of the dishes and puts it in her mouth.

　Her face breaks out in surprise and a big smile.



"Wow!　I really have my taste buds back!

"What?　Is she sick or something?　This is a celebration. Come on, drink!



　Guitin led another loud toast and everyone drank out of their glasses.

　I remembered that I had a lot of questions for Domorte, but ...... now he was drinking himself to death and starting to eat.

It's a miracle that Domorte has his taste buds back!　Please eat more food."



　Lili is bringing Domorte more and more drinks and food.

　It's been a long time since she had her taste buds back. I don't want to interrupt.

　I looked around and saw Ivan, who had woken up some time ago, talking with Shannon and eating his meal.



　I had forced him to pass out, but he seemed to have calmed down.

　That's Shannon.



　Mr. Gargoyle was starting to perform a unique dance in front of the ...... villagers, perhaps a banquet performance.

　He seems to be having a good time. Mr. Gargoyle seems to be drinking a lot.



　Mellow is singing a song using water magic to accompany Mr. Gargoyle's movements.

　Perhaps there is not much entertainment in the village, but both men and women of all ages were entranced by the sight of Mellow.



　It's ...... or maybe it's just my imagination. Mr. Gargoyle is trying his best to do a mysterious dance and Mellow is performing it with water magic, but I don't think anyone is looking at Mr. Gargoyle. ...... Maybe it's just my imagination.

　The word "bully" comes to mind, but I'm the only one cheering for Mr. Gargoyle in my heart.



"Hey, are you drinking with Rock?"

　And came to the seat next to me and asked me.



"We're having a few drinks now and then. Thanks for coming all the way out here.

"Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. You know me and Locke. Oh, by the way, I got something for you.

What?

　And handed me a small burlap sack.

　There's a rustling sound coming from inside.



They are snow tea seeds. Well, they won't grow unless it's cold enough. Rocks are out of spec. I'm afraid I'm going to have to grow it."

"You sure?　Isn't it a specialty of this village?



"I'm sure it's a specialty, but just because we can't grow it doesn't mean we can't sell it. I'm just making an apology for what happened this time. The fact is that the chief trusts them, but it's not right for a non-merchant to enter the village. There's no way they could have found that entrance so easily.

And you've been there too?



I think I've had too much to drink and I'm losing my memory. I'm a drunk now.

　And reminded him and took a sip of his drink before he began to talk.



"Of course I've been there. Every once in a while, people come to this village who want to go to the land of Suiju, wherever they hear about it. This village is also in the business of helping them escape.

　This reminds me of a rumor I heard in Koron village.



　If people who went to this village never came back, it means that they fled to other countries. I thought it was just a village in the countryside, but all the things they are doing are too bad.

　Otherwise, they might not have survived in this snow-covered village.



"Rock, I'm just drinking. I'll forget about it tomorrow."

"I know."

　I know." I think he's blaming the drink for what he's saying.



　The party with the villagers went on until midnight.

　I think the best part of the day was that Guitin and Margret were talking with a little awkward smile on their faces.