Moreover, Morpha was speaking louder than usual.
When I sensed something strange and fell silent, Morpha shot a glance toward Adeline’s tent. Then they met my eyes directly and abruptly lowered their voice.
“You know very well what you need to do while I’m gone, don’t you?”
Be wary of Adeline. And sense any danger approaching Varen before it reaches him.
I didn’t know exactly what plan they were setting in motion, but I nodded to show I understood.
“What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”
Varen asked lightly, having noticed nothing at all. Morpha let out an openly exasperated sigh.
I stepped between the two men and jerked my chin toward the opposite tent.
“What else would we do? Free the monsters that are still locked up.”
Varen followed my gesture and looked toward the tent. His expression immediately soured.
“There are already plenty of humans there. Do you need to help as well?”
“Come on, the more hands the better.”
“...There are too many males.”
At that, Morpha let out a long, weary sigh, as if we were hopeless. They even rubbed their temple, as if a headache were coming on.
Still, they assigned their lord a role.
“Haah... Lord Varen, your task is to stay by Ceryl’s side. Understood?”
“That’s what I’m most confident in.”
Morpha, utterly defeated by the doting dragon, shook their head and walked away.
Apparently the embarrassment was mine alone. Varen wrapped an arm around my shoulders, his voice bright.
“Then shall we do what we were told?”
“...Yeah. Let’s go.”
His arm was heavy. Maybe that was why my shoulders suddenly felt weighted.
***
The warehouse we visited again after two days was completely different from when I first saw it.
Back then, only the wheezing breaths of dying monsters filled the air. Now the space felt alive.
I smiled broadly as I looked over the monsters inside. Most were still weak, but some were already moving about energetically.
More than anything, what made me smile was seeing Rami and Miya settled among their friends.
“Hyung, hyung! Hyuuung!!”
“Kiing... kkiing...”
Rami held the tastiest dried cricket in both hands and offered it to a friend.
The four-eared rabbit chewed awkwardly.
“Hyuuung!!”
Rejected, Rami let out a sorrowful cry. Laughing, I approached and told her what herbivorous monsters preferred.
“She doesn’t like crickets. She’d rather you go outside and bring fresh grass.”
“...H-hyung...”
Rami dropped the cricket in shock, as if unable to comprehend such a thing. The fallen snack was quickly snatched by a hedgehog covered in silver needles.
Enjoying the cute commotion, I carefully examined the monsters. I looked for those who’d been severely whipped by humans, intending to treat their wounds.
But no matter how much I searched, none were injured. I found one I clearly remembered as badly hurt, yet fresh skin had already grown over the wound.
I pressed my face close to the healthy monster and attempted a conversation that wouldn’t be understood.
“Didn’t you have a wound a few days ago? How did you heal so fast?”
“The old mage filled them with mana. Monsters recover faster than humans.”
Naturally, it wasn’t the adorable creature who answered, but the sturdy dragon.
I thought I’d finally get to use my professional skills again, but it seemed the skilled mage had gotten there first.
Though my job had been taken, seeing the monsters recovering so well made me hum unconsciously.
I stroked a hamster-sized monster and scratched the chin of a dog-like monster with nine tails.
Then Varen, who had been following beside me, asked bluntly,
“Ceryl, you look pleased.”
“Of course I am. They were already cute, and now they’re getting cuter. Aren’t you happy?”
“...I was, until just now.”
His lower lip jutted out. It was obvious he was feeling pointless jealousy.
Leaving him muttering nonsense like that thing is cute...? while staring at the four-eared rabbit, I walked deeper into the warehouse.
There sat Drunkard in the same position as before, pouring mana into a cage.
I waited so as not to disturb him. After a few minutes, he dismantled the lid of ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) the bars and wiped away cold sweat, breathing hard.
“You’re working hard.”
I greeted him gently while he rested. Even with cloth covering his eyes, Drunkard turned his head precisely toward me.
Seeing his face up close made my chest tighten. He had looked old before, but in just two days he seemed to have aged ten more years. The deep wrinkles made me feel guilty for leaving him to struggle alone.
“O-oh... Aylos... kh, khuh... khm...”
His voice sounded as if he might die at any moment. He couldn’t finish a single sentence without coughing.
At this point Bell should have appeared with a bottle, but no matter how I looked around, she was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Bell? I don’t see her.”
“S-so... no alcohol, khuh... went to get some...”
So that was it. In this already meager situation, she’d gone to get alcohol. Their circumstances were dire, and the old man before me was frail beyond words.
A fundamental question rose.
“Drunkard, can you really not use magic unless you’re drunk?”
“Y-yes... sober, I wouldn’t... kh, use magic...”
“Even so, you seem to drink too much. Have you eaten?”
“Khuh, cough... no, I... just need... alcohol...”
“Why are you skipping meals? You’re not in good health.”
His coughing grew harsher, as if he might cough up his organs. I shifted helplessly, worried he’d stop breathing.
A third of the cages remained unopened. Even if they were fed and watered, the monsters were constantly drained of mana and weak.
I wanted to tell him to drink less for his health, but with no alcohol his magic efficiency seemed to drop.
At that moment, Varen, who had approached quietly, pulled out a long bottle from his spatial magic pocket. Clear liquid sloshed inside.
“This is dragon liquor. It’ll be strong for a human.”
“...H-huh?!”
Drunkard’s brows shot up to his hairline. Even through the cloth I could feel his eyes widen.
The old man who had looked barely able to sit suddenly leapt to his feet. He’d seemed hunched and frail before, but now he moved as if rejuvenated.
“D-dragon... liquor?”
“Yes. But for a human it’s practically poison—”
“Please, just let me taste one bottle... I’ll grant whatever you wish... please...”
His bony hands clasped before Varen, rubbing together in desperate pleading.
Even though I’d joked earlier about gold, seeing an old man bow for a bottle stirred something ingrained in me.
I turned sharply to Varen.
“Varen, what are you doing? Give it to him.”
But instead of respecting his elder, the prince of dragons stepped back. He even shook the bottle teasingly toward Drunkard.
I was horrified at the audacity. I wanted to smack Varen’s back, but I was afraid I’d break my own hand.
Instead, I scolded him with a deep breath.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing to an elder?!”
Varen didn’t even flinch. He simply looked down at Drunkard and spoke.
“You cast the spatial magic on this tent, didn’t you?”
Drunkard nodded rapidly at the question, far too quickly for his frail body.
Varen’s blue eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
“I’ll procure a new tent. Can you cast the same magic there?”
“O-of course... of course I can...”
“Can you also ensure no sound inside leaks out?”
“That’s... nothing to me...”
“If you create the perfect space I want, I’ll give you ten more bottles of this.”
“Ahh... gods above...!”
Having concluded the deal smoothly, Varen handed over the bottle.
Drunkard opened it immediately. The cork popped free with a sharp sound.
He pressed his nose to the bottle’s mouth and inhaled deeply, veins standing out in his neck.
Even from a distance, the sharp scent of alcohol made me frown. But Drunkard looked utterly enraptured.
“This... this is heaven... heaven...”
“Seems you believe in gods after all.”
Varen commented flatly.
