Chapter 331 - 331. The Pirate's Mansion and the Drinking Woman
The place I was brought to by the pair of men was in front of an old temple. One of them entered through a small side door to make an appointment with Barbaros, and we waited for his return.
It was a huge building, but it didn't feel majestic at all.
The statues of gods that could be seen in this world had been removed or broken. The marble-like walls were grimy, and a stale smell drifted from beyond the slightly open service entrance. Fam slightly wrinkled her nose.
"Master, it's getting late. Don't you think they're already asleep? Wouldn't it have been better to meet up with Mizuki and the others first?"
Whether from the midnight chill or being intimidated by the strange atmosphere this building gave off, Fam curled up as if hugging herself. The crescent moon illuminating the city was hidden in the temple's shadow, and the spot where we stood was deeply submerged in the dark shadow of the building.
"Just forget about the ones who didn't come to help or meet us."
Even as I spat that out, it would be a lie to say I wasn't bothered at all. What the hell were they doing somewhere? Would the old man with a kitchen knife at the tavern know if I asked?
"Could it be that Master said 'banished' to Nefy, and that made her lose interest?"
Fam looked up at me as if peeking from below.
"And that's all Mizuki's fault! I meant to quickly tell her it was a joke and let Nefy do as she pleased. But that guy dragged me away and ended the conversation."
In the first place, it was Fam who first cast doubt on Nefy, but I had no intention of telling her that. I decided to take this smoldering feeling in my chest and later vent it all at once to Mizuki.
At that moment, the door creaked with a heavy sound. A man with bloodstains on his head poked his face through the gap.
"Come in. The boss says he'll see you."
I followed the back of the man who jerked his chin. Fam followed behind me, and another man followed behind her.
The inside of the building was completely different from what I had imagined. Stretching before us was a narrow corridor with doors lined up on both sides. Apparently, the interior of the temple had been forcibly partitioned and repurposed as living quarters. The construction was sloppily done, to the point of being ridiculous. Light leaked through the gaps between the planks, dimly illuminating the surroundings. And one door that should have been closed was swaying, then eventually opened on its own with an unpleasant sound. When I peeked through the gap, I could see a pot-bellied man sleeping while snoring.
Fam also peeked in next to me, making a disgusted face. To the stale smell from before, now a fishy odor was added. I worried whether her face might wrinkle up completely.
"What would we do if they told us to stay here?"
As if reacting to my voice, the man's snoring suddenly stopped. But the rise and fall of his chest didn't stop.
"It would be a disaster if a fire broke out."
Perhaps out of consideration not to wake the sleeping, Fam spoke in a hesitant whisper. I looked up at the low ceiling and nodded, thinking there seemed to be a similar floor above. I felt the earlier jail cell was actually more comfortable.
"Hey, hurry up and walk."
The man behind us spat out with an annoyed growl.
"Do you live here too?"
To my words, the man averted his gaze vaguely and just muttered "Hurry up."
As we proceeded to the back of the corridor, a sturdy-looking door appeared. And the wall with the door was, unlike the surrounding construction, a neat make. The man stopped.
"Our guidance ends here."
"Is Barbaros beyond that door?"
The man closed his eyes without answering. The thought briefly crossed my mind that they might be trying to trap us. But I couldn't think of a reason for them to do such a thing.
I pushed the door, and it opened smoothly inward. Along with a scent like flower nectar, the smell of alcohol hit my nose. Unlike the dim corridor, the room was brightly lit.
What caught my eye was a woman lounging languidly on the central sofa. She seemed to be in her late twenties, wearing a red dress with only shoulder straps. Her blonde hair was disheveled, and she had a black eyepatch. Only the one remaining eye was sharp, scrutinizing us as if appraising. Next to her, a man knelt, pouring liquor into a small glass that could be cupped in one hand. He was quite muscular, clearly not just a servant.
"What do you want?"
The two bulges pushing up the dress swayed. As I stared unconsciously, Fam elbowed me from behind. I hastily averted my gaze. There was nothing particularly eye-catching, but this room alone seemed to be well-constructed. The floor was marble, likely a remnant of the original temple.
"I came to see Barbaros."
At my words, the woman let out a long sigh.
"And what do you intend to do when you meet him?"
"I want to ask about the whereabouts of a certain man."
It was a wide room. And there was also a bed. Behind me were pirate-like men, but they didn't seem to be holding weapons or watching us warily. Still, just having our escape route blocked was unsettling. As I thought that, the woman's gaze suddenly stopped on Fam.
"Is that girl the information fee?"
"There's no information fee. But we can also provide information that would be beneficial to Barbaros."
"Hoh..." The woman narrowed her eyes. "You've never even met, so how can you claim your information is valuable?"
While receiving her gaze, I wondered who this woman was. How much did she know about Barbaros? Did she even know he was a transfer? I couldn't gauge whether I should speak about that here.
At that moment, the woman placed her glass on the table with a clink.
"Well, why don't you sit down?"
Urged by the woman, I sat down on the sofa opposite her. The sensation was so soft that my hips felt like they would sink forever; I shifted and adjusted my posture. Before I could get used to the feel, a small glass was placed in front of me.
"How about a drinking contest? If you win, I'll tell you the information you want."
"Does that mean I'll get to hear from Barbaros himself?"
Without answering my question, the woman snapped her fingers. The man beside her poured an amber liquid into the glass.
"Wait. If that's the case, I'd like to postpone this to another day."
I'm not that good with alcohol. But we have Maira. No matter how strong this woman is at drinking, she shouldn't be able to beat Maira, who was tempered by dwarves. As I thought that, Fam smoothly reached for the glass.
"Master, there's no need to call big sister! A small glass like this is nothing for me. Besides, that woman smells strongly of alcohol. She must be close to her limit, no doubt."
"Hey wait, who are you trying to compete with? And that's definitely distilled liquor. There's no telling how strong it is!"
"Is that so? But it has a pretty color, and I want to try a little too."
"We can do that another time. Hand the glass over here!"
"No, please leave this to me!"
Saying that, she downed it all at once. The next moment, Fam's whole body stiffened and her eyes flew open.
"My throat is burning... and..."
How much time passed? Or was it just a moment? Fam's body wobbled limply, and I hurriedly caught her.
"Master... I'm sor..."
The strength left her body. I hugged her tightly and shook her, but Fam didn't open her eyes.
"Fam...!"
As I cried out, a dry clink sounded in the room. Looking, the woman had placed her empty glass on the table. The man beside her quietly refilled both glasses. There was no hesitation in his hands. It was a practiced movement.
"What will you do? I'll let you go in consideration of that girl's foolish bravery. But this conversation is over."
The woman twisted her lips. A languid, slow movement, flushed cheeks. As Fam said, she must have already drunk a lot and was intoxicated. But the light in her one eye was chillingly clear.
"Tch."
I laid Fam gently on the sofa, then picked up the glass. The moment I brought it to my lips, the strong alcoholic scent hit my nose. I almost choked just from that. This was dangerous stuff. But I had to move forward. I touched the glass to my lips and let a little touch my tongue. My mouth went numb. I couldn't taste anything. As I swallowed, my windpipe felt seared, and my diaphragm screamed as if to push it back. My guts clenched painfully. Ignoring all those danger signals, I downed the rest of the liquor in one gulp.
The woman snorted at my state, lifted her glass, and downed it with a calm face. Only one motion of her throat. Not a single cough.
New liquor was poured into the emptied glass. Only the sound of the liquid filling it reached my ears, oddly loud.
"Dog-Eared Race, Fam... I've heard that girl's name before."
The woman muttered, looking at Fam, who was sunk into the sofa, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"Is that so?"
Already my cheeks to my forehead were burning. Even the liquor fumes from my mouth made me feel drunk.
"If that's the case, are you Mash?"
Hearing those words, I realized I had made a slip for the first time. I didn't intend to fight, so it was fine if Barbaros knew, but it was bad if even his subordinates knew. I tried to think of some excuse, but the alcohol that was already beginning to fill my body washed away those thoughts. The edges of my vision were gently blurring.
I grabbed the glass and downed it in one go.
"And what if I am?"
I snorted and slammed the glass down. The sound seemed distant, as if it wasn't something I had made.
"Have you forgotten that you sank our ships? And you have the nerve to come here so brazenly."
The woman finished her drink. Then she placed the glass on the table. There was no hint of intoxication in her way of speaking or gestures. I suspected water was being poured only for her, but the man was alternately pouring from the same bottle. However, I felt on my back that the gazes of the men behind me had turned sticky in response to her words.
"You guys were the ones who provoked us. And I didn't sink them. The one who sank them was..."
I was about to mention Joe and Becky's names, but hastily shut my mouth. The alcohol made my tongue slip. Even as I thought I had to be careful, I didn't really understand why I had to protect them, so I just gulped down the liquor.
For some reason, I could now feel the smoothness of the liquid that I hadn't felt before, a rich aroma, and a subtle sweetness in the body. Perhaps it was a sign that my tongue was starting to break.
"If you didn't sink them, then perhaps you'll return the ship and crew?"
The woman said coldly and gulped down her drink. As before, her expression didn't change.
"Sorry, but I was hired help. I can't return the ship or crew with my power. And why do you even become pirates? It's a nuisance."
I drank the poured liquor. Until just now I only felt discomfort, but it was changing into a strangely refreshing feeling. Maybe I'm unexpectedly good at drinking. No, this is a bad sign, a warning rang in the back of my mind, but even that felt pleasant.
"You're the one who needs to face reality. The people here are those who have fallen out of the world. You're telling them to do nothing and die."
"I'm not saying that. There must be other ways."
Both of us downed our drinks at the same time. The sound of the glass bottoms hitting the table overlapped almost simultaneously.
"No, you are. The world has a fixed size. And what can be produced from it and consumed from it is also fixed. There's no share for the people here. Telling them to find another way to live or to live for other people are meaningless words."
"You..."
I had thought this woman was a subordinate of Barbaros or a mistress, but apparently not. At least she seemed to have her own thoughts. As I thought that and looked at her, she was glaring sharply at me. And her glass was already empty. I hastily downed the drink in my hand. A fire ran down my throat. And then the world twisted limply.
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