First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 37

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 37

 

Morning, no, afternoon had dawned.

 

The warm sunlight and chirping of birds pleasantly stimulated my five senses.

 

This was the first sun I’d encountered since coming to this place.

 

“Heuuuut.”

 

I got up from bed, stretched, and let out a hollow laugh.

 

‘My body’s condition is terrible.’

 

My already weak and unstable body had become even more serious from yesterday’s overexertion.

 

Like a glass cup on the verge of shattering.

 

It was like torn pieces of paper barely held together.

 

I needed to do something about it somehow.

 

‘I don’t know who it was, but if they were going to reincarnate me anyway, they could have made me a dragon or something.’

 

I lamented as I opened the door to my room.

 

When I came outside, Merry was cooking in the kitchen wearing an apron.

 

But her facial features were subtly different.

 

Her hair and eye color had become bright and vivid.

 

Her double eyelids were deeper, and her nose bridge was higher too.

 

If the original Merry had a somewhat blurred impression, now she was beautiful like a daffodil blooming in a flower bed.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

Merry saw me and offered a greeting.

 

“Uh… but you, your face looks a bit different.”

 

“Ah, this is my true appearance.”

 

It seemed she had changed her appearance with magic before infiltrating the Imperial Capital.

 

“How did you do it? The Imperial Capital should have had dispel magic circles laid out.”

 

“It wasn’t magic.”

 

Merry picked up the necklace hanging around her neck.

 

It was a silver pendant that could be commonly seen anywhere.

 

“It’s because of this.”

 

“What is that?”

 

“It’s a holy relic.”

 

“A holy relic?”

 

An object imbued with divine power.

 

People called such objects holy relics.

 

“Pluton’s holy relic?”

 

“No. It’s not Pluton’s holy relic.”

 

Certainly.

 

I had no memory of making such a necklace.

 

Most of the holy relics I created should be sleeping in my sanctuary in the Demon Realm.

 

“Then which deity’s holy relic is it? Hornus?”

 

“I don’t know which deity’s holy relic it is. It’s called the ‘Trickster’s Pendant’… it has the function of transforming appearance and concealing one’s aura.”

 

“Let me see it.”

 

I received the Trickster’s Pendant from Merry.

 

I concentrated and observed the energy contained within.

 

Traces of divinity faintly touched my fingertips.

 

‘I can feel divine power, so it’s definitely a holy relic…’

 

It was extremely weak.

 

It didn’t even contain the minimum amount needed to distinguish which deity it belonged to.

 

It was almost at the level of mere dregs.

 

This made me understand Merry’s words about not knowing whose holy relic it was.

 

‘It’s definitely not from the Demon Sect though.’

 

Since I couldn’t feel any demonic energy, it wasn’t a Demon Lord’s holy relic.

 

That was enough.

 

I returned the necklace to Merry and asked.

 

“Where did you get it?”

 

“I picked it up in some ruins.”

 

“Ruins? How did you end up entering ruins?”

 

“I have a history of working as a mercenary for about 20 years. I discovered this item in ruins I explored on commission back then.”

 

“Ah, a mercenary… wait. 20 years?”

 

I examined Merry’s face. Smooth, white skin without a single wrinkle.

 

She looked at most early twenties, generously maybe mid-twenties.

 

She couldn’t have been doing mercenary work since single digits.

 

“You… how old are you?”

 

“It’s rude to ask a lady her age.”

 

Merry coldly turned her head away.

 

At the same time, something suddenly came to mind.

 

I’d heard that occasionally, swordsmen or mages who reached a certain level would have their aging slow down or even rejuvenate as if reversing time.

 

Even Duke Ifrit was actually over 100 years old, but looked at most like a middle-aged man in his 40s or 50s.

 

‘Could Kise and Diago be the same?’

 

Both of them appeared to be around the same age as Merry externally.

 

But in reality, they might be middle-aged men who had long passed their thirties or forties.

 

‘Well… I’m not one to talk.’

 

In terms of disparity, I was the worst.

 

I looked like a thirteen-year-old kid but was actually thousands of years old inside.

 

“The Trickster’s Pendant. So thanks to this, you were able to infiltrate without the Count detecting your abilities?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

I decided to stop thinking about this.

 

“Though the purpose of changing appearance was greater than concealing power. As for power, I’m confident I wouldn’t get caught even without this if I managed it well.”

 

“Oh, really? What star level are you?”

 

“8-star.”

 

8-star.

 

Beyond 7-star, which was the starting point for Sword Masters, just one step away from 9-star, called Grand Master.

 

I’d heard that experts of this level could be counted on one hand across the entire continent.

 

I was newly impressed by how remarkable she was.

 

And I realized just what position Duke Ifrit, who made such a Merry give up, held among humans.

 

“What about Kise and Diago?”

 

“Both are 7th tier. Diago is 7-star, and since Kise is a mage, he’s 7th circle. Of course, I’m only at the beginning of 8-star, but given the difference in tier, there’s a gap like heaven and earth between those two and me.”

 

“Right. So you’re saying you’re superior?”

 

Merry flinched.

 

She slowly bowed her head and spoke.

 

“If I offended you, I apologize.”

 

“No. Rather than being offended, I’m pleased.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

A first-class 8-star swordsman, rare even across the entire continent.

 

This was just perfect timing.

 

“Teach me the aura cultivation method you use. I want to compare it with what I used in the Imperial House.”

 

“An aura cultivation method…? Aren’t you already famous throughout the land as a prodigy, Your Highness?”

 

Merry seemed quite flustered.

 

“The Argent Imperial Family’s cultivation method I used before is good, but I thought an 8-star swordsman would probably know more useful cultivation methods.”

 

“Hmm, I haven’t tried the Imperial Family’s cultivation method so I wouldn’t know, but Argent’s cultivation method is a first-class method with a renowned reputation as the continent’s best. Moreover, you’ve already reached 3-star at the age of thirteen with that method, so there doesn’t seem to be any reason to change course midway.”

 

“Is that so. Just teach it to me anyway. If I try it and don’t like it, I just won’t use it.”

 

“Such a problem….”

 

Creak.

 

Just then, the door opened and Kise appeared with his hair sticking up like a bird’s nest.

 

“Yaaawn~ Meal duty, when is breakfast… Huh? Prince, you’re up early.”

 

The adjacent room also burst open and Diago walked out scratching his belly.

 

“Ugh damn, I’m dead tired… Your Highness the Prince? Did you sleep well last night?”

 

“Yeah. The bed was comfortable.”

 

“That’s quite fortunate. But what were you and Merry discussing so earnestly?”

 

“His Highness asked me to teach him the aura cultivation method I use.”

 

“Oho, aura….”

 

A gleam flashed in Diago’s eyes.

 

“Aura? Prince, you’re already strong enough, so why learn more aura? How about learning magic from me instead? It’s much more useful than learning how to swing swords.”

 

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass.”

 

Even if I raised my circle, it would only improve the function of my internal mana circuits, not strengthen my physical body itself.

 

“I need a weapon I can use instead of demonic energy. Demonic energy puts considerable strain on the body, so I plan to avoid using it whenever possible.”

 

“Hmm, if that’s the reason, then learning martial arts would definitely be better than magic. Learning aura makes the body more robust….”

 

“How about me, Your Highness?”

 

Diago suddenly interjected.

 

“You’re weaker than Merry.”

 

“I’m also Master class in my own right. And crucially, we’re in different fields. Merry is a swordsman and I’m a spearman.”

 

“Oh, you were a spear fighter?”

 

“Shouldn’t a true man learn the bold and domineering spear arts rather than swordsmanship? What’s the point of swinging around sword fragments? You couldn’t even use them as toothpicks.”

 

Spears aren’t bad either.

 

In my previous life, I could handle most weapons at a decent level.

 

“It’s not bad, but what I want isn’t weapon techniques but the aura cultivation method itself.”

 

“Then you’d be better off learning from Merry. I hate to admit it, but Merry is stronger than me. Her aura mastery is higher. However, I’m slightly better in terms of weapon proficiency itself.”

 

“Look at this guy lying through his teeth without even wetting his lips.”

 

“Shut up, Kise.”

 

Kise clicked his tongue and turned his gaze to Merry.

 

“How about it, mom? His Highness is saying this much. Are you really not going to teach him?”

 

“You’re asking for a beating.”

 

What followed was Merry’s dazzling back massage treatment.

 

After simply dealing with Kise, Merry pondered for a while before readily nodding her head.

 

“Fine. I’ll teach you. However, don’t expect too much. There’s no guarantee that my cultivation method is better than the Imperial one.”

 

“Good, that’s what I was hoping for.”

 

I grinned and asked Merry.

 

“Where will we train?”

 

“There’s an open area behind the cathedral. It’s not very spacious, but it shouldn’t interfere with learning the cultivation method.”

 

“Okay, good. Let’s go right now.”

 

I immediately turned around and strode toward the stairs.

 

Merry’s voice caught me from behind.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Where else, to train.”

 

“You should eat breakfast first.”

 

In the frying pan, buttered bread was being toasted golden brown.

 

Next to it were fried eggs and smoked bacon.

 

It was a combination that couldn’t help but make my mouth water.

 

“Ahem. R-right, of course.”

 

When I was a deity, I didn’t need to consume nutrients regularly.

 

The hardest part to adapt to after being born human was having to eat meals diligently at every mealtime.

 

If you asked whether that was bad, well.

 

Munch munch.

 

I stabbed a piece of bacon with my fork and ate it while grinning foolishly.

 

‘Fucking delicious.’

 

I’m happy.

 

It’s always fresh every time I eat. Delicious food is the best.

 

My worry about whether commoner food would suit my palate after being accustomed to imperial cuisine was needless concern.

 

I felt like I could deliciously eat even dog food that fell on the ground if it was food from the Intermediate Realm.

 

‘Compared to this, the food in the Demon Realm is….’

 

That damn world barely even has the concept of food.

 

Is something like ‘Hell Earthworm Intestine Soup’ even food? It’s garbage.

 

Chomp chomp.

 

“Give me more!”

 

I ate two more plates beyond what I had received as a regular portion.

 

Merry’s gaze watching me fondly as I shoveled food into my mouth was a bonus.

 

“Hey, pfft! Didn’t you say you’re not the Prince’s mom? This totally looks like a mother and son to anyone!”

 

Kise was giggling and eating eggs when he got hit on the back of the head with a frying pan.

 

Diago laughed heartily.

 

* * *

 

After finishing the meal, I trained aura in the open area under Merry’s guidance.

 

To cut to the conclusion.

 

It was a meaningless action.

 

The aura cultivation method Merry used was certainly an excellent cultivation method too.

 

After all, with some outdated cultivation method, you’d barely be able to reach Expert class, let alone 8-star.

 

However, the Argent Imperial Family’s cultivation method was overwhelmingly superior.

 

Even though Merry’s cultivation method wasn’t inferior in level, the more I learned, the more I felt the advantages of the Imperial cultivation method.

 

“Didn’t I tell you so.”

 

Merry sighed at my reaction and said.

 

“Argent’s cultivation method is a first-class cultivation method with a renowned reputation across the continent. I don’t understand why you’d want to take the difficult path when there’s an easy one.”

 

“Hmm, you’re right. My original plan was to appropriately combine the advantages of the Argent cultivation method with the advantages of your cultivation method to increase training efficiency….”

 

There was no need for that.

 

Because the Argent Imperial Family’s cultivation method was already perfect, as if it had combined the advantages of all cultivation methods in the world.

 

“Still, it wasn’t completely a waste of time, right? I gained confidence in the cultivation method I use. You know well how important self-confidence is when training martial arts, Merry.”

 

“Yes yes, that’s right. You’re correct.”

 

She agreed with me, but her tone was somehow slightly sulky.

 

Don’t tell me she’s sulking?

 

“From now on, don’t use my lowly cultivation method and just keep using Argent’s cultivation method. That’s the path for Your Highness to become strong quickly.”

 

She’s sulking.

 

This girl is sulking. One hundred percent.

 

Even though she knew intellectually that the cultivation method she developed was inferior to the Imperial one, she must have been secretly hurt in her pride.

 

‘So she does sulk, this person.’

 

She had so little facial expression that I initially thought she had no emotions.

 

However, if you observed carefully, even within the same expressionless face, her expressions when happy, amused, or angry were subtly different.

 

The more I looked, the more interesting she became.

 

“Oh right, Merry. There’s something I want to ask.”

 

“What is it.”

 

“You know there’s a basement under this cathedral. When I was climbing the stairs yesterday, I saw stairs leading underground too.”

 

As soon as the basement was mentioned, Merry’s expression hardened.

 

From that reaction, I could infer one fact.

 

There’s definitely something there.

 

At least, it wouldn’t be anything ordinary.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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