Chapter 13: The Fruit of a Drinker

Dark Elves and Elves.

Originally, it is said that the two Elven races got along well.

But one day, after a significant event for the Elves, the two races became almost mortal enemies.

“The World Tree’s death was to blame, wasn’t it?”

“What exactly is the World Tree?”

“A big, old tree. Of course, that’s all it is.”

Arsep says that the reason the two Elves became enemies was truly absurd.

Usually, the World Tree would be a sacred entity to the Elves, something like a parent or a deity. But to her, it’s merely an old, big tree.

“If there’s anything special about it, it’s that the fruit of the World Tree was sweet and delicious. They say it could cure any disease and even restore the sight of the blind.”

That sounds holy enough to me; it’s surprising it wasn’t more revered.

‘If the fruit of the World Tree could do that, maybe it could even heal Arsep’s body,’ I wonder. But since the tree is said to have died centuries ago, it’s meaningless.

“Why did the death of the World Tree lead to conflict between Elves and Dark Elves?”

“It was blame-shifting. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I heard that the Elves argued over whose fault it was, leading to war.”

As Arsep eats her breakfast, she recounts the story of the Elves to me.

“And as I mentioned yesterday, the Dark Elves lost the war and were driven to the brink of extinction. I don’t know what happened after that since I was already asleep.”

“But that happened centuries ago, right? Are they really still persecuting Dark Elves over it?”

“It might seem like ancient history to you, but to the Elves, it’s more like the previous generation’s tale. As you know, Elves have long lifespans.”

“That makes sense. While centuries seem an eternity to me, to an Elf, it’s more like a story from their grandparents.”

Since the World Tree is regarded as holy even here, an event that monumental wouldn’t be forgotten, even after a few generations.

“But was it really the Dark Elves’ fault?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I heard that the World Tree was managed by a chosen priestess among the Elves.”

“A priestess?”

“Yes, a maiden with a uniquely strong connection to life was chosen as the priestess. And since the priestess at the time was a Dark Elf, they probably blamed her.”

“That does sound plausible….”

Roughly speaking, since the person responsible was a Dark Elf, they blamed the entire Dark Elf race.

While collective blame seems a bit extreme, I don’t know enough about Elves to judge.

I suspect they projected their grief and anger over the World Tree’s death onto the Dark Elves.

Usually, such issues are manipulated by politicians for their own gain, anyway.

***

“Enough of ancient history. Is there anywhere you’d like to visit?”

“Even if I did, I don’t know what’s around here.”

Though I have a map, it’s written in the language of this world, so I can neither read nor interpret it.

Usually, aliens in the universe use English as a universal language, but unfortunately, reality and fiction seem to differ here.

At least we can communicate verbally.

“In that case, I’ll leave the sightseeing plans up to you.”

“Then where would be a good place to go….”

“If nothing comes to mind, why not take a walk and think it over?”

“Good idea. Let’s pick up anything we need along the way.”

Arsep buys all sorts of interesting things while we’re out.

She buys clothes to wear outside and various magical items with unknown purposes.

And, for some reason, she buys an assortment of bread from every bakery in town—except for that one bakery we saw yesterday, which she avoids entirely.

***

“Hmm… There were no clues here either.”

“What clues?”

“The World Tree. I wondered if its fruit might help me heal, but everyone I asked just shook their heads.”

It seems Arsep thought the same thing as me.

If the all-healing fruit of the World Tree existed, maybe it could restore her body, which doesn’t recover any magical power.

“But it’s a tree that died ages ago. I doubt even the roots remain.”

Since the tree died centuries ago, finding its fruit would be harder than finding wild strawberries in winter during the Joseon Dynasty.

“Though the tree itself is dead, it still exists. And since the fruit of the World Tree is preserved indefinitely, there must be one somewhere in this world….”

“Weren’t you the Great Demon King back then? You had wealth and plenty of magic power. Didn’t you keep at least one World Tree fruit in reserve?”

“…I did.”

“What do you mean, you did?”

“I ended up drinking it all… I turned almost all the remaining fruits into wine after buying them up. The fruit had such a great flavor, so the wine made from it had a fragrant, sweet taste that was exceptional.”

Once called the Lord of the Demon Realm, the self-proclaimed Great Demon King.

In her past, she turned the fruit of the World Tree—a panacea that’s now impossible to find—into wine and drank it all.

Though the fruit of the World Tree was capable of indefinite preservation, the difficulty in obtaining it now was largely due to her turning almost all of the remaining fruit into wine and drinking it herself.

“Does any medicinal effect remain in that wine?”

“It did… The problem is that I ended up drinking all the wine too… Even if some remained, turning it into wine would have caused it to lose its potency over time.”

Arsep, who almost never drank these days, seems to have once enjoyed it quite a bit.

Or maybe she never really drank at all.

There was alcohol in the castle, but it was only ever used for removing unwanted flavors in cooking.

“I should have saved at least one.”

“You’re telling me.”

Now that I think about it, perhaps she’s been wandering around looking for information on the World Tree’s fruit.

But in the end, I feel it’s quicker to focus on solving Arsep’s problem than on finding fruit from a tree that died ages ago.

And even if we did find one, there’s no guarantee it would solve her condition.

“I’ll just enjoy the rest of this vacation. I looked into it, but all I ended up with is a lingering regret.”

“Well, let’s ease that regret with some good food. How about dinner at that restaurant over there?”

“Good idea. They serve wine too, so I’ll get to drink to my heart’s content for a change.”

So, we spent the day quite pleasantly.

Although I worried a bit about the empty castle, it should be fine, even if adventurers swarm in.

After all, the only real issue is its owner.

The wine at this place is truly good.

The restaurant is called ‘The Drunkard’s Fruit.’

It’s a unique place where you can taste a variety of wines by the glass with each course, and the wines were delightful.

Even as someone with little knowledge of wine, I found them fragrant and delicious. I imagine real sommeliers would give them high praise.

Thud!

But even after just one glass, Arsep collapsed.

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

“Oh, she’s fine, don’t worry.”

I reassured the startled staff who rushed over, and in the end, enjoyed the world of wine on my own for the first time.

A truly good wine really does taste wonderful…

It’s just a pity that I didn’t feel even a hint of drunkenness, despite drinking several glasses.

***

That night.

“I… I have somewhere I must go.”

“So where exactly is that?”

“Somewhere… that I… must go…”

It was nice to experience the world of wine, but Arsep, who collapsed after only one glass, was the real issue.

She kept mumbling about needing to go somewhere, yet, given her current state, she couldn’t manage to hold herself up, let alone go anywhere.

“I must go… there…”

If she could just tell me where that was, I could take her there.

But with her pale face flushed red, she could barely string words together.

Eventually, I carried her around the city, but none of the places we visited seemed to be the one she was looking for.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?”

Having no choice, I returned to our lodging, where Arsep, lying on the bed, suddenly started gathering the bread we bought earlier into a basket and attempted to head out again.

Though, the door she opened was actually the closet door.

Dragging her entirely drunk self around, determined to leave like that—I couldn’t understand what was driving her so intensely.

And, even more bewildering, she was carrying a basket of bread.

“For now, just sit down. If you go out in that condition, you’re bound to get hurt.”

With no other choice, I picked Arsep up and placed her on a chair, then checked the contents of the basket.

As expected, it was filled with the bread and milk she’d prepared just a moment ago.

Whether she was hungry from skipping dinner due to her drunken state or confusing the time and thinking she was off on a picnic, I couldn’t tell.

If I knew, I’d help, but it’s frustrating not having a clue.

“Thou…”

Arsep staggered and, gripping my shoulder, barely managed to steady herself.

“My head feels like it’s about to split… ahh…”

“Here, drink some water.”

She downed the glass of water I handed her in one go.

Unbelievably, she got this way from a single sip of wine.

And it wasn’t even a full glass, nor was the alcohol content particularly high.

She only took one sip, yet she was utterly wrecked.

Once we return to the castle, I’m definitely banning her from drinking.

I’m honestly amazed she could get this way from just a sip…

“An alley…”

Thankfully, drinking water seemed to clear her head a bit.

“An alley?”

“Someone… waits in the alley.”

Thud─

Unfortunately, it was only a fleeting moment of clarity before her consciousness faded again.

I managed to catch Arsep as she collapsed.

“Phew…”

After setting her back down on the bed, I glanced at the basket of bread she’d been so intent on taking.

“Why did she suddenly mention an alley?”

Reflecting on both the basket of bread and her mention of an alley, I began speculating about what she might’ve intended to do.

Given how intensely she clung to the idea despite being thoroughly inebriated, it must be something quite important to her.

“Could it be…?”

Suddenly, an idea struck me.

I made sure everything was secure, grabbed the basket, and stepped outside the inn.