City ​​of Witches 877

Chapter 877 – #191_Revelry(2)

#871

1.
I savored the whiskey as Elroa had taught me.

A sweet and vibrant sensation spread through my mouth.
A refreshing yet substantial body, a smooth passage down the throat, followed by a complex, tingling aroma that tickled my nasal passages.

“…Hmm….”
“What do you perceive?”

Rinne, with her senses limited in many ways, possessed an innately exceptional sense of smell, comparable to that of a hunting dog.
Her sense of taste, liberated after a long seal, also far surpassed the abilities of an ordinary person.

Rinne’s senses were exceptionally adept at enjoying the whiskey.

“Floral notes, cinnamon rising within the scent of grapes. A lingering sweetness on the tip of my tongue, unsweetened bitter chocolate, the burnt taste unique to espresso.”
“Impressive. It’s not easy to perceive that much from the start.”
“You flatter me.”

Elroa nodded, genuinely praising, and Rinne showed humility.
Honestly, even Rinne, who didn’t have good memories associated with alcohol, quite liked this whiskey.

“Good, try enjoying it this way as well.”

Elroa used a dropper to add water from a separate glass into Rinne’s whiskey glass.

“What is this?”
“It’s lukewarm water rich in minerals. Adding water like this revives the aromas that were trapped during the long aging process. It’s not for nothing that they say water is the best accompaniment to whiskey.”
“Hmm. You’re right.”
“Witches may think that liquor made from barley and grains is not befitting of nobles, but whiskey has more potential than wine. Would you like to try it?”

As she said, the whiskey mixed with water was even more diverse.

“Now that you’ve enjoyed a single malt, you should try a blended one, shouldn’t you? Unlike single malts, blended whiskeys are made by appropriately mixing various raw spirits.”
“There’s still some liquor left.”
“It’s fine, I prepared several glasses knowing that would be the case. Wait a moment.”

With that, Elroa ran off somewhere and came back with a wide, large bottle she had stashed in a hard-to-reach place.

Compared to the whiskey from before, it was so dark it almost looked black.

“Glenlivet 1943 Whiskey Decanter. It’s something we drink on joyous occasions, but today, I’ll bring it out for you, who is entering the world of whiskey.”
“……”

Elroa, holding the bottle preciously, wore a look of joy that was more than just satisfaction.
Her cheeks were flushed as much as her beautiful hair color.

I understand that it’s good to share a hobby.
But is this something to be so happy about? Rinne was bewildered.

“I will accept it gratefully.”

I took it and drank it anyway.

This too was a feast of amazing aromas, tastes, and flavors that were almost intoxicating.
So much so that the expressionless Rinne’s eyes widened.

“It’s better than the one before.”
“I can’t say that price determines the taste, but it’s five times more expensive than what you drank earlier.”
“I see.”

This time, Rinne mixed a little water herself and took another sip.

It’s interesting.
It feels like playing with colors using taste and aroma.
It was a good experience that was more directly related to the ‘homework’ that Siwoo had asked Rinne to do than expected.

“Now, next is bourbon whiskey distilled in America.”
“Does the taste change just by being distilled in America?”

“No, generally it’s a grain whiskey made from distilled corn. Another difference is that they always use new oak barrels that have been charred on the inside.”

The knowledge about alcohol that I heard through Elroa’s mouth also served as a good snack.

“Since there’s no accumulated aroma in the oak barrels, it has the disadvantage of having a simple aroma, but the distillation environment itself is one where moisture evaporates easily, so it has a concentrated taste.”

As she said, the bourbon whiskey had a slight burnt taste, a rich vanilla scent, a leather aroma, and a faint caramel scent.
The heavy impact, more emphasized than sweetness, gave it a heavy body.

“I like it.”
“Now, try this as well. It’s a peat whiskey, so it has a strong, unique aroma, but you might like it. Once you get a taste for it, you’ll only look for this. Especially when eaten with oysters, there’s nothing better.”

No sooner had Rinne put down her glass than Elroa poured a new whiskey into a new glass.

-Sip

Rinne drank the liquor with her usual composed demeanor.

“It’s unique.”

It had a unique and pungent aroma that reminded me of naphthalene or disinfectant, but Rinne’s sense of smell found beauty in the harmony and balance even in a scent that was strongly divided by preference.

Just as other witches received talents in specific fields besides magic, Rinne had a truly blessed tongue and nose.

Elroa smiled mischievously, as if tickled.

“I didn’t know you could drink peat so well. Don’t take this the wrong way, but to be honest, I wanted to see you make a face.”
“It’s just alcohol.”
“I should say it’s unexpected. I might be able to become a good drinking buddy with you. Come visit often in the future.”
“I understand. Next time I come, I’ll bring some alcohol as well.”

Indeed, since ancient times, alcohol has been an effective tool for fostering friendship.
Rinne also lightly raised the corners of her mouth and expressed her gratitude for the unexpected kindness.

“……”

How many types of whiskey had I tasted lightly?
Of course, I hadn’t drunk a whole glass, but just tasted them, but I felt a slight dizziness, making me hesitate.

Even so, I felt a light, buoyant feeling, so I think I drank enough.
I’ve tasted various types of whiskey, so there’s plenty to write in my diary.

It wasn’t my original purpose, but I also fostered some appropriate social interaction.
I was about to get up when…

-Thump, thump, thump, thump

Elroa, having cleared away the whiskeys scattered on the table, brought out a new bottle.

“Hmm? Are you already trying to get up? It was just about to start.”
“……”

Moreover, there were easily more than 10 bottles again.
Perhaps it was inconvenient to pour the liquor from across the table, Elroa sat next to Rinne.

“Well, it’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. Don’t overdo it.”
“No. I’ll drink more.”

There were three reasons why Rinne stayed, even though she thought it was a bit much.

First, it wouldn’t be right to abruptly leave while Elroa was showing unexpected kindness.
Second, as she said, I had become quite interested in the profound and diverse world of liquor.

“Lagavulin 37 year. It’s a Scotch whiskey. The finish is long and complex, so the aftertaste changes depending on your mood… Would you like to evaluate what kind of aroma it has?”
“Burnt taste, salt, herbal medicine, dried grapes, spices, dark chocolate. It’s quite bitter.”
“As expected. You seem to have a very sensitive sense of smell. A guest who knows the value is treated to good liquor.”

And the last, third reason.
Above all, Elroa’s attitude was very attentive.

She praised me with a kind voice just for stating my impressions of the aroma, and somehow, that felt comforting.

I would never have admitted to such a feeling normally because of my pride, but I quietly savored it, probably because I was completely drunk.

“This is also Scotch. Springbank 50 year 1919. It hasn’t been chill-filtered, so the transparency is lower, but that means there’s less loss of aroma.
My recommendation is to mix it with water 1:1. For reference, they aged 200L of liquor in one barrel, but after aging for half a century, only 24 bottles came out.”
“How much is a bottle like this?”

“I don’t know since I received it as a gift. Ah, I looked it up, and it’s about $50,000. That’s the price before taxes. So, what are your impressions?”
“It was the heaviest. It’s unique that I can slightly feel a pear scent.”

Rinne drank the liquor that Elroa gave her, gulping it down at a fast pace.

What was bound to happen here?

Rinne was a witch, but she had a terrible alcohol tolerance.

This wasn’t just due to her constitution, but because the ‘Sword Witch’ label itself had developed in a way that suppressed her self-defense mechanisms.
That way, the curse of deficiency would work at full capacity.

Even though the curse of deficiency had been removed thanks to Siwoo, the deficient self-defense mechanisms wouldn’t naturally be replenished.

In other words, Rinne was still an alcohol trash.
She had become a rare witch who was called an al-ssu.

Even though Rinne had only been tasting, she had been drinking high-proof whiskey at a fast pace.

It didn’t take long for the Sword Demon Rinne to become the babbling Rinne.

“What kind of aroma did you feel this time?”
“Strong grape scent, lily, vanilla candy, and… earthy smell. And… peach and tangerine on the roof of my mouth. The finish is the savory taste of sesame oil mixed with pepper.”
“The savory taste of sesame oil mixed with pepper… That’s a unique interpretation. Would you like to taste the next one?”
“……”

Rinne, who had been blinking, said something curtly, as if dissatisfied.

“Praise.”
“Hmm?”
“Praise me more.”

Except for her slightly slurred pronunciation, Rinne didn’t seem that drunk on the surface.
So, Elroa’s assessment of the situation was a little slower.

“Praise me more quickly. Like you did before.”
“…Well, you did well. But didn’t I already praise you by saying it was a unique interpretation…?”
“More.”

Elroa, who had been dumbfounded by Rinne’s strange behavior, flinched.

When did we get this close?

Elroa realized that the distance between Rinne and Elroa, which had been clearly separated by the width of one buttock, had somehow narrowed.

Elroa swallowed hard, feeling an ominous atmosphere.

Elroa, who had unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally) witnessed various situations, even felt a premonition that she was about to witness something she shouldn’t.

“Your five senses are excellent. Being able to discover value in any whiskey is a blessed talent.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. By the way, you seem quite drunk, so how about we stop here for today?”
“……”

Who said that?
That alcohol doesn’t change a person, but shows their true nature.

There was always a longing in Rinne’s heart.
A primal longing associated with her memories from her apprentice witch days.

However, Rinne had always suppressed such desires.
At most, she had only released them in her dreams with her beloved.

But now, drunk, Rinne was feeling it.
If Siwoo filled her with a dependable ‘paternal’ love, what she felt from Elroa was a warm and benevolent ‘maternal’ love.

She had never even been aware of it because she had been denying it with all her might, but Rinne, who was already out of her mind even though her posture was still composed, could be a little more honest with herself.

That is.

“Then, as a sign of praise, stroke my head.”

She was trying to satisfy her deficient maternal love by acting spoiled to her heart’s content.