章節 111: The curse of house winter (3)
Here Valeria stops for a moment. Her eyes reflect the pity she feels towards the daughters who were caught up in Being Y's treacherous game to punish lord winter. Still, I can't imagine that this would be all.
"And what did lord winter do?"
"Sigh. When push came to shove he prioritized his own life. His secondborn was married off and his wife took her own life. And things didn't stop there. Three sub-zero mages were alive at that time and the cruel one wished to be the only one of his generation. He tried to fight the ice mage who was once more powerful than him and met an unexpected demise.
"The firstborn of lord winter poisoned her own sister out of hatred for how differently they had been treated. The curse immediately acted up since the cruel sub-zero mage had yet to sire a child. It tore him apart bit by bit while he was alive to feel it all. Another facet of the curse was revealed. As long as he hadn't sired a daughter the sub-zero mage was easily killable by assassinating his wife.
"Only the firstborn and her husband were left in the younger generation and no more big events happened."
That curse is nasty if you ask me. But lord winter deserved to be cursed. I only pity all the unfortunate souls that were dragged into this mess.
"But Valeria, is the class really so strong that a mage would be willing to take the curse upon himself to get it?"
"No, the mage is only told the whole story after he is set upon by the curse. Though the class itself is very coveted too. Its power lies not in offense but support. Imagine just being able to freeze the enemy for an extended amount of time. You can't harm them but you can discuss strategy, heal, or reposition without enemy interference. In extreme cases, you can even make an escape."
"Come to think of it, are you still affected by the curse? With all the dying and respawning as a monster, you know."
"The curse was mostly broken and I only carried some vestiges of it in me. Then I met Being Y and he cleared out those vestiges too."
"You met him?"
"More or less, he has an immaterial form that he uses to move around his dungeon undetected and I met that. On another note, why are we just sitting here while I rant? We are supposed to be drinking!"
Valeria grabs the wine bottle and opens it. She pours wine into the crystal glasses she brought and hands me one.
"So, am I also going to be temporarily paralyzed after drinking this?"
"Oh no, dear. I go by strict standards when it comes to making and serving wine. I would never include any additives in what I serve my guests."
"You made this wine?"
"Yes, brewing has become one of my favorite hobbies. I learned how to make nearly every type of alcohol but somehow beer has become my favorite beverage."
"Not wine?"
"Ludicrous I know. A vampire that prefers beer to wine. But what can I do?"
"Then why did you bring out the wine in the first place?"
"It's just more presentable. Wouldn't it look completely out of place if I can walking in with two pints of beer?"
"Out of place for what?"
Valeria looks at me wide-eyed then facepalms herself hard enough to leave a red mark on her pale forehead.
"Sorry about that. I still haven't completely escaped the clutches of my family. I still care way too much about how others would view me."
Valeria stands up and disappears into the darkness. I really wish she could just flip the light switch on her way back. There is a light switch, right?
<I'm afraid to tell you but no there is not. Valeria sank a lot of time and money into this house and she truly tried to emphasize the dark yet comfy atmosphere. The comfortable part didn't quite work out but the result is quite stunning.>
So there is no adequate lighting in this room?
<There is. There are chandeliers inlaid with magic stones that can give off a nice glow. But she never uses them. I think the only time they were ever used at all was during the housewarming party we held for her.>
Do you think she'll light them if I ask nicely?
<Likely no. You might be able to sway her by offering some of your blood as an incentive.>
Oh, isn't the crackling fireplace so soothing? I suddenly don't mind the darkness anymore. Who needs more light than this anyways?
<Yeah, the blood-sucking is one of her less desirable traits. Still, she doesn't mean you ill, you know that, right?>
Does it matter if she means well or not? She tried to suck me dry the last time you let her at me!
<But I stopped her didn't I?>
Right before snapping my neck!
<...>
Navi keeps silent after that and Valeria returns with two pints of beer. The beer is ice cold and smoothly runs down my throat.
I am no expert on beer or any kind of alcohol for that matter. My family rarely let me have a taste when I was young and master Oden never allowed any of it. Afterward, when I'd been on my own I had taken to visiting a bar after a successful dungeon delve. But the kind of bars I frequented weren't high-end enough to serve quality alcohol. I went there to drink away my loneliness not taste good drinks.
So yes, I think the beer is delicious and the best I ever had but my tasting opinion doesn't hold a lot of worth.
"Stop looking so sad, Jade. When the memories come washing up alcohol is a great way to make them go back to where they came from. Let me get a whole barrel so we don't have to worry about running out."
I tip back the glass and empty it. Sure enough, there is no happiness at the bottom, only a distinct feeling of wanting to drink more.
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