By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 32

Chapter 4 Episode 32: A Bar Where I Don’t Fit In

“Is this the place?”

The bar was at the end of a narrow alley that branched off of the main street. While the street I came from had many flashy stores and restaurants, this place was rather plain. The building seemed old and gave off a desolate vibe, but I could hear men constantly laughing inside, so it was evidently quite popular.

The entrance had swinging doors, the likes of which you’d see from a saloon in a Western movie. While they were made for someone to push through on their way in, I could just walk right under them. I guess that was thanks to my childish body, but the swinging doors seemed to be positioned strangely high up. The bar looked bigger than expected on the inside, with quite a bit of space extending far back. The seating was kind of cramped together, but there were well over thirty seats.

“Agh, what? Hic. What’s a kid doing here?”

“Came to get someone?”

“Hey! Looks like somebody’s wife’s in a bad mood.”

I didn’t think about it when I was going in, but considering how young I looked, I stuck out like a sore thumb. A few drunks looked at me and grumbled. Some looked simply curious, some looked amused, and some looked disgruntled, but the range of looks I got varied wildly. I smelled alcohol, of course, but there was also a horrid stench that I could only assume came from cigarettes. I wanted to ask the questions I needed to and get out of there quickly, but there were so many people around that I didn’t know who I was looking for. Judging by the location of the bar and the atmosphere inside, it was likely only frequented by regulars who lived in the area, so I figured I could just ask the bartender.

“This is a bar, kid,” the bartender said. “Ain’t nothin’ here for ya to drink.” He didn’t say it outright, but clearly he wanted me to leave. I wasn’t there to drink anyway, so it didn’t matter much, but I showed him my status board all the same. “Oh, you’ve got the God of Wine’s blessing, eh?”

“I’m looking for someone. Is there someone named Assimo here?” I asked. The bartender gestured toward a corner of the bar. “Thank you.”

I left a medium bronze coin for the bartender and headed to the tables. Eight men sat around it, in two booths of four apiece. They were probably all delivery men. Their ages and races varied, but they were all pretty stacked.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I heard that Assimo was here,” I said.

“Whaddaya need?” the person in the seat closest to me asked and turned around. He was a human in his early twenties. I don’t know if it was because he was pretty drunk, but he was in a good mood, much to my convenience. I introduced myself and explained the situation. “So ya want to know about Pedro, do ya?”

“Yes, I just need to know when you last saw him.”

“Yeah, sure, I could tell you. But y’know, there’s a right way an’ a wrong way t’go about askin’ for a favor,” he said and glanced at his empty mug.

“How about ale, then?”

“Oh, thank—”

“Moron.”

“Yeowch!” Assimo yelped. The man sitting to his side punched him, turning his jovial voice into one of agony. “What was that about, Boss?”

“Quit solicitin’ a little kid for drinks. You already drink like a damn fish,” the other man said.

“Sorry. Hey, kid, I last saw Pedro two days ago.”

“In this town?”

“Yeah, the other day, early in the morning. I was getting breakfast and we happened to go to the same restaurant. We had a chat and all, so it was definitely him.”

“Do you know what happened after that?”

“He was the first in the restaurant, and he was the first to leave. Don’t know where he went. Said something about heading off to Keleban as usual, though.”

“Then he must have taken this road. Do you know any reasons why he wouldn’t have reached Keleban by today?”

“Can’t say I do, kid.”

Another one of the men spoke up. He looked like he could be fifty or older. “I know Pedro myself, and he’s been using this road since he was a kid, when his old man was in the business. He should know all the dangerous spots, and how to handle a horse. Assimo, you said you saw him early in the morning?”

“Yep, after sunrise.”

“So that excludes him getting into an accident in the darkness, then. Did anyone come back from Keleban today?”

“I did,” another of the men said.

“See anyone stuck anywhere on the road?”

“I saw a few people resting, but not Pedro. I know him too, and if I saw him, I’d remember.”

“I just got back from there too, and I didn’t see him.”

“If he’s been seen in this town, but not since then, I think there’s a good chance that something happened to him,” I said.

“What are the chances that something happened and he went back to Gimul?”

“His client says he went to visit his home, but he wasn’t there.”

“So he didn’t go back to town, then?”

“What if he did go back to town, but stayed at an inn instead?”

“The hell’d he do that for, ya dumbass? He’d be wastin’ his money.”

“Well, hell, I’m too drunk to think.”

“Hey, Assimo, anything else you know? You ate with him, so he must’ve mentioned something else.”

“Mostly he just bragged about his love life. He said he wanted to propose to his squeeze when he got back to town or something. Like I’m gonna listen to that crap anyway! Oh, but he did mention he was saving up money for clothes and a ring, I think.”

“You think he got involved in some sketchy job and they made him disappear?”

“You’re overthinking it. Maybe he tried to deliver too big a load and got in an accident or something.”

Those were both plausible explanations. Either way, I felt like there was something to find on the mountainous road to Keleban. Those who took the road today said they didn’t see anything so I would need to search the forest by the side of the road.

“Quit yammering already!” someone shouted from behind us. Everyone turned to look at a red-faced man glaring at us from the counter. “You! Kid!” The man slumped out of his seat and stomped toward me between the narrow space between the tables. “When’d this place turn into a playground, huh?”

“I’m sorry, I’m looking for someone who—”

“Why should I care?!” He had a point, I guess. “I don’t come here to see kids, I hate kids! Now get out before I force you out!”

“I’ll leave as soon as I’m done asking questions,” I said and moderately bowed my head, but that probably wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He clicked his tongue and clenched his fist. Whether in this world or on Earth, drunkards just don’t listen to reason.

“You little—” the man said and swung his fist down at me, but I caught it in one hand. He yelped, apparently not expecting that. He looked at his fist and tried to yank his arm away, but I expected him to try and punch me again if he did, so I didn’t let go. I was the one who didn’t belong there, admittedly, so I was planning to leave as soon as my business was done, but I didn’t want to get punched.

The man firmly planted his feet on the ground and tried desperately to tug his arm from me, while I tugged back. There was a nearby pillar that I could use to push back on with my legs too, so in a game of tug of war, I wasn’t going to lose. If he happened to pull me up, I would’ve been left dangling, though.

When I had to deal with angry drunks on Earth, just tolerating them and taking the beating was the least messy option. But in this world, I didn’t need to let that happen. It made matters a lot easier. Now that I thought about it, though, I didn’t know any other good ways to end the conflict, so I wasn’t sure what to do next. The people who were going to help a moment ago seemed to think I didn’t need assistance, so they went back to their seats to watch from there. And this drunk wasn’t giving up.

“Nwooooooooooooh!” the drunk roared. “Little shit! Let go of me! I’ll kill your ass!”

Then I remembered there was something I could use from my match the other day.

“Buddy, don’t you think you’ve had a bit too much?” I said. The man shuddered, and I felt the energy rapidly drain from his fist. “Just take a chill pill, okay?” I let go of his fist and showed that I wasn’t going to fight. But then the man freaked out and ran off, ramming his way through other customers to take the shortest path to the exit.

Maybe I overdid it a bit. I figured that if I put myself in the same mood as during that match during the training meetup where I scared everyone, it’d get him to stop, but this wasn’t exactly what I intended. The customers behind the man all looked away from me or laid their heads on the table to avert their eyes. A beastkin man’s tail curled up. Nobody wanted to make eye contact with me. Also, I don’t think that man paid his bill before he left. At any rate, now I stood out even more.

I went to the counter and said, “Sorry about that. Is this enough to cover his bill?” I set three silver coins in front of the surly bartender.

“Too much,” he said.

“Use what’s left over to buy drinks for the other customers, it’s on me. Especially the people who just spilled their drinks, and the people I was talking to.”

“Oh?! What’s that, kid?! You’re buying drinks for everyone?!” a customer shouted before the bartender could respond.

“Yes, I’m sorry that I got in the way of your fun.”

“Hell yeah!”

“Free drinks!”

“I’ll take it!”

It only took a moment for the bar to regain its previous liveliness. Faster than I would have expected, but I was happy about it. Then I went back to the delivery people’s table to thank them and say I was leaving.

“Sorry about all that,” I said.

“Hey, it’s a bar. Fights happen all the time.”

“Yeah, what he said. You’re pretty good, kid.”

“I am an adventurer, after all.”

“But, well, probably a good idea for you to leave soon.”

“Thanks for the drinks!”

“Thank you for answering my questions.”

I left the bar. A lot had happened, but now I knew that Pedro was in this town, so I gained something. That alone was a step forward. Coming here was worth it.

And while it was the drunk who started a fight with me, I kind of felt bad about what I did. I wasn’t expecting it to be so effective, considering Beck and friends just thought I was a little scary. Maybe the drunk was more timid than his size would indicate. I checked my status board for answers, and there was a new skill I hadn’t seen before— Intimidate (3). I wondered why this new skill was Level 3 already.