Chapter 61
“No, I’m not.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
I glanced around—there were seven of them. Seven dwarves, obviously. This dimension is ‘Snow White’.
Moreover, their extreme wariness suggests…
Even after hearing my answer, the dwarves huddled and whispered for a while before slowly turning back towards me.
“Apologies. It’s just that our princess collapsed after eating a poisoned apple two months ago.”
“Yeah, we thought the wicked witch had shown up again.”
As I expected.
I already knew that Snow White had fled to escape the huntsman. The huntsman himself told me.
The next step must have been for her to meet the dwarves.
And then…
‘She ate the witch’s poisoned apple.’
The dwarves were deeply mired in sorrow, having lost their precious princess.
‘Wait a minute. Didn’t some old woman bring an apple last time?’
It was before I met Sylvie Unnie.
Just as I was struck by the coincidental timing—
<Notice> Quest triggered!
You have encountered the depressed dwarves.
Cheer them up with a special cocktail.
Reward: 350 coins
Will you accept the quest?
[Y] [N]
Yeah, I figured this was coming.
I pursed my lips. If the system is monitoring my every move, it should know how exhausted I was yesterday.
Even though it’s obvious I came out here to rest, it’s still sending me quests?
Moreover.
“Don’t you think the rewards have been a bit stingy lately?”
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing.”
I waved off the questioning dwarf’s confused look and stated my business.
“I’m a bartender. How about a cocktail?”
As I pulled out a liquor bottle from my bag, the dwarves started murmuring again.
“Isn’t that the weird potion that makes you shrink when you drink it?”
“We almost had a disaster after drinking that stuff. Why is she telling us to drink it?”
I furrowed my brow. Aren’t they mixing this up with ‘Alice in Wonderland’?
Just to be sure, I double checked—this dimension is indeed ‘Snow White’.
‘Well, Captain Hook did have the mermaid princess’s pearl necklace.’
I recalled the necklace I had stashed away in a deep drawer. I had carelessly accepted it, but being stolen goods made it tricky to handle.
Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. Right now, I need to sell to these dwarves in front of me.
“This is a delicious drink. Would you like to try it?”
“It’s hot, and I’m exhausted, so I wanted to drink something .”
“Give it a try.”
“You expect us to trust and drink that stuff?”
“I’ll drink it!”
With seven of them, even one comment each was enough to make my ears ring.
I settled down comfortably on the floor and poured half lemonade, half beer into a cup.
The seven dwarves staring at me so intently was a bit daunting, but…
‘I’ll take it as a sign their expectations are high.’
A frothy white beer head formed over the pale golden liquid.
Low in alcohol and refreshing, perfect for a daytime drink—beer and cider mix. ‘Maksa’ for short.
“Here you go, a glass of ‘Beer Cider’ for each of you.”
“Cheers!”
The dwarves clinked glasses amiably before downing their ‘Beer Cider’ in unison.
“The layered foam looks just like white snow.”
“It reminds me of our snow white princess…”
“How vexing! We should have protected her from that wretched witch!”
Another name for ‘Beer Cider’ is ‘Snow White.’
Different countries call it different names, but in the Netherlands, this cocktail is known as Snow White.
I hoped this drink would bring back fond memories of Snow White for the sad dwarfs.
‘It’s not like I half-assed this just because I was annoyed.’
The quest reward was as stingy as salt, which had a slight… effect, but only a little.
‘350 coins for making seven whole drinks? What a joke.’
As the bar transformed into a more upscale establishment after the desert scene change, even extras started tipping 10 coins per cocktail! Does this measly 350 coin quest reward make any sense?
“Listen up! Our princess was truly extraordinary.”
“With hair as black as night and skin as white as snow! She’s the most beautiful person in the world. No wonder the queen went mad.”
“And she was so smart! She knew everything and was our teacher as well!”
“She had it all, but her adorable appetite was her charm. If only she hadn’t rashly eaten that poisoned apple!”
The dwarfs, drunk on just one Beer Cider, simultaneously praised Snow White.
“Ah, could you each tell me about her one at a time?”
“Alright. I’ll go first! When we first met the princess, she was clearly surrounded by a halo of light. Unbelievable, I know, but we all saw it!”
“We did, indeed!”
“And then…”
I thought I would suffocate from the torrent of stories pouring out without pause.
<Notice> Quest Complete!
You cheered up the dwarves with a special cocktail.
Reward: 350 coins
<Notice> The reputation of the ‘Milky Way Lounge’ cocktail bar has increased by 350. (Total: 6,700)
It seems Snow White was an idol-like figure to them.
‘I feel dizzy…..’
After being exhausted by them right after yesterday, I collapsed onto my bed late at night.
🫧
I just slept. And slept some more.
My body ached. A dull, feverish chill ran through me, as if I had been beaten all over.
Pressing my hand to my forehead, I was burning up.
This familiar feeling—definitely a severe cold.
“Ugh…”
I shouldn’t have pushed myself yesterday. I should have just rested somewhere familiar instead of wandering off to who knows where.
My parched throat was painfully dry, but I could barely move, only managing feeble groans. I didn’t have the energy to even fetch water, let alone call for Docktor Unnie.
Ding!
Just then, a notification sounded.
<Notice> Your medicine has arrived.
How absurd. In the midst of this, they want to sell me medicine? Such a ruthless bunch.
“I don’t…want any…”
I pulled the covers over my head in refusal. I’ll just sleep it off and wake up fine.
Calling a doctor costs 3,000 coins. Who knows how much the medicine costs on top of that.
‘I’ll just suffer through it for a few days. Sleep is the best cure.’
Though my body felt like a waterlogged sponge, this too shall pass.
I kept shivering. I struggled to exhale my feverish breaths.
This is worse than I thought…
‘I wish someone would just knock me out…’
As I coughed harshly, someone knocked on the door.
Too weak to call out, I simply lay there as the door opened and someone entered.
“Why are you just lying there when I brought you medicine? Take it and rest.”
I thought I heard a familiar voice, but my head hurt too much to be sure.
‘Am I hallucinating….’
As I pondered that, the blanket was pulled back. Someone pried open my mouth and gently poured in water.
The moisture soothed my parched throat slightly. Then, something else was slipped into my mouth.
Mustering all my effort, I forced my eyelids open. Through the blurred vision, I made out a tousled mane of golden curls.
In fact, there was only one person who would call me “Nunna.”
Shu. The system.
He had come in person and even fed me medicine. I felt a mix of gratitude and defiance.
This whole situation is its fault in the first place.
I squeezed out a feeble protest.
“I said…I didn’t want…the medicine…”
“It’s free.”
“Giving a disease and then the cure….”
After uttering just those few words, all strength drained from my body and I went limp.
“Hey, stay with me!”
Shu fretted, pressing his hand to my forehead to check my temperature.
The chill of his touch felt soothing. Instinctively, I covered his hand with mine to hold it there.
“Nunna?”
The faint voice I had heard grew progressively more distant.
“You’ve grown so weak, even as an adult. Haa, I can’t stay with you for long…”
It sounded like he sighed. My already blurry consciousness faded completely.
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
