363 - God of Wine, Festivals, and Riots #1

Bacchus is known as the God of Wine.

He is also the god in charge of banquets, drunkenness, mischief, and riots-things that naturally come to mind when one thinks of alcohol. Thus, brewers who craft wine or grain liquor, as well as innkeepers, are his primary devotees.

Furthermore, as he is said to lead the Maenads-the uncontrollable, frenzied followers-Bacchus's influence was quite formidable.

It was quite surprising and even encouraging that Bacchus's mother was a human, not a god.

Antiope spoke.

「There are many demigods and heroes born between Lord Jupiter and human women. Perseus, Endymion, Amphion... and so on. However, they all ended their lives on the path of a hero. I'm talking about the Gold Tier.」

At Antiope's explanation, I thought of Hippolyte.

Those who wear the Gold Tier necklaces are called heroes. You could even say they wear the gold necklaces because they are called heroes.

The ten or so human weapons in this kingdom.

Those are the beings wearing the gold necklaces, and it was certain that the descendants of Jupiter, the King of Gods, would reach that level as a bare minimum.

I asked.

「But why does that matter?」

「But Bacchus, despite having a human mother, carved out his own place atop the lofty Hypos. He became the youngest and newest god solely through his achievements.」

「I see.」

「That's why he's a role model for demigods like me. Anyway, if you go to the worship service he's holding, it'll help you understand how to lead your Temple in the future and what kind of god you should become, Hassan.」

Antiope ended her story there.

Before we knew it, we had left the streets of the South Gate, passed through the main gate, and the forest path leading outside the city came into view. It was a forest with the uninspired name of Deer Forest because it was filled with deer.

Since its master was said to be Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt and Purity, it was considered quite sacred and was well-maintained.

To use a metaphor, you could think of it as something like a national park.

No, wait. To be precise, 'national' sounds a bit too grand, so a municipal park on the outskirts of the city would be just right.

Still, it was certain that the forest usually had a refined atmosphere unless something unusual was happening. However, as I stepped into the entrance, I couldn't help but frown at the bizarre sight beginning to unfold before my eyes.

━Heeeuuung....

━Eungeuhee....

「What the hell is this, shit.」

The reason was the bizarre crowd of people sprawled out everywhere, from the entrance to the deep interior.

Drunkards, so wasted it was hard to believe it wasn't even lunchtime yet, were scattered all over-hanging from trees or lying on the ground, muttering incomprehensible nonsense.

━Eueong-aueu-.

━Angeuiieueu-.

Seeing them babble sounds that didn't even form simple words like groans, they seemed to be beyond just drunk and were showing signs of acute alcohol poisoning.

In fact, their pupils were dilated, and their bodies looked as if they didn't even have the strength to hold up their own heads.

「The smell is terrible. I feel like my nose is going to twist off.」

Friede covered her nose with a *seuk-* sound. It seemed she couldn't stand this bitter wine smell at all.

「I feel like I'll get drunk just from the smell. It's awful.」

It was Antiope who answered her.

「Well, of course. Bacchus is here. With ordinary willpower, it would be hard even to hold onto your consciousness.」

Antiope also covered her nose with her hand.

「According to rumors, the Chief Deity Bacchus can turn the air into wine just by inhaling and exhaling.」

What kind of rumor is that?

However, seeing their faces gradually flushing redder, it was clear that this purple mist spreading through the entire forest like steam contained a very potent substance.

Is it really like a mist of alcohol spread in the air?

I recalled seeing a bizarre news story a long time ago. Was it that there were people who put soju in humidifiers to spread it through the air?

They said people who couldn't sleep at night mostly did such strange things, but it was also mentioned that it could be quite dangerous because the alcohol is absorbed through the lungs, making one get drunk much faster.

Friede and Antiope were likely suffering from a similar principle.

In that sense, it seemed like a good choice not to bring Paranoy. Paranoy has the worst drinking habits, after all.

「If it's hard for you all, wait here. Just don't sprawl out like that.」

*Seueuk-.*

I looked around and gave instructions to the women. What caught my eye was a young lady plucking and eating grass, completely unconcerned with her surroundings or the situation.

━Salad, so tastyee-.

She looked like an ordinary maiden, but once drunk, her human dignity must have flown out the window in an instant. There was no guarantee that Friede or Antiope wouldn't end up like that.

At that, Antiope said a word.

「These are quite potent energies. You seem perfectly fine? Is it because you're becoming a god?」

「I don't know. I don't usually get drunk easily. Well then, I'm going further inside.」

* * *

*Jjak, jjak, jjak-.*

As we went deeper into the forest, noisy clapping and shouting continued from all over.

Something that might have been a song was being hummed from slightly parted lips.

The sound of breaking branches, people collapsing and vomiting, and the sight of birds and deer fallen here and there, twitching in convulsions-it was enough to make me doubt if this was reality.

But that was cute compared to what was coming next.

As we went even deeper into the forest, people began to appear, half-naked or completely naked, clinging to each other and engaging in slick interactions.

「Ugh, shit, what is that.」

Heaps of flesh-colored forms, partially hidden by the purple spectacle, gathered in small groups and caressed each other's skin.

━Heueuung-.

The only saving grace was that they were all young women.

Wow, four breasts!

However, that was just a joke, and honestly, I was a bit flustered too. It felt exactly like I had walked into some kind of depraved establishment. I didn't know where to look.

「Uaa, look at them. Women doing strange things with each other! It's disgusting!」

Antiope trembled as if she were truly horrified.

Until a moment ago, I thought she was slowly losing consciousness, intoxicated by this purple spectacle. But after seeing this shocking sight, it seemed she had snapped back to her senses.

「Women are rubbing against each other! Uaa, I think I'm going to puke-. I heard Bacchus's followers were incredibly promiscuous. I guess it was true!」

Antiope was exaggeratedly repulsed by this situation, which looked like the mating behavior of slugs.

I suddenly became curious about something. Weren't the Amazoness, the daughters of Mars, a warrior group composed of women?

「Don't the Amazoness do things like that?」

I thought such things might happen in a society centered around energetic women, but Antiope frowned as if the question were a great insult.

「Are you crazy? The Amazoness value chastity very highly, you know?」

「I see.」

Come to think of it, Antiope's older sister, Hippolyte, was the leader of a group called the Virgin Maiden's Sword Corps. It seemed I had been slightly misunderstanding the female organization known as the Amazoness.

「Uaa-. This place is really no different from Hell. I shouldn't have come.」

Antiope was truly restless. I wondered why she was showing such a strong rejection.

If I replaced the young and beautiful women I saw around me with hairy men, I could certainly understand. It would be a damn horrific place, like a real Hell.

Anyway, since Antiope seemed to be struggling so much, I gradually increased my walking speed.

I glanced at Friede to see if she was okay, and surprisingly, she was just blinking her eyes as if she were perfectly fine.

She spoke.

「Bacchus must be a bizarre fellow. To be a god who presides over such disorder and noise. He seems similar to the God of Mischief-.」

Antiope asked back as if in response.

「If you mean the God of Mischief, do you mean the god of your Alfheim?」

「Yes. He was a being who liked bizarre things like this....」

Friede, who seemed about to give a long explanation, closed her mouth again. Her red eyes began to flash strangely.

「Is that Bacchus...?」

Finally, at someone's question, we were able to arrive before Bacchus, who was said to have descended into the deepest part of this forest.

The first thing we saw was a chair.

People sprawled out everywhere, doing as they pleased. In the middle of those people was a grotesque throne.

However, I don't know if 'chair' is the correct expression for it. If I had to pick the most bizarre point, it was the material the chair was made of. It was none other than humans.

━Eueoeoeo-.

━Aueueu-.

Drunken humans, sprawled out or lying face down, intertwined like a ball of mating snakes, were being sat upon by his buttocks and feet.

If it were me, I wouldn't have even dared to sit on such a bizarre object.

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The being sitting atop it was looking down at everything with a languid expression, as if it were only natural to keep drunkards beneath his feet.

『....』

I don't really feel like describing the man's appearance, but he was probably Bacchus, the man revered as a god on this continent.

His dark purple hair and eyes, so deep they could be mistaken for black, his healthily tanned skin, his androgynous features, and the curved bull-like horns growing from his head were all extraordinary.

He was like a well-crafted statue.

『....』

If he hadn't yawned lazily, I would have thought he was a sculpture. Although he sat in the chair in a somewhat relaxed, slumping manner with a very leisurely attitude, it was not easy to speak to him.

「Are you the God of Wine, Bacchus-nim?」

However, as befitting a daughter of Mars and a symbol of bravery, Antiope spoke first.

At that, the man narrowed his pupils, which were horizontally slit like a goat's.

『Yes, I am the Father of Freedom, the liberator of oppressed reason, the Master of Festivals, the Lord Bacchus. You are a woman who dares to speak to me without fear. Who are you?』

「I-I am the daughter of Mars, Antiope. Wow-. I'm actually talking to Bacchus right now? It's really amazing. No, but why am I saying my inner thoughts out loud?」

Antiope looked at me.

「What did you do to me?」

「Nothing.」

「Ho, hoeeeee....」

With those bizarre words, Antiope collapsed onto the ground and began to tremble.

「Wha-what is this, what is this, I, I can't hold on any longerrrrr....」

Antiope's mind seemed to have rapidly crumbled. She could no longer maintain her reason and just lay on the ground, her body writhing and trembling.

「Help, help me.... My body, won't listen....」

Looking at Antiope, Bacchus said a word.

『For a mortal to last that long in my domain, she did well. Did you say she was a daughter of Mars?』

It seemed Antiope's collapse was due to Bacchus's influence.

Since the purple spectacle spread wide across this entire forest originated from him, it was inevitable that she would collapse near this throne, which could be called its center.

Even I was starting to feel a tingling sensation in my hands and feet.

It truly felt like being submerged in a swimming pool made of alcohol. I felt that if I let go of my mind even for a moment, my reason would be swept away by a bizarre torrent.

If I had been a drunkard who loved alcohol or someone weak to intoxication, I would have jumped into that crowd of naked people and become one with them.

Anyway, so this is the God of Wine, Bacchus.

To think that just by his presence in this place, everything around him would abandon reason and return to being free, naked bodies.

Along with the Sun God who emitted brilliant light, his presence was truly worthy of the title 'God'. Compared to him, what was I?

The most I could do was growl at little children. Honestly, I had no idea how much time and training it would take for me to become like them.

You could call it a difference in class. And it actually was.

『There's also a woman from a foreign land.』

His goat-like eyes soon turned toward Friede. Friede, who was covering her nose with her hand, ducked behind me as if she were wary.

Friede is originally a bit shy around strangers.

But I was the same, and if I could have, I felt like hiding behind Friede. His pupils are horizontally slit like a goat's, for shit's sake! He even has horns on his head!

『Am I disliked? Well, fine. I didn't come here to steal someone else's woman. Right, Zigres?』

The man's interest soon seemed to turn toward me. Since a being that resembled a human but was far removed from humanity was staring at me intently, the back of my head felt quite itchy for some reason.

I mustered up the courage to ask.

「Did you say you were Bacchus? What business brings you to Sodomora-?」

However, my words were cut off before the sentence could be completed.

『Ah, come on-. You're going to kill the mood.』

Bacchus, frowning slightly, waved his hand and interrupted me.

『We can set aside such formalities between us. If you keep that up, the pleasant intoxication I felt from coming down here might wear off.』

「What do you mean by that...?」

『Treat me comfortably, friend. There's no need to be so stiff. It's not like you and I are strangers.』

Treat him comfortably.

Does that mean I can speak informally? Could it be some kind of trap or scheme? For a moment, various thoughts stormed through my left and right brain.

「Sure, fine.」

I soon decided to just treat him comfortably, wondering if there could be any hidden meaning. He didn't actually seem to have any ill will toward me.

『Good, you're a friend without a filter, just as I heard. Anyway, do you like my banquet? I heard you like women very much, so I held this festival-.』

*Seureuk-.*

Bacchus slowly raised both his hands as if to tell me to look around. According to him, this sight, which looked like a bizarre slug farm, was meant for me.

That I like women very much. Where on earth did such a rumor start? Of course, lately, there are many things that come to mind.

『Your expression isn't great. Would it have been better to gather men instead of women?』

「No, goddammit, that's a bit-」

『Haha, right. Anyway, nice to meet you, friend. It was worth coming all this way down to see you in person.』

*Seureureuk-.*

Bacchus stood up from his seat and slowly approached me.

『I have something to say to you, friend.』