Cucking The Demon King
Chapter 76: Tavern

Chapter 76: Tavern

Outside, the village was much quieter than before.

The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow over the rooftops. Most of the villagers had already retreated to their homes, though a few still remained outside, finishing up their daily routines.

Liam strolled down the street, his hands in his pockets.

His mind, however, was focused.

He needed to understand why this village was so different.

If they truly suffered from frequent demon attacks, there should have been some signs of damage. Burned buildings. Worn-out roads. Scarred villagers.

Yet, there was none of that.

The houses were well-maintained. The streets were clean.

The people were healthy.

Something wasn’t adding up.

’There has to be a reason for this.’

Liam’s eyes flickered toward a small group of villagers standing near a well, chatting casually.

He considered eavesdropping, but before he could make a move, a voice rang out.

"Hey, you there."

Liam turned to see an elderly man watching him from a nearby bench.

The old man had a long white beard and wore simple brown robes. His eyes, however, were sharp.

Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

The old man nodded. "You’re not from around here."

Liam chuckled. "Is it that obvious?"

The man smiled slightly. "We don’t get many travelers these days. Especially young ones like you."

Liam studied him for a moment before deciding to play along.

"Is that so?" He took a step forward. "Why is that?"

The old man’s expression didn’t change.

But after a moment, he let out a low chuckle.

"You ask a lot of questions, boy."

Liam smirked. "Curiosity is a natural trait."

The old man hummed.

Then, he leaned forward slightly.

"Well, since you’re so curious... why don’t you come have a drink with me?"

Liam’s eyes flickered with amusement.

’Interesting.’

He didn’t know why, but this old man was different.

And something told him that if he wanted answers, this was the person to talk to.

Liam smiled.

"Sure. Why not?"

With that, he followed the old man into a nearby tavern.

Liam followed the old man into the building.

As soon as he stepped inside, his senses were hit with the thick aroma of alcohol, sweat, and roasted meat.

The tavern was alive with noise.

Men and women filled every corner, laughing loudly as they drank from wooden mugs, slamming them onto tables. The furniture was rough but sturdy, with wooden chairs and tables scattered around the space. Bottles of alcohol sat atop each one, along with half-eaten plates of food.

The place was rowdy, voices overlapping as drunken men bellowed songs, while others clinked their cups together in celebration of something Liam had no interest in knowing.

It was just another typical night in a village tavern.

But the moment Liam and the old man stepped further inside—everything suddenly went quiet.

The laughter stopped.

The chatter died down.

Dozens of eyes turned toward them, silent and watchful.

Liam frowned slightly.

’That’s odd.’

It wasn’t him they were looking at—it was the old man beside him.

Just as he was about to question it, a drunken man sitting near the bar suddenly waved his hand.

"Oi! Old bastard!"

The room burst into laughter.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch.

The tension from earlier vanished in an instant, and the rowdiness returned. The men clapped the drunkard on the back, and soon, the tavern was loud once more.

Liam glanced at the old man, but he showed no reaction to the mockery, simply walking forward as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Liam decided not to dwell on it and followed after him.

They approached the counter at the front of the tavern, where a large, overweight woman stood behind it, wiping a mug with a dirty rag.

Her belly bulged against her apron, and her thick arms jiggled with every movement.

As soon as her eyes landed on Liam, her lips curled into a smirk.

"Oh my, my..."

She placed the mug down and leaned forward, resting her weight on the counter. Her large chest pressed against the wooden surface as she gazed at Liam hungrily.

"You’re a handsome one, aren’t you?"

Liam kept a blank expression.

The woman giggled, eyes glinting with amusement.

"What’s a fine young man like you doing here, hmm?" Her voice was sultry, dripping with a suggestive tone. "How about you keep me company for the night?"

She blew a kiss at him.

Liam blinked.

He wasn’t particularly disgusted, but he couldn’t help but wonder—how was she so fat?

For a village bordering the demon kingdom, where resources were supposedly scarce, she looked well-fed. Almost too well-fed.

He didn’t dwell on it too much. Instead, he smiled at her, his golden eyes glimmering in the dim light.

The woman’s cheeks flushed.

She placed a hand on her chest, staring at him dreamily.

Just as she was about to say something else—

BANG!

The old man slammed his palm against the counter, expression irritated.

"Enough of your nonsense, woman. Stop gawking and do your job."

The woman scowled at him.

"Oi, old fart! Who do you think you are? Don’t ruin my chance with the man of my dreams!"

She winked at Liam again.

Liam simply chuckled under his breath.

The old man sighed, clearly used to this.

"I didn’t come here to watch you flirt. Serve the damn drinks."

The woman clicked her tongue but didn’t argue further.

"What are you having?" she asked, reaching for a couple of wooden mugs.

"Two glasses of rum," the old man said.

Liam immediately raised a hand.

"I’ll pass."

The woman paused. "Huh?"

"I don’t drink alcohol."

The old man turned to him, surprised.

"Really?"

Liam nodded.

The old man let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Kids these days... no tolerance at all."

Liam smirked slightly.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle it. His stats were absurdly high. He doubted a little alcohol would even affect him.

But he had never drunk alcohol before—not in his past life, not in this one.

The idea of doing so just felt... odd.

And besides, he didn’t trust this old man yet.

Even if he could handle liquor, he wasn’t about to let his guard down.

The old man clicked his tongue before turning back to the woman.

"Then get him fruit juice or something."

The woman shrugged. "Your loss, handsome."

She winked at Liam yet again before sliding a glass of fruit juice toward him.

Liam accepted it without comment.

The old man grabbed his own mug, and together, they moved toward a table at the far end of the tavern.

As Liam sat down, he noticed something.

For just a brief moment—a strange glint flashed across the old man’s eyes.

But it was gone before Liam could analyze it.

They sat in silence for a few seconds.

The old man took a long sip of his drink, his expression unreadable.

Liam didn’t touch his.

He simply leaned back slightly, watching the old man carefully.

While he refused to take alcohol, it didn’t mean he trusted the strange old man.

Eventually, the old man exhaled.

"So," he muttered. "You really don’t drink?"

Liam shook his head. "No."

The old man smirked.

"You sure you’re a man?"

Liam chuckled. "Last I checked."

The old man scoffed before taking another sip.

After a moment, his eyes flickered toward Liam again, this time with curiosity.

"You’re not from the church, are you?"

Liam raised an eyebrow.

"No, I’m just a traveller."

[That’s not a good way to answer a question, not when you’re trying to be undercover.]

Lilith said, letting out a light chuckle.

’Just... shut up.’

The old man tapped his mug. "You clearly don’t carry yourself like one of them."

Liam tilted his head.

"And how do they carry themselves?"

The old man chuckled.

"Like they own the world."

Liam hummed.

That was... surprisingly accurate.

The church had always viewed itself as above everyone else. The so-called ’holy warriors’ walked around like they were superior, looking down on anyone who didn’t follow their doctrine.

It wasn’t surprising that a village like this would be wary of them.

Liam swirled his drink in his glass, watching the liquid move.

He had expected the man to ask where he was coming from, and his destination also, but strangely enough, he didn’t ask anything like that.

"But then, why stop here... after hearing all the rumours going around?"

"It sure didn’t seem as bad as I expected." Liam replied, flashing a smile at the man.

The old man’s expression didn’t change.

But for just a split second, something flickered in his gaze.

Something deep.

Something dangerous.

Then, he smirked.

"Well... the goddess has been rather merciful to us."

Liam’s grip on his glass tightened.

’The goddess... huh?’ He thought, his brows knitting into a frown.

Liam glanced around the tavern.

The people were still drinking, laughing, enjoying themselves.

"Why aren’t you taking your drink?" The man suddenly asked, pointing to the glass in Liam’s hand, which was still filled with juice.