Dionysus

"Having no heart is a painful thing. Many of this world's joys require a heart to be felt."

The old man bent one leg and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"You do not even drink. That makes life even less enjoyable."

"After tasting better wine, naturally, one would not want to drink this kind of wine anymore," Shaya said.

"Oh?" The old man turned his head and looked at Shaya with interest. "What wine have you had?"

Shaya found a barrel to lean against as well and watched him.

"Wine brewed by Dionysus, the God of Wine."

The old man was visibly stunned, but then he burst into laughter, laughing heartily.

"Then you must have gotten thoroughly drunk."

"Not really. I did not drink much."

But the old man raised a finger and wagged it, saying seriously, "Any wine brewed by the God of Wine will make one drunk. If it does not make one drunk, then it certainly was not brewed by the God of Wine."

Shaya said with interest, "Is that really so absolute?"

"Do you know why the God of Wine is also the god of theater?" the old man asked.

"Why?" Shaya replied obligingly.

"Because of Hera's jealousy and persecution, Dionysus spent his life wandering. Though the days of fleeing and drifting were painful, they also brought him endless exhilaration, stimulation, intoxication, and ecstasy.

"And what brought him those things was wine."

He looked at the celebrating crowd around them and said delightedly, "Life is a tragedy. Its greatest tragedy lies in the fact that it has no ultimate foundation.

"Human birth and existence have no meaning whatsoever, yet life dares to bear its own meaninglessness without sinking into despair and decay. That is life's pride!

"And drunkenness is precisely such an experience. It faces pain directly, yet finds joy within that pain and gains a tragic intoxication.

"Casting aside the restraints of tradition and returning to a primal state, humanity finds immense joy in life amid the despairing cries of losing the self and becoming one with the world.

"That is the joy of drinking!"

The old man's drunkenness deepened across his face. "Dionysus would never make something as boring as wine that cannot get people drunk!"

Shaya watched the celebrating people around him as well. Thinking back to the scene of everyone singing together earlier, he could now understand what the old man meant.

It was not pessimism, because it praised life. Nor was it optimism, because it accepted pain.

It was much like Zhuangzi's Free and Easy Wandering: forget everything, enjoy the pleasures of life, turn inward, pursue freedom, and transcendence.

Though the old man had not said so outright, Shaya understood why the God of Wine was also the god of theater.

This spirit could be summed up in one sentence: smile at every tragedy.

"Go, then. Revel!"

Grinning, his face flushed red, the old man said, "Even one without a heart may enjoy the delight of the God of Wine Festival!"

Shaya felt a force pushing him into the reveling crowd, and at some point, a huge goblet of wine had appeared in his hand.

Alicia was in the crowd too. At some point, she had kicked off her shoes and was bouncing excitedly on the damp ground barefoot, holding her wineglass high and shouting loudly.

Arthur had been entangled by several dancers dressed like nymphs of mountains, forests, and waters. They grabbed his hands and led him dancing around the bonfire, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Shaya silently raised his drink and took a sip. The rich fragrance of wine blossomed in his mouth, filling him with the urge to keep drinking.

It tasted exactly the same as the wine brewed by Dionysus that Sebas had given him before.

The old man's identity seemed ready to reveal itself.

According to Sebas, most gods had already fallen into slumber, but some still lived. Among them was Dionysus, the missing God of Wine.

Shaya took several large gulps and quickly noticed the difference from the wine he had drunk before. Its kick was much stronger, and he was already feeling somewhat dizzy.

Yet for some reason, he felt exceptionally joyful.

At some point, Alicia came to his side and took his hand. Her face was flushed, her breath reeked of wine, and an involuntary smile hung from her lips.

The imperial palace was a deeply oppressive place. There, Alicia could not easily show her emotions.

Once those shackles on her emotions were released, they became especially fierce.

"Come on, Shaya!"

She pulled Shaya into the crowd, cheering excitedly as she bounced in place with everyone else, screaming and shouting at the top of her lungs.

Pulled along by her, Shaya joined the revelry, his gaze resting on Alicia as she bounced happily.

If the Alicia he had first met had been a flower blooming high in the mountains, aloof and unapproachable, carrying a noble air untouched by worldly life—

Then the Alicia before him was like a red rose that had just bloomed, passionate as fire.

As if sensing Shaya's gaze, Alicia looked at him too, meeting his eyes.

Seeing how much calmer his face was compared to the surrounding hysteria, a flood of dopamine surged through her mind and shook her reason.

"Shaya!"

She called his name loudly and excitedly.

"I love you!!!"

Shaya raised an eyebrow slightly, a barely perceptible curve lifting at the corner of his lips. He did not respond, merely watching her quietly, looking through that layer of disguise at the deepest part of her soul.

After a moment, he said teasingly,

"What did you say? I could not hear you!"

The noise around them was simply too loud, so Shaya instinctively raised his voice.

"I said—"

Alicia took a deep breath, then shouted with all her strength.

"I love you!!!"

The flow of people around them seemed to fall quiet for a moment because of her sudden cry, though only briefly.

Then came even more fervent cheers and screams.

"OOOOOH!!!!"

Alicia cried out excitedly as well, waving the wine in her hand.

Shaya simply watched her in silence, smiling softly, faint amusement gleaming in his night-quiet eyes.

The revelry continued until the sun rose the next day, though Shaya and the others left earlier. Alicia had gotten drunk and collapsed against Shaya around one or two in the morning.

In the latter half of the revelry, Shaya understood with absolute clarity why this sort of festival had been banned.

People vented their emotions without restraint, casting off every shackle. While gaining joy, they also released the desires and darkness within their hearts.

The latter half of the revelry was practically synonymous with chaos.

Of course, the townspeople were experienced, so there were still some sober overseers nearby maintaining order.

Though the spirit of the God of Wine resembled Free and Easy Wandering, it carried a desire for self-destruction and was more indulgent and frenzied.

When Shaya rescued Arthur from the pile of dancers, he stood there with a dazed expression, his face covered in lipstick marks.

Just as Foster had said, this really was not a place for children.

Drunkenness could indeed provide an outlet for one's emotions, but on the other hand, so long as one did not drink to the point of nerve paralysis, those memories of being drunk would remain in their minds.

Many people who claimed not to remember anything after getting drunk simply did not wish to recall it. Sometimes, people even remembered their drunken behavior with exceptional clarity.

Alicia, when she woke the next morning, proved precisely that.