[en] Highlights: • X-ray scattering data of liquid benzene is analyzed by a general Langevin equation. • High-frequency sound velocity is related to α(structural)-relaxation. • The ratio of the high-frequency to the adiabatic sound velocity reflects intermolecular interaction. The dynamic structure factor, S(Q,ω), of liquid benzene was measured by meV-resolved inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) and analyzed using a generalized Langevin model with a memory function including fast, μ-relaxation and slow, structural, α-relaxation. The model well reproduced the experimental S(Q,ω) of liquid benzene. The dispersion relation of the collective excitation energy yields the high-frequency sound velocity for liquid benzene as related to the α-relaxation. The ratio of the high-frequency to the adiabatic sound velocity is approximately 1.5, larger to that of carbon tetrachloride and smaller than those of methanol and water, reflecting the nature of intermolecular interactions.