Chapter 600: Advent (6)

Chapter 600: Advent (6)

He had awakened from sleep, but he hadn't opened his eyes.

Was it because the sleep was so deep and sweet? Or because the bed was too comfortable? Both were true. His body was exhausted to the point that even a cold, hard floor would have afforded him deep, sweet slumber.

The bed Eugene lay in now was soft, warm, and even faintly fragrant.

Without a word, he assessed his situation.

He had awakened but couldn’t open his eyes because he was afraid to do so.

Silently, he carefully retraced his memories.

How did it come to this? Why was he sleeping like this? When exactly had he fallen asleep?

Before he fell asleep, he had been drinking with Molon, Sienna, Anise, and Kristina. The alcohol, personally brewed by Gavid, was a gift after Eugene’s victory in the duel with him. He had promised to drink it atop the corpse of the Demon King of Incarceration after defeating him.

Regrettably, Eugene hadn’t seen the corpse of the Demon King of Incarceration, but since he had won the battle, he figured it was alright to drink the bottle. Moreover, he thought there might not be another chance to drink it later.

Perhaps someone among his companions would die, or maybe Eugene himself.... He didn’t like to think about it, but the thought unavoidably crossed his mind. The sudden appearance of the Demon King of Destruction had prevented them from fully sharing the joy of victory, and they had solidified their resolutions and preparations. What was needed now was a celebration of the victory over the Demon King of Incarceration....

With that thought, he drank with his comrades, and the taste of the alcohol was excellent. Eugene, who had never deeply scrutinized the taste of alcohol in his past life, couldn’t give a detailed review. Still, from how Kristina, who had recently acquired a taste for liquor, and Anise, a born drinker, took turns sipping and praising it, it seemed to be exceptionally well-made.

However, there were a few problems.

Warriors and wizards who had reached full control over their bodies found it hard to get drunk. Unless they consciously decided to get drunk, even the strongest of the spirits would be detoxified as soon as they entered their bodies.

The drinking started with a toast, with the intention of celebrating their win. Moreover, since it was a unique bottle left by the deceased Gavid, it was absurd to even think of finishing such a drink without getting drunk. Thus, they all started drinking with the intention of getting drunk.

‘Might as well get drunk and sleep it off for a few days....’

It was a reasonable thought, considering that all of them were considerably fatigued, both physically and mentally.

Then the next problem arose. It was an obvious problem if one took just a moment to ponder it. Both humans and demons tolerated alcohol differently. Even a strong drink that could intoxicate a seasoned human drinker in a few sips might be just a mild beverage for a demon.

Gavid’s liquor was strong.

They all drank it heartily without any intention of moderating their intoxication. But by the time they finished the liquor, they were mere beasts absolutely incapable of any rational thought.

And the first beast to fall was the wounded one, Molon. He had rarely gotten drunk in the past, but by the time they finished the bottle of Gavid’s liquor, Molon had collapsed headfirst to the floor.

However, no one took care of him. At that point, even Eugene was struggling to make rational decisions. If there was any consolation, it was that there was only one bottle of alcohol — half-filled at that, and they were even finishing it off.

—Five of us shared half a bottle — how could that possibly even wet our throats?

—Bring more!

When the bottle was empty, the beasts mimicked human speech and howled.

There was no humane understanding to be expected from the ladies. Eugene had given all the alcohol he had inside his cloak to the members of the general staff and thus suggested to his comrades that they might as well go to sleep. But such pleading proved utterly futile. If there was no alcohol, they should just bring more, declared the Saints, and the wizard, infuriatingly, grabbed the God of Victory by the scruff of his neck. The injured warrior who had fallen was left alone, uncared for, in the room.

And then, another problem arose. As was stated numerous times, everyone was far from sober. Molon couldn’t even muster a quarter of his usual tolerance and collapsed under the influence and fatigue. Everyone else was just like Molon. They were all maintaining themselves through sheer willpower, having long surpassed their physical limits.

And so... and so, he couldn't remember well.

Sienna had grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him out of the room. They went somewhere, into someone else’s room — maybe Sienna or Anise's... perhaps even Eugene's room. Anyway, he was detained there, and either Anise or Kristina brought more alcohol.

With more alcohol present, naturally, they drank more. As they drank, gradually... his mind, his reason, melted away. His mind became jumbled. It was to the extent that he couldn’t tell what he was saying, thinking, or doing — amidst cackling laughter and... nonsensical jokes and banter. And then....

He passed out.

Whether it was on the floor or the bed at that moment, he couldn’t remember, but now he was lying in... a bed, anyway. Though he had passed out heavily drunk, there wasn’t even a slight scent of stale alcohol on his breath. His clothes... they had definitely been magically laundered, and his body washed....

But that wasn't the problem. The problem was — he couldn’t feel his clothes at all. He was completely naked. But why? Had he gotten hot while sleeping and thrown off his clothes? Eugene didn’t usually have such a sleeping habit, but it was common for people to do things out of character when drunk.

Forcing himself to concentrate, Eugene tried to recall more details.

Yes, he had gotten drunk and... thrown off his clothes while sleeping. Perhaps even before he fell asleep. By taking them off, he might have also removed the lingering smell of alcohol, or maybe... maybe during his sleep. Eugene prided himself on his cleanliness, so it was entirely possible that he had magically cleaned himself subconsciously.

Eugene slowly examined himself but stopped abruptly.

Setting aside his own condition, what he needed to think about was something else.

First of all... where was this place? Whose bed was this? And why... why did he feel another warm body beside him?

The more he thought about it, the more it felt like sinking deeper into a swamp called hell, and Eugene was afraid of everything. What was even more frightening was....

That he felt more than just a single warm body.

'Mo... Molon?' Eugene thought tentatively.

It might be Molon. Hadn't he often slept next to Molon or Vermouth three hundred years ago? He had never slept naked, but... anyway, if the person beside him turned out to be Molon, that would be relatively....

Eugene gave a silent groan.

He knew all too well that it couldn't be Molon. The softness of the flesh that barely touched him could never belong to Molon.

Yes... Eugene decided to accept the reality. This was a situation he could not resist, even if he wanted to.

“A-hem......"

Before opening his eyes, he let out a light cough. The presence he felt on either side of him became more pronounced. The left side stirred, and the right side twitched.

"Hmm... h-hmm..."

"Nothing happened...," he repeated.

Sienna quickly approached him and grasped Eugene’s shoulder. Her face drew near, her eyes trembling and then moistening with tears.

"Re-really?" she asked.

"Yes, you said so...," Eugene muttered.

"Just because I think so doesn’t mean you should too!" Sienna shouted.

"What nonsense is this?" Eugene asked, baffled.

"I said nothing happened, but it doesn’t mean that nothing really happened!" Sienna cried.

"That’s... true,” Eugene agreed.

"Think of it as a dream... Ah, no, not a dream. Anyway, that’s it. Nothing happened, but it’s not like nothing really didn't happen; just think it didn’t...," Sienna muttered this nearly incomprehensible logic as she let go of Eugene’s shoulder.

The Saints, standing at a distance, nodded sincerely in agreement, but Eugene simply couldn’t.

"If you’re awake, don’t laze about. Get up now, Hamel,” said Anise.

"Right. We have to defeat the Demon King of Destruction,” responded Sienna.

"Listening to that makes me feel complicated. To have such a thing happen right before the final battle...," Anise muttered.

"What are you talking about? Anise, we didn’t do anything. And it’s not like we want to fight the final battle. It’s just that that bastard Destruction forced his way here,” Sienna insisted fiercely.

"My goodness! Now that you mention it, that’s right, Sienna," Anise agreed readily.

The two chatted back and forth as they quickly left the room. Left alone, Eugene blinked blankly, then slowly got out of bed.

As he dressed clumsily, faint memories became clearer and clearer, and his face burned.

"I want to die," he groaned.

The thought of stepping out of the room made him sincerely wish for it. But he couldn't stay holed up in his room forever. With a resolved heart, Eugene opened the door.

He stepped into the corridor and turned his head. Eugene's eyes immediately met with Molon's. It seemed Molon was just about to enter this room. For a moment, Molon blinked at Eugene, then broke into a mischievous grin and thrust both fists toward him.

"Hamel."

Two thumbs went up.

"Congratulations."

His bushy beard parted to reveal a flash of white teeth. Faced with Molon's beaming smile, Eugene found himself involuntarily clenching his fists.

What the hell is he congratulating me for? Stop spouting nonsense and get lost. Do you want to die? Although all these responses floated through his mind, Eugene initially kept his mouth firmly shut. It seemed no answer would wipe the grin off Molon's face.

"How long has it been?" Eugene finally asked.

"Exactly a week today,” Molon said with a broad smile.

"When did you wake up?" Eugene asked.

"Two days ago,” answered Molon.

"Why didn’t you wake me?" Eugene asked.

"Hamel. Even though I'm your friend, and theirs, I simply could not enter that room. Never. I didn’t want to enter either,” said Molon.

Eugene's shoulders shuddered at Molon’s uncharacteristically rational response. Once again, Eugene chose to end the conversation and shut his mouth.

Wasn’t a week quite reasonable compared to the half-year he had once slept? There was a saying: even rotting fish have their backbone. Surely, the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn’t crumble after just a week.

"Where are you going?" Molon called out as Eugene quickly moved away.

"I'm going to check on the situation over there,” responded Eugene.

"Then I’ll also—" said Molon.

Eugene interrupted with narrowed eyes, "Didn’t you see enough while I was out? Looks like you were watching until just now.”

"There were changes... the seal grew larger, and inside—" Molon said.

"Are the Nur swarming?" Eugene interjected once more.

"Yes." Molon nodded, then continued, "If it bursts, they'll pour out—"

His grumbling voice suddenly cut off. Eugene couldn’t walk any further and stood still, staring down the corridor.

In the distance, a large bouquet of flowers swayed as it approached.

"Ah."

Among the bouquet of vibrant flowers, Melkith’s head suddenly popped out. Like the flowers beside her, she flashed a radiant smile at Eugene and waved.

"Congratulations!"

Eugene no longer wanted to hear it.

Without hesitation, he opened a nearby window and jumped out.