CH 42

Chapter 42: Drunk

“…If it’s Divine Clear, isn’t it a high level magic? I wonder if it’s okay to use something like that on a mere drunk…”

Aizel, who had taken a seat, looked at Priscilla with one eyebrow raised.

I nodded my head in agreement, as I had the same question.

Priscilla looks back and forth between me and Aizel, then explains the situation.

“Only once a day, and only enough to not strain my holy power. That’s the deal, because I need someone to talk to when I drink.”

“…And I’m a lifesaver! I saved your life during the war, didn’t I, Priscilla?”

Reina pours herself another drink and continues to proclaim herself Priscilla’s lifesaver.

Given Priscilla’s hidden powers, it’s unlikely that she would have been in any danger, but Priscilla gives a small nod, as if to say that she’s willing to let it slide.

“Well, well, well, poor Edward must have gone too… It’s a shame Vanessa’s gone too, but we’ll just have to keep drinking!”

The power of the Divine Clear was incredible. Reina, who had been rubbing her eyes for a long time, was completely restored to a clean state.

‘What a headache…’

I glanced at her, and thought about taking a sip. That is, until Reina pointed me out.

“Cadet Zetto, I’ve been watching you since earlier, and I don’t like the way you’re sipping on something that’s not even tea! Let’s make it spicy, Master! Right here, four bombers!”

“Four bombers, please!”

The barkeep exclaims one corner of his mouth, quivering in amusement at Reina’s extravagant order.

“Uh… Pardon my ignorance, but what’s a bomber?”

In the game, alcohol was an item that had a number of benefits depending on the type, but it also had a strong penalty of “drunkenness,” so there was no need to consume it.

I didn’t really know what kind of alcohol I was drinking because I was drinking just enough to get in the mood with the characters.

“The one that Kaliman drank, the one that’s sleeping in the corner over there.”

Priscilla answered my question.

Kaliman was curled up on the floor, sleeping.

“How many drinks did he have?”

“Two? A little on the strong side.”

“Ahaha, two drinks…”

Two drinks should be enough to make a grown man pass out and based on Priscilla’s explanation, it would be asking a lot to ask her to use Divine Clear on me.

I might even pass on it, thinking there’s no reason to.

“How long has he been in there? Puhhhhhhh!”

I catch a glimpse of Reina giggling at Kaliman.

She’s the one who’s been aggressively pushing the drinks, so at least she’ll get drunk before I do.

“…”

At that moment, my head shakes slightly against my will. Even though I’ve only been sipping lightly so far, my body seems to be getting a little drunk.

‘It’s dangerous…’

I shake my head to clear it, and I see Sierra staring at me from the spot where Edward was.

[Hmm, you’re in trouble… Why… For once, you need her help…]

Sierra then lazily walks over to me and opens her mouth.

[You want to get out of this den of fierce, bared-toothed beasts alive and well?]

I don’t know what Sierra would suggest, but figuring it would be better than getting drunk on the spot, I nod, ever so slightly, only visible to her.

[Good, I don’t want my apprentice to be defenseless in a place like this….especially with that kid, Aizel.]

Sierra glances at Aizel, then coughs once, before continuing.

[Hmmm. This, this is something I stumbled upon and used to use in drinking contests…It’s a trick. Try focusing on the flow of mana.]

I did as Sierra said and focused on the flow of mana in my body.

I could feel its every movement, where it went, where it flowed and where it took root for a moment.

Then I felt the drunkenness that had been circling me like a ghost slowly dissipate.

[You’ve gotten the hang of it, but it’s only temporary, and the moment your concentration is broken, it will return. Remember this. Never break your concentration.]

Sierra’s tip appears to be a trick she used in drinking contests.

It was an accidental discovery.

Who would focus on mana flow when drinking?

It was simple but ingenious.

‘Will this be enough to keep me going?’

I had a clear head and after a few tens of seconds, I was able to somewhat use it without losing my focus.

[Disciple, what is this food? I’m curious about the taste, so go ahead and try it.]

Sierra grabbed my hand holding the fork and held it in front of a plate of food, the motion so natural.

I dipped my fork straight into the food and popped it into my mouth.

‘Fish? Seafood?’

It was a rather plain-tasting seafood.

I didn’t know the name of the food either, so I pointed to it and asked.

What’s the name of this food? It smells and tastes like seafood.”

“That’s a kraken’s eyeball.”

“…When you say kraken, you mean the famous sea monster?”

“Yeah, that’s why they’re so expensive.”

Reina smirked at my question and pushed four glasses of bomber in front of each of us.

[I guess they eat kraken these days, too, huh? You’ve already had eyeballs before, if not eyeball dishes…]

Sierra sounded intrigued, and I immediately put my fork down. My mouth watered as I remembered the flavor of the lycanthrope eyeball.

[Yesterday was good, but…]

Sierra looked at me, clicked her tongue, and went back to watching the drinking contest.

The drinking contest was coming to an end, and few people survived.  Now, the last two people were left to fight it out.

The bar owner is watching the scene with a smile on his face, knowing that his business has been boosted by the drinking contest.

“…You don’t drink?”

Aizel, who was next to me, tapped my glass encouragingly.

“Cadet Zetto, drink it, come on!”

At Reina’s urging, I gulped down the bomber.

The bomber tasted tangy and refreshing on my tongue and burned as it went down my throat.

‘Focus on the flow of mana…’

As long as I drink moderately from now on and stay focused, there shouldn’t be any problems.

As I gulp down the bomber and set the glass down, Reina leaps to her feet, clapping and cheering.

“Hooray, Cadet Zetto, you may keep the bracelet!”

“…Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m just saying, hahaha. How much does it cost…”

At Reina’s reply, everyone at the table giggles in response.

…The drinking was moderately enjoyable.

The reward is a reward, but I decided to enjoy the moment as a reward for my hard work.

As I listened to Reina’s bluffing saga of getting drunk, the atmosphere grew ripe.

“You’re drinking really slowly, aren’t you?”

Aizel, who was slumped over the table, looked up at me.

“You know, in case I can’t hold myself down like last time…Haha.”

I tried not to lose focus as I chatted with Aizel.

Sierra’s “trick” was working. I hadn’t even finished my drink, but Raina was too drunk to notice but Aizel was already on her third bomber.

“I thought I’d prank you one more time, maybe that’ll sober you up. Hmph…”

Aizel whispered as she leaned over and stared at me. Her lips twitched as she moved slowly just like back then.

I suddenly remember the prank she played on me. Her breath, her touch, all the sensations I felt in that moment were swirling around in my head.

At this rate, I was going to lose my focus.

“…”

I quickly turned my head away from Aizel without answering and I gobbled up the kraken’s remaining eyeball but my head tilted.

I had already lost my concentration.

[Disciple, you must not lose focus.]

Sierra, who had come to me a moment before, saw my head spinning and cried out.

‘Master…’

I mutter the last words I know she won’t hear and the next thing I know, my head hits the table while my consciousness fades away.

[Zetto, Zetto…!]

***

Zetto’s head hits the table.

“I thought he could hold out for a while, but…”

I took a sip of my drink while watching the scene.

Aizel, who was next to Zetto, was lying down on the table, looking at Zetto’s face as if she was admiring it.

“Puh-ha-hat…! Zetto, you’ve earned it…? Yakada, yakada…”

Reina, already drunk and with a twisted tongue, sneers at Zetto.

[Thud!]

The next thing you know, Reina’s head is smashed into the table after Zetto’s and I couldn’t help but laugh at the scene.

‘I look like I haven’t laughed in a long time.’

It was a fuller, more joyful feeling than when I used to drink with Reina at the right time.

Aizel scrambled out of her seat, her body staggering slightly.

For some reason, Aizel kept checking on Zetto and secretly gulped down a lot of alcohol to keep her throat from burning…and for good reason.

“Hmph, Medical Officer Priscilla… Zetto… I’ll take him home…”

“You will~, but how are you going to get Zetto to the boys’ dormitory?”

Aizel’s disheveled face was cute, so I spoke to her as if she were a child.

“I, I, I have the strength… Hiccup……”

With that, Aizel tugged on the hem of Zetto’s shirt to help him up, and fell backwards.

“…You’re very drunk, Aizel.”

It looks like this is the end of the day.

Zetto’s face is pressed against the table, and I can see his sword in his waistband. I can see a faint, strange energy emanating from his sword.

‘What kind of past does he have…’

I can only hope that whatever it is, it’s not as ugly as mine.

His desire to learn acupuncture, his swordsmanship and his skills were interesting.

I heard he took the eyeball of a lycanthrope he captured once as a trophy.

It wasn’t well known, but the eyeballs of lycanthropes were known to be ‘medicine’.

‘I wonder if he wants to cure his eyes…’

His sight, already taken by the Lord, would not return no matter what he did.

“He’s an enigma…”

Priscilla muttered to herself as she stared at Zetto at the silent table.

Of course, I had no intention of prying into Zetto’s secrets. I had my own secrets that I didn’t want uncovered.

In retrospect, Zetto didn’t have a lot of questions about me, maybe that’s why I felt more comfortable around him.

‘I’m glad he learned acupuncture so well…’

…The growth in his acupuncture skills didn’t make sense, but I didn’t dwell on it and spilled all my thoughts about Zetto into my glass.

I drained the rest of my drink and set the glass down on the table.

As I stood up, I saw Aizel lying on the ground, holding onto the hem of Zetto’s shirt.

“Hmph, when I’m drunk… I shouldn’t…”

Rubbing her eyes, Aizel was hiccupping and muttering to herself.

‘I don’t mind leaving Reina and Kaliman wherever they are, but I have to take care of the cadets…’

After all, she was the Academy’s medical officer.

As she approached the shopkeeper to make the payment, she remembered the image of Reina, who had told Zetto to take a shot as a reward.

‘Reina…’

She was a good friend, but sometimes she could be mean. Even as she grew older, her mischievous nature remained.

She walked up to the barkeep, paid for drinks, and dragged Zetto out of the tavern with an Aizel slung over her back.

The Academy’s uniforms are sturdy enough that they shouldn’t scratch on the floor.

I left Reina and Kaliman at the tavern and stepped outside, my breath stinging in the chilly early morning air.

The corners of my mouth twitched upward at the thought of how much fun I’d had.

***

[Wake up, apprentice…]

The words echoed through my dizzy head.

[…Wake up, apprentice!]

It was Sierra’s voice.

I jumped to my feet, startled by her insistence and I touched the bandages over my eyes.

‘No sign of anyone tampering.’

Fortunately, I had some recollection of what happened.

‘I must have passed out yesterday…’

Up ahead, Sierra, the woman who woke me up, doesn’t look happy.

I wake up, my senses straining to make sense of the situation.

An unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar room and a strange bed.

If there was a problem here, it was that I could feel a stirring in the bed next to me.

I froze as soon as I felt the rustle then panicked and groped for my neighbor. And then I realized it was a woman.

I lowered my head slightly and looked at myself.

I was wearing only my uniform shirt and pants, but my shirt was completely undone.

‘Oh no…’

As I stared in confusion, the rustling next to me grew louder so I pushed my anxiety aside and turned to see who it was.

A platinum-haired head pops out from under the covers.

“…Did you sleep well…?”

She said in a somewhat sleepy voice, having just woken up as well.

I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief that it was Aizel.

Her eyes were half-open, and a thin blush was visible on both cheeks.

What did it all mean?

Ahaha…”

I smirked and scratched my head.

Surely, it’s a prank. She must be trying to mess with me again.

“Yesterday…”

Aizel’s shy voice trailed off and she lowered her head in shame.

…It had to be.