"..."
"..."
"Wow! This is super tasty!"
Dinner time.
Dinner was in full swing at Isaac's mansion.
Originally, he had planned to grab a drink with Silverna, but most of the taverns were packed with workers, so they decided to skip it.
He didn't want to take seats away from the laborers who had worked so hard on the repairs, and it was all too loud and rowdy anyway.
And so, they ended up having dinner at the mansion instead.
"This is so good!"
Sharen, completely oblivious to the atmosphere, was gleefully eating as if in a trance.
The ingredients had come from a gift Clarice sent from the royal palace, and Karen had used them to prepare the meal.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The other three were silent.
Isaac felt like he was sitting on a bed of thorns, completely on edge.
Silverna, on the other hand, was eating confidently, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
Liana stared blankly into her soup, lifting her spoon in a distant, empty motion.
"Sis, right? You've never had anything like this before!"
"We've had this plenty of times at the mansion, Sharen."
"Huh? Really?"
Isaac saw a chance and smoothly joined in.
"Well, Helmut's food tends to be a bit heavy. Maybe she was too nervous to enjoy it before."
In Arandel, at least, everyone usually gathered for breakfast, didn't they?
Although, Isaac had always been absent from those meals.
Then, as they were eating, the door creaked open and someone slowly stepped into the dining room.
"Ugh, what did that brat Damien do to me? My body feels all sluggish."
The Grandmaster walked in, tail lazily swishing behind her, looking disheveled.
She winced and sat down naturally in an empty seat, clearly suffering from a hangover.
Isaac, seeing her arrival as another opportunity, greeted her gently as usual.
"Are you all right? You must have overdone it."
"Heh, I know. But isn't this the kind of day where you should overdo it a little?"
Saying that, the Grandmaster gave Isaac a pat on the head.
As she started munching on some food to calm her stomach, her ears perked up slightly as she glanced around at the others.
"What's going on? The mood's kind of sour."
"Nothing at all."
Isaac answered curtly, but Silverna just grinned at him.
"Ah, then there's definitely nothing going on."
"..."
Isaac shot her a look, silently warning her not to mess around.
And then—
"Looks like she's about to keel over into her plate."
Liana's head was drooping so low it looked like her face might fall right into her dish.
"Sis, is it that good?! You're about to lick the plate clean! That's so rude!"
"Ah, um… sorry."
Liana apologized quietly, but her face remained gloomy. It wasn't hard to guess why.
"Hm."
Watching the whole scene, the Grandmaster thought for a moment before speaking.
"How about we have a drink tonight?"
She was suggesting alcohol—again.
***
"Hoo~ the atmosphere out here at night isn't bad at all, is it?"
At the Grandmaster's suggestion, a drinking party had begun.
Following her long-standing belief from her past life—that alcohol tastes best under the moon—the group gathered cozily in the mansion's garden.
"Can I drink too?"
Sharen asked brightly.
"Nope."
"Absolutely not."
Two women answered at the same time—Liana first, followed by Silverna.
Liana quickly explained further.
"Wine might be okay. But the liquor we brought tonight is way too strong. It'll taste too bitter for you, Sharen."
"Shouldn't she be able to handle this much at her age? I used to drink stuff like this all the time when I was her age."
"That's because you grew up in the North."
"Is that so?"
Silverna tilted her head and looked at Isaac. He nodded and offered Sharen the orange juice he'd brought just for her.
"Here, have this."
"…I'm a connoisseur too, you know."
"Yeah, yeah."
Sharen liked to call herself a drinker, but in truth, she mostly drank orange juice. It was thanks to her personal maid, Kelsey, that things stayed that way.
"Those who love the sword always keep a drink close by."
With that declaration, the Grandmaster casually tore the cork off a luxurious-looking bottle with her bare hands.
Just smelling the aroma had her tail swishing in excitement—she clearly had high hopes.
"But Master, are you sure it's okay to drink so much again? Didn't you overdo it just yesterday?"
"She turned into a dog."
Everyone's eyes turned toward Liana.
She sat there blankly, not realizing she'd said that aloud—until the silence clued her in.
"…Did I just say that?"
"You said it very clearly. I may have ears and a tail, but I am not a dog."
The Grandmaster let out a snort of laughter and brushed it off. Liana had moments like this from time to time.
"Is it still a lingering effect from the Subjugation spell? Let me check."
Isaac leaned in and examined her closely. As he drew near, Liana closed her eyes slightly and tilted her head, taking in his scent.
"From this angle, it looks like you're about to kiss her."
Silverna, who was pouring drinks nearby, muttered dryly. Liana's cheeks flushed slightly—clearly, the same thought had crossed her mind.
After checking, Isaac tilted his head.
"I don't see any signs left. Maybe it's just a lingering habit?"
"That might be it."
Liana nodded calmly at Isaac's words. Her time as a subjugation vessel had been long, so she'd probably grown used to blurting out whatever thoughts came to her mind.
It was something that would fade with time, so it wasn't a big concern.
"Alright, alright. Enough talk—raise your glasses."
The drink had a high alcohol content, but a clean finish. It was another gift from the royal palace, with instructions to let them know when it ran out.
It was proof of how much the royal family cared about Isaac.
As they sipped and chatted, the conversation flowed.
"So, my disciple. What did you do today?"
"I had a sparring match with the Margrave. It was a valuable experience—I learned a lot."
"Mhm, good. Even if your goal is gone, don't grow careless with the sword. You didn't learn the sword for fighting the Transcendents. The path of learning the sword just happened to cross theirs."
Watching the Grandmaster savor her drink, Isaac's eyes widened slightly.
It wasn't something he didn't know—but hearing it from her made his path ahead feel just a bit clearer.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Mhm, good. Very good."
"But Master, maybe you should take it easy on the—"
"Pour me another."
***
"..."
Drinking was fine—but being consumed by alcohol wasn't.
It was something Isaac had once heard in passing, and he thought it was a valuable piece of advice—especially for those who tended to drink themselves into a stupor.
"Haa…"
On either side of him were Liana and Silverna, both leaning against him.
Feeling the weight and warmth of the two, Isaac let out a soft sigh.
"Hey, you're lying, right? Tell me you're lying. Say it's not true."
Silverna kept poking his cheek with her finger, repeatedly asking.
"Hmm? Mmh? I know you're lying. I can tell. You're actually wavering because of me, aren't you?"
"..."
"Hehe~ You liked the kiss earlier, didn't you? Be honest."
The boldness typical of the North had become completely unfiltered under the influence of alcohol.
Whether the flush on her cheeks was from embarrassment or simply drunken heat—Isaac couldn't tell.
"Is this that tragic romance stuff? Like in those novels? Are you really going to give up on me like this?"
"..."
Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.
"You bastard, say something! I know you steal glances at me! I know you've got feelings too, huh?"
Poke… and press.
"C'mon, just come to Caldias. What do you think? Isaac Caldias—it even sounds cool, doesn't it?"
Pinch.
"Say it! Tell me you'll be my husband already~"
Silverna's offer to make him her husband again.
Isaac figured there was no point in replying—she probably wouldn't even remember any of this tomorrow anyway.
Poke…!
Just then, he felt a tight grip on his right arm.
Liana, who had been leaning on his shoulder, suddenly sniffled and spoke.
"Isaac, I'm sorrry…"
"..."
"I'm really sorrry. So let's do better, okay?"
"Lia, stop. You're the head of your house now. You've got to act like it—for the name of Helmut."
"Sniff, you're right."
She nodded and leaned back onto him again.
"Isaac smells nice…"
Apparently, she'd already forgotten what she just said.
"Uuugh?! Say it. Say you like me."
"Sorryyy, Isaac, I'm sorryyy. Don't abandon me…"
"..."
Isaac sat between the two drunken women, enduring their barrage while staring at the liquor bottle in front of him.
It was strong, with a clean finish—dangerously easy to drink.
And perhaps that was why the women were now completely out of it.
"..."
Looking down at the empty glass in front of him, Isaac let out a faint, bitter laugh.
'Getting drunk… is harder than I thought.'
He recalled what the Grandmaster once told him:
That his emotions were being crushed by his logic, and it was the reason he hadn't progressed with the sword.
He had certainly improved since then—but even now, his ever-awake rational mind kept him from surrendering to drunkenness.
Like a night where you want to sleep, but can't.
Like closing your eyes but never drifting off.
His body felt warm and floaty, but he couldn't fully let go—couldn't truly get drunk.
It almost felt like a curse.
Suppressing a bitter sigh, Isaac poured himself another drink and downed it.
His mind was still sharp. And so, his gaze extended past the rim of his glass—to a bright-eyed girl not far off.
"Oh!"
Sharen, seeing the slumped-over Grandmaster and the two women completely wasted, suddenly stood up with her orange juice in hand and declared:
"I'm the best drinker here!"
"..."
"I'm number one!"