Chapter 119
Franz opened his eyes with a headache that felt like his head was going to split open.
“What in the world happened…?”
He remembered receiving the ducal title at the banquet hall.
When he returned to everyone after being pestered by the nobles for a long time, Yusti-ah was completely drunk.
He thought he had stepped out onto the balcony with Yusti-ah to get some fresh air and had a sip of wine…
'But I don’t remember what happened next…?'
Judging by the feeling that his head was going to split open, he was certain he had drunk an enormous amount of alcohol.
It was the first time this had happened since his college days when he loved to play around, so it was so absurd that a chuckle naturally slipped out. Who would have expected to black out at this age?
If there was any consolation, it was that he had safely returned to the Magic Tower? It was funny, though, to take comfort in just that.
'Anyway…'
Franz rolled his eyes to look around.
He had felt his arms and legs were heavy for some reason, and sure enough, he wasn’t the only one on the bed.
Yuna, Yusti-ah, Hera, and Arian. A whopping four women were tangled up here and there on the bed. It was because Franz’s bed wasn’t that large.
“Did I bring them? Or did Arian?”
Since he couldn’t remember properly, he decided to deduce as much as possible with the given information.
First, it was hard to imagine that Arian had brought them. If it were she, she would have gone to her own house instead of coming all the way to the Magic Tower master’s office.
Hadn’t she gotten angry the other day just because Yuna took a quick shower? So sleeping here was hard to even imagine.
Then the only option left was…
“I brought them…?”
Franz raised a hand and pressed his forehead.
Just what was he thinking bringing them here?
Of course, he could guarantee that nothing had happened. He didn’t have those kinds of thoughts in the first place.
However, they were still men and women. Sleeping in the same room, on the same bed, was already a problem in itself.
On top of that, the other parties were a ducal daughter, a hero, a saintess, and an elf chieftain…?
'If this reaches anyone’s ears, a storm will brew for a while…'
In this era where there wasn’t much entertainment, the only gossip was naturally about the scandalous affairs between men and women.
Moreover, if a newly emerged power who had just become a duke committed such an act yesterday, it would be perfect for them to chew on.
Of course, he could just ignore it, but it was better not to give them any room in the first place.
However, that wasn’t the only problem.
Were these four the only ones at the banquet hall?
Making a fool of himself in front of the nobles was one thing, but…
“Did I perhaps make a mistake in front of Your Majesty too…?”
Of course, they were close enough to laugh off most things.
But that only applied in private settings. There was a line to be kept in public settings, wasn’t there?
Regardless, it was already spilt milk, so he couldn’t gather it back.
He should just pray quietly, a prayer hoping that nothing had happened.
At this point, Franz slowly began to doubt whether this headache was really due to a hangover.
It was then.
“Ugh-.”
Yusti-ah, who was sleeping with her head on Franz’s left thigh, squirmed while making a strange sound. It seemed she was having some bizarre dream.
Franz stared at her blankly. There was no particular reason; he just didn’t want to move because of his severe hangover.
But then she slowly moved up and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Just what kind of dream is she having?”
Franz was a little flustered, but he didn’t take any particular action.
At that moment, a memory flashed through his mind.
━ You’re annoying… Whenever I look at you, my chest keeps feeling so stuffy… Hic-, I even wore these clothes to look good for you today…
He couldn’t help but be bothered if this situation continued, even if it was said in a drunken state.
“But is it okay for a saintess to spout such words?”
Wasn’t the saintess the symbol of purity put forward by the Goddess Church? The followers surely believed so too, so they would definitely be disappointed if they knew she acted like this.
In reality, the followers were hoping that the saintess and the saint would somehow work out, but there was no way Franz would know that.
It was then.
“Ugh-.”
Yusti-ah let out a faint groan and opened her eyes.
Since Franz happened to be looking at her at that moment, their eyes naturally met.
In that state, 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds…
Blink, blink, blink.
Yusti-ah repeatedly closed and opened her eyes, then suddenly her eyes widened and she sat up.
“Just what in the world is going on…?!”
Her trembling pupils and utterly shocked voice represented her emotions. It was only natural, since she had woken up out of nowhere hugging a man on a bed.
But that reaction was only for a moment.
“Ah, ugh-, my head…”
Yusti-ah let out a groan and pressed her hand to her forehead. Since she had drunk a lot yesterday, her hangover was quite severe.
At her appearance, Franz let out a chuckle.
Wasn’t Yusti-ah someone who stuck to righteousness to the point of feeling rigid, and always seemed so aloof? He thought he’d never see her suffering from a hangover.
However, who would have known? That amusement was also very brief.
“Phew, I feel a bit better now.”
Yusti-ah’s hand, which was pressing her forehead, was suffused with a bright light, and then she showed her usual expression as if nothing had happened.
It was truly a miracle of God.
Watching that right in front of his eyes, Franz became dazed.
“So she just erased her hangover…?”
It was a well-known fact to everyone that divine power could heal wounds.
In fact, wasn’t it thanks to that power that they were able to preserve their lives and survive the battle with the Demon God?
But he had no idea it could even erase a hangover.
Of course, if a hangover were considered an abnormality in health, it wouldn’t be strange at all, but…
He felt it was somehow unreasonable.
'Why can’t I do it…?'
If the saintess could perform a miracle of God, shouldn’t the saint be able to perform a miracle of God too?
It wasn’t like he wanted to save a dying person; shouldn’t he at least be able to erase a mere hangover?
Lamenting his situation inwardly like that, Franz eventually made his final choice.
“Yusti-ah.”
“Yes?”
“Do that for me too. My head hurts.”
Wasn’t there a saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them'? If he could erase his hangover by bending his pride a little, it was an absolute win.
“Understood. Sit up.”
Franz grabbed his throbbing head and raised his upper body. Then Yusti-ah immediately brought her hand to his forehead.
Her hand began to shine brightly, and at the same time, a lukewarm energy flowed in, which felt quite pleasant. Needless to say, his headache disappeared.
“There, all done.”
Yusti-ah said that and took her hand off Franz’s forehead. Her brightly shining hand had already returned to normal.
Staring at her, Franz thought.
Her face seemed strangely red.
The reason her face was red was that she remembered the situation of hugging Franz earlier, but Franz, the person involved, didn’t know that.
Right after Franz and Yusti-ah made a fuss over their hangovers like that, the other three also woke up from their sleep.
Whether the three hadn’t drunk that much, or they were just naturally strong drinkers, they didn’t seem to have much of a hangover.
Then again, Arian was from the North, where wine was a specialty, and Hera must have frequently drunk fruit wine with the elves. As for Yuna, he wanted to ask if it was even possible for her to get drunk in the first place.
Anyway, it was a relief that there didn’t seem to be any major problems…
“Magic Tower master, shall we have a little talk…?”
“Now…?”
In the end, Franz had to listen to Arian’s nagging.
Saying things like, it was a bit much to have everyone sleep in his room, and what was he going to do drinking without any self-control like that. Every single word was right, so he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
But then, while talking, Arian suddenly blushed. She even stuttered.
Franz found her behavior a bit strange, but he just figured she must be really angry and let it slide.
Actually, the reason Arian blushed was what happened last night, but she had no intention of saying it.
After such a chaotic morning passed, lunchtime arrived.
Everyone was sitting around in the Magic Tower master’s office, having a meal with the special hangover soup Franz had made.
Arian spoke.
“Magic Tower master, what are your plans for today’s schedule?”
Schedule…
Actually, there wasn’t much to do at the Magic Tower anymore. Each department was running normally, and the clerks he had hired before were playing their roles perfectly. At most, it would just be processing a few documents.
But outside of that, a very important task remained.
“I’m thinking of going on an inspection of the territory.”
Since it’s my land, I should visit it at least once.
And help Yuna move while I’m at it.