Chapter 118
While Franz was suffering from the other nobles, the four women were watching him from a short distance away.
Arian said.
“I mean the Magic Tower Master. Doesn’t he seem a bit too excited?”
Her voice was full of bluntness. She didn’t like that Franz was surrounded by other nobles, especially young women.
But how could that be Franz’s fault? It was entirely the fault of the nobles who had flocked to him.
Of course, the nobles' feelings were understandable. Knowing he had received the Title of Duke on top of being the Mage who subjugated the Demon Lord, the Magic Tower Master, and a Saint, they wanted to build a good relationship with him no matter what.
Regardless, the fact that she disliked it remained the same.
And she wasn’t the only one harboring such thoughts.
“To think there would be a day when you and I share the same mind.”
Yustia said that and let out a short sigh.
How could she not sigh when someone who was supposed to be a Cleric was smiling among women? It seemed she would have to be even more thorough with his future education.
However, not everyone was looking at Franz with displeasure like those two.
Yuna carefully studied the reactions of the two who had just spoken and said cautiously.
“I-is that so…? He doesn’t seem to be enjoying it all that much… Hera, what do you think?”
“I don’t particularly care. After all, aren’t the people here those in high positions even among humans? It’s not like they’re trying to become Franz’s slaves.”
At Hera’s calmly spoken words, the three of them wore blank expressions as if they had promised to do so. It was because her reaction was so far beyond their expectations.
“Well, never mind that, let’s just drink some wine among ourselves. It’d be a shame not to when we’ve come all this way, right?”
Arian said so and picked up a glass from the table. Red wine sloshed inside the glass.
Following her action, Yuna and Hera also picked up a glass each. But only one person, Yustia, remained empty-handed. She was hesitating as if unsure about something.
Arian said.
“Are you not going to drink, Saintess?”
“Well, actually, excessive drinking is forbidden by doctrine, you could say…”
“Then shouldn’t it be fine as long as you don’t drink excessively?”
“T-that’s true, but…”
Just as Arian said, touching alcohol itself wasn’t particularly a problem. In fact, Clerics also often accompanied their dinners with a glass of wine.
Right, doctrinally there was no problem at all.
It was just that Yustia had never drunk alcohol once in her entire life.
She hadn’t been particularly interested in it, and drinking itself felt like a form of debauchery, which made her averse to it.
“Then it’s settled. Just try one glass, and if it’s fine, we can drink more.”
Arian pressed a glass into Yustia’s hand.
Having taken the glass in her bewilderment, Yustia looked at the red liquid swaying inside and thought.
'Since it’s a day to celebrate Franz…'
It felt a bit wrong to refuse when Arian was offering it like this. And if everyone else was drinking while she alone didn’t, she felt like she might feel left out.
Right, don’t other people drink about a glass too? There surely wouldn’t be any particular problem.
While Yustia was making such a big decision, Arian said.
“Now then, shall we make a toast to celebrate the Magic Tower Master, even though the Magic Tower Master himself isn’t here?”
Arian, Yuna, Hera, and finally Yustia held out their glasses.
Soon, clink,, the glasses lightly bumped against each other, and a clear, beautiful sound rang out.
After a toast like that was made, all that was left was to drink.
Everyone naturally began to savor the wine, and Yustia, after checking everyone’s reactions, very carefully brought the glass to her lips.
'It’s delicious…?'
Sweet and refreshing, it wasn’t bad at all - no, it was quite delicious. It was to the point where she felt regretful over the years she had rejected it just because it was alcohol.
However, that was the root of the problem. If it had tasted bad, nothing would have happened, but it was so delicious that a problem arose.
Starting from then, Yustia drank the wine as if she were drinking any other beverage. Furthermore, wasn’t this her first time drinking? She was in a state where she didn’t properly know her own alcohol tolerance.
As a result, by the time Franz escaped from the other nobles and arrived among the four of them, she was already quite drunk.
“Yustia?”
“Hic?”
A hiccup sound came in place of an answer. What it implied was clear, so Franz could grasp the situation without even needing to ask.
Soon, his gaze turned to the three who were fidgeting as if they had committed a crime.
“M-Magic Tower Master, we didn’t mean for this to happen. We were just drinking in a good mood together, and it ended up like this…”
“Sorry, I should have stopped her from the side…”
“I failed to pay attention even though I was right next to her. It’s my fault.”
In order, Arian, Yuna, and Hera offered words of reflection.
However, Franz, who received the apologies, was only left feeling bewildered.
'Is there a reason to apologize…?'
The reason Yustia got this drunk was that she drank a lot on her own; it was absolutely not the fault of the people around her.
Of course, it would be a different story if those around her had egged her on or forced her to drink, but the three in front of her weren’t the type to do such a thing.
“It’s fine. It’s not your fault either.”
Franz said so, but the expressions on the three didn’t seem like they would ease up anytime soon. It seemed they thought he was just saying it out of politeness.
Well, he couldn’t do anything about that, so he decided to just let it slide. Time would resolve it on its own.
“I’ll take Yustia out to get some fresh air for a bit.”
Franz said that to the three and headed to the balcony with Yustia.
If there was a silver lining, was it that she didn’t show any signs of being drunk other than her face being a little red?
If she had stumbled around for no reason, it would have drawn the attention of those around them, so it was incredibly fortunate.
Soon, as they stepped out onto the balcony, the cool evening air tickled their skin quite pleasantly.
“Fr, anz…”
Franz turned his head at the voice that suddenly came from Yustia.
She was staring intently at him, as if he had something on his face.
Soon, her mouth opened and her voice flowed out.
“Idiot, dummy, just smiling foolishly at women. Hic-. I hope-! I hope you trip over a rock on the street and fall.”
At the sudden verbal abuse, Franz was left dumbfounded.
But that was all. He didn’t feel bad.
To begin with, he was the type who tried not to pay much mind to the words of a drunk person.
Caring about it was exhausting in its own right.
However, the words that followed might, just a little, linger in his mind.
“You’re annoying… Whenever I look at you, my chest just keeps feeling so tight… Hic-, I even wore these clothes today to look good for you…”
No matter how dense Franz was, he couldn’t help but understand when she put it like this.
But understanding it and having their feelings connect were two separate matters.
'Is she the type to grab the person next to her and confess her love when she gets drunk…?'
Franz recalled a similar situation from his past. There was a woman who had risen to a position of authority at a young age, and whenever there was a social gathering, she would get drunk and confess her love.
Of course, up to that point was fine. One could reveal one’s true feelings by borrowing the courage of alcohol.
But the real problem was after she sobered up. She would always vehemently deny it, claiming she had no idea what he was talking about.
Perhaps the current Yustia was in a similar situation. It was obvious she would bring it up in a drunken state and then fail to remember it come morning.
So let’s not pay it any mind. The words of a drunk person are no different from a dog barking.
'This is why you should learn from your parents…'
Franz, who was about to bring up the thought that one should learn to drink from one’s parents, flinched and immediately erased it from his mind.
Knowing what kind of sorrow Yustia and Yuna had experienced in the past, he absolutely shouldn’t have had such a thought.
Feeling sorry for no reason, Franz roughly tousled Yustia’s hair.
It also contained a bit of meaning for her to reflect on today’s events.
“U-ugh, my head is… shaking…”
She wasn’t going to throw up, was she…?
He really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
How much time had passed on the balcony like that?
Since Yustia seemed to have regained her senses a little, Franz went back inside the banquet hall.
“Is the Saintess okay…?”
Arian asked worriedly. Even though they usually bickered, it seemed their relationship wasn’t bad after all.
And it wasn’t just she; Yuna and Hera were also sending worried glances.
“She seems to be fine now, so don’t worry too much. You guys came all the way to the banquet; you should eat and have fun too.”
“I’m fine, but what about you, Magic Tower Master…”
“I’m fine. I don’t really like these kinds of things anyway.”
Franz answered calmly, but inwardly, he was bothered by their worrying.
So he decided to drink about a glass of wine together with them.
Excluding Yustia, of course.
But who knew that would become the root of the problem?
'Wow, this is incredibly delicious…'
He definitely remembered bringing the wine to his lips while thinking that.
But he couldn’t remember a single thing that happened after that.
Above all.
'Why is everyone sleeping in my bed…?'
The problem was that he had absolutely no memory of the process leading up to the sight unfolding before his eyes then.