Volume 6 Chapter 49 Interlude - The Knight and the Young Lady III
The welcome party thrown for the Hartfield Knight squad was a chaotic yet enjoyable feast.
In addition to the hearty dishes prepared by the Knight squad, the secret stash of liquor brought in by Robert and 3 other senior Knights turned the celebration into a lively affair.
(Luke couldn't help but notice the ridiculously large magic bag.)
With a wry smile, Luke watched as one of the senior Knights pulled a barrel from the depths of the bag.
He wondered if this was really appropriate for their role as guards, but the Knight squad from the Gardner family welcomed it with open arms.
When strong men and copious amounts of alcohol came together, it was only natural that drinking contests would start.
The notorious heavy drinkers of the Gardner Knight squad squared off against the Hartfield Knight squad.
Neither side was willing to back down, adding even more excitement to the festivities.
Amidst the ruckus, Luke had slightly distanced himself, tilting his cup and gazing at the moon beyond the window.
"You drinking?"
He turned to Robert, who had thrown an arm around his shoulder, and replied with a wry smile, "Yeah, just a bit," while flicking his fingers against the fruit-infused water in front of him.
Though it was a fun celebration, he didn't feel inclined to drink any more alcohol at that moment.
"You're still on duty, after all──"
"Don't worry about it. We haven't forgotten our mission."
Robert smacked him on the shoulder, still smiling, but the wine in his hand told another story.
Yet despite the drink, his steady gaze and clear tone suggested he was far from intoxicated.
"Drink but don't get drunk, right?"
With a grin, Robert pulled out a small bottle filled with a clear liquid from his pocket.
"If you're worried, you can take this."
"What's this?"
"A special potion from the Saintly Lady──supposedly, it prevents you from getting tipsy."
Robert shrugged, chuckling as he mentioned that it was still in the experimental stage, though some had volunteered to test its effects.
The moment he spoke, roars of laughter and cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd.
"Looks like they're really into it."
Just as Robert turned to check it out, it happened.
"The Saintly Lady's, huh..."
Luke couldn't help but smile as he uncorked the bottle and took a swig.
"Ah, if you drink that much at once──"
Robert's face turned pale, and Luke instinctively loosened his grip on the bottle.
"Was it bad...?"
Luke pulled at the corner of his lips.
"Maybe it was expensive..." he muttered, carefully placing the bottle on the table.
But Robert shook his head, the price wasn't the issue.
"It's just incredibly potent. Saintly Lady says it works on the organs that absorb alcohol, suppressing the absorption. Meaning the alcohol just comes out as urine..."
Robert chuckled wryly, telling Luke about how the Knight who'd tested it had to pee every 5 minutes.
As Robert said, Catherine's suspicious concoction was a Holy Magic-infused remedy that inhibited the liver's alcohol absorption, expelling the alcohol from the body instead of breaking it down.
Catherine, who had once spent days in a small village curing villagers' hangovers, had created this invaluable medicine as a cure for drunkenness.
"So..."
"Yeah. You pee out the exact amount of alcohol you drank. Plus, it flushes out other fluids too."
"Really?"
"Really."
Robert chuckled again and tossed Luke a bottle of water.
"Take this. Go keep it near the latrine for now."
If you couldn't stop peeing and were also losing other fluids, dehydration was the real worry.
Luke, despite Robert's suggestion, grabbed the water bottle and headed out of the Knight's quarters.
He should have used the latrine in the Knight's quarters, but it would probably be crowded soon.
He didn't want to be a bother to the other Knights, so he decided to use the latrine near the stables.
Besides, he just wanted a little bit of night air.
Luke stepped outside, holding the water bottle.
A slightly cool night breeze brushed against his cheeks.
The slightly warm feeling in his body was soothed by the cool air, and Luke found himself gazing up at the night sky.
"How far I've come..."
It wasn't hard to understand why he felt that way.
He had become a Knight to repay Victor for saving him, and at Alan's suggestion, he came to Hartfield.
As a result, he found himself alone in a strange land, gazing at the moon.
To make matters worse, he found himself in a predicament where he wouldn't be able to leave the restroom in just a few minutes.
"What in the world am I doing...?"
Luke couldn't help but let out a wry smile, but then he noticed a commotion near the gate.
Curious, he moved closer, and the source of the noise hit his ears like a wave.
"Please, just a glance──"
The desperate cry was anything but ordinary, prompting Luke to quicken his pace.
In the shadows, as he neared the gate, he saw a woman engaged in a heated argument with the gatekeeper.
"Please, Sir Fried──"
"I told you, that's not possible."
"Is something wrong?"
As the two continued their exchange, Luke felt compelled to speak up, though he felt a bit guilty interrupting.
The gatekeeper glanced awkwardly at the knight from another territory, shaking his head and muttering, "It's nothing," while the woman gripped the gate's bars tightly.
"Hey, let go of her!"
As the gatekeeper tried to pry the woman away, Luke intervened, saying, "Let's not be rough."
Being from another household, he couldn't scold the gatekeeper too harshly, but the man's reluctance to treat the woman roughly seemed to weaken his grip.
"Now, my lady, would you mind telling me what's happened?"
The woman was momentarily dazzled by Luke's flawless smile, but just as she began to speak, "Actually..."
"What's going on? It's quite noisy."
An elderly man emerged from the mansion.
He was short but stood tall, and the gatekeeper panicked, quickly pulling the woman away from the gate, exclaiming, "Sir Nicholas!"
(Nicholas... wasn't he the steward of this household?)
Luke pondered this as the steward, Nicholas, approached, bowing and saying, "I apologize for this unsightly scene."
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