Chapter 268

“How did you end up drinking halfway out?”

Watching Leon, who was completely red in the face and wobbling on his feet as he emerged from the storage room, the Red-haired Bureau Director, who had been squatting there for half a day, couldn’t help but sarcastically say, “Our Your Royal Highness must have found drinking alone boring and decided to come out to find some pretty girls to drink with and cheer up, right?”

“Ye…ah…”

To the surprise of the Red-haired Bureau Director, instead of blushing shyly in embarrassment at her sarcasm, Leon nodded forcefully and then staggered closer, his eyes hazy as he grinned and said, “Drinking alone…isn’t much fun. It’s better when someone joins…I think…you’d be great…”

“…”

Oh-ho?

After hearing Leon’s words, the Red-haired Bureau Director looked at the hand resting on her shoulder, couldn’t help but slightly raise an eyebrow, and immediately narrowed her beautiful fox-like eyes.

You bastard, you didn’t share your good wine with me, and now that you’re drunk, you’re hitting on me? How is this any different from other women using my husband to have children and then making me raise them? “Alright~ Whatever Your Royal Highness says goes~”

Grabbing Leon’s hand and pulling it onto her shoulder, the Red-haired Bureau Director half-carried the tipsy Leon towards her office while suggesting,

“But I don’t really drink much. However, I know someone who drinks quite well. Would you like her to join you?”

“No…it’s fine…”

As they passed by her own office and approached Emma Senior’s office, the drunken Leon chuckled foolishly and then said,

“You two together…more people…livelier!”

“…”

Want livelier? Alright! I’ll give you lively! The Red-haired Bureau Director glanced sideways at the heavily intoxicated Leon and couldn’t help but smirk. She then pushed open Emma’s office door and walked in with the drunken Leon.

“Leon? How much have you had to drink?”

Seeing Leon’s state, Emma, who was writing a report behind her desk, couldn’t help but look surprised and then shot a slightly reproachful glance at the Red-haired Bureau Director.

All this is because of you. That steady and reliable Leon from before has almost become a drunkard thanks to you!

What does this have to do with me? I didn’t even hold a bottle…uh…I almost didn’t force-feed him alcohol. Most of the time, he wanted to drink himself. I’m at most fifty percent responsible.

Giving Emma a speechless look, the Red-haired Bureau Director blinked and then used her eyes to “convey” a message mischievously:

By the way, Emma, remember that time when I was drunk and insisted on cuddling with you to sleep? You woke me up directly. Come on, use that trick on him to sober him up! Not good? Leon might develop psychological trauma.

No problem, it’s just helping him quit drinking. This idiot just wanted to hug left and right and have both of us accompany him. Scaring him will teach him a lesson.

Really? Would Leon say such things? Are you lying to me?

…

“I haven’t…had much…just one sip from each of those thousand bottles…oh, Emma Senior!”

Just as the Red-haired Bureau Director and Emma were exchanging opinions through their stares, Leon seemed to regain some clarity. He then let go of the arm on the Red-haired Bureau Director’s shoulder, stepped forward, and grabbed Emma’s hand.

“I’ve always…wanted to thank you.”

After delivering an unexpected opening statement, Leon grasped Emma’s soft, pale hand and said with gratitude: “Ever since I joined the Clearing Bureau, you’ve helped me a lot—giving me suitable weapons, teaching me how to carry out tasks, and tirelessly telling me how to ensure my safety during missions… Oh, and Director!”

In the somewhat stunned expression of the Red-haired Bureau Director, Leon let go and turned back to look at her, his blurred drunken eyes full of gratitude:

“If it weren’t for Director allowing me to join the Clearing Bureau, I probably wouldn’t be here now… Moreover, I’ve always kept Director’s care for me in mind and never forgotten it.

“…”

This…how suddenly are you saying such heartfelt things? It’s truly…embarrassing…

Receiving Emma’s reproachful glare that clearly said “You’re definitely bluffing; Leon would never say such things,” the Red-haired Bureau Director, feeling a warm glow inside, couldn’t help but sigh in resignation, abandoning her plan to mercilessly tease Leon. Unfortunately…

“Unfortunately, Director also has many flaws.”

Having consumed over a thousand types of alcohol, Leon, who was already swaying on his feet, bluntly criticized without restraint: “The Director is very reliable when not drinking, but once drunk, the Director’s brain becomes as simple as a female monkey’s, unable to accommodate anything beyond drinking, drinking, drinking. When the mood strikes, even my dog passing by gets caught and forced to drink a couple of shots; Moreover, if the Director holds back from drinking, she can’t help but seek other entertainment, teasing people with mean-spirited words, and besides, she holds grudges, is particularly petty, and keeps giving me bad advice…”

“…”

Looks like I really need to sober you up. If you keep going like this, Olivia might actually hold a grudge against you.

Listening to Leon’s relentless criticism, watching the increasingly darkening face of the Red-haired Bureau Director, Emma couldn’t help but smile despite herself. She then reached out and gently scratched Leon’s thumb with her fingernail.

“Huh?”

An incredible event occurred that shocked Emma. Although she could still normally touch Leon’s hand, the scratch that should have caused intense pain to his soul twisted strangely and directly dissolved into a false illusion, as if she had never activated the anomalous item.

What’s going on?! The Red-haired Bureau Director noticed this strange scene too and frowned in confusion. Then, she snapped her fingers, and several strands of crimson hair quietly detached and quickly wrapped around Leon’s hand.

However, the same scene repeated itself. After a strange distortion, the [Slaughter Blood Hair] vanished into thin air, leaving Leon’s wrist empty again…

?!!! Even numbered-level anomalies don’t work?!

“Leon! Wake up!”

Upon discovering a serious anomaly, the Red-haired Bureau Director quickly grabbed Leon’s shoulders and shook him hard as he started to drift off. With a serious expression, she asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Huh? What…what’s wrong?”

“Of course, it’s your condition! Why do Emma’s and my anomalous items get forcibly restored when they touch you?”

“You mean this…”

Hearing the Red-haired Bureau Director’s question, the sleepy Leon chuckled.

“I’ve ascended, floating.”

…

[Immortal Drunkard (Unique – Pale Yellow – Cannot Upgrade): Savoring fine wines between lips and teeth, wind knives and frost swords ceaselessly clash, sorrow clouds stretch a thousand miles, all swept away by a single cup.]

[Equipping Effect: After consuming alcoholic beverages weighing more than your body weight, you will enter the special state “Drunken Life Dream Death.”]

[Drunken Life Dream Death: During intoxication, all attacks that harm your physical body will dissolve into illusions upon contact; all attacks that harm your soul will be entirely expelled by the drunken haze.

In exchange for immunity to all forms of harm, during the duration of “Drunken Life Dream Death,” you cannot use any form of attack outside of your physical body, and due to the soul being clouded by drunkenness, your thought processing speed is forcibly reduced by 90%, making it difficult to control your actions and words through reason.]

[Ascension Path: Already at the highest level, cannot ascend further.]

[Hidden Trait (No Need to Equip): Aside from “Drunken Life Dream Death,” you will never get drunk again.]

(End of Chapter)