Chapter 154

Alcohol has a history so long it could almost be considered a part of humanity itself.

Many of the brewing methods have survived since thousands of years ago, and the production processes themselves are mostly similar.

Moreover, in the past, there was hardly any clean water, so people used alcohol as a substitute. It was also a means to lighten the mood or create a festive atmosphere.

But as they say, too much of a good thing leads to problems, and when someone drinks too much, trouble is guaranteed.

Even a usually composed person can cause a ruckus, and in severe cases, crime might even occur.

Thus, alcohol plays various roles in human civilization, whether positive or negative.

“…Sivar?”

“Hmm?”

“You seem a bit drunk; are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Is he really okay? Luna thought.

She already knew Sivar had arrived at the banquet. He had just been slow to greet people while meeting various guests.

Then, during a brief break, Kara had come to find her, asking her to keep an eye on Sivar as she needed to socialize.

At first, she didn’t understand why he needed watching, but now that they were together, she could see the reason.

“It’s tasty.”

“Are you drinking too much?”

“I’m not drunk. I’m fine.”

Sivar was drinking way too much—enough to make anyone watching worry.

He would drink a glass, refill it shortly after, and then chat a bit before drinking more.

The banquet had a variety of drinks, but Sivar was only picking the sweet ones.

He claimed that he doesn’t like bitter drinks or something like that. Luna was also sipping some alcohol but definitely wasn’t overdoing it.

“Isn’t he really going to get drunk at this rate?”

“Not sure… I’m a little worried.”

Eli, who had approached, voiced her concern, and Luna agreed with her.

Regardless of the worry, Sivar was holding a bottle and pouring it into his glass every now and then.

He occasionally tried to chug straight from the bottle, a so-called “hospitality drink,” and she managed to stop him somehow.

Considering the rumors about him being a wild one, she thought she could let some things slide, but he at least had to maintain some decorum.

“Have a drink too. Here.”

“Uh… thanks.”

“And Eli too.”

What was even funnier was that he wasn’t just drinking by himself but also sharing with others.

His somewhat tipsy face trying to offer drinks was both cute and amusing, and Eli couldn’t help but giggle as she accepted.

“Luna, this is your first time drinking, right?”

“Well, I’ve secretly tried some before, watching adults drink. I woke up the next day with a terrible headache. What about you?”

“This is my first time. So I’m trying to drink moderately. Mom said that if you get drunk at a place like this, you’ll wake up in bed with a man the next day.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“With a guy.”

“…”

Luna became somewhat uncomfortable. She immediately understood what Eli was implying.

Then again, alcohol does have that effect. It’s an excellent drink for bringing out honest emotions and desires hidden within.

Plus, Eli was stunning, not to mention her fantastic figure. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone with ulterior motives approached her.

“Hello there, beautiful ladies. May I have a moment of your time?”

Just like that. Luna turned her attention to the man who had approached uninvited.

With the cheesy line and his face, he appeared to be an aristocrat.

His expression seemed friendly enough, but Luna could tell his gaze was fixated on Eli.

‘His focus keeps shifting…’

It was inevitable for men to be like that, but he was too obvious. He probably thought he was better than Sivar, knowing Eli was a commoner.

Sivar was completely ignoring him. Did he think he could outdo Sivar?

Just as Luna was about to politely decline the man’s advances, Sivar cut in.

“Leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just leave.”

Sivar, who suddenly commanded like a boss, had a slight blush on his face, indicating he might be a bit tipsy.

Given his naturally pale skin, the blush stood out even more, giving him a strangely vibrant look.

“…Excuse me, but on what grounds are you saying that?”

“Breasts.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re looking at Eli’s breasts. Go away.”

One thing is for certain: Sivar was definitely drunk, at least a little bit.

Normally, he would’ve said that calmly, but his voice was just a tad louder now. It showed he was losing control a bit.

Maybe that was why? His voice was drawing attention from the surrounding crowd bit by bit.

The man seemed flustered as he looked around, then twisted his face into a grimace and moved away.

He must have thought it was better to avoid conflict with a crazy guy like Sivar.

“Look at that. Just imagine waking up in a bed with a guy like that after getting totally drunk the night before… I can’t even think how awful that would be.”

“Exactly. We should keep an eye on our drinks.”

“It’s tasty.”

Regardless of the conversation, Sivar poured more alcohol into his glass. It’s bad manners to pour straight from the bottle, but nobody cared.

At this point, it was getting concerning. No matter how resilient Sivar was, he would definitely get drunk if he kept this up.

Moreover, the alcohol wasn’t exactly weak. Usually, nobody drinks a whole bottle by themselves.

“Sivar, don’t you think it’s time to stop drinking?”

“Nope.”

“Just leave it. If you pass out, we can take you home.”

“Hmm…”

Could Eli really handle a completely wasted Sivar?

Luna didn’t think he would do anything strange to Eli, but holding him would be a challenge for her alone, so they planned to take him together later. Or ask someone else for help.

‘He doesn’t seem like he’ll pass out anytime soon.’

His body was so sturdy that he seemed likely to wake up quickly even when drunk.

At the moment, he was drinking way more than he was falling over, so maybe after a little rest, he’d be fine.

‘By the way, there are so many people here.’

Luna held a wine glass in one hand and looked around. It was definitely a first-year banquet, and many people were in attendance.

Among them, certain individuals stood out the most. Those were Kara, dressed in dancer attire, and high-ranking officials visiting from the Eastern Empire.

Kara in her dance costume was one thing, but the people visiting from the East were in traditional attire instead of dresses.

Overall, their clothing was mainly black with hints of red mixed in. The sashes that secured their waists were golden.

And they had flowers adorning their hair. They stood out in a different kind of way compared to Kara.

‘Wasn’t there talk of a princess from the Hwan Empire?’

That’s what the rumors said. Only people from the Hwan Empire would wear clothing suitable for the Eastern look.

She didn’t know why they had come to the first-year banquet. They were probably here to scout promising talents.

It wasn’t something she needed to concern herself with anyway.

‘My mentor wore an outfit like that once…’

Suddenly, she thought of her mentor, the one who had taught her. She remembered that her mentor also wore a similar type of attire.

Though she couldn’t see her face because of a mask with a smiling expression, the clothing was certainly distinct.

She wished she could just ask her mentor about it right away, but she didn’t have the courage to do so.

“Oh. I finished it all.”

“…What?”

Just when she was absentmindedly staring at the princess of the Hwan Empire, Sivar had polished off an entire bottle.

She and Eli had barely managed to finish a single glass, yet he had finished one by himself. How much did he drink?

“I want more.”

“You should probably stop drinking now…”

“Nope.”

One of Sivar’s defining traits: he was extremely stubborn, especially when it came to food and drink.

Luna sighed as she watched Sivar moving with a bottle in hand.

If she just let this go, he’d probably cause some trouble. Especially since it was a banquet with so many guests.

The embarrassment of black history aside, it could negatively impact how people viewed Sivar.

“Eli, stay here for a sec. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay. I need to visit the bathroom for a bit.”

Luna hurriedly followed Sivar, who was making a beeline for the alcohol area.

As she followed, she noticed they were near the Hwan Empire princess again, but the princess didn’t seem to be paying attention.

‘But where are her bodyguards? Is she really alone?’

Usually, a princess wouldn’t be without guards. But maybe since it was the academy, there weren’t any around.

She couldn’t see anyone near the princess who could be considered a guard. There might be one person, but they seemed far away.

For a moment, Luna wondered if this was really the princess, but seeing her plain yet extravagant clothing, she was half convinced.

‘Well, not my business.’

Luna turned her gaze to where Sivar had arrived. He was reaching for a bottle of alcohol placed on the table.

The bottle was still sealed with a cork. It looked like a corkscrew would be needed.

“Sivar, this needs a corkscrew—”

Pop!

But Sivar didn’t use a corkscrew; he pulled the cork out with his bare hands. Luna was momentarily taken aback.

They say if you’re healthy, you don’t need to struggle with your head, but how do you even describe this?

While Luna was momentarily stunned, Sivar poured the drink into his glass, which had a hint of red in it, making it look tempting.

“Just this one and then we stop, okay? Got it?”

“Okay.”

“Alright, now… where to look?”

He brought the alcohol, which was good, but Sivar was eyeing someone else.

If he was looking at Kara or Grace, she wouldn’t be too worried, but that wasn’t the case. He was staring at someone totally random.

So, Luna turned her head to see where Sivar’s gaze was aimed. There stood the princess of the Hwan Empire, who they had seen before.

‘When did she come here?’

Was she perhaps here looking for a drink? Luna felt a little flustered.

During that time, the Hwan Empire princess had bitten her lip and softly muttered,

“Ugh, this sucks. I can’t deal with this.”

“…?”

Luna couldn’t understand what she was saying since she was mumbling in the Language of the Eastern Empire.

Being from the Matra Empire, Luna only knew the language of her homeland and the common tongue.

Even with different intonations, she couldn’t grasp the nuance at all. There’s no helping that the languages from the East and West are fundamentally different.

“‘This sucks?’”

“…Huh?”

“Hmm?”

But Sivar, on the other hand, understood. For reasons unknown, he was grasping everything the princess said.

It would have been fine if that was all, but the danger was that he spoke back.

At that moment, both the princess of the Hwan Empire and Luna looked at Sivar.

“Want a drink?”

“What?”

“Drink this; it makes you feel good.”

Sivar confidently offered her a drink.

“Hehe.”

With a slightly tipsy, goofy smile on his face.

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