Clang!
The glass goblets collided, producing a crisp, pleasant sound. Fine bubbles rose in the pale golden champagne, making it look especially lovely under the lights.
By comparison, Luther's glass of plain water seemed rather lacking. After seeing two corpses while drunk before, he no longer dared to casually try alcohol.
"Hey, Luther, aren't you being a little excessive? This banquet was specially held for you, and you're not even having a sip?"
Leonard teased with a smile.
"Ah, sorry."
Luther had no choice but to explain, "After I drink, I tend to become mentally unstable and see strange things, so I can't drink."
After he said that, the atmosphere at the banquet immediately cooled somewhat.
Losing control was one of the things every Beyonder least wanted to encounter, and Luther happened to be a Beyonder on a particularly dangerous pathway. With that explanation, naturally no one urged him to drink again, but the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Even Leonard, usually so frivolous, wore an embarrassed expression as if he had misspoken.
"It's fine. Everyone, don't mind me."
Seeing this, Luther smiled. "I'm usually all right. It's just that things happen after I drink... Maybe I need to further master the potion to reduce its effects. It should be better after some time. Then we can drink together."
After that, he repeatedly raised his glass and symbolically clinked with every colleague, exchanging a few jokes with each of them. Only then did the atmosphere gradually improve. When Luther clinked glasses with Klein, the latter seemed somewhat hesitant, as though he wanted to say something. But he quickly concealed it, and Luther did not press him.
Captain Dunn was the last to clink glasses with him.
"Old Neil wrote to me."
Dunn chuckled. "He said he felt at ease working at the Goddess's church. He had let go of his regrets about the past, and he had been sleeping soundly lately."
"That couldn't be better."
Luther replied.
"If Old Neil were still here, he definitely would have lavished praise on this steak." Rozanne cut off a juicy piece of steak and sighed after tasting it. Yet despite saying that, she set down her knife and fork without eating or drinking, her eyes fixed on the meat on the table.
"Unfortunately, he isn't here." Ms. Siga Teon, who had quite the air of a writer, said, "So eat a little more for his sake."
"But I still need to lose weight..."
Rozanne wavered a little.
"It's all right. You'll be eating it on Old Neil's behalf."
"Ms. Siga, you're right!"
Rozanne affirmed Siga's words, then lowered her head and began eating voraciously.
Everyone chatted and laughed through the meal, speaking of recent amusing incidents and everyday life. The scene was exceptionally lively.
Luther returned to his seat and began focusing on the food before him. The exhaustion from training had dulled his appetite, but reason told him that he had to eat something. He could only cut the steak into small pieces, put a little less into his mouth each time, chew a few times at random, then use thick soup and water to help swallow it. After eating like that for a while, his appetite gradually improved, and in the end, he finally cleared all the food before him.
The waiters brought after-dinner desserts, and the colleagues who had already eaten their fill began chatting idly. Siga spoke with Rozanne about the hardships of writing novels, Klein and Leonard discussed poetry, and even the aloof Royale exchanged occasional words with the stern-faced Frye.
The wine was good and the feast was good, but everything had to end eventually. Seeing that everyone had eaten about enough, Dunn, as captain, raised his glass once more. "All right, everyone. At the end of the banquet, let us raise our glasses to Luther once again."
Everyone raised their glasses at the same time and looked toward Luther, smiles on every face.
Luther stood with his glass in hand, looked at his colleagues' smiling faces, and let out a soft breath.
"Thank you, everyone."
He said it sincerely.
Besides a reduced appetite, another consequence of physical training was muscle soreness. It had not been much of a problem that day, but when Luther woke up the next morning, it was nearly unbearable. Even getting out of bed became extremely difficult. Fortunately, his younger sister Cecilia had learned massage while taking care of him before. She massaged his entire body and loosened his muscles, making him feel a little better.
Because of the Lanevus incident, they had been unable to go to the theater last weekend, so they changed their plans to this weekend.
Over the next few days, Luther's life became rather regular. In the morning, he first reported to the company, then studied mysticism until lunch and rest. In the afternoon, he first practiced shooting at the range, then went with Klein to train under their combat instructor, Gawain.
"Your foundation in mysticism is pretty much complete."
That morning, Klein smiled at Luther. "It's time to combine it with practice."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Luther became interested upon hearing that.
"Don't get too excited. It's just an underground market related to mysticism." Klein smiled. "I'll take you there to look around and buy some materials. When we get back, I'll teach you how to make a Sleep Charm."
"That's an excellent idea."
Luther said happily. He knew about Sleep Charms. When Royale controlled Hanass back then, she had used one to control him. Although Luther had the more convenient Servant's Bell, its origin was difficult to explain, so it was best not to use it in front of his colleagues.
The two took a public carriage and chatted all the way in the swaying compartment until it reached the dock district of Tingen City, where they got off.
"How has your control over the potion been lately?"
As they chatted, Klein casually brought up the matter of potions.
"Not bad. As long as I rest normally, I won't hear anything strange."
Luther answered casually as well, but he began to wonder what his colleague was trying to say.
"Mm."
Klein walked a few more steps, then turned to look at him. "You know, I've been working as a diviner at the Divination Club lately."
"I heard about it from someone."
Luther nodded. As a Seer who truly possessed extraordinary powers, Klein going to a place like that was simply overwhelming the competition. Besides, he went so often that he had surely earned quite a bit of extra money.
"When I do divinations for people at the club and guide them through their confusion, I always feel that the potion's influence inside me lessens."
Klein continued.
Hm?
Luther sensed that something was off. He could not help stopping and looking at Klein.
Was he... hinting at the Acting Method?
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that when I do things according to my potion's name, the potion seems to become more compatible with my body." Klein smiled and continued giving Luther an obvious hint. "So I thought perhaps you could try it too, acting according to your potion's name... Maybe that way, the potion's effects on you will lessen considerably."
He really knew the Acting Method, and he took the initiative to tell me about it!
Ah, right. At the last banquet, he probably had a similar idea.
Luther thought to himself, finally understanding the meaning behind Klein's strange microexpression earlier.
Before you continue