Drinking Contest

At the center of the Edward family's living room, the sofa and coffee table had been moved aside. In their place stood a huge round table.

A high-backed chair had been set around the table for each guest. Like the West in Edward's Previous Life, this world used individual servings. So, rather than putting a giant pot in the middle as he would have when eating Hot Pot in his Previous Life, Edward had placed a small pot at every seat. Knives, forks, plates, and wine glasses were neatly arranged beside each pot, along with a pair of chopstick-like tongs. He had seen those in a foreign Chinese restaurant on the internet in his Previous Life.

A huge glass lazy Susan stood in the center of the table, piled with all kinds of sliced beef and mutton, fish fillets, shrimp paste, beef balls, and vegetables. The red and green ingredients looked lovely.

Now came the question of where everyone should sit. He knew nothing about court etiquette in this life, and he wasn't sure whether the rules from his Previous Life would apply here. Monica noticed his awkwardness and calmly led the princess and Alice to seats on either side of the middle. She had Lulu, the maid, sit beside the princess. Lulu didn't dare take the seat until Princess Andrea nodded, then nervously sat down next to her.

Monica then invited Harry's girlfriend to sit beside Alice. She directed Edward to ask the captain of the knights and the Baby-faced Pastor to sit opposite the princess and the young Mage, respectively. Harry was seated between Yini and Elwin. Once the "guests" were seated, Monica pulled out the seat of honor with its back to the fireplace and sat between the princess and Alice, leaving Edward to sit opposite her.

Edward realized that this was exactly like the drinking-table etiquette from his Previous Life. Western etiquette seemed similar, too, except that the long table had been replaced with a round one. But that made him the "second host," while Monica had become the "main host."

Princess Andrea cast a long look at Monica, who had taken on the role of "lady of the house." She was laying a napkin across her lap, her expression rather meaningful.

Only then did Edward remember the saying, "A meal isn't complete without wine." He asked:

"What would you like to drink? I have other beverages, too."

"Wine will do! Lulu can have juice." That was the princess.

"Juice!" Alice called out.

"Beer!" said the captain of the knights.

"Water is fine. Tea, too." That was the Baby-faced Pastor.

"Then I'll have wine with the princess," Monica said.

"I'll have beer, too. Yini can have juice," Harry said.

Edward took a bottle of wine from the Ailande Empire out of his Spatial Ring and handed it to Monica. Then he pulled out a large metal cylinder and set it on the table beside him. It was the sort of keg he'd used for Draught beer in his Previous Life. He asked Harry to help pour the beer, then headed to the Open Kitchen to make fresh juice.

Monica took the wine bottle and examined its label. "Wine from a winery in the lowlands of the Franz Empire, Mr. Smith? Your taste has improved."

Then she turned to the princess. "Your Highness, there's no decanter here. Please forgive our humble accommodations."

Without using any tools, she pressed her thumb against the bottle's neck. The cork popped out. She poured a little wine into the princess's stemmed glass, then poured some for herself.

Once everyone had wine or another drink in their glasses, Monica raised hers and proposed a toast:

"To celebrate the establishment of the Alchemist Branch, and to thank the princess and everyone else for coming, let's drain our glasses!"

When she finished, everyone downed their wine or other drinks.

Edward hadn't liked drinking in his Previous Life. At drinking parties, he'd been as quiet as a block of wood, never knowing what to say. Watching Monica, the "main host," carry herself with such easy confidence, he couldn't help thinking, If only she could settle down a little. She'd make a wonderful wife and housekeeper...

Just then, the captain of the knights drained his large glass of Draught beer. He let out a breath and said:

"Mr. Smith, this beer really hits the spot. But why are there so many bubbles?" In his traditional view, a knight was supposed to drink heartily and eat meat in great mouthfuls. He'd never tasted beer this good before.

"Ah, this is a new recipe from the Dwarf Guild. A few years ago, someone in the Rainforest Country discovered a plant called hops. Adding it to beer makes it bitter, but greatly extends its shelf life and improves its sour, harsh taste. Sailors on seagoing ships love stocking up on it. Now the Dwarf Guild sells it everywhere. You can get it in White Eagle Port, too. As for the bubbles, I added those when I brought the beer back and kegged it. Don't worry—the bubbles are made of the same stuff as the beer's original bubbles, so they're harmless. They just make it taste better, especially when it's chilled," Edward explained.

"Burp—" The captain of the knights belched. Looking at Edward, who was holding a glass of water, he said with a mischievous smile, "Hey, Mr. Smith, why are you only drinking water? You're no ascetic like Elwin. Come on, let's young men drink beer together!"

Edward gave a wry smile. The captain of the knights was obviously trying to get him drunk. But ever since the last time he'd "leveled up by drinking," he'd been afraid to drink. Then an idea struck him. He got up, poured himself a glass of the same beer as the captain's, and began drinking with him.

Meanwhile, Monica was already patiently explaining how to eat Hot Pot and use the chopsticks to the two "guests of honor" beside her. She earnestly taught them how to swish slices of meat and fish in the boiling water for a few seconds to make them taste best. Alice had already gotten the hang of it and was tucking in. Across from her, Princess Andrea ate some cooked mutton and casually asked:

"Miss Monica, what do you do for a living?"

"You mean my profession? I'm an adventurer—a 'treasure hunter,' to be exact," Monica replied naturally.

"Oh? I've never heard of a profession called 'treasure hunter.' Could you tell me more about it?" The princess seemed interested.

"Edward came up with the name 'treasure hunter.' I liked it, so I started using it. My job is to search old books and folk legends for clues, explore ruins, and find treasures and antiques to sell to the wealthy," Monica replied.

"So you're an explorer. Being able to travel the world and explore freely sounds like an enviable profession. Female explorers are rare. You must be exceptionally skilled to find treasure in such dangerous wilderness!" the Knight Princess said with a look of genuine admiration.

"I'm just lucky, I suppose. I always make it back alive. I haven't found any real treasure yet! Otherwise, I'd have made a fortune and wouldn't have to keep wandering around," Monica said, only half joking.

"Well, that depends on what you consider treasure. Sometimes, you might discover that the treasure was right beside you all along," the princess said meaningfully, glancing at Edward, who was competing with the captain of the knights over drinks.

"Is that so? I suppose I'll have to look carefully." Monica took a sip of red wine and glanced across the round table, but the steam rising from the Hot Pot made it hard to see clearly.

Princess Andrea casually noticed a ring on Monica's left middle finger. It looked very old, and Monica had deliberately turned its face toward her palm. But from the princess's seat, the crest on the ring, hidden in Monica's loosely wrapped hand around the stemmed glass, appeared large and clear through the glass... As if suddenly coming back to herself, she continued:

"Where are you headed next, Monica? The Rainforest Country?"

"Yes. A while ago, I heard that an adventuring party had found what looked like a temple in a new rainforest. An old gentleman from the Ailande Empire hired my team to investigate. They say we might find the Fountain of Immortality there!"

"Then I hope you find the ruins! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Meanwhile, Edward was keeping one eye on the captain of the knights and one ear on the conversation between the two beautiful women. Whenever someone looked his way, he hurriedly turned back to the captain of the knights and nervously urged him to drink.

The captain of the knights had already downed seven or eight glasses of beer. Reinhardt had no idea that alcohol could be distinguished by its Alcohol content. The beer in front of him was Edward's doctored brew, with a whopping 13 percent alcohol. His face was flushed, and he was already getting a little dizzy. He wondered whether he should use his Battle Qi to dispel the effects of the alcohol. But then he thought, I'm a Great Knight, for heaven's sake. Using Battle Qi to compete at drinking with a frail Alchemist would be humiliating. Let's see how long you can hold out, kid.

Before long, the keg of Draught beer was empty. Reinhardt, who'd been drinking more and eating less, started sliding beneath the table. Meanwhile, the sneaky Alchemist had gone to the bathroom twice and was otherwise perfectly fine.

Pastor Elwin, sipping tea nearby, saw through what was happening. While the captain of the knights lay on the table belching and Edward was in the bathroom, he secretly took a spoonful of the "beer" from Edward's glass and tasted it. Well, that's strange. It looks like beer and tastes a little like beer, but why doesn't it taste alcoholic?

When Edward returned from the bathroom, he saw the squinty-eyed pastor looking at him in confusion. He poured Elwin a glass and said, "Here, give it a try. I made this drink myself. It's called Kvas. It's a lot like beer, but it has no Alcohol. Even children can drink it, and it's very nutritious."

The Baby-faced Pastor took a tentative sip. It really was delicious. He casually asked, "What's it made from?"

"It's brewed from fermented bread."

"Could this be the 'syrup' mentioned in ancient books in Dan Shi Hu Jiang?" the pastor asked as he drank.

"More or less, though that one was sour."

"You're awful!" the squinty-eyed pastor said, nodding toward Reinhardt, who had slid beneath the table.

"Casters aren't allowed to drink Alcohol. It's one of the rules for Casters! How could an honest Caster like me break the rules?" The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

By afternoon, the young and handsome captain of the knights had been hauled onto the sofa by Edward and was fast asleep. Pastor Elwin had already said his goodbyes. He'd only come today for a good meal. He'd gotten his wish, seen a few entertaining scenes, and added a little fun to the quiet, dull life of an ascetic. Alice went out with him, perhaps hoping to see what a pastor did at the hospital in the afternoon. Princess Andrea sent Lulu off to "attend to" Miss Alice.

Harry and his girlfriend were getting restless, but they felt awkward about leaving. Edward told them they could go ahead and leave him to handle things. The table was a complete mess, and things across from him had started to get strange.

At first, the two beautiful women at the seats of honor seemed to be getting along splendidly. Then, when the bottle of red wine was empty, they asked Edward for beer. He had no choice and didn't dare try to fool them with his homemade Kvas. So he brought out another keg of beer and swapped their glasses for large ones. The two beauties began competing at drinking, draining glass after glass. Before long, the second keg of Draught beer was empty.

By then, the two women had gone from sitting elegantly to sitting like men with their legs spread wide. They pounded their large beer mugs against the table, shouting at the new chairman to hurry up and refill them. Their faces, necks, and arms had turned pink. Maybe it was too hot in the room, but both women were glistening with sweat. The sight was irresistibly alluring.

Edward thought he was seeing and hearing things. Was Saber from Type-Moon drinking with Tifa from Final Fantasy? Or were Natsu and Gray from Fairy Tail women, competing at drinking? In any case, the scene had become bizarre! He was about to step forward and tell them to stop drinking, but both women glared at him fiercely. The new chairman could only tremble as he went to pour more. Even though Edward poured as slowly as possible to slow them down, the second keg was soon empty, too.

At last, the two beauties began to slow down. Alcohol fumes rose from their bodies as they sat facing each other. Almost at the same time, a faint golden glow appeared around them, and wisps of Steam rose from their skin. They were using Battle Qi to dispel the effects of the alcohol. It was like two martial arts heroes from the wuxia novels of Edward's Previous Life competing in internal energy. And Edward had become the waiter pouring drinks beside them.

That was how drinking contests worked, especially when it came to beer: whoever "sprayed" first, or went to the bathroom first, lost. At that moment, the two were evenly matched.

Edward grumbled inwardly, Hoh—now they're Brother Qiao and Duan Yu competing at drinking. But Six Meridians Divine Sword wasn't this flashy. Is this "Brother Qiao versus Brother Qiao"? Honestly, why do I have so many thoughts? Can't you just write about how the beauties are feeling right now? He stared at the sky, speechless...

Finally, just before dark, Lulu and Alice returned. The contest was reaching its final moments. The two beauties' faces grew paler and paler, while their eyes grew brighter and brighter. As Edward went to open the door for Alice, Monica suddenly slumped onto the table, drained. Princess Andrea smiled and made a victory sign, then tilted her head and fainted in her chair.

In the end, Princess Andrea was helped to the waiting carriage by her maid, Lulu, and Alice, who was cursing, "Edward, you jerk! You let my sister drink so much..." The captain of the knights, whom Edward had woken up, hurried to the bathroom to relieve himself, then jogged to catch up with the three women, who had already left. Before going, he turned back and gave Edward a look that said, "You dare trick me? Just you wait."

Once they were in the carriage and had gone some distance, the "unconscious" princess suddenly sat up, looking perfectly clear-headed.

"Andrea, you were pretending to be drunk?" Alice asked.

"Yes. It was a duel between 'knights'!" the princess replied.

"With whom? Monica? How did a drinking contest like that count as a duel between knights? Didn't you say she definitely wasn't a knight?" Alice asked, confused.

"No, now I'm sure—she's a knight! A genuine Great Knight. But I won!" A smug smile curved the princess's lips...

Work wasn't busy today, so I wrote a little extra. Here's a 4,000-word chapter! I'd also like to ask for your support through investments. Just a few more people investing, and the novel will get a small-scale promotion. Don't you want more people to join in and make fun of it together?