Harvest: Charlotte's Bond!

The two were sitting so close that Charlotte could clearly feel Carl's breath.

She felt her whole body go weak, her face flushing slightly, while her ears burned even hotter.

But at this moment, she could only comfort herself that it was surely just the alcohol's effect.

Charlotte's eyes turned stern, though her tone carried a trace of unease.

"Y-you, why are you sitting so close to me?"

Carl immediately waved his hand and pointed at Sol Marron beside them, saying:

"Who told her to take up two stools all by herself with that big butt?

This is the only seat left.

If I don't sit here, where am I supposed to sit?"

Carl spoke with perfect justification.

For a moment, Charlotte had no retort.

It was just that Carl's breath made her feel too weak to gather any strength.

Still, Charlotte said firmly,

"Fine, we'll drink. But that Magic Stone will be mine in the end."

[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining Charlotte's bond! Bond favorability multiplier: 2x]

Carl nodded.

"It doesn't matter if I give it to you.

After all, swallowing a Magic Stone can more or less improve your body's resistance.

"No matter what kind of resistance it is, it will definitely help suppress that weakened state where blue flowers grow from your thorns."

Upon hearing Carl's words, Charlotte froze completely.

She had never expected that Carl, whom she had only met once, would remember every detail about her.

And did consuming Magic Stone fragments really work?

If it did, it would definitely be a secret technique not easily revealed to others.

Yet Carl had told her so openly, even lowering his voice for her.

Charlotte's heart began pounding uncontrollably.

She said with a slight stammer,

"D-don't talk nonsense... Let's settle this by drinking."

Carl merely shrugged indifferently.

Yami Sukehiro looked at the three contestants who had suddenly joined the table, and excitement flashed in his eyes.

He had not seen a contest like this in a long time.

"Come on, drink up!"

Yami Sukehiro threw his head back and poured liquor straight into his mouth.

Carl, sitting nearby, smiled faintly.

He gently set his coat aside, revealing his muscular upper body.

Charlotte immediately did not know where to look.

When the other patrons in the tavern saw Carl, they instantly erupted into cheers.

"This guy is way too handsome!"

"Those biceps are giving me goosebumps!"

"And those abs! That V-line!"

"Good lord, if young ladies saw this, wouldn't they go crazy?"

Charlotte snorted coldly at their words and swept her gaze over the crowd.

Yet her eyes still secretly drifted toward Carl's abs from time to time.

Carl raised his glass.

"Glug—glug—"

He drained it in one gulp.

Asta, beside him, immediately gave him a thumbs-up.

"Nice one, Carl!

I always thought that aside from being handsome and strong, you didn't have any other good points.

I never expected you to be so amazing at drinking juice too!"

"Come on! Let's see who drinks faster!"

Asta roared, stepping right onto his stool. He lifted the enormous mug and tipped it back, chugging wildly with loud gulps.

Yuno's eyes were full of concern.

Competing in beer-drinking with such monsters was genuinely putting enormous pressure on him.

At this point, Yuno could only take tiny sips.

But the moment the wheat juice entered his mouth, its bitterness made it truly hard to swallow.

Asta, on the other hand, grew more excited the more he drank.

One massive beer mug after another was nearly as large as his head.

Yet Asta simply picked them up and chugged them down. His physical constitution was absurdly powerful.

The sight completely roused Yami Sukehiro's competitive spirit as well.

He flicked away his cigarette butt, grabbed a mug, and began drinking.

Watching them, Charlotte's expression gradually stiffened.

"H-how am I supposed to drink like that?"

She was the captain of the Blue Rose Knights, a noble lady favored by heaven.

Such uncouth drinking was simply too embarrassing.

Fortunately, before Sol Marron passed out, she had brought Charlotte quite a few straws.

Charlotte could only lift the enormous mug and stick a straw into it.

Yet even so, the beer level still dropped at a startling rate.

Even while remaining elegant, she managed to keep pace with the others.

Seeing this, Carl gave Charlotte a thumbs-up.

Charlotte's face instantly turned bright red, and she promptly choked on a mouthful.

At that moment, the system notification rang out in Carl's mind again.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, Charlotte Roselei's favorability has increased by 15.]

Carl immediately perked up.

"So drinking has benefits like this too?"

He glanced at Charlotte.

Beneath that alluring mature beauty's face was a faint blush, making her rather tempting. But in Carl's eyes, she looked more like an "experience pack."

Under Carl's gaze, Charlotte immediately lowered her head even further.

Carl laughed heartily and raised his glass again, drinking wildly.

One cup, two cups...

Until empty beer mugs piled up all over the floor.

The cheering from the surrounding patrons gradually grew quieter, and their gazes became even more nervous than those of the people competing.

Someone could not help exclaiming,

"Good lord!

I couldn't drink this much alcohol in an entire year!

Do these people have no end to their stomachs? This is terrifying!"

At this point, Yuno had practically given up.

Looking at his beer, which had gone down by less than half a mug, he felt that no bitterness in life could compare.

Asta and Yami Sukehiro had already drunk themselves half-senseless,

And even their hands holding the mugs had begun to sway unsteadily.

Yami Sukehiro patted Asta on the shoulder.

"Kid, you've really got something. No wonder you're the guy who could smell the aroma of alcohol."

But when his gaze fell on Carl, his expression suddenly turned grave.

Because Carl's drinking speed had remained exactly the same.

The way he poured it down in huge gulps made it seem as though he was not drinking beer at all, but plain water.

Yami Sukehiro fell silent.

"There really is a monster like this... This is beer, not boiled water."

Charlotte had long since stopped drinking as well, staring at Carl with a worried expression.

"This guy... Is he really okay drinking like that?"

Carl alone looked increasingly excited.

Alcohol was the essence of grain; the more one drank, the younger one became.

Threads of magic power were continuously nourishing his body.

Carl even unconsciously activated the first of the Eight Gates—the Gate of Opening.

The instant his aura burst forth,

Carl immediately suppressed his fluctuations with all his might.

Yet the beer seemed stimulated, crazily evaporating away.

Though he appeared to drink a large mug of beer, only traces of magical essence truly entered his body.

His physical strength and magic power were both gradually replenishing.

The more Carl drank, the more excited he became.

A faint scent of alcohol began wafting from him. It was completely unlike the smell ordinary people gave off when drinking; the alcoholic fragrance around him was exceptionally pure.

Charlotte Roselei, sitting beside him, could not help lightly twitching her nose.

"...It smells so good."

Charlotte was surprised to discover that the magical fluctuations radiating from Carl could resonate with her so naturally.

She even suspected that Carl was intentionally directing that power toward her to help her.

Charlotte's face immediately grew even more bashful.