The tavern was brightly lit and bustling with noise.
This is how it is in the demon taverns: wooden round tables clatter as wine glasses slam against the floor, and the air is filled with the mingled aromas of ale and roasted meat.
Badigadi took up most of the table by himself, his thick arms raised high with a glass that looked like it was going to lift the ceiling off the tavern.
"Come on, Luo Ge! Let's have another drink! Don't tell me you can't handle it, you didn't sound like someone who couldn't!"
Luo Ge was starting to get a little carried away.
He thought that having lived two lives, his alcohol tolerance should be decent, but he was facing the Demon King Badigadi, whose alcohol tolerance was a bottomless pit.
Without using magic to refine it.
After downing glass after glass, Luo Ge's head began to spin, and an unnatural flush rose to his cheeks.
"Oh! Your Majesty the Demon King... you can really drink..." Luo Ge raised his glass with a wry smile, wondering if he should find an excuse to leave first.
Talhand sat to the side, the first to succumb, the dwarven magician already slumped over the table, snoring away.
Elinalise, surrounded by a group of demon men, chatted and laughed merrily...
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, indicating she had drunk quite a bit... but she was far from drunk.
As for the Nanahoshi, let's not even mention them; they're still a disgrace.
She was the first person to collapse here. Before Badigadi could even make a move, she collapsed during the toasting ceremony and never woke up again.
Oh, right.
And Teacher Roxy?
The teacher's words... Luo Ge secretly glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and found that his teacher was sitting at the other end of the table.
He held a glass of wine in both hands, taking small sips, but his eyes kept secretly glancing at Luo Ge.
The moment Luo Ge turned to look at her, Roxy immediately lowered her head, pretending to be busy with other things.
At this moment, Roxy's cheeks were flushed... and her eyes were somewhat glazed, clearly indicating that she had drunk quite a bit.
Just as Luo Ge was preparing for the next offensive from Badigadi, he suddenly felt someone approaching from the side.
" Luo Ge?"
A soft, languid voice came from beside me, carrying a cloying, sweet smell of alcohol.
Luo Ge turned his head and saw that Roxy had somehow walked up to him and was looking down at him.
Those light blue eyes were now veiled with a hint of intoxication, and her cheeks were flushed, making her look exceptionally... adorable.
"Huh?"
"Teacher?"
"What's wrong with you?"
Roxy didn't answer immediately, but instead stretched out her slender fingers and gently tugged at Luo Ge's sleeve.
"... Please pull the chair out a little."
"Oh, okay..."
Luo Ge was confused, but he obediently moved his chair back and did as the teacher said.
The next second, he felt a petite body sit directly in his lap.
"Teacher?!"
Luo Ge froze completely. If it were Nanahoshi, Luo Ge would have kicked it away without hesitation.
But if it's a teacher...
Luo Ge hesitated, unsure whether to push her away or not...
As a member of the Migrudia race, Roxy was already petite, and her development stopped around the age of fourteen.
At this moment, Roxy was nestled in Luo Ge's arms, and from this angle... her head was just at Rogge's chin.
You can even feel the teacher's soft hair brushing against your neck, carrying a faint fragrance.
" Luo Ge is still a minor, so he must drink less... Paul and Miss Zenith aren't around, so as... as your teacher..."
"The teacher has to take full responsibility for Luo Ge."
Roxy tilted her head back, looking at him with hazy, drunken eyes, her tone carrying an undeniable seriousness.
As she spoke, she reached out and snatched the wine glass from Luo Ge's hand, tilted her head back, and drank it down in one gulp.
"Teacher!"
That's mine--
Before Luo Ge could finish speaking, Roxy had already placed the empty wine glass back on the table. Her already flushed cheeks were now even redder, like ripe apples.
Her eyes became even more unfocused, and a silly smile even appeared on her lips.
"Hmm... it tastes pretty good..."
"Teacher, you've had too much to drink..."
"No... Teacher, I... am perfectly sober..."
She murmured something, shook her head with a Roxy grin, and then slumped to the side.
She leaned completely into Luo Ge's arms.
Her breathing became long and even, clearly indicating that she was already quite drunk, in a state between sleep and wakefulness.
Luo Ge looked down at Roxy, who was nestled in his arms, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
If we were to rank the drinking capacity here, Nanahoshi would undoubtedly be at the bottom, and right behind them... would probably be Roxy.
She'd only had a few drinks, yet she was already this drunk, and she even offered to drink on his behalf...
"Hahahaha, forget about your teacher."
Badigadi dragged Luo Ge along, wanting to find a place where no one would bother them, so they could fight for three hundred rounds.
Seeing Luo Ge hesitate, Badigadi impatiently urged him on.
" Luo Ge!"
"What are you waiting for? You're not planning to give up so easily, are you? You're the man who defeated Atofe."
Badigadi's booming voice rang out again, and his thick hand was already on Luo Ge's shoulder.
Luo Ge, feeling the effects of the alcohol, was about to agree, but upon seeing the drunken Roxy in his arms, he hesitated again.
It seems a bit unreasonable to just let the teacher do nothing.
But Badigadi was clearly drunk and had no intention of letting him go.
Just as Luo Ge was caught in a dilemma, a languid and alluring voice broke in.
"Your Majesty the Demon King~"
Elinalise had stood up at some point and swayed her slender waist as she walked to Badigadi's side.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes held an ambiguous look, and a meaningful smile played at the corners of her lips.
" Luo Ge is just a little guy after all, so... how about I take over? Perfect, I'd like to experience what it's like to be a Demon King."
She licked her lips, a gesture that was incredibly alluring.
Badigadi paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Oh? Elinalise, since you've come to challenge me, then fine, it's your turn!"
Before Elinalise moved closer, her gaze subtly swept over Luo Ge, conveying a meaningful look...
Although he didn't say anything, the meaning couldn't be clearer.
Luo Ge understood instantly.
Elinalise is deliberately sacrificing herself, allowing herself to leave with Roxy first.
Before he could even express his gratitude to Elinalise, the woman had already eagerly moved closer to the wise demon king, Badigadi.
Without a word... she started to link her arms with the Demon King's thick arm, practically pressing her entire body against it.
"Come, come, Your Majesty the Demon King, let's have a good drink!"
"Hahaha! Good! Today we'll see just how capable you really are, woman!"
Badigadi's attention was completely drawn to Elinalise, which greatly reduced the pressure on Luo Ge.
Luo Ge looked down at Roxy, who was now fast asleep in his arms, and sighed softly.
Then, he carefully adjusted his posture and picked up the tiny teacher in his arms.
light!
It's really light...
Roxy's body was incredibly petite; when you held her, you could barely feel her weight, as if you were holding a slightly larger doll.
Her head rested naturally against his chest, her breathing steady, occasionally uttering soft murmurs, though it was hard to make out what she was saying in her sleep.
Luo Ge carried her through the noisy pub and up the wooden stairs to the second floor.
The second floor of the tavern consists of guest rooms. The corridor is dimly lit, with only a few oil lamps on the walls emitting a warm glow.
Luo Ge found Roxy's room by relying on his memory, gently pushed the door open with his shoulder, and went inside.
The room wasn't big.
The furnishings were simple, with only a single bed... Outside the window was the street in the night, with the occasional chirping of insects.
Luo Ge gently placed Roxy on the bed, moving as softly as possible, afraid of waking her.
Looking at Roxy lying on the bed, her cheeks were still flushed, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her lips were gently pouted, looking drunk and completely unguarded.
Luo Ge shook his head and sighed helplessly.
"Really..."
"Teacher! With your alcohol tolerance, you shouldn't drink anymore." He muttered under his breath, then turned to leave.
Just as he turned around, a cold wind suddenly blew in from outside the window, bringing the chill of the night into the room.
Luo Ge subconsciously glanced back at Roxy on the bed and noticed that she had curled up slightly, as if she could feel the chill even in her sleep.
Without hesitation, Luo Ge immediately took off his coat and gently draped it over Roxy, covering her shoulders and chest.
"That should make you feel a little better..."
After he finished doing all that, he was about to turn around and go back to check on Nanahoshi's situation. After all, Qixing was also drunk and lying in the tavern, and he couldn't just leave him there.
However, just as he took a step, he suddenly felt a warm touch on his wrist.
"... Luo Ge."
A slender, soft hand emerged from under the covers and gripped Luo Ge's wrist tightly.
Luo Ge paused, turning back to look at Roxy.
Her eyes remained closed, seemingly not fully awake; her brows were furrowed, and her lips trembled slightly, as if she were struggling with something.
" Luo Ge, you stupid student! Don't leave your teacher... okay?"
The voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, yet it pierced Luo Ge's heart like a needle.
Looking at Roxy's drunken yet uneasy face, Luo Ge felt a surge of indescribable emotions.
He remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed softly and took Roxy's hand in his own.
"Teacher, I won't leave."
He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently took Roxy's hand in his palm.
"I'll stay with you tonight, until dawn."
Roxy seemed to have heard his reply, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
But not long after, her expression turned pained again.
Her brows furrowed deeper and deeper, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her lips moved incessantly, as if she were having a nightmare.
"Ugh... don't die... don't die..."
"Please make sure you live a long and healthy life."
" Luo Ge..."
Incoherent murmurs escaped her lips, her body began to tremble slightly, and her grip on Luo Ge's hand tightened, as if she were afraid of something.
Luo Ge's heart tightened. Even though his teacher was so drunk, was he still so worried about him?
Luo Ge sat on the edge of the bed, holding Ms. Roxy's hand tightly, his voice gentle yet firm.
"Teacher, don't be afraid, I'm here... I've always been here..."
His voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring certainty.
that's all.
Luo Ge sat by the bed, protecting Roxy in his own way.
In short, no matter what happens tonight, he will stay here until the teacher wakes up.
The night outside the window gradually deepened, and the noise from downstairs in the tavern gradually faded away.
In the hotel room, soon only Roxy's even and long breathing could be heard.
Luo Ge looked down at Roxy's face, a face that, while not stunning, was quite cute.
Roxy's brows finally relaxed, as if she had finally escaped from a nightmare.
Luo Ge let out a soft breath, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Goodnight, teacher.