Bab 91: Lively Banquet!

Chapter 91 - Lively Banquet!

Familia members, fueled by alcohol, began chatting with Luke, and he did not refuse their intentions.

As the banquet progressed, Luke officially integrated into the group.

The lively atmosphere continued.

Gradually, a somewhat tipsy Loki started provoking Finn and Gareth.

"Hey, Finn, Gareth, why are you two drinking so little today? Come on, hurry up and fill up!"

"Hmph, when it comes to drinking, I've never been afraid of anyone."

Upon hearing Loki daring to question his drinking capacity, Gareth couldn't sit still.

He abruptly stood up, grabbed a keg of wine from the side, and smashed it onto the table.

"Let's see who goes down first tonight!"

Although Finn didn't join their conversation, he also didn't refuse to participate in the drinking competition.

The three of them gathered around the keg and started drinking together.

Watching their appearance, Riveria shook her head helplessly.

Riveria had never touched alcohol.

As a mage, she rejected anything that could affect her mental state.

Moreover, she didn't want to make any indecent displays after getting drunk, as it would harm her dignity as an elf royal.

At this moment, not far away, there was also a commotion around Ais, who was surrounded by enthusiastic female members.

Ais, surrounded by passionate teammates, felt a bit overwhelmed.

She looked towards Luke, seemingly intending to seek help from the boy.

However, Luke was also in the midst of being surrounded by male members and didn't notice Ais seeking assistance.

Helpless, Ais shifted her gaze and directed her pleading look towards Riveria.

But at this moment, Riveria, who was constantly rejecting Loki and Gareth's attempts to get her to drink, hadn't noticed Ais's plea.

"Ais-chan, do you want to try this?"

Perhaps influenced by the festive atmosphere or perhaps due to some intoxication, the first thing the members who approached Ais did was offer her a cup.

"What is this...?"

"This is a special magic drink made by us sisters. Drinking it will make you stronger!"

"Stronger?!"

Originally feeling a bit nervous and cautious due to being surrounded, Ais's spirit instantly perked up upon hearing the words "get stronger."

The inexperienced girl, without hesitation, accepted the cup handed to her by the older sister in front of her.

"Hey, what are you girls planning to make her drink?"

Riveria, who finally noticed something was wrong, was about to go over to stop Ais, but Loki beside her intercepted her.

"Let it be, let it be, Riveria. Today is Ais-chan's first time attending a banquet. Let her try something new~"

So, with Finn turning a blind eye, Gareth stroking his beard with enthusiasm, and Loki stopping Riveria with a mischievous smile, Ais drank the mysterious drink with a fruity fragrance in one gulp.

"..."

"How is it, Ais-chan! Is it good?"

The female member who handed the cup to Ais looked at her expectantly, seemingly hoping for a response from Ais.

The other female members around them joined in cheering when they saw Ais downing the drink so 'boldly.'

"Feeling more comfortable now, Ais-chan?"

"Ais-chan, don't always stick with the Vice Captain and others, chat with us occasionally too."

"Yeah, yes, Ais... huh? Ais-chan?"

The female members succeeded in playing a prank on Ais.

However, despite the follow-up banter, Ais did not respond at all.

She stared blankly at the cup in her hand, and after a few seconds, she threw it directly onto the table.

Ais's behavior surprised both Riveria and Loki.

However, in the next moment...

Swoosh—!

"Gwaaahhhh!!!"

"What, what?!"

"Someone collapsed!"

With a short sword in hand, Ais successfully 'killed' one of the members.

Fortunately, she seemed to have forgotten to pull the sword out of the scabbard, so the member was only knocked unconscious and didn't suffer any harm.

But Ais's actions frightened everyone around her.

"Wait, wait a moment!"

"Ais-chan, stop... Ahhhhh!"

"...Hiccup." Facing the shouts of the members, Ais showed no reaction.

Swoosh—!

Under the effect of the 'drink,' the golden eyes of Ais lost their usual luster, and the rational gleam completely vanished.

The young swordswoman, at this moment, was simply wielding her weapon instinctively.

"Yaaahhh!"

"Help!"

"Is she drunk???"

"Quick, go up and snatch her sword away!"

The flushed-faced girl, alone, was 'slaughtering' adventurers from the city's strongest familia.

This scene left Finn and the others momentarily stunned.

"What are you staring at, Finn, Gareth? Quickly, make Ais stop!"

The first to snap out of it was Riveria.

She looked at the banquet, which had turned into a farce in just over ten seconds, and suddenly felt a particularly strong headache.

Swoosh—!

Smack—!

Clang—!

Just as Finn and the others were about to step forward to stop Ais, a fork flew over, directly knocking the short sword out of Ais's hand.

The commotion here naturally caught Luke's attention, and upon discovering Ais suddenly going 'crazy,' Luke threw the fork in his hand.

Then he walked over to Ais and stopped her rampage.

In the midst of Riveria's angry reprimands, the banquet came to an end.

After the banquet, Luke did not return to his room.

After greeting Finn, he left Twilight Manor.

On the way back from the expedition, not only Finn but Luke also heard the rumors.

Unlike Finn, Luke had a certain speculation about this matter the moment he heard the news.

This time, he came out to confirm the truth of his speculation.

Luke, leaving the familia's residence, directly walked towards the direction of West Street without any hesitation.

Luke had been around West Street once before when he took Ais out, so this time he didn't need to go door to door to search for his target.

He walked along the main road while observing the buildings on the street that were different from the last time.

Before long, a large tavern built along the street appeared in front of him.

The entire tavern looked clean and newly built, as if it had just been constructed.

The signboard hanging at the entrance of the tavern read 'Hostess of Fertility.'

Although Luke had guessed it might be like this when he heard the rumors, seeing this tavern with his own eyes still made him feel a bit emotional.

While Luke was observing the tavern, a woman's voice came from not far away.

"Hey, kid, my tavern hasn't opened yet. If you want to drink, come back in a few days."

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