In the end, after round after round of toasts, neither Olga Marie nor Skadi could hold their liquor. Before long, both of them were completely drunk and passed out.
"Well now, this is something. The young lady and the goddess herself are both out cold," Drake joked boisterously, her face flushed as she looked at the two women slumped over the table.
Jason, who had collapsed earlier, had already been hauled by Drake onto a long bench in the corner of the tavern and left there to lie down.
At the moment, the Greek hero of the Argo was snoring thunderously, utterly drunk.
"So it really isn't ordinary alcohol. Even a goddess can't escape getting drunk," Shiomi said with a smile, reaching out to brush aside a few stray strands of hair hanging messily over Skadi's face.
Skadi didn't have any particular fondness for alcohol. She could drink, but she rarely drank much.
The homemade liquor kept in the Chaldea cafeteria was the same. She almost never went out of her way to drink it.
With that thought, Shiomi glanced over at Artoria. The King of Knights, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine, calmly pouring herself another drink.
"In the past, I often had to preside over victory banquets as a king. If a king couldn't handle alcohol, it would inevitably invite scorn from one's subordinates," Artoria explained earnestly.
"I know. I've seen you drink before," Shiomi said, shaking his head to show it wasn't surprising. "Still, having one less person passed out will make things easier when we head back to the ship later."
Drake laughed a few times, then asked, "But the goddess you invited is already drunk. Can she still lift my curse?"
Now that she knew there was a possibility, she wasn't in much of a hurry.
If today wasn't convenient, tomorrow would do. In any case, before Chaldea left, they were bound to try and deal with the Sea God's curse.
"Originally, I wasn't confident in my own strength, which is why I asked the two of them to come help," Shiomi said, shaking his head. "After all, this is a curse imposed by a Sea God. The nature of that authority is different. But I never expected you to actually take Poseidon's divine core… In a sense, you helped yourself, Captain Drake."
Artoria seemed to grasp his meaning. "Tenkei, are you planning to use the Sea God's divine core to undo the curse on Drake?"
"No. Like I said before, I think that rather than removing the curse outright, trying to impose a blessing through the opposite approach has a higher chance of success," Shiomi said, lifting the divine core. The blue crystal shimmered with a brilliant glow. "By relying on the divine core, I can imitate the authority of Poseidon."
"That's incredible," Drake said, genuinely startled. "If I heard you right, you're saying you'll wield divine authority yourself?"
Using the power of a god in a human body sounded completely beyond common sense. More than whether the curse could be lifted, she was worried Shiomi might mess up and blow himself apart right here in the tavern.
If that happened, the guilt would be unbearable.
"Relax," Shiomi said casually, tossing the divine core up and catching it like a stone as he stood up. "There's no time to waste. It's already late. Let's remove the curse on you so I can send Marie and Skadi back to rest."
"Alright. Do I need to prepare anything? A space, materials, something like that?" Drake asked, setting down her glass.
"No need. Poseidon's divine core is enough," Shiomi said as he walked over beside her. "Just don't move."
Holding the divine core slightly raised in one hand, his other palm facing Drake, he spoke quietly and solemnly.
"Then, we'll begin."
A gentle breeze suddenly rose inside the previously calm tavern.
At first, Artoria thought it was blowing in from outside the tent flap, but she quickly realized the wind was coming from within the tavern itself, spreading outward with Shiomi, the one holding the divine core, at its center.
"With the Sea God's divine core held in my hand, I offer my prayer here. Touch this world with your compassionate fingers, Mother Goddess. I offer my body, my soul, and my spirit as proof. Cross the boundary between nothingness and reality, and bestow upon the children of mankind the primal grace."
Shiomi recited the prayer in a low voice. The wind inside the tavern grew stronger and stronger, the tent walls and door curtains snapping violently as empty cups and wine jugs were blown onto the floor.
Artoria immediately set her glass aside and reached out to steady Skadi and Olga Marie.
With his eyes closed, Shiomi slowly opened them, the Star Eyes igniting.
"The Sea God's curse is but a fleeting thing! The Sea of Origin is the beginning and the end of all!"
As his words quickened, the force in his voice intensified.
The faint light flowing within the Sea God's divine core deepened, soon filling the entire tavern before bursting outward all at once.
Had the curtains not been drawn, the radiance alone might have jolted the entire village awake.
When the light finally faded, the tavern was left in complete disarray.
Artoria had already supported the two drunken women and retreated with them to the safest corner.
"...Did it work?" she asked anxiously.
Shiomi was still standing there. Drake was still sitting there.
"Of course! It worked perfectly!"
Drake clenched her fists in pure elation. Bound by the Sea God's curse, she had been unable to exert even the slightest strength. Now, it felt as though the crushing shackles wrapped around her body had been completely removed, leaving her so light and free it felt unreal.
Bang!
Testing it, she slammed her fist down onto the table. The table shattered instantly, the half-full wine jug toppling over and spilling liquor across the floor.
"You broke that yourself. I'm not paying for it," Shiomi muttered, slowly lowering the hand that held the divine core.
"Hahaha! Being back to normal, that's nothing at all!" Drake laughed it off without a care. "But I never thought a blessing could really cancel out a curse. You're something else, mate!"
"All of it is thanks to my mother's favor," Shiomi said calmly. "Mystery can only be defeated by a higher Mystery. Before my mother, the Sea of Origin itself, even Poseidon is nothing more than that."
"Huh?" Drake clearly didn't understand what Shiomi was talking about. "Ah, forget it! I don't get you Magi and your weird logic anyway! The important thing is, thank you. Now I can sail again. I should be able to work with Bartholomew and help you fight those Lostbelt bastards on the open sea!"
"That's good," Shiomi said as he put the divine core away. "As for our next steps, I have some ideas. Before we set sail tomorrow, I'll explain everything to you and Bartholomew."
"No problem. I'll drag Jason along too," Drake replied with a grin, though her eyes grew noticeably more serious. "That guy lost the Argo and his crew. He's been wasting away in my tavern ever since. It's time he went back out to sea."
Shiomi glanced toward the sleeping Jason. His snoring had already quieted.
"Losing one's ship and important companions isn't something small for a captain," Shiomi said. "If Jason doesn't have the will to return, Captain Drake doesn't need to force him."
"Haha! I'll keep that in mind."
Drake answered with a laugh.