"Rita, look at this—Bianca is such a loser!"
Wielding a bottle of liquor, Houraiji Kyuusyou transformed into a perfect embodiment of a drunken sot, demonstrating her mastery of stalling tactics. Single-handedly, without drawing a blade, she stalled Schicksal Headquarters' most elite Valkyrie.
This kind of naive Knight Princess is so easy to manipulate...
Watching the dazed goose beside her, whom she had goaded into chugging several bottles of vodka, Kyuusyou's eyes flashed with a single word: "Weak."
She then drained the last bottle of vodka in her hand in one gulp—
"Lady Kyuusyou, Lady Durandal... Excessive drinking is harmful to your health, even for S-rank Valkyries."
"Mind your own business, Rita! Today, I'm going to drink this girl into a stupor—!"
The golden-haired Valkyrie, her face flushed crimson, completely ignored her adjutant's warning. Glaring defiantly at Houraiji Kyuusyou, whose complexion remained unchanged, she defiantly drained her own bottle of vodka in one gulp.
With a thud, Bianca collapsed face-first onto the table, unconscious, as Kyuusyou watched with an expression that said, "You sure are brave."
"Ha ha ha ha! Weak! Bianca, you're weak!"
Equally tipsy, Kyuusyou climbed onto the table to declare her victory. The purple-haired girl then turned her gaze to Rita Rossweisse, standing before her.
"Next, it's you, Rita!"
"Please allow Rita to decline. You're a bit too tipsy, Lady Kyuusyou."
Watching Houraiji Kyuusyou, who was stomping around on the table in her drunken exuberance, Rita recalled Snow's instructions from long ago:
[ If you ever see Kyuusyou drinking behind my back, take a photo! It'll be good blackmail material. ]
[ Do you disapprove of your partner drinking, Lady Snow? ]
[ If you're too controlling, sometimes it backfires, you know. ]
[ No, it's just that she dared sneak a drink without me! I'm keeping score on this! ]
Click!
Rita snapped a photo, capturing Bianca sprawled on the table and Kyuusyou letting loose on top of it.
"Rita?"
The gray-blonde maid met Kyuusyou's confused gaze.
"Don't mind me, Lady Kyuusyou. Rita simply found this scene amusing and wanted to record it."
"Oh—I get it—!"
Kyuusyou grinned knowingly, glanced at the unconscious Bianca, and gave Rita a thumbs-up.
Rita responded with a polite smile.
-
Hmph, the Kaslana and Schariac Family bloodlines have their limits. At the end of the day, you're still just a carbon-based lifeform, Bianca. You're far too weak to compete in a drinking contest with a supreme being like me—one who has transcended humanity!
Hmm... supreme being...
Rejected by Rita, Kyuusyou continued to stand triumphantly on the table, gazing down at Bianca, who lay unconscious on the table, muttering in her sleep. She slightly loosened the alcohol's hold on her brain, allowing herself to slip into a half-drunken state.
The purple-haired Valkyrie, having been rebuffed by the Vice Captain of the Immortal Blades, turned her attention to the black-robed Valkyries resting nearby.
"How about we chug a bottle?" Kyuusyou issued her deadly invitation.
Every Immortal Blades Valkyrie who met her gaze shook their heads vigorously, like rattles. Are you kidding me? Our Captain is already passed out, and you haven't even flushed! No sane person would accept your challenge. You'd probably just force-feed us alcohol until we collapse!
"Tch—"
Having been decisively rejected, Kyuusyou resorted to coercive tactics.
The purple-haired girl grabbed a hapless passerby and began force-feeding her liquor without a word.
"Mmmph—!"
The captured Valkyrie frantically sought help from her comrades and their Vice Captain.
As the others watched Kyuusyou laugh wildly while force-feeding her teammate, they trembled, collectively recoiling in fear as if about to turn and flee.
"Drink up! Why aren't you drinking?"
-
Beneath the Golden Tree, the blonde girl raised a wine cup and poured the clear liquid down her throat. The rich aroma and smooth taste stimulated her senses of smell and taste, while the resulting intoxication allowed the blonde God to lean back leisurely against the tree, savoring a rare moment of relaxation.
"Sometimes, those who transcend humanity and cross the boundaries of mortal existence don't like to act like Transcendent beings in their daily lives—just like Kevin Kaslana... He loved to slurp noodles. As that MANTIS put it, 'After all this time, I can finally control the cold in my body. Taking a few sips of hot noodles after so long is truly intoxicating.'"
"Similarly—alcohol works the same way. Just a slight release of our restraints allows us, who never tire and are always clear-headed, to feel a fleeting moment of relaxation and comfort—"
"This is why alcohol has always been associated with the gods in myths and legends, and why there are even deities dedicated to its creation and consumption..."
The Blonde Girl drained the Jade Nectar from her cup and leisurely observed the silver-haired Agent before her, who was cautiously sipping the pure white liquor. The peculiar aroma of the translucent liquid piqued Huginn's senses, but its slightly spicy flavor deterred her from downing it in a few gulps like her High Goddess.
"This nectar offers us Transcendent beings—those who live in eternity, untouched by time's erosion—a tangible, visceral experience," Snow explained. "A fine bottle of wine can bridge the distance between people... and the same principle applies to the relationship between humans and gods."
Seemingly already feeling slightly intoxicated, Snow paused pouring more wine and leaned against the tree, continuing her story for her Apostle:
"Of course... as people often say, 'drinking harms the body and leads to mistakes.' The former doesn't apply to us, whose essence lies beyond mortal concerns... but the latter—if one gets carried away, it can indeed lead to disastrous consequences."
"Moreover, the impact depends on the setting... the drunkard's status... and the power they wield—determining whether the outcome will be good... or catastrophic..."
-
The blonde man piloted his Schicksal fighter jet, his expression contorted with fury as he dove headlong toward Arahato in the distance. His roar echoed throughout the entire Schicksal fleet:
"Welt Joyce! I order you to face me now! Face me—now!!!"
On a remote Schicksal sub-island, Houraiji Kyuusyou tossed aside the last empty vodka bottle from her crate. She surveyed the scattered bottles and the unconscious Immortal Blades Valkyries sprawled across the ground—the entire main team, including their Captain and Vice Captain—and left her final assessment:
"Pathetic."
Houraiji Kyuusyou unlocked the achievement: "Bloodless Annihilation: Complete Wipeout of Immortal Blades Main Team."
-
"...And you?" Huginn asked, gazing at Snow, who was resting beneath a tree with her eyes closed.
"Ah... I just used a sudden illness to reattach those withered leaves back to the tree..." Snow replied casually.
The Blonde Girl tilted her head back to look at the branches of the Golden Tree. There, several pale, translucent leaves were gradually being infused anew with golden veins.
"Just...?" Huginn fell silent.