""The brilliantly shining moments,""
""Were once spent with everyone,""
""But without realizing it, I ended up spending them alone,""
""Those irreplaceable times,""
""I can only cherish the beauty of the past now,""
""I will embrace the feeling.""
The jukebox's vinyl record continued to spin leisurely.
Meanwhile, at the mixer table, the Queen's Game had entered a white-hot phase.
"..."
"..."
Both sides held their ground, refusing to make a rash move.
Ei could, at most, drink the Water of Life one more time.
Morgan's situation wasn't much better. Although she had the support skill provided by Baobhan Sith, it was only enough for her to endure one more round.
"Damn it, it looks like Baobhan Sith's skill set is quite useful," Ei muttered softly.
"It can not only seal the opponent's entire team's Noble Phantasms and skills but also provide evasion support to allies... If only I could steal and learn that one."
Thinking this way, pursuing the romantic route with Baobhan Sith did seem necessary.
[A new round of drawing began.]
[Which stick do you choose to draw? 1. The one closest to you; 2. The one furthest from you; 3. The middle one.]
Ei chose two this time.
[You did not draw the Queen stick.]
[Your number is one.]
"Mother, look, look, it's me!"
It was Baobhan Sith's turn this time.
She was all smiles, showing off the Queen stick in her hand as if she had just accomplished some great, earth-shattering deed, like an eager young girl desperate to impress her mother.
"Well done," Morgan approved, "Give them your command."
"Ahem..."
Baobhan Sith seriously mimicked her mother's demeanor, conjuring a Queenly aura from thin air, and commanded arrogantly:
"In the name of the Queen's Successor, I command—Numbers One, Two, and, uh, three—all of you drink!"
What?!
Ei looked at his number one stick in utter horror.
Does Baobhan Sith have a Fairy Eye too, allowing her to see the numbers the boys' team drew?
With such a strong skill set AND a cheating skill like Fairy Eye, that's too perverse!
"..."
After a short pause, Morgan silently picked up her glass.
Then, Little Mo glared resentfully at Baobhan Sith and also raised her glass.
"Mother! How did you get called?!"
Baobhan Sith looked at Morgan raising her glass and started to panic.
"..."
Ei was stunned.
"So that's what's going on..."
She scared me! I thought Baobhan Sith had a cheat skill like Fairy Eye. Turns out she was just so devoted to her mother that she copied her style and went for a big play.
Wounding the enemy eight hundred while taking a thousand damage yourself is one thing, but dragging your mother down is the most embarrassing!
It feels like I won't even need to intervene. Morgan's own daughters are going to take her out.
Unfortunately, he was blindly targeted, too.
"Hang in there, Sir Ei! We're almost there!" The two Round Table Knights cheered nervously.
They could all tell he was on his last legs, having drunk several glasses of Water of Life with all his evasion methods used up.
"Don't panic... just watch me."
With that, he finished the Water of Life in one gulp.
[You have drunk strong alcohol multiple times; your body can no longer handle the intoxication.]
[This Endurance check will be an Extreme Difficulty Check, equivalent to rolling a Great Success probability.]
[Performing an Extreme Difficulty Endurance Check.]
A single die rolled down in front of his eyes.
Succeed, succeed, succeed...
His heart pounded nervously as he repeatedly prayed to the God of Dice to show him mercy.
Whether the great Round Table Knights would get to leave clothed, and whether he could preserve his honor (though losing that wouldn't actually be so bad), depended entirely on this roll!
[Extreme Difficulty Endurance Check Successful!]
[Intoxication assaulted you like a tidal wave, but you managed to endure it, miraculously maintaining consciousness.]
["Should you drink again, the next check will be skipped, and failure will be defaulted."]
Holy cow, it actually succeeded!
Bang!
Under the eyes of solemn respect from the others, Ei placed the empty glass on the table. He stood ramrod straight, still unyielding.
However, he was genuinely at his limit. His head was spinning into mush, his body was intensely hot, and he was even starting to see double.
Just as the text indicated, the next drink would inevitably cause him to collapse.
"How are you, Mr. Ei? You don't look well," Queen Morgan said, feigning composure, though the confidence in her eyes was gone. "Are you almost done? I'll allow you to surrender now, you know?"
Ei wiped the liquor from his mouth and smiled: "Lady Morgan, you're the one I've forced into a corner—though most of the damage was contributed by your daughters—you have no means of defense left now, do you? Hahahaha."
"Watsuki Ei... are you talking to me?"
"I... I'm talking to the third Morgan in the front row..."
Oh no, I drank too much, and now I'm seeing multiple Morgans.
"They're both so strong..." Gawain couldn't help but mutter.
"This is the first time I've seen someone hold their own against Mother in a social setting... Maybe we really can win!"
Gawain had a premonition that the next round would be the last.
Both sides were at their limits. Physically and skillfully, everything that could be used had been.
[A new round of drawing began.]
[Which stick do you choose to draw? 1. The one closest to you; 2. The one furthest from you; 3. The middle one.]
Ei immediately chose the stick closest to him.
And that was also the stick Morgan was reaching for.
Seeing this, he didn't hesitate to snatch it first. Then he looked at the marking on the stick—it was clearly the Queen's crown.
[You drew the Queen stick!]
[Please give your command.]
"..."
Hope was in his grasp!
Ei was nervous and excited. His head was spinning from the alcohol, and he had to hold the stick with both hands to prevent it from slipping from his trembling fingers.
This was the most critical blow.
But if he called a number at random, he might not hurt Morgan and could accidentally harm his teammates.
Unfortunately, his Instinct skill was temporarily sealed, so he couldn't pinpoint Morgan's number.
Should I play it safe and call any number?
No... I can't. I have no margin for error left. Luck won't always be on my side. I must decide the outcome in this round.
Maybe, I should go for a huge gamble?
"Hey Ei, hurry up already!" Little Mo urged impatiently.
"Alright, I have a great idea."
He raised the Queen stick high.
"In the name of the 'Queen,' I command: Everyone at this table drink!!"
Morgan: "???"