Morgan's beautiful pale blue eyes finally showed a hint of panic.
"If you do that, your own teammates might suffer as well."
Ei just smiled and shook his head.
"Unlikely. The Round Table Knights have very strong physical constitutions. They'll most likely endure one Endurance check. You, however, are different, Lady Morgan. Your Endurance is only E. If you drink that, you're guaranteed to lose! They are nothing more than expendable assets to me, and it would be their honor to drag you down with them!"
"This Ei truly is scum," Tristan lamented.
"But he's a respectable, bold scum!" Gawain corrected him seriously.
Seeing that she couldn't sway his decision, the arrogant Queen Morgan reluctantly bit her pink lip.
As stated before, she and her daughters had used every skill they could. She had no defense left.
"Ugh... to be pushed to this point..."
Queen Morgan picked up the glass of Water of Life, which had an alcohol content of .
"..."
Ei hesitated, then placed his hand on her wrist, over the hand holding the cup.
"...However, I am a gentleman. Getting a lady drunk isn't my style. How about we meet halfway? You return our clothes, and in exchange, I'll drink the Water of Life for you. Gawain and Tristan can leave the mixer dressed, and I'll accompany you for a second round after I've sobered up. How does that sound?"
Ei felt that this was the time to show some masculine spirit, not to be too hard on Morgan. Getting a woman drunk was not a gentleman's move.
Besides, she clearly liked him a lot, and he was willing to compromise a little.
"Ei..."
[Morgan felt your thoughtfulness and gentlemanly conduct. Her affection for you increased.]
[You felt Morgan's deep and ardent love.]
[If her children were not present, what happened next would likely be unsuitable for minors.]
[But to your kind offer, she merely offered a slight smile. A Queen needs no one's pity or mercy. Thus, without hesitation, she drank the strong alcohol, downing it in one gulp.]
"I am the Queen," Morgan slowly set down the empty glass.
Her beautiful face was flushed, but she did not collapse, maintaining the composure of a dignified person.
"This level of alcohol is nothing to me."
Ei was shocked. She hadn't collapsed! Did she somehow get an explosive burst of luck and pass the Endurance check?
No way! The Queen's Game has to continue to the next round, and this time, it'll be their turn to pay the price!
Morgan stood up from her chair. Her azure eyes began to look dazed, filled with a hazy moisture.
"The clouds of Orkney... please..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the completely flushed Morgan pitched forward, stiff as a board.
Ei, who was closest to her, was startled, but his quick reflexes allowed him to rush forward and catch her, preventing the Queen from falling miserably onto the floor.
"After all that, she still got taken out..." Ei gave a wry smile.
She was so intent on maintaining her pretense until the last possible second, even after drinking that much. You truly tried your best.
"We..."
The two Round Table Knights, who were left in only their underwear, looked at each other and then shouted:
"We won! We finally get our clothes back!"
[You successfully defeated Morgan, the King of the Lostbelt. You are rewarded with three Inspiration Dice.]
[Inspiration Dice: Using this die allows you to reroll a result once.]
[Current Inspiration Dice Count: 3]
[You led the boys' team to victory and earned the respectful gazes of everyone present.]
[Your "Charisma E" has upgraded to "Charisma B."]
Inspiration Dice?
Does that mean I have three chances to change a result?
"Take your mother back to rest," Ei said, placing the unconscious Morgan back on the chair. The two were so close that he could clearly smell her sweet and warm drunken scent.
"Say, you guys don't mind that I got your mother this drunk, do you...?"
"Haha, don't worry, Sir Ei," Gawain laughed brightly. "It was a gentleman's game. Why would anyone care about that?"
"You're laughing even though you lost down to your underwear. That actually makes the statement surprisingly convincing..."
"And Mother had a wonderful time," Gareth, who was observing, said. "She looked cold, but she was actually quite engaged and serious about playing. It's clear she really wanted to win the game."
"Or rather, Mother really wanted to play with Sir Ei."
"Is that so?"
Baobhan Sith: "..."
Suddenly feeling a sharp gaze from behind him, Ei turned around only to see Baobhan Sith calmly drinking her beverage.
Ei looked at her thoughtfully.
He suddenly remembered the original purpose of the mixer: to get connected with Baobhan Sith. Instead, he had been fighting a desperate game against Morgan the entire time...
Forget it. At least he had successfully taken out Morgan. Now he just needed to find a way to talk to Baobhan Sith.
"Ahem..."
Ei suddenly felt a dry, burning sensation in his throat. Those few gulps of Water of Life earlier had nearly killed him, and his tongue still tasted bitterly spicy.
He casually picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip to wash away the taste.
"Oh, Sir Ei," Tristan looked at the cup in his hand. "I didn't realize you enjoyed drinking that much."
"Huh?"
"You drank so much Water of Life, and you're still looking for a refill. You really are a drinker."
"??"
Holy cow, wait!
He grabbed the wrong cup! He wasn't drinking regular water at all, but the flammable "Waking Water"!
Why hasn't this 'Waking Water' (Vodka) been taken away yet?!
The most unbelievable thing was that after being force-fed so many rounds of Water of Life, drinking vodka felt no different from drinking plain water... He hadn't even tasted anything wrong on the first sip...
[You have consumed strong alcohol yet again.]
[You are now suffering from severe alcohol poisoning. The rate of your metabolism can no longer keep up with the alcohol intake.]
[Your brain cannot maintain consciousness...]
Poof!
It's over! After so many rounds, not even the dice can save me this time!
"..."
Ei's consciousness instantly blacked out, and his body swayed, tipping backward.
With a thud, he slumped into the chair, completely unconscious.
Looking at the unconscious Ei and the passed-out Morgan, the people present couldn't help but sigh.
"Those two really went all out..."
Mordred looked at his sleeping face and suddenly couldn't help but ask: "I have a question. Haven't we met Ei a long time ago?"
"We just met him after the semester started. Why do you ask?" Tristan said.
"No, it's nothing... I just realized that he fit into our group so naturally, without any sense of awkwardness, as if we had known each other for a long time. Do you guys feel that way?"
Gawain frowned.
Although he never thought Mordred was reliable, he never doubted her initial instincts, as she possessed the same Instinct as Artoria.
"Actually, I have a similar impression... but it's normal. Sir Ei is quite a familiar person."
Gawain said, "No, perhaps we really did meet Sir Ei a long time ago... We'll ask him when he wakes up."
"Putting that aside, tonight's mixer was genuinely interesting. It's the first time I've seen Mother have so much fun. It's truly a beautiful memory. Except..."
Gareth glanced at Ei, who was completely passed out and slumped on the chair like a dead man.
"But for Sir Ei, tonight's mixer will probably be a memory he'll 'find really hard to remember'..."
The vinyl record spun elegantly, now playing the end of the song.
""My hands will gently watch over you,""
""May you sleep soundly,""
""We laughed, cried, and got angry,""
""I remember everything about you,""
""I will never forget, no matter how the stars turn,""
""Until my life is exhausted.""