"Cadet Zetto, I've been waiting for you, you sure know how to find your way around, come here!"
As I approached, Edward slammed his hand down on the table and threw Kaliman, who was stretched out, into a corner of the bar.
Kaliman was as limp and unresponsive as Amon was when he inhaled the paralyzing powder. As he slumped against the wall, Kaliman's head drooped and he began to snore in earnest.
"…Here, sit down."
Edward turned his head away from Kaliman and looked at me, smirking.
"Don't bother. He'll sleep anywhere."
Priscilla, who was sitting to my left, nudged me and put her arm around my shoulder. To my right, Aizel was nibbling on a long pastry that looked like a snack.
Once I was properly seated, Edward was the first to speak.
"Cadet Zetto is here, so I suppose we should introduce ourselves. My wife and I are stopping by on our way back from a trip."
"I'm Vanessa Klaus."
Vanessa, Edward's wife, introduced herself in an elegant voice as she placed her hand on her chest.
"I'm Zetto, a cadet in Class A."
I bowed my head to Vanessa and introduced myself as well.
Next, Aizel offers me the same snack she was eating.
"…Do you want some?"
"How did Miss Aizel end up here…?"
I took the snack from her and immediately asked her a question.
"Miss Aizel just happened to come to the bar by herself, so I asked her to join us so we could have a conversation, and since Zetto was going to come anyway, I thought it would make a good picture, hahaha."
Edward, who was sitting across from Aizel, replied.
The corners of his mouth turned up as if he wanted me to praise him but I had no intention of doing so.
I wanted to get out of the place quickly, but it looks like I won't be able to.
"'Aizel, you're a pretty good drinker, aren't you?"
Priscilla said, nudging my shoulder with the hand she had draped over mine.
"…"
Aizel's face was slightly flushed as she continued to munch on her sweets. It looked like she had already had a few drinks.
'Anyway, let's get this done quickly and get out of here.'
I just needed to collect my reward so I glanced at Reina, who was sitting across from me, next to Vanessa. But Reina, the one who was supposed to give me the reward, was already drunk.
'…She's gone.'
I checked on Reina, who was drunk, and felt a headache creeping up on me.
"Drink! Drink!"
"If it's alcohol...I'm not losing…!"
"Well, stop babbling and drink it!"
"Drink! Drink!"
I turned my head slightly at the boisterous sounds coming from behind me and saw that the men seemed to be having a contest to see who could drink the most alcohol.
[Drink up, drink up, drink up!]
Sierra was with them, waving her arms enthusiastically and urging them on. She seemed to be having a good time in her own right.
The unfortunate thing is that her cheers were echoing in my head.
'What can I say…?'
It wouldn't be so bad to stay in a place like this with people once in a while.
"You're going to have some Zetto, right?"
Priscilla says, looking at me.
'I have to keep my distance from Priscilla, but when we're this close physically…'
I'm standing shoulder to shoulder with her, so the distance is pretty close.
"Do you happen to have anything to drink besides alcohol?"
"No."
"No."
My question was met with a firm response from Priscilla and Edward.
'I'm in trouble.'
I wanted to jump out of my seat, but I couldn't bring myself to remove Priscilla's arm.
"Well… I'd like it as light as possible, please."
"That's a good idea. Cadet Zetto, I'm sure you're thinking of my class tomorrow."
"You're a model cadet, Zetto…Hmph."
Vanessa and Edward look like a married couple.
"Here, one butterbeer."
Priscilla waved her hand and ordered a drink.
"I heard the story on the way here. Apparently, Zetto has been working diligently in and out of the Labyrinth during your training… Thanks to you, I'm on my way to give the headmaster a run for his money. Hahaha."
Edward claps his hands and laughs loudly.
"Eddie… What did you tell your dad?"
Vanessa's remark cuts him off.
"Um… I told him that I was able to give the cadets a good education because you stood by me."
"You're lying. I'm sure you've been sniveling at your father for as long as you can remember."
"Hmmm…"
Edward clears his throat after taking a direct hit from Vanessa.
When you meet Vanessa, you'll see Edward frozen by her like this. This is why I didn't skip the scene when I met Vanessa in the game. I can't miss such a fresh scene.
"Good education be damned… It's my bracelet, pooh-pooh!"
Reina, who had been listening to Edward's conversation with her head cocked, flicks her wrist and laughs out loud.
"Well, maybe it's because I taught him acupuncture so 'hard'?"
Priscilla interrupts and glares at me.
'Hard…'
I can't help but think of Priscilla in her underwear, teaching me acupuncture with all her heart and soul. Judging by her smile, she didn't seem to mind, but I couldn't help but notice and my gaze wandered to her unbuttoned breastbone.
[What are these people talking about? My disciple has been raised by me since he was a child, and that is why he is so strong…!]
At this point, Sierra, who had arrived unannounced, interrupted their conversation.
It was an argument they would not hear. Besides, the fact that she had taken my childhood self as her apprentice was just a set-up.
With that, Sierra goes back to watching the drinking contest. She seems to enjoy the drinking contest.
"Uh…Instructor Reina?"
I called out to Reina before the sake arrived, just in case.
"…Uhm, Cadet Zetto…"
Reina's eyes narrowed at my call.
"You called for me…"
"…Did I?"
Reina frowns and I wonder if I'll be able to collect the reward.
Priscilla sees this and explains to me on her behalf.
"I called you here because of the reward for the Lycanthrope case."
"…I see."
"I've saved the reward money for you, and I'll make sure you get them later. For now, enjoy yourself. I'm a hard drinker."
I swallowed hard as the words, "That's not what I'm worried about," almost came out of my mouth at Priscilla's sweet voice.
"This may be a rude question, but… Cadet Zetto, do you have any trouble recognizing people, or are you used to it?"
Vanessa, who had been watching me and Priscilla's conversation, narrowed her eyes at me.
And so…I was about to continue my explanation, as is customary for people who I meet for the first time, when Aizel spoke up.
"Waves, voices, and heartbeats…right?"
Aizel answers for me and takes a sip of her drink.
"Wow, heart sounds… Hmph, that's so romantic."
Vanessa said, clapping her hands together to show she was satisfied with Aizel's answer.
Soon, Vanessa is whispering to Edward. I wonder if they're having an intimate conversation.
Reina was slumped over at the table, counting stars in the sky, and Priscilla was sipping her drink without saying a word.
…Aizel was slumped over the table, staring at me.
The sound of heartbeat reminded me of the "prank" Aizel and Sierra had played on me.
I took a small gulp of my drink to clear my head. As I gulped down my drink, I looked over at Aizel and saw that her ears were red.
'Are you really drunk?'
Her ears were red, but she kept a straight face. She took a small sip, just enough to keep from getting drunk, and then put the glass down.
The drink Priscilla had ordered was indeed a low-alcohol version, and I didn't feel drunk after just one sip. Rather, I wondered about the strength of the alcohol in the coffee at the café I've been to with Aizel.
There was no way I was going to pass out here.
'Even if Reina and Kaliman are already drunk…'
Aizel, the Regressor and Priscilla with a hidden past, aside from these two, the only other people left were Mr. and Mrs. Klaus.
'Edward is the only one who's actually awake…'
Edward drains his glass and sets it down on the table and begins to lead the conversation.
"Watching the two cadets reminds me of old times, doesn't it, Miss Priscilla?"
"When we were at the Academy?"
"Yes, me, Mrs. Kaliman, Miss Reina, and Miss Priscilla. It was a pretty good time, wasn't it?"
Edward smiles at Priscilla.
"Good times… If we hadn't gotten into a war with the demons in the middle of it… yeah, it would have been good times."
At Priscilla's mention of the word demons, Aizel reacts, though only briefly. She's always been sensitive about demons.
The others don't notice, so she lets it slide.
Suddenly, Reina, who was drooling, stands up, raises her arms, and shouts.
"…What's wrong with you? Hmph!"
Reina's tongue is twisted from being so drunk.
The black-blooded trio was the name given to Reina, Kaliman, and Edward when they fought in the war as cadets.
I don't know about the others, but I remember Reina always liked it. She thought it was cool.
Of course, it's a taste she only reveals in her drunken state.
"I don't miss being drenched in black blood….Demon blood stinks."
Edward adds to Reina's exclamation.
"…"
Priscilla, still with her arm around my shoulders, trails off and takes a sip of her drink. She obtained a nickname in the war as a medic [Priscilla, the red-blooded].
A nickname that came from being on the front lines, soaking in the blood of her allies and healing them, but she doesn't like it.
Even when she was an assassin for the Order in her youth, she always had red, thick human blood on her hands.
Others here have a long history with Priscilla. They didn't know her past, but they knew she didn't like the name, so no one talked about it, not even Aizel.
She's a regressor, so she should already know the extent of Priscilla's aversion to her nickname.
By the time the smell of alcohol in the restaurant reached my nostrils, Sierra's impassioned shouts were still ringing in my head from the back, where the drinking contest was still going on.
As we sat at the table, we swapped stories about our experiences but mostly about the instructors' academy days.
"Jeez, we've only had a few words and it's already this time of night. We should probably get up."
Edward said, rising from his seat.
"It's been a short time, but it's been fun. Cadets Zetto and Aizel, you're welcome to come over to my place sometime, I'll have some good food ready for you."
Vanessa said with as much grace as she could muster as she rose to follow him.
I smiled and stood to see them off.
I couldn't have asked for better news so I sobered up a bit and stood up, waving them off.
Aizel followed suit and saw them off.
As I bowed to Edward and Vanessa at the bar entrance, I thought to myself.
'Now I just have to make myself scarce.'
That's the way it is at a bar. One person leaves, another follows, and then the group dwindles and scatters.
When I got back to the table, I tried to talk to Priscilla. But Reina, who was supposed to be passed out on the table, had woken up and was waiting for me and Aizel with her eyes wide open.
"Cadet Zetto, Cadet Aizel, pick up your drink…!"
"…What?"
I questioned, looking at Reina's suddenly normal appearance.
"…I just used Divine Clear on you."
Priscilla said, sipping her drink like it was no big deal.
"Hahaha, this is why I love coming to the bar with Priscilla."
Reina laughs, holding her stomach as I stand there dumbfounded.
Divine Clear, which purifies one's state, was a high-level magic among divine magic.
'Is it okay to overuse a high-level magic just to sober up…?'
Finally, the mystery that had kept Reina in the bar for so long was solved.
"Round two! Cadet Zetto, you take a shot this time!"
Reina shouted.
"What are you doing, sit down."
Priscilla followed, glancing at me and speaking in an impatient voice.
"Are you going to drink more?"
Aizel whispers next to me, grabbing my arm and turning her big eyes to me while Kaliman was still in the corner, snoring.
Unable to overcome the overwhelming stares from the three women, I squirm in my seat and think to myself.
'Maybe I should ask Priscilla to use Divine Clear on me when I get drunk.'