'I, Emperor Draconis VII, love our empire and, above all, our people! Because of the worsening relationships with our neighbor, I am sure many of you fear the potential war. But! With this tournament, I want to—"
Zaroth found it hard to pay much attention to the emperor's speech as he was too mesmerized by the appearance of the queen. There was something that seemed familiar to him… something that reminded him of home…
Even though the woman tried to hide her appearance with a lot of clothes and was hidden by her family, Zaroth instantly knew the moment he laid his eyes upon her.
She, just like his mother, was also cursed by the muscle-rot curse.
Was this the reason he felt immediate attraction to her? Because she reminded him of his mother? He didn't know.
Suddenly, in front of his eyes, a message appeared. It seemed the bracelet had notified him about a message. It read:
[Roran has sent you a friend request and invited you to a chat room. Do you accept?]
Zaroth raised an eyebrow but, curious to see what would happen, accepted.
Another window appeared before him. It was a white window, and on the right side was written:
[Current members: Zaroth (You), Zack, Roran.]
Roran: This speech is so boring.
Zaroth, surprised by the message, used his mind to try to respond. Surprisingly, it worked. It seemed the bracelet was indeed connected to his consciousness.
Zaroth: What is this?
Roran: A chat room. It would be rude to speak during the speech, but I have no intention of listening to this man for the next four hours.
Zack: Holy shit! The princess looks even better than I remember.
Zaroth glanced around and saw that both Zack and Roran had neutral expressions, not showing that they were currently having a conversation.
Zaroth: How did you invite us here?
Roran: There are two ways you can send a friend request or, in other words, chat if you're near the person, like in our case, or if they have written to you in the past.
Curious to see if this would work, he checked the message sent by Elysia and saw that he could send her a friend request.
'Sending a friend request to the chairwoman can't be a bad thing, right?' Zaroth wondered. 'Eh, what's the worst thing that could happen?' he thought as he sent her a friend request and went back to the chat with the boys.
Now that he was bored, he asked,
Zaroth: Yo Zack, now that you're ogling the princess, is there someone to your fancy?
Zack: Fuck yeah, you see that one to the left? That's the one.
Zaroth shifted his gaze, focusing on the individual Zack was talking about.
Roran: Isn't she a bit too old for you? You're what? 18, and she looks at least 25.
Zack: Man, shut up! You don't have good taste!
Roran: The fuck do you mean I don't have taste?! I have Lily. You talk like that 'cause you haven't seen her.
Zack: Whatever. What about you, Zaroth? Is there someone that caught your eye?
Zaroth: Yeah, you see that woman in the back that looks almost like she's trying to stay hidden?
As Roran and Zack shifted their gazes searching for the woman, after finding her, their eyes involuntarily narrowed, and their mouths opened slightly in shock.
Zack: Dude, isn't that one of the Queens? You want one of the Emperor's wives?
Roran: Plus, isn't she in her early forties? Isn't she too old for you?
Zaroth: Old? We're both adults. You just can't recognize true beauty.
Zack: Hey man, you gotta dream big.
Roran: I really need a drink after this…
Zack: What, can't we talk a bit about romance?
Roran: Romance?! Mate, you dressed us in some expensive suits that I have no idea where you found, and then dragged us to this mess RIGHT at the front of the seats where WE are the only ones here.
Roran: And now one of you is trying to get the attention of the princess by staying completely still like a dumbass, while the other has already begun his master plan to fuck the Queen. So, considering the situation, I REALLY want to get hammered tonight. I want to forget today even happened.
Zack: Well… if you put it like that…
The next four hours were long and boring. Zaroth wasn't sure why they spent so much time explaining so little information. Basically, after a month, a tournament would take place, lasting a quarter of a year. The winner would get their wish granted by the emperor's family.
Zaroth spent this time chatting with Roran and Zack about nothing in particular, while the rest of the time was spent admiring the queen's beauty from afar.
He wasn't sure, but it felt like, for some time, the queen returned his gaze. Though it was hard to tell, considering the distance between them.
After the whole announcement was made, the three quickly and masterfully evaded all the older students that no doubt wanted to put them in their place for daring to sit at the front.
"How long until we reach the bar?" Zaroth asked.
"Not much… oh, do you have credits? Don't think this is a threat."
"Credits?"
"Yes, check your bracelet. It has a tab showing the amount of money in it."
Zaroth did just that and saw that he possessed 0 credits.
'Shit… what do I do now?' He was about to ask for some from Zack until he saw he had a notification.
[Elysia has accepted a friend request and started a chat]
Elysia: Very few dare to message me privately, is something the matter?
Zaroth: Not really, just thought it would be a more convenient form of communication.
Elysia: I see. By the way, good job handling that noble in your first lecture. It was a great pleasure to announce to his parents that he had been expelled from the academy for breaking the rules about talking about status during class.
'He got expelled just like that? Man, Elysia truly is scary…'
Seeing that she had so much power, Zaroth felt a bit stupid for what he was about to ask, but…
Zaroth: Um… these things, credits? Is there a way to transfer me some?
Elysia: Sure, for what?
Zaroth: … I need it for a bar.
Elysia: WHAT? It's the first day and you're already planning on getting drunk?
Zaroth: NO, no, it's not like that! I'm making friends that could help me in my mission, so I thought it would be a good idea…
There was silence for some time until.
[You have received a transfer of 100 credits]
Elysia: Don't overdrink, and don't spend it all on alcohol.
Zaroth: Thanks!
As soon as his chat was done, Roran said, "We're here!"
They were standing in front of a building made of wood, with a large cup above the front door.
Zaroth felt excited, despite being an adult, he had never drunk alcohol before because he was too poor, and in the place where he lived, there wasn't even people who produced it.
"Well, how bad could it be?" he muttered under his breath as he approached the building.
*****
'Zaroth, Zaroth!'
'Ah, my head…'
'ZAROTH!' Hearing Luna shout in his head, Zaroth immediately woke up.
"Where am I? Ah, my head!" He grabbed his head with both hands.
"Why am I so cold?" he muttered under his breath as he looked down only to see he was in his underwear.
"WHAT?" In confusion, he observed his surroundings only to see Roran and Zack in the same state as him, lying on the cold concrete.
"Where the fuck am I?" he asked, trying to stand up while being assaulted by a terrible hangover.
'You are on the roof of the academy,' Luna responded.
"WHAT? WHY?" he shouted, finding it hard to believe.
'The three of you thought it would be funny… oh, by the way, there's only an hour until the start of your first lecture, so… good luck!'
Glancing around at his body and then at the bodies of his companions, who were still out cold with bottles of liquor in their hands, a single word escaped Zaroth's mouth.
"FUCK!"