First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 23

The Imperial Guard reports directly to the Emperor.

No matter how much of a prince one might be, ordering them around at will was quite rude behavior.

This was especially true for someone of squad leader rank.

Perhaps that’s why Branden Newslid, who had arrived at the residence after hearing the command, looked very displeased.

“Lord Newslid.”

“Yes, yes.”

“…”

He stood crookedly with one leg cocked, deliberately drawing out his pronunciation as he answered.

His eyes weren’t even directed at me, instead gazing at the distant mountains outside the window.

If it had been Arthur or Killian in front of him, he wouldn’t have acted this way.

A conversation was impossible in this state.

“Everyone except Lord Newslid.”

I said while looking around at the attendants, maids, and adjutant who had entered the room.

“All of you, leave this room.”

They hesitated for a moment, then quickly left the room after sensing my fierce aura.

“Now it seems we have the proper environment for a conversation.”

I confirmed that only the two of us remained and smiled wickedly.

“I have quite a lot I want to ask you.”

“That makes two of us.”

Branden Newslid frowned and spoke sarcastically.

“What exactly is the reason you called me all the way here? Is this perhaps about the mission assignment?”

“You know well.”

“Hah… I heard about the unfortunate accident Your Highness suffered. But if you think it was because of me, you’re greatly mistaken. That was literally an accident. How could anyone predict a monster would suddenly burst out from the deepest part?”

“If there was even the slightest possibility, you shouldn’t have assigned me to that place.”

Branden Newslid sighed as if he found it absurd.

His attitude clearly meant disrespect.

“Your Highness seems unaware, but the monsters of Gerpelt Forest are famous for never leaving their territory. This incident was, to put it in perspective, just a natural disaster! It’s like going to the beach for fun and getting hit by a tsunami, or hiding under a tree on a rainy day and getting struck by lightning!”

“Is that really so?”

At my meaningful words, Branden Newslid’s eyes twitched.

“…What do you mean?”

“All of this could have been your plan from the beginning.”

“…Hah, really. Hah hah.”

Branden Newslid seemed so dumbfounded that his soul had ascended, continuously letting out weak laughter.

His expression, which had initially been mere mild irritation, gradually became colored with anger.

“You’re making a slip of the tongue right now, Your Highness.”

“Branden Newslid.”

“Ha! Now you’re not even using ‘Lord.’ Are you saying let’s go all out? Fine! Even if you’re royalty…”

“Shut your mouth.”

Branden’s expression went blank.

His face showed he didn’t understand what he had just heard.

“Just now… what did you…”

To him, who seemed confused in his memory as if his brain had malfunctioned, I kindly smiled and told him again.

“I said shut your mouth, you vermin bastard.”

Branden Newslid’s face turned bright red.

Unable to hide his anger, he trembled with both fists clenched.

If I hadn’t been royalty, he would have already crushed me with force.

With his face flushed like a red radish, he spat out his words.

“I will report this matter to His Majesty.”

Branden Newslid turned around sharply.

“Prepare yourself. I will clearly teach you what the price of childish behavior is.”

He strode toward the door.

My words and actions just now had clearly crossed the line.

Even if he had been rude first, hurling abuse at a knight serving the Imperial House was definitely grounds for disciplinary action.

But I had no intention of stopping here.

I sprang up from my seat and raised my arm high.

Grab.

I seized a handful of hair from the back of Branden’s head as he walked away.

Branden glanced back with his eyes to see what was happening.

I channeled my aura and pulled my arm back with all my strength.

Branden’s hair, caught in my grip, came along with him as the back of his head slammed into the floor with a ‘bang!’

“Kraaak!”

Branden, who had fallen over, roared in pain.

He probably never expected I would follow verbal abuse with physical violence.

“Wh-what are you doing! Have you truly gone mad!”

“The one who’s gone mad is you, bastard. How dare you try to assassinate royalty and then brazenly try to escape?”

“Wh-when did I ever assassinate…!”

“Shut up.”

Thwack-!

I swung my leg and struck Branden’s cheek with the top of my foot.

With the sound of something breaking, his head snapped to the side.

A few tooth fragments flew out of Branden’s mouth.

“You, you bastard!!”

Now realizing the situation was serious, he defended with full power.

However, his defense was frequently breached, allowing me to land effective hits.

The dull sound of blunt objects colliding echoed through the room.

Thud! Thwack!

I struck his abdomen hard with my fist.

He retched and spittle flew.

While stepping on his foot, I raised my palm and struck his chin upward.

“Kuk!”

Whoosh!

Branden’s arm shot toward me.

I lightly moved to the right and dodged it.

Using the momentum, I spun around and struck his face with a high kick.

“Kehuk!”

Branden Newslid clutched his nose and glared at me as if he wanted to tear me apart.

I suddenly rushed in, took position behind him, wrapped my arm around his neck and applied pressure.

His face gradually turned pale, crying out from oxygen deprivation.

“I was wrong…! Save me…!”

If I held on any longer, he seemed like he would faint.

I released him and finally threw a punch at his face.

Smack!

“Kraaaak!”

Branden Newslid collapsed with a single scream.

By now, bewilderment was felt more strongly than anger on his face.

“Are you ready to answer my questions now?”

Having lost the will to resist, Branden looked up at me with much gentler eyes.

The reason I, a mere 3-star, could overwhelm a high-ranking knight of the Imperial Guard who was at the end of 5-star level like this was due to two constraints placed on him.

‘He cannot attack me.’

Even if I could overlook rude words and behavior.

The moment he laid hands on a member of the imperial family, it would be his head without mercy.

Knowing this, I could disregard defense entirely and pour all my strength into attacking.

‘He couldn’t even use aura.’

The moment he manifested aura against royalty in a non-sparring situation, it would undoubtedly be interpreted as treason.

Meanwhile, I was freely using aura, of course.

I was secretly channeling mana through my circuits to doubly enhance my physical abilities.

“Your Highness, by any chance…”

His tone had become infinitely respectful before I knew it.

Indeed, the rod is a cure-all.

“Are you the reincarnation of the first Emperor?”

From Brandon’s perspective, I must have seemed incomprehensible.

Even though he hadn’t used aura, he was an Expert who had been beaten by a mere 3-star Sword Runner.

“Stop talking nonsense and just answer what I’m asking.”

I activated my divine insight.

It didn’t matter whether he answered truthfully or spewed lies.

The divine insight, a deity’s power, would convey only the truth to me.

“Was changing my assignment location to Gerpelt Forest something you did under someone’s orders?”

Actually, I had been somewhat certain from the moment I first saw him.

I could see his intention to deliberately act rough and do his best to get on my nerves.

It was the typical reaction of someone with something to hide.

His pupils trembled like an earthquake.

“N-no.”

Thinking he’d really be screwed if he answered “yes” here, he denied it.

But how unfortunate.

My divine insight was telling me his answer was a lie.

“I see.”

I showed no reaction and posed the next question.

“Whose orders were they?”

“…”

“Were they orders from First Empress Sabina?”

“…I didn’t receive any orders!”

“Just answer yes or no.”

I brought my face close to the prostrate Brandon and flashed my eyes coldly.

When Brandon met my gaze, he flinched and trembled, then replied in a deflated voice.

“N-no…”

My divine insight judged his answer as truth.

It wasn’t Sabina.

Of course, that wasn’t surprising.

She might have had a subordinate act on her behalf.

“I see.”

He let out a sigh of relief at my acknowledgment.

The interrogation wasn’t over yet.

“Then were they orders from First Prince Arthur?”

“…No!”

The divine insight’s answer was truth.

Not First Prince Arthur either.

I hadn’t really thought those two would have moved directly anyway.

There was a slim possibility, so I interrogated him just in case.

In the end, this time too.

“Were they orders from that damn black robe?”

“…”

Branden Newslid couldn’t answer.

I glared at him as if urging him on.

Unable to withstand the pressure, he answered in a crawling voice.

“No…”

This time it was a lie.

“Right, so you’re saying no.”

I smiled coldly and raised my fist.

“I wonder if your answer might change after a few more beatings?”

The violence disguised as interrogation continued for several more minutes.

Brandon couldn’t endure the pain and spilled everything truthfully.

He said the black robe had threatened him, saying they’d kill his entire family if he didn’t change my assignment location to Gerpelt Forest.

His words, confirmed through divine insight, were true.

I asked Brandon several additional questions, but he knew nothing else beyond this.

“Kugh!”

Feeling irritated for no reason, I kicked Brandon in the face once more.

He looked up at me as if wronged, but couldn’t move a muscle under my fierce momentum.

‘This time too, he was nothing but a lizard’s tail.’

From the moment they sent me to Gerpelt Forest, this bastard’s usefulness was finished.

Whether Brandon lived or died, they wouldn’t care at all.

He was nothing more or less than an abandoned chess piece.

“Listen carefully.”

I looked into Brandon’s eyes and spoke.

“You’re going to go back and act normally. Normally. So that whoever gave you orders doesn’t notice anything strange.”

Killing Brandon here and now would just be meaningless venting.

Rather than that, it was best to leave him alone so the Demon Cult side wouldn’t feel a sense of crisis.

“Are you… forgiving me?”

Brandon, having apparently eaten his wits with rice, spouted nonsense.

“Are you insane?”

I opened my eyes coldly.

“You will be punished in some way. It’s just that now isn’t the time. If you feel even a trace of conscience or guilt, cooperate as much as possible in catching the real culprit. That’s also the way to save your family.”

Brandon nodded gloomily.

As long as we couldn’t catch the black robe, this guy’s family was also within death’s range at any time.

“That’s enough. Now get out.”

Branden Newslid walked out with drooping shoulders, completely opposite to his arrogant attitude when he came in.

I sat in my chair and looked out the window as usual.

I had finally reached the threshold.

Just a little further from here, and I could finally put an end to this long-standing grudge.

‘From the circumstances, that black robe seems to be Cardinal Lipton.’

I couldn’t be certain, but it was probably right.

Branden Newslid was skilled enough to fight Bishop Caluto to the death if he fought properly with aura deployed.

To make such a knight meekly cooperate with their plan, they naturally had to be an even stronger opponent.

But tracking an opponent whose face and voice I didn’t know was impossible even for me.

There was one remaining option.

‘I should investigate Sabina’s side first after all.’

Whether the information that bishop bastard knew was true or false.

I’d find that out first.

‘The First Empress’s birthday banquet happens to be in a few days.’

Sabina, the star of the banquet, wouldn’t leave the main hall of Taeyang Palace all day.

The security of the Empress’s Palace, with no one to protect, would drop several levels below normal.

Taking advantage of that gap, I would infiltrate the Empress’s Palace and search for evidence that she was colluding with the Demon Cult.

There would be only one chance.

‘That mage is a bit concerning though…’

The Duchy’s 9th Circle Grand Mage who had currently arrived at the Imperial Capital.

Ifreet Duke.

If there was an uncertain element in the plan, it was not knowing how the Duke would act that day.

The realm of 9th tier was too big a variable for the current me to handle.

‘I should prepare an escape route just in case.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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