First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 53
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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 53
The shocking incident that occurred in Nelbern quickly spread throughout the nation.
No, saying “throughout the nation” is slightly insufficient.
It became a major global issue, crossing borders and seas.
Every newspaper company in the world was covering this incident as their main topic.
[Argent Empire Allows Attack by Demon Cult…]
[Demon priests who attacked the Sword Order’s consecration ceremony revealed to be followers of Zagan, the seventh throne…]
[Zagan’s authority known as the power to revive infinitely until the caster is killed…]
[Fire beings that suddenly collapsed during battle.]
[Is Zagan’s proxy dead or alive?]
Millennium Academy dormitory, double room.
Rustle!
The blue-eyed man who swept his brown hair to the left irritably slammed the newspaper down on the table.
“This is just a complete mess.”
Max de Argent.
A collateral member of the Argent Imperial Family and currently a first-year swordsmanship student at Millennium Academy.
“What do you think, Kal?”
Max asked the boy lying on the sofa, sipping lemonade.
Slurp.
The man who swept his brown hair to the right downed the lemonade in his teacup in one gulp and said.
“This really isn’t easy. The demon cult bastards have been quiet for years, so why are they suddenly causing a ruckus now?”
Carno de Argent.
Max’s twin brother. He was also attending first-year swordsmanship at Millennium Academy.
In the past, he was called snotty Kal, but as he gradually grew up, the amount of snot he produced also decreased.
Of course, since his rhinitis was innate, there were still times when snot would drip down if he let his guard down.
Plop.
Like right now.
“Oh no, snot dropped into my teacup.”
“Hahahaha!”
“Don’t laugh!”
Carno’s face turned red as he yelled at Max.
Max didn’t care and kept giggling for a long while.
“Sigh, seriously.”
Carno roughly wiped the teacup with a napkin and poured lemonade again.
Max, who witnessed this scene, was horrified and covered his mouth.
“Hey you dirty bastard, aren’t you going to wash the dishes?”
“I just wiped it.”
“You call that wiping? You should rinse it with water and scrub it hard with detergent.”
“Ah, stop bothering me. It’s my snot, not yours, right? Sniff.”
“It’s uncomfortable to watch, that’s why. Do you know how much dirty germs and foreign matter are packed in snot? Your snot especially, since you always eat meat, is particularly greasy and sticky…”
“Ah, stop it already!”
“Hehehe!”
Though it might seem rough at first glance, they were ordinary, affectionate adolescent boys.
Max, who had been giggling for a while, changed the subject.
“Right, did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
“Because of this incident, they’re adding another required liberal arts course starting from the second semester.”
“Ugh, really?”
Among the liberal arts courses, there were many interesting classes.
Conversely, there were also commonly boring and tedious lectures.
Unfortunately, most of those boring and tedious lectures were required courses.
“Something about demon authorities… I think we’ll learn about demons’ abilities and authorities and stuff?”
“Wow, that sounds quite interesting!”
Unlike his forced smile, Carno’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
Theology-related classes were among the most boring, whether about celestial deities or demons.
“Anyway, if those demon cult bastards catch my eye, I’ll crush all their limbs. Sniff.”
“Ooh, not scary at all.”
“Be quiet!”
Max’s boisterous laughter echoed through the dormitory room.
* * *
Argent Imperial Palace.
Inner Audience Hall of the Solar Palace.
“The evil creatures of the Demon Realm are humanity’s main enemy that must be swiftly eliminated. Moreover, those who voluntarily worship demons, who are at their apex, are beasts unworthy of being called human.”
Below Brunei seated on the throne, dozens of ministers stood in rows.
“We will strengthen security to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. Also, we will provide substantial rewards to citizens who report demon cults to the imperial family.”
Excluding the fact that they worship demons, they are also a legitimate religious force.
Religions need believers.
If rewards for reporting are strengthened, those bastards won’t be able to conduct active missionary activities for fear of being reported.
“Count Gamillan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Zeroph Gamilan, who had been standing, came to the center at the Emperor’s call and knelt on one knee.
“Have you identified their identities?”
“Yes, it’s complete.”
“They” referred to one noble young master and his three escort knights who were at the scene during the incident.
The escort knights were said to have made great contributions in suppressing the demon cult’s attack with overwhelming force.
One was an 8th-tier swordsman.
The other two were a 7th-tier spearman and mage respectively.
However, suspicions had been raised that they knew about the demon cult’s surprise attack in advance.
This was information confirmed by Buckle Chadman, a knight of Count Artie’s house.
For any reason, communicating with the demon cult was itself an act of treason.
Of course, the truth hadn’t been revealed.
The possibility of misunderstanding couldn’t be denied either.
Therefore, whether for reward or punishment, securing their identities was an absolute necessity.
“The three escort knights were impossible to identify as they covered their faces with full armor and helmets. However, we have completed identifying the noble young master.”
Zeroph Gamilan read from the documents he had prepared.
“His name is Jerbahn de Riod. He is the eldest son of Lord Riode who manages Albren, and he is 20 years old. What’s notable is that he has a weak disposition, having never held even a kitchen knife, let alone a sword, in his life.”
“What?”
The Emperor’s brow furrowed.
“I heard he was also a 5-star swordsman.”
“That’s correct. Since all the testimonies from those present at the scene are identical, that’s an undoubtable fact.”
“Then there’s only one possibility.”
The Emperor’s eyes twisted viciously.
“Disguise…”
Whooooo—
At the killing intent carelessly released by the 7-star Emperor, the ministers gathered in the audience hall trembled.
As cold sweat formed and faces turned pale,
The Emperor withdrew his killing intent and commanded Zeroph.
“Immediately form an investigation team and depart for Albren. Interrogate the Riode Manor and extract all necessary information. If needed, I authorize the use of force.”
“Your, Your Majesty. Actually, I was just about to tell you…”
Zeroph repeatedly cleared his throat as if extremely troubled.
“Actually, the investigation team already departed for Albren yesterday.”
“Without my orders?”
“There was nothing I could do to stop them. I earnestly implored them to report to Your Majesty first, but they stubbornly left in haste without proper preparations.”
“…This is absurd. Who is the person in charge?”
The Emperor emanated a murderous aura as if he would immediately behead the responsible party.
Zeroph swallowed hard before answering.
“It is Her Imperial Highness the Princess….”
Her Imperial Highness the Princess.
While there were several princesses in the castle, only one among them would act so independently in such matters.
Indescribable worry clouded the Emperor’s expression.
His face seemed to say, “That girl again?”
“Haaa….”
The Emperor let out a deep sigh that came from his very core.
He rubbed his face with both hands and repeatedly dry-washed it.
Soon, a thunderous roar echoed throughout the audience hall.
“Seria, you foolish child!!”
* * *
“Your Imperial Highness. We will arrive at Riode Manor shortly.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
Clatter- Clatter-
A carriage accompanied by about a dozen guards raced down the dirt road.
Rural Estate of Albren, Eastern Argent Empire.
The smell of cow dung wafted up from the vast fields spread out before them.
Several farmers in worn clothes were working the land, striking with their hoes.
As the splendid carriage and mounted knights passed by in a procession, the farmers looked over as if watching something curious.
“There’s nothing around here. It really is the countryside.”
Seria stuck her head out the window and looked around in all directions.
Having been born and raised in the most splendid place on the continent, she rarely had occasion to venture to such remote areas.
The unfamiliar scenery, so different from the Imperial City, evoked a pleasant feeling as if she were on a trip.
“Um, Your Imperial Highness.”
A knight wearing Imperial Guard armor called out to Seria.
“I must say once more, I am deeply concerned. Are you truly certain it’s acceptable to make such an important decision independently without reporting to His Majesty….”
“I told you it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“You know His Majesty’s temperament well, don’t you? Your Imperial Highness may be fine, but we….”
Seria pointed to herself with her thumb and spoke majestically.
“If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility, so don’t worry. Just trust me.”
“Understood….”
What could he do when the Princess told him to trust only her?
The knight drove his horse with a gloomy expression.
After riding for several more minutes, a modest but earnestly built manor came into view in the distance.
Having sent word ahead, Lord Riode was hurriedly waiting at the front gate with his eldest son Jerbahn.
“We humbly greet Your Noble Imperial Highness!”
“We humbly greet Your Noble Imperial Highness!”
Lord Riode and Jerbahn broke into cold sweats as they immediately dropped to their knees.
Newspapers reached even rural territories.
They too were well aware of what was currently causing an uproar in the Empire.
Jerbahn recalled memories from the past.
‘I was kidnapped by bandits, then someone in a robe rescued me and knocked me unconscious….’
When he came to, he was in an inn he’d never been to before.
Realizing it was already too late to attend the consecration ceremony, Jerbahn hired mercenaries and struggled to return home.
But when he returned, what did he find?
The Demon Cult had apparently infiltrated the consecration ceremony and caused chaos.
‘Those attackers must have been connected to the Demon Cult.’
It was only speculation, but
it was quite a plausible deduction.
If not, why else would Her Noble Imperial Highness personally travel to this rural territory?
Jerbahn’s crisis detection ability rang alarm bells.
‘This could go very wrong. It will definitely go wrong.’
No one who became entangled with the Demon Cult in any way had ever met a good end.
It wouldn’t be strange if Riode Manor was completely destroyed overnight.
Creak!
The carriage door opened.
Click-clack sounds echoed with each step on the stairs.
Long flowing silver hair and ocean-blue eyes.
Upon meeting the Princess’s countenance, the Riode father and son hastily cast their gazes to the ground.
“Hmm.”
Seria glanced over their appearance once and slowly walked toward Jerbahn.
Click-clack.
Jerbahn’s heart pounded rapidly.
Seria stopped in front of the two and likewise bent her knees.
“Look at me.”
Seria grabbed Jerbahn’s chin and lifted it, forcing him to meet her gaze.
Seria’s eyes, calm as a lake.
And Jerbahn’s eyes, trembling with anxiety and tension, met in the air.
“Have you seen me before?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you’ve met me before.”
“N-no. This is the first time I’m meeting you.”
His voice trembled just like his eyes as he answered.
Seria released her hand from Jerbahn’s chin.
She had wondered, but her expectation proved correct.
‘He’s a completely different person.’
Between the person she met that day and the man before her, aside from appearance, not a single commonality could be found.
Given this, the remaining conclusion was obvious.
“…So you really did switch faces.”
Seria stood up, brushing the dirt off her clothes.
“I came today because I have something to discuss. I’m not here to interrogate you, so there’s no need to be tense. Please stand up.”
Lord Riode and Jerbahn straightened their bent knees.
However, their expressions remained stiffly frozen with tension.
Seria pointed toward the manor entrance.
“Let’s go inside and continue our conversation.”
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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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