First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 95

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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 95

Irin opened her eyes in the bed.

“….”

Curtains drawn around the bed.

White ceiling and the faint scent of medicine wafting through the air.

Recalling what had happened before losing consciousness, Irin realized this was the infirmary.

She looked at her still trembling palms after blocking the Solar Crush head-on.

‘I… lost.’

She could accept losing to Asel.

That guy was far superior to her from the start.

Losing to someone stronger wasn’t shameful.

However.

‘Carno was definitely weaker than me.’

If she hadn’t been careless, he would have been an opponent she could easily subdue.

If she could fight him again, she felt certain she could win.

She couldn’t accept the fact that she had lost to such an opponent.

Her mood was sour.

Irin buried her face in her knees and muttered gloomily.

“…What was the problem.”

“You’re awake.”

“Oh my!”

She jumped in surprise at the sudden voice.

Swoosh.

The curtain was pulled back, revealing a black-haired young boy.

Asel indifferently held out a bowl of porridge.

“Eat. You must be hungry after exerting yourself like that.”

“….”

Irin obediently took the porridge.

Her stomach was practically sticking to her backbone anyway.

Clink.

Before lifting the spoon to take a bite of porridge.

Irin glanced at Asel, who was staring at her intently.

“…Are you going to stay there?”

Asel tilted his head.

“Why. You want me to get lost now that I brought you food?”

“No! Are you going to watch me eat?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“I’m hungry and want to eat ravenously. It’s embarrassing.”

Asel’s expression crumpled as if he’d heard the most ridiculous nonsense in the world.

“It’s surprising that you care about such things now.”

“You lack sense. Did you forget that I’m a woman too?”

“I can tell just by looking.”

We’re not communicating.

She was too hungry to endure any longer.

Irin devoured the porridge greedily, regardless of whether Asel was watching or not.

Asel watching her with satisfaction was somehow annoying.

“By the way, the medical officer went to have lunch. It’s lunchtime now.”

“…How long was I unconscious?”

“About an hour?”

It was less time than she’d expected.

“Not that long.”

“Right. How do you get hit by Solar Crush head-on and wake up after just an hour?”

The medical officer didn’t expect her to wake up so soon either, so they left their post, Asel added.

Irin finished the porridge in the blink of an eye.

As her focus on eating relaxed, the bitter feeling of defeat filled her chest like a rising tide.

“Does losing feel bad?”

Asel asked with an irritating grin.

“Of course it feels bad.”

The fact that she’d lost to an opponent she could have beaten amplified her gloom.

Asel chuckled and plopped down on the bed.

“You should be happy about it instead.”

“…Why?”

“Because you found the possibility to develop further.”

“….”

“You know the cause of this defeat too.”

She was careless.

That was the biggest cause. But that wasn’t everything.

From the middle of the match, she definitely felt like her attacks were being read completely by her opponent.

“If you learned something, study hard at this school so you can improve further. That’s why you’re attending school in the first place, right?”

Crackle.

Black aura formed in Asel’s grasp.

Dark attribute aura.

The reason he was showing this to her was obvious.

“This is a technique I mastered through the enlightenment I learned here after enrolling. Thanks to this technique, I was able to defeat the evil Demon Lords’ priest.”

The reason he was telling her this was also clear.

“School exists for growth through learning. If you can’t learn anything, it’s just a waste of time. I believe you can grow significantly through this defeat.”

Her overall ability was definitely superior to her classmates.

If she could improve the monotony of her movements and fight more cleverly.

She could certainly become distinctly stronger than before.

‘Looking back, I hadn’t recognized my problems until I lost today.’

So what if her attacks were monotonous.

She just had to crush her opponents faster and stronger.

That’s how she’d fought until now.

Eventually, she was bound to hit a wall.

Today just happened to be that day.

“Thank you.”

Irin expressed her sincere gratitude.

“Thanks to you, my head feels clear.”

She knew what she had to do.

To return home without shame.

Using today’s defeat as a foundation, she would become even stronger in the future.

Asel nodded with satisfaction.

“It seems like you learned something, so that’s good. But can I ask you something I’m curious about?”

“What is it.”

“You said you lived by hunting monsters in the Void Tundra. What brought you all the way here?”

Irin’s body trembled slightly.

That was related to her people’s secrets.

It wasn’t something she could carelessly reveal to others.

‘Should I… tell him?’

What was currently happening in the Void Tundra.

Maybe it’s something I could help with.

Since Asel is strong.

“…I can’t tell you that.”

But not yet.

“I see, understood. Rest well.”

Asel didn’t pry any further.

Asel got up, patted his own shoulder, and left the infirmary.

Irin stared at her palm before clenching it into a tight fist.

‘I need to become stronger.’

Only then could she prevent that disaster.

For the sake of her people who trusted her and sent her to the Empire.

* * *

The first week of individual matches had concluded.

Except for a few matches where skill levels were similar, most results followed pre-match predictions without any surprises.

It meant that all the guys who deserved one win had claimed their victories.

“The second week brackets will be posted next Monday.”

Ragnor said, looking at me.

“It would be nice if I could face you this time, Asel.”

“Get lost.”

Why is this bastard so obsessed with me?

I could easily defeat almost every student, but this guy was an exception.

If Ragnor were my opponent, I would have to give my all too.

I hoped such a headache wouldn’t arise as early as the second week.

“Well, we can talk about next week when the time comes. This is our problem now.”

Today was Saturday.

As Max had mentioned before, it was the day to go to the Imperial Capital to receive awards from the Emperor.

“Is everyone mentally prepared?”

Max said with a playful smile.

Five people had gathered in front of Millennium Academy’s main gate.

Me, Ragnor, and Meirei, who would receive awards this time.

And Max and Carno, who were assigned as guides.

“Isn’t the Princess coming with us?”

Ragnor seemed puzzled by the absence of Seria, a fellow first-year royal.

Max and Carno each answered.

“She hates troublesome things. She never listens anyway.”

“Actually, she’s supposed to come with us, but she said she won’t because she wants to play with her Magic Department friend. *Sniff*”

What an amazing girl.

Even though it’s her father, it’s still the Emperor’s command, yet she openly refuses saying she wants to play with Artie.

“…Is that okay?”

Ragnor, being from a high-ranking noble family, asked worriedly about Seria’s eccentric behavior.

“Well, Seria is direct lineage.”

Max waved his hand dismissively, telling him not to worry.

Ragnor seemed fascinated that he could converse with imperial royalty and kept talking to them.

“I see. If she’s the Emperor’s own daughter, that makes sense. Then, are you two from branch families?”

“That’s right.”

“I see. I didn’t realize since you all seem so close.”

“Direct and branch lineages rarely get along well. But we’ve been playing together since we were little.”

“So the three of you were always together?”

At those words, Max and Carno both stiffened.

After exchanging glances briefly, Max said quietly.

“There was originally one more person.”

“Was that person also from a branch family?”

“No, direct lineage.”

Max seemed to be considering whether it was okay to say more.

Then, perhaps thinking it didn’t matter since he’d already revealed this much, he continued.

“If that guy had enrolled in Millennium Academy, the Swordsmanship Department’s first rank would have definitely been his.”

“That strong? How would he compare to the current first place?”

Meirei was standing a few steps away from us, just looking up at the sky.

Max glanced at her sideways.

“Meirei is strong too. Overwhelmingly so. But that guy was somehow special.”

Carno picked up where Max left off and added.

“Would you believe it if I said he awakened his aura just one day after learning swordsmanship?”

“One day…?”

At that part, Meirei also seemed interested and turned her gaze toward us.

She must have been listening while pretending not to.

“That’s impossible.”

Ragnor stated firmly.

“I know. But that guy really did it.”

“You don’t have to believe it if you don’t want to. *Sniff*”

Naturally, Ragnor didn’t seem to believe it.

It would be impossible for him to accept with his common sense.

“So where is that person now?”

Shadows fell across the two royals’ eyes.

“…He died.”

The surroundings instantly became quiet.

A silence as if even breathing had stopped.

Ragnor seemed to regret bringing it up and apologized hesitantly.

“…Sorry.”

Perhaps conscious that the mood was becoming too heavy.

Max laughed cheerfully with an exaggerated smile.

“It’s fine, really. Today’s a happy day, isn’t it? Just think about what you’ll each request as your reward.”

But the heavy atmosphere remained unchanged.

By the way, dead?

‘I’m right here next to you, alive and well.’

Though everyone must be uncomfortable with the unintentionally solemn atmosphere that had formed.

Among them all, I was suffering the most.

I saw Max and Carno’s faces when they mentioned Cael.

Just as memories from the Imperial Capital settled like dust in a corner of my consciousness, weighing down my heart.

The children also had the past they shared with me embedded like thorns piercing their lungs.

Why couldn’t they stay by my side a little longer back then?

Why couldn’t they offer one more word, one more gesture?

That regret spread quietly but clearly.

Clatter, clatter.

A carriage arrived.

A knight who got out and opened the door bowed his head and gestured toward the carriage.

“Please get in. I’ll escort you to the Imperial Capital.”

The knight’s face was someone I knew too.

I had a memory of glimpsing him briefly long ago.

Though traces of time were somewhat visible on his face as the years had passed, seeing a familiar face made the fact that I was returning to the Imperial Capital begin to feel real.

The carriage slowly crossed through Millennium City.

As we passed through the central district, the bustling voices of merchants could be heard.

“Buy apples! Apples!”

“Fresh fish available! Delicious fish caught straight from Rizellan over there!”

“Play a game before you go! If you guess the result correctly, you’ll get double your money!”

Familiar streets, familiar scenery.

Old nostalgia becomes longing, soaking into my heart.

The Knight opened his mouth.

“We’re almost there.”

When I stuck my head out the window, the radiance of Taeyang Palace soaring high into the sky came into view.

Four years since I escaped beyond the walls with the Pluton Sect.

Crossing through the long years, I had finally returned to the Imperial Capital.

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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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