A section of the dining hall at the Eternal Sky Inn was currently alive with celebration.
Daskar's entourage had gathered to raise their glasses in a victory toast. The reason, of course, was having passed the fighting tournament qualifiers earlier that day. While the stars of the hour were Rei and Rhodos, they weren't alone; for some reason, the trio from Wind Dragon Fang—Ruzy, Veikyul, and Most—were also part of the festivities.
Though it had only been a matter of days, Daskar had invited them on the grounds that they had sweated alongside Rei and Rhodos during their training.
Initially, Veikyul and Most had been hesitant to join. After all, their host was Daskar—a high-ranking noble and the leader of the Neutral Faction, one of the three great factions in the Kingdom of Mireana. Ruzy, however, had accepted the invitation without a hint of trepidation, leaving the other two with no choice but to participate.
"I have to say, I heard it from Rhodos, but your party is quite impressive," Elk remarked.
"Exactly, exactly! Despite how we look, we’re fairly well-known as a C-Rank party. Though I suppose our names haven't made it all the way to the Kingdom of Mireana yet," Ruzy replied boisterously.
Savoring ice-cold ale alongside grilled skewers, hearty stew, and simmered beans and offal, Ruzy clinked his cup against Elk’s with a cheerful grin.
"No, no, wait a minute," Veikyul hissed, looking frantic. "That’s Elk from the Axe of the Thunder God! He's a famous A-Rank adventurer in the Kingdom of Mireana! Why is our Ruzy talking to him like he's just some guy at a tavern?"
"It's no use, Veikyul," Most said, his tone one of weary resignation. "Just let it go. It’s Ruzy."
It had been nearly two years since the three of them had formed their party, yet Veikyul still found herself forced to play the straight man to their leader’s carefree antics.
"Well, my dad might look like that, but he doesn't really care much for formalities," Rhodos chimed in, addressing the two of them with a cup of ale in his hand. "As long as you don't do anything incredibly stupid, he’s easy enough to get along with."
Veikyul clinked her cup against his and offered a smile. "Ah, Rhodos. Congratulations on passing the qualifiers."
"Yeah. Though, to be honest, there was a lot wrong with how I won. But look at you guys—the whole party made it through, right? That’s some damn fine work."
"Ahaha... well, about that. It’s true that Ruzy survived without much trouble, and I managed to pull through by staying out of sight and striking only when someone left an opening... but Most, well..."
At Veikyul's meaningful trail-off, Most let out a wry smile and took a sip of his fruit wine diluted with water.
"It was a logical choice to ensure victory," Most insisted.
Veikyul shot him an exasperated look, but Rhodos merely nodded in agreement.
"Mages need a tank to survive battle royals, period," Rhodos said. "Teaming up with whoever happened to be nearby on stage isn't that strange. It's not like the rules forbid alliances between participants."
Indeed, Most had secured his advancement by recruiting a large participant who had confidence in his defensive abilities. While that vanguard served as a shield, Most had chanted his magic to eliminate their enemies.
Of course, it hadn't been a perfect strategy. Since only three people per block could advance, they couldn't afford to keep too many allies. Most had managed to find one warrior to act as his shield, but apparently, no one else had met his standards, so they ended up fighting as a duo.
Naturally, the other participants had recognized the threat of a mage and focused their attacks on them. Most’s tank couldn't hold everyone off alone, forcing Most to rely on the dagger techniques Rei had taught him just to stay in the game.
In the end, Most, his temporary vanguard, and a thief_man who had spent the entire round avoiding direct combat were the three to emerge victorious from that block.
"Ahahaha. Certainly, as Rhodos-san says, there was no issue with it this time," Most said. "However, that was only possible because it was a battle royal. I’m not sure what I’ll do for the main tournament. Maybe I should just start swinging a great scythe around like Rei-san?"
"There's no way you could... Wait, hey. Are you..."
Stunned by words she never expected to hear from Most, Veikyul snatched his cup away and sniffed it. The unmistakable scent of alcohol wafted up.
"Oh boy... I knew it. You only had a little, but you’ve always been a lightweight. You need to be careful."
"Hm? Is Most weak to alcohol too?" Rhodos asked, sounding surprised.
Veikyul tilted her head. "What, are you a lightweight too, Rhodos?"
"No, not me. I’m talking about Rei. He doesn't collapse after a drink or two, but he says he can't find anything delicious about alcohol at all."
"Wow, he’s missing out on a third of life’s pleasures!" Veikyul exclaimed.
"I wouldn't go that far, but it is a shame he doesn't understand the appeal," Rhodos agreed.
"Exactly! That first drink after work is the best part of the day. Especially at a high-class place like this—chilled ale is a godsend."
Most watched the two of them drain their ales with a look of pure exasperation. "I really don't see what’s so delicious about something that bitter."
"Hey, you were just drinking it yourself a second ago," a voice replied. "And you're right—it's foolish to go out of your way to drink something that doesn't taste good."
Most jumped at the unexpected response. He turned to find Rei standing behind him, holding a plate with a chicken thigh on it. It had been herb-steamed with an abundance of aromatics; an appetite-whetting scent drifted toward Most. Since it hadn't been grilled directly, the skin wasn't crispy, but it looked incredibly moist and tender.
"That’s right," Most said, recovering. "And when I see people getting drunk and pestering others, it just looks pathetic. Especially our Ruzy."
Most glanced toward his party leader, who was currently laughing loudly with Elk. Rei gave a sympathetic shrug and handed over the plate.
"Here. Consider this a reward for your hard work today."
"Eh? Is this okay?"
Most knew that this dish was one of the more expensive items on the inn's menu. It used specially raised poultry and a lavish amount of rare spices and herbs. Rei, however, pushed the plate forward without a care.
"A mage winning a battle royal is worth celebrating. You earned a perk. Besides, I’m technically classified as a mage myself."
"A mage? You're a magic warrior, surely. In the first place, no normal mage swings a great scythe like that."
"Hmph. If that's how you feel, maybe you don't want this? I’ll just eat it myself."
"Wait, sorry! I was lying! Rei-san is a magnificent, textbook example of a mage!"
Rei smirked at the instant reversal and set the plate down in front of Most. However, there was no way that Veikyul or Rhodos, sitting at the same table, would fail to notice a dish that smelled this heavenly.
"Ah, that’s not fair! Why does Most get the good stuff?"
"Yeah, yeah! Give me some too!"
"Quiet, you two," Most snapped. "This is a celebratory gift for a mage. It’s a much bigger deal for a caster to survive than it is for a warrior or a thief."
"Favouritism! Pure favouritism!"
"Exactly! For that matter, Most, aren't you always way too strict with me?"
The alcohol had clearly taken hold. Rhodos was airing grievances he would normally keep to himself, pounding the table for emphasis.
"I am not. Now sit down and be quiet."
Despite being a victory party, they were still in the public dining hall of the Eternal Sky Inn. They hadn't rented the place out, and plenty of other guests were present. Most of those guests were in the Imperial Capital for the tournament, and some were participants themselves.
While many were celebrating like Rei’s group, there were just as many who had been eliminated. For those who had lost, seeing the winners making merry and shouting—as Rhodos was currently doing—was naturally grating. Several people were casting unpleasant looks their way.
The only reason no one had picked a fight yet was the knowledge that they were part of Daskar's entourage, and the fact that Daskar himself was sitting nearby. The presence of five main tournament participants at one table was also a significant deterrent. Out of the sixty people who had advanced today, nearly ten percent were sitting right here.
"Hah? It’s fine, it’s fine! If anyone has a problem, I’m in the main tournament—I’ll handle 'em! Hahaha!"
"Kyaa! So cool! But I’m not losing either!"
The two of them cheered and stood up simultaneously. Most watched them—or more accurately, watched Veikyul—before setting his chicken back down and looking at Rei.
"Ah, this is bad. Rei-san, I’m sorry, but could you help me pin Veikyul down? This is going to get messy otherwise."
"Messy?"
Rei didn't understand the warning until something suddenly fell onto his head. He caught it instinctively. It was clothing—specifically, clothing he had seen someone wearing only seconds ago.
"Hey..."
A sudden realization struck him. He looked up to find exactly what he feared: Veikyul standing there in nothing but a black undershirt. Her outer clothes were currently in Rei’s hands. At that point, Rei didn't need any further explanation.
"Rei-san, please."
"Ah... fine. I guess I have to."
Nearly everyone at the party was drunk and rowdy. Only a few, like Rei and Most, remained sober. Even Min, who usually kept her wits about her, was savoring her wine, clearly moved by Rhodos’s success.
Rei let out a sigh and stood up. If Veikyul had been wearing her leather armor, this wouldn't have been an issue, but this was a dining hall celebration. No one wore armor to a victory party unless they had a very specific reason.
"Hey! Stop struggling!"
"What? I was just about to show off my best features! Don't you want to see, Rei? At your age, you have to be interested in girls, right?"
"I’m not saying I’m not, but I have no interest in a drunk."
Rei replied bluntly while pinning her arms to her sides. Once Rei had her secured, Most swung his staff down toward the back of Veikyul’s head.
A dull thud echoed through the hall.
(Wait, is that really okay?) Rei wondered silently.
He watched as Veikyul lost consciousness instantly and slumped toward the floor. Looking at Most’s expert handling of the staff, Rei couldn't help but think that instead of daggers, he should have encouraged Most to study staff techniques.
(Then again, Min uses a staff as a weapon too. One powerful enough to flatten Elk in a single strike...)
As Rei mused on the connection, Most draped the discarded clothes back over Veikyul’s prone form.
"Honestly. I wish she’d learn some moderation. She knows she can't hold her liquor."
Most shot a glance toward Rhodos as he spoke. Rhodos, who had witnessed the entire exchange, seemed to sober up instantly, nodding frantically in silence.
In a fair fight, Rhodos could have easily evaded a strike of that level. But for someone currently tipsy, the blow had been delivered with terrifying speed and precision. More than that, Rhodos had spent his life watching Min deliver similar strikes to Elk—or receiving them himself. The instinctual habit of not evading such an attack was carved deep into his soul.
Most likely didn't realize the trauma he was tapping into, but he maintained a small, polite smile as he spoke.
"I won't tell you not to have fun at a victory party. But please, let’s try to enjoy ourselves with some measure of self-control, shall we?"
Rhodos could do nothing but nod again in silence.