Time passed quickly since we were so busy, and before I noticed, it was the night before the ceremony. My exhaustion was at its peak since I had to travel all over the kingdom to make final checks. And yet, all that fatigue was blown away the moment I thought about how the objection system would come into play soon as well. Of course, I was happy about the weddings, but my mental exhaustion was overwritten by the thrill I felt, while my physical exhaustion could be refreshed with healing magic. I was planning to go all out for the entire week starting from tomorrow.
“Hey, what’re you spacing out for? You okay?” Azgrad asked.
Whoops, right. I’m drinking with Azgrad right now. I need to make a show of being willing to do the work.
By the way, this little drinking party had actually been suggested by Azgrad. The way he’d invited me had been pretty awkward—he’d just come right up to me and said, “I feel like drinking; keep me company!” Still, he would become my brother-in-law tomorrow, so I was actually glad to have this opportunity. I’d planned on calling out to him myself if he hadn’t beaten me to the punch.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just practicing for tomorrow in my head.”
“Hah! You nervous or somethin’?” he asked. “I never thought I’d hear the word ‘practice’ from the mouth of the man who has nothing in his head but fighting. Looks like it’ll be raining tomorrow. Too bad.”
“Oh come on, it’s my wedding. Being a battle junkie doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous. Don’t be so mean...Az-nii!”
“Hey, stop that. Seriously, it creeps me out,” he said flatly.
“No good? I was going for a close, familial feel, so I tried copying Rion.”
“It made me want to kill you more than get close to you!” Azgrad argued.
Yeah, it didn’t feel quite right to me either. Let’s be agreeable and take it back.
“Then I’ll just keep calling you Azgrad. It’s a bit late to worry about that stuff anyway.”
“Do that. I’ll keep treating you like usual too,” said Azgrad.
With that, he held out his empty cup to me.
Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’ll pour you a refill to show you my sincerity. Huh? You want me to drink more? Oh no, it’ll affect me tomorrow if I keep going, so I should— Oh fine, I’ll keep you company.
I held out my cup as well, allowing Azgrad to pour me a refill.
Hey, don’t fill it up to the brim like that! It’ll spill! Seriously, it will! Agh, it spilled!
Well, anyway, after all that, we continued to talk for a while. Though it seemed like we’d come to blows a few times, we held it in and enjoyed our little drinking session. A while later, we naturally came upon a pause in the conversation. As if we’d arranged it beforehand, we downed the rest of our cups and let out satisfied sighs.
Trycen’s booze has a pretty unique kick to it, huh? Gerard would like it; it really burns going down.
“Hey, Kelvin,” Azgrad started after a moment more of silence.
“What, Azgrad?”
“Lemme smack you one,” he said.
“Sure. Come at me.”
The moment I replied, Azgrad moved. There was no preparation since he was right in front of me. Neither was there even the slightest hesitation. He threw a heavy punch with his entire body behind it right at my face. There was so much power that I almost couldn’t believe he’d done it while standing up. I accepted this “sudden” attack from him straight-on while remaining seated and not using any supporting magic either. I met the blow with only my body.
Thud!
The sound of the blunt blow came, and the moment it struck home, I could tell he hadn’t held back. My head wanted to fly back, but I withstood the impulse and maintained my seated position. In exchange, my nose, which took the brunt of the blow, was in danger of being reduced to a terrible state.
“That hurt,” I said after a moment. “Look, my nose is bleeding. Actually, wait—it’s totally bent, isn’t it? You know how important tomorrow is! Why did you go for the face?”
“Oh, shut up. I’m the one in pain,” Azgrad groused. “What is wrong with you, being so tough when you’re a Summoner? Look how bad my hand is bleeding. Do you have steel plates under your skin or something?”
The result of his punch was blood running from my nose and his hand. The whole exchange would probably look like nothing more than a drunken fight to any bystanders, but it was necessary for us. If I had to say, it was like a ritual cleansing, something only those who loved their sisters could understand. Anyway, it was necessary.
“My bad, I guess. Want me to fix it with magic?” I offered.
“No need. It’ll heal on its own. You’re the one—” Azgrad started.
“I’m fine too,” I cut him off. “It’s already fixed thanks to Auto Healing.”
“Tch! Izzat so?” Azgrad slurred, clicking his tongue unhappily. He tried to pour out some more booze, but the bottle was already empty. It seemed we’d been going faster than we thought. “Ugh, there’s none left. Okay, party’s over. If you’ve got nothing else, then get out.”
“You’re the one who invited me. How selfish can you get? Still, the booze was good. Invite me again sometime, Azgrad—or should I call you big brother?”
“I told you to stop calling me weird things! I’m getting goose bumps!” he shouted.
“So I can’t even call you my big brother...”
“Of course not! Also, the next time I invite you to anything, it’ll be a battlefield! I’ll be hitting you with blows incomparable to what you felt today, so get ready!”
“Oh! That’s great. Okay, I’ll be looking forward to it. Then we can drink again after. It’ll be my turn to bring the bottle.”
“You better bring something good! I paid for today’s booze out of my own pocket!” he exclaimed.
“Ha ha! Your own pocket? You have an allowance or something?”
And so, with our future plans settled, I stood to leave. If I stayed any longer, I was likely to eat a second punch.
Actually...maybe that would be better?
“Kelvin...” I heard someone say.
“Hm?”
While I was walking to the door, wondering whether I should leave or push my luck, someone called my name.
Huh? Does Azgrad want another go after all? Oh, fine, I’ll meet your expectations. I—
“Take care of Shutola.”
When I turned around, I saw him bowing deeply to me.
It took a moment for me to find the words. “I will.”
With that reply, I left his room. Naturally, I did it at full speed. I’d already intended to, but my resolve only became stronger after Azgrad went that far.
“Agh, that’s not fair. You don’t leave me any choice when you bow like that.”
My head was feeling strangely clear considering how much I’d drunk.
Actually, who pulled strings to make it so I’m staying in Shutola’s room tonight? It feels like I should prepare something other than my heart, or at least that’s what all my life experience is telling me.
✦ ✦ ✦
