NOVEL NEXT Volume 1 Chapter 16
“Guys, I have something to say. Please listen.”
In a short while, the man with glasses gathers a few players for a secret discussion that I can actually overhear.
“The time has come to dedicate our hearts to the world’s most adorable Anna. Since our gentle Anna doesn’t want to step back, we’ll have to be the bad guys.”
“Advisor, what are you trying to say?”
“We can’t let Anna go today.”
“…Advisor, human trafficking is illegal.”
“No one asked for your opinion. What I mean is, we should make Anna disappear from public view for a while. Once the adventurers leave Roschild, we can properly apologize to her. Understand?”
“I don’t.”
“Tsk, just do as I say. We need to challenge Anna to a drinking game. Bring out the strongest Bacchus liquor.”
“Advisor, are you planning to get Anna drunk?”
“Are we reenacting a scene from ‘Wine Pool Meat Forest: Anastasia Edition’?”
“No, if it’s Bacchus liquor, it’s more like ‘Unaware First Experience While the Maid is Asleep’…”
“Speaking of which, when are you going to share the ‘Anna’s Forced Hypnosis’ content with me?”
The conversation becomes a jumbled mess, touching on topics that seem to involve me but are completely incomprehensible. The man with glasses eventually ends the off-topic chatter by offering everyone a copy of “Maid’s Late-Night Service Task (Night 3),” and the overall atmosphere remains oddly harmonious.
[Drinking], one of the in-game skills, isn’t related to one’s real-world tolerance. In the game, every character initially has low alcohol tolerance. As the [Drinking] level increases, so does the tolerance. The skill also has many derivatives, such as wine tasting and mixing drinks, and it can even temporarily boost attributes. However, excessive drinking in a short period leads to a “drunk” debuff similar to “binge eating.”
“Anna, would you like to try this?”
The first to approach me after their discussion is a player with the ID “Misaka 10086.” Among the players in the camp today, his [Drinking] level is the highest.
“Bacchus liquor?”
“You recognize it, Anna.”
“Yes, it’s the most popular liquor among mercenaries, much like rum among pirates.”
Being a maid, I don’t often encounter this drink popular among mercenaries. Bacchus liquor is not considered fit for the refined palates of nobles and wealthy merchants, making it a rare drink for maids to handle.
The liquor has stringent level requirements for [Drinking], and almost only those who’ve maxed out the skill can handle it without getting drunk. But for mercenaries, the thrill of drinking comes from the intoxication.
“How about we play a game?”
The rules are simple: everyone is divided into two teams, and each team sends one person to stand on a log. Each person drinks a cup of Bacchus liquor, and the game is to see who can maintain their balance the longest. It’s a common game among mercenary groups, often played at great heights, with alcohol passed up via ladders. The log is so narrow that you can only stand with your feet together, and there are no safety measures below.
Everyone considers my newbie status and sets the log at a low height. Skirts really are inconvenient for this sort of thing.
My additional condition for participating is that I came to Anna’s Support Group’s camp with some questions in mind. This game could serve as a fun way to incorporate that. Whoever loses balance first will lose the round and can be questioned by the other side, with the caveat of answering truthfully.
“Go! Go!”
“You’re our village’s only hope!”
The end result is that even the teammates behind me are cheering for Misaka 10086. They seem keen to find out… my measurements.
This is bad; I don’t even know them myself.
No choice but to get them all drunk.
The mercenary group’s storage doesn’t have any elegant wine glasses; they’re used to drinking from small barrels.
Misaka 10086 and I each stand on opposite logs, and the man with glasses serves as the referee, handing us our drinks.
“I’m a slow drinker. Please bear with me.”
“That’s fine.”
Although I use a large cup, I sip slowly. A girl has many things to consider, especially her image.
It takes nearly a minute to finish the Bacchus liquor. Misaka 10086 appears to be fine, and I show no signs of discomfort either.
Second cup.
Third cup.
After three rounds, Misaka 10086 is red-faced and starting to sway from side to side.
I’m still standing steady.
By the fifth cup, Misaka 10086 is significantly off-balance but hasn’t fallen off the log.
“Anna… you really… can hold your liquor… burp~”
“You flatter me.”
“Alright, what would you like to ask?”
The man with glasses pushes his glasses up with a wry smile.
Where should I start when asking why I came to this game world?
“Does anyone… know about the assassination attempt on the young lady of the Newman family?”
“The Newmans? They’re a wealthy family in our world… of course, I know. The case made big headlines; nobody doesn’t know about it.”
Great, then—
“But that’s not really news anymore. It happened more than a year ago.”
…What?