By Zephyria 
I had never been drunk in my past life or this one.
In my past life, I enjoyed alcohol but never got drunk. It was thanks to maintaining proper conduct with many eyes watching, sitting demurely, and not drinking more than a bottle. I drank alcohol like tea and tea like alcohol.
However, in this life, I was too young to drink. Fearing I might harm my underdeveloped body and hinder my self-cultivation, I never held separate drinking gatherings even after my Debutante. It was also due to a lack of free time after deciding to head to the Yuil Mountains immediately after graduation.
So, I thought I would live like that forever, but now I had reached an age where my parents would offer me drinks. It felt strangely poignant.
We set up a drinking table in the drawing-room where we usually shared teacups. In a more formal setting, servants would have circulated around the table, attending to us individually, but there was no need for that. I handed the workers a couple of bottles of wine and told them to rest well.
Ten people were seated around the table laden with cheese, ham, dried fruits, and a pot of thin soup.
There was me, Rubel, Marianne, and Benjamin, Ivan and Sienna, Mage Boulder and Samantha Andrei, Bailey Barton, and Cheryl Bon. Apart from Ivan and his wife, everyone else was a swordsman or a mage, so Mana naturally swirled and condensed around us without us doing anything special.
Was this also something only I could see? Unaccustomed to my new realm, I stared into the air for a long time.
With such a large group, the conversation quickly became lively after the first round.
It was mostly thanks to Marianne, who was skilled at livening up the mood.
“Baroness, please have a drink! Are you good at drinking?”
“Ah, yes? I…”
“It’s alright. You can accept it.”
“No, why are you looking at Ivan? This is really expensive! You’ll regret it if you don’t have it now!”
“Then… I’ll just have one glass.”
Normally, the proper way was to pour just a little wine into the glass. However, no one stopped Marianne as she poured enough to fill more than half of the concave glass.
Rubel filled my glass with a similar attitude, so I quietly whispered to him.
“…Is this alright? I heard the alcohol content isn’t that low.”
“Everyone keeps one glass in front of them and just wets their lips as they feel comfortable. It’s inconvenient to keep pouring and receiving drinks. It’s okay to leave it if you find it hard to finish.”
“Hmm.”
I supposed this was also part of Shierun’s drinking culture. I let it be.
The wine, rich with the deep flavor of grapes, resembled grape juice more than alcohol. As I was immune to all poisons, the alcohol would have no effect on me, but I worried about what might happen if children, drawn by the sweetness, drank too much.
The casual conversation shared while sitting around comfortably was more personal and friendly.
Even the Knights of Widrow, who had not engaged in any small talk during the entire escort period, started making jokes.
“I’ve heard that Lord Ernhardt and Miss Marianne were classmates at the Academy, but I didn’t know you were such close friends. Miss Marianne told me that within an hour of meeting me, ‘Since we’ve become this close…'”
“Hmm?”
“So I naturally assumed you only took one class together. I almost grabbed her when she said she wanted to visit your tent, Lord Ernhardt. I almost held her back, saying, ‘You shouldn’t do that!'”
“Ah, Sister Cheryl!”
“Ahaha! It’s a joke, just a joke.”
“No, back then, you were the one who gave me so many hints! You said, ‘Miss Marianne resembles my youngest sibling.’ Didn’t you?”
Marianne, who had sprung up from her seat, mimicked Cheryl Bon’s subtle voice and expression, pressing her.
Cheryl Bon, the knight who had accompanied Ivan and his wife on their trip to Centrum and assisted them, was a woman of six feet tall. At first glance, she seemed as stoic as Benjamin, but she was surprisingly good with words. Her voice was as loud as her physique, and whenever she laughed, the space vibrated.
Among the three knights, Cheryl Bon was the oldest, in her late thirties, while Samantha Andrei and Bailey Barton were Academy classmates.
Both had aimed for the Imperial Knights early on and came to the Yuil Mountains, but after becoming a Sword Master in their mid-twenties, they were so impressed by Duke Widrow’s character that they joined the Duke’s personal guard.
“Then, were Lord Andrei and Lord Barton also close friends originally?”
“…Uh, no. Not really…”
“No, didn’t we hang out together?”
“We just happened to be together.”
In response to Rubel’s question, Samantha awkwardly pulled her chair away from Bailey, creating distance.
Everyone burst into laughter at their obviously playful demeanor. Even though their glasses were barely touched and the alcohol hadn’t taken effect, the comfortable atmosphere of the gathering made me very happy as well.
Bailey Barton, who had feigned a momentarily disappointed expression, spoke up.
“Samantha never had close friends among her classmates. If she saw someone with even a little skill nearby, she would glare at them. Like this, with her eyes narrowed.”
“Huh? Why?”
“She must have been thinking, ‘I’m going to beat this guy.’ That kind of thing.”
“That’s not true. It’s a lie. And at that time, Bailey Barton was not an opponent worth any caution.”
“Wow.”
“Wasn’t she? You barely made it into the top twenty.”
Samantha continued in her usual tone.
“Maybe if it were Hugh.”
Pretending not to be surprised, I raised my glass and took a sip.
Unlike Rubel and I, who had been very cautious, Samantha and Bailey easily brought up Hugh Benson and Elvin Brooks once the conversation shifted to a more private setting.
Of course, it wasn’t about romantic feelings or scandals between them.
“Lord Hugh Benson must have had quite good grades too.”
“Well, he was the most skilled in our year. Like most students from the Kingdom, he had great determination. I hesitate to say it myself, but even though my grades weren’t bad, I couldn’t catch up to him at all.”
“Benson was the valedictorian, and Lord Andrei here was the salutatorian. For all three years.”
Bailey added, chiming in on Samantha’s words.
It was a puzzling thought, even without much consideration. Didn’t they say Hugh Benson and Elvin Brooks were also Academy classmates?
In my opinion, Elvin’s skill far surpassed Hugh’s. Hugh Benson might have seemed more flashy by primarily using refined swordsmanship, but Elvin was undoubtedly the one who wielded the standard Sierran Empire Swordsmanship with more power.
Since they seemed at ease, I easily asked what I was curious about.
“What about Lord Elvin Brooks?”
“Elvin was… at that time, a bit of an outlier.”
Samantha’s expression turned sour. Bailey, still smiling, continued to explain.
“The number of students from other countries is very small, but it’s not unheard of. Especially in the Swordsmanship Department, they often accept external students who show promise as Sword Masters. However, no one was like Elvin, who couldn’t even speak the common continental language.”
“Ah.”
Most students at Shierun Academy possessed multifaceted talents and were not content to rest on their laurels. They dedicated themselves, even sacrificing sleep, to learn new things.
Even I, who had crossed over from another world, was able to mingle with them because I first learned the language and writing upon arriving in this land. It was understandable that Elvin Brooks, who was still clumsy with the common language long after graduation, might not have adapted to the Academy.
Bailey Barton, holding the long stem of her wine glass with only her fingertips, twirled it, inhaling the lingering aroma. Her casual demeanor caught my eye once more.
“Honestly… we had no idea how or why he was admitted. He was just that peculiar.”
“For example?”
“He refused all classes. From morning till night, except for meal times, he spent all his time standing in the Martial Arts Training Ground, observing his surroundings. As a student of the Swordsmanship Department, he wore a sword at his waist, was large in build, had a vacant expression, and couldn’t speak a word…”
“… ”
“Several seniors voluntarily took turns watching him, and professors tried to talk to him, but… it was all useless. Then, because they were both exchange students from the same foreign kingdom, Lord Hugh Benson took him under his wing.”
Samantha, who had been listening quietly to Bailey’s explanation, interjected with an undisguised look of displeasure.
“Honestly, I thought it was unfair. They weren’t from the same country, so he shouldn’t have taken Hugh’s attention and time under the guise of being an exchange student. If Elvin was a disruption to classes, it should have been resolved by assigning him to another professor or instructor.”
“…Ugh, well, it eventually worked out for the best. Elvin grew very fond of Hugh, and his attitude in class improved significantly from the second year. That’s why rumors started that the two of them were dating.”
“…Really?”
“I don’t think that was the case. When Hugh heard that, he hated it so much that everyone apologized profusely, and the person who first spread the rumor even knelt. They said that mere words weren’t enough, so it was settled with a bit of money.”
“It’s just because Hugh… has a bit too much of a tendency to meddle.”
Samantha’s remark gave me a new perspective.
I had assumed that Samantha Andrei and Hugh Benson had a rather bitter, antagonistic relationship.
However, listening to her now, Samantha seemed to pity and be very conscious of Hugh Benson. Even the fact that she occasionally referred to him by his first name, “Hugh,” instead of formally addressing him as “Lord Hugh Benson,” indicated this.
Did she still have feelings for Hugh?
Samantha took a couple of sips of wine and returned to her usual calm demeanor. She looked directly at Rubel and continued speaking in a measured tone, as if she had been holding back what she needed to say for a long time.
“Actually, this current situation was also resolved thanks to his significant sacrifice.”
“This situation?”
“It’s about the matter of Felix’s refugees.”
Without Rubel needing to ask further, details were added one after another.
“The problem existed even before Hugh Benson arrived. Seeing those who had lost their homes and fallen into despair, how could one not want to help? However, as the refugees’ demands grew, it became quite difficult… and then he came and had a rather big argument…”
“What did the refugees demand?”
“At first, they simply asked not to be killed by mutated monsters and entered the camp. Later, they began begging for military rations. When they brought their crying children forward, saying they were hungry, everyone eagerly shared their own food.
“… ”
“But Felix is a country where it’s difficult to obtain supplies even with money. In the Widdrow Duchy, food wouldn’t run out even if they gave generously, but in Felix, there was simply no room to procure military rations. After the conflict among the knights intensified, I… implemented a policy of complete control to prevent the knights from showing mercy.”
Samantha was the daughter of a noble family.
She was born with noble blood and was accustomed to commanding and controlling people. She used her innate pride as a weapon. She didn’t overtly discriminate against those of higher or lower status than herself, but she possessed a dignity that made those around her naturally bow their heads.
She even saw herself as subject to control. She did what she had to do and did not do what she shouldn’t. And she was very firm with subordinates who demanded things beyond her capabilities.
Nor did she try to hide her mistakes. As she stood up and bowed at a perfect right angle, her neatly tied reddish-brown hair cascaded forward over her head.
“I apologize for my rough and hasty words and actions that caused concern to His Highness the Prince. Although Hugh Benson and I have already discussed this matter multiple times and resolved it, I felt I had to tell you at some point.”
“It’s alright. It’s already been resolved, so what can I say? Please sit down.”
“…Yes.”
Both her bowed apology and her composed posture upon sitting down after receiving forgiveness were precise. Her imposing presence did not match her petite frame. Rubel, instead of judging right or wrong, asked something else.
“So, how did you finally agree to resolve it?”