PRKE 113

CHAPTER 113………………………

Three hours had passed since the servant brought in the first barrel of alcohol and opened it.

In that time, the buckets that had once been full of liquor now stood completely empty. At least twenty of the large soup-bowl-sized cups had been drained.

The smell of alcohol filled every corner of the room, but to noses that had grown used to it, it was barely noticeable anymore.

“Even if we drank through the entire night, this amount should’ve been enough—but it was gone in just two hours! What kind of drinking is this, so intense? An old man like me gives up.”

The clan chief, who had already bowed out of the contest, tossed his coin purse aside and moved to another table, leisurely enjoying the alcohol I had gifted him in a solitary drinking ritual.

To me, it looked less like he couldn’t keep up and more like he simply wanted to enjoy good alcohol alone.

‘This kind of gathering probably isn’t fun for him anyway.’

It had been a drinking contest of sorts, where everyone just kept pouring and drinking. But after three hours, the atmosphere had started to shift slightly.

Rodrakki slowly tilted his glass.

In ten minutes, his cup was empty again. I sharpened my eyes like a hawk spotting prey and quickly refilled it.

“You should have another.”

Clear liquor filled his empty cup again. It was refilled so quickly it felt like an inexhaustible cup.

Rodrakki also refilled my glass. As I drank without hesitation, the ladle paused in midair.

It meant it was his turn again. A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Rodrakki’s lips.

“You drink quite well, don’t you?”

His slightly hoarse voice—one that would likely be attractive to women—still carried a relaxed tone.

But he couldn’t fully hide a trace of fluster beneath it.

“I’m doing my best not to ruin Kun’s excitement.”

“……”

“But your glass is emptying a bit slowly…”

I trailed off while looking at the cup he was still holding.

Rodrakki’s sharp eyebrows lifted.

Seeing his restrained irritation made me laugh inwardly.

Honestly, I was surprised. It was the first time I’d met someone who could drink this well.

The amount he had consumed would have already knocked out an ordinary person.

Knocked out? It was enough to make someone meet the god of death if they slipped up.

So this wasn’t just empty boasting about drinking capacity.

But no matter how well he drank, he couldn’t beat me.

“Are you planning to give up?”

“Of course not.”

He emptied his cup and filled mine. Then I filled his.

Rodrakki glared at me with dark eyes, as if annoyed.

I casually held my nearly overflowing glass.

Rodrakki lifted his bowl-sized cup into the air.

“To Sala.”

“To Sala.”

After exchanging the short phrase, he brought the cup to his lips without hesitation.

Gulp, gulp.

He drank it like water, then set the cup down. And then I saw it.

His expression slightly soured.

“Do you detox alcohol the moment you drink it?”

It was the first sigh he had let out in three hours.

It was probably just a remark, but I felt a bit startled.

Even if I was good at drinking, there was no way I could consume that much alcohol without getting drunk.

I had gotten tipsy even during a drinking session with Giovanni not long ago. There was no way I should be this clear-headed.

If I didn’t have purification ability, it would have been impossible.

“Isn’t that cheating?” Taeyrin muttered reluctantly.

Yes. Simply put—it was cheating.

But I had no shame.

‘If you have a usable card, you use it.’

Like Giovanni once said, I was not meant to be a warrior.

‘From the beginning, I’m a thief.’

I smiled brightly at Rodrakki.

His eyes, more relaxed than at the start of the drinking contest, were tinged red with alcohol like makeup.

As I had felt before, he had eyes that could enchant people. If Giovanni had been gifted with martial talent, this man might have been born with the talent of seduction.

Just looking at him gave a sense of sensual allure—something even the women of Ametein, who lived off seduction, would struggle to match.

Of course, I felt more threat than seduction.

‘He’s not angry, is he?’

Would he flip the table just because he lost?

‘He can flip the table, but he should still keep his word.’

A powerful person’s “wish fulfillment” was a double-edged sword.

If Rodrakki had the temperament of a tyrant, he might refuse to honor it.

‘But since the clan chief is a witness, he probably can’t easily refuse.’

As I was certain of victory, Rodrakki who had been silently watching me suddenly chuckled.

‘…?’

When I looked at him in confusion, he laughed even harder.

He set his glass down with a clack.

“Let’s stop. If I drink more, I’ll make a fool of myself.”

He pushed his glass forward.

“I lost.”

I was slightly surprised. I had thought his pride would keep him going longer.

I had been certain I would win, but I didn’t feel as happy as I expected.

In my mind, Rodrakki was a tyrant. He looked more like one than a wise ruler.

If he were just a foolish tyrant, I wouldn’t have felt this way.

‘This is more complicated than I thought.’

I knew from my time in Ametein that those who can control themselves are far more dangerous than those who cannot.

“First time I’ve ever tried this hard just to beat someone at drinking!”

Leaning his chin on one hand, he kept chuckling.

“And it’s also the first time I’ve felt good even after losing.”

He genuinely seemed to be in a good mood, despite losing.

Then the clan chief spoke up.

“Is it finally over?”

“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“No. It’s been a while since I saw you this entertained, so I enjoyed it as well.”

“Is that so?”

Rodrakki muttered and smiled faintly, then looked at me.

“You must keep your promise. Tell me what you want.”

“How could I possibly…”

I instinctively spoke politely, but Rodrakki scoffed.

“I don’t ask twice.”

I considered how to best use this opportunity.

“I can’t think of anything right now. I’ll tell you later.”

“Then you must say it before I forget today.”

He suddenly stared at me intently. When I looked back at him, confused, a smile spread across his lips.

“This was more entertaining than I expected.”

“……”

“All this just to get a woman’s underwear.”

Then he stood up, slightly unsteady—clearly somewhat drunk.

He straightened himself, lifted his chin slightly, and exhaled deeply as the scent of alcohol seemed to seep into the air.

He stared at the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought.

I wondered if he was offended after all and kept my guard up.

With flushed cheeks and alcohol-moistened lips, Rodrakki murmured:

“My younger brother is quite lucky.”

“……”

“To be sent to a kingdom to meet a princess, and he returns with a priest—and a beauty who can drink so well.”

He turned his gaze sideways.

“If there’s a secret, would you tell me?”

I followed his gaze.

And realized his monologue wasn’t a monologue.

There stood Giovanni.

Giovanni stood there.

As always, he wore a blank expression—but it looked faintly angry. I swallowed without realizing it.

Kichep had never expected much from Egraine.

As Giovanni had said, she was a foreigner. The clan chief she was trying to persuade was a notoriously stubborn man even in the desert. And because ignorant people tended to act passionately, Egraine was no different.

Still, her gift—her exceptional taste in alcohol—would likely be appreciated. That alone would be enough.

If it worked, good. If not, unfortunate.

That was all.

So when he saw the clan chief’s reception room filled with empty barrels and Rodrakki flushed red from alcohol, his mind went blank.

‘This woman has caused trouble again.’

That thought took over his mind.

“Ha ha ha ha!”

At that moment, Rodrakki burst into hearty laughter.

Giovanni blocked the servant who tried to announce their arrival.

Kichep stared, mouth agape, at the drunken Rodrakki.

That Rodrakki… laughing like that?

“This was more fun than I expected.”

“……”

“All this just to get a woman’s underwear.”

Giovanni muttered in a low voice.

“Underwear?”

He asked the servant.

“What does that mean?”

“The three of them had a drinking wager. The first to give up would provide a valuable item.”

“……”

“Our chief bet his coin purse, but he dropped out early. It seems he couldn’t handle the two younger ones.”

Unlike the casually smiling servant, Giovanni’s expression quickly hardened.

Watching him from the side, Kichep felt his heart pounding.

Having served Giovanni longer than most, Kichep could read his expressions better than others.

His eyes.

They had turned terrifyingly rigid. Unlike his usual emotionless demeanor, he looked deeply displeased.

Kichep couldn’t even breathe properly.

Giovanni, holding back anger. Rodrakki, swaying drunk. The absurd wager.

When Rodrakki finally noticed their presence and turned his “attack” toward them, Kichep was too stunned to react.

“My younger brother is quite lucky.”

“……”

“To be sent to a kingdom to meet a princess, and he returns with a priest—and a beauty who can drink so well. If there’s a secret, would you tell me?”

Kichep stiffened late.

‘I shouldn’t have come if I knew Rodrakki Kun was here. No, what is that woman even doing here? I can never understand what she’s thinking!’

When he mouthed “What did you do this time?” at Egraine, she frowned deeply.

Seeing her confused expression made his head spin.