LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 36 - Drinking
✦ Chapter 36 — Drinking ✦
「Translator – Creator」
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*BANG—!*
“Pwaahhhh!”
While Isaac and Rianna were taking turns showering, Silverna was drinking beer at the tavern set up for soldiers within the castle walls.
“What’s this? Why does it taste so good today?”
“My lady, you said you were tired…”
Anna, sitting beside her and keeping her company, sighed as she ordered another round of beer. Although she voiced her concern, she didn’t outright forbid Silverna from drinking, knowing the feelings that weighed on her heart.
“Innkeeper, did you add honey to this?”
“How could I add something so expensive to beer, my lady?”
“What’s going on? Why is it so delicious?”
‘She’s already getting tipsy.’
Silverna, now sprawled across the table, let out a long breath.
Today, Anna was determined to listen to all the complaints spilling from those flushed cheeks.
‘Perhaps this is for the better.’
She knew Silverna hadn’t fully let go.
After all, if it had been the kind of feeling that could be extinguished so easily, she wouldn’t have suffered so much in the first place.
But now that Rianna Helmund had arrived…
It seemed like a good opportunity to sever those lingering emotions once and for all.
“You know what Father used to say? When life is bitter, beer tastes sweet? Maybe that’s why?”
“You’ve been muttering about sweetness just to say that, haven’t you?”
“……….”
Silverna wordlessly raised her beer mug again.
Finding it already empty, she put it down with a sense of futility, merely licking her lips.
Just then, the beer Anna ordered arrived, and Silverna began gulping it down as if it were water.
“It’s alright, my lady.”
Anna tried to comfort her, patting her back, “It wasn’t meant to be anyway, right? This clarity is better than needlessly tormenting yourself.”
“You say that so easily, don’t you?!”
‘Yep, she’s drunk.’
Normally, she would’ve stubbornly agreed while maintaining her pride.
“Anna, have you ever felt like this?! Have you?!”
“Why are you turning this on me?! Besides, I’ll have you know I’m quite experienced in romance!”
Silverna’s jaw drops in shock at the response.
“What?! You’ve been in relationships? But you’re always complaining about how busy you are cleaning up my messes, yet behind my back you’ve been doing everything?!”
“Of course I maintain my personal life. You told me to do that yourself, didn’t you?”
“I told you to maintain your personal life, not to secretly fool around behind my back!”
*THUMP—!*
Silverna slammed her beer mug on the table. The innkeeper’s expression hardened, but he pretended not to notice, seemingly unwilling to intervene.
“Fool around? What a vulgar way to put it…”
“The vulgar one is you, Anna!”
She’s lost it.
If she weren’t my lady, I would’ve smacked her on the back of the head already.
“Sigh… I haven’t actually been in a relationship.”
“…Huh?”
“You know, those novels? Romance novels? I’m friends with a merchant from the capital who gets them for me. I’ve just… read quite a lot of them.”
As Anna scratched her cheeks, seemingly embarrassed by her own admission, Silverna let out a mocking snicker.
“Huh? What kind of expert are you supposed to be? You’re just like me.”
“At least I don’t pine after married men.”
“…………”
Silverna’s lips pressed into a tight line.
Seeing her expression crumple slightly, Anna hurriedly patted her shoulder.
“Oh dear! I’m sorry! That was too harsh, wasn’t it? Don’t take it to heart! I… I just got defensive.”
“No…”
Though Anna apologized for her sharp words, Silverna shook her head, her face setting with determination.
“No, keep going.”
“Pardon?”
“I need to fully understand just how wrong I was. Go on, lay it on me.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious.”
Though Silverna was undeniably tipsy, the genuine tone in her voice made Anna hesitate. After a brief moment of deliberation, she finally spoke up.
“To be honest…”
*Gulp—*
“They look incredibly good together, don’t they?”
“Ugh!”
Silverna clutched her chest as if struck.
It’s always the truth you already know that hurts the most, rather than empty platitudes.
“They’re like a match made in heaven. As if the gods themselves paired them together.”
*Grind—*
The faint sound of Silverna grinding her teeth echoed.
“No wonder they were the talk of high society for a while. A love that transcended social classes. And since it was between a Helmund and a commoner, it stood out even more, especially with both of them being so attractive…”
Anna glanced cautiously at Silverna, gauging her reaction.
“It’s not right to interfere with something like that.”
A hiss of breath escaped between Silverna’s clenched teeth.
She drank her beer as if trying to force down the words she wanted to say.
Now she could see just how truly mad she had been.
And speaking of madness, there was one more worry…
“Hey, Anna.”
“Should I stop?”
“That’s not it.”
Silverna gestured for Anna to lean in closer. As Anna tilted her head, Silverna whispered something in a small voice.
“…Are you insane?”
Having heard the content, Anna stared at Silverna with a shocked expression.
“Melt it? You were planning to melt down that spear and give it to him as a gift?”
Silverna’s spear, made of Frostsilver.
It was practically a symbol of Caldias, made from their signature mineral.
And she was planning to melt it down to make a weapon as a gift for Helmund’s son-in-law?
“Ah, well… I just thought I should help Isaac somehow, since he’s trying so hard.”
Fidgeting with her fingers, she mumbled nervously, her voice trailing off.
Anna smacked her own forehead with a sharp ‘thwack’ and lamented in a voice heavy with despair.
“They’ve already started working on it, haven’t they?”
“Ah, probably.”
“Even if we went now and asked for it back, they wouldn’t return it, would they?”
“Probably not.”
“Of course not. After all, he’s the same person who stormed right up to Margrave himself. He’d never give it back.”
“W-what should I do? It would be natural to just give it as a gift, right? It wouldn’t look strange, would it?”
“Who wouldn’t find it strange? A Caldias presenting a sword forged from Frostsilver as a gift to a Helmund.”
“………..”
“And right in front of his wife, no less! Aaagh! This is practically a declaration of war!”
Silverna buried her face in her hands, groaning.
“I’m a fool.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Anna…”
“‘Fool’ isn’t nearly enough. You’re far beyond that.”
“………”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Anna sprang to her feet and began smacking Silverna on the back.
“How! How could anyone be this thoughtless?! And you call yourself a pure-hearted romantic! When I think about how you claimed to be letting go of your feelings, it makes me even angrier!”
“Aaah! Aaah! Anna! I’m a noble!”
“Fire me, then! Just fire me! Better yet, I’ll quit so I won’t have to worry anymore!”
After venting her frustration for a while, Anna slumped back into her seat and, after a moment of consideration, nodded resolutely.
“There’s only one solution now.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll have to use it yourself.”
“………..”
“There’s no other way. Take this opportunity to start using something other than a spear for once.”
Silverna sighed deeply, dismissing Anna’s suggestion as nonsense. Anna hadn’t been entirely serious either and was about to let it drop, but then she recalled something from earlier—
“But you know.”
Anna’s tone shifted as she remembered something Nortemus had mentioned earlier that day.
“When he saw Isaac’s sword, he said it was the Transcendent’s swordsmanship, didn’t he?”
“…Yeah.”
“And it was their first time seeing a longsword too. He seemed to know an awful lot about the Transcendent.”
“The sorcery too?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s why starting tomorrow, I’ll be investigating alongside Rianna. Father said so.”
Of course, while it was framed as an investigation, Silverna knew neither of them would likely hold anything back when questioned.
Considering most matters here were left to Ulderan’s discretion, it wasn’t expected to escalate into anything serious.
Just then—
*CLANK!*
The door swung open, and a twin-tailed girl stepped inside.
“Innkeeper! Bring out the best you’ve got!”
“My lady…”
It was Shauren Helmund and her maid Kelsei, looking completely out of place in this establishment.
The tavern was nearly empty, save for Silverna and Anna, making it impossible for them to go unnoticed.
“Oh?”
And so Shauren naturally made her way to their table, joining them.
“You really did come here to drink, didn’t you?”
Watching Shauren casually take a seat, Silverna let out a hollow laugh; though they had initially clashed quite often, after traversing battlefields together, they had simply become comrades.
“You drink too?”
Silverna asked, noting Shaurn’s sweet-natured appearance, to which she shrugged with casual pride, “I’m quite the connoisseur!”
With that, she then exchanged a few words with the innkeeper and began preparing a drink herself.
“Kelsei is especially skilled at making drinks. They’re perfect with snacks.”
“Oh?”
Just as Silverna was considering asking for a glass, Kelsei appeared with drinks in hand.
The liquid inside wasn’t beer but a rich, amber hue.
Shauren took a sip and flashed a bright smile.
“Mmm! Delicious! Maybe it’s because I’m tired, but I feel like I’ll get drunk quickly!”
“…Let me have a sip.”
“Nope.”
Shauren pouted playfully, but despite her words, she pushed the glass toward Silverna with a teasing grin.
Taking a small sip, Silverna paused.
‘…Isn’t this just orange juice?’
Puzzled, she glanced at Kelsei, who stood behind Shauren. Kelsei responded with a gentle smile, placing a finger to her lips as if to say, ‘Shh.’
Orange juice, paired with snacks—it was a surprisingly fitting combination. There was a faint tang that tingled her tongue, but it was clear this wasn’t real alcohol.
“Isn’t it good? Kelsei makes it like wine, but with concentrated orange!”
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
Silverna quietly returned the glass.
Feeling somewhat sobered, she sighed and asked:
“Why did you come here?”
“I’m stressed! It’s just so irritating when people treat me like a fool!”
Shauren’s voice grew louder as she gulped down her ‘drink,’ her frustration fueling her outburst.
She seemed to truly believe she was getting drunk.
“And what’s troubling you?”
Though Shauren’s sudden arrival had been unexpected, Silverna didn’t mind her company.
A welcome distraction from Silverna’s unrequited love, until—
“Both Isaac and sister keep saying the same things over and over and over! They think I’m a fool!”
“Hmm?”
“Why would I go around talking about their divorce? If anything, they’re the foolish ones, constantly telling me to be careful! It’s so frustrating!”
“M-my lady?!”
At that moment, Kelsei, standing behind Shauren, frantically interjected; though she too had been unaware of their divorce, anyone could tell that the little troublemaker had just uttered words better left unsaid.
“Huh? What’s—”
Shauren’s movement froze mid-sip, her crimson eyes rolling as they darted between the two faces before her.
They were already staring back at her, mouths agape.
*CLANK—!*
“I’m drunk! So drunk! I should go! See you tomorrow?!”
Shauren jumped up in panic and scrambled toward the exit.
“What do I do? S-sister will kill me! What should I do?! Help me, Kelsei! Save meee!”
Her worried voice echoed like a fading whisper as she fled into the night.
In the tavern, silence settled heavily over the table where the two remained, stretching long and deep like an endless chasm.
END of CHAPTER
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