Glug, glug—
"Bartender, another one!"
After downing a large mug of wine, Barghest shouted towards the counter.
"The biggest one you've got!"
"Um—"
"Lady Knight Barghest, you've already had a lot to drink. Isn't this a bit much?"
"Cut the crap! It's not like I'm not paying you!"
Barghest, her face flushed, yelled loudly.
It was a rather intimidating sight, enough to make anyone who saw it flinch.
"Just get me one!"
"O-Okay!"
After shouting, however, Barghest's expression turned to one of sorrow.
She slumped onto the table, staring at the empty, oversized wooden mug in front of her.
"Why does this wine just make me feel more awake the more I drink..."
Several days ago.
By a complete coincidence, Barghest had witnessed her mother Morgan's tryst with Ian.
From the practiced, captivating seductiveness that left her in awe, Barghest knew that her mother Morgan and Ian must have maintained this kind of relationship for a very long time.
How could this happen...
"Sigh—"
"Sigh—"
"Huh?"
Hearing a sigh identical to her own at almost the exact same moment, Barghest followed the sound with her eyes and quickly saw a familiar face.
"Shorty, what are you doing here too?!"
Just as surprised as Barghest was, not far from her, Melusine wore the same troubled expression. The only difference was that the wine mug in front of her was a size smaller.
"Eh, you're here too?"
"..."
"..."
Barghest and Melusine locked eyes, then, with a tacit understanding, sat down at the same table.
"What a coincidence, you came here for a drink too?"
"Y-Yeah."
"..."
"..."
Another moment of silence.
Unable to find anyone else to confide in, Barghest thought for a moment and then spoke:
"Hey, Shorty."
"What is it?"
"So, I have this friend, you see." Barghest coughed. "She's run into a bit of a problem."
"..."
Melusine glanced aside, then quickly followed suit.
"Well, I also have a friend."
"She's also run into a problem."
"So, should we talk about it?" Barghest asked carefully.
"Mm," Melusine nodded. "Let's talk."
"I'll go first!"
Feeling completely bottled up, Barghest grew excited at the sight of an outlet.
"It's about my friend!"
"She likes a man!"
"Hmm... That's pretty normal, right?" Melusine looked at the agitated Barghest with a puzzled expression. "Didn't you also confess to Sir Ian right from the start?"
"That's different!"
"This time!"
Barghest held up a single finger.
"The man she's fallen for is very, very bad!"
"How wrong..."
"Well—"
Barghest's mind was racing.
"Her mother is strongly against it, and even said that, if she dares to say a word about it, she should stop calling her 'mother'!"
"And, she secretly witnessed that man doing some very terrible things... the kind that could ruin his reputation if they were ever made public!"
Barghest's voice grew quieter as she spoke. Even though she was phrasing it vaguely, it still sounded a bit outrageous to her.
But—
"So what?"
"As long as your friend likes him, that's all that matters, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
Melusine's answer made Barghest look up at her.
"Liking him... is enough?"
"Yeah."
Melusine shrugged.
"Whether it's being disowned by her mother or whatever problems the man himself has."
"If she likes him enough, none of that should be an obstacle, right? Or did your friend stop liking him after finding all this out?"
"That's impossible!" Barghest answered without hesitation.
"Then there you go."
Melusine tilted her head slightly.
"Who cares about this and that? Don't we live to please ourselves, after all?"
"..."
Barghest felt as if something had been injected into her brain, and she sobered up considerably. But she felt that might be too obvious, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Then..."
"What kind of problem did your friend run into?"
"Oh, that."
Although she was so clear-headed when giving Barghest advice, when it came back to her own topic, Melusine became a little flustered.
"It's just..."
"My friend has another friend."
"That's good, having more friends is a good thing!" Barghest nodded in approval. "And then?"
"And then, before all this, she had a... small incident with another man."
"How small?"
Barghest pressed.
"She just had him help her wash her face! That's it!"
"But now—"
A faint blush appeared on Melusine's face.
"She knows that her friend is very interested in that man. What should she do now?"
"Does your friend like that man too?"
Barghest stroked her chin, thinking, before asking.
"A little!"
"Just a tiny little feeling!"
"That's not the point!" Melusine waved her hands. "I just want to know, should I... I mean, should my friend, tell the other friend what happened before?"
"That's a weird question."
Barghest scratched her cheek.
"Of course she should. She just needs to pick the right moment."
"If you really see her as a friend, you shouldn't hide things."
"Besides, I think if they're true friends, what's there to be angry about over just washing a face?"
"What if it was a much more intimate way of washing a face than you'd imagine?" Melusine asked, testing the waters again.
"How intimate can it be?" Barghest asked, confused.
"The kind where he helps you face-to-face! And he provided the stuff to wash with!"
"The kind where he called her 'cute' afterward!"
"Hmm?"
Barghest's brow furrowed deeply.
"In that case, you might have to consider if he likes your friend... For washing a face to end with him calling her cute, that's not a normal situation."
"If that's really the case, it would probably be better to be honest about it."
"So he might really like her?"
A new light appeared in Melusine's eyes.
"Barghest, you make a lot of sense..."
"Um—"
Barghest turned her face to the side.
"You too, Melusine."
"I know what I have to do now."
"Me too," Melusine nodded.
"..."
"..."
The two of them met each other's gaze. Though they were still silent, the meaning behind it was completely different now.
"So, a couple of drinks?"
"Yeah, let's drink."
The Knights of the Round Table of Camelot, at this moment, reached a mysterious consensus.