[The second round of drawing began.]
[Which stick do you choose to draw? 1. The one closest to you; 2. The one furthest from you; 3. The middle one.]
Ei chose two.
[Unfortunately, you did not draw the Queen stick.]
[Your number is four.]
Damn it, I didn't draw it again.
Gawain, it's all up to you!
"I am the Queen."
Morgan once again held up the stick marked "Queen."
"??"
Ei was speechless, but forced a smile: "Please give your command, Your Majesty the Queen."
Holding the stick elegantly, Morgan spoke slowly and deliberately to her children:
"I can tell that my presence is making you young people a little nervous and hesitant at your mixer... As a loving mother, I don't want your social atmosphere to be too dull, so I'll slightly increase the stakes this time to make it more fun for you."
Increase the stakes...
Clutching the number four stick, Ei felt a sense of dread.
He thought, Auntie Morgan, you wouldn't ask for anything too extreme, would you? That could easily involve your own children.
Wait, you can involve your children as many times as you want, just don't call my number.
Please don't call my number. I'll give you 5 dollars.
Morgan didn't look at him and said: "Number Four, please strip down to your underwear."
Holy crap! It's me again!
How is this a slight increase in the stakes? It's a leap from a plankton to a Gyarados! Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the social stakes of games young people play?
And why did she call my number so precisely? Is she really Luck B? That kind of luck is Luck EX!
But the Queen's command is absolute, so Ei had to accept the loss.
Removing his clothes, he sat heavily in his chair.
Morgan held the clothes he had taken off and meticulously folded them.
Although she maintained the stern demeanor of a parent, her tone was much lighter.
"Mr. Ei, thank you for the gift... I will keep it safe."
What the hell do you mean? You're not planning on giving my clothes back after the game, are you?
Something was wrong. Nine out of ten things were wrong.
Why could Morgan draw the Queen stick repeatedly and call his number with such precision?
It should only be possible for him and Gawain, who have the highest luck, to draw the Queen stick.
Does she have some way of cheating?
Ei felt he needed to verify one more round to confirm Morgan's method.
[Another round of drawing began.]
[Which stick do you choose to draw? 1. The one closest to you; 2. The one furthest from you; 3. The middle one.]
He chose one.
Using his high Agility stat, he quickly snatched the stick closest to him.
[Unfortunately, you did not draw the Queen stick.]
[Your number is two.]
So that's how it is.
He looked at Morgan beside him.
The Queen of the Fairy Nation first glanced at his stick, then once again held up the Queen stick in her hand, announcing her victory with the presence of a conquering ruler.
As expected, it was her again.
"In the name of the Queen, I command Number Two,"
Morgan commanded again in her Queenly tone.
He didn't even need to look to know that the person she called was Ei.
He was now certain that Morgan was cheating.
Her method of cheating must be her personal skill, "Fairy Eye," allowing her to instantly identify which stick was the Queen and which numbered stick he would draw.
Ei had deliberately drawn his stick quickly, forcing her to glance at the stick in his hand to confirm his number before issuing her command.
He had been too careless, forgetting the Heroic Spirit status and special abilities of these people—it was simple for them to cheat.
Now that he understood her cheating method, countering her would be much easier.
If he could just survive this round, the next round would be his counter-attack.
"Number Two, drink a glass of Spirytus (Water of Life, an alcohol with a strength of 96%)."
"???"
Ei thought, Can I even survive until the next round?
A hotel server quickly brought over a full glass of the Water of Life.
"..."
Whether it was his imagination or not, Ei could see the liquid visibly evaporating...
"Lady Morgan, is this thing actually drinkable?"
Her blue eyes suddenly sharpened: "The Queen's command requires—"
"Absolute obedience!!"
Everyone shouted.
Fine, since they put it that way, he had to drink it!
In that moment, Ei remembered the brave souls who had chugged Spirytus straight from the bottle. He never thought he would follow in their footsteps.
"Down the hatch!"
He picked up the glass of Spirytus, held his breath, and gulped it down.
(PS: Directly consuming Spirytus can cause severe bodily harm. Binge drinking is not encouraged. This is for comedic effect; do not attempt to imitate. All characters present are adults.)
[You have just drunk the Water of Life. The highly concentrated alcohol stimulates your body and will.]
[Please make an Endurance check.]
The dice rolled.
[The check result is A. This is lower than your Endurance, so the check fails!]
[You activate "Lion of the Rolled Cigarette," successfully passing the check and barely maintaining consciousness.]
[You successfully finished the glass of Water of Life. Though the sensation was as violent as a bullet, leaving you immediately dizzy and light-headed, you have not collapsed.**]
Clank!
He slammed the empty glass onto the table. Ei was completely lightheaded, yet still standing, with everyone staring at him in astonishment.
Thank goodness he had learned Mordred's skill, allowing him to momentarily clear his head and avoid total collapse.
"Are you alright, Mr. Ei?"
Morgan immediately held his swaying body. The distance between them vanished as her generous chest pressed against his bare upper body. She spoke with a gentle, alluring voice.
Damn it. It was probably the alcohol, but Ei could feel her breath, which was sweet and warm.
He could clearly see the rose-colored lipstick on her full, luscious lips, and he felt a powerful urge to kiss her.
"If you're sleepy, you can quit the game. I've already prepared a hotel room for you."
"..."
Ei thought, So, your whole plan was to get me drunk. That was a long map to Yan, indeed.
"Not yet. I can keep playing. Just get me a glass of water to clear my head first."
"No problem."
Morgan immediately had a server bring him a glass of water to clear his head.
Ei lifted the glass and took a sip. He froze, then silently placed the water back on the table.
He looked at the water, then at the smile on Morgan's face.
"Oh, thanks. I've always wanted to use this meme..."
He said.
"Little Mo, lend me your lighter."
"Why?"
Mordred asked, but handed over her cigarette lighter anyway.
Ei flicked the lighter at the glass of water.
Flames instantly erupted on the surface of the water.
Everyone present stared at the flammable water in silence.
"...Lady Morgan, why is the water burning?"
"Probably because it contains alcohol."
As expected of Her Majesty the Queen, her tone was perfectly poised and commanding.
"It's incredibly strange for water to clear your head to contain alcohol!"
"My apologies. Perhaps the server accidentally mixed up the 'water' and the 'vodka.' Would you like me to call for another glass of water?"
"...Just get me a glass of water that won't catch fire."
[You drank a glass of alcohol-free water and feel your condition has slightly improved.]
[The next round of the Queen's Game began.]
[You have seen through Morgan's cheating method, so drawing a random stick is meaningless to you this round.]
[The only stick you want... is the one in Morgan's hand!]
[Agility B, Activate!]
As Morgan reached for the stick she had her eye on,
Ei also made his move, snatching the stick before she could grab it.
Morgan's beautiful eyes widened in surprise.
"Surprised, Your Majesty? The tables have turned... oh wait, you're not the Queen anymore."
Ei winked at her, signaling that his moment of counter-attack had arrived!
"The Queen," he held up the stick in his hand, "is with me."