Chapter 205: The New Dragon (5)
‘First impressions—pass.’
Bracken Ranke had long wanted to meet Theo in person if the opportunity ever arose.
‘He took not one, but two of my precious children. How could I not see him for myself?’
He understood his second child, Holcus’s, decision.
Ever since he was young, Holcus had been overshadowed by his older sister and had given up on becoming the head of the family. Instead, he had wanted to play in a bigger pond.
He had wanted a grand and dazzling life.
Considering how much he enjoyed basking in people's admiration, it had been a fitting choice.
But his eldest, Erika, was different.
She had enjoyed being among Ranke’s swordsmen and had naturally embraced the role of heir as if it were her own skin.
Yet, after returning from the Enlightenment Ceremony, she had changed—just a little.
- Dad.
- Yes, my daughter! Now, are you ready to undergo heir training to inherit your father’s dignified and majestic legacy…!
- I’m going out to play for a bit.
- …Huh?
Her eyes had sparkled as she said she was going out to play.
It was the look of a child who had discovered a fascinating new toy.
Bracken had nodded without realizing it.
He hadn’t known what had caught her attention, but he’d assumed she’d get bored quickly and come back.
Yet now, nearly a year had passed.
And his children still showed no signs of returning.
Bracken had grown curious.
Then, when his children briefly visited home on leave, he heard stories of Theo’s exploits—and made up his mind.
He would go see the boy for himself.
Besides, he had also heard that the young head of the Gardner family—who had been acting suspiciously of late—was moving toward Winterer. He figured he might as well investigate that, too.
And now, here they were.
It seemed the rumors weren’t entirely wrong.
The boy was certainly someone his hot-blooded children could be captivated by.
‘The other members said similar things, too.’
To truly understand a person, it was best to observe the people around them.
So, Bracken had mingled with the White Armor Dragon Riders, treating them to drinks and meat. Somewhere along the way, they had all ended up red-faced and tipsy.
- S-Save us!
- Please, no more drinks…! Aaargh!
- I ate too much me—Urp!
- Khehehehe! Drink! Eat! Indulge to your heart’s content! What? You’re full? You’re too drunk? Nonsense! If you keep eating, it’ll all go down eventually!
Of course, some members had suffered from overdrinking and overeating in the process…
But minor issues like that could be overlooked.
‘A drink together would be just right.’
Bracken grinned.
It seemed he had found himself an entertaining drinking buddy—just like his children.
* * *
‘Well, at least it looks like he’s taken a liking to the White Armor Dragon Riders.’
It was a well-known fact—even in his past life—that when Bracken sincerely liked someone and wanted to make them a friend, he would offer them alcohol and meat.
Because of this, despite waging countless wars against the barbarian tribes near the Demon Sea, he had formed sworn brotherhoods with some of their chieftains, earning a reputation for being bold and magnanimous.
‘But that very nature led to his meaningless end.’
The problem was that in the not-so-distant future, Bracken would meet his demise at the hands of those very sworn brothers he trusted.
It was said that he had been invited to a gathering by one of the tribes, only to drink Mountain Void Poison- , have his mana sealed, and then be beheaded.
Enraged by the sudden betrayal, Erika had immediately crossed into the plains and forests, massacring not only that tribe but all the surrounding barbarian clans.
That was the moment she gained the moniker “Blood-Crazed Berserker.”
But that was just how Bracken was—a man of unwavering loyalty, willing to give everything to those he opened his heart to.
The fact that he had so freely treated the White Armor Dragon Riders to alcohol and meat was proof of that.
- Uweeek!
- P-please, spare me…!
- My stomach… I feel horrible…
- Ughhhh! I… I can't drink anymoooore!
…Whether the riders had truly received his goodwill was another matter entirely.
Hailing from a region far from the North, where the culture was said to resemble that of the barbarians, Bracken had a rough and rugged appearance, complete with a thick, scraggly beard.
Yet Theo felt as if the man’s piercing gaze was cutting right through him.
“I heard my children have made a very good friend. I’ve been wanting to meet you, but I never had the time. But with everything happening lately, I finally made my way here… If I had come any later, it would’ve been a real problem.”
It seemed he was referring to Theo’s impending departure for the East.
“It’s an honor to meet the esteemed head of the Ranke family, whom I’ve only heard of through rumors.”
“Hahaha, is that so? Hmm! Ah, would it make you uncomfortable if I spoke informally? Technically speaking, since you’re Ragnar’s young leader, we’re of equal standing…”
“Not at all. Before any hierarchical relationships, you’re the father of my friends. Please treat me as you would a son.”
“Is that so? Hahaha! Our young leader is more easygoing than he looks!”
“I, too, will think of you as a father. May I offer you a drink?”
Just as Theo picked up a bottle to refill Bracken’s empty cup, Erika and Holcus suddenly shot intense gazes in his direction.
They subtly shook their heads from the side, careful not to let Bracken notice.
‘No!!’
‘You’ll die if you do that!’
That was exactly what their expressions seemed to say.
- Pfft.
Theo couldn’t help but chuckle.
Holcus’ reaction was understandable, but he hadn’t expected even Erika to act this way.
“What are you doing? My arm’s about to fall off.”
Bracken exaggeratedly complained while holding up his cup, prompting Theo to hurry over and pour the drink.
The cup was massive.
Larger than a typical washbasin.
‘No wonder people were dropping like flies drinking this.’
The liquor had an oddly murky color and a strong, gamey smell.
It was Fermented Mare’s Milk—a drink made from horse milk, commonly consumed in the plains.
Gulp, gulp!
“Ahhh! Now that’s the stuff!”
Bracken dramatically turned the emptied cup upside down over his head before handing it to Theo.
“What do you think? Want to give it a try?”
Sharing a drinking vessel wasn’t exactly the most hygienic practice, but…
Theo accepted the cup without hesitation and nodded.
“I’ve never had Fermented Mare’s Milk before, so I’m not sure how much I’ll enjoy it.”
“Heh heh heh! It’s got quite the unique taste. But once you get hooked, there’s no going back.”
The other members couldn’t help but turn their attention toward them.
- Theo’s going to drink it?
- We’re saved!! We’re finally free!!
- Whoa. But will he be able to handle it? It’s tough to drink for a first-timer.
- Right? We only got used to it because we’ve traveled around so much.
- Are we finally going to see our young leader get drunk? That should be pretty entertai—Mmph!
- Shut up, idiot! You reek of alcohol!
Despite being a newcomer, Theo had always handled things with confidence and skill.
The still-standing members—grateful that Theo wasn’t dead weight(?)—also felt a bit disappointed that they’d never seen a more endearing side of him.
But now, finally, they were about to witness a rare, adorable moment…!
Gulp, gulp!
- …Huh?
- He’s drinking it way too easily.
Erika and Holcus were just as shocked.
The drink was so foul that even they avoided it whenever possible, yet he was downing it without a hitch.
Theo emptied his cup in one go without even a slight grimace.
Then, just like Bracken had done, he tilted the cup over his head.
“Is this how you do it? It tastes good.”
“Oho, so it suits your taste? Holcus! What are you doing? Hurry up and bring more liquor barrels!”
“…Excuse me? You’re drinking more?”
“I’ve found a good ‘Anda’ (sworn brother, friend), so of course, we should enjoy ourselves! What? Are your legs too heavy to move? Do you want me to kick your ass?”
Holcus, looking as if he were in a daze, hurriedly brought a new barrel of liquor.
“You can drink more, right?”
“Of course. But… from what I see, you’ve already had quite a lot before I arrived. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“What? Hahahaha! Never thought I’d see the day when someone worried about me, the greatest drinker of the plains!”
Bracken grinned and lifted his now-full cup high.
“Come on, bottoms up!”
Bracken brought the cup to his lips. He drank so heartily in his drunken state that it was hard to tell whether he was a man or a liquor barrel.
“Hey, are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Erika handed Theo a fresh cup, looking at him with concern.
Even the famous drinkers of the Ranke family would be bedridden for three days after matching drinks with their father.
Since Theo rarely even touched alcohol, if he admitted he was struggling, she was ready to step in and intervene.
After all, wasn’t the reason she and her brother had practically fled from home because they had been forced to keep their father company as drinking partners?
But then—
“I’m fine. I have a secret trick.”
“…??”
Erika blinked at the playful smile forming at the corner of Theo’s lips.
But Theo was already diving headfirst into a drinking match with Bracken.
One cup. Two cups.
“Ahhh! That’s the good stuff!”
“I’ll pour another.”
“My kids have made such an adorable friend! How do you manage to be so perfectly likable? Here! Have another!”
“I’ll drink it gratefully.”
Ten cups. Eleven cups.
The amount had long surpassed mere jugs—soon, they were drinking by the barrel.
- …Uh, is this okay? Should we really just leave them like that?
- Y-yeah… Doesn’t he feel full? Wait, he hasn’t even gone to the bathroom.
- And it doesn’t look like he’s using mana to burn off the alcohol, either.
- Someone stop them already! What if they both pass out?
One barrel. Two barrels. Three barrels…
As the barrels of liquor piled up between the two, people went beyond admiration and into sheer shock.
What was even more astonishing was that while Bracken—who could make even Kyle flee from a drinking match—had turned completely red,
Theo remained just as composed and upright as ever, without a single sign of wavering.
“So, hic! That’s why, hic! Back then, I hic! was the first to hic! pledge my loyalty, hic! to your father, hic! because I was totally captivated, hic!”
At this point, they had lost count of how many times Bracken had repeated the same drunken rambling.
‘What the hell! Father’s actually drunk!’
‘Is this even possible!?’
Erika and Holcus could now only look at Theo with a mixture of fear and awe.
Yet, Theo simply continued downing his drinks without a single sign of faltering.
『You’re starting to resemble Sigurd more and more with how well you cheat.』
Lodbrok, who knew the truth, could only shake his head as he watched.
‘Well, as long as no one notices, it’s all fair game, right?’
『That’s exactly what we call fraud, my boy.』
Theo’s method of handling intoxication was quite simple.
A complete separation of mind and body.
By using <Nirvana>, he sent his consciousness into a deep awakened state, completely isolating his physical sensations and leaving them behind.
Since this was a technique he had attained through mental enlightenment, the mana consumption was extremely minimal—so much so that others couldn’t even detect it.
Of course, once Nirvana wore off, the backlash would be immense…
‘Well, that’s a problem for later. More importantly—Lodi, how’s the preparation going?’
『…Preparation? For what?』
‘Come on, you know. The rib, obviously.’
『W-wait, you weren’t joking? That was serious?!』
‘Of course.’
『You insane bastard! I’m a patient! How could someone callously suggest such a barbaric thing to their own bonded partner?!』
Lodbrok jumped in outrage.
‘Compared to your real size, it’s honestly not even that big, is it?’
『That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt- !』
‘So, should we just leave the Dragon Spine Sword alone?’
『Y-you… you… you villain- !』
‘It can’t be helped. The only one I feel sorry for is the Sea King.’
『Aaaaargh!』
Lodbrok trembled with betrayal.
And at that moment, he realized something.
…Theo’s version of drunkenness seemed to involve relentlessly tormenting the people around him.
