Chapter 206: New Formation, Unit 6 (1)
He had tormented Lodbrok with his drunken antics.
But in truth, Theo had been sincere.
There really was no other way to repair the Dragon Activation Sword.
Besides, judging by Lodbrok’s current rate of recovery, it wouldn’t be difficult at all.
For a human, it was no different from trimming an inconveniently grown fingernail.
Still, the discomfort of having her body cut open must have been the reason for her reaction.
‘The problem is, I just can’t stop teasing Lodi (?).’
If Lodbrok ever found out what Theo was thinking, she would surely lose her mind with rage. But Theo didn't give it much thought.
‘Anyway, the drinking session should be wrapping up soon, right?’
Thud…!
No sooner had Theo finished his thought than Bracken suddenly spilled his drink and collapsed backward.
- What the hell! Sir Bracken lost!!
- Someone stronger than Sir Bracken at drinking? How is that even possible!?
The swordsmen of Ranke hurriedly rushed over to support Bracken.
‘Ugh. I really thought I was going to die.’
Theo quietly set his cup down and let out a sigh.
Even with Nirvana activated, there were limits. He had been starting to worry about that.
Then, he noticed Erica and Holkus staring at him as if he were a monster.
“You guys… Ugh!”
As Nirvana’s effects slightly wore off, a wave of hangover instantly slammed into his head.
Theo barely managed to draw in his mana, struggling to steady himself. His vision swam.
999
‘Ugh. I seriously just came back from the brink of death.’
It took quite a while before Theo finally got himself together.
Only after circulating his mana multiple times to expel the alcohol did he barely manage to stabilize his body.
Though his stomach still felt unsettled, and his head was pounding.
『Hmph. You tormented your one and only partner so terribly, so this is your punishment.』
‘Hm? You’re still here?’
『What?』
‘Shouldn’t you hurry up and go get the materials? The Sea King is weeping.’
『Aaaaagh!』
As Lodbrok clutched her temples and unleashed a string of enraged curses, people began to gather around Theo.
Thanks to that, the crew members who had narrowly survived (?) were fortunate.
"Our Young Lord, I never imagined you’d be this weak with alcohol."
"But seeing how you're weak afterward, even someone as iron-willed as you is still human, huh?"
"Hehe! You were so cute running to the restroom."
"I was shocked too! You were wobbling like a drunken fool—stagger~ stagger~"
Among them, some of the Ranke family’s retainers were also present.
"To think that you're a friend of our young lady and young master—truly impressive!"
"Wow! Even when our vice-captains took turns drinking against him, no one could beat our Lord, yet you did! Damn, I’m in awe!"
"I was amazed at the muscles I saw when you lifted the liquor jar high! What's your secret?!"
"Kuh! If the women of Ranke saw this, you'd be the number one ideal groom!"
Everyone was giving him double thumbs up, clearly impressed by how Theo had bested Bracken in a drinking contest.
A family that acknowledged people based on their drinking ability… Was this really okay?
That thought briefly crossed Theo’s mind.
‘Ughhh…’
With his head still pounding, all he could do was force a smile instead of responding.
"Theo."
Out of nowhere, Holcus plopped down in front of him with a solemn expression.
What the hell was he about to say?
"Huh?"
"Teach me."
…Teach him what?
Theo blinked in confusion.
"Teach me how to drink well."
Like a lone warrior marching onto the battlefield, Holcus spoke with utmost seriousness—yet complete nonsense.
SMAAACK!
"AAARGH! Why did you hit me all of a sudden?!"
Erika had smacked Holcus hard on the back of his head.
"If you get all serious like that, you'll only end up scaring Theo, you idiot little brother."
"But it’s important to me! Do you know how hard it is to be my father’s drinking buddy every time I go home?! I thought I was gonna die this time!!"
Bracken’s love for alcohol had always been a headache for his children.
If they ever tried to escape, he’d grab them by the scruff of their necks, saying nonsense like,
"A warrior who can’t drink? That makes no sense!"
And instead of just a cup, he’d make them chug straight from a liquor jar—something they had suffered through more times than they could count.
Even so, after spending over a year outside, Holcus thought his tolerance had improved.
So, when he visited home again, he decided to challenge his father to another drinking contest…
But the result?
A miserable defeat.
That mountain of a man he called father was simply too high to climb.
And yet, Theo had defeated that father of his.
What a glorious achievement!
Holcus’s admiration for Theo had now soared past the sky—no, it was practically piercing the universe.
Handsome face, great style, strong in battle, incredibly powerful, and on top of that, he could even handle his liquor!
‘Yeah! It’s certain! My role model is Theo! It’s Theo!’
Holcus had already half-abandoned the idea of becoming Theo’s sword.
He had resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t even dream of it until he reached the level of someone like Reina or Erika.
Instead, he decided to emulate him.
That way, one day, he would be able to stand beside him as an equal.
And the first goal to achieve that was this—
Drinking well!
‘You dumb little brother. How the hell did you reach that conclusion?’
Erika let out a sigh as she watched her brother come to yet another bizarre realization, but she didn’t bother correcting him.
No matter what she said, it would go in one ear and out the other anyway.
“Good…… okay.”
Still clutching his throbbing head, Theo gave a slight nod.
“Alrightsss!”
“But there’s a condition.”
“Huh? A condition?”
Holcus tilted his head in confusion.
“Join Squad 6.”
“……!”
At that moment, Holcus’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.
“M-Me? In Squad 6, 6, 6?”
“Yeah.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Truly? For real, truly……!”
Unable to believe it, Holcus kept repeating himself, only to have Erika’s fist crash into the back of his head again.
Baaam!
“Shut up already! If you’re going to join, just do it. Why ask so many damn questions?”
“But still! This is a scout offer! Hahaha! I got scouted!!”
Holcus was so overjoyed that he jumped up and started dancing.
Then, all of a sudden, his stomach lurched. Rushing to a corner, he emptied his guts.
Weeeeek!
The sound was utterly horrendous.
“Oh my god, you idiot, you absolute idiot.”
Shaking her head as if she truly couldn’t comprehend her brother, Erika turned to Theo with an unimpressed look.
“What about me?”
“I’d be grateful if you joined.”
“I’m not going.”
“Why?”
“You asked me after that moron.”
Erika pointed at Holcus, who was still busy “baking a pizza.”
Theo chuckled.
“Holcus is just a regular member. You’d be treated as a senior officer. How about it?”
“Deal!”
Erika immediately grabbed Theo’s hand.
“……”
At that moment, Ray silently gazed at Theo.
Theo ended up laughing again.
“Want to come too?”
Nod.
With Ray’s answer, Theo finally had nothing left to worry about.
With this, he had secured three new members.
“Hm? Isn’t it a bit too much to just take them right in front of us while we’re watching with both eyes wide open?”
At that moment, Squad 3 Leader, Gorito Ken, approached with a sly smile.
Squad 4 Leader, Hanata Ragnar, nodded in agreement.
“The Captain said we could recruit as many members as we need. If you have any complaints, you should take it up with him.”
“Wow, you’re really just passing this off to the Captain?”
“I appreciate your cooperation.”
The squad leaders grumbled on the surface, but their reactions made it clear they were just joking.
As expected, the other squad leaders soon chuckled as well.
Truthfully, none of them felt like they were having their cherished members stolen; rather, they saw it as ‘lending’ them.
Even if Theo himself wasn’t fully aware, among the squad leaders, it was already widely believed that he would be the next Captain.
Someday, these members would be ‘his people’ anyway—so lending them now was no big deal.
“A pleasant sight to behold.”
Just then, Bracken suddenly appeared between Theo and the members.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“After traveling such a long distance, my stomach isn’t quite holding up. Normally, I wouldn’t be in this state. A shame, really—let’s have a proper match next time.”
Despite the slight frown on his face from his hangover, Bracken winked at Theo.
It was a subtle attempt to brush off their contest as a draw.
“Oh, come on, Lord! You can’t seriously be saying that! You drank more today than you have in the past ten years combined!”
“You’re getting older now—maybe it’s time to stop bragging about your drinking skills?”
“Exactly, exactly. Instead of tormenting the household members, how about heading to the backroom, soaking your feet, and getting some rest?”
“What nonsense are you brats even—ugh, uuurgh!”
“See? This is what happens when you act stubborn.”
“……Just you wait, you little punks.”
No matter how hard Bracken gritted his teeth while retching alongside his son in a corner, the Ranke Household members looked completely unfazed.
Having suffered under his drinking habits for so long, they saw this as the perfect opportunity to finally get their revenge.
‘This place feels a lot like the White Armored Dragon Cavalry. No, maybe I should say it’s even more unrestrained. At the same time, it feels like the head of the household holds much more power.’
Even while teasing Bracken, who was suffering from his hangover, the household members were all instinctively positioned to protect him at a moment’s notice if needed.
In the end, Bracken and Holcus only managed to recover after downing a large bowl of honey water that Erika had brought them.
“I’ve heard that Winterer’s honey is a specialty product. My stomach feels much better now.”
Bracken placed the bowl down on the ground and let out a long burp.
A foul stench spread, but his face looked noticeably more at ease.
“You must be curious about why I came all the way here.”
“Didn’t you say you were curious about who Erika and Holcus have been getting along with?”
“Yes, that’s one reason. If my children are close to an heir, that naturally becomes a ‘connection’ for the main family.”
“And how do you feel about that ‘connection’?”
“If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have shared a drink with you. Feels like I’ve gained another kid.”
Bracken smirked as he spoke.
“And actually, if I do like this ‘connection’—I came to give you a piece of advice.”
A warning?
“Theo, do you know much about the relationship between Kinkarnon and Gardner?”
At that moment, Theo’s eyes flashed coldly.
And just as he was about to speak—
Pupupupung!
Suddenly, from the distant sky, a plume of hazy smoke spread.
A signal used exclusively by the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.
It was an emergency request for reinforcements.
