The Banquet Continues
Just moments ago, Noah had been in a foul mood.
I thought this was a date…!
A dinner for just the two of us!
And the other person had been the one to suggest it!
If this wasn't a date, what was?
Of course, since the President thinks I'm a guy, it's not a real date…
Still, she'd put on makeup she never usually wore.
She'd agonized endlessly over a deliberately androgynous outfit.
She'd even brainstormed topics to chat about with the President.
She couldn't drop her disguise with all the eyes on her, but she'd pulled out every trick she could to prepare for this date.
Though honestly, part of me was scared he'd change how he acts toward me if I did drop it.
Anyway!
Putting that aside, anyone would agree this was a perfect date!
And yet… an alumni party?!
Wasn't she just a third wheel here?
It was only natural for Noah to seethe at this cruel reality.
But that anger didn't last long.
The moment she stepped into the banquet hall, she couldn't hold onto it anymore.
Th-that's the Amin Hero who shone at Heybos Hill!
Gasp! That's Seiman Hero, who single-handedly repelled an executive-level demon in the Chebos Workshop Battle!
Even Balakar Hero, who held off a demon army all alone?!
She was too dazzled by the feast of legendary heroes filling the hall to think straight.
The sight of top-tier heroes—names straight out of Monthly Hero Magazine—packed into the banquet hall…!
So cool—!
It was more than enough to blow Noah's mind.
"This is a student I've had my eye on lately. Her name's Noah."
And on top of that, the President's glowing endorsement!
The barrage of questions from the heroes afterward had been overwhelming, but for Noah, it was pure bliss.
Spending time with her beloved President and heroes she admired!
And as the cherry on top, exquisite food that sent her taste buds into ecstasy!
It cranked her already sky-high energy even higher…
"…So some of them offered her a drink as a joke, and she chugged it right down?"
"Yeah. Seemed like they were just messing around, but she went for it."
I let out a deep sigh.
Yeah, the electric atmosphere of the banquet could lead to a little mischief.
But still.
"She passes out after one drink, so what gave her the guts?"
Her flushed, tipsy face.
Her nonstop goofy grin.
And finally, her body sprawled on the floor, clutching an empty bottle like a teddy bear.
"Ehehehe…"
One magnificent beast of a Noah. Seeing her like this triggered a headache I'd kept at bay until now.
"This is a problem."
I had heroes I wanted to introduce her to, but with her out cold like this, my plans were shot.
I'd love to ask the priests to sober her up completely… but no, can't do that.
This was just a casual banquet.
No wartime emergency here—I couldn't dump cold water on someone in the middle of having fun.
"No helping it. Ludmila, can you at least clear her hangover?"
"Oh? Leave it to me."
In the end, the best option was to cleanly remove Noah's hangover.
It was a rare chance, but oh well.
These folks were frontline types anyway; she'd cross paths with them eventually.
Next time it is.
At least we'd achieved the goal of building ties with the Golden Generation—half success, right?
I'd prepped a spar with a hero to help her out, but no dice.
With her system protagonist perks, sparring allied NPCs gave skill exp instead of regular exp.
I'd planned to use that to close the gap between her skyrocketing levels from the gate incident and her skill proficiencies…
"Looks like that's off the table for now."
I'd love to train her myself if possible, but my position makes time scarce.
Plus, our skill gap's too wide for her to gain proper exp.
The Golden Generation peers have gaps too, but not as extreme as mine—if they go easy, she could still grind some exp.
But then.
"Ugh…"
Was it protagonist magic?
After Ludmila's purification, she groaned and slowly came to.
"Ludmila, did you purify the alcohol too?"
"Heavens, no. I just cleared the hangover lingering in her. Seems she's got stronger recovery than expected."
"High natural tolerance, huh."
This was an unexpected windfall.
Noah shook her head and sat up, groggy from sleep but with no trace of drunkenness left.
In this state, we could proceed as planned.
"Feeling better?"
"Ugh… President?"
"I get the excitement, but that was reckless."
Weak with booze, yet she dives right in.
I shot her a scolding look, and the now-alert Noah bowed her head.
"Sorryyy…"
"Can you move? I can prep a carriage if needed."
"No! I'm fine! Head's clear, all good!"
Evidently not ready to leave the banquet, she bounced in place to prove her condition.
"Good. I've got someone I want to introduce you to."
With that, I led Noah to one side of the hall.
How long did we walk?
Spotting pink hair amid a group of heroes, I headed straight over.
"Seris."
She had short pink hair and matching eyes that turned our way, her face lighting up with a smile.
"Oh? President!"
"Got a minute?"
Her loose purple parka flapped dramatically as she spun toward us, white dress shirt peeking underneath.
"Sure, President! What's up?"
"Noah, meet Seris. You know her as Seven Colors Seris—the Hero who was student council president at Grimoires Magic Academy."
"Hiya! Nice to meet ya! I'm Seris!"
Finding a sparring partner for Noah had been tricky.
As a protagonist with talents across the board, we needed max gains from one match, so a versatile hero was key.
Seris fit perfectly.
Seven Colors Seris.
She wielded all elemental affinities, perfect for boosting Noah's magic proficiency big time.
"Seris, about that request I mentioned."
"Huh?… Oh! That one! Yeah, this is her, right?"
Her gaze shifted to Noah beside me.
"Heh… Not bad at all? Sweet! Request accepted."
"Uh, President? What's going on…?"
Unlike Seris, who nodded eagerly, Noah still looked baffled.
Can't blame her.
She'd barely enjoyed the party before waking to some mystery deal in motion.
"Noah, your swordplay's solid, but your magic's still a weak point."
"…President?"
Her eyes widened, sensing trouble.
"Seris here is a magic combat specialist. I think she can teach you some tricks… What do you say?"
"Junior? Since it's a rare chance, how about your senior shows you a move or two?"
Seris, lured with rare materials as payment, chimed in supportively.
With me and Seris nudging, she couldn't hold out.
"Ugh… Fine."
She finally nodded, face gloomy.
"No such thing as a free lunch in this world…"
Her belated mutter carried worldly wisdom, but Seris and I pretended not to hear as we headed to the dais.
───
No need to prep a venue for the spar.
The space magic in the banquet hall made plenty of room for a light bout.
Hearing the buzz, heroes formed a circle, leaving Seris and Noah alone in the center.
"What's this, an event?"
"Ooh! Newbie vs. Seris?"
"Seris schooling the newbie!"
"Go easy, Seris!"
"Ugh… I'm itching for a fight too!"
The heroes, now spectators, murmured excitedly.
"President."
"Vice President."
Sena approached from where she'd been enjoying the party.
"This is…?"
"Just a light event."
A growth event, technically.
"An event… I see. Plenty to learn from a superior opponent."
She nodded, convinced, and watched the pair.
Seon-hwa followed, frowning slightly.
"Young master. Is this okay?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Seris is a classic backline artillery dealer. If she unleashes those big spells here, the banquet hall…"
"No worries. Noah's not strong enough to force that."
Hell, if Seris tried, she could probably take Noah down with basic spells alone.
That's top-tier Hero level.
"She'll mind the surroundings and hold back."
Right on cue.
Seris's hands began glowing with mana as the spar kicked off…
"What—!?"
At the same moment, Noah drew a brilliantly shining holy sword from her hand.