Alcohol Drinks People 2
After Joseph returned to his quarters and finished changing, a knock sounded at the door. Knock, knock—.
It was a good thing he had washed up after class. Otherwise Leif would have arrived while he was still in the bath. Joseph already knew it was Leif, but he followed his old habit anyway—leaning lightly against the door to listen for any sound of presence, then putting his eye to the peephole to check the visitor. It didn’t mean much; it was simply a habit.
“Oh yeah.”
As expected, the person standing there was Leif, holding nothing but the vodka he had kept stored at the dormitory. There was nothing else to say. How on earth did a drink this delicious and tempting just roll into his hands like a miracle?
Joseph was the kind of man who would refuse even ten million gold coins out of sheer pride. But in this one area, he was different. True to its top-shelf quality, the vodka would go down like water yet set his insides on fire. Just imagining his blood vessels blazing afterward was enough to make his sphincter tighten with pure joy.
Anyway, it was a miracle. The fact that this world had no Kim Young-ran Act might truly be a blessing.
So Joseph put on a smile and opened the door. Leif gave the delighted professor a polite bow and opened the conversation.
“Thank you for inviting me, Professor.”
“Come in. It’s a rather shabby place for the Archduke’s eldest son to visit… but if you don’t mind, please step inside.”
In truth, Leif was slightly nervous at this moment. He knew Joseph was a good man, yet the image of the professor from last time—radiating murderous rage—had left a powerful impression. Even though Leif hated showing weakness, the memory still weighed on him.
Fortunately, the Joseph who greeted him so happily wasn’t dragging that murderous aura out into the open.
“However, Professor, I ended up bringing one extra guest. It wasn’t intentional.”
“…A guest? Who else is there?”
“Someone you know very well.”
Having confirmed the situation was safe, Leif quickly gestured to the person behind him. The moment that glossy black hair—striking even in the middle of the night—swayed,
Joseph couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Class president?!”
That was only natural. As far as Joseph knew, the two of them were on very bad terms. He had never expected them to show up together like this.
Irina had known that too, which was why she had avoided appearing before him. Coming to the professor’s residence hand-in-hand with Leif implied either reconciliation or some other story. Since reconciliation was still a long way off, she had to explain the other matter somehow.
“I’m sorry for the sudden visit, Professor. But as the Archduchess, I couldn’t entrust the delivery of the gift sent by His Grace entirely to my brother. It wouldn’t be proper.”
Irina calmly spun a long-winded excuse. She was trying to look composed because she was standing beside her brother.
Ugh, I’m so nervous…
In reality, she might have been even happier than Joseph. After all, this was her first time stepping into the private space of the professor she respected and found incredibly cool. For a girl in the prime of her youth, wasn’t that thrilling?
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m delighted to see our class president too. Come in.”
If Irina knew the truth, she would have been shocked. Joseph genuinely liked her quite a bit. He had been cautious with her at first, but lately she had become the most reliable pillar in class after Sion. The other students always required attention, yet Irina gave him a sense of stability—like she wouldn’t explode no matter what. She probably had no idea how much that meant to him.
“Thank you for accepting us so readily, Professor.”
“Not at all. Not for our class president.”
Joseph welcomed her with even greater pleasure, and the door to his quarters closed.
How much time had passed?
Joseph had seated the two on the sofa in the largest room—the living room—and the moment he received the vodka from Leif, his mouth began to water.
“Oh my god. It’s truly beautiful.”
He stroked the elegant purple glass bottle once, then immediately pulled out the stopper. Normally, even out of politeness, one would say something like “A rare treasure from Pernov? I really should keep it as a family heirloom.” or “Let’s save it for a special day someday—” but Joseph was like a stray dog that had gone a week without food when faced with good liquor.
“…Heh heh.”
“Is something the matter, Young Lord Leif?”
“I’m simply delighted that you opened it right away.”
Leif regarded the scene with clear approval. A real man. I like it.
From the giver’s perspective, seeing someone happily tear into the gift immediately was far more satisfying than watching them store it away. Of course, the capital nobles might sneer at such lack of refinement, but this was the North—where drinking was inseparable from life. Alcohol only had meaning when it was consumed. It wasn’t a painting.
Then what was the best way to enjoy it?
Since Joseph already knew the answer, he flashed a sly grin and said,
“Would you two care to join me?”
“…Professor?!”
“—Oh.”
Proposing a drinking session to students. Irina was startled; she had never expected such words from him. Leif was equally surprised but couldn’t stop his shoulders from shaking with laughter.
Joseph cut in firmly.
“Why so proper? In the North, people start drinking naturally once they turn fifteen, and that milestone has already passed for both of you. Besides, aren’t you all adults?”
“Well, that’s true, but… the school rules…”
“If you really don’t want to, that’s fine. You can watch me finish this bottle like visitors at a monkey exhibit in the zoo.”
Leif answered at once.
“Then I can’t possibly refuse. It seems we share a good connection, Professor.”
“As expected, you live up to your reputation for boldness, Student Leif. Then… what about you, Student Irina?”
“…I’m fine with it. If Leif gets heavily drunk, someone will need to escort him back to the dormitory.”
“Good. Then it’s settled.”
Joseph left briefly to fetch glasses. Once Leif and Irina were alone, neither spoke. They were both too busy with their own thoughts.
“He lives rather modestly…”
“Our contact at the bank said his spending is modest compared to his income. So this makes sense.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, so be quiet.”
“Yes.”
It was partly because of Alun. The room was surprisingly tidy for a man living alone—almost too modest in appearance, yet…
“His weapons are still razor-sharp, though.”
“…He was a hero, after all. This man.”
The neatly arranged armaments at the far end of the room revealed exactly what kind of person Joseph had once been. It was a striking sight.
But then Irina noticed something.
“Huh…?”
It was the glass bottle placed in the most visible spot from the living-room sofa. Inside it was the flower crown she had once woven for the professor. It was still there.
She hadn’t been very skilled, so it was the kind of thing that would fall apart quickly if not stored properly. Yet it was arranged more carefully than any other object in the room.
“Oh… my…”
The moment she saw it, the memory came flooding back. The unconscious confession. The first time she had ever seen him flustered. She had practically fled after leaving that flower crown behind.
And yet he had kept it this preciously all this time.
The physical reaction was something Irina couldn’t understand. Her cheeks suddenly burned. She touched her pale face with the back of her hand, puzzled.
…What is this, Professor…?
Creak—
“With vodka, aroma isn’t what matters. Taste isn’t important either. It’s all about savoring that brilliant appearance.”
“…Ah, you’ve returned, Sir Joseph.”
“I brought out the glasses I prepared in advance, hoping for a day like today. Here, Leif.”
Of course Joseph returned completely unaware of anything. He handed a glass to her brother, but Irina—whose heart was now racing from the professor’s earlier behavior—needed to calm down. She left the table where the two men were happily opening the bottle and simply wandered around the room.
Quite a lot of time had passed. The vodka bottle was already nearing empty. Watching the two men, Irina felt genuine awe.
How can they drink something this strong so easily…?
Her brother was one thing, but the professor was the same. These two were drinking machines.
If Joseph had reached this level of drinking on a normal day, he would have been shedding tears and making a complete fool of himself. Fortunately, today he had a drinking companion.
“So what happened next?”
“…Let me think. We were talking about Taltingrad. Where did I stop?”
And not just any companion—a smart, handsome younger “brother” nine years his junior who asked about military stories with genuine interest. The kind of tales men loved most.
While drinking, laughing heartily, and letting the alcohol loosen their tongues, Joseph and Leif had grown quite close by this point.
“—When Father was surrounded. The story of how you, Sir Joseph, grabbed the shield of the dwarf Askar from the hero party and charged out.”
Joseph laughed.
“That’s the whole story! What more is there to tell?”
“What do you mean that’s the whole story?”
“I succeeded. End of story.”
“No! Of course you succeeded—that’s why you’re sitting here! I know that much! What I mean is, how can you cut the story off in the middle like that…!!”
“—Heh. Didn’t His Grace tell you?”
“I had no idea.”
“Whatever. It’s annoying to talk about anyway… Actually, I don’t remember it that well either. There was so much adrenaline that everything’s hazy. If you’re curious, ask Uncle Askar.”
Tsk. Leif clicked his tongue.
Of course Joseph remembered. He simply didn’t want to recall those old memories. Like most veterans, he only spoke of the polished, heroic parts.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
Joseph quickly emptied his glass and changed the subject.
“…Right. Young Lord, you said earlier that you could show me the letter, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I brought it just in case.”
“Perfect. Since we’ve received such excellent liquor, I’d like to know the contents so I can write a proper thank-you.”
“—Don’t tell me you plan to write it today.”
“Am I crazy? Of course it’ll be tomorrow. We’re both equally drunk… or are you still fine, Leif?”
“I’m still alright.”
“…Bold as ever.”
Even though he said that, Leif was actually forcing himself to maintain composure. He didn’t want to lose, so he had spoken confidently. Inside, he was on the verge of throwing up.
“…Here it is, Sir Joseph.”
However, this might have created a serious problem. With his fading reason, Leif had forgotten the most important part of the letter. Even though Irina could see it, he handed the letter straight to Joseph.
“Let’s see, let’s see…”
…….
……
…
─In any case, I once again commend your achievements. Please continue to look after my two young children. And since it seems I have yet to offer a proper apology, I leave these words: If my previous proposal was hasty, please forgive me. As for the past, forget it.
— The Archduke
“……”
“What’s wrong, Professor?”
“There’s something I don’t understand. Previous proposal? …Past matter?”
As far as Joseph knew, his only involvement with the Archduke had been five years ago. After that, they had not exchanged so much as a single letter. Because he had retired.
So what was this sudden nonsense? It sounded as if there had been some prior contact.
Joseph asked again, but Leif made yet another mistake. The one who had rejected the marriage proposal was Laval, and Laval had hidden the fact that a proposal had been made to Joseph. But Leif didn’t know any of that.
“Well… isn’t it obvious? Don’t you already know?”
“—Know? I told you I don’t.”
“Are you teasing Irochka…?”
“No. There’s no such thing…”
So Leif, acting on pure reflex, spoke naturally.
“That was obviously about the marri—”
At that instant, instinct stopped him.
“Ah.”
But words already spoken could not be taken back. Irina, who had been worrying about the two men getting drunk, clearly caught the word “marri” and stared at Leif with wide eyes.
“Leif.”
“I-Irochka! Wait. Just a moment.”
“Leif, what was that?”
It was originally Joseph’s signature line, but the intoxication vanished in an instant. Feeling his mind go blank, Leif thought only one thing.
—I’m fucked.