As the number of people doubled, the commotion should have only doubled as well.

But in reality, it was much more chaotic—no, it was beyond chaotic. The noise level had multiplied many times over, and this wasn’t just about wanting to avoid witnessing the horrific drinking habits of a wild orange-haired ponytail.

"Ethan! Of the 21 duels we've had, I've lost 18! I've never forgotten a single one!"

"...Natalie, your drinking habits aren’t exactly the best. If you want a duel, I'll oblige, but this is a gathering organized by Princess Seraphine, so perhaps you should restrain yourself…."

"What are you talking about? I don’t get drunk! There's no way I have any bad drinking habits when I don’t get drunk! Even my old friend Thomas, who I used to drink with often, said he’s never seen me drunk!"

...Of course, Thomas would say that. It would take a lot of courage to admit your drinking habits to a woman you like.

To make matters worse, Natalie was the type who would completely lose her memory when she got drunk, making her even more troublesome. Naturally, I couldn't help but direct a resentful glance at Bolt, who had caused this situation.

'Seriously. Why didn’t that hero stop Natalie from drinking?'

I thought he knew the strategy. He protected Serista, brought Silena along, and even added Thomas to the party—he’d been playing like a pro. But why did he make the rookie mistake of not stopping Natalie from drinking?

Of course, it’s not like Bolt did nothing during the drinking session. He was aware of the interactions between the heroines and alcohol and tried to prevent anyone dangerous from drinking.

...The problem was that the person he tried to stop wasn’t Natalie but Agnes.

‘Miss Agnes, don’t you think it’s a bit early for you to drink?’

‘What? Are you mocking me for being childish?’

‘I think a different drink would be better suited for you than this Blue Curaçao cocktail. Here, try this instead.’

‘And who do you think you are? The communication classes with spirits are over, you know? The semester’s done, so why do you think I’ll just listen to you?’

‘Please, Miss Agnes. Alcohol can affect people differently….’

...He had rushed in to stop Agnes from drinking, just like I had, but no matter how you look at it, Bolt’s actions were incredibly irresponsible.

I fully agree that Agnes shouldn’t be allowed to drink, just like Natalie. However, if you can only stop one of them, it should obviously be Natalie.

It’s much better to deal with a few hours of whining than to let a wild ponytail start a riot by demanding a duel.

...And I don’t understand why Natalie is pointing her finger at Ethan instead of the hero.

As Natalie, with her orange ponytail flailing wildly like a true wild horse, demanded a duel, Ethan responded with an exasperated tone.

"If you like dueling so much, why don’t you challenge the hero you follow instead of pointing your finger at me?"

"Out of 21 duels, I lost 18! Eighteen losses! I only managed to win three times, including one draw!"

"And what does that have to do with me? Are you saying it’s my fault that your sword couldn’t break through my defense?"

"No! I just want to defeat you, Ethan, and reclaim my honor tarnished by those 18 losses! Eighteen! Eighteen!"

...I guess that 18 losses she kept emphasizing sounded a bit like a curse because of my mood.

It seems that Natalie’s ‘duel-maniac’ drinking habit makes her pick the opponent with the lowest win rate in the room.

Bolt, Ethan, and Natalie.

Including Karaham, the four of them were the top first-year students in the Swordsmanship Department. Among them, Natalie’s Esterc, a style focused on exploiting weaknesses and striking at openings, was particularly weak against Ethan’s dual-wielding style, which seamlessly combined offense and defense.

Even though Natalie had a win rate of about 30% against Bolt, she couldn’t even achieve a 20% win rate against Ethan. That’s probably why Ethan became the target of her duel-maniac drinking habit.

The original game never depicted a scene where Natalie drank in front of anyone other than the protagonist, so this was something I hadn’t anticipated.

‘This is really a mess….’

If she were picking a fight with the protagonist, I could just ignore her or sneak Ethan out amidst the chaos.

But the problem was that her focus was on Ethan. If he didn’t agree to a duel, she would likely keep this up for hours, repeating the demand until she either exhausted herself or collapsed from alcohol-induced fatigue.

Sure, with Serista around, we could prevent any serious accidents during a duel, but I had no interest in listening to that crazy woman’s demands.

If possible, I wanted to put her to sleep without having to duel her. But how could I do that?

"Face me in a duel, Ethan! If you’re a true swordsman, you must respond to a challenge with honor!"

'...Wait, honorably?'

It was at that moment that an idea came to me—a way to defuse the situation.

Just as a duel between Natalie and Ethan was about to take shape, I quickly stepped in between them to manage the situation.

"I thought you were just a polite commoner lady, but I didn’t realize you harbored such resentment toward me."

"As a swordswoman, I only wish to overcome my past defeats and move forward! And the first mountain I must climb is you, Ethan…."

"N-Natalie, please calm down! No matter how much you want to duel, you’re challenging Lord Ethan of the Blackwood family! I can't defend you any further if this continues…."

"Wait, Natalie!"

"...Lillis?"

"...Lillis?"

My sudden appearance blocking Natalie caught the attention of both Ethan and Seraphine. Even Natalie, who had been creating a ruckus after getting drunk on just one cocktail, turned her gaze to me.

"You must be Lord Ethan’s fiancée. Are you thinking of interfering with this honorable duel out of concern for your fiancé…?"

"That’s not important right now; we can discuss that later. But just now, you said you wanted to duel ‘honorably,’ correct?"

"Indeed! I, Natalie Sharp, though born a commoner with nothing but a skill for wielding a sword, have lived a life of honor under the heavens!"

"And you also said that you’ve never been drunk before, correct?"

"Absolutely! I’ve never been drunk, so the claim that I’m challenging Lord Ethan to a duel because of some drunken habit is clearly slander…."

"In that case, Natalie, is it truly ‘honorable’ for a sober person to challenge a drunk opponent to a duel?"

"……Huh?"

The loud demands for a duel immediately stopped as Natalie’s mouth clamped shut.

Given her personality, there was no way she could ignore this line of reasoning.

Honor and fairness were values that Natalie held dear, as if they were her very life in the game, representing her character’s defining traits.

Even in her drunken state, where only her subconscious instincts were in control, these words seemed to awaken her.

"Th-That’s… not an honorable action…."

"Exactly. And Ethan has been here long before you arrived, meaning he’s had plenty to drink and is currently intoxicated."

"A-Ah…."

"Do you understand now, Natalie? You were trying to take advantage of an unfair situation by challenging Lord Ethan to a duel while he was drunk, hoping for a dishonorable victory."

"A-Ah, what have I done…."

Finally, Natalie lowered her accusatory finger and brought her hands to her head in shock.

It seemed she was deeply disturbed by the realization that she had acted dishonorably.

-Thud.

"I-I’m sorry, Lord Ethan! I’ve committed an unforgivable offense by behaving so dishonorably as a swordswoman!"

"It’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes at some point in their life… Though you came close to crossing a line."

"H-How can I ever atone for this shameful mistake…."

-Bang! Bang!

"N-Natalie?!"

With a look of despair, Natalie started banging her head against the floor.

Her rock-solid head made a loud noise, echoing throughout the hall, reminiscent of Karaham’s notorious hard-headedness.

Worried that either the floor or her head might break, I hurriedly grabbed her shoulder and suggested an alternative way to apologize.

"N-Natalie!"

"Stop that. I don’t need an apology, so there’s no need to punish yourself like this."

"Natalie, enough! Lord Ethan said it’s okay!"

"N-No…. I’ve disgraced myself as a swordswoman…. I-I must apologize…."

"It’s alright, Natalie. There’s a better way to apologize than through this senseless act."

"...R-Really? Is there truly a way to atone, Lady Lillis?!"

"Y-Yes…."

Natalie grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth at the mention of a sure way to apologize.

I decided to ignore the sudden change in her addressing me as ‘Lady’ since she would forget everything the next day anyway.

"Natalie, you made just one mistake. You, a sober swordswoman, challenged a drunk Lord Ethan to a duel."

"Yes…. To take advantage of a weakened opponent is shameful…."

"In that case, all you need to do is get just as drunk as Lord Ethan."

"......What?"

"A duel between two equally drunk people would be seen as nothing more than a joke, right? Don’t you think?"

"T-That’s true!"

…As if that would work. If getting drunk afterward could absolve someone of causing a scene, why would we need laws and police—no, knights?

But what mattered now wasn’t an unassailable, flawless argument. It just had to be convincing enough for a drunk to accept without question.

The last thing I wanted was to have Natalie start causing trouble again after she realized the truth. I doubt anyone else would argue with my logic at this point.

"Come on, have another drink, Natalie. Down it in one go…."

And so, I handed her the strongest drinks I could find, disguised as regular cocktails, and watched her down three glasses.

-Thud.

"Snoooore, phwooo… snoooore, phwooo…."

The wild orange pony had finally fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep.

…Seriously, cleaning up after this mess is exhausting.