I turn back to Nina and force a polite smile onto my face. I have to be careful about how I handle this. She's obviously intoxicated enough that her judgement is somewhat impaired, and I don't want her slipping up and spilling anything problematic to Alyse. I'm going to have a hard enough time explaining this already.
"Ehem…my Lady, it looks like you're done eating. Why don't we move you over to the couch to...digest? It seems you've had enough wine for now, right?" (Mizuki)
[Nina, you're making a scene. Remember, I'm playing as your servant right now, and your behavior is already confusing Alyse. You need to sober up, please!] (Mizuki)
Hopefully, on the couch she can sleep off her drunken stupor while I address any problems she's caused. Unfortunately, Nina doesn't seem pleased with my suggestion. Her eyes narrow at me dangerously.
"What!? No wayyy, Mizuk'eyyy! I still have another bottle!" (Nina)
I scream internally. She's really going to be difficult about this, huh? What the hell am I supposed to do with her? She's clearly ignoring my pleas. I could try being a lot more forceful with her, but she's my partner. I'd rather not take that approach, especially when she's drunk. Between our connection and that weird dragon ability of hers, I also can't lie my way into her compliance.
I glance at her wine glass, which is basically empty, and then the wine bottles. The first two are completely drained, and the third has yet to be opened. I wonder…can I specifically alchemize the alcohol in the remaining wine bottle into water without anyone noticing?
If I do that, it won't matter much if Nina drinks it, so long as I give her time to sober up. It also shouldn't affect the taste enough for someone as intoxicated as her to notice. Regardless, it's the only way I can think of to handle this subtly. I smile up at Nina affectionately and slowly reach for the wine glass in her hand.
"Very well, my Lady, as you command. Allow me to take your glass and refill it for you, then. Why don't you go have a seat on the couch? I'm sure that would be a much more comfortable place to enjoy your drink, right?" (Mizuki)
Nina looks surprised, then glares at me suspiciously. After a moment, however, she seems satisfied that I'm not lying. She smiles widely and gives me an approving nod, then she sticks her wine glass out towards me. I grab it from her, and she pats my cheek with her hand.
"Fufufu…yes, I like this idea! Mmm…bring me my wine, Mizuki!" (Nina)
Nina starts clumsily getting up from the table, preparing to make her way to the couch. Alto looks at me with pleading eyes, then speaks up nervously.
"Uhm…M-Mizuki, do you really think…" (Alto)
She trails off, unsure of herself, but still stares at me questioningly.
[Relax, Alto. I have no intention of letting her drunken stupor worsen. There's a very specific molecule in wine, called ethanol, that's responsible for making people drunk. I'm just going to covertly get rid of it in the wine bottle with my magic, then she can drink the wine all she wants without further issue. Please make sure she gets to one of those couches without incident while I focus on the spell.] (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes widen in shock initially, but she soon looks relieved. She gives a subtle nod, then moves to help support Nina. I'm glad we're on the same page.
I quickly walk over and grab the wine bottle, then will my magic to envelop all the liquid inside. I focus on the alchemy spell for water, but this time I also picture only the chemical structure for ethanol when I imagine the starting material being pulled in. I will only the ethanol molecules to be scrapped for subatomic particles.
After a brief delay, I feel the familiar sensation of my magic being expended. Eventually, the feeling subsides…I guess it's run its course. I pop the cork from the bottle, and gently fill Nina's wine glass. I've never tried to isolate a specific alchemy starting material from a mixture before, so I should test if it worked.
I glance to make sure Alyse isn't watching, then take a quick sip of the wine. As the liquid washes down my throat, I wait for that familiar afterburn of an alcoholic drink, but it never comes. I guess the spell was successful enough.
I make my way over to Nina with a smile. She's laid across one of the couches with her feet on one arm and her head on the other, still conscious. I hand her the wine glass and set the bottle on a small table nearby.
"Here you are, my Lady. Please enjoy!" (Mizuki)
Nina takes the wine glass from me with a dopey grin and immediately takes a sip. I tense up as she does, and I see Alto watching her intently from beside the couch as well. After a moment, Nina swallows the wine and lays her head back on the couch without a visible reaction. I breathe a sigh of relief. I guess she didn't notice.
I walk over to the opposing couch and take a seat, and Alto comes to sit next to me. To my surprise, her eyes are alight with excitement, and she whispers to me in a forceful tone.
"Mizuki…that is incredible, I didn't know you could do that!? You have to tell me all about that spell and this 'ethanol' you mentioned when we're alone again!" (Alto)
I suppress the urge to chuckle, and just nod back at Alto with a small smile. The response seems to satisfy her for now, and she shifts her gaze back to the nearby wine bottle. From the way she's staring at it, you'd think she genuinely believes that she's going to divine the secrets of the spell.
I look around for Alyse, preparing to smooth things over with her, and I see her still sitting at the dining table with an expression that's intense but thoughtful. I walk over and sit down next to her once again, making sure to turn my chair out so I can keep an eye on Nina.
As I do, she watches me carefully, but her expression remains neutral. After a few seconds of silence, it becomes clear that she's waiting for me to say something. I can only assume that she's puzzled by Nina's outburst.
I smile at Alyse apologetically, then lower my voice so that Nina won't overhear me.
"I'm quite sorry for that display, Alyse. It's rather unfortunate that Dola jumped straight to bringing three bottles of wine…I wasn't expecting that. As you can tell, my Lady is just as susceptible to the effects of alcohol as everyone else. I hope her behavior didn't bother you too much?" (Mizuki)
Alyse's eyes scan my face for a few seconds.
"Don't worry about it. I've been subjected to worse breaches of decorum in meetings. I have to say, though, this was easily the funniest. What about you? I don't know many men who'd be this composed after such…attention…from a woman like your Lady. Especially at your age." (Alyse)
Her tone and words give the impression that she's teasing me, and she's wearing a light smirk, but her eyes look suspicious. Although, I can't really think of anything about what she just witnessed that would induce suspicion, so I must be reading too much into her expression. I don't know her that well after all.
I maintain my light smile and shrug at Alyse.
"I was quite surprised, of course, but it's my job to remain composed when my Lady…isn't. Ehem…in any case, what were we discussing before the interruption? I believe we have more time to talk. My Lady will need to…err, recover…before we continue our tour of Wellick" (Mizuki)
Alyse nods thoughtfully without tearing her gaze from me.
"Sure. We were discussing how you thought Alto could best me in a sparring match, and it was my turn to ask a question." (Alyse)
Ah, that's right. I'm not sure about whether it was truly her turn for a question, but I don't mind if that's untrue. I just want her talking about anything other than what she just witnessed.
"Of course, that rings a bell. Do you have a question in mind?" (Mizuki)
"Hmm…I do, in fact. Speaking of Alto's combat prowess, I've heard that you can't use magic. Is that true?" (Alyse)
I sigh internally…this again? I haven't decided if I want my magic abilities to be general knowledge yet, so I shouldn't tell her the truth. Keeping my face neutral, I pull out my guild card and hand it to Alyse.
"As you can see from my adventurer's guild card there, an official magic assessment concluded as much. That said, I don't consider myself helpless." (Mizuki)
Alyse listens to me as she scrutinizes the card quickly, then returns it. She nods briefly, and her face isn't particularly expressive. Still, I think I detect a hint of confusion or skepticism in her expression.
"Hmm…yes, it seems so. Although, I would've taken your word for it. Showing an official test result seems like a strange first response, no?" (Alyse)
Well, she's not wrong. I just didn't want to outright lie in case I tell her the truth later. I can't exactly say that, though.
"I suppose so. You're far from the first elf to ask me that question, however, and my response is always met with skepticism. Apparently, your people find it hard to believe that a magic-less human would be of any use to an Elder Dragon." (Mizuki)
Alyse purses her lips for a moment before nodding agreeably.
"I can see that being the case. To be fair, I agree with them, but I don't think it's any stranger than most other things I've observed of your Lady's party. That said, I do find one thing strange. Like most nobles, I know about these guilds, since they could be implicated in a human country's invasion of our kingdom. So, I'm aware of the significance of you being S-rank. I don't know the exact qualifications, but magic or not, you'd have to be quite dangerous, right?" (Alyse)
Hmm…Darak said the same thing. It seemed like I was able to convince him that there was nothing amiss, though, so this should be fine.
"I don't know if it's appropriate to call me 'dangerous', but as I said, I'm not helpless. Still, most of the requirements for advancement can be met in a group, so I don't have to be as strong as you may think. I have very capable members in my adventuring party." (Mizuki)
Alyse leans back in her chair and folds her hands on top of her head, then her eyes wander towards the ceiling. I've seen her do so numerous times already today, and I guess it means that she's thinking about something intently.