Chapter 44: The Party Begins
"I've decided to stay here with Roland!"
Eikou declared loudly.
The guys froze in shock upon hearing that.
"Eikou, calm down..."
Gawain spoke seriously,
"With Roland's level, I doubt he can handle any of the women here. Either way, his end is inevitable, at least we should preserve the core forces of our side!"
"I understand all of that..."
Eikou nodded in a low, steady voice.
But Roland was still struggling, even now refusing to give up.
Since that's the case, how could Eikou just stand by, watching him fall and retreat selfishly?
"A party that even we can barely survive — how could Roland possibly face it alone? I won't let him fight by himself. At the very least, let me cover for him a bit!"
Eikou glanced at Roland — who was now fully immersed in the atmosphere of the party — then turned toward Enma-tei's emergency exit.
He gritted his teeth and ultimately chose the first option.
Fine then, this time I'll risk it with him. If Roland truly manages to find a girlfriend at this party, then I'll gladly bet my life on it!
"Eikou, you truly are a gentleman with the spirit of a knight..."
The guys could only look at him with admiration.
"I see now."
Charlemagne nodded solemnly,
"Eikou, if even you refuse to back down, then as the leader of the Twelve Paladins, I have even less reason to retreat. I'm really not good at dealing with women, and I might make a total fool of myself, but——"
He raised his chopsticks high, as if brandishing a Holy Sword commanding all troops to charge.
"For the sake of my friends, even if I die, I'll have no regrets! Even if it's pathetic, I'll still look cool! Let me join the battle!"
So handsome, kyaa~!
"Tristan, Gawain, what about you two..."
Eikou was about to tell the two Round Table Knights to escape quickly, but they merely smiled and patted his shoulder.
"It's alright, Sir Eikou. We'll unconditionally support your decision. If you're going to help Roland, then we'll give it our all too."
Gawain winked at him.
Tristan, on the other hand, looked rather intrigued — after all, this party was full of married women.
"Haiz, you two..."
Eikou could only feel deeply moved to tears.
"Then, let's all stay and help Roland liven up the party atmosphere, and think of a way for this young knight to find himself a girlfriend!"
They all looked at each other with determined eyes, sharing the same new goal.
This is the unbreakable bond that ties us together!
The very next moment, the boys immediately sprang into action.
Some changed seats, others started conversations, pretending to casually and naturally chat with the female teachers attending the party to create a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
Roland also noticed this sudden change among the boys and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
His brothers had sacrificed too much for him!
In that case, when everyone was giving their all for him, he too had to try harder.
"Eikou..."
Roland softly called out to Eikou,
"This is my first time attending a party like this. I really don't know what to say to the girls. What kind of topic should I start with?"
"That's simple, you can start by asking what the other person likes."
Eikou thought for a moment, then continued:
"But there's a small trick — you should combine your question with your own strengths, that way it'll be easier to find common ground between the two of you. For example, 'Do you like playing games?' or 'Do you enjoy skiing or fishing?', and then observe her reaction."
"I see."
Roland pondered for a moment, then resolutely turned his gaze toward principal Da Vinci.
"This beautiful and lovely lady,"
"Ara~, you still haven't given up on me?" Da Vinci maintained her polite smile. "What is it you want to say?"
Combine interests and personal strengths to ask questions, to find common ground, right...?
Roland looked at her seriously and said: "Do you... like running naked in the streets?"
"Pff—hahaha!"
Da Vinci couldn't hold it in and spat out her drink laughing.
"Roland, you bastard, what the hell are you doing?!" Eikou grabbed him by the collar and shouted, "We're trying to help you liven up the atmosphere, and you go and ruin everything?!"
What the hell kind of 'strength' was that supposed to be, huh? That just proves you're a damn nudist pervert!
"I was only following what you said, and besides, she laughed really happily," Roland said innocently.
"Happy your ass, she's laughing at you! You've just socially died, and you're still okay with that, my dude?!"
Eikou let out a long, deep sigh.
He truly didn't know what to do with him anymore.
Suddenly, a die fell onto the table.
[Your teammate just performed a Luck check.]
[Result: great failure!]
"Whoosh——"
At that moment, a sharp red spear suddenly shot forward.
The tip of the crimson spear brushed past Roland's face, stabbing straight into the wall behind him.
"..."
The air instantly froze in an awkward, deathly silence.
Although principal Da Vinci merely laughed it off, a strict and principled teacher like Scathach couldn't pretend she hadn't heard it.
"Student Roland from the France class, what did you just ask? Are you mocking your teacher?"
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly, that mature and beautiful face now carrying a terrifyingly cold expression.
"!"
A chill ran down Eikou's spine.
It's over — with just one sentence, Roland had provoked the most dangerous person in this entire party! What kind of minefield had he just stepped on?!
Before this, Scathach had barely spoken throughout the party. She had never approved of such frivolous activities between teachers and students, but to avoid ruining the mood, she had been holding back her naturally combative and bloodthirsty nature.
And then Roland — that guy — just had to go and jump right into her forbidden zone. It was bad enough that he flirted with the principal, but to ask such an indecent question in front of everyone…
A student who brought such shame must be properly disciplined!
"It's not good, Scathach-sensei is angry!"
The boys looked at each other, exchanging panicked glances.
If Scathach flipped the table right now and activated "Sparta-sensei mode," this party would be completely doomed.
Or rather — the atmosphere had already frozen to absolute zero!
"What do we do, what do we do..."
A cold bead of sweat rolled down Eikou's forehead.
"Could it be that I'll fail here…? The party has only just begun..."
Roland hadn't shown any signs of success yet, are we really going to end it like this?
At that moment, a sudden thought flashed through Eikou's mind.
If someone could just divert Scathach's attention, this party could still be saved!
On one condition — someone had to be brave enough to sacrifice himself, to risk his life and challenge Scathach-sensei head-on.
"Ah..."
Eikou gritted his teeth and slowly reached for the chopsticks before him.
That moment felt endless to him. Countless memories flashed through his mind, as morality and friendship waged a fierce battle within his heart.
But in the end, Eikou made up his mind.
Alright then — for the last time, let me sacrifice myself for my friends! Let me be the one who bears "All the Evils of the World" — Angra Mainyu!
He raised his chopsticks and pointed them straight at Scathach!