'Heck yeah!'
Pretending to be drunk turned out to be the perfect way to act in a way without arousing suspicion.
I allowed myself to seem vulnerable, causing the Beastfolk females to swarm me in their numbers.
Fortunately, this action didn't attract any blame to me. Maria and Freya directed their anger toward Gerard's daughters, causing me to enjoy myself as much as I required.
'Hehehe... hehehe...' I gleefully smiled, enjoying the smoldering affection of the exotic women I was surrounded with.
It was shameful behavior, but my hormones had reached a precipice thanks to the Nirvana Wine.
'Just for a while longer...' I tolerated its effects.
"Sorry, I'm late!" A sharp cry echoed throughout the room, causing everyone to look in the direction of the entrance.
"Uh?"
The voice belonged to a kid with blue hair, eyes, and faded blue feet.
His familiar tone and outlook caused me to recognize the boy at first glance.
'He's the one I met at the pool!'
"Asa, what took you so long? Don't you know it's rude to keep the guests waiting?" Gerard went to speak to his tardy son.
I pretended to ignore the conversation in my drunken state, but my focus was on the interaction between father and son.
"Is it rude, though? You never mentioned that before..." The child called Asa spoke in a disconcerting tone.
"Haa... this kid." The exasperated Beast King murmured.
"What took you so long, though?" A blue-haired girl asked her son.
She was most likely his sister, considering he shared a lot of features with the lady.
'Where's the mother, though?' Gerard had several wives, and they were all with us in the massive room.
However, I never spotted any Merfolk among the bunch.
It made me consider if the young-looking girl was actually his mother, but she was too young.
'Then... is his mother dead?' That was the only explanation.
"It took me some time to prepare. A-and, I guess I was feeling a little uncomfortable. I'm fine now, though." He replied quickly, trying his hardest to put up a bold front.
Regardless... I could read him like a book.
'Looks like it's already starting.'
***********************
Asa joined the dinner, which had already become a party at this point.
Gerard's wives sang native songs with their melodic voices, and the children began dancing.
The daughters especially flocked around me while the men showed more moves as they followed the rhythm with their bodies.
It was like a festival, but smaller.
I noticed a few of the Beastfolk males approach Maria and Freya, only for them to be blatantly rejected.
'Pfft...' I suppressed a laugh, happy they got turned down for some reason.
But, the funniest sight was spotting Gerard trying to hit on Serah with all he had. I didn't know which was more hilarious; the fact that she was already into someone else, or that this was the worst time for him to make his move.
Serah simply ignored him and began downing booze in silence.
Once in a while, I would notice the girls glancing in my direction, but I pretended to be lost at the center of the Beastfolk cuties that swerved their bodies so seductively at me.
"Hehehehe..."
I was not a womanizer. This was simply the effect of the Wine I ingested.
Definitely!
And so, even as the night proceeded to be very wonderful—at least for the majority of those present—I made sure to keep my eyes on a particular individual.
'Asa isn't dancing any longer. His face is twitching. His body is slightly throbbing. He's holding it in quite well. But... sooner or later...'
Just like clockwork, the festive atmosphere was interrupted by a sharp cry.
"ARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
It was bloodcurdling, and the intensity instantly shook everyone present.
Our attention sharply moved in the direction of the agonizing boy who was writhing in pain and screaming. His Body twisted and turned on the ground as he cried.
'Mana Overload at such a young age. It's both impressive and disastrous...'
The girls who all flocked at me immediately ran toward their sibling. Their worried expressions—especially the blue-haired one—showed how much they loved and pitied the poor kid.
Serah glanced at me, but I ignored her.
'She wants me to cure him. But, not yet...'
"Jared Leonard! Please... my son! Please cure him as well." Gerard cried bitterly, looking at me for salvation.
'I expected this outcome.'
Ever since my encounter with the kid at the pool, it was very obvious that he didn't have much longer to live.
His delay in arriving at the party alerted me of a mild episode that must have occurred to him before he made an appearance.
'Asa, this kid's absorption rate is too fast.'
His body was also not too built to handle the intensity of Mana Overload. That meant even more pain and a shorter lifespan.
If left unchecked, he would probably die within five years.
'Tragic...' I looked in the direction of Gerard.
Many eyes were on me at this point, and most people would have compromised as a result of the pressure.
But, I was different!
"Did the child not deliver my message to you?" I asked with a cold gaze.
I understood the pain of a father, but I wasn't an idiot either.
'He wants to garner my pity or curry my favor, so I can spare his family...'
Apparently, the Beast King wasn't as stupid as I picked him out to be.
"B-but, he is only a child!" Gerard returned my question with words.
For a moment, there was silence pervading the room—well, except for the obvious cries of the agonizing boy.
That wasn't silence, after all.
Many would consider me the villain. A child was screaming in horrifying agony, yet I was doing nothing about it despite having the means.
Even the expressions of Freya and Maria had morphed from mere surprise to slight fear and rejection.
'If this stops them from having feelings for me, then that's even better.'
My focus was on Gerard and the statement he had just made. There was only one response suitable for such an assertion.
"And?"
