Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Zach sniffed his drink with a suspicious expression. It didn't smell bad, at least not compared to all the monster guts and potion ingredients he had dealt with up close. But it didn't smell like something humans were supposed to consume, and certainly not as frequently as it was done.

Rienne saw Zach's face. She couldn't help but ask,

"Is this your first time drinking?" Zach had been all cocky asking if she could drink when he hadn't even done it before. She was amazed.

"..." Zach's silence was all the answer she needed.

"Just take a sip. The taste gets better the more you drink."

Since Rienne, Nora, Alzara, and Soara were all waiting for him to taste before they started drinking, Zach felt a little pressured. Naturally, he caved and took a mouthful.

He was right. It was poison.

It was far from the worst he had tasted since Alzara usually paid more attention to the effects than the taste of her potions. But her potions were all good for him except for the experiments he volunteered to test.

Still, the alcohol burned his mouth and throat and stung his nose as it made its way into his body. Zach shook his head to dispel that sensation, which earned him a chuckle from Rienne as she sipped on her own drink.

"You said it gets better the more I drink, right?" Zach asked.

Rienne smirked.

"Yeah." Her eyes widened in realization.

"Wai—" She was too slow. Zach downed the entire glass.

"Not bad," he said while wiping his lips, ignoring Rienne's stunned look. He winked at Nora, though, to assure her he was alright. He then gave Rienne's full glass a pointed look before raising an eyebrow and looking at her.

Rienne snorted and copied Zach, downing her glass.

However, as soon as she finished, she saw Zach pouring up another round for himself and her.

Nora, Alzara, and Soara took it a little slower. Since it was Nora's first time drinking, Alzar and Soara made sure she had a good time, teaching her how to appreciate the taste. Fortunately, she didn't need to be told that doing what Zach and Rienne were doing was suicidal.

After the third round, Zach slowed down a little. Rienne's cheeks and ears were already flushed. He figured he had already gotten his payback for that chuckle.

However, Rienne didn't want to admit defeat and kept challenging Zach while teasing him about his cowardice and lacking tolerance.

Zach was nothing if not humble. He could have let it go. But then Rienne decided to question how he was supposed to handle all of his familiars if he couldn't even handle his alcohol.

It didn't make sense. The two things were entirely separate matters and had nothing to do with one another. It was the reasoning of someone who had already had a bit too much to drink.

Still, a princess should be wiser than that, so Zach decided to teach her a lesson. He indulged Rienne in her obstinate drinking competition.

In the end, Zach ended up having to carry a barely conscious princess back to the Imperial Palace.

"Y-you know, Sssack…You wuld be more hendsume if you…" Rienne's voice trailed off after she hiccuped, but her hands didn't stop moving as she started playing with Zach's hair.

"Did your hair like dis!" She said, proudly patting Zach's chest after she finished messing up his orange hair, making it look like a wildfire.

Zach sighed. She was a princess, so he figured a princess carry was the right way to carry her, but maybe he should have had one of his familiars do it, even if neither they nor Rienne wanted it.

But it was his fault Rienne was so drunk. That meant it was his responsibility to get her home safely. He was almost a little surprised. He didn't think an imperial princess would have been allowed to roam outside this long without guards or supervision.

He couldn't help but worry. What if something had happened to her? What if he hadn't invited her with him? What if he had been a bastard with bad intentions?

He might need to have a conversation with someone in charge. Or the Empress Dowager.

As they got closer to the Imperial Palace, Zach frowned and looked at the princess sleeping like a baby in his arms. She had nestled into his chest and curled up, fully taking advantage of Zach's body heat to shield her from the cool night air.

How was he supposed to get her inside without trouble? If he just appeared at the gates with the princess like this, wouldn't he be detained and questioned like a criminal?

He considered sneaking in, but that probably wasn't a good idea. However…

Zach glanced at Mandra. If anyone could bypass the Imperial Palace's security, it would be her. It was unlikely she could evade the detection of someone like the Empress Dowager, but it would be fine if the Empress Dowager discovered them. Of course, the best would be if they could just deliver Rienne to her room without anyone knowing they had even been there.

So, instead of taking the front entrance, Zach and his group went to the side of the palace grounds. Zach glanced at Mandra, who, while she wanted to advise against this, still gave Zach and Rienne a cloaking spell.

"Maybe stop right there."

However, a voice from the side stopped Zach before he could jump over the walls.

He slowly turned his head to look at the child-sized owl.

"Ursula?" He asked, confused.

"So when I'm an owl, you have no trouble using my name?"

"I swear I said 'Your Majesty.' You must have misheard me." Explore more stories at empire

"...Whatever. Is that my granddaughter you're holding?" Ursula questioned, the dark grey owl with bottomless pits for eyes hopped forward to get a closer look. She didn't need to since she had followed them around all evening, but it was fun seeing the startled look on Zach's face more clearly.

"Nothing happened! We just drank a little." Zach would have raised his hands as he pleaded innocence if he hadn't been holding Rienne. Dropping her to the ground like he was a thief and she was stolen property probably wasn't the best course of action.

"That's a shame."

"What?"

"I said it smells like a bar floor. What do you mean little?"

"It might have been a little more than a little…" Zach avoided the owl's gaze out of guilt.

"Hmph. You're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell Rienne you said goodbye."

"Alright."

"Good luck, Zacharia."

The owl took to the sky with Rienne in its feet.

Zach looked at his hands. He hadn't even noticed when that happened.