image [https://i.imgur.com/9s19VLK.png]

Taiyo nervously glanced at Victor. The heat from the magic sun above bore down on them. From this distance, the sheer size of the magic spell was obvious to her. It dwarfed each of them in comparison, its sheer radius being half the size of the entire stage. She typically enjoyed the warmth of sun energy, but as tendrils of fire rippled and moved on its surface, a sense of danger made her hairs stand on end.

If this entire sun exploded, she thought. How much destruction would occur?

Victor, the whole time, looked nonchalant as he stood in front of the sun.

“Sir Victor,” she said. “This is getting dangerous. Maybe we should call it here?”

“I’m not afraid of danger.” Victor smiled at her. She could see his face closer now, and his greyish blue eyes remained fixed on the sun above them.

Should she lure all the flares towards her? No, he thought. They would all strike her at once, making it impossible to dodge. Even she would struggle in the face of such tremendous sun energy. The only way was to let the flares take their course. Hopefully, if they attacked her first, then she could demonstrate the technique for dodging–

The Surface of the magical sun undulated. Even without closing her eyes, Taiyo knew it was going to attack. She concentrated, trying to follow the specs of light. The ball of sun energy felt immense at this distance.

Great Yiho, she thought. Bring them towards me.

The specs of sun energy coalesced around the surface of the sun. They fluttered around the surface, giving no clear indication of where they were going to land.

There’s too much energy at this distance, she thought. I can’t predict where–

The specs coalesced on Victor’s side of the sun.

Not good. She opened her eyes and looked at Victor.

“Sir Victor!” she shouted. “Watch out!”

A tongue of flame lashed directly towards his chest. Victor bent his body backwards, and it missed him entirely.

The watching villagers let out oohs and ahs.

Was he… copying her movements?

“That’s it!” Bronx shouted. “Get em!”

Victor smiled smugly at her. Taiyo's beating heart slowed slightly. Maybe he’d actually dodge the attacks?

The magic sun bubbled again, and a whip-like tongue of flame came sweeping towards Victor’s feet. He somersaulted into the air, exactly like she did earlier.

Taiyo’s eyes widened in fear.

“No!” she shouted. “The next attack–”

A tongue of flame coalesced while Victor was still in the air. It came slamming down on his back, smashing him straight into the stage. Taiyo felt the vibrations travel through the ground. Shards of dust and smoke filled the surroundings, making it impossible for her to see what happened.

“Sir Victor!” she shouted, the sweat from her nervousness vaporized instantly from the surrounding heat.

The dust cleared, and Victor was there, kneeling on one knee. His clothes were slightly burnt, but his body was mostly unharmed.

But Taiyo’s anxiety only peaked.

“Victor! Move out of the way!”

Victor’s eyes widened, and he tried to roll to the side.

It was too late.

Two horizontal whips of magical energy came sweeping towards him from the left and right. They both slingshot towards him. He tried to jump, but they curved mid air, each striking him simultaneously.

A miniature explosion appeared where he stood.

Yuuki and Bronx dashed onto the stage, Bronx dashed to where Victor fell.

“Sis, get moving!” Yuuki said, pulling her by the arm.

Bronx jumped out of the cloud of smoke, heaving Victor’s body out of the explosion.

With guilt consuming her heart, Taiyo let Yuuki pull her off the stage. They ran straight to where Bronx was putting Victor on the floor.

Thank Yiho, she thought. He’s okay!

“Let go of me!” Victor smacked Bronx’s hand away. He gritted his teeth, slamming his fist onto the back of the stage behind him.

“Damn it!” Victors said.

“Sir Victor…” Taiyo said.

“I couldn’t even do that much?” an anguished expression covered his face, and Taiyo could feel something welling up in her chest as she watched him.

“Hey man, at least you’re alright.” Yuuki said.

Victor looked downwards, saying nothing.

“Sis, get the guy a drink,” Yuuki said. “It’s over now. No need to worry.”

Why am I the one getting him a drink? Taiyo thought. But seeing Victor’s face, she wanted to make him feel even a bit better.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

This happened because she miscalculated after all.

Taiyo went over to the store and picked out a few nice bottles of sun whiskey to bring over.

Hopefully, I can cheer him up a bit. She brought them back to Victor. Yuuki and Bronx walked away, giving them some space.

“Sir Victor,” she said. “I’m sorry, the game was unfair and in my favour. I hope you will appreciate these bottles to make amends?”

Taiyo looked at Victor. This whole time, his expression remained unchanged.

“Victor, do you know the ingredients of Sun Whiskey?” she said, trying to fill the silence.

Victor eyed the bottles, and after a long pause, he answered.

“No,” he said. “It’s good stuff, though.”

Taiyo felt some relief. He was talking to her. She poured each of them a cup, and he downed his in one go.

Taiyo drank hers to match.

“It’s made of Sun Grain,” she said. The rice grows here, absorbing sunlight throughout the day.

“Oh, really?” he said, pouring himself another cup and downing it.

“I’ve never seen a foreigner drink so much before,” she said.

“I’ll take it as a compliment,” he drank another one.

She followed suit, and the warm spicy taste filled her body as it absorbed the Sun Whiskey. Taiyo could feel her own face getting hot. Once her body absorbed the Sun Whiskey, trace amounts of alcohol remained and entered the bloodstream. Though this would be negligible, after a lot of drinking, she’d still get tipsy.

How was Victor stomaching this much?

She turned behind her and retrieved a new bottle of sun whisky. The crystalline maroon glass shimmered in the light, and as she touched it, a comforting warmth spread through her fingertips.

Victor’s greyish blue eyes locked onto the bottle.

“Is that the same stuff we used in the game?” he asked.

“The Finest, and strongest whisky we make.” She nodded.

“Are we going to drink it?” he asked.

Taiyo nodded, pouring both of them a cup.

“Let me show you something cool,” she said. Taiyo took his cup in her hands. “Great Yiho,” she said. “fill this with your power.”

Golden energy entered the cup, and it shone in a gold and red light.

“You can enchant this whiskey with magic?” Victor’s deep blue eyes reflected the golden light.

“Yes,” she said. “Don’t drink it though, a foreigner won’t be able to–Hey!”

“Cheers!” Victor took the whole cup and downed it. Taiyo wanted to reach out her hand and stop him. Taiyo looked at him, her mouth ajar. What kind of moron just knowingly drinks random magical alcohol?!

Victor began coughing and slapped his chest.

“Are you… okay?” Taiyo asked.

“This is–Ack. This is nothing!” he said. “Give me another one now!”

The concentration of sun energy in this whisky was far more potent after she had imbued it with her power. This was used to help mages break through bottlenecks. By imbuing powerful magic into the whisky, one could blast through obstacles.

It was also very dangerous.

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea…”

Taiyo opened her eyes to see Victor staring at her.

“Em, yes?” she asked.

“Your eyes are glowing,” he said.

Taiyo could feel her face turning red.

Taiyo downed a cup to hide her embarrassment.

“I want another enchanted cup,” he said. “I can handle it.”

“This could kill you, you know.”

“Relax,” he said. “I could drink three times this before…”

“Before…?” Taiyo asked.

Victor stopped talking.

She felt the mood shift. His spirits turned to something darker, something depressing. He took his cup and downed it. Taiyo thought she could see a dark purple cloud hanging behind him. She blinked, and it was gone.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m… fine,” he said. And drank another cup.

How many cups had he drunk? She had lost count.

“I think you should slow down, Sir Victor.”

Victor clenched his fist around the cup, slight cracks appearing on its surface and leaking Sun Whiskey.

“Are you saying I’m too weak to even drink this alcohol?” he asked.

“Not at all,” she said. “But–”

“Fuck!” he said. She looked at him. His eyes were slightly glazed over.

“I was a Mythril adventurer!” he said. “Every fibre of my body could resist magic. Weak magical poisons like this were nothing to me!”

“You mean this sun whiskey is weak…?”

“Yes, it’s weak–” Victor downed another cup and coughed.

Taiyo felt her heart ache as he continuously drank more cups. She wanted to stop him, but ‌how could she?

This was her fault, after all.

“And now look at me,” he said. “Reduced to such a state by mere whisky.” *Hic* “I could have been stronger, had I never gone on that mission…”

Something about the way he sighed, the way he looked into his cup, his hollow eyes flickering as they replayed countless memories. It all twisted together like a knife in her gut.

“Is something bothering you?” she asked.

What had this man been through?

“Life has two outcomes,” he said.

“Hmm?” Taiyo leaned forwards to make out his voice.

“There are winners and losers,” he said. “Losers deserve nothing. You’re reduced to nothing more than a sack of flesh, useful for your organs, or the magic in your blood. The winner is the one who gets to take their share of that blood.”

Taiyo watched him.

“It doesn't matter who they are to you. People will do anything to be on top. If you have to be a stepping stone for them, they will walk on you to move forward.”

“For what goal?” Taiyo asked. “What would they achieve by walking over others?”

“Power,” Victor said. “Power gives you control. If I possessed more power, I would have never become a cripple. The ones I loved wouldn’t be…”

What would her father say at a time like this?

“Unless you are a God,” Taiyo said, imitating the way her father spoke. “You cannot be in control of fate, and there is only one God.”

“You mean your great Sun God?” Victor asked?

“Yes!” Taiyo replied. “Yiho is the one to decide the fate of others. Not us.”

Victor laughed, his drunk body swayed, but something about his eyes burned. With fear, or with hatred.

“You say that,” he said. “But isn’t it your own power that’s keeping you standing right now? If you didn’t have your sun magic, would you have won, or even survived that game? If someone is below your level, could they have kept up?”

“I…” Taiyo tried to respond, but she couldn’t find the words to refute him.

“If only you knew…” he said. “Things more terrifying than gods exist in this world. Unfathomable beings exist, capable of dismantling your church effortlessly.”

“Impossible!” Taiyo said. “Yiho would protect us!”

“You’re right,” Victor said. “He could try to…”

“What?”

Taiyo glanced at Victor, only to find his eyes shut and the sun whiskey cup slipping from his grasp. It fell to the ground, the amber liquid pouring onto the grass.

Bronx walked up to them, cleared away the cups and bottles. Taiyo tried to stand and swayed.

“You okay there, miss?” Bronx asked her.

“I’m… fine,” she said.

That was a lie.

Yiho could try to protect us? What did that mean? Taiyo took one last look at Victor.

I need to make it up to him tomorrow, she thought.