I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods

“If you need anything, feel free to call for me anytime.”

The two maids who brought me here bowed their heads simultaneously before moving to the edge of the banquet hall and standing in an attention posture with their hands clasped in front of their lower abdomen.

Left alone, I looked around.

Against one wall, a five-member band played leisurely with uniquely shaped instruments. Though they were instruments I had never seen before, the sound was similar to a piano or violin.

‘That air conditioner is here too.’

It was noticeably cooler inside than outside, and I could see the air conditioner diligently doing its job above the chandelier. There were about five of them, likely due to the vastness of the space.

I didn’t mind the mere existence of such modern items. They definitely made me feel more comfortable. It was just that the disparity was so jarring that I still couldn’t adjust.

In the middle of the banquet hall stood a massive table lined up in three rows. It was comparable in length to the ridiculously long tables in the knight’s underground dining hall, if not slightly bigger.

The table was piled with food. There were dishes like a whole roasted turkey-looking thing, a cake stacked high almost to the height of a person, and an incredibly thick fish.

A staggering array of food that would typically come to mind at a banquet or party was abundantly laid out.

‘Just tasting a few bites of each variety would probably fill me up.’

It was better to have an abundance of food than to run out. However, the amount of food before me was so excessive that I doubted our small group of five could even eat a tenth of it.

From what I observed, the knight commanders, except for Lize, all had relatively small appetites, and even Lize wasn’t one to set out to eat a lot.

‘What’s that?’

In the center of the table, a fountain was gushing out clear liquid. Curious, I approached, only to have one maid promptly sidle up beside me.

“Would you like to taste it?”

“First, what kind of alcohol is this—”

“Please wait a moment.”

Taking it as an approval rather than a rejection, the maid quickly picked up a glass with her gloved hand and turned the faucet next to the fountain.

The clear liquid poured out copiously, and once the glass was half full, she turned off the faucet and presented it to me.

“Here you go.”

“…”

Caught off guard by the unexpected way of sampling, I accepted the glass with a blank expression. The maid bowed her head respectfully and slid back toward the wall to stand poised again.

Dully, I took a sip from the glass.

‘So it’s fruit wine.’

As soon as I took a sip, the aroma of alcohol mixed with fruit wafted strongly through my nose. I couldn’t tell what kind of fruit it was, but I could definitively tell that this liquid was fruit wine.

“Ta-da, Newbie! We’re here!”

Just as I was about to finish the glass, the banquet hall doors swung open, and Lize waltzed in. Her attire stole the gaze with its captivating charm and the enchanting allure of her chest.

Following her were the knight commanders in a line. First Erica, then Iris, and Claudia, with Aurora arriving last.

“What took you so long?”

“What do you think I was doing?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

I stared at Lize in disbelief as she answered my question with another question. She calmly ignored my gaze and approached the table to grab a snack.

Licking the crumbs off her fingers with an alluring flick of her tongue.

“You’ll find out later.”

“That just makes me more anxious. How will I know?”

“Come on! No need to think too hard; let’s just relax and enjoy!”

Claudia, who had appeared out of nowhere, slung an arm over my shoulder, the scent of wine wafting strongly from her.

“If I don’t have to think hard, it’s fine for you to tell me what you were doing outside, right?”

“Oh, Newbie. Some things lose their fun if you know them in advance.”

“No, seriously, what were you doing that the knight commanders are acting like this—”

“Just drink! You can think about it later!”

Claudia grabbed a wine bottle from the table and popped the cork with just her thumb. The sound of the cork releasing was delightfully crisp.

‘Popping the cork with her hand, huh.’

I subtly slipped away from Claudia, who had begun blowing into the bottle as if it were a trumpet. Next to me, Erica and Iris were watching with curious looks.

“You’re not going to tell me either?”

“Unfortunately, yes, Newbie.”

“Like Lize and Claudia said, you’ll find out later, so don’t worry. Just remember, there’s no need to rush.”

‘What kind of plot have they concocted?’

At this point, I was genuinely curious to know what sort of conversation had taken place.

But Erica and Iris, emphasizing their hips as they walked, left to join the other two, and only Aurora stood there with a triumphant smile, as if inviting me to ask if I wanted to.

Her expression clearly showed she had no intentions of revealing anything.

“Aren’t you going to ask me?”

How long had we exchanged glances? Aurora suddenly mumbled.

“You’re not telling me, anyway. No need to waste energy.”

“Still, there’s such thing as manners. I asked all the commanders, yet it’s not courteous to skip me, the lord of this place, right?”

“Sure it is.”

Aurora giggled behind her fan, covering her mouth with it as she approached me with delicate steps. Her black high heels clicked on the red carpeted floor.

“Well, that aside, what do you think?”

“Pardon?”

“This dress. I put quite some thought into picking it. There are a lot of men here who would go to great lengths just to get a taste. Naturally, you should say something about it after being presented so nicely, right?”

“Could you please choose your words more carefully?”

Aurora came close, playfully flicking the fan against my lips. A faint lip stain was left where our mouths had nearly touched.

It was the same color as her lips.

“I’m a person far from modesty. So, how about you just share your thoughts?”

“Uh, um. You look beautiful. It suits you very well. Is that enough?”

“Lacking enthusiasm, fail.”

Pow, this time the fan tapped my head.

“What happens if I fail?”

“You’ll be punished.”

Her golden eyelashes fluttered slightly, forming a lovely curve of a wink on her face.

“Enjoy yourself here, for that is your punishment. If you don’t have proper fun, we’ll really have a serious talk about it later.”

Finishing her words, Aurora smiled and walked away with a posture emphasizing her hips like the other knight commanders. As the main characters of the banquet gathered, the sound of the band grew livelier.

A maid in a remarkably rare outfit, completely covered and exposing nothing according to the local standards, approached with a silver tray holding a glass.

A liquid shimmering with lavender hues bubbled gently within. It looked like alcohol, yet its type remained a mystery.

Aurora picked up a glass and stepped onto a slightly elevated platform.

Iris, Lize, and Erica each grabbed one for themselves. Claudia, however, was too busy merrily blowing into the bottle, so she had no need for one. An empty glass bottle rolled around on the floor.

The maid approached me with the silver tray, presenting the last glass. As soon as I picked it up, Aurora raised her arm high.

“Okay, since you’re all busy enjoying yourselves, I won’t keep it long. We’ve gathered here to celebrate all the hardships endured under that jerk, and all the pain from listening to that jerk’s orders. We’ve all struggled to keep our purity while being under him.”

Pff, I choked on the unexpected words Aurora spat out. What the hell has this crazy woman been talking about since earlier?

The smirk on her face told me it was undoubtedly intentional. She wanted to see how I would react to her ridiculous comments. The other knight commanders shared a similar gaze; it couldn’t be denied.

“Today is to celebrate that. As much as you’ve suffered, or even more, you should enjoy yourself! So—”

Aurora downed her glass in one shot. Tossing the empty glass aside carelessly, she locked eyes with each of us while smiling broadly.

“—Have fun. That’s an order from your lord.”

The banquet lasted quite a while. At some point, the sound of the band faded away entirely. Dazed, I surveyed the area around me, and it had already emptied out.

In the meantime, we had consumed an unfathomable amount of alcohol. Surprisingly, Aurora was packing a hefty punch, and the knight commanders were no different.

Especially Claudia, who was acting like a completely different being. Eventually, she started to take swigs straight from a barrel filled with wine. A container that was already heavy at 50kg, and when filled with alcohol, would weigh nearly 300kg.

‘……Wow. I’m going to die, seriously.’

I too was feeling that way.

With the knight commanders and even Aurora laughing and chatting away, I was left trying to control my drinking, sipping lightly, while I couldn’t refuse the drink they insisted I have or the ones presented to me.

Even if I had tried to decline, there was no doubt that Claudia and Lize would have dragged me into drinking anyway. Those two wouldn’t stand by and let me take a step back.

Due to these circumstances, I had lost track of how many drinks I had downed.

‘At least I don’t feel like throwing up.’

Almost completely intoxicated, I sat slumped in a chair at one side of the banquet hall.

The world swirled around me. Seated still, I could feel the distinct aroma of fruit wine continuously rushing through my nose and mouth, making it hard to control my limbs. My only goal was to stay in my chair.

My senses were increasingly hypersensitive. Even the slightest physical contact, which I would usually brush off, made me react continuously.

That’s also why I crammed myself into the corner. It was truly all that remained of my tenuous sanity. If Lize were to tempt me right now, I felt like I would immediately pounce on her.

“Newbie, what are you doing?”

‘Is this even possible?’

I heard a familiar voice. It was Lize. Why was she showing up just when I thought about how I might not be able to resist if she tempted me?

“……Just taking a little break. I drank too much.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

She plopped down on a nearby chair right next to me. The sweet aroma of fruit wine wafted, blending with her own scent.

Whether it was the alcohol or not, every single sensation in my body felt heightened.

“How drunk are you?”

“……A little, a lot?”

“Hmmmm, I see….”

Lize’s voice trailed off, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.

“Newbie.”

“……What?”

“Do you remember wondering why we were late coming in?”

“……Yeah. So?”

“I said you’d find out later, remember that too?”

Nodding, I affirmed with my head. Just then, a shadow passed over me. I raised my head, wondering what it was. The knight commanders and Aurora were surrounding me.

They exhibited not a hint of drunkenness. They smelled of alcohol just like I did, yet they appeared unchanged from when the banquet started.

With a sly grin, Lize said,

“Now is that ‘later’.”

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