WKOC Extra 3

This whole incident started with yet another argument between Selina and Cooper.

After Selina stepped down from her position as Knight Commander, she passed on the greatsword Breaking Dawn to her apprentice and hadn’t found a suitable weapon since. So, she simply switched to becoming a berserker.

Ever since then, perhaps because they were both berserkers, Selina and Cooper (the “old” one and the “young” one) never seemed to get along. They’d find any opportunity to provoke each other. Though Selina could easily overpower Cooper, he had a few tricks up his sleeve to turn the tables on her, and their relationship steadily worsened as their sparring continued. Alvin initially tried to mediate the conflict between his mentor and disciple, but he soon gave up.

Their rivalry extended not only to combat but also to drinking contests.

One day, Selina dragged over twenty barrels of strong liquor and made a bet with Cooper: whoever could finish ten barrels first could make the other do something embarrassing. Alvin was dragged along to serve as the referee.

Alvin glanced at the overly confident Selina and hesitated, “Maybe you should reconsider…”

Selina waved it off enthusiastically. “No need, I’ve already got the perfect punishment for him! Though it’s hard to top your whole ‘sleeping with a bear’ story after you got drunk…”

Alvin: “…”

Selina completely missed her disciple’s well-meaning advice and turned to Cooper, challenging him with a smirk, “This is the strongest liquor in all of Kaelya! Kid, I’ll settle the score with you today!”

Cooper let out a loud, intentional snort.

Unwilling to referee this mess but worried about what chaos might ensue if he didn’t, Alvin asked helplessly, “Let’s settle this first—what exactly is your bet?”

Selina stomped her foot on top of one of the barrels, grinning mischievously, “If he loses, he has to streak around Kaelya ten times!”

Alvin’s head shot up, “Wh—Absolutely not!”

Selina waved dismissively, “Fine, we’ll add that he can’t get caught by anyone.”

Alvin: “That’s not the problem!!!”

Cooper bared his sharp tiger-like teeth in a wicked grin, “Fine, and if you lose, you’ll have to hang Yuria’s underwear on the tallest holy pillar in the square and tell everyone you did it.”

Alvin was shocked, “Cooper, where did you learn this?! And what does this have to do with Lord Yuria?!”

Selina agreed to the challenge without hesitation.

“Stop right there!” Alvin slammed the table, standing up, “Do you two remember who you are?!”

And thus, the three generations of holy knights fell into a brawl.

Fifteen minutes later, two bruised and battered berserkers were forced to change the terms of their bet.

“If you lose, you’ll run around Kaelya ten times, shouting, ‘I can’t drink more than Lady Selina!’”

“And if you lose, you’ll carve into the holy pillar a thousand times, ‘Selina can’t outdrink Cooper!’”

Alvin was despairing, “…Can’t you come up with a bet that won’t damage the reputation of the Holy Knights?”

At that moment, Luke, who was practicing walking in his human form with Hillel’s help, happened to overhear their thoughts as he passed by the courtyard.

Curious, the God of Light asked, “Can I join the contest?” He then earnestly explained, “Yuria said interacting more with people would help me get used to this human body.”

Alvin swiftly refused, “No, Lord Yuria wasn’t referring to this type of interaction. Please, just—”

“Of course, you can!” Selina eagerly cut in, beaming as she turned to Hillel, “Little Hillel, want to join too?”

“The Lord’s vessel is underage, and according to the rules, he cannot drink alcohol.” Hillel shook his head.

Alvin let out a sigh of relief, “Exactly, so—”

“So, I’ll be the lookout.” Hillel said.

Alvin: ???

The knight commander stared, shocked, at the pope openly leading a rule-breaking operation. He looked over at Selina and Cooper, who were already agreeing on new contest rules, and tried to resist, “You can’t—”

“He’s going to tattle, grab him!” Selina shouted, leaping forward to lock Alvin in a headlock with her iron grip. Cooper quickly followed up, grabbing Alvin’s legs. Together, the two berserkers dragged him into the courtyard while Hillel raised his staff, casting rings of light to thoroughly bind the poor knight from head to toe.

Alvin: ??????

Selina, satisfied with the tightly bound disciple, turned back to Luke excitedly, “Lord, how’s your alcohol tolerance?”

“I’ve never had alcohol before.” Luke replied honestly.

“Well then, let’s start with one barrel!” Selina decided, and ordered, “Alvin, count us down.”

Resigned to his fate, the knight commander counted, “Countdown—three, two, one—”

Selina and Cooper swiftly knocked the plugs off the barrels, guzzling the strong liquor in large gulps. Luke, on the other hand, was a bit slow. By the time they’d both downed half their barrels, he was still struggling to pull out the plug. Once he managed it, he mimicked their actions, lifting the barrel to his lips—only to spill it all over his face with a splash.

Luke blinked in confusion.

Selina couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing and immediately choked, coughing violently.

Taking advantage of the moment, Cooper finished the last few sips and wiped his mouth, declaring, “I win!”

“Doesn’t count! cough cough cough…” Selina protested, her gaze slightly unfocused but still shouting, “Do-over!”

“Tch!” Cooper rolled his eyes, brimming with disdain.

Meanwhile, Luke was still awkwardly struggling with his uncoordinated limbs, managing to spill more liquor on his face. His cowlick stood up in nervous tension, wobbling slightly as he failed to drink a single drop, drenching himself thoroughly instead. When he shook the empty barrel with a dazed expression, his cowlick drooped down in dejection. “Can’t drink it…”

Alvin glanced at the now-bickering Selina and Cooper, then over at Hillel, who was trying and failing to stifle his laughter while pretending to keep watch. He sighed, feeling utterly drained. “Please, no—”

“But I want to drink.” Luke hugged the barrel, staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

Alvin: “…”

He sighed again, breaking free of the glowing restraints with a few sharp movements. After drying Luke’s face, he used fire magic to evaporate the liquor from his clothes. Finally, he opened another barrel, carefully guiding it toward Luke’s mouth, warning, “This is really strong, please drink slowly.”

Luke nodded, stretching his neck towards the barrel.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from the entrance, “What are you all doing?!”

Alvin jolted and turned around, spotting an enraged middle-aged man barreling toward them, gripping his staff in one hand while hiking up his white robes with the other. His face was a picture of fury.

Hillel, who had been laughing too hard to remember his lookout duties, instinctively ducked behind Alvin.

Selina nearly jumped out of her skin, swiftly darting behind her disciple.

Cooper was faster—he’d already tossed his barrel and hidden.

In the blink of an eye, Alvin, who had been standing furthest inside, was left alone to face the full brunt of the old pope’s wrath.

And he was even holding a barrel, looking like he was trying to force-feed Luke alcohol.

Alvin: “…”

He froze as Yuria stormed up to him, jabbing a finger right at his nose, “Alvin! What are you doing to the Lord’s vessel?!”

“I… um…” The knight commander dropped his head in guilt, “S-sorry…”

“He was giving me alcohol.” Luke answered.

“The Lord is underage!” Yuria roared, furious, “Tell me, what’s the 214th Holy Knight Commandment?!”

“Do not damage books.” Alvin instinctively replied.

Yuria: “…”

Yuria: “Ahem, well… what about the 215th?”

“Do not disrespect the wise.”

“…”

Yuria slammed his staff down in frustration, “Which rule says not to let minors drink alcohol?”

“The 197th Commandment: Do not encourage underage drinking.”

“… And do you understand your mistake?!”

“I’m terribly sorry.” Alvin knelt on one knee, humbly admitting his fault.

Yuria snorted, then glared at the others now exposed because of Alvin’s kneeling, “What about you all?!”

“He’s the one who started it! He’s the mastermind!” Selina immediately pointed at Alvin.

Alvin: “…?”

“Of course, I’m also at fault. I regret not stopping him.” Selina added with a remorseful face, kneeling beside Alvin, “I’m sorry I couldn’t control my disciple.”

Alvin: “…???”

Cooper quickly bowed his head, dramatically slamming his knees into the ground with a realistic sob, “I’m sorry, Lord Yuria, I should’ve stopped my… my mentor.”

Alvin: “…?????”

“Is that true?” Yuria demanded.

Hillel bit his lip, speaking softly, “It wasn’t Alvin. Master, please punish me. It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t you defend him!” Yuria raged, his staff landing on Alvin’s shoulder with a resounding thwack. “Not only did you break the rules, but you’re trying to avoid punishment?! Double the penalty!”

Alvin: “…”

The poor knight commander, his face full of confusion, replied weakly, “… Yes.”

Selina: “Pfft.”

Yuria: “Selina! You’re getting double the punishment too!”

Selina: “…!”

Finally, Luke found a moment to speak, “Alvin didn’t encourage me to drink; I wanted to.”

Yuria’s expression instantly softened. He bent down, gazing at Luke with affection, “Lord, thank you for your forgiveness. We will forever remember your mercy.”

Luke tilted his head in confusion, his cowlick bobbing along.

“Well then, Alvin!” Yuria stood up straight, secretly trying to press down on his staff to make Alvin’s shoulder dip, but it didn’t budge. He sternly declared, “To help you remember the Lord’s grace, your punishment will be tripled!”

Alvin: “……………”

…

So, in the end, here’s what happened:

Hillel was punished with writing out the scriptures once.

Cooper had to do a handstand for a day.

Selina had to do a handstand for two days.

And the most innocent of them all, Alvin, had to do a handstand for four days.

THE END