Sighing deeply, Subaru accepted a glass from Al and after another look at Emilia, hesitantly took a shot.

"Argh, that's strong, what did you give me, Al?"

Subaru's first shot hit him like a speeding truck.

"Whiskey. Highest grade wheat whiskey."

Al "unintentionally" got him the strongest drink that he could find in here. He never really liked the stuff, but he thought that bro needs something stronger than the posh wine they were serving in here. So he arranged with one of the servants for something that can floor a giant. Fortunately, one of the dead members of Council of Ten had a rather large alcohol stash.

Subaru remembered that he took a shot of whiskey before – during his second loop in Lugunica Rom gave him a glass to calm his nerves. Compared to the watered down shot from the slum dweller, what he was given here was a lot stronger. It had rather nice aftertaste though.

"Ah, shit, I gonna have a headache tomorrow."

"Natsuki-san?"

"Yes, Otto?"

"That's a strong reaction. Have you ever tried alcohol before?"

"Yeah, I did. A year ago me, Rem and Emilia got blackout drunk during a celebration. That was a fun evening. Rem and Emilia-tan looked really funny back then."

There was that time in the slums, but since it was during failed loop, he did not mention it. He also did not mention the scene he remembered the most back during the festival, when the two drunk girls were leaning against each over in the most unintentionally erotic way possible, for obvious reasons.

"Ah, those were the days..."

"Subaruuu!"

The embarrassed half-elf did not want everyone to hear how stupid she looked back then. Felt, however, was curious:

"Oh? So how good is Nee-chan at holding her drink?"

"She holds it good for a bit, but quickly gets addicted to it, causing her to go other-board. She's 'funny drunk' type of person, really cute kind at that. You know the type that clings to you, while mumbling something only she can understand. Very cute, very E.M.T."

"Subaruuuuuu!" "How could he do this! Why did he betray my trust that easily!"

"Sorry, Emilia-tan, that's what you get for stabbing me in the back like that."

"Still, that's reeealy embarrassing, you dunderhead! I don't tell people all about how you were bawling your eyes out on my lap, mister!"

Understandably, half-elf was pouting at this. It had no effect on Subaru, however, since he found her pouting adorable.

"What about you Subaru-sama?"

Crusch who asked that question, had difficulties joining this party, given her situation, even if she felt a bit better thanks to Subaru's previous efforts. Still she insisted on coming at least for a bit to talk with others.

Instead of him his contracted spirit answered:

"Betty's Subaru is very resilient drinker, I suppose. He can drink a lot in one go and still be mostly unaffected. He only gets a lot more talkative and loses some of his filter, in fact. Albeit, there isn't that much filter in him in the first place. However, after reaching a certain limit, he crashes on the ground unconscious until the next day."

Given she was the only person here, that witnessed the fabled events of the party a year ago (and wasn't blackout drunk), everyone present accepted Beatrice's words.

Subaru felt betrayed yet again:

"I have a filter, I swear."

Emilia, in the meantime, decided Al to ask him something that caught her attention, just prior to her knight taking his first drink:

"Al-san, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, how can I help?"

"Are you and Subaru from the same place?"

"Um, you could say that."

Al nervously scratched his helmet.

"Can I ask where that is?"

"Far away to the east! Oh, would you look at that! My glass is empty. I should reeeally get a refill."

Al replied so hastily that he accidentally picked up one of Emilia's known mannerisms.

Reinhard, who predictably heard that exchange, began to wonder. During their first meting back in alley where he saved him from Rachins, Camberley and Gaston, Subaru said something like that as well – "a county to the east". To the Sword Saint it seemed like those two were truly born in the same place. This must have being an idiom back where they were born. If his Divine Protection of Language Comprehension was correct, it meant something like "a mysterious place far away", or at least something similar.

"Just dodged a bullet."

"Yeah."

Al and Subaru nodded in a mutual understanding. Explaining nature of multiverse and how they both got here, was long and tedious.

"Hm, Subaru said he was from beyond the Great Waterfall…"

"Emilia-sama, with all due respect, I believe Natsuki-san was merely joking back then."

People around them shared Otto's theory. It made sense. People that said that they come from beyond the Great Waterfall were eccentric liars at best and insane madmen at worst. Subaru seemed to fit first description, rather than the second (hah, sure thing Otto). Emilia's knight in the meantime had enough smarts left in him to not clarify that "beyond the Great Waterfall", "a country to the east", "parallel world" and "Earth, Japan" meant the same thing. Else they would've been stuck in an hour-long discussion.

"What's a 'bullet'?"

Julius never heard such a word and it incited his curiosity. During the short time that he was alongside Subaru, he heard a lot of these weird mannerisms.

Reinhard wanted to explain the idiom – it meant "narrowly avoiding something bad" – but chose not to be a party pooper.

"Something faster than you and definitely slower than Reinhard."

"Is there even something that is faster than Reinhard?"

"Eh, light, probably, I think he's hypersonic. There are couple fictional characters that can outrun him."

"Yeah, light make sense. Still bullshit tho."

"Yep."

Subaru and Al both agreed, that the Sword Saint's abilities were a bit bullshit (ironic coming from two time-travelers).

"I'm certain that there are people faster than me. There are, surely..."

Reinhard once again was trying to humble himself. He really wanted to believe that, as he knew only one person, who could almost match his speed – First Divine General of Vollachian Empire Cecilus Segmunt.

"It's unbelievable just how powerful you are, man."

Al was still in disbelief that someone like Reinhard actually exists. Subaru, however, witnessed him fight three times at this point and already accepted that he won't be able to ever win against him in a straight-up fight. He could probably outwit him with some liberal usage of Return by Death, however.

"Well, Reinhard is said to be the most powerful of the Sword Saints."

Julius considered Reinhard the most powerful person that has ever lived. He was glad to be friends with him. Although now his friendship with Subaru was the only thing he had left, after Gluttony took his name. Sadly, not even his spirits remembered him.

"With all those Divine Protections? No wonder. Dude's probably the strongest person in this world."

"Eh, Satella is probably evenly matched with him. It's immovable object and unstoppable force kinda thing."

Subaru, for whatever reason, chose to defend Satella in their power-scaling discussion. Their relationship was kinda difficult, but he was the only one who personally bore witness just how strong she truly was, as others here knew her only from legends.

Some people in the ballroom raised their eyebrows at such a casual mention of the Witch of Envy, but, nonetheless, silently agreed with his assessment. If someone was capable of giving Sword Saint a run for his money it was definitely the Witch.

"Still Al, I do agree. Rein does feel a bit stupid at times. Seriously! Divine Protection of Phoenix? What a way to s..."

Suddenly, time around Subaru halted. Despite his inebriation, the sensation of frozen time and familiar presence around him sobered him up a bit, as he instinctively braced himself for incoming punishment. However, instead of familiar pain:

"I love you."

A gentle whisper touched his ears, as a pair of beautiful hands wrapped around his torso from behind. He felt warm, he felt appreciated, he felt loved... And the next moment it was gone, no pain, no suffering, just a sweet aftertaste of her presence. Time continued. He immediately turned around looking first at Emilia, then at Beako, then at Garfiel and Otto, then on everyone else in that order. Last time something like this happened, he killed Emilia with his own stupidity. Noticing that everyone was still breathing, he exhaled.

"Sorry… I was just a bit down…"

Subaru was mumbling to himself, thanking Satella for her mercy. Her brief presence had an odd effect on him, something he had not experienced before:

"I miss you, Tella."

His heart yearned for her presence once more. He wanted to be with her like he used to, to hold her close like he used to, to watch the stars with her like they used to, to dedicate his very being to her like he used to. It's like something deep inside him awoke all the sudden and was searching for his missing piece, something that made him feel incomplete, both back home and here, in this reality. Her.

"What was that, Subaru?"

Reinhard was quite worried, noticing the depressed expression on the face of the normally cheerful knight. Subaru was one of the few people who treated him like, well, Reinhard. Yes, he called him a monster once or twice, but it did not feel like an insult or a curse in his direction, compared to when his father or grandfather told him that.

Beatrice noticed a sharp rise in her contractor's smell. Something weird had occurred, she was sure of it. She did not found any trace of emotional distress on her contractor, just an odd melancholy.

Fortunately, nobody noticed that Al almost spilled his drink, as he realized the meaning of Subaru's suddenly interrupted comment. If not for his helmet everyone would have definitely seen his surprised expression, really, his appreciation for that piece of armor was growing more and more.

"Fucking hell, you gonna give me a heart attack, bro!"

Subaru smiled again, hiding his dejected expression as he used to. The feeling of yearning never went away, but at least he could manage.

"Must be fun to never be concerned about your own mortality…"

No one but Al noticed the irony of this statement.

Subaru poured another shot of whiskey and now, without any hesitation, took another sip. After all it seemed like Satella and the Witch were rather kind to him today. Might as well have some fun, while he's at it.