After a while, Kate joined Billy at his table. She looked dead drunk and kind of sleepy. He didn't recall many people getting like that. Still, as expected, even though the people of that world had stronger bodies, alcohol could affect them that much. Or maybe it was because they began to drink on an empty stomach…
"Billy… can I put my head in your lap?" Kate asked after fidgetting for a short while. "I am sleepy."
"Go to your room if you want to sleep," Billy said.
"Don't say such mean things… please!" Kate said with her upturned eyes.
"I don't know how my answer is mean… do you really want to make me a scumbag?" Billy asked. "Even though I am the youngest here, I am still a man. I can't keep my cool if a drunk girl sleeps in my lap."
"Eh? What are you going to do?" Kate asked while showing a confident smile.
"Put my fingers on your nose," Billy replied. "Or make you chew your own hair."
Kate frowned since her brain wasn't working properly, and she didn't understand that Billy was making fun of her. In any case, she looked quite disappointed at Billy's refusal. That was a bit troublesome since giving her what she wanted would make Billy feel like he was taking advantage of someone much younger. Billy kept saying to himself to help her find someone, but he was too busy with his own life to meddle with the others.
"All right… come over here," Billy said. "Just remember that I will use this to make fun of you for quite a while."
Kate ignored the last part and gladly used some chairs to mimic a bed before putting her head on his lap. For a while, she was all smiles, but then she fell asleep and began to snore, and then she lost all her charms. Billy facepalmed when he saw that, and then he realized that he was being watched… by some very unpleasant eyes. It took a while, but eventually, Billy frowned at the owner of those… it was Natalie.
"What now?" Billy asked and then rolled his eyes.
From Natalie's perspective, it seemed like Billy was ready to make a move on Kate, or perhaps she found his actions weird given that he didn't want to marry her. Several things happened, and Billy ended up offering her the other side of his lap since she seemed sleepy, and while he did say it as a joke, Natalie accepted as well.
"Well, aren't you popular?" Marie asked when Natalie fell asleep.
"Anyone who teaches others ends up being popular with children," Billy said.
"They did say that you treated them like they were younger than you, but I thought it was a joke…" Marie frowned. "Anyway, you have a good head for leadership, kid. It is a pain, but I will have to write a report and tell Jean everything about clearing the dungeon. Once he reads that, he will try to take you to his side. Our state isn't on good terms with some other states, so he is recruiting many adventurers as of late. Even capable individuals to help him."
"I am aware, but someone already tried to put a leash on me, and it was a gorgeous leash, but it didn't work," Billy said.
"Gorgeous, huh," Marie said while looking at Kate.
"Putting that aside, at least one of us will stay here and work for Jean for a short while, so I would be grateful if you were to help him," Billy said.
"That is fine. I owe you guys one after this whole dungeon thing," Marie said.
Although she was drunk, Marie was considering things properly. Either she was used to drinking a lot, or she was going to forget all that soon. Regardless, in the end, the party kept going until sunrise. Still, only a few heavyweights kept drinking during the whole time. Also, there was no way Billy would carry everyone to the inn, so they slept right there until noon. Billy spent most of the time keeping an eye on things and meditating, though.
One by one, Billy's friends began to wake up, and they looked like they thought that they were about to die due to the hangover. That is what you get from trying to drink without having any experience… Billy had a good time watching them in that poor state. Still, they had things to do, so he helped them.
"Drink some water and take a shower. That will help a bit," Billy replied. "A warm meal is also what you guys need."
As expected, they barely remember what happened the previous night after they started to drink, and also, as expected, they swore that they would never drink again. Billy laughed at that since it brings back some nice memories…
"Well, our job here is done, but we still have something to do. It is about Jean's offer," Billy said. "Before you say anything, I am planning to put on hold our plans as a party. This mission lasted for quite a while, after all. We also learned a lot, so it would be better for all of us to take a break and assimilate those experiences."
Billy also didn't want to make Alexander feel left out, but the other reasons were proper as well. The group stayed silent for a while, considering the options. Considering that each one of them got twelve gold coins thanks to their work in the dungeon. They didn't need any more money. Billy will soon have since he will buy two of those trees that bear the fruits that restores mana. He wondered if she should buy two… maybe he should use his power on them and make them bear more fruits.
"I am going to accept the offer," Alexander raised his right arm and then said.. "I have some goals, and helping here for a while will help me achieve them."