Passing the Glass Around
Whew. Thanks for staying with me so late, Captain.
I'm really fine on my own, but you still came to help on your day off...
Thanks to you, I learned a lot.
You're not overdoing it, are you?
Haha. Don't worry.
You're the one who told me, remember?
You said I could come to the training grounds if I couldn't sleep and felt like getting some light exercise.
That's all it is tonight. Just getting some light exercise because I couldn't sleep.
Honestly, light exercise like this makes me feel even better.
I guess I've been doing extra training at night, ever since my days with the Knights.
Old habits die hard, don't they? Haha.
If you say so... but you're soaked in sweat...
Are you sure you're all right?
...
Carmen quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off her sweat.
...Haha. Well, it is a little warm tonight.
...It's cool, honestly.
Anyway, Captain.
Are you tired? Should I make you a bowl of fatigue recovery soup?
Uh, no... I'm not tired.
If soup isn't your thing... Then how about a glass of mead?
Mead?
Yes, it's one of Monastir's famous specialties.
It's not as effective as fatigue recovery soup, but it's good for your body and keeps you warm in the cold.
And most importantly, it actually tastes good.
You only have the one cup, though.
Oh, right. I only brought one cup.
But that's fine. I can just drink from the one you used.
Umm...
Haha. You're flustered again.
Don't worry, I brought my own.
Though, I really wouldn't mind sharing.
...Are you serious?
It's not that strange.
In the Knights, it's a custom we call passing the cup.
It's a little different, but it's not uncommon for our supplies to be reused.
Monastir isn't a wealthy country.
We try to issue new swords and shields, but things like canteens and cups are often passed down from retired members.
...
...Or from fallen comrades.
...Have you lost someone before?
Yes. In this line of work, it's inevitable.
But when I drink mead from a cup left behind by a comrade, it feels like they're right there with me.
Like a guardian angel watching over me.
And the more guardian angels, the better.
Though living comrades are always better than the fallen.
Who knows? Maybe by drinking this mead from the same cup, we'll end up protecting each other on the battlefield someday.
So come on, take a nice big gulp.
For the sake of having each other's backs.
I took the cup filled with mead and downed it in one gulp.
Warmth slid down my throat and spread through my body.
Carmen refilled the empty cup with mead and smiled softly as she drank.
Whew! That really hits the spot.
Come to think of it, I heard there was a word for something like this in some Eastern Continent country...
What was it called...? Boilermaker?
...That's not it.
Haha. Oh well.
What matters is that we've become comrades who watch each other's backs.
Comrades, huh...
I imagined for a moment what it'd be like to lose Carmen.
...It would hurt more than I could bear.
Carmen must've felt the same pain when she lost someone too.
And the weight of carrying that pain must be immense.
I just hope that weight never crushes her.