Chapter 76: Don’t learn the good things! Learn the bad things very quickly!

Helos set down the cup in her hand, her gaze drifting unsteadily over the dozen or so small glasses on the table, each filled with liquids of different colors.

“Phew… this… this color is really pretty.”

She reached out and lifted a glass of pale-colored liquor, admiring it as if it were a trophy.

Her silver hair fell messily over her shoulders, and a flush of intoxication colored the girl’s usually sharp eyes, making her expression somewhat dazed.

“The taste isn’t bad either. Hehe.”

She gently rocked her chair, gradually sinking into a relaxed state.

Before long, she simply lay her head down on the table, her cheek pressed against the cool surface, still clutching a small Mixing Stick, murmuring to herself:

“About right… this ratio… should be fine…”

But her voice grew fainter and eventually faded into soft snores.

The workshop table was a mess—empty bottles and small glasses piled in a heap, with various scribbled notes about proportions on a sheet of paper nearby.

Helos curled up in her chair, her silver hair spread out, cheeks flushed a soft red.

Just then, a gentle knock came from outside the door.

“Helos? I’m coming in, okay?”

Julius quietly pushed the door open and peeked inside.

He had wanted to check on her progress after an afternoon of experiments, but the sight before him froze him in place.

The workshop was filled with a faint scent of alcohol, the workbench scattered with alchemy tools and hastily written papers.

And Helos herself was lying over the table edge, her silver hair tangled and spread out, cheeks unnaturally flushed, an empty glass still clutched in her hand.

“Uh… you didn’t drink yourself under the table, did you?”

Julius sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before stepping forward to carefully lift the girl.

Her body was limp, weak as a drunken kitten.

He gently patted her shoulder, trying to rouse her.

Helos mumbled, lazily opening one eye, her pale purple gaze clouded with intoxication.

She vaguely grabbed his sleeve, mumbling:

“Umm… another glass of that… the sweet one…”

Her voice was thick with drunkenness, fingers unconsciously clutching his sleeve tightly.

“My goodness, how much did you drink…”

He sighed in exasperation, gently prying her fingers from his sleeve. “Weren’t you doing experiments? How did you get drunk before finishing?”

Helos seemed not to hear him, tilting her head and looking at him with bleary eyes, a silly smile lingering at the corner of her lips:

“Tastes good… I’m not drunk!”

Julius glanced around and spotted her Formula Notes tucked in a corner of the workbench.

Skimming through them quickly, he realized she’d been testing different proportions for mixing drinks—and ended up getting herself drunk.

“Really…”

He shook his head and carefully laid her down on a nearby seat. “Let’s wait until you sober up before continuing. Miss Eleanor would be worried if she knew you like this.”

Helos squirmed restlessly, her consciousness fuzzy, but she kept muttering drunken nonsense like “Don’t underestimate my tolerance” and “I usually just use this stuff as mouthwash.”

Julius tore off a corner of her Experiment Notes, dipped it in some clean water, and pressed it to her forehead—an old Sober-up Technique he’d learned from the church.

Though he doubted it would help much.

“Get some good rest,” he said softly, draping his coat over her. “Once you’re clear-headed, you can get back to work.”

The workshop gradually quieted, with only Helos’s even breathing and the occasional chirp of insects outside the window breaking the silence.

Julius sat at the workbench, tidying up scattered notes and tools, occasionally glancing anxiously at the sleeping girl.

When the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the workshop window, Julius rubbed his tired eyes.

He had stayed alert all night, sitting in the chair beside Helos, smoothing her slipping coat and gently wiping the fine sweat from her forehead from time to time.

Helos shifted in the reclining chair, silver hair falling over her cheeks.

Her breathing had evened out, and the redness in her face had faded significantly.

Watching her eyebrows gradually relax, Julius finally exhaled in relief.

“Ugh…”

Helos let out a soft hum, her eyelashes fluttering.

She slowly opened her eyes, her pale purple gaze still tinged with lingering haze.

When her eyes landed on Julius beside her, she clearly froze for a moment.

“You… why are you here?”

“You’ve got some nerve asking that.”

Julius smirked tiredly.

“You were as drunk as a dead pig last night—couldn’t wake you no matter what.”

“You’re the dead pig.”

Helos rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly, the headache from her hangover making her frown.

Her black coat slipped off her shoulders, and she looked down at herself before suddenly asking:

“You didn’t… do anything to me last night, right?”

“Do what?”

Julius blinked, confused. “Just watched you sleep. What else could I do?”

“Nothing else?”

“What else could there be?”

Their eyes met.

Seeing the innocent look in Julius’s eyes, Helos blinked in surprise, then raised her hand and slapped herself across the face.

I’m truly a terrible sinner!

He’s still just a kid!

“Did you drink yourself stupid?”

“I’m not stupid… just feel a bit guilty, that’s all.”

She cleared her throat and glanced around, noticing the neatly arranged notes and equipment on the workbench, along with warm water and towels prepared nearby.

“You set all this up?”

“Yeah.”

Julius nodded, handing her a cup of water. “Drink some water first. You had quite a bit last night.”

Helos took the cup, her fingertips accidentally brushing against his hand.

The warm touch made her heart skip a beat.

She lowered her head and sipped quietly, trying to hide her suddenly quickened heartbeat.

“Thanks.”

Her voice was barely audible.

But the next second, Julius’s reply threw her off again.

“What for? We’re buddies.”

Julius said it so naturally.

Why did that sound so familiar?

Helos scratched her head, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes.

Had she said something like that before?

This guy learns the bad things way faster than the good.

The girl stared at the boy for a long while, and though Julius grew a bit uneasy under her gaze, in the end Helos sighed:

“Forget it. It’s not a big deal anyway.”

She stood up, tossed her coat into Julius’s arms, and stretched.

“Mm~ all better.”

Turning back, she grabbed the Experiment Notes on the workbench and flipped through a couple pages before saying to Julius:

“I think I’ve pretty much finished studying the formula yesterday.”

“How about you call Kyle and the others over to try the new drink?”