It stated that the war against the WestMont Kingdom was unexpectedly going well.
In the three days they had marched through the land, no opposing army had confronted them. They had just arrived at the new capital, which surprisingly turned out to be a walled area.
There were archers on the walls, but they were swiftly eliminated.
However, the real surprise came when they discovered a Death Field behind the walls. In the center of it was an underground dungeon.
These were just as troublesome as Tower Dungeons, only they had smaller but multiple floors.
"DAMN IT!" I exclaimed. "THESE MEPHISTO WORSHIPPERS DARE AGAIN?"
"How dare they! Again!?" I muttered.
I took a deep breath and, with a cold expression, thought that this time, we would succeed again.
Like last time, it was even an Evolved Tower Dungeon. They really breached the contract!
"Ah, this is ruining my mood again!"
I continued reading the letter, in which Orion wrote that they would first besiege the dungeon because it didn't seem powerful enough to kill yet.
Afterward, they would plan further and likely attack the dungeon once they had gathered enough information.
The problem was that an army of 800,000 wouldn't have enough space, making it easier for the dungeon's inhabitants to leave.
That was all, and the letter ended with the message that he would write again with updates.
Because of the letter, I interrupted my break and wrote a response letter, inquiring if they needed any assistance and so on.
With my anger preventing me from working further, I decided to calm down by taking a stroll in the city, this time without my bodyguards.
I thought that I would have to work overtime again to complete the project.
I was currently working on a reform to abolish slavery. Although it was no longer as widespread, there were still human slaves. And I believed that Manara wouldn't approve of this.
Unfortunately, it was easier said than done, and Daniel and I were experiencing headaches because of it.
...
As I entered the city, some food stalls were open again. Although today wasn't meant for work, I understood it.
People still needed to earn their livelihood, and food would eventually go bad.
I, too, had work to do.
As I passed by a noodle shop, I heard the unmistakable voice of the woman from this morning.
"How much for five bowls of Spaghetti Bolognese?" she asked.
"Regular wheat or Mana wheat?" the chef inquired.
"Regular."
"17.5!"
"17.5 what?" she hissed back. "Copper, silver, gold, or green-gold?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he replied irritably. "Silver, of course!"
"Tsk! That's a rip-off!" she snapped. "13!"
"Now calm down, young lady! This isn't a bazaar; the prices are fixed! One bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese; 3.50 silver!" he said irritably. "Do you want it or not? Others are waiting!"
"Fine," she relented.
Then, she pulled out a bill with a silver 20 and handed it to him.
In return, she received two silver coins and five reddish-brown ones with a note that read "312."
She then took a seat at an available table.
I smiled, walked through the open door, and headed towards her table.
"May I?" I asked her.
She startled for a moment and replied dryly, "No."
I sat down anyway.
"What's your name?" I asked her again, resting my chin, smiling, on my hand.
She glanced around the room, and if it hadn't been full, she might have moved to another table.
„Tsk"
"This place seems quite popular, doesn't it?" I remarked. "By the way, my name is Darian."
She appeared to be ignoring me, not reacting at all.
I continued to gaze at her, and after a short while, she seemed to notice.
„Tsk"
She did that quite often.
"Tsk, Will you leave if I tell you?" she asked.
"Maybe."
"Yes or no?"
"Maybe!" I smiled.
"Tsk."
"Again," I smiled. "It seems like you enjoy keeping your mouth busy."
"Tsk... Only when I'm annoyed," she said. "And you're annoying."
"Haha," I laughed and checked the time.
"I get it. Can I offer you something to drink?"
"Will you leave then?"
"Only if you tell me your name."
"Tsk... Fine! But then, you have to go."
"Alright, what would you like to drink?"
"Five apple sodas."
"You've got quite an appetite for a young lady," I smiled and went to order them.
"That's not all for me," she said when I brought her the bottles on a tray.
I smiled and was about to say something when I was interrupted.
"Number 312!" her order was called.
She took the tray and retrieved her noodles.
She was about to leave when I followed her.
"What's your name?"
She probably looked annoyed, but I couldn't tell through her red and black veil and hood.
"Mia."
"Oh, Mia, a lovely name! Have an equally lovely evening," I smiled.
I heard her snap her tongue again and saw her disappear into an alley.
On my way, I admired her once more, especially her bottom, which I glimpsed in the lamplight.
"Friendly, the Mia!" I laughed.
She really takes my mind off things, I thought, realizing that my mood had improved again.
I wondered about myself, why I liked her despite her prickly demeanor. Is it her beautiful voice? Or maybe her bottom?
Whatever it is, I look forward to seeing her again.
With that in mind, I went back to the palace, smiling under the rising moon.