The evening sky slowly sank beyond the horizon, replaced by the darkness of night that shrouded the long road. EXONE's final target city was still far away, before they would later head to the capital of KIREZO. Inside the vehicle, laughter and the sound of chess pieces being moved mingled with the shuffle of playing cards. The atmosphere inside was lively yet peaceful, as if the outside world had paused to give them a moment to breathe.
Dina looked at Arya. "Hey, Ar, I'm hungry. Do we still have any of that rendang from before?"
Arya turned to her. "Yes, we do. We cooked it in a big pot earlier and stored it in the storage room so it's like time stopped for it. We also have some warm rice."
Dina stood up. "I want rendang!" She moved closer to Arya.
Gamma and Yui stood up. "Me too!" Raius also stood. "Me too, Brother Arya! I'm hungry as well."
"Alright, I'll prepare it." Arya looked at Venus. "You're not eating, Venus?"
Venus turned to him. "Bring me some too!"
Arya let out a mock-tired sigh. "Alright… everyone sit tight. I'll bring it to you one by one." He immediately stood and walked toward the storage room to prepare their meals.
"Okay!" they replied in unison, returning to their seats, though their eyes betrayed their impatience, waiting for the aroma of food to fill the air.
Moments later, the smell of rendang began to spread throughout the vehicle.
"Alright, it's ready." Arya placed plates of warm rice and still-hot rendang in front of the five of them.
Dina's eyes lit up. "Woooh… let's eat!" She immediately took a bite. "Delicious!!!"
Gamma laughed. "Haha, Sister Dina is always like that." He took a bite. "Hmmm, but it really is good!"
Yui smiled. "Yes, so delicious! I never get tired of eating rendang!"
Raius ate heartily, while Venus ate gracefully, watching the others devour their food with gusto.
Arya smiled as he watched them. "Hehe. I'll have some too." He took a bite. "Hm! Delicious!"
Dina looked at Arya. "Nyam nyam… what's our next destination, Ar?" she asked while chewing.
Arya glanced out the vehicle window, the rice in his hand barely touched. "The city of Gujiter in the north… the last city before the capital," he murmured softly, then sighed. "If my calculations are correct, the Kingdom's forces have been on the move since two days ago."
Dina, mid-bite, immediately turned to him. "Huh, how do you know?"
Arya didn't answer right away. He set down his spoon and reached for the folded map beside him. "Back in Latrel, I let one soldier escape. They would have sent a message as quickly as possible. With messenger birds, our location would reach the capital in a day. From there, elite troops could travel to Gujiter in four days if they used a magic carriage. That means… if we arrive there on schedule, they'll already be waiting."
Venus stared sharply at Arya. "You've been calculating this from the start, haven't you?"
Arya gave a faint smile. "Of course. Even before we left Latrel."
Gamma put down her spoon. "Then, how many do you think will be waiting for us?"
"If Solvier, with only that level of skill, brought five elite units," Arya replied, "a leader ranked higher than him would bring at least four times as many. That means… we're talking about hundreds of soldiers."
Silence fell for a moment.
Dina resumed eating. "Nyam nyam… then why, back in Latrel, did you think that soldier would take two weeks to reach the capital?"
Arya set his spoon down. "At first, I thought so because of the dark forest route and the frightened condition of that soldier… I assumed he would move slowly. But after reconsidering, they're elite troops. They wouldn't get lost or lose their way, especially if they had access to fast transportation or messenger birds. So, the two-week estimate was far too long." Arya went back to eating as if the matter were trivial.
Venus took a sip of her drink, then smiled. "Aaah… you're such a genius, boy! Who taught you, huh?" she teased.
Arya looked at Venus. "Haha! Self-taught!" He set his spoon down. "I used to be a sniper, so every move I made had to be calculated." He spoke the last part in his thoughts.
Suddenly, Gamma spoke excitedly. "More, Brother Arya!" She held out her plate.
"Haha! Alright, wait a moment." He took Gamma's plate. "But you eat so fast, Gamma. Dina hasn't even finished yet."
Gamma laughed. "Haha! Because the rendang is so good! You guys talk too much!"
"Haha!" Arya looked at Dina. "Not getting more, Dina?"
"More! A lot!" Dina said, handing over her plate.
Raius and Yui chimed in. "Me too, Brother!" They handed their plates over at the same time.
Arya smiled. "Alright, alright, wait a sec." He scooped rendang and rice. "Here you go." He placed them in front of each of them.
"Thanks!" They went back to eating.
He glanced at Venus. "Not getting more?"
"One more portion!" She handed him her plate.
Smiling, he replied, "Alright. Here."
Meanwhile, along the dark road, a convoy of hundreds of soldiers was making its way toward their destination.
"Sir, we'll be arriving in Gujiter soon," said one soldier.
"Alright," Flat voice.
...