Cale's Point of View:
Cale was the first one to wake up, his eyes slowly adjusting to the morning light filtering through the windows. He glanced at Athanasia, still sleeping soundly in her bed.
Cale couldn't help but think she must be incredibly exhausted from last night's events. She had used both magic and ancient power, an immense feat for anyone. He sat there for a moment, admiring her peaceful slumber before deciding it was time to get ready for the day ahead.
After freshening up, Cale summoned Choi Han to his room. Choi Han entered and saw Cale already seated, holding a mug of something warm in his hands. Cale motioned for him to sit down, and once Choi Han was settled, Cale put his mug down with a sigh.
"Hahh... I was really exhausted since last night," Cale admitted. "I think I need more rest. My stomach hurts now because I drank too much, even though Athanasia already warned me about it. And I couldn't sleep well last night because I felt like someone was staring at me."
Cale glanced over at Athanasia once more, concern etched on his face, before turning his gaze back to Choi Han.
"You took care of everything?" Cale asked, his voice tinged with weariness.
Choi Han nodded. "Yes, I have erased all the marks left on the way here, and I made a fake trail leading west to throw off any potential pursuers."
"Well done," Cale praised, appreciating Choi Han's efficiency.
After discussing some further plans and preparations, Cale decided to dismiss Choi Han. "And since you're done with your business, get out of here
Choi Han stood up to leave but paused when Cale asked, "Are you going to be sleeping until we leave?"
"No," Choi Han replied. "I need to go help Beacrox out."
Cale raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I guess you two are close now?"
Choi Han's expression turned serious as he shook his head. "No... We are not close at all."
Cale felt a bit taken aback by Choi Han's response. It was rare to see the usually stoic warrior show any vulnerability. "I-I see," Cale stammered, trying to process the new information. "Okay then..." he trailed off, wondering ive never seen that expression before.
As Choi Han bowed and made his way to leave the room, Cale remembered something. "Ah, tell Hans to prepare some drinks on your way out," he called after him.
"Huh?" Choi Han replied, confusion evident on his face.
Cale glanced at the clock and chuckled softly. "Haven't you ever heard of a hangover drink?
Cale turned his gaze to Athanasia on the bed, who was slowly opening his eyes. Cale smiled slightly and approached Athanasia, sitting beside him. "Good morning," Cale greeted, cocern evident in his voice. "Are you still tired? You really pushed yourself too far that night."
Athanasia smiled back and replied, "Good morning, Cale. No, I'm not as tired as last time, and don't worry, I won't do it again. I won't push myself too far."
Cale smiled, relieved by Athanasia's response, but his tired face didn't go unnoticed. Athanasia asked, "Cale, are you okay? You look like you didn't sleep well."
Cale hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ah... it's nothing, don't worry about it."
Athanasia stared at Cale for a moment, sensing that he was lying but didn't press the matter further. Instead, Cale suggested they go downstairs since Hans was waiting.
Nodding in agreement, Athanasia accepted Cale's hand as they left the room, walking downstairs while still holding hands.
As they descended, they noticed Choi Han just standing there. Both Cale and Athanasia wondered why he wasn't going down as well. They also noticed a guard who looked like one of the knights knocked out by Choi Han the previous night.
Cale nudged Choi Han's foot and asked, "Why are you stiffening up like that?" Removing his hand from Athanasia, Cale placed both hands on his chest.
Choi Han replied, "Ah..." and then greeted Athanasia, saying, "Good morning, Athanasia-nim."
Athanasia nodded back with a smile.
In response to Cale's earlier question about the knights waking up earlier than expected, Choi Han explained, "I thought I had used enough strength to make them unable to fight for about a day, but they are up and moving much earlier than I expected. I guess I thought the human body was much weaker than it actually is."
Cale and Athanasia both sweated nervously upon hearing Choi Han's words. He continued, a determined expression on his face, "I guess I can use more strength against humans in the future."
As Cale and Athanasia left the scene, they exchanged glances and thought, "He really fits the model of a normal main character who would happily destroy anything in his path toward justice."
Athanasia added, "I feel kinda bad for whoever has to fight Choi Han in the future
Afterward, Cale and Athanasia sat down at a table, and Cale asked Hans to bring some tea for Athanasia. Hans nodded and served Athanasia a cup of tea. Athanasia smiled and thanked him
Young master, I prepared the same alcohol you drank last night," he said with a warm smile, seemingly pleased to serve his esteemed guest.
Curiosity piqued, the old man's admission had struck a chord with Cale. He looked at the old man thoughtfully and remarked, "There is something that keeps coming to my mind whenever I see you." The room fell silent, and the old man's expression turned slightly nervous as he awaited Cale's next words.
"Yes?" the old man replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Cale's gaze softened, and he spoke with genuine admiration, "I think you're a really smart vendor. It's a compliment. This drink is perfect for a hangover."
Athanasia chimed in with a smile, nodding in agreement. "He's right, sir. You're a very intelligent and kind vendor," she said, taking a sip of her tea.
The vice captain, Hilsman, interjected, recounting their recent experience. "Yesterday, we had a party to relax after a long journey until here. Everybody was drinking and relaxing, and nobody left the inn," he explained, Cale listened intently while Athanasia appeared unfazed, focused on enjoying his tea. The vice captain continued, "But I still don't understand why someone from the Viscount Estate would be curious about that."
To which the knight explained, "There was a thief that broke into the Viscount villa yesterday. A couple of other knights and I were on guard, but we lost a few items to the thief. After hearing that people from Count Henituse's estate were here in the village, we came to see if the thief had stolen from the Count as well."
Cale couldn't help but scoff, muttering under his breath, "Thief, my ass. Well, I guess a dragon and a fox thief is a thief as well." He slammed the bottle of wine on the table with a thud.
Athanasia remained calm, seemingly unperturbed by the commotion around him.
Caught off guard by Cale's outburst, the vice captain and knight turned their gazes toward him. Cale retorted, "What are you looking at?"
In contrast, Athanasia remained composed and continued to drink her tea peacefully. She couldn't be bothered with the commotion and just smiled to herself
knowing that Venion's face would be enraged if he were here.
Hilsman quickly interjected, attempting to explain Cale's behavior, "Ahem, our young master drinks in the morning because his day turns out better when he drinks to cure his hangover caused by drinking too much the night before."
The knight chuckled and added, "What an interesting Young Master you have
Both Cale and Athanasia couldn't help but wonder if that was meant as a compliment or not.
Cale thought, "I hope this eases their suspicions of us. Venion won't suspect anything even if he finds out about the thief incident. Connecting us to that star-patterned secret group won't be easy."
Cale's eyes flickered towards Athanasia, who was still smiling pleasantly. He seemed to be in a good mood today.
Athanasia noticed Cale's gaze and asked, "Something wrong?"
Cale averted his eyes and replied, "Nothing, it's nothing."
Turning his attention to Ron, Cale instructed, "Bring me some lemon honey tea. I think lemon tea is good for a hangover." Ron acknowledged the order and went off to fetch the tea.
With the lemon tea in hand, Cale sipped it thoughtfully. "If you follow the trace to the west, you will find nothing," he said with a smile,
knowing full well that Venion would be growing increasingly frustrated.
Athanasia caught Cale's smile and grinned herself, thinking, "I guess he's thinking about how pissed Venion is right now." She found it amusing
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