Chapter 141: Dinner Date with the Princess (2)
Solomon shifted his weight to his back foot and tightened his grip on the hilt of his greatsword. Before he could draw the weapon, Lune reached across the table and placed her gloved hand over his wrist.
She let out a long sigh and kept her gaze fixed on the armored captain.
"Your Highness," the captain greeted, bowing slightly. "We are here to escort you back to the estate. Wandering the city alone poses a severe risk. We recently received urgent intelligence regarding the Nether Fiend Sect. They are actively targeting nobles and royals for an unholy ritual."
Solomon lowered his hand from his hilt and looked at the princess. "What exactly is going on here?"
Lune crossed her arms over her chest and puffed her cheeks out. She broke eye contact with both of them and stared at the empty porcelain teacup. "I sneaked out of the estate through a servant passage."
Solomon tilted his head in genuine confusion. "Why would you do that?"
She snapped her gaze back to him. "Because you were—"
She clamped her mouth shut instantly. Her face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. She bit her lower lip and looked away again, completely refusing to finish the sentence.
Solomon scratched the back of his neck, entirely unable to decipher her sudden shift in behavior. He simply turned to the armored guard and nodded in agreement.
"The captain is absolutely right. I ran into that exact evil sect earlier this afternoon. They are definitely hunting people with royal and noble bloodlines. Leaving your bodyguards behind is a terrible idea."
Lune slammed both of her hands flat against the mahogany table. The impact rattled the ceramic plates and spilled the remaining tea across the polished wood.
She pushed her chair back and stood up abruptly.
"I possess more than enough strength to handle a few wandering cultists entirely on my own!" Lune shouted.
She turned on her heel and marched directly toward the grand staircase, completely ignoring the armored knights scrambling to form a protective perimeter around her.
The captain remained by the table for a fraction of a second. He shifted his gaze to the massive executioner’s sword strapped to Solomon’s back. "Nice sword," the knight commented.
He turned around and jogged after the princess to rejoin his squad.
The iron boots of the royal guard faded into the bustling noise of the Golden Lotus Pavilion, and just as they came, they left.
Solomon sat alone at the table and picked up his wooden chopsticks to finish his meal. The translucent blue interface hovering near his owl completely exploded with frantic messages.
[GoonLord: YOU FUMBLED SO BADLY!]
[LazyCat: bro literally zero emotional intelligence.]
[James_Hayes: how do you drop the ball that hard??]
[BloodKnight: A warrior must read the battlefield, but you are completely blind to everything else.]
[Fatal_Beauty: she literally went out looking for him and he told her to get bodyguards!]
[1Fizzy: Solo Man is a confirmed menace to romance.]
Solomon chewed a piece of spiced chicken and looked at the camera lens with wide eyes. "What are you guys even talking about? I just agreed with the local security forces. Keeping a royal safe from dark guilds is basic common sense."
Solomon gathered his remaining silver coins and dropped a few onto the mahogany table. Pushing his empty porcelain plate away, he stood up from the wooden chair.
Navigating the sprawling Golden Lotus Pavilion to find Marco required wandering through a maze of winding corridors.
He hauled Eden’s Penance onto his back and walked away from the dining hall. Choosing a wide stone ramp leading upward, he fully intended to locate the gambling tables.
However, the passage instead opened into a massive chamber completely devoid of velvet betting mats.
Beautiful maidens wearing sheer silk dresses draped themselves across cushioned lounges. A grand wooden stage occupied the very center of the room. Several women plucked the strings of large wooden instruments while others twirled under the crystal chandeliers.
A vocalist sang a captivating melody over the accompanying notes.
[GoonLord: WE ARE IN THE PROMISED LAND!]
[2Lazy2Care: bro accidentally walked into the VIP lounge.]
[BloodKnight: A warrior must not be distracted by worldly temptations.]
[Last_Fables: look at the dancers in the back!]
[1Fizzy: Solo Man is definitely going to fail this test.]
Solomon stopped near a carved pillar and listened. Recognizing the tune immediately, he remembered hearing the exact same melody when he first walked through the main doors.
’So this is where it was coming from. I am so accustomed to the modern world that I assumed it was just playing on the speaker somewhere.’
He crossed his arms and leaned against the stone to watch the performance.
A mature woman wearing an intricate crimson dress stepped into his line of sight. She offered a welcoming smile and bowed her head slightly.
"We have a much more comfortable viewing arrangement available for you upstairs." The woman gestured toward an elevated balcony. "I also have a highly profitable matter I wish to discuss with you."
Solomon kept his arms crossed and stared at her. Recognizing a classic scam, he knew merchants constantly used VIP treatment to drain silver from unsuspecting novices.
"I am completely fine standing right here." Solomon nodded toward the stage.
She maintained her polite smile. "Tonight’s undisputed arena champion deserves a proper seat. Several prominent individuals requested a private introduction with the man who defeated all the local champions."
Solomon tapped his fingers against his biceps.
Meeting wealthy figures usually led to highly lucrative mercenary contracts. But amassing an overwhelming amount of academy points remained his top priority right now. However, cultivating wealthy connections offered a direct path to securing sponsored missions.
He pushed himself off the carved pillar and adjusted the leather strap across his chest. "Lead the way."
Solomon followed the woman up a winding wooden staircase leading entirely away from the noisy main floor.
"How long is this going to take?" he asked.
"We are here."
They stepped out onto an open balcony overlooking the vibrant city streets below.
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