Strax laughed as if he were witnessing the greatest comedy ever staged, his golden eyes shining with malice and mockery. The table beside him shook with the impact of his hand hitting the bar, the sound reverberating through the bar like suppressed thunder.
"Hahaha..." He leaned forward, still laughing, baring his teeth like a bored predator who had just found some amusement. "So this Rakan, the 'Monarch of Beasts,' is nothing more than the Emperor's golden-collared lapdog?"
Agnes didn't answer immediately. Her face remained impassive, but there was fire in her eyes, a pent-up rage that seemed to reignite just by hearing Rakan's name mixed with Strax's laughter.
"You don't understand," she growled softly, leaning her elbows on the table. "Rakan may be a tamed monster, but he's still a monster. He earned that title by crushing entire clans, tearing kingdoms apart like toys." As he advanced, the cities were wiped off the map.
