The general froze.
The Emperor frowned. "Do not tell me you escorted me here without even knowing why."
General Calden lowered his head further.
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I failed to ask Grand Secretariat Quenric about the purpose beforehand."
The Emperor slowly turned his head toward the old man beside him.
Quenric gave an awkward smile. "I thought the explanation was unnecessary."
The Emperor sighed softly. "It does not matter."
After a short pause, he added, "I will simply purchase something from the store. That should compensate for interrupting her business."
Then he looked down toward his mount. "Amara. Land."
The giant stingray responded instantly.
Its wide wings tilted slightly as the enormous creature descended toward the ground.
Fortunately, the street in front of the store had a wide empty area, leaving enough space for the beast to land without using any special abilities.
The ground trembled slightly as Amara touched down.
