After our visit to the academy and Anathasia causing a slight ruckus, we found ourselves walking along the layered cobblestone roads of Vàr.
Carriages occasionally rolled through the middle, while people filled the sides. Conversations overlapped, blending into a constant hum that echoed through the streets.
But unlike Dumuzi—
"Well, at least their church doesn't outshine the castle," Anathasia remarked, arms crossed as her gaze settled on the towering structure ahead.
"Unlike that thing in Dumuzi."
"…That's your own church."
"I never told them to build a religion around me," she scoffed, her eyes drifting toward a distant speck in the skyline.
With a quiet sigh, I shook my head and made my way toward a stall across the road.
Anathasia followed absentmindedly, still scanning the city around us.
The sound of sizzling meat. Paired with its rich, savory aroma, filled the air.
And the moment it did—
Anathasia instantly turned toward the stall and grabbed my wrist.
"…We need the recipe for that," she said, not even waiting for me to respond.
My expression flattened.
"I was just planning to buy some."
She paused as I glanced back at her.
"Great. Then we'll get the recipe while we're at it."
She gave me a thumbs-up.
"Good idea, right?"
I let out a sigh and continued forward, casually dragging her along as she held onto my wrist.
As we stopped in front of the stall, the owner's eyes lit up.
"Good day, young man! What can I get for you?" he greeted with a bright smile.
I returned it.
"What meats are you offering?" I asked, my gaze sweeping over the racks of sizzling cuts lined across the grill.
The owner gestured to each in turn.
"We've got beef… orc meat…"
They have orcs…?
"Orc meat?" I cut in, tilting my head slightly.
The man paused for a brief moment, a flicker of confusion crossing his face before his smile widened into a small laugh.
"It's basically like pork," he said with a thumbs-up. "Just without the smell—and better quality."
Anathasia stepped out from behind me, arms crossed as she rested her chin on her finger.
The owner's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh… so you're with your girl? Then—"
"His wife," Anathasia cut in, her gaze still fixed on the meats sizzling over the grill. Heat clung to our skin.
"I'm his wife," she repeated.
The owner's eyes shifted back to me.
I returned it with a small smile.
"I see…" he said, a bit more hesitant this time. "A newlywed?"
"Twenty years."
The owner visibly recoiled, his eyes widening even further.
He didn't say anything after that.
"Right…" I gestured toward the grey meat on the left. "And that is…?"
The light returned to the owner's eyes almost instantly.
"That's dragon meat, young sir! A delicacy within the Empire."
"It tastes like high-grade beef—already infused with natural herbs and spices. No seasoning needed at all."
Anathasia and I stared at it as oil crackled softly over the grill.
"Which is why it fetches quite the price," he continued enthusiastically. "It's said to resemble the flavor of the meat skewers once seasoned by the Foundation himself—when he blessed the knights of Ishtar over two hundred years ago!"
"At just one gold coin per skewer!"
Anathasia and I froze.
Then slowly—
We looked at each other.
Both remembering that short trip we took over twenty years ago.
[Hold on… that kebab I gave those knights back then…]
Anathasia nodded quickly.
[Looks like they really thought it was some kind of relic… that's why the flavor felt familiar…]
We turned back to the stall owner.
I handed him a silver-colored coin.
"We'll take around two dozen," I said as he accepted it.
But the moment he did—
"Young sir…" his voice wavered slightly. "That is… a platinum-gold coin. Only issued by the Church…"
Anathasia and I both raised an eyebrow.
"Meaning…?"
The owner swallowed hard.
"And it's not just any platinum-gold coin used by royalty," he said, pointing at the scale symbol embedded at its center.
"This is the kind used by the Divine Merciful Equilibrium…"
"The Third Outer God of Equilibrium—Her Grace Rania Eon Augthorth herself created it…!"
He immediately pushed the coin back toward me, his hands trembling.
"Please—just take as much as you want. I… I don't have the authority to handle something like that…!"
I stared at the coin in my palm, my other hand rubbing my temple.
"Really? Rania told us we could buy a few things with this," I said, glancing back at him.
He looked pale.
He took a step back, shaking his head.
"You… personally know Her Divine Grace… Rania Eon Augthorth…?"
His gaze shifted toward Anathasia, who was still standing beside me.
"My lady… do you also—"
"Yeah," Anathasia replied casually. "I'm her teacher."
"I know Rania, of course."
The owner looked like he was about to faint, muttering under his breath.
"The Divine Grace's teacher…"
His eyes slowly lifted toward Anathasia, who was now casually inspecting the skewers.
"Is none other than the Supreme Being herself… Anathasia Veridielle Augthoria…"
His breath hitched.
"No one… would be bold enough to claim they are her mentor…"
Anathasia glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.
"So… we can buy some now, right?"
I looked down at her.
She was already holding a few skewers, licking her lips.
Letting out a quiet sigh, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small bag of gold, placing it into the owner's trembling hands.
"There's about a hundred coins in there," I said, offering a polite smile.
"You can just take that instead."
A pause.
Then, slowly—
The owner nodded.
—
In the end, we left the agora, Anathasia holding a bag of dragon meat skewers against her chest.
"…Ah," she perked up suddenly. "The recipe—"
"It's the same blend I used twenty years ago," I cut in, glancing toward the castle as we walked through the city streets.
"Their version is basically just them trying to recreate the kebab Rania learned from me back then."
I paused.
"Two centuries, if we're going by Aegea's timeline."
Anathasia didn't respond. She just kept munching on her skewers.
Then—
A faint clinking of metal echoed from behind us.
We turned.
Knights stood in formation along the road.
Fully armored.
But instead of composure—
Their spears trembled.
Especially when Anathasia's gaze fell on them.
One of the knights at the back dropped to his knees, armor clattering against the stone.
"You—citizen—!" one of them pointed at me, his finger shaking.
He immediately faltered, stepping back as if raising his voice had been a mistake.
"…Is there something I can help you with?" I asked.
They didn't answer.
Instead, their attention shifted to Anathasia. Who was still chewing on a skewer.
Their voices softened instantly.
"My Lady… Supreme Being…"
They lowered their heads in unison.
"The Emperor…" the knight hesitated, swallowing. "…requests an audience."
A brief pause.
"At the castle."
His grip tightened around his spear.
"…Regarding Duchess Roselia."
Another pause.
"The Emperor wishes to speak with you… about her past actions."
"And… your judgment."
Anathasia casually finished one skewer, then simply watched them.
After a moment, she glanced at me, pulling another from the bag she held.
She handed it over.
"Want one? Pretty sure we didn't eat lunch yet."
Silence.
"Anathasia…" I started, running a hand through my hair as I took the skewer. "The Emperor just asked to meet you."
She raised an eyebrow, already biting into another.
"So?" she replied, her voice slightly muffled.
"We're still on a date. Can't that wait?"
I glanced at the knights.
Still standing in the middle of the road.
Heads lowered.
Waiting.
"…Yeah," I muttered. "I don't think so."
Anathasia followed my gaze, then swallowed.
"Hm…"
The knights visibly tensed.
By now, people had started gathering along the roadside, whispers spreading through the crowd.
After a moment—
"…It won't take long, right?" she asked.
The knight at the front slowly lifted his head, forcing a smile.
"Y-Yes… of course…"
"The Emperor would be honored to have even a short audience with the Supreme Being herself…"
Anathasia narrowed her eyes slightly, then glanced back at me.
"Oh well… we were going to talk about Roselia anyway."
"It should be fine, right?"
I nodded, reaching out to lightly ruffle her hair.
"It'll be fine. We didn't have anything else planned anyway."
She hummed softly, turning back to the knights.
"Alright then."
A small pause.
"Lead the way."