Chapter 20
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Where someone remembers
Amarantha was in her room. Night had already fallen.
She lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling without moving. The silence in the room was broken only by the distant sounds of the palace.
"This day was far too eventful..."
Her eyes never left the ceiling.
Her mind returned, one after another, to the many tasks she had been forced to carry out since morning: serving in the halls, attending meetings, listening to conversations between sovereigns, reviewing other people's notes and records whenever she had the chance, carrying away dirty laundry, clearing cutlery, changing bed linens, transporting utensils, and keeping up with the endless chain of duties expected of a maid.
All of that, without even counting what truly mattered.
She fell silent for a moment, motionless, still feeling the weight of exhaustion built up in her body.
Then, in her mind, she thought:
"Sabotaging the plans between the houses has allowed us to divert our enemies' attention away from our research centers."
As she thought about it, her memory brought back other images with sharper clarity: sovereigns speaking more than they should, arguments overheard through half-open doors, names written down in secret, people she had been forced to eliminate, and also Víctor's messages, confirming that the information she had been leaking was producing results.
And yet...
Amarantha's expression did not change, but her thoughts paused on something else.
Once again, she saw that moment with perfect clarity: Eliotas, Furher, and Plabius leaving the same room.
Her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.
"I need to create the right circumstances to gain access to one of their meetings... and try to find out what their interests are."
After that, her mind returned to Furher.
She remembered the Direcrim meeting. His voice. His composure. The way he watched. The way he spoke like someone used to weighing every word and thinking several moves ahead.
Amarantha narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Furher is my greatest threat. I need to be careful if I want to go unnoticed."
She remained like that for a few more seconds, still, her body sunk into the bed, but her mind still alert, refusing to relax completely.
"I'll rest for a while before going out tonight."
After saying that, she let her eyes close slowly, forcing her mind to let go, if only for a moment, until she finally drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Amarantha was watering flowers along a path through the gardens.
To her, it was one of the few tasks she could consider a small break.
That was when Lederas saw her from a distance and managed to recognize her.
All the maids dressed the same way and wore the same mask. At a glance, one could easily be mistaken for another; they could barely be told apart except by the smallest details, such as hair color, silhouette, or height. Even so, Lederas remembered those features in her. He also remembered her voice.
Amarantha kept watering the flowers as though nothing had happened.
Lederas began to approach calmly. She noticed his presence before he even reached her, but she did not alter the rhythm of her movements. She continued pouring water over the soil until he stopped in front of her.
Then Amarantha turned around, looked at him, and gave a slight bow.
"Your Majesty."
"It's a pleasure to see you again, L9," Lederas said.
She did not respond.
"Don't worry, you may continue. There's no problem."
Amarantha inclined her head slightly once more, then turned back around and continued watering.
Lederas remained by her side in silence while she kept moving among the flowers, pouring water with the same precise calm as before.
For a moment, silence lingered.
Lederas, Sovereign of House Pertrabish (40 years old)
Lederas watched the watering can move along the flowers and said calmly,
"Watering the flowers again."
Amarantha did not reply. She continued in silence, letting the water fall onto the soil with the same precision as before.
"The last time, I asked the head of maintenance to pay closer attention to the gardens," he added as he watched her.
Then he raised a hand and gently brushed the branch of one of the flowers. He examined it for a moment before saying,
"These are in good condition. I do not see any signs of dryness. The petals are still fresh, and the branches look well nourished."
Amarantha finished watering that section and stood still.
Then Lederas spoke again.
"L9."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Remember, you may call me Ed. It is not a problem."
"Understood, Ed," she replied.
Lederas made a small gesture with his hand.
"You may keep watering them. Do not worry."
Amarantha lowered her gaze slightly and resumed walking slowly along the stone path, with flowers on both sides. She moved forward while carefully observing the soil, stopping wherever she still noticed traces of dryness.
Lederas stayed beside her, matching her pace without rushing her.
"Last time, you were watering areas that truly had not been maintained," he remarked.
She remained silent.
Lederas let his gaze sweep across the garden once more.
"And yet, this place does not seem neglected this time."
There was a brief pause before he asked,
"Why are you watering here this time?"
Amarantha paused slightly and answered with her usual restraint,
"The supervisor requested that I do so."
Lederas looked at her with mild curiosity.
"Your supervisor instructed you to water the flowers in this garden?"
"That is correct, Ed," she replied.
Lederas fell silent for a moment, as though that answer did not quite convince him. Even so, he did not press further.
"I see... Though I do not fully understand it, do not worry. I was only asking out of curiosity."
Then he added, with a faint, calm smile,
"And I do not intend to say anything to your supervisor, so you may rest easy."
Lederas knew well that the maids were limited in what they could say and trained not to speak more than necessary, so he did not try to force her.
Amarantha finished watering. There was still some water left in the can.
Standing beside her, Lederas observed the flowers for a few moments before speaking again.
"Flowers and plants have the strange gift of bringing life back to spaces that, without them, would feel incomplete."
His gaze moved across the different colors in the garden.
"And there is something beautiful in their variety as well. Without saying a single word, they remind us that nothing truly alive is born to be the same as everything else."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"As you said that time, they need water, light, and the delicate passage of pollen to remain alive. Everything in them depends on small balances."
Then he lowered his gaze slightly toward one of the flowers.
"I suppose something similar happens with people. Each one needs different things so as not to wither in loneliness."
Amarantha remained still, listening without interrupting.
After a few seconds, Lederas asked,
"Can you imagine a world without them?"
"No, Ed," she replied.
Lederas showed a faint expression of agreement.
"Neither can I."
He let his gaze drift across the garden before adding,
"A garden that was entirely green would still be beautiful, without a doubt. But it is the different colors, the shades, and the variations that truly end up giving a place life."
As he spoke, he crouched slightly and gently stirred the half-damp soil with his fingertips.
"Sometimes I think we need moments like these to find ourselves again... small, quiet moments where the mind can loosen a little, and one remembers that something still exists beyond duty."
Amarantha remained there in silence, listening only out of obligation.
Lederas raised his eyes slightly and said calmly,
"When I am in places like this, I find a kind of harmony that rarely exists in other corners of the palace. They help me enjoy nature and clear my mind."
Then he looked at L9 again.
He was not trying to force her to speak. He knew it would be useless to make her uncomfortable, so he went on speaking with the same serenity, as though it were enough for him simply to share that moment aloud.
"That is why I return to the gardens so often. I like to walk through them without haste, admire the flowers, watch the animals, and let nature do the rest. Sometimes, that is enough—more than any conversation."
There was a brief moment of silence.
Then she spoke.
"Ed..."
"Yes?" he replied.
"I request your permission to withdraw... I need to render service inside the palaces."
Lederas nodded gently.
"Yes, do not worry. There is no problem."
Amarantha gave a slight bow as a sign of respect and turned to leave.
She began to walk away along the path, leaving that enclosure of flowers behind.
Lederas remained there in silence, watching her as she departed. He followed her with his eyes from a distance, and a faint smile appeared on his face, as though that maid stirred in him a curiosity he had not yet fully come to understand.
Amarantha, Sapphire Division (22 years old)
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Beneath the same rain
Beneath the rain, several hooded figures moved along a road lined with merchants who, despite the bad weather, continued offering their goods beneath soaked awnings and makeshift covers.
After going some distance, the group left the main path and headed toward a discreet building set somewhat apart from the rest. One of them knocked on the door, and after a few moments, it opened.
As soon as they stepped inside, the smell of damp wood and confinement wrapped around them at once.
The first to pull back his hood was Haralf.
Haralf, Commander of the Rock Division (60 years old)
Behind him came Gina, Sara, and two young members who had only recently joined: Diana and Leandro.
"Ugh... who would have imagined it would suddenly start raining this hard?" Sara said as she began taking off her soaked shoes.
The others did the same, leaving small wet marks across the floor.
Then Sara looked at the owner of the place and asked,
"Are the rooms unoccupied?"
"Yes, miss. I also have some clothes you may wear for the time being while yours dry," replied the proprietor, an elderly man of about seventy-five.
From a little farther back, Diana asked,
"Is there hot water?"
"It is not completely hot, but it should still do," the man answered.
Sara perked up at once.
"Well then, what are we waiting for? I'm going to change."
And she practically ran toward the second floor.
"Sara? Wait!" Haralf managed to say.
But she had already gone upstairs.
The proprietor smiled faintly.
"I will prepare the fire so you may dry your clothes."
Haralf let out a weary breath.
"That woman is going to make me ill before the rain does."
Gina, also removing her shoes, said calmly,
"It was a long journey. Perhaps a bath is the best thing we can do to make up for it a little."
Leandro, struggling with one of his wet shoes, murmured,
"I did not think the rain would catch us off guard like that. I had forgotten how uncomfortable it is to walk around with soaked shoes."
Haralf glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
"You will have to get used to it, now that you are a soldier of Reydem, boy."
Leandro, Rock Division (19 years old)
Leandro kept tugging at the shoe as he replied,
"Well, I thought I would be staying at the Erthus base... but I understand that we need to reinforce all the divisions."
At last, he managed to free one of them and added,
"Sorry if I complain so much. I'm still getting used to all this."
Gina started heading toward the stairs.
"You will not even notice it once you have gone through worse things. In the end, you will learn to endure them as if they were nothing."
Then she looked at the others and said,
"We'll change first."
"Go ahead," Haralf replied.
Then, seeing Leandro still struggling to remove the other shoe, he walked over to him.
"Damn... it seems to be stuck," Leandro muttered as he kept wrestling with it.
Haralf came to his side without saying a word.
"Wait..." Leandro managed to say.
But it was already too late.
Haralf grabbed the shoe roughly and pulled with so much force that he nearly lifted him off the ground. Leandro lost his balance and fell onto his back.
"Ow!... That hurt," he complained from the floor.
Haralf looked down at him impassively.
"What kind of soldier cannot take off a simple shoe?"
Leandro frowned, still lying on the floor.
"I did not ask for your help."
Haralf bent slightly toward him and spoke in a dry tone,
"Listen, boy, if you want to survive this, you are going to need more than complaints. You are going to need strength, courage, and the ability to endure even when no one has any patience left for you."
Then he straightened up.
"You are no longer in Erthus, nor in whatever comfortable place you came from before arriving here."
After saying that, he stepped away and headed down another corridor.
Leandro remained on the floor for a few seconds, rubbing his back.
"Grump..." he muttered under his breath.
A couple of hours passed.
The rain was still hammering down outside when they all gathered by the fire of a hearth inside the place. They had already taken off part of their wet clothing and were now dressed only in light garments, while the rest dried outside near a few bonfires sheltered from the downpour.
There were Gina, Leandro, Diana, Haralf, Sara, and the proprietor.
Leandro held his hands out toward the warmth and murmured,
"This rain never stops."
The proprietor nodded calmly.
"It has been a long time since it rained this hard in Stravhild. It is likely falling like this throughout all the northern regions."
Sara made a face.
Sara, Captain of the Rock Division (35 years old)
"Whatever the case, I just hope it stops soon. I have always hated the rain."
Haralf let out a faint smile.
"You hate anything that disrupts your comfort even a little."
Several of them laughed under their breath.
Sara clicked her tongue.
"I am serious. When I was a child, in the lands where I lived, it rained so often that that was where I learned to hate it."
Diana laughed softly.
"But people from there usually love the rain."
"Yes, but I do not," Sara replied.
Gina looked at the flames before saying,
"I heard there was some drought in certain areas, so in a way, it is still a good thing that it is raining like this. At least the rivers can fill again, and the land can breathe a little."
Leandro nodded with a trace of nostalgia.
"In our region, we were used to the rain as well. My family were fishermen. I used to go with my father, and many times the rain would catch us in the middle of the day."
He said it with a small laugh, as though for a moment he were seeing that memory again.
Sara then looked at him and asked naturally,
"Then why did you join Reydem if, by the sound of it, you were doing well there?"
The atmosphere changed at once.
Leandro's expression hardened slightly.
"Our village was massacred by armies of House Tudeth over unpaid debts. Only a few of us survived."
Silence fell over the group.
Sara lowered her gaze a little.
"I understand... I am truly sorry."
Haralf kept looking at the fire, saying nothing.
Leandro broke the silence with a soft exhale.
"It is all right. That was a long time ago. What matters is that I survived with a few others... and above all, my younger sister."
Gina looked at him attentively.
"Is she in Erthus now?"
"Yes. Fortunately, she is there."
"She will be safer there," Gina said.
Haralf, who had remained silent until then, spoke without taking his eyes off the fire.
"Boy, many here in Reydem joined because they lost everything in their lives... or because they never had anything to begin with."
Leandro looked at him in silence.
Haralf continued in the same sober, dry tone.
"I am telling you this so you know you are not the only one. In case that is worth anything to you."
Sara turned to look at him. Gina did the same. Even Diana grew a little stiller when she heard him.
Gina, Rock Division (32 years old)
Then Gina spoke in a calmer tone,
"And that is exactly why you will always have everyone's support here."
Haralf stood up.
"Well, I am going to get some rest. Good night to all of you."
After saying that, he headed for the stairs and went up to the second floor, where the rooms were.
Sara also got to her feet shortly afterward.
"Well, me too. The god of wet dreams is waiting for me."
Gina let out a faint smile, as though she were already used to that kind of comment. Leandro and Diana, on the other hand, looked at her with a mixture of confusion and growing familiarity.
They said their goodbyes.
However, Sara had not gone upstairs just to sleep. As soon as she reached the second floor, she headed in the same direction Haralf had taken.
A minute later, the proprietor spoke as well,
"I should go to bed too. This old man needs enough rest if he wants to keep this place standing."
He gave a small smile and withdrew.
Downstairs, only Gina, Leandro, and Diana remained.
Haralf was about to enter his room when, all of a sudden, Sara placed a hand against the door to stop him from opening it.
Haralf looked at her.
"What is it, Sara?"
"You have been far too hard on him ever since he arrived."
Haralf let out a short breath.
"He is a boy who does nothing but complain over and over again."
Sara held his gaze firmly.
"He is a new member, and we have to know how to deal with that. He lost everything, and even so, he joined us."
Haralf answered dryly,
"And that does not mean he should behave that way. We are a combat organization, Sara. He must carry himself like a man, like a soldier, not like a child."
"Yes, he must," she admitted, "but give him the chance to become that."
Haralf gave a slight nod.
Then Sara continued,
"I know you are used to dealing only with soldiers. I know that perhaps at his age, you were already a warrior, alongside Zeldrin and Uther, raised out in the open field. But that does not mean everyone is born a soldier or becomes one the moment they arrive here."
Haralf remained silent for a moment before answering, somewhat more softly, though just as direct,
"Sara, I need that boy to grow accustomed to our reality."
"Let him," she said, "but let him come to understand it in time."
Then she gently touched his shoulder.
"You are our commander, and what sets you apart from other leaders is precisely that: your empathy, the regard you have for your comrades. That is why we follow you wherever you go, no matter what decision you make."
Haralf lowered his gaze for a moment. Then he looked at her again.
"Very well. I will be less hard on him and give him time to grow into it."
Sara gave a small smile.
"I hope so. Otherwise, I will be there to see it."
Then she stepped away from the door and headed toward her room. Before going inside, she looked at him from a short distance away. Haralf looked at her as well for a moment.
Then both of them looked away.
Haralf entered his room, and Sara did the same.
By the fire remained Diana, Gina, and Leandro.
Then, suddenly, Diana said,
"Well... for now, it is just the three of us."
Leandro held his hands closer to the warmth.
"Yes. I want to dry off properly before I go to bed. It is freezing."
Then he added with a grimace,
"And besides... I do not want to run into that creep while he is still awake."
Diana looked at him at once.
Diana, Rock Division (19 years old)
"Leandro, you need to watch your words. He is our commander. You must start obeying your superiors."
Gina, who was still seated in front of the fire, spoke up as well.
"Leandro..."
He turned to look at her.
"She is right, at least in part," Gina said. "A commander must never be disrespected. From now on, you are one of us."
Leandro nodded, lowering his head slightly.
"I know."
Then Gina continued,
"But I also want you to understand something."
She looked at both of them.
"Both of you. I want you to understand it."
Diana and Leandro remained silent.
"You know why you joined Reydem, do you not? You knew the risks. And you also know what division this is."
"I know, Gina," Leandro replied.
"So do I," Diana said.
Gina nodded.
"We are the Rock Division. And even though ours is not exactly a division that is constantly fighting, there will be times when we are in danger and will have to act."
Then she added,
"You are both very young. And you still have much to learn."
She looked at the fire before continuing.
"Haralf is a good commander. He cares about his people. And if he sometimes seems harsh..."
As she said that, she turned her gaze especially toward Leandro.
"It is because we have lost comrades. And, as sad and painful as that is, we have had to keep moving forward."
Diana and Leandro lowered their heads slightly.
"I can imagine..." he murmured.
Gina then looked at him more gently.
"He only wants you to become stronger. And although he may be mistaken in wanting you to be strong right away, we know that is not something learned overnight."
She paused briefly.
"Even so, we must give our very best."
Diana asked,
"And what do they expect from us?"
Gina answered plainly,
"That you train. That you grow stronger. That you learn. That you take part in our activities. And that you survive."
Then she added,
"And above all, that we look after one another as comrades."
Her eyes moved from one to the other.
"We will always make mistakes and learn from them. But we must be careful, because there are mistakes that can cost us our lives."
Leandro tried to lighten the mood with a faint smile.
"Well... thank you for the warnings. They will help me reflect on things."
He said it jokingly, as though those warnings only served to make him even more nervous.
Gina let out a small breath through her nose.
"I am not the best at giving advice or motivating others, but I want you to know that, if I am telling you this, it is because I care about you. Just as Sara and Haralf do. So obey. We will always try to keep you safer."
Then she added, with sincere seriousness,
"Because you are part of us now. And to me, that also makes you part of our family."
Diana and Leandro looked at each other as though holding back a laugh.
Gina frowned slightly.
"What? What are you laughing at?"
Leandro let out a brief laugh.
"Because you say it in such a dry, stern way, but it is obvious that you really do care about us. I understand what you mean, but I cannot help seeing it that way."
Gina ended up laughing too.
"Well... I am not the best at talking about these things."
Then Diana asked,
"Do you really consider us a family?"
"Yes," Gina replied without hesitation. "Even if others do not see it that way, I do."
Then she looked at both of them with steady calm.
"We are going to be together for a long time. We will watch each other's backs, share things, enjoy some of them, and suffer through others. Does that not make a family?"
Diana lowered her gaze slightly.
"Well... yes. I suppose it does."
Leandro laughed.
"A family, with Haralf as the grumpy father."
"Leandro!" Diana scolded him.
"Oh, right. Sorry, sorry. I will not call him that anymore."
And the three of them let out a small laugh.
Gina shook her head.
"Sorry for repeating it like that. I picked it up from a comrade."
Diana raised her brows slightly.
"Sara?"
Gina let out a brief laugh.
"No. It was Martha. Though after that, it ended up spreading to all of us."
Leandro asked curiously,
"And who is she?"
"Martha. You have not met her yet, but you will. She works as one of the leaders of the intelligence team."
Diana smiled faintly.
"I would like to meet her."
Gina laughed as well and looked at her.
Then Leandro turned to Diana again.
"And what about you?"
She looked at him for a moment.
"Well... many things."
And little by little, she began to tell them about herself.
So they remained there for a couple more hours, while the fire warmed and dried them, while the rain kept beating outside, and while the night wore on between conversation and exhaustion, before each of them finally withdrew to sleep.
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Glory and the Cage
Ganza walked down a lavishly decorated corridor before entering a hall of the same style, where several of his subordinates were already waiting for him.
"Your Majesty," they greeted him as soon as they saw him enter.
Ganza moved forward without pausing for long.
"How is everything going?"
"Everything is going spectacularly, Your Majesty," they replied.
Ganza gave a satisfied smile.
"I want to see it."
"This way, Your Majesty."
The men led him farther into the hall, where a set of curtains separated off a more private section of the room. Ganza pulled them aside with one hand.
There stood Glatius.
The gladiator remained still on his feet, waiting.
Ganza, Sovereign of House Tudeth (50 years old)
Ganza smiled faintly when he saw him.
"And if it is not none other than my favorite gladiator... Glatius, the Sword of the Wind."
"Your Majesty," Glatius replied evenly.
Ganza walked over to him and placed both hands on his shoulders.
"Tell me, how are you feeling? Have they taken proper care of you?"
"Yes," Glatius replied.
"Come, come, join me," Ganza said enthusiastically.
The two of them went into another room within the same hall and sat down on a sofa. As soon as he settled in, Ganza raised his voice.
"Cloth maid, come here. Pour the wine."
The young woman came at once, took two goblets, and began to pour.
Ganza touched Glatius's shoulder again.
"We are about to make history, Glatius."
The cloth maid handed them their goblets. But when she turned to leave, Ganza grabbed her buttocks and made a grotesque sound with his mouth.
"Grrrr... I will have you later, cloth maid."
Glatius said nothing. He only watched.
Ganza let out a low laugh.
"She is new. I like fucking them when they are new."
Then he raised his goblet.
"Anyway... as I was saying, the moment of our glory is coming. The moment for you to shine, conquer the kingdom... and make me even richer in the process."
Glatius drank a little wine before replying,
"So the Susaku event will go ahead after all."
"Yes," Ganza said. "And even if I am cooperating, I am doing it for my own interests."
He shifted to one side, looking at him with a smile full of greed.
"I do not care if that idiot Fusuro gets the credit and struts around as though he owns the grand event. All I want is to make more money, gain more prestige, and use all of this to my advantage."
"I enjoy humiliating the houses at times like these. It is the perfect opportunity for them to ruin themselves."
Ganza leaned back into his seat and drank from his goblet before continuing,
"Many houses come to these events hoping to pay off their debts through betting. And that is exactly why they end up sinking even deeper. They go under... and then come the consequences."
His smile widened.
"If you only knew how many families I have destroyed. How many daughters, wives, and sisters ended up turned into maids because of one bad bet."
He let out a louder laugh.
"If it were not for me, there would be far fewer maids in this kingdom."
Glatius
Glatius held the goblet between his fingers, in no hurry to drink. His expression did not change.
"I understand," he said in the same sober tone as always.
Ganza looked at him again with interest.
"And what about you, Glatius? What are you after? What do you want? Tell me, and I will do whatever is necessary to get it for you... so long as you win this tournament."
Then he smiled arrogantly.
"Yes, many houses will bring their hired gladiators. But that means nothing to me, because I have you: the current champion of the Perkstan pits."
And he let out a satisfied laugh as he gave him a few pats on the back.
Glatius lowered his gaze slightly to the wine before replying.
"I only want glory. Nothing else."
Ganza let out a soft laugh.
"That is why I like you. Because we understand each other perfectly."
Then he leaned in slightly toward him.
"Win this tournament for me, and you will have whatever you want. I will give you more than glory: I will give you lands, women, and a name the kingdom will not be able to ignore."
Glatius gave a faint shake of his head and set the goblet down on the table.
"I do not need any of that. My duty and my ambitions lie in the arena. Just bring me the finest warriors."
Ganza laughed again.
"That is why you are my champion."
Then he rose to his feet.
"Though let me tell you something..."
As he walked over to pour himself more wine, the cloth maid made as if to approach, but he motioned for her to stay where she was.
"This time, it will not be so easy. It is a grand event, one of those that have not been held in decades. Every important house, every wealthy man in the region, will want to make history."
He looked back at Glatius.
"I know you are one of the best, and I am convinced you will win... but even so, you will face formidable opponents."
Glatius raised his eyes slightly.
"I heard Cratius is in the capital."
"That is right," Ganza replied as he finished pouring himself more wine. "And not only Cratius. Perticus, Rutius, Agarth... and the colossal Xeros, better known as the Giant, are here as well."
At the sound of those names, Glatius straightened slightly in his seat.
Ganza came over again and filled his goblet.
"That is why I told you: it will not be easy at all."
Glatius looked at the freshly poured wine and then turned his eyes back to him.
"I can imagine."
Ganza smiled with an almost fanatical confidence.
"But you will win."
Then he added, locking eyes with him,
"You have to win. And you will. Because if you lose... I will personally find a way to go to hell just to kick your ass for costing me money and reputation."
Glatius held his gaze without hesitation. He did not smile. He did not move more than necessary.
"I will win that tournament."
Ganza let out a satisfied laugh.
"I like your determination."
Then Ganza looked at the cloth maid and gestured for her to come closer.
The young woman obeyed at once and stepped to his side.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Come here," Ganza said.
He took her by the waist and pulled her against his body. Then, without letting go of her, he turned his gaze back to Glatius.
"You had better win it. In the meantime, enjoy yourself as much as you like. As for me, I am going to enjoy myself in my own way... and add another medal to my chest."
As he said that, he lowered his gaze to the cloth maid with a smile full of vulgarity.
Then he began walking with her toward another room inside the hall. But before entering, he stopped, turned slightly, and looked back at Glatius.
"One more thing."
Glatius raised his eyes from the sofa without moving much.
Ganza smiled.
"If you win the tournament, I will buy your freedom."
He let those words hang in the air for a moment before continuing,
"And you will work for me. For some time now, I have been looking for a general. Especially now that things have become somewhat troubled and my associates have been affected by those damned rebels trying to wreak havoc. I need a warrior I can trust to deal with them, and what could be better..."
He paused briefly, his smile widening.
"...than Glatius himself."
Then he let out a satisfied laugh.
"I will see you later."
And he entered the room with the cloth maid.
From a distance, he could still be heard saying between laughs,
"I am going to show you how a lion fucks, cloth maid..."
Glatius remained seated, motionless, his gaze fixed on the doorway through which Ganza had disappeared.
A short while later, another cloth maid approached to clear away a few things. Seeing that he was still there, she cautiously asked whether he wanted more wine.
Glatius turned his head slightly toward her.
"Do not worry. There is no problem."
The young woman gave a slight gesture of respect and withdrew.
Glatius remained silent for a few more seconds. Then he set the goblet on the table, rose to his feet, and left the place.