Velancia placed the letter back into the envelope with a slow, meticulous gesture. Her eyes fixed on the horizon as her fingers tapped lightly against her chin, accompanied by a heavy sigh.
"One month?" she murmured, her tone filled with incredulity, followed by an impatient click of her tongue. "Tsk... there's no way I can handle everything in just one month. It's too much time... and, at the same time, it's nothing."
The guard, who had been watching her closely, risked speaking, carefully choosing his words:
"Normally, we wouldn't even need your help, but ever since this started, every time we're about to defeat the minotaurs, someone appears and turns the tide."
He seemed tormented as he recalled the countless defeats. Agony overflowed in his voice:
"And it doesn't make sense! How is it possible for the minotaurs to have so many connections? Who's behind this?"
