There was always a place where visitors were greeted by stacks of piled-up documents.
It was an impressive place with the spicy aroma of whiskey and the gaze of a dark-eyed man.
"Mr. Vilmosi. Can I keep sending magical letters like this?"
"…"
However, now that Joseph was gone, the only thing that filled the mayor's office was someone's anxious gaze.
The newly appointed mayor by Peter was worried about the gold coins that would be burned while he kept watching the bright lights of the magical sphere.
"This is the first time in my life I've written so many letters..."
"Don't worry, I won't pass it on to you."
Even if you are the mayor of Soara, you can't help but feel anxious if you burn hundreds of gold while having a cup of tea.
However, the man in front of him was still sending a letter to someone without even blinking.
"The current letter is something the head of the family would fully agree with, so you don't have to worry too much."
"I see. If that's the case, I'm really fortunate."
The mayor of Soara touched his heart with his hand after hearing that he didn't have to bear the cost.
The scarred man looking at him snorted and set down the tea cup he was holding.
"He's a man it's embarrassing to even compare to the former mayor."
Gold coins are certainly valuable, but there are things that can't be bought with them alone.
It's valuable because it's real and recognized by everyone.
However, the mayor in front of me didn't seem to have the acumen to recognize such things.
'The more I think about it, the more unfortunate it becomes. It would have been good if he had quietly left the competition.'
The man, who had finished assessing the new mayor while reminiscing about his regrets over Joseph, awaited the next news with an indifferent gaze.
And shortly after, the magical sphere began to shine.
-Don't spare support for red roses for the birds that will return. Expected to arrive soon.
"Mmm."
The man's eyes began to narrow as he looked at the note the wizard had written.
Although the note was written with strange pronouns and complex ciphers, the man called Vilmosi could immediately understand the letter's intent.
"…As I said before, I need data on the smile of the rose."
A scarred man began to burn the letter he received in the flame of a candle as a custom.
Under the candlelight, an unknown name that had not yet been burned fluttered.
"Especially about the new Madame."
A golden name that even a bright gold coin cannot buy.
The word Vlad was clearly written in front of the name.
***
If one were asked to choose the most talked-about place in Soara, everyone would choose the same place.
The smile of a rose nestled in an alley.
This place, offering high-quality food and a recently introduced beer called ale, is special because it is guarded by Vlad of Soara.
"The interior is as beautiful as it looks from the outside."
"Thank you, Baroness."
Alicia closely watched the back of the woman guiding her as she spoke those words.
'This person... Lady Zemina.'
Though small in stature, she had beautiful hair.
Indeed, the building called Rose's Smile was not the only thing that seemed out of place in the dilapidated alley.
"When I became interested in Lord Vlad, my eyes naturally fell on the smile of the rose."
"…I see."
Alicia said she was interested in Vlad, but Zemina merely held her breath.
The two ladies had known each other from afar.
"It feels strange, as if I'm traversing Lord Vlad's childhood. I want to know much about that time."
Unlike Alicia, who could offer much, the only thing Zemina could offer were the memories they shared together.
However, when Alicia said she wanted to take that as well, Zemina's eyes began to grow fierce.
"This is the place. It is a private room for special guests."
If you fight, you have to accept it.
Because that was the law of the alleys.
Vlad was not the only one who survived in a world where surrender meant death.
"Wow…"
"…"
Looking at the extravagantly decorated private room on the third floor, the old knight Duncan let out an exclamation of admiration without even realizing it.
This place, which could be said to be Marcella's last work, was too wonderful for two people living in a remote estate to bear in silence.
"…These are wallpapers that follow the central trend. It must not have been easy to obtain."
"It was not as easy to get as you said, but Countess Oksana worked hard."
This is the smile of a rose. Lady Zemina's space.
Zemina began to use the weapons Marcella had engraved on her, one by one, towards Alicia.
"Countess Oksana?"
Alicia meant to say it was a wallpaper that didn't suit the cold of the north, but as soon as Oksana's name was mentioned, Alicia had no choice but to remain silent.
No matter how noble Alicia was, in front of Oksana she was like a candle before the sun.
"…Do you know the countess too?"
"Not directly."
The maids entered behind the smiling Zemina and began to carefully place the dishes.
These women, all of extraordinary beauty, were once the roses that adorned the alleys of Soara.
"It seems that your interest centers on Lord Joseph and Lord Vlad. The interest is truly undeserved."
An inn protected by the knights of the Son in the land governed by the Son.
There is no place like the smile of a rose that can give strength to a mother who missed her son far away.
Marcella, the former lady, took advantage of that support and managed to create the most luxurious inn in the history of Soara, and the appearance of the new alley was directly attributed to Joseph's achievements.
"Yes."
Alicia was left speechless as she looked at the dishes placed before her with the name Oksana.
Because I noticed that the shape of the plates being placed was unusual.
Dominating the opponent with elegant dishes was something quite familiar in the world of noblewomen.
"…There were rumors, but I had no idea it would be such a fantastic place. It was really worth it."
"Thank you for thinking that way, Baroness."
Alicia's words were not empty words.
She really didn't think it would be like this.
However, Lady Zemina was a much bolder and fiercer woman than she had imagined.
In some ways, I think she has some similarities with Vlad's temperament.
"I am very eager to eat it. Even the dishes to be served look good."
However, Alicia's cold blue blood was not shaken by Zemina's provocation.
She was a person who had gone through too many trials to be swayed by this level of provocation.
"Could you prepare the menu that this restaurant is most proud of?"
If she couldn't even get a man from a woman in the dark alley, she wouldn't even be qualified to govern a territory.
At first, Alicia had planned to try to persuade her with the best words possible out of respect for Vlad's memories, but if she attacked so clearly, there was nothing she could do.
"I hope it is food that gives you a sense of the North."
"I will do my best, Baroness."
But Zemina didn't know.
The fact that her actions were actually strengthening Alicia's resolve.
"I think it was a very good idea to come here."
Alicia, who knew Vlad as a knight but didn't know much about Vlad as a man, could be sure when she saw Zemina now.
The man she wants to protect, even against himself, a noble, is Vlad.
The man who cleaned his parents' tombstone with the sunlight shining in the twilight of the evening.
Alicia now decided to face that man as well.
***
"The order is... The menu I have the most confidence in."
The kitchen is located on the fourth floor, not on the first floor.
Marcella, standing there, looked at the note in front of her and began to smile silently.
"Good job, Zemina. Of course, I have to do this."
Several women behind Marcella began to nod as she murmured to herself.
"Marcella can really retire now. The next lady won't fall behind either."
"I didn't know she would grow up like this."
"I guess there's something about the kids of that generation, including Vlad and Harven."
The women in the old alley started chatting upon seeing the first victory report brought by Zemina.
They have lived their whole lives wrinkled, torn in this way, and beaten in another.
However, now they greatly empathized with Zemina's attitude of trying to have confidence even in front of the nobles.
"...I really need to retire after cooking this dish today."
Marcella, who quietly wiped the kitchen knife with a dry cloth, was satisfied with Zemina's effort and began to take out the ingredients she had prepared in advance.
"If there's a dish that captures the taste of the North, it's this one."
From light appetizers to whet the appetite to main courses and desserts.
Due to the nature of the North, where food is served all at once and then cools down, the nobility here enjoyed a meal where dishes were served multiple times.
In other words, it meant that it was a dish that couldn't be served in a street restaurant.
"I don't have to worry about the cost of ingredients today, do I?"
However, the street chefs that Marcella brought today were all women with at least 20 years of experience.
They were women who survived in the tough alleys only with their skills.
They decided to do their best for the rose of the back alley, who plans to retire today.
***
Neigh-
There was a black horse and a donkey standing on the cold street.
Noir let out a sigh with a neigh and looked at Soara in the distance, losing his temper as if asking why they weren't entering quickly, but Vlad, who was actually holding the reins, remained still and unmoved.
"…Why is this happening?"
A transparent glass bottle filled about a third with water.
Vlad's eyes trembled as he looked at the glass bottle that was oddly upside down on the cold ground.
"Is this also magic?"
"Indeed. It's magic."
Nibelun struggled to lift the glass bottle that was upside down and tossed it up into the sky once more.
Crack-!
The sight when a glass bottle, which had been floating high and spinning, fell.
Looking at that scene, Vlad involuntarily opened his mouth.
"If this isn't magic, what is?"
"...Ugh, what is this?"
It was surprising that it could stay upright because it was thrown so high, yet it stood there upside down.
Even after tossing it dozens of times, Vlad had no choice but to admit it as it remained there the same way.
"If you enter the city now, something very ugly awaits you. As my advisor mage, I advise you to stay here just for a day."
"There's a city right in front of us, so is it okay to camp? In this winter?"
Moshiam, trapped in fog, took two months from Vlad, and as a result, the current season was full winter.
Now Nibelun was talking about setting up camp right in front of Soara.
"Of course, it's Lord Vlad's decision."
"... "
Vlad's expression began to turn serious as he heard Nibelun's words handing over the decision.
A mystery is literally something that cannot be explained by reason or common sense.
Vlad had no choice but to seriously ponder this strange situation that could not be explained by probability.
"So, if you go to Soara now, will it become very sinister?"
"According to my divination, yes."
"So something sinister is happening in Soara? Or not..."
"Prophecy and divination are something you can't recognize unless you encounter them."
Vlad began to scratch his head when Nibelun said he would have to go to know the details.
"I'm definitely not a swindler."
If a street swindler had said this, he would have hit him, but Nibelun's ability to pursue mysteries was vouched for by Vlad himself.
"... Let's enter right away."
"Are you sure it's okay?"
Divination is only a guide, not a direction to follow.
Nibelun took the mysterious glass bottle and asked again, but Vlad had already made a decision.
"They say it's sinister. Then we should go faster."
The city pointed out by the evil divination was Vlad's hometown and was full of people who shouldn't be missed.
He wasn't sure in which direction the sinister fire was coming from, but Vlad decided to run and stand beside them.
"Is that donkey a breed that can run fast?"
"By nature, donkeys are not horses prepared for running."
"Then do your best today."
Noir felt Vlad riding on his back and gave him a strong hug.
Noir, the meadow's son, longed for the redhead to brush his hair.
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