A Moment of Leisure

The Next Day.

After pushing the matter of rewards onto Honest and using the excuse of the "military officials shouldn't meddle in politics," Selene did as Budo often did—she skipped most of the court meetings (though she'd still attend critical ones, like the year-end Grand Assembly).

In the beginning, she had found the debates between the bureaucrats somewhat entertaining, but now Selene had grown weary of their constant bickering. It gave her headaches, so she happily left it to Honest to handle.

As for Selene's current plans? Naturally, she was going out to enjoy herself!

Walking through the bustling commercial streets of the middle district in the capital, the scene was entirely different from the cold and quiet upper district. Here, the streets were teeming with people, just as lively as any modern-day marketplace.

From the entrance of the street, all Selene could see was a sea of people. Merchants hawking their wares loudly, commoners in simple clothes, neatly dressed citizens, and even nobles accompanied by guards, all browsing the shops.

Selene couldn't help but marvel at how the empire blended ancient and modern elements. The city was a fascinating mix of Roman-style gates, modern neon signs, and traditional Eastern wooden palaces—all blending harmoniously, creating a unique beauty that even Selene had to admire. The craftsmanship of the builders who designed the capital was indeed impressive.

The only downside was that Selene herself stood out too much.

With her white hair, complex red diamond-shaped pupils, doll-like features, and her gleaming silver armor, she was instantly recognizable.

As Selene and Esdeath walked down the street, the bustling atmosphere quickly died down. Every passerby, from commoners to nobles, immediately bowed in respect. Even the nobles paused, removing their hats to pay their respects.

"Salute!" A patrolling squad of Imperial guards, upon spotting Selene, quickly stood at attention and saluted.

Selene nodded, gesturing for them to continue with their duties and not worry about her.

"Little Esdeath, is there anything you'd like to buy?" Selene asked, seeing Esdeath staring at her in awe.

"Don't worry, this time I'm treating. You don't have to spend your meager stipend," Selene declared confidently, patting her chest.

"General... I think it would be more productive to spend this time training in the barracks." Esdeath replied with a serious expression.

"Sigh..."

Selene couldn't believe it. In most stories, whenever someone invited a girl out shopping, they'd get excited and shop until they dropped. But this one? All she ever thought about was combat and growing stronger.

Sighing in defeat, Selene ruffled Esdeath's hair. She couldn't even come up with a good excuse for why she wanted to go out for some fun herself.

Just as she was pondering this, she spotted a nearby barbecue stand and quickly changed the subject. "Boss, do you have any earth dragon meat?"

The vendor, visibly trembling, responded, "Y-yes, General..."

"What are you so afraid of? I'm not a bad person... Give me twenty skewers of earth dragon meat."

Seeing that the vendor was on the verge of tears, Selene couldn't help but chuckle. "Am I really that scary? I'm not going to eat you. I'm even bringing you business!"

"General... mmph!"

Esdeath was about to say something when Selene swiftly grabbed a freshly grilled skewer and shoved it into her mouth. "Eat your food, and stop talking so much."

"Remember, you're the one who wanted to come out today."

...

By the end of the afternoon, Esdeath had been transformed into Selene's personal doll, dressed in all sorts of luxurious clothes and accessories. Selene had bought her a mountain of expensive outfits and trinkets.

"General, can we stop now? I'm exhausted..." By the time evening rolled around, Esdeath had lost track of how many outfits she had tried on. She felt more drained than when she hunted danger beasts alone in the frozen north.

Although physically and mentally tired, Esdeath couldn't deny that she enjoyed being cared for and doted on by her general. Still, seeing the eagerness in Selene's eyes, Esdeath knew she had to put an end to this somehow—otherwise, she really wouldn't last much longer.

Spotting a small restaurant nearby, Esdeath's sharp mind came up with a plan.

"General, I'm feeling a bit hungry. Why don't we grab something to eat?"

Tugging at Selene's skirt, Esdeath pointed toward the restaurant with a pleading look.

"Alright." Realizing that she was indeed feeling a bit peckish, Selene agreed without hesitation.

Hearing her general's response, Esdeath breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, her general was a glutton, someone who could cross mountains just for a good meal!

"All your signature dishes, bring them all out!" Esdeath hurried into the restaurant as if afraid Selene would change her mind.

But before she could finish her sentence, a clumsy waitress rushed out from the kitchen.

Instinctively, Esdeath moved into an attack stance, and with a thud, a loud crash of ceramic smashing followed.

"Ah! It's so hot... it hurts... ouch..."

"What happened? What's going on...?" Still outside, Selene heard the commotion and wondered if Esdeath had gone inside to cause a scene.

"Didn't she just go in to order some food? Why's there so much noise?"

Pushing the door open, Selene was greeted by the sight of a purple-haired girl lying on the ground, nursing her bruised body. She turned to Esdeath with a puzzled look. "Did you do this?"

"I didn't hit her that hard... She ran into me herself," Esdeath muttered softly, not having meant to cause such a mess.

"You..." Selene sighed, noticing the young girl wincing in pain as she rubbed her injured limbs.

With a resigned smile, Selene decided to intervene.

"Healing technique."

A soft, pure white light began to form in Selene's palm, and as its soothing glow spread throughout the restaurant, it brought an inexplicable sense of comfort to everyone. The fatigue of the day seemed to wash away under the calming influence of the light.

With a wave of Selene's hand, the white light gently entered the purple-haired girl's body.

In an instant, the pain she had been experiencing vanished. Even the scalding burns from the spilled food began to disappear, her red, swollen skin healing before everyone's eyes.

"Thank you..." The purple-haired girl looked up timidly at the tall and imposing Imperial general before her.

"Ah, no problem, it was my fa—" Selene began to reply, but before she could finish...

A middle-aged couple suddenly rushed out from the kitchen. Upon seeing Selene, they immediately dropped to their knees, clutching the girl tightly as they trembled and begged, "General, please forgive our daughter, Sheele, for her offense!"