Two months later, not many days before the Day of Blooming

Plinius’s heart raced as he looked out of the carriage window. He had been pinged by [Dangersense] a few times while visiting Aethereum, Lucerna’s capital.

The plans for his life changed when, a month ago, the [General] informed him that his candidacy for the role of [Captain] had been moved up—he had to visit the general command in Aethereum.

‘Your presence has been noted, Plinius. Many are watching you. With the current situation in Amorium, they thought it better to make a showing of promoting a promising lad.'

That’s what Aurelianus, the [General], told him.

Plinius turned again to look through the rear window but did not see anything but the staggering profile of Aethereum slowly fading into the distance.

Then, he heard a knock, and the carriage stopped.

His hand shot to the hilt of his sword at his side, but before he could reach it, the voice spoke, “[Captain], [Courier]’s delivery for you.”

No less wary after hearing the announcement, Plinius kept his hand on his sword and opened the carriage door.

There, in front of him, stood a [Courier] – an extremely expensive form of delivery, with the minimum cost being several golds.

“A parcel for you,” the man extended a package.

The [Courier] was unassuming, and Plinius could barely make out the details of his face before a rather small box was dropped on his lap.

“Sir, I need verbal confirmation. This is a delivery for you from Flaminia Lemonia. Are you...”

After finishing with the formalities of this special delivery, the carriage [Driver] was grumbling about delays and those damn [Couriers] while Plinius stared at the small wooden box on his lap.

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A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He had spoken with Flaminia before going away on this trip; she had wanted to apologize for how she’d treated him, apparently. It was... sweet. The beautiful pink-haired [Chef] looked much changed from the spoiled woman he had fallen in love with. Only his duty had been able to pry him away from her, but he still regretted it.

If it were up to me, I would still be with her, the man thought wistfully, looking at the box. He had an idea of what it might contain, but he wasn’t sure it was the right moment to open it.

I need to calm down, the now-[Captain] thought. We are going away, and the [General] himself arranged for this man to bring me back. It’s going to be close, but I should make it back in time for the party.

This whole business of traveling up to Aethereum for his promotion was highly unusual. Even Aurelianus said as much.

What was even more unusual was the kind of people he had met and the messages he had received there. Someone had broken into his room at the inn, leaving him mysterious notes and warning him of something.

Most of all, he had received an invitation he truly regretted accepting. The kind of knowledge that had fallen into his lap was...

The most important thing was that now, he could get back with Flaminia if she so wished. He might very well cause the ire of the [General] and never hope for a promotion again. Hell, he might be court-martialed for what he needed to do. Thankfully, he knew that the Watch would have his back on this matter.

Plinius decided to open the box and found an extremely cute pink cake with ‘Congratulations' written on top. He smiled and found a little wooden fork in the package to eat it with.

He scooped up some of the cake, thankful for the [Driver]’s skills keeping this a steady ride.

As he bit into the cake, he raised an eyebrow. He had tasted Flaminia’s cakes more than once, but this one was surprisingly not sugary by her standards.

He kept eating in silence, worried about the future but happy that things had become clearer for him.

Plinius had never been extremely good at politics nor at climbing the military ladder—only his great natural talent for military matters had pushed him this far. But now, given the choice, he was starting to envision a completely new life for himself.

He also missed his sister—they hadn’t exchanged a word since their last fight.

I will apologize, Plinius thought to himself. Then, sighing, he was about to think of something else when his vision began to swim.

Without any warning, he doubled over, falling to the carriage floor.

“Hey! What are you doing back there?!” He heard the [Driver] call out to him, but there was no more air in his lungs. Plinius’s eyes widened, and the whites of his eyes turned black.

How?! Who?!

But the last thought that passed through his mind was that no one but him would ever find out. Or maybe…

Wait, the Human! I need to—