"Sigh, I should go," said Sophia's mother, her voice soft, tinged with a trace of yearning, as if she wanted to be in Sophia's place.

"What I'm thinking about it," she shook her head, and walked slowly toward her room.

Her hips swayed a little, showing her prominent curves.

Entering her room, she smelled herself then murmured, "I need to take a bath."

Meanwhile, Maria and I collapsed into the sheets, the weight of sleep dragging us under almost immediately.

Morning came harshly, the sunlight spilling through the curtains.

I opened my eyes, feeling like a zombie, and walked toward the bathroom. Each step echoed in the quiet house.

After cleaning myself, I glanced back at Maria, she was still curled up on the bed, her chest raising and falling softly.

I let her sleep, and quietly, I reached for my coat and slipped it on.

Opening the door, I froze for a second. Sophia was there looking at me.

Her eyes had black marks underneath, she must've spent the night awake.

"You guys were loud," she said, a hint of teasing, but her voice was rough around the edges.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Morning" I muttered, and we started walking downstairs together.

The restaurant was still empty, with an hour before opening. The tables glinted in the early light.

The smell of bread and simmering soup lingered faintly from the kitchen.

Sophia's mother appeared, she wore an apron with a bear shape, and her wide smile bright enough to fill the room.

"Heheh, daughter, it seems your boyfriend didn't let you sleep," she teased.

Sophia let out a quiet groan. "Not now, mom. Not the first thing in the morning."

Her mother waved her off. "Alright, I'll prepare breakfast for you two," she said, already moving toward the kitchen.

Sophia looked at me, her tone curious. "Do you want to leave today?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Honestly? That was the plan. But… there's still something I need to do."

She tilted her head, playfully. "What thing?"

I reached into my inventory and pulled out the black sword. The metal gleamed faintly in the sunlight. "You see, I suck at swordplay. I wanted to find a teacher."

Her smile deepened, almost madly. "Hahaha, lucky for you, this sword master will train you."

I squinted at her. "How good are you?"

"Good enough to take first place in the continent sword tournament," she said lightly, as if it were nothing.

I frowned. "But what about your people? Don't you want to stay here and rule, like we agreed?"

She huffed, brushing off the question. "I can run it from afar." Her eyes locked on mine, unflinching. "Besides, I need to live in your royal castle. Of course, for training purposes"

I nodded, swallowing the worry in my throat. At that moment, her mother returned with breakfast, placing dishes in front of us.

"Here, dig in," she said.

We ate in silence for a moment, the clinking of cutlery and the faint scent of eggs and bread filling the air. After finishing, Sophia leaned back, a spark in her eyes.

"Want a little spar? We can do it in the backyard," she asked, a teasing challenge.

I shook my head. "Maybe not today. I have pressing matters. But I accept your offer. You can come live in the castle."

Her nod was quick, decisive. She seemed almost relieved. I stood, rising from the table, and headed upstairs toward Maria.

Opening the door, I found her still in the bathroom, water dripped faintly from her body.

"Sorry, Ragnar, I overslept," she said, tying her hair back.

I shook my head. "Don't worry. Let's make our way back to the castle."

She wore her clothes, and we walked downstairs together, the stairs creaking under our footsteps.

Sophia was waiting near the door, clad in her knight armor, the metal catching the sunlight.

"Where are you going?" I asked, unable to hide a smile.

"Of course with you two. We're going the same way. Let's tag together," she replied, adjusting her gauntlets.

I nodded. "Then let's go back home."

The three of us stepped outside. The city streets buzzed like a live wire. Cart wheels clanging, vendors shouting over each other.

Maria's hand found mine immediately, and Sophia walked close beside me, her eyes scanning the crowds.

We soon reached the city's outer walls faster than I expected. Unlike last time, the gates were guarded by two men, each one a side.

One of them stepped forward, but the moment he saw Sophia armour he shouted.

"General.!" His voice cracked.

Sophia raised a hand towards us "These are my guests. They don't need a permit to enter or leave."

The guard's eyes widened, then he saluted with a trembling precision that made me want to laugh and wince at the same time. "Yes, General!"

Maria whispered, gripping my arm. "Why are they scared of her?"

"I think that's called fear of authority," I said, glancing at Sophia.

We passed through the gate. Beyond it stretched vast grasslands.

My eyes couldn't help but drift back to those Cow-women.

"What are they?" I asked, looking at Sophia.

She looked at me as if I were lacking basic knowledge.

"They're a sub-monster species, just like you Kobolds and us Hydros.

Of course, not all sub-species have the same level of intelligence.

Some are very smart, like the dragons. Beings as clever as us.

And then there are others… species with low IQ.

Cow-women are one of them.

If you want, you can take them with you."

I paused for a moment.

"Should I do it or not?"

Then I turned back to Sophia. "I'll take them with me when I come back and build a place for them to stay in my royal castle."

Sophia nodded.

"Okay." We resumed our walk.

It took almost a full day to get back to the castle, but it didn't bother me or Sophia.

We stopped several times because Maria's stamina couldn't keep up, and she needed to rest.

Walking along the stone corridor toward the castle, I turned to Sophia.

"Come with me to prepare your room."

She nodded. "Yes, and we need to set a schedule for the training."

I grimaced. "Yes, but let's postpone it until next week. I have something to do."

She nodded, and we walked inside the castle.

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