"Uncle Lance, Uncle Lance."
Inside the room, a drunkard heard his name and slowly opened his eyes. He raised a hand to shield them from the glaring sunlight.
"Uncle Lance, are you there?"
The drunkard slowly got to his feet, walked to the door, and pulled it open. Looking at the boy before him, he asked, "What do you need me for?"
"Uncle Lance, Father asked me to invite you over for drinks tonight."
"I understand."
"If there's nothing else, Uncle Lance, I'll be leaving first."
"Go on."
After watching the boy leave, Lance shut the door and returned to bed to continue sleeping.
Who knew how much time passed before the sky gradually darkened.
Only after the last ray of sunlight vanished from the room did Lance wake up. He stood, picked up the clothes beside him, casually draped them over himself, and headed for the door.
When he reached the entrance, he glanced back as usual at the Priest's Scepter gathering dust in the corner. Then, without looking back, he left home and headed toward the residence of the deputy commander of Kaga City's City Defense Army.
On the streets, passing commoners took the initiative to salute when they saw Lance, offering their respect to this former Holy Blood Church priest.
Before long, Lance arrived in front of an estate.
The two guards at the gate saw Lance's disheveled appearance and smelled the alcohol on him, yet neither showed the slightest contempt. They saluted him respectfully.
Ignoring the two guards, Lance strode straight into the estate and headed for the main hall.
At that moment, on the training grounds, a middle-aged man instructing a boy sensed a familiar presence and said, "That's enough for today. Go back and rest."
"Yes, Father."
A delighted expression appeared on the boy's