Here, the tranquility and elegance of birdsong and blooming flowers still remained, as if it were a true paradise hidden from the world.
At that moment, an important figure was expressing his dissatisfaction to the old military man before him.
"Hey, are you really taking this game seriously? Look, I won again. You come to play against me every month, yet you haven't improved at all. Pixis, that simply won't do."
Pixis was a bald old man with wrinkles clustered beneath his eyes and golden pupils.
At that moment, he rubbed his bald head with some distress. "Ah, I'm still no match for Duke Balte at all."
Duke Balte, a fat man with a bald head and a golden beard, took a sip of wine and burst into laughter. Then, with practiced ease, he pinched a delicately crafted pastry from the plate and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.
When soldiers considered themselves fortunate to eat meat even once a year, Duke Balte was enjoying desserts made from all kinds of rare fruits, including pineapples, walnuts, almonds, and grapes.
Meat was so expensive that even the Survey Corps only ate it once a year, and that was preserved meat.
Yet Duke Balte's desserts were all made from fresh fruit. His extravagance was beyond anything ordinary people in this kingdom could imagine.
"You're the Highest Person in Charge of the southern lands, aren't you? With skills and brains like yours, what are you supposed to use to defeat the Titans?"
As Duke Balte spoke those teasing words, his face had already turned bright red from the alcohol.
One was a bloated duke who was nearly drunk unconscious, while the other was an energetic old soldier standing ramrod straight.
Judging from their expressions and bearing alone, anyone could tell they