And from the sides of his head, long ears stuck out—pointed ones. Yup. Very pointy.
...Elf? Maybe. Li Shen didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet.
Finally, there was the large man sitting next to Rhitahtyn.
He had a broad, muscular build wrapped tightly in a deep crimson military uniform, and a black cape—or maybe it was called a surcoat—draped over his back.
He looked every bit the intimidating soldier, and among the three, he was the biggest in both height and width.
This man was none other than Marshal Nero bas Lexentale of the Imperial Army.
He looked like he was about halfway in age between Agares and Rhitahtyn.
His hair was a striking, fiery red, cut short and neat.
His sharp golden eyes, which seemed to glare naturally, and his mouth, set firmly in a hard line, gave off a strong, almost wild presence.
He was definitely a rugged, cool-looking older guy.
Li Shen told himself not to think that his face looked a little scary—but it totally did.
…Yeah. There's no doubt about it. These three men were absolutely among the top-ranking, most important people in Goa'uld Empire.
The kind of people who were surely way too busy to just hang around. No way they had time for anything other than their main duties.
And yet… they were here. Talking to him. Taking care of him.
Was Somnus really expected him to hang out with these people? Seriously? Was Somnus insane or something?!
Then Somnus spoke, almost like he'd read Li Shen's mind.
As he gently wiped the corner of Li Shen's mouth with a napkin—his touch so light and precise it didn't irritate his healing skin—he started explaining.
"Li Shen, these three with us—Agares is a beastman of the rabbit kind, Rhitahtyn is an elf and Nero is what we call a double race. He's half beastman and half elf. They're all considered demi-human races, but in our empire, we value ability above all else. We don't hesitate to appoint people based on skill, regardless of race."
They had waited patiently without a word while Li Shen finished eating and now Somnus was introducing them in turn—casually dropping fantasy words like "elf" and "beastman" as if this were a normal day.
Okay, sure, that's a lot to take in… Let's just set the fantasy species stuff aside for now. More importantly...
Li Shen hesitated for a moment, then he leaned slightly toward Somnus, his voice low and unsure. "…Um, Somnus… I don't think these people are free enough to be wasting time taking care of me. Isn't this kind of a huge inconvenience for them…?"
Somnus blinked his eyes once, then he answered flatly, like the idea itself was absurd.
"Of course not. There is nothing—public or private—that could be more important than looking after you, Li Shen. Isn't that right, all of you?"
"Hohoho. To think we would be personally addressed by the one known as the Dominator of Arcane Magic… I could die fulfilled at any moment now," Agares said with a chuckle while bowing his head slightly.