Regarding the position of Governor, Liana pouted, showing her dissatisfaction.
"Hmph, if it weren't for that old Prime Minister..."
"Well, it's not bad here; at least I can help more people."
Through their conversation, Asahi discovered that the Governor was one of the few officials who still cared for the country and its people. He had once been a powerful politician in the Capital, but unfortunately, there were too many parasites there, with the old Prime Minister constantly sabotaging him. Eventually, he could only withdraw from the Capital to serve as Governor of this land.
For the people here, that was perhaps a stroke of luck. Since he took office, poverty had significantly decreased, and the central town was full of vitality, unlike that smog-filled Capital.
Yet the Capital side would not let the Governor be, continuing their games of sabotage. From cutting aid and imposing taxes to secretly allowing criminal organizations the chance to infiltrate the area—the Prime Minister was behind it all.
Liana didn't crave a wealthy life like back in the Capital; she hadn't cared for such things since childhood. She simply felt the injustice on behalf of her father.
"Asahi, what do you do for a living in the Capital?"
"I opened a drink shop; business isn't too bad."
"Do you hear that, Liana? He's young and already has his own career. You're this old and still clutching that weapon; that's why no boys dare to get close."
"Mr. Asahi, for a coffee shop owner, I see you are even stronger than the captains in the Capital, and you possess a righteous spirit. If the Empire had more talented people like you, it wouldn't have reached this low at least."
The Governor sighed. He had dedicated almost his entire life to the Empire, even when the young King ascended the throne. But instead of listening to people like him, that child followed the corrupt official who only knew how to flatter and bully others.
After that man became Prime Minister, those truly working for the Empire and the people were gradually eliminated. Not just them, but the fates of their families were equally grim.
The Great General was the one the Prime Minister feared most, originally thought to be a turning point. But no, the Great General was an excessively brutal and bloodthirsty person—someone who only enjoyed war, violence, and torture. That person didn't care what happened to the country as long as there was conflict so she could continue to "play."
Regarding this issue, he didn't know how to voice an opinion. For a thousand years, perhaps this land had grown too weary of the society ruled by this dynasty. Putting a childish and naive King in place—one so easy to lead by the nose—served as a testament. It showed the people here the problem with passing leadership to someone without sufficient character or capability. Just because a problem hasn't occurred doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Starting with the first Emperor, the strongest, wealthiest, and most powerful man who laid the foundation, through many generations of Emperors with a thousand years of history and countless ups and downs to create a mighty empire. Now, it only took ten years to cause it to rot from the inside and finally collapse.
The journey lasted about an hour before the bustling sounds of a crowd began to appear. Asahi knew they had arrived at the town.
As the carriage drove down the main road, the people nearby weren't wary but instead joyfully welcomed the Governor. Even Liana lacked the haughty air of a noble lady, being very familiar with the people there.
According to the plan, he and the coachman would stay here for one day before continuing their journey, while also restocking necessary supplies.
Politely declining the invitation to the Governor's house, Asahi went looking for a place to stay.
Watching Asahi's silhouette walk away, the Governor nudged Liana, startling her.
"Well? Heart fluttering? Good character, not bad strength—isn't he exactly your type?"
"Father... what are you talking about??? I'm just... a little curious."
The Governor looked at his daughter, who was trying harder to hide it only to make it more obvious, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Liana got angry, veins appearing on her forehead.
Although the town was quite large, the number of inns was not many, primarily serving merchants from elsewhere.
Asahi found the smallest, least noisy inn, where the coachman also stayed.
After finding the inn, he went to buy supplies. This process went very smoothly. By the time preparations were complete, it was nearly dark.
Asahi finished a simple dinner and stripped off his clothes to take a hot bath.
In this town, whether it was an inn or a private house, they all had this type of bathtub. It was said that the water source here was heated by lava flowing underground, which is why the water was so hot.
After several days of enduring wind, rain, and cold snow, soaking in hot water was truly wonderful. Asahi had a rare moment to relax.
However, just as he was about to get out, he heard someone enter the bathroom next door—not one person, but two. The soundproofing between rooms was good, but his hearing was far from ordinary.
"So, has all the cargo been moved?"
"It's moved. We can set off tonight. But I'm scared; going back to the Capital, what if Night Raid finds us...?"
"Don't worry, Night Raid only targets officials and the wealthy."
"But isn't the boss rich now too?"
"Why worry about that? We just need to move the goods, get the money, and pocket it."
"And I have to admit, those drugs are really convenient. Those women only need a few days of training to become obedient."
Asahi wondered, was there such a coincidence? These guys were acting as if they were intentionally leaking information to him.
But it turned out the coincidence wasn't what he thought. These men did this regularly—that is, they always discussed business while bathing. They were simply overconfident in the wall's soundproofing; it just so happened that Asahi went to bathe at this time, and he had the ability to bypass the wall's soundproofing.
People in this world can train their bodies to a very high limit, but that is only physical constitution, not the five senses. Those things are much harder to train. Meanwhile, his physical constitution, nervous system and reactions, and his senses were all enhanced equally. After all, he had consumed quite a few items; it would be strange if they weren't balanced.
If there was one more person who could hear through soundproofing, it would be Leone. With the Lionelle transformation, she could enhance her body, nervous system, and senses to be as powerful as a predatory beast.
Asahi grew increasingly solemn as he listened. He didn't know if the drugs in this world were the same as in his, but this stuff wasn't anything good. Hearing these two talk about drugs as a "divine medicine to tame women" immediately made him think of drug addiction.
They weren't just these two; they had a dedicated organization in the Capital. Here, they only saw it as a transit station.
He recalled what the Governor had said earlier. The Capital side was clearing the path for criminals to infiltrate this place. Because of that, the number of bandits had increased rapidly. But those were likely just lackeys, used primarily as a smokescreen and to attract attention. The real darkness approaching was organizations like these drug traffickers.