Ace stepped into the bar with a grin.
"Time to get drunk. Wonder what that even feels like..." he muttered to himself.
He made his way to the counter, nodded at the bar owner, and casually ordered a beer. While waiting, he took in the surroundings.
Laughter, murmurs, the clink of mugs, it had the exact chaotic energy he had expected.
"Right... inns and bars are always information hubs," Ace recalled, smirking. "At least that's what all the novels I have read always say."
Just then, loud voices rose from a nearby table.
"Hahaha! Did you see the way the Second Prince ran with his tail between his legs?"
"Hey! Shut up! You trying to get us all killed?" someone hissed, eyes darting nervously.
But the drunken speaker didn't care. He banged his mug on the table.
"I'm a proud supporter of the First Prince, damn it! I'm one of the Royal Guards myself! Who's gonna kill us, huh? WHO?!"
That was the last thing he ever said.
