"Mister… Ats!" The receptionist behind the ter, a woman with short blonde hair, greeted him, her fingers poised over a virtual keyboard embedded in her desk.

  "So, you’re looking for 30 to 40 batants and around 10 workers, correct?" she firmed.

  "Yes," Ats replied, "and I’d also like to know what kind of budget I should prepare for that."

  The woman smiled, resting her hands on the desk. "We’ll do our best to find suitable didates. But since you’re a newly awakened Lord with no track record yet—and this being your first battle—the number of ied applits might be on the smaller side."

  She paused to let her words sink in. "However, if you’re able to increase the pay rate, it could help attract more didates. We’ll run an initial seard update you as soon as we have results."

  "Thanks," he replied with a nod.

  Hiring temporary meraries turned out to cost between 3 to 5 gold for a 14-day tract—a steep price, given that he’d only mao accumute 1,000 gold so far. Recruiting around 40 people would mean an expense of 120–200 gold for two weeks, or up to 400 gold for a full month.

  Still, if he could secure truly dependable recruits, the iment could pay off many times over. Success in battle would yield loot and rewards that would far outweigh these upfront costs.

  Yet, the risks of war were real. Defeat could bring injuries, perma disabilities, or eveh for anyone under his and.

  For meraries who pledged their loyalty to a Lord, the rewards extended far beyond just gold. They gained access to Exp Orbs for accelerated leveling and had the ce to acquire specialized armor, ons, and other rare gear.

  After experieng this phase of temporary hire, some chose to switch to long-term tracts, essentially dedig their lives to their Lord. However, this level of itment required deep resped earrust—a bond not easily formed.

  Recruiting Awakehis way was indeed one of the most effective ways to build a foundation as a Lord, quickly amplifying strength and potential in the short term.

  Sure, Ats had access to the Gacha System, which provided him with subordinates of far greater value than hired Awakeners. But even with that advantage, a battle of this scale couldn’t be managed by just four or five people. He’d still need a broader team to cover all the essential roles. So, for now, this approach remained necessary.

  “O…kay…” the woman said, gng at her list. “I’ve also he materials you requested, and I’ll notify you as soon as I find sellers and reasonable prices. But just so you’re aware, the price for World Shards is around 150 to 200 gold per item. So you might need up to 600 gold if you’re looking to get three.”

  Ah, just as he suspected—the price was steep.

  After that, Ats acquired five Awakener Devices, which could also be used for unication. He po give oo each of his key subordinates. Without a reliable way to unicate over long distances, coordination became difficult. Like now, for example—he wouldn’t know if anything happeo Edrik, Manna, or Mira while he was out with Karian and Lyrassa.

  Ats moved toward the exit, passing through the rge lobby, where he noticed a fair number of awakeners gathered in the space. But… Why did he feel like their eyes were on him?

  Was it their clothing? No, they were dressed normally. Maybe it was Karian’s impressive height and build? But he was in regur clothes now, not the dragon armor he’d worn when he was first summoned.

  As they tinued walking, Ats finally noticed what Lyrassa was doing. She was waving to the people around them and occasionally even bowing.

  “What are you doing, Lyrassa?”

  “Oh…” Lyrassa turo him with a giggle. “They were looking over at me… so… I’m just greeting them back?”

  “They’re only looking our way; no one’s actually saying anything to you.”

  "They… seem ied in me, like they want to talk to me," Lyrassa said.

  “ you… read their minds or something?”

  Lyrassa only answered with a smile. “Should I just ighem, then, My Lord?”

  “It’s actually a bit strange if you’re that friendly in respohey might get the wrong idea about you. Besides… you’re a bit too eye-catg for most people.”

  “Huh… why?” she asked, puzzled.

  Karian chimed in, “They probably think you’re ied in them, Lyrassa. Don’t be surprised if one of them approaches, hoping to ask you out or something.”

  “Oh… is that how it works?” she responded, looking genuinely fused. “What should I do, then?”

  “Just ig and act casually around strangers you don’t really know,” Ats suggested.

  “O…kay…” she said with a friendly smile.

  They tinued walking outside, but Ats couldn’t shake a growing sense of disfort as nearly every man—and even some women—they passed turo stare. No, not at him, but at Lyrassa.

  Why hadn’t he noticed this sooner? Was it because he’d been too focused on serious discussions with the others?

  He g Lyrassa, earing a casual outfit with a knee-length skirt. Even her naturally slow pace—simply because she was a slow walker—came off as a, graceful stride, almost like she was on a runway. Should he sider giving her a full robe that covered her head and body, something like a desert outfit?

  "Is it because of your Nature Perfume, perhaps?" Ats asked.

  Lyrassa turo him, looking puzzled. "What about my body st, My Lord?"

  "It’s like… the smell of food under my nose." Karian said.

  "Really?" Ats g Karian.

  "Don’t you notice it, Ats?" Karian asked.

  "No, it’s more like something sweet and calming," he replied.

  "They say everyoerprets my body st in their own unique way, My Lord," Lyrassa said, giggling.

  "Really? And what does it mean if I smell it that way? I assumed everyone experiehe same st."

  "That means you’re someone who dreams of pead tranquility… You might evehose things just being close to me. I could even help lull you to sleep, so you rest soundly and have sweet dreams. Ied, My Lord?"

  "Please don’t make statements that could lead to misuandings, Lyrassa.”

  "But misuandings weren’t my iion, My Lord. Care to try it tonight?"

  Cough! Karian cleared his throat awkwardly, pretending it was just a tickle.

  Ats made a quick stop at a nearby shop to pick up some snacks and drinks t back to the hotel to share with the others. Yet even the cashier couldn’t help but stare at Lyrassa, pletely entranced.

  “Sir, I get my cake?” Ats prompted.

  “Oh—yes, sorry, he he…” The cashier snapped back to reality, his eyes still drawn to Lyrassa.

  And what did Lyrassa do? She giggled and gave him a little wave. “Hi…” she said sweetly.

  The puy froze, pletely stunned.

  Ats sighed, taking her by the hand and guiding her out. “Let’s go. We’ll find cake somewhere else.”

  After a long trek around town, hunting for iing food and pointless but cute souvenirs—and enduring the stant stares from everyohey passed, along with keeping up with Lyrassa’s unhurried pace—they finally made it back to the hotel room.

  Ats could only imagihe chaos if he’d brought Mira along too. That would have been a double dose of charm, overwhelming everyone around them.

  One amusing thought crossed his mind: he could probably rob people blind while they were distracted by Mira and Lyrassa’s bined allure. It would certainly make for an effective strategy.

  As they stepped is found Maned in the on area, legs crossed, watg something oelevision. Edrik was also there, just outside the room.

  He set the snacks and fresh fruit on the dining table, catg Manna’s attention. She gheir way.

  “Manna, e here. I’ve got some ice cream,” he said, smiling warmly. “Have you ever tried anything like this?”

  Manna looked over but quickly averted her gaze when she saw his smile. But, surprisingly, she got up and approached.

  Ats handed her the ice cream. “Try it. This one make anyone feel happier just from a siaste.”

  Manna took it, opehe tainer, and brought the spoonful to her mouth. The moment she tasted it, her face softened, brightening just a bit as she experiehe magic of the ice cream.

  Ats grinned. Everything will be better from here.

  ***

  (Author’s Note: Between Lyrassa’s actal elegand Manna’s softening gre, Ats’s team is full of surprises!)