"Seriously, what the hell is this shit!? It’s like, things just keep going wrong, and whenever one issue is resolved, something else pops up!" Complained Landis with a huff, a stoned look on his face.

"Uh, you should calm down, your Highness, it probably isn’t the best idea to throw a tantrum like this, especially in another nation," Responded Aries awkwardly.

"Don’t worry, it’s not like we’re going to tell people about this. And besides, letting off some steam every now and then is never a bad idea," I chimed in with a wry smile.

Today’s the 15th of Junius, 2021, late in the evening. We’d held a meeting today with the leaders of the other nations to discuss what to do about the Vampires, now that we knew about their Magic Item that gives them the power boost they gain during full moons.

Each nation agreed to task their Magic Item creators with trying to come up with a countermeasure against it, which is about all we can do for the time being.

We have no idea when they’ll attack us, each nation has gathered their forces and began making preparations to respond as soon as a battle breaks out, but it’ll be impossible to stay on high alert constantly for who knows how long, that’d only wear them out.

Anyway, after the meeting concluded, I noticed that Landis looked pretty stressed, so I suggested joining us for a smoke up sesh to relax and get his mind off things for a few hours. He initially turned me down, before thinking about it and changing his mind.

Satan, Rhyle and Argent had also joined us, I figured it’d be good for the future if he and Rhyle rekindled their sibling relationship, and since Argent had also attended the meeting, I thought I might as well make it a family thing...plus Satan, since he likes weed.

Oh, also Aries, since she’d come here as Landis’s bodyguard. I asked her to join us too, since I felt bad about leaving her to stand outside or whatever and just wait for the session to end. She seems a bit awkward though...maybe it’s because she’s the only woman here?

"I guess I am acting a bit childish...I’ve just been so stressed out lately, I’ve hardly gotten any sleep," Sighed Landis, looking a bit embarrassed.

"I did tell you to get some rest and let one of your subordinates handle your duties for at least a day or two, but you insisted on taking care of everything yourself," Responded Aries dryly.

"While it is true that a ruler must remain dignified in front of their subjects, it is not practical to be that way all the time. You need to let loose every so often, as a sort of mental reset," Spoke up Satan.

"Hm, wise words...I’ll keep that in mind, thanks," Nodded Landis thoughtfully.

"You should do that too, Larrk. You work way too hard," Remarked Argent firmly.

"I can slack off all I want once things are peaceful...my goal has never changed, everything I do is ultimately for that sake, all I want is a peaceful life. That is a major reason why I took over Arcadia in the first place, because I figured that’d the be the fastest way to accomplish that goal...and it was definitely a lot easier than trying to change Obsidian would’ve been. Oh, uh, no offense," I said to Landis and Aries sheepishly.

"No, what you said isn’t untrue. I’m just glad you didn’t opt to destroy and take over Obsidian like you did with Hematite," Replied Landis wryly. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Especially considering what the Royals, Nobles and my own Knight Order put you through," Added Aries with a nod.

I mean, the main reason I targeted Hematite over the other nations was because its forces had been so severely diminished by the civil war in the nation. If Obsidian had ended up in that state, I probably would’ve targeted it instead of Hematite. I’ll keep that little detail to myself though.

"Eh, don’t worry about it. Yeah, I went through a lot of shit, but there’s no point in dredging all that up now. Water under the bridge," I shrugged it off.

"If only more people would think like you. Hm...," Trailed off Landis before turning to Rhyle and adding, "I owe you an apology, brother...even though I wasn’t directly involved in what happened to you, I should have done something, anything, to stop it. I’m sorry, truly."

"You don’t need to apologize, I don’t blame you for that in the slightest. That was all Drakkar’s doing, and from what I heard, he had used his Dark Magic to manipulate all of you," Rhyle shook his head with a smile.

"Plus, it’s not like you were the one who sent those Knights to attack Juana Village...I’d be lying if I said I’d gotten over my mother’s murder, but it’d be misplaced to blame you for that," Chimed in Argent.

"What he said...okay, this took a bit of a gloomy turn, let’s get onto a lighter note, shall we? Hm...oh, I know, how about a game of truth or dare, or something like that?" I suggested after mulling it over.

"Truth or dare? I haven’t played that in literal decades," Responded Landis in bemusement.

"U-uh, I’ve never played it...I mean, I’ve heard of it and know how it works, but I haven’t actually played it before," Added Aries sheepishly.

"I’ve never heard of this game, how do you play it?" Inquired Satan curiously.

"It’s simple, we go around taking turns, picking either truth or dare. If you pick truth, then the other players get to ask you a question you must answer, and if you pick dare, you have to carry out a specified action. And if you refuse, there’ll be a consequence...oh, I know, I’ll go get some spicy chillies, the consequence will be eating one," I suggested with a grin.

"That’s kinda brutal...but alright, sounds like fun," Replied Argent wryly.

"Okay, uh, I guess we’re doing this," Muttered Landis, as he took a puff of the joint.

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