"What a sunny day."
Julius murmured to himself as he stepped out of the tent and stretched his arms above his head.
The morning sky was clear without a single gray cloud in sight, and the sun had already climbed high enough to bathe the hilltop in a warm golden glow.
A gentle breeze drifted across the grass, carrying with it the scent of tilted soil. It was the sort of morning that made people feel optimistic for absolutely no reason.
Julius certainly felt optimistic.
The fact that he looked like a man who had spent the last several nights fighting a life-and-death battle against the world-devouring queen was completely unrelated.
His cheeks looked slightly hollow, faint shadows rested beneath his eyes, and his expression carried the exhausted dignity of a soldier returning from war.
Yet despite all of that, a deeply satisfied smile remained plastered across his face.
Whatever had happened inside the tent over the past few hours had clearly left him in excellent spirits.
