“… … .”
A sigh was heard. I couldn’t believe the Emperor might be here instead of working. I feel a little guilty, thinking I might have ignited his obsession with games, but what can I do? Lacius shook his head and looked away from the flyer. But I was quite interested.
“Lashin, if I told you about a game, do you know anyone who would be able to make it?”
“In Makarten, everything is possible as long as you have money, except for things like contract killings.”
Ugh, that’s brutal.
I wasn’t looking to hire a hitman; I was thinking of creating a new game called Yutnori!
“Oh, we’ve arrived at our room!”
The magic carpet kindly took us right in front of our room. Of course, there were only two rooms per floor. Once inside, we were greeted by the same neat yet incredibly luxurious interior. Experiencing such a place was definitely worth it.
I threw myself straight onto the soft bed. Lacius took off his jacket, hung it up, took out a new one, and put it on. While we waited, the hotel staff had already brought up our luggage.
“Lashin, shall we go down right away?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to rest?”
“Yeah, I’ve already washed up and had a quick nap anyway, and I’m hungry.”
The dizziness subsided quickly, possibly because I had misinterpreted it. I eat as much as I can on the plane and am no longer hungry. So, a meal was out of the question; what I needed at this point was a snack. Street food sold exclusively here should be excellent.
‘Thinking about it makes me suddenly crave pajeon (Korean pancake).’
It was out of the blue, but Pajeon suddenly came to my mind. A bowl of spicy pollock soup with crispy pajeon cut into big pieces…! That crunchy texture mixed with green onions and oil!
I swallowed my saliva and sighed. There was no way they had such a thing here. The food here was delicious, so the lack of Korean food was tolerable, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of them sometimes. Today it was strangely worse than usual.
‘Do they have green onions here? I guess I’ll just ask for something similar to be cooked with some onions.’
Can’t it? Why not? I was so focused on thinking about Pajeon that I felt like I could smell it in my nose. I sighed and just closed my eyes.
“If you’re tired, I’ll carry you.”
“No, I’m not tired, but you can still carry me.”
“Anytime.”
Why am I like this? Suddenly something I wanted to eat came to mind, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t eat it. It’s a bit strange. Is it because I’m relaxed?
Still, Lacius carrying me cheered me up a bit. If you go out, there might not be pajeon outside, but there would surely be something delicious. And my guess was correct.
“Wow.”
Below the floating hotel, on the ground.
As soon as I set foot in Makarten, I just stood there with my mouth open. It seems like all of the world’s rarest sights—rare and fascinating things to see—are here. I knew I had to wear a mask to the casino, but I thought it would be just a pretty half-mask, but this was something else. There are tons of men with full horse masks on their faces.
I don’t know if they rented it as a group somewhere or if there are centaurs living here that I don’t know about. Of course, these were just men with horse faces, not horse bodies. Lacius noticed my surprise and explained.
“That’s the free mask they lend you at the hotel.”
“Oh my… … .”
It’s hideous. You should never use that.
I shook my head and gently tugged on the collar of his jacket.
“So, where’s the first place we’re going?”
“Casino Sweet Land.”
“What? It’s called Sweet Land?”
Lacius smiled faintly at my question. It was then.
“Wow… … !”
In front of a building where Lacius and I stopped.
I looked up, and my mouth dropped open. It was one giant candy castle. The kind of house made of sweets we all dream about as kids. However, Sweet Land, as its name suggests, was a castle with small towers on both sides.
The pure white roof, covered with sugar icing, is sprinkled with chocolate drizzle. The walls made of hard tart crust were sprinkled with little sugar crystals that looked like diamonds, and the entrance, which was embossed with flowers and grapes, was entirely made of chocolate. Caramelized figures of men and ladies bent down and handed out half masks of hardened sugar to each person who entered.
Lively music filled the air, and right upon entering, there was an orange chocolate fondue fountain. People were eating fruits such as strawberries, pineapples, and kiwis placed around the fountain, dipping them in fondue.
“Is this heaven….?”
First-timers were likely overwhelmed, not knowing where to start with all the food and drinks. Of course, because I had Lacius, I was able to avoid looking like a complete country bumpkin. But I couldn’t help but express my amazement.
Lacius and I went straight to the game room with our masks on.
“No more bet.”
Next to a wheel that looked like a giant chariot wheel, the dealer swiped his hand across the board to indicate that no more money was to be wagered. Then, the wheel, which he spun as hard as he could, spins round and round, making the gold beads crash into each other and create a clattering sound.
Those who bet correctly cheered, while those who lost showed no change in expression. The stakes weren’t that high.
“Sweet Land is known as a haven for beginners. The stakes are low, and it can be enjoyed lightly as a hobby.”
“Is it really light?”
The woman who won the money grinned and held a huge pile of chips in her arms. Lacius slightly raised the corners of his mouth and nodded his head.
“The more expensive the chips, the smaller the quantity. That just looks like a lot.”
“Ah-ha, I see.”
Curious and amusing. Half of the people were playing games, and the other half were eating refreshments next to the flowing pink champagne river. Some people were even lying on fluffy chiffon cake beds, basking in the magical artificial sunlight.
It feels like watching a huge secret party of Hollywood stars. Everyone’s attire was so free-spirited. Half-naked handsome men are lazily stretched out here and there. With such diverse appearances and styles, it seemed hard not to find someone attractive.
‘Hmm, wouldn’t this be the perfect place for starting a romance?’
I wondered where they found so many handsome men. Of course, none were as handsome as Lacius.
“… … Uh, now that I think about it, why aren’t those people wearing masks?”
You can now sponsor a chapter by buying me a Kofi! 1 Kofi = 1 extra chapter
