Strax stood near the table for a few moments, his eyes still fixed on the open map, as if he were not only analyzing routes but anticipating everything he would encounter on the way to the capital. The silence in the office wasn't uncomfortable—it was the kind of silence that precedes concrete decisions, where everyone already understands that something is truly about to begin. He then slightly raised his gaze, unhurriedly, and spoke with the naturalness of someone who had already decided long before opening his mouth.
"We're going tomorrow," he said directly, leaving no room for discussion, as if that sentence were merely the confirmation of something inevitable.
Monica, who was leaning against the side of the table organizing some papers, showed no surprise at hearing this. In fact, she didn't even raise her head immediately. Her fingers simply slid among the documents until she pulled out a roll of parchment already set aside, as if she had been waiting for exactly that moment.
