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Chapter 57: At the Outskirts of the Royal Capital
The handover of Eula did not take place around the familiar black market district of the royal capital, but in a deserted corner of some ruins a short distance away from the city.
At a spot where moss grew over crumbling stone walls, a caravan led by Banc—who was preparing to depart for the next country—had stopped. Standing before me were two figures wearing deep brown hooded cloaks pulled low over their faces.
“Then, the contract has now been completed... Is everything satisfactory?”
“I have no objections.”
A black pattern resembling a raised scar stretched across my right wrist. According to Banc, it was a crest borne by those who possessed ownership rights over slaves. Likewise, a similar crest could be seen on the right arm of one of the hooded figures—the taller of the two.
W е bṅ оv́е̊_l̈ Е ňũm ä
Standing between myself and the pair, Banc wore a broad smile unlike anything I had ever seen from him before. Rather than looking genuinely happy for us, however, it felt more like the smile of a successful merchant.
“...I understand fully that this is a debt that cannot be repaid in years, or even decades... I look forward to serving you, Master.”
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“You can just call me Allen. No honorifics necessary.”
Only those involved—including Banc, who knew both me and the women—were present, so the two removed their hoods.
“Hmm. For a human, you're quite a handsome fellow...”
Е n̂ ǔ m̄_ä
“L-Lady Aria... You shouldn't speak that way to the person who will be taking care of us from now on.”
I'd seen Eula flustered several times already, but the other woman, Aria, was someone I was meeting for the first time. More accurately, I had seen her before while she was unconscious, but for her, this was undoubtedly our first proper introduction.
“Since you're elven royalty, should I be more formal when speaking to you?”
“Nothing like that is necessary. Even if I'm a High Elf, I was born the same way as any ordinary elf.”
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Despite the complicated circumstances surrounding her, she occupied a position above ordinary elves as one of the so-called High Elves. In terms of height, she was so small she could easily be mistaken for a middle-school girl, but there was an undeniable elegance in the way she carried herself.
I had heard that she was a High Elf due to an atavistic bloodline trait, but had she already learned noble etiquette and manners somewhere?
Ŵ eb̈.ṅ о vе l Е ń ũmā
Aria possessed beauty equal to—or, depending on who you asked, even surpassing—that of Eula. At first glance, she seemed somewhat youthful, yet her manner of speaking and behavior gave her a mysterious allure.
And then there was her golden hair, visible even beneath her hooded cloak. It was even longer than Eula's waist-length hair, so long that it almost seemed as if it might touch the ground.
Moreover, a translucent rainbow-colored aura seemed to spill from her radiant golden hair as it glittered beneath the sun. Combined with the rest of her appearance, she looked utterly fantastical.
Judging from my own senses, that strange aura flowing from her hair was probably excess magic power.
Amazing. I expected as much, but it feels like she has even more magic power than Saioji or Rey.
She wasn't on the level of Sakakibara, who was both royalty and a reincarnator (or perhaps a possessor), but Sakakibara was an exceptional existence—an outlier in statistical terms. Excluding her, Aria undoubtedly possessed the greatest amount of magical power of anyone I knew.
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Still, having a large amount of magic power didn't automatically make someone strong. However, it was certainly one indicator of strength.
Even if there was a scheme by the pureblood faction involved, what kind of monster could injure someone like her so badly?
Seeing her magic power, I felt a chill run down my spine. I couldn't help but wonder what sort of monster had pushed someone like Aria to the brink of death. This wasn't the time for such questions, but I hoped that once I got to know them better, I'd have the chance to ask.
Unlike on the way here, I decided to enter the royal capital through the South Gate rather than the East Gate. The capital had four major gates—north, south, east, and west. Among them, the West and South Gates saw the heaviest traffic.
The West Gate was primarily used by people transporting goods for merchant companies operating in the city, while the South Gate was frequented by adventurers and merchants associated with them.
By contrast, the North and East Gates saw much less traffic. Considering that ordinary citizens weren't even allowed through the North Gate, the East Gate was effectively the quietest gate accessible to the general public.
Ẅ е̄b_n_о v̄ еl̄ Е_ń um̂ ӑ
As the saying goes, if you want to hide a tree, hide it in a forest. Rather than using a less crowded entrance, I figured that entering through the bustling South Gate would make our somewhat suspicious appearance less noticeable, allowing us to get through with only a light inspection.
I had also made a few arrangements to ensure we wouldn't be stopped...
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“...This crowd is incredible. As expected of a human nation.”
Like the checkout area of a large supermarket, several inspection stations had been set up side by side.
Since it was around noon, adventurers returning from nearby dungeons had come back to the capital for lunch, causing the inspection area at the South Gate to be busier than usual.
Standing at the very end of the long line, Aria let out a surprised remark as she looked at the crowd.
W̃.е bǹ o̊v е̇l̊ Е̊n̄ǔmа̃
Towering ahead of us was a gigantic defensive wall over ten meters high, constructed over the course of several centuries. The immense wall surrounding the capital was apparently built from a special type of stone capable of weakening magic. Combined with its durability, it was considered an outstanding construction material.
However, the stone was extremely heavy. Despite its remarkable anti-magic properties, it was rarely used in equipment. Most of it was instead utilized in military structures.
The defensive wall protecting the royal capital stood as proof of the military strength of the Kingdom of Cainliese. Combined with the high magical aptitude of the royal family and nobility who ruled the kingdom, Cainliese had enjoyed centuries of peace.
Incidentally, the special stone used in the wall was classified as a military resource and tightly regulated. Private ownership of it was prohibited.
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