Chapter 68: Capital City

The carriage rumbled along the wide road.

Sunlight filtering through the window warmed my lap.

A landscape of endless trees and fields passed by.

At first, it was new and fascinating, but after three hours of the same scenery, it was starting to get boring.

Miel and Cecilia were flying around and playing inside the carriage, while Lotte invariably orbited around me.

Outside the window, Glacia was slowly flapping its wings, following the carriage.

I sighed and stretched my arms wide.

“Ugh, I’m bored. We have to go like this for three whole days?”

Ryandel looked up from his map and at me.

“If we camp instead of stopping at towns, we can get there in two days.”

Leivi’s eyes suddenly widened as she looked at me.

“Oh? Lord Lycoris, your way of speaking is back to normal?”

Come to think of it, I should take this opportunity to ask Ryandel.

“Oh, right! Ryandel! I think a strange spirit has entered my body!”

Ryandel narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Could this be related to the behavior you exhibited when you met the baron?”

As expected, Ryandel had noticed something was off.

“That’s right! I can’t speak my mind, and I can’t move my body as I wish!”

I flailed my arms and legs.

To be able to move my body as I pleased was such a wonderful thing!

“To be honest, something did seem strange. But are you saying it’s someone’s spirit?”

“Yes! Last night when I was talking to Shy about dragons, information about dragons I didn’t know, like Fire Dragons, Light Dragons, and Shadow Dragons, just poured out of my mouth! It was definitely not within the scope of my knowledge!”

When I was talking about dragons, the words that came out of my mouth weren’t mine at all.

It felt like someone was controlling me.

That feeling was so unsettling!

Ryandel stroked his chin in thought.

“Hmm… in that case, it’s certainly reasonable to suspect that the knowledge of another being has entered you.

But handling souls is something that only the highest-ranking necromancers can do. Have you met such a being before?”

A necromancer… he must mean a magician who controls the undead.

“Not a necromancer, but Lord Nisse gave me a gift of an ability, something about a noble’s… and I think there’s a soul in that ability…”

Ryandel’s expression changed.

His eyes wavered when he heard Lord Nisse’s name.

“Ah… you mean Lord… Nisse. The Great Labyrinth of Desmier is known to have many powerful undead, such as Death Knights, Liches, and Nightmares.

If so, it’s highly likely that there is indeed a soul within it.”

So there really are such fearsome undead in Desmier.

There was a reason why the topic of undead came up when Lotte was being modified.

But to have someone else’s soul inside my body right now was a truly terrible thing.

“Ugh…! There’s no way to get rid of this other than Lord Nisse, right…?”

A sense of anxiety tinged my voice.

Ryandel also had a troubled expression.

“Yes. If it’s an ability granted by the ruler of the Great Labyrinth…”

His voice trailed off.

He seemed to understand how complicated my situation was.

“This won’t do. The ability seems to activate whenever I meet a noble, so let’s skip the towns and travel quickly by camping!”

Leivi looked slightly disappointed, but she soon nodded in understanding.

Ryandel opened the window to relay the camping plan to the coachman.

The carriage continued down the road.

I stared out the window and thought of my master.

Is Master still sleeping?

Could she have woken up?

“Lord Lycoris, are you okay?”

Leivi asked with a worried expression.

“Hmm? Why?”

“You’ve sighed three times already.”

I had been sighing.

It must have come out naturally while thinking of my master.

“Ah, I was just thinking about my master.”

Just then, the coachman suddenly shouted.

“L-Lord Lycoris! A monster has appeared!”

I quickly opened the window and looked outside.

Several monsters were coming out of the forest.

Narrowing my eyes, I could see their status windows.

『 ☆☆ Rising Boar LV34 』

『 ☆☆ Rising Boar LV36 』

『 ☆ Rising Boar LV32 』

『 ☆ Wild Hound LV33 』

『 ☆☆ Wild Hound LV34 』

『 ☆☆ Kobold LV29 』

『 ☆☆ Kobold LV33 』

『 ☆ Kobold LV30』 …

Eh, they were just these weak monsters?

Monsters of this level didn’t even register in my eyes.

“Leave the common monsters to Glacia. Go! Glacia!”

Glacia, who had been lazily following behind the carriage, suddenly sped up and flew towards the monsters.

Well, that speed was less than half of when it flew to eat my honey.

The monsters’ bodies froze in unison as they felt Glacia’s presence.

As if seized by sudden fear, they scrambled into the forest, seemingly trying to save even the time it would take to flee.

“Ooh…!”

The coachman exclaimed with a surprised expression.

The tension seemed to drain from his shoulders.

Ryandel nodded and explained.

“Normally, when we encounter monsters while traveling, we have to stop the carriage, fight, and then move on.

The coachman often gets injured in the process. But thanks to Glacia, that doesn’t seem to be necessary.”

Aha, so that’s how it was.

Then let’s use Glacia more efficiently.

“Glacia, don’t just follow behind, stay in front of the carriage. So that monsters can’t even get close.”

Glacia flapped its wings as if annoyed, then flew to the front of the carriage.

And then it perched on the seat next to the coachman.

Its face was turned towards the coachman, and its huge body was sticking out of the carriage.

Aren’t you uncomfortable…?

The coachman was tense at first, but he seemed to be getting used to Glacia.

Later, he even offered Glacia a small cookie.

I was curious how Glacia would react, but seeing the coachman’s smile, it seemed to have been well-received.

We traveled quickly, camping along the way.

At night, we would stop the carriage in the middle of a field and pitch a small tent.

Leivi was happy watching the stars in the night sky, and Ryandel was always reading a book or observing the surroundings.

For two days, we ran without rest.

We encountered monsters a few times along the way, but thanks to Glacia, it was never a problem.

Once, a relatively strong monster called a 『 ☆☆☆ Lancer Gryphon LV116 』 appeared, but it too fled before Glacia’s intimidating presence.

Finally, we reached a point where we could see the city walls of the capital.

The huge gray city walls stood tall as if piercing the sky.

Above them, towers with blue roofs could be seen, and beyond the walls, countless buildings seemed to be packed tightly together.

‘Wow!’

I could see a line of traffic lined up in front of the city wall.

Various carriages and people were waiting to pass through the city gate.

“This is Neje, the capital of the Jenes Kingdom. It is the largest city in the kingdom.”

Ryandel explained.

“It’s really big! There are so many people!”

As the carriage approached the city wall, the guards who spotted our carriage came running.

They were startled to see Glacia next to the coachman, but they recognized the Silverbrook carriage and bowed their heads respectfully.

A man who appeared to be the captain of the guards came closer and greeted us.

“Greetings to the Silverbrook family. May I confirm your identities?”

The guards looked slightly surprised when I opened the carriage door and got out.

They were probably flustered by my appearance, as I was not a member of the Silverbrook family.

“I have a personal acquaintance with the Silverbrook family, so I just borrowed the carriage. Please confirm my identity with this.”

I handed over my adventurer’s token.

The guard captain looked at the token and bowed his head respectfully.

“Yes. S-rank adventurer, Lord Lycoris. Welcome to the capital, Neje.”

Tch!

The reaction was too ordinary!

S-rank, I’m S-rank!

Maybe because it’s the capital, they see other S-ranks often.

‘I really need to get promoted to SSS-rank or national power level quickly!’

While I was imagining everyone being amazed by my promotion at the Adventurers’ Guild, Ryandel and Leivi also finished their identity verification.

We entered the capital in the carriage.

The capital, Neje, was much larger and more bustling than I had imagined.

Tall buildings were densely packed together, and the streets were crowded with people.

Carriages, horses, and pedestrians were intricately intertwined.

There were various shops on every street, and many street vendors selling all sorts of goods.

“Are there really this many people?”

I could see people in various outfits outside the window.

Noble ladies in fancy dresses, knights in armor, magicians in robes, and ordinary citizens.
Being in such a crowd was strangely exciting.

Miel and Cecilia also flew close to the window and looked outside with curious eyes.

Lotte still quietly orbited around me.

“Should we go to the best inn?”

The coachman asked me.

“Um… just a moment…”

Suddenly, I thought of Brian and Edgar.

They were definitely nobles of the Jenes Kingdom…

Their family was probably in this capital, right?

What was their family name again…

“Ryandel, do you happen to know anyone named Brian or Edgar?”

“I don’t know a Brian, but I have heard of a knight named Edgar Hind.”

“Ah! That’s right! It was Hind! Is the Hind family in the capital?”

“Yes, it is in the eastern district of the capital. Should we go to the Hind County estate?”

The coachman asked again.

“Yes! Please go to the Hind estate!”

Leivi looked at me with a curious expression.

“Lord Lycoris, do you know that noble family?”

“Hehe. I have a connection with those brothers from when I was in the Great Labyrinth of Sia Kalt!”

The coachman turned the carriage and headed for the eastern district.

The buildings began to become more and more luxurious.

The narrow streets and crowded markets were replaced by wide roads and large mansions with gardens.

“This area is the noble district. The Hind County is one of the oldest sword-fighting families in the Jenes Kingdom and has deep ties to the Royal Knights.”

Ryandel explained.

“Hehe, so that’s how it was. Edgar was the most decent among those pathetic knights.”

Leivi and Ryandel averted their gazes and let out awkward laughs, perhaps remembering the story between me and the knight order.

“I only ever fought with Edgar, but I’m on good terms with Brian!”

I even trained Brian and gave him honey!

And when Master’s whereabouts were unknown, Brian even went around asking about her for me!

We’re totally close!

As the carriage got closer to our destination, my heart began to flutter a little.

Brian would be so surprised to see me again, right?

He’ll be even more surprised when he finds out I can transform into human form!

“Lord Lycoris, I believe that is the Hind County estate over there.”

Ryandel pointed out the window.

Beyond the high iron gate and fence, a magnificent mansion could be seen.

It was much larger and more splendid than the Silverbrook mansion.

‘As expected of a Count’s estate!’

***

“Nisse! Nisse! Wake up!”

My cold voice echoed in the room.

What a mess.

To think that rulers of the Great Labyrinth like us were passed out drunk like this.

I felt foolish for drinking with Nisse in the first place.

“Nueaaauuaa?”

Nisse made some unintelligible sound and tossed and turned.

Her usual dignified appearance as Jormungandr was nowhere to be seen, only the image of a common drunkard.

“Ummuh?”

Nisse wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

Then, as if she had suddenly come to her senses, she straightened her back, swept her hair back, and cleared her throat.

“Ahem. Oh my? Lady Frostia? What brings you to my labyrinth?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all about us drinking together?”

Shards of ice tinged my voice.

The thought of Lyco was making me more and more anxious.

“What? Just a moment…”

Nisse pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to remember.

She then looked around and spotted the bottle of golden wine on the table.

“Umm…”

Nisse fell into thought as she looked around the room.

Her eyes gradually cleared, and finally, they shone brightly.

“Ah! We drank Dwarven Golden Wine together! It was so delicious!”

There was no guilt in Nisse’s cheerful voice.

She seemed to only remember the fact that she had drunk delicious wine.

“That’s not what’s important right now. How much time has passed?”

The temperature in the room dropped sharply at my voice.

Frost began to form on the edges of the windows.

Nisse’s expression changed as she noticed my state.

“Deiana! Come here!”

Soon, the sound of clashing armor was heard from outside the door, and a purplish-black Death Knight came running.

“You called, Lady Nisse!”

Deiana’s booming voice made my ears hurt.

“How long has it been since Lady Frostia and I entered Desmier?”

When Nisse asked, Deiana thought for a moment before answering.

“Yes! It’s been a little over three years since you both entered together!”

“Three years!?”

I immediately shot up from my seat.

A wave of dizziness washed over me from getting up so quickly.

“Three years? We’ve been sleeping for three years?”

“Three years? To you, Lady Frostia, isn’t three years not even a short nap?”

Nisse asked in a bewildered tone.

To beings like us, three years might be just a fleeting moment, but to Lyco…

To Lyco, who was born not long ago, how long would three years be?

How lonely would that child have been?

How worried would she have been?

How hurt would she have been that I didn’t come back?

“To Lyco…”

My voice cracked.

“When you met Lyco, she was three years old.”

Nisse’s expression instantly hardened.

She too seemed to have realized the gravity of the situation.

“Ah… Lyco…”

“I’m going back to Sia Kalt right now.”

There was no time to hesitate.

The thought of Lyco left alone in the labyrinth made my heart feel like it was freezing over.

This was all my mistake.

It was my fault for falling for Nisse’s offer of golden wine.

“I’ll go with you!”

Nisse suddenly said.

I gave her a cold glare.

“And why are you coming?”

“I didn’t know it would turn out like this either. I feel so bad for Lyco, don’t you? I want to be of some help!”

While I hesitated for a moment, Nisse continued to speak.

“Lady Frostia, I’m sorry.

That golden wine was really delicious, but I didn’t know it was this strong. I’ll apologize to Lyco myself and explain the situation.”

There was no trace of her usual arrogance in her words, only genuine concern.

“Hmph… fine.”

“Yes!”

A smile spread across Nisse’s face.

In that smile was a mixture of worry, apology, and a faint excitement.

She seemed to be genuinely looking forward to seeing Lyco again.

“Deiana! Prepare a gift for Lyco! Something cute and pretty!”

“I understand, Lady Nisse!”

As soon as Deiana left, Nisse quickly began to tidy up the surroundings.

Black magic energy emanated from her fingertips, restoring the messy things in the room to their original state.

I took a deep breath as I gazed out at the deep sea beyond the window.

“Lyco… I’m sorry… just wait a little longer.”