episode_0062

When I came to my senses, the capital city slowly began to appear before my eyes. I’ve never been through a portal, but it wasn’t that different from teleportation. I thought I was feeling a little more comfortable, but as the capital city was slowly being revealed, I took my hand away from Ceresria’s hand that I was holding carefully, and Ceresria spoke to me.

“Then you might end up going somewhere else?”

“That doesn’t happen, does it? And if the princess arrives in the capital and is holding another man’s hand, that would also be a problem.”

“Maybe so.”

And the capital appeared before my eyes. Since I had never been to the capital, I was looking around carefully, wondering if this was the capital. I saw guards kneeling and facing Ceresria, and Ceresria smiled at the guards and greeted them.

“Stand up, you don’t have to be so polite.”

“Capital Guard, Gaunt, greetings.”

“Capital Guard Themis, greetings.”

After carefully greeting the two, Ceresria lightly touched their shoulders with her hands. In response, the guards stood up and looked at Ceresria, and I slowly scratched the back of their necks at the sight. Is it okay for me to be here?

“I will take you straight to the palace, Your Highness.”

“That would be nice, but it might be difficult for my friend to stay at the palace, so could you please contact the palace to arrange for an accommodation nearby?”

“ people received.”

The guard who answered quickly started running somewhere, and then the Blue Rose Knights appeared through the portal. As I looked at Shurn’s familiar face, Shurn was giving orders to the knights, and I just stayed quiet, wondering what to do, when Ceresria spoke to me with a smile.

“This is your first time in the capital, right?”

“I guess because I’m from the countryside. It’s amazing to come to the most prosperous city in Araelia.”

“If you get the chance, I would tell you to take a leisurely stroll around Araelia… … That would be difficult, we would have to go to the palace first, um.”

Ceresria looked up and down my body and smiled.

“Shall we buy clothes first? There’s no problem with audienceing the king in the academy’s uniform, but it might still be a good idea to wear a formal attire. You don’t plan on dancing in your uniform at the banquet, right?”

“That’s not true, but I don’t know of any stores, and I’ve never had a formal dress tailored.”

“Let me help you with that, Princess.”

Shurn carefully approached and bowed his head in response, and Celestria smiled at Shurn.

“Then Shurn, I will trust you. I have to go to the palace first to prepare, so please contact the palace when you are ready. Is that okay?”

“If that is your name.”

And Ceresria lightly waved her hand at me and said hello, then walked towards the palace, and I looked up at Shurn. I had no intention of traveling alone, but I never thought I would be traveling with a knight commander.

“Then let’s go, Astan.”

As I was walking along the path of Araelia following Shurn, the surrounding scenery caught my eye. It was filled with a grandeur that I had never experienced in my hometown or Ignolia. All the buildings were larger than other areas, and the number of people moving around was also incomparable. It was the kind of place where if you lost your mind even for a moment, you felt like you would get caught up in the crowd and get lost. If you turn your head slightly and look at the alley, the alley does not have a very dark or dangerous atmosphere.

However, with the thought that there might be danger even there, I followed Shurn to the area of the square, and Shurn naturally started talking to me.

“This is the plaza of Araelia, and if you head north along the road leading from here, you will find the royal palace where His Majesty is located, and to the west is a shopping street. It is not much different from Ignolia, but there will be a difference in scale. I don’t know.”

“That place is the royal palace, then.”

I turned my head and looked at the large spire to the north. There are several tall spires and a building surrounded by walls. That is the royal palace.

“Hereia Palace, the pride of Araelia. Since this palace was named after Hereia, the sun god, it will be difficult to see such a beautiful palace no matter where you go in Jingara.”

“It’s fascinating, the capital is.”

As I looked at Shurn while saying those words, Shurn made a gesture as if to move again, and I carefully followed behind him. As I passed Araelia’s square and headed towards the shopping district, I felt like I could hear a murmur around me.

After all, he’s the leader of the Knights of the Blue Rose, so he’s someone who should create a lot of buzz. Above all, he is wearing the armor of the Blue Rose Knights.

And as we followed Shurn into a store, the store owner greeted us with a smile.

“What is the knight commander doing here?”

“Rumors say that even if you search all of Araelia, you will not find clothes more beautiful than those made by the artisans here. Can you show me one?”

“Of course, is this what the Knight Commander wears? Or that young man behind you?”

“This person will wear it.”

Shurn put his hand on my shoulder, and I bowed slightly to the store owner.

“I’ll give it to you once.”

Slowly choosing clothes was more difficult and tedious than I thought. When I tried to choose clothes according to my taste, Shurn was against it, and the clothes Shurn wanted were not what I wanted. After repeatedly putting on and taking off several sets of clothes, I finally found a compromise and put them on, and Shurn’s mouth opened.

“Let’s do that.”

“Then, I will prepare this for you. There is a little bit of work that needs to be done, so please wait a moment.”

The store owner looked at me while saying those words, and I went into the locker room, changed into my uniform, and walked towards Shurn.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m more tired than hungry.”

“You will be more tired when you go to the palace.”

“That’s true, but… … Well, I don’t know what I should do when I get to the palace.”

“Your Majesty called you, so perhaps he was praising your merits, or else he was just curious. Your Majesty the Princess is also a very curious person.”

As I was nodding lightly to Shurn’s words, the door to the store opened and a young man in armor approached and began whispering softly to Shurn. I tried to listen a little, wondering what they were talking about, but it wasn’t polite to listen, so I waited for a while, and Shurn smiled at me.

“Her Royal Highness has finished preparations and is asking us to come to the palace at any time. We will go as soon as we are ready, so please contact us.”

“I will follow your orders.”

A person who appeared to be a security guard who entered the store quickly left the store and started heading somewhere. Shurn and I sat on a chair for a while and waited, and then the store owner came towards us holding clothes.

“This is the clothes you ordered. Do you need anything else?”

“There is nothing particularly necessary. The price of the clothes will be put in the name of Her Royal Highness Princess Ceresria, and will be paid for at the palace.”

“Okay.”

“Change and come out, Astan.”

I took my clothes and went into the locker room.

The formal clothes were more uncomfortable than I thought. I couldn’t tell if it was because the clothes were made to fit my body, or if it was just the atmosphere of the formal clothes oppressing my body. As I walked along the north side of the square past the shopping street, I saw many street stalls around me.

Although it seemed like a very lively city with various trinkets and food sold, it was quite difficult to live in this capital city, so on the other hand, I envied them. Because my hometown wasn’t like this. It was a quiet, secluded countryside, not a lively city.

It was a life full of people farming, guards not working properly, fighting each other as brothers, and playing in the river when summer came.

We carefully continued uphill along the road and arrived at the main gate of the palace, where a guard blocked our path.

“What are you doing?”

At the guard’s words, Shurn searched somewhere in his armor, took out a badge, and showed it to the guard. When the guards saw the badge, they began to bow their heads towards Shurn.

“Shurn de Verot, leader of the Blue Rose Knights, has brought his close friend by order of Her Highness Princess Ceresria.”

“Confirmed, you may enter.”

“Eggplant.”

At Shurn’s words, I approached the gate of the palace with him, and the gate began to open naturally, and I carefully crossed through the gate of the palace.

And when I entered the palace, what I saw was a large flower field. I heard that Queen Araelia’s hobby was tending flower gardens, so I thought that might be it. As I looked at Shurn carefully, he started walking along the paved path as if nothing had happened, and I followed him carefully.

Another question I was curious about was how many commoners could enter the royal palace. I felt like my heart was pounding strangely. Isn’t the royal palace a gathering place for chosen humans? People who do not have royal blood cannot easily enter, and even if they do, their lives are at risk.

I might be like that now, too. If I catch the king’s attention, I might die on the spot.

“Lord Shurn.”

While walking down the street, someone smiled and greeted Shurn. Black hair and red eyes, strangely… … Strangely indeed.

It was a man who gave off the same vibe as Ceresria. Maybe it was because he was exposed to sunlight, but his skin was shining like white jade, and even as a man, I thought he was really handsome. If Sharon was a man with a soft feel, this man was like a handsome man with a sharp and cold feel. I’m facing red eyes that are slightly covered with a smile.

This person must be royalty, and the clothes he was wearing were similar to formal attire. At the moment when I was naturally lost in thought about who this person was, dressed in an exquisite combination of black and blue, Shurn knelt down towards him, and I naturally also knelt down and bowed my head.

“Meeting His Highness the Prince of Chart.”

It was a familiar name. Chartro, the prince that Ceresria had talked about once before. But I didn’t know anything in detail. Because he was not the prince and princess whose names were known even in their hometown. All I knew was that he was more playful than I thought.

“Shurn, you don’t have to be so polite. Wake up quickly, and… … Are you a close friend of Shurn? This is my first time seeing this face. Get up quickly, your clothes might get dirty.”

At his words, I carefully stood up and faced Chartro, and his eyes were focused on me. It had strangely similar eyes to Ceresria’s. While I was wondering what to say under those gazes that seemed to be scanning my entire body, Shurn pointed at me with his palm and opened his mouth.

“This is Astan from the Academy, and he is a close friend of Ceresria.”

“Ah, he is the rumored wizard. I heard a lot of stories, but I was already heading to the palace for that matter.”

Then Chartreau extended his right hand toward me, and I gently shook his hand.

Then, I felt like my body was being twisted.