Wow...!


　After arriving at the royal capital Horus and passing through the gates.

　The sparrows, who were looking out of the window as if they were afraid to look out, let out an exclamation.

　The tension is still there, but the sight of the royal city must have been a surprise to him.

　To the girl who was living alone in the forest, the prosperity of the royal city must have looked like a view of the dream world.




　The list of Horus' characteristics is endless.

　The streets of Horus are completely different from those of other cities. The only city in the Canarian kingdom where the roads and sidewalks are clearly separated is the royal capital. As far as I know, even the imperial capital of Ad Astera has no such neat and orderly streets.

　There are not one roadway, but two. Carriages are insisted on keeping to the left side of the road, so that even with hundreds of carriages coming and going at the same time of day, traffic jams are few and far between.

　The sidewalks are wide enough to avoid colliding with the shoulders of the many people passing by. Trees and fragrant plants are planted between the roadway and the sidewalk, and people enjoy the sight of the street.


　Ten such avenues run east to west and ten from north to south, forming a grid of streets in every direction, forming a city called Horus.

　The royal capital of the Canary Kingdom had not expanded haphazardly as its population grew. It had developed based on sophisticated urban planning and precise calculations.



　The first king who built this royal capital must have been a very sharp man.

　To put it bluntly, if you only look at the scenery of the city, the royal capital of the Canaries surpasses the imperial capital of Ad Astera.



　And just then, I heard the sound of musical instruments coming from outside the carriage.

　A raggedly clad old man on the side of the road was actively strumming a stringed instrument that looked like a lute.

　He was poorly dressed for a traveling minstrel - poorly dressed for a traveling minstrel.

　As I watched, the old man began to play in a high-pitched voice with a beat.



'Mr. Sola, what is that man doing here?'

Well, if he was a poet, he'd be a little more interested in looking, and I think he's a hoshi.

What...?

Oh, that's what we call it in my country. Let's see, a traveling priest with a musical instrument in his hands, preaching the teachings of the gods. Sometimes they're just exiles...


　A traveling priest or Dharma Master who travels from place to place playing a musical instrument and preaching the teachings of God.

　They are usually followers of the god of beauty (guardians of the arts) or the god of good fortune (guardians of travelers and merchants), but since the practice of traveling from place to place, preaching the teachings of the gods, in coarse clothing and coarse food, is practiced in all temples, there may be priests who are followers of the god of law or the god of compassion.

　Such people have excellent knowledge and many of them can use magic. In addition to preaching the teachings of the gods, sometimes, like a bard, they also rouse people with stories of their past sermons and travel experiences. For this reason, the Dharma Master was basically welcome in every town and village.

　Things are different again in larger towns where people gather, but at least there is no place to actively persecute a Dharma master. For if they were harmed, the Temple of the Great Book would come out.

　--Some exiles will pretend to be such a Dharma Master and enter the city. That's what I meant.



　While I was talking about this, the carriage went on and the figure of the Dharma master disappeared from sight.

　However, I could see similar ones here and there afterwards.

　Many of them were as shabby as vagrants. They are probably the ones who have eaten their fill in the countryside and are flocking to the royal capital for work. If you dress up as a Buddhist priest, you won't have to pay taxes when you enter the castle.

　Of course, just because you can enter the castle doesn't mean you'll be given housing and food to eat, but in a city as big as Horus, that kind of performance and storytelling must be enough to earn a certain amount of money.

　It was a scene that could only be seen in a royal city full of people and things.



◆ ◆ ◆



　We were then led to a magnificent building located in the heart of the royal city.

　The location and the exterior of the building, it clearly looks like a nobleman's residence. It's also undoubtedly a high-ranking aristocrat above the count. It's not surprising that it's more likely to be called a royal residence.

　Apparently, a messenger had been running beforehand, and those who seemed to be waiting to greet him were all gathered in front of the mansion.

　Knights and soldiers, stewards and maids, all of them are seamless in their respective capacities, and all of them have a polite attitude as if they are about to receive the king.


　And in front of the main gate stands a silver-haired gentleman who seems to be their master.

　He is not just a man, as you can see, but a man of dignity and power. Even a wild tiger could be convinced with a single glance.

　He is probably over fifty years old, but his appearance shows no sign of age.

　This person is undoubtedly stronger than Elgato, the master of the Ishqa Adventurers' Guild.

　Who the hell is this guy?

　.........well, well, I kind of expected it, though.




　The correctness of that prediction became apparent as soon as I got out of the carriage.


'Thorvald, King of Canaries, is a vassal, Pascal Gem Dragnaut. Welcome to Horus, King of the Canaries," he said. Welcome to King's Landing, Horus. The Dukes of Dragnoth welcome you with open arms.


　At the moment that Pascal, Duke of Dragnaut, announced it, those who had been waiting behind the Duke saluted in unison.

　The knights and soldiers on the right side of the room, bordered by the Duke, put their right hands on their chests.

　The steward and maid on the left side of the room, bordered by the duke, folded their upper bodies in a deep bow.

　The seamless behavior is like a well-trained army, and Sparrow and Seal are beyond surprised and freaked out.


　As for me, I wasn't scared, but I was a little scared inside.

　Eh.........could it be that we are staying at the Dragnaut Duke's residence during our stay in the royal capital?

　In the mansion of the Lord of Thunder in the Canary Kingdom, where no one can cry?

　Let me change to an inn in town, even if it's at my own expense. Maybe the other three will raise their hands and agree with me.



　It was a sincere wish, but there is no way I could say "no thank you" to the Duke, who has said "welcome" to me in common sense.

　It's not the level of rudeness.

　It can't be helped. Let's hope that the people of the Draugnoth Dukes are not the ones who are fussy about etiquette.

　I know it's too late now, but I should have taught Sparrow and Seal the least amount of etiquette along the way. What I know is the Imperial way, but it's far better than knowing nothing.

　--no, before that.

　Come to think of it, Lunamaria is a graduate of the Academy of Wise Men, so she should be well educated. I'm not sure if I should have learned how to behave in the kingdom style from Lunamaria.

　In any case, it's an afterthought now.



　With that in mind, I follow the Duke's lead through the gate and step into the mansion through the long garden.

　Then, the duke's household members were waiting there as well.

　When I see the woman I met at the stables of Klau Solas some time ago, I can't help but roll my eyes.

　The other side seemed to have noticed me as well - or perhaps they knew I was coming, and smiled softly at me so as not to be noticed by those around me.

　It wasn't until a little later that I learned that the woman was Astrid Dragnaut, the eldest daughter of the Dukes of Dragnaut.



　And in addition to Astrid, there was another person here who was of interest to him.

　A slender girl standing there, supported by Astrid.

　She was clearly emaciated, but she was smiling at us stoutly.



　Perhaps it's the 'ailing duchess' that Fyodor mentioned, Claudia Dragnaut.

　I couldn't take my eyes off Claudia. Not in a good way, but in a bad way.

　The abnormality of Claudia's soul, which I understand because Astrid's soul standing next to her stands out like a shining light.



　The girl's soul was too thin, too little.

　It's not even close to being eaten. The girl's soul must be at the bottom if I lick it a little.

　It's not like she's going to die today or tomorrow.

　But I wouldn't be surprised if she was dead in a month's time.

　Claudia's condition had already entered such a phase - at least, that's how it looked in my eyes.