Chapter 45

After a long wait, I will resume the updates for Chapter 2 of the otherworldly nation Alkymaira. I hope you enjoy it.

---

A few hours after the encounter with the bandits, the group, having rejoined with Galdi who was pulling the carriage, continued their journey toward the border city, now with the addition of the young girl as a new passenger.

"Well, this will have to do. It might be a bit big, but this is the smallest piece of clothing I have on hand. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with this until we reach the city."

From the back of the carriage, which was partitioned off with cloth, Celeste's voice could be heard. It seemed the girl had finished changing. While watching Reeve prepare the tea, Helian listened to the voices coming from behind the curtain.

"No, not at all. On the contrary, the material feels very good... Is it silver moth silk? I feel terrible for using such a fine item. Once we return to the city, I will make sure to pay the proper price for it."

"Huh? ...Ah, no, it's fine, really. It's not a big expense, so don't worry about it."

From the conversation, it seemed the girl had regained her composure. She had been in a daze when they first rescued her, which was a cause for concern, but now she seemed to have recovered enough to engage in normal conversation.

"Please wait a moment."

The cloth was pulled aside with a swish.

There, wearing a flowing outfit, stood the black-haired girl—Shion. Though it was far from suitable for travel, the outfit suited her very well, giving her an air of nobility that set her apart from a common town girl.

"Lord Helian, Lady Shion. The tea is ready."

Shion took her seat opposite Helian. At that moment, Reeve, who had just finished brewing the tea, handed over a white porcelain cup.

Reeve's ability to brew tea without spilling a drop in the swaying carriage was a testament to his training as a servant. Celeste, though not clumsy, lacked such skills as a legion commander. In fact, as a legion commander, she was supposed to be served, not serve. Reeve and Eltina had acquired such skills because they often served King Helian.

Shion took the cup with both hands and sipped it as it was offered. Her slender throat moved as she swallowed, and she blinked in surprise.

"---Delicious."

The words slipped out in a tone of genuine surprise.

Her sigh conveyed a sincere and unfeigned appreciation.

It seemed she truly enjoyed it.

The tea Shion was drinking was a type of herbal tea with a calming effect.

It was made from several herbs blessed and cultivated by the Dryad tribe, using the finest ingredients selected from the high-quality herbs created by the flower fairies of Alkymaira. The third legion's select Elven tribe had blended it, and it had passed the strict scrutiny of the first legion's servants to become a royal favorite.

Its taste and effects were unparalleled.

"Ah, I apologize. The flavor was so deep that I... "

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Noticing Helian's gaze, Shion quickly covered her mouth. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, indicating that she was genuinely embarrassed.

Despite her vitality after escaping from the bandits, her innocent gestures suggested a different character. Her concern for etiquette even in a carriage and her appearance indicated that she was likely of noble birth. She was certainly not just a common town girl.

Across from Helian, Shion finished her herbal tea with graceful movements and let out a satisfied sigh. Sensing that she had fully calmed down, Helian began the conversation.

"Let's introduce ourselves again. As I mentioned earlier, my name is Helian. I'm a traveling merchant, and I'm currently heading to the border city."

"I am Reeve, Lord Helian's servant."

"I am Celeste. Nice to meet you."

Reeve, noticing Helian's gaze, answered on her own initiative, understanding her master's intent.

Then Celeste introduced herself to the girl.

"Also, the large man leading the way outside is Galdi. He may look scary, but he's not a bad guy, so don't worry."

Introducing the last person in a casual tone, Shion smiled with a slight frown. After placing the cup on the saucer, she straightened her posture and tightened her expression. She cleared her throat as if to adjust her voice, and her small mouth opened.

"Thank you for the introduction. I apologize for not expressing my gratitude earlier. My name is Shion Gardiner. I am deeply grateful for your assistance in such a dangerous situation."

With those words, Shion bowed deeply. Her black, silky hair flowed down.

Her beautiful words and graceful movements clearly indicated her noble status. However, upon hearing this, Helian realized his cheeks were twitching.

"…Shion Gardiner?"

He repeated the girl's name.

No, the name Shion was fine. It was fine. He had already heard it, so there was no problem. The problem was the surname—'Gardiner.'

The information about the border city obtained from Lastwood was limited, but he knew the name of the noble family that governed the region.

The lord of the border city Seals.

A great noble who governed the important stronghold known as the 'Shield of Humanity.'

Wasn't the family name 'Gardiner'?

...Could it be?

"If my memory serves me correctly... The family name of the border lord who governs the border city Seals is Gardiner, is it not? Could it be that... "

"Yes. The lord of Seals, Glen Gardiner, is my father."

Helian felt dizzy at the girl's matter-of-fact response.

...This can't be a joke.

Her graceful movements and polite speech were natural. After all, she was not just a noble but the daughter of a great noble. This must be some kind of curse. The deja vu was overwhelming. The meeting with Reifa and this incident... Why are the people I help always important figures?

"You have every right to be suspicious..."

"No, it's not that I doubt you... Why would the daughter of the Gardiner family be in such a place?"

She shouldn't be in such a place.

After all, this was the middle of a wilderness infested with monsters.

A noble lady without any guards, being attacked by bandits, and especially one who turned out to be the daughter of the lord... It was highly unusual.

"By my father's command, I was on a pilgrimage. Recently, there have been large-scale invasions from the demon territories and the labyrinth has shown signs of unrest, making the situation unstable. As a member of the Gardiner family, I was entrusted with this mission."

"...A pilgrimage, you say?"

It sounded like a religious ceremony.

It felt similar to the role of a priestess or shrine maiden.

"Yes. However, during my return from the western temple, I was suddenly attacked by a giant beast..."

At her words, Helian recalled the 'giant beast and the human forms scattered around' that Celeste had discovered.

"During our journey to this place, I saw the corpse of a giant beast and... many people lying on the ground."

When he asked, Shion lowered her gaze with a somber expression.

"...They were my guards. They stayed behind to buy me time to escape. I managed to escape with a few guards, but soon after, we encountered the mercenary group... As you know, the rest is history."

"---I apologize."

He bowed his head in apology.

Shion said she had escaped with a few guards.

However, when Helian and his group found her, she was alone.

Then, what had happened to the few attendants who had escaped with her... What the mercenary group had done to them was easy to imagine.

However, she had managed to escape. They had bought her the time she needed to escape. That's why they had arrived in time. They had fulfilled their duty.

Although there were many unclear points in her story due to the limited information, Shion seemed to be telling the truth. If he were to doubt her, it would be that she was pretending to be a noble lady to gain their protection... But that seemed too far-fetched.

In any case, the decision on what to do with Shion was clear.

Regardless of her true identity, since they had already helped her, they had a responsibility to see her safely home. At least, that's what Helian believed.

"I understand the situation. Please leave the journey to the border city to us. I may not be much, but my three servants are skilled enough to handle the wilderness monsters. We will ensure your safe return to your mansion, so please rest assured."

"I apologize. Since I have nothing with me at the moment, I will have to rely on your kindness."

"Understood. The journey may be bumpy, so please bear with it."

In the swaying carriage, Helian bowed respectfully to Shion.

Given her true identity, it was best to be humble, even if he claimed to be a mere merchant.

"...Please, don't be so formal. I don't mind if you use a more casual tone."

However, Shion twisted uncomfortably. Then, in a polite tone, she asked Helian to be less formal.

"But, as the daughter of the Gardiner family, it would be inappropriate for me to... "

"Please. If my father found out that I made my savior bow, he would scold me. I am in your debt. I don't want to make my savior bow."

It was difficult to stubbornly refuse such a request.

She must have considered this and mentioned her father to make her point. Indeed, she was a noble.

Even considering the possibility of social niceties, he tried to gently refuse one more time, but Shion's response remained unchanged. Sensing that she was speaking from the heart, Helian decided to adopt a slightly more casual tone.

Of course, he couldn't completely drop his formal speech, but it was better not to be overly formal.

"Then, Your Highness—Young Master. I'll return to my guard duties."

Seeing the conversation settle, Celeste spoke. She almost called him 'Your Majesty' but seemed to have decided to call him 'Young Master' as a merchant.

Helian nodded, and Celeste headed to the front of the carriage.

Then, she warned Galdi, "That girl is actually a noble, so you should be careful with your attitude," to which Galdi responded, "Sure, sure. Got it," in a casual manner.

The banter between the mismatched duo soothed the tension from the recent encounter.

As he chuckled, he felt Shion's gaze from across the carriage.

Helian turned his face forward, but their eyes did not meet. Shion's gaze was directed above his head.

Was there something strange on his head? He tried to brush it off with his hand, but found nothing. However, Shion's gaze, which had been flickering, was now fixed on his head with a look of intense focus.

"...Is there something on my head?"

When he asked, Shion looked startled and quickly lowered her head.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"I'm sorry. Your hair color is just so unusual..."

"Oh, my hair?"

He pinched a lock of his hair. It was black, the same color as Shion's.

He had thought that black hair might not be that rare since the first person he met had black hair, but from her words, it seemed to be quite rare.

"Is black hair rare around here?"

"Yes. Apart from my bloodline, I have never seen anyone with pure black hair."

Helian grunted inwardly.

By 'bloodline,' she meant the Gardiner family, who governed the border city.

This was more troublesome than the initial assumption that there were no black-haired people at all.

It could lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble.

"In that case... I should probably keep my hair hidden in the border city."

"---Yes, I think it would be best to keep it hidden."

After a moment of contemplation, Shion nodded.

Helian agreed and decided to pull his hood over his head to hide his hair. He tied the hood's strings tightly so they wouldn't come loose easily. This should suffice for the time being.

For a while, they engaged in casual conversation to gather information. Choosing topics that wouldn't cause trouble, he confirmed that there were no significant discrepancies with the information he had obtained from Lastwood.

Just as the conversation shifted to the history of Seals, a firm voice came from Galdi, who was leading the group.

"Captain, I can see it."

Helian looked in the direction the carriage was heading. In the distance, he could faintly see what looked like a city wall. Shion, too, leaned forward to look in the same direction.

Looking at her, Helian asked.

"Lady Shion, is that...?"

"Yes, that is our city—the border city Seals."

---

About twenty minutes later, the group's carriage arrived at the outer wall of Seals.

The wall was even taller than he had imagined. It must have been about forty meters high, a height that would make one's neck hurt from looking up.

(A fortress city... like that.)

He had seen photos of such places in history lectures. It must have been Luxembourg.

However, the wall in front of him was much higher than the photos and completely surrounded the entire city. It was clear that it would not be easily breached by monsters.

Moreover, it was incredibly vast.

As they approached to the point where they could see the wall, the ends of the wall, stretching endlessly, were completely out of sight. The sturdy wall extended as far as the eye could see.

How many years must have been spent building such a vast and sturdy wall? It must have taken more than ten or twenty years. If this were on Earth, it would certainly be a World Heritage site.

"Quite an impressive wall."

"Yes, everyone who visits the border city for the first time says the same thing."

Shion smiled gracefully.

There was a hint of pride in her tone, as if she were talking about her own city.

(It's similar to the wall of Agartha.)

The wall that came to Helian's mind was the one surrounding the capital of Alkymaira, 'Agartha.'

The virtual enemies of Alkymaira were not humans but monsters, including giants and dragons, which were on a completely different scale from humans. The wall was built to withstand such threats.

Seals, being a frontline city against demons and monsters, naturally had a much higher and sturdier wall than the human-focused walls he had seen in Japanese textbooks. It was only natural that it resembled Agartha.

However, there were differences. Agartha had a capital barrier that was always active along the wall, providing concealment and defense. Here, there was no such barrier. The lack of pulsating light on the wall or gates was evidence of this.

It was a sturdy wall, but nothing more.

"Hmm..."

Galdi folded his arms and stared at the wall.

Next to him, Celeste seemed to be calculating something, her finger on her chin.

"It looks pretty thick... maybe three or four hits."

"Even with abbreviated incantations, it should be enough. We might not even need siege magic."

...Those were rather unsettling comments, but he must have imagined it.

No matter how combative the monsters were, Celeste, who was rational, and Galdi, who was practical and could read the room, would know better. He hoped they would. He really hoped they would. They were certainly better than the commanders of the Seventh and Eighth Legions.

His stomach ached, but he ignored it and walked toward the gate.

The gate in the outer wall was grand, wide enough for ten large carriages to pass side by side. The metal drop gate, which was now raised, was thick and made of metal, indicating its use in emergencies. The dried dirt on the bottom of the gate posts was evidence that it was not just for show.

To the right of the gate, a group of what appeared to be a merchant caravan was forming a line. They seemed to be waiting for a security check. Following Shion's instructions, Helian's carriage bypassed the line and approached the gate.

"Hey, you. If you want to enter the city, get in line. We're currently checking the other caravans."

As expected, they were stopped by a guard at the gate. He was clad in plate armor and armed with a spear. It was a natural response to their approach, ignoring the line.

"Or do you have a letter of introduction? If so, please follow the proper procedures..."

"Thank you for your hard work. We don't have a letter of introduction, but please let us through. We require immediate attention."

"...What do you think you're doing? If you don't have a letter of introduction, you should get in line