Chapter 80

(Third Person)

The Pilatus Castle.

According to the few remaining legends, it was built some time after the end of the Great Midal Kingdom.

It is said that the northwest of the continent became uninhabitable land after the fall of Great Midal. Of course, the area around this castle was no exception and had been abandoned for several hundred years.

However, people eventually crossed the Midal Mountains again and came to this desolate land. Although the castle had been abandoned for hundreds of years, it was still strong enough to be used practically.

At first, there was no ruler in this walled city, and the displaced people naturally gathered to form a village community. The city developed as a market and eventually flourished as a maritime city.

However, without a leader, the city developed in a distorted way without proper defense.

A mercenary group took notice of this.

The mercenaries, who had a moderate force, easily defeated the self-defense groups and quickly occupied the city.

The leader of the mercenary group declared himself king, confiscated the private property of merchants and residents, and used it to repair the castle, walls, and city walls. He also redeveloped the largest port of the time.

While he was hated by the merchants, the repair of the city walls, which had been a source of anxiety for the residents, earned him a certain amount of support. Small merchants who had not had their property confiscated made a fortune with the newly developed port and also gained a certain amount of support.

Thus, the leader became king in a de facto manner, and Pilatus I was born.

Pilatus I was fond of luxury and women, but as a former mercenary leader, he had charisma and the knowledge to lead people. Additionally, he had excellent subordinates, and the country developed relatively smoothly.

However, Pilatus I was not blessed with many children. Although he had several wives, only daughters were born.

Finally, the only son born was the current king, Pilatus II. Pilatus I doted on his son. No, he doted on him too much.

He spoiled him as he pleased.

At the age of 27, Pilatus II inherited the throne.

And thus, the Pig King was born.

After six years of the Pig King's rule, the Pilatus Kingdom was on the brink of collapse.

The castle, built during the time when the technology of the Great Midal Kingdom still remained, was small but stood tall against the bright sky today.

A procession of carriages approached the sand-colored castle. The carriages were grand, unlike the fallen state of the country.

Surrounded by private guards, the procession looked like a small army.

“Halt!”

A guard at the castle gate shouted. The guards were more impressively armed than the soldiers who patrolled the city, indicating their elite status.

Two figures stepped down from the carriages in front of the elite guards.

One was a flamboyant woman with red hair, red leather armor, red boots, and a red chain. The other was a man in a simple but expensive ethnic costume. They were Chelina and Melvin, a close associate of the Veriello Trading Company.

“Good morning. Thank you for your hard work.”

The woman bowed with a bright smile.

“Hm, the Veriello Trading Company?”

“Yes, I am Chelina Veriello. I sent a request for an audience with His Majesty last night. Have you heard anything about it?”

The guard frowned.

“Last night? There’s no way an audience with His Majesty would be granted so quickly. Besides, it’s rude to request one on such short notice.”

The guard tapped the ground lightly with the butt of his spear, looking displeased.

“Yes, I understand that it is rude. Could you please confirm it for us?”

“I can’t let people without an appointment through.”

“Just a confirmation would be enough. Could you please do that?”

Chelina slowly took the guard’s hand and placed something in it. After she stepped back, the guard glanced at his hand.

“Hmm... Yes... Just a confirmation, then. Wait a moment.”

“Thank you.”

The guard instructed another guard to run into the castle. It seemed he was the highest-ranking one.

Before the running guard reached the castle entrance, the large doors opened wide. The guard, who had not yet sent the signal to open the doors, stared up at the massive doors in surprise.

“What are you doing?”

The guard looked down to where he was addressed, and a medium-built man stood there. Recognizing his face, the guard jumped up to his knees.

“B-b-b-b-b!”

It looked like a fly was buzzing around.

“Blow Sora, Minister!”

The guard hastily saluted with the highest respect, but Blow waved his hand lightly.

“You’re in the way, standing there.”

The guard was saluting directly in front of Blow. Normally, one would step aside to the side of the path to salute. For a gatekeeper, a position of some honor, this was a major blunder.

“S-s-s-s-s-s-sorry!”

The guard managed to move to the side and salute again. At this point, he was prepared to lose his head. After all, he had shown disrespect to Blow Sora, one of the top three officials in the country. His sweat wouldn’t stop.

“Why were you so flustered?”

The guard hesitated, then replied, “N-no! It’s just that... there was an urgent request for an audience... so...”

He realized he had made a mistake. An urgent audience would never be allowed.

The guard felt tears welling up inside.

He was finished. His hard-earned position as a gatekeeper was over. I’m sorry, grandma...

“Ah, you mean Miss Chelina Veriello. I just confirmed the request. Miss Veriello is already here, right?”

“Yes!”

“Perfect, please show her in.”

“Yes! Right away!”

The guard, relieved to still have his head, guided Blow to the entrance with the proper protocol for escorting important guests.

Blow let out a quiet sigh that the man couldn’t hear. He saw through the guard’s thoughts and had no intention of punishing him.

（I’m not that important...）

Blow’s muttering went unheard by anyone.

---

To make things a bit complicated, the Pilatus Kingdom has four gates called “castle gates.”

Of course, the original “castle gate” refers only to the gate of the castle itself. It is the massive double doors that Blow had just come out of.

This gate, which would serve as the last line of defense in wartime, is a sturdy and impressive door.

It is usually closed and only opened for the passage of the royal family, ministers, generals, and a few others.

In wartime, it would also be the gate through which the infantry and cavalry of the castle would enter and exit.

However, if the enemy reached this point, it would mean the city was already lost, as the city walls surrounding the castle would have been breached.

The city wall gate is the gate in the city walls.

However, for the citizens, this gate is the “castle gate.” It is the gate where Chelina and the others are currently waiting.

There are two more places called “castle gates.”

These are the North Gate and East Gate of the “city walls” that surround the castle and the city walls.

For the general public, there is no difference between the city walls and the city walls, and especially for people from outside the country, the outermost gate is the “castle gate.” Therefore, there are four places generally called “castle gates.”

However, as mentioned earlier, the official castle gate is one, and the rest are the city wall gate, the North Gate of the city walls, and the East Gate of the city walls.

Incidentally, Akira and Hag entered the country through the North Gate of the city walls, and Chelina often went to her laboratory through the East Gate of the city walls.

When Blow crossed the courtyard between the city walls and the castle and reached the city wall gate, he saw a row of conspicuous carriages waiting.

“Good morning, Miss Veriello.”

Blow Sora greeted the visitors with his usual stern expression.

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