Chapter 54

After taking a few breaks along the way, we headed for the capital. It apparently takes about half a day for the Red Dragon and Alicorn to fly leisurely to the capital. This time, we didn’t want to push the summoned creatures too hard, so we decided to fly at a more relaxed pace.

The Redgard territory is relatively close to the capital, and it’s said that you can reach it in two days by carriage. ……In other words, if we didn’t have the summoned creatures, our journey would have taken two days. I’m glad they were with us.

And so, we arrived at the capital by snack time.

……It was a much larger town than the town in the Redgard territory.

There was a gate, and people who looked like gatekeepers were watching the people passing through. After Fay had some conversation, we entered, and a wide street stretched straight ahead, with large shops lining both sides. The number of people on the street was incredibly large.

"……Wow"

"Right? It’s the capital, after all!"

Fay seemed to be enjoying my reaction. Yeah, it must be fun to show a town to someone from another world, as he had said before.

"Alright! Let’s go to the inn right away! We’ll put our luggage down and do a bit of sightseeing! It’s a special occasion, after all!"

"Okay"

Then, Laocles and I followed Fay to the inn where we were supposed to stay for the night.

The inn was a large building. Since it was built on the main street of the capital, it seemed to be an inn for nobles. ……It might be treated like a first-class hotel. Thinking about it, I felt a bit nervous.

"Alright. It’s done. Let’s go"

On the other hand, Fay had finished the procedures with confidence and was holding what looked like a room key.

"……Huh? One room?"

However, the key Fay was holding seemed to be only one. Well, it’s fine even if we share a room.

"Hehe. One room, but don’t worry"

Fay said with a meaningful grin and then started walking, leading Laocles and me. ……I wonder if something is up.

Then, I followed Fay and …… when we arrived at our room, I confirmed the room number and opened the door.

And then.

"……What?"

"Surprised? You must be! I was surprised the first time I saw it too!"

There was an incredibly spacious room. I mean, incredibly spacious. It was physically impossible to be this big. It was clearly much larger than a room should be.

"What’s going on here?"

"Apparently, they embedded ancient magic into the room to make a small space feel larger. Thanks to this, they can ensure enough space for multiple guests!"

As Fay walked in, there were several doors in the spacious room. Wow, it’s not just one room. There are rooms inside the room.

"The bedrooms are …… yeah, there are four, so you can choose the one you like! One is extra!"

So, even though there’s one main room, there are more rooms inside. That’s why Fay said, "Don’t worry."

"Alright, so that’s how it is. I’ll keep the key to this room, but I’ll make it so you can use it too"

Fay then asked me to hold out my hand.

When I held out my palm, he said, "Turn it over, turn it over," and pressed the key to the back of my hand.

……Instantly, the back of my hand felt a bit warm, and the next moment, it was back to normal as if nothing had happened.

"Laocles too. Here"

Then, Laocles also had the key pressed to the back of his hand, and finally, Fay did the same to himself. After that, Fay put the key in a key holder in the room.

"Alright, just put your hand on the metal plate at the door to enter the room"

It seems that we can now open the room with our hands. I wonder how this works……

Feeling a bit surprised by the magic of this world, I immediately chose one of the rooms inside and put down my luggage. ……Well, I don’t have much luggage. After all, we’re only staying for one night. I had heard that most daily necessities were provided by the inn, so I didn’t bring much of those.

……Most of my luggage consists of sketchbooks and art supplies. And also, bamboo nuts and other tree nuts. ……Basically, food for the summoned creatures.

"……I wonder if the gems of the summoned creatures are like this room"

Looking up at the ceiling of the room, I thought that the summoned creatures entering the gems might be similar to this. Since large summoned creatures can fit into small gems, maybe the inside of the gems is a large space like this room.

Maybe "high-magic gems" or "high-magic bamboo tubes" mean that the room inside is large.

Well, after looking around the room, we went out into the town right away.

Fay had been to the capital a few times and cheerfully showed us around.

We tried a store that served delicious snacks, peeked into a weapons shop, and even visited a gem shop.

There were weapon shops, armor shops, and gem shops in the town of the Redgard territory, but the ones in the capital were on a different scale. Indeed, stores in places with many people are larger and have more items.

……I was a bit interested, so I observed the gems in the gem shop.

The gems I have are often liked by the summoned creatures, and according to Fay, they are "high-magic gems." I wondered what low-magic gems would be like.

So, I observed the gems in the gem shop along with their price tags …… and I think I understood a bit.

Since I can control magic, I can now somewhat understand the magic of things other than myself. Indeed, I can feel something like magic from high-value gems, and low-value gems seem to have little magic.

"Hey, Fay. If I train more, will I be able to see the magic of things better?"

"Huh? Yeah, you can! ……Well, I’m not very good at it either. But it’s useful to know"

When I quietly consulted Fay, I got this answer. It seems that with training, I can see the magic of things other than myself. I remember Fay also said the bamboo tube was "filled with magic" when he saw it. That’s probably what he meant.

……Yeah. I’ll try my best.

We had dinner at the inn and then went to sleep.

……Somehow, it felt a bit nostalgic to sleep in a proper bed alone. I usually sleep in a hammock, and when I do, the horses are usually nearby.

Also, when I stay at Fay’s house, Laocles is usually with me. Thinking about it, it felt …… a bit lonely.

I’m used to being in a space where only my presence is felt, and I don’t dislike it. In fact, I tend to feel more relaxed when I’m alone. But recently, I haven’t been alone much ……

"……Hmm"

Feeling a bit uneasy, I thought about what to do ……

"Alright. Good night"

I summoned the phoenix and the tube fox and decided to sleep with them. They feel good to the touch and help me relax.

While listening to their soft sounds, "Kururu, konkon," I fell asleep instantly.

The next day, after putting away the summoned creatures and leaving the room, Laocles was already awake.

Then, after a little while, Fay also woke up, and we all went to have breakfast together.

After that, …… we spent some time leisurely, and I passed the time by sketching the scenery from the window …… and then in the afternoon.

We immediately started getting ready for the party.

"Well, it’s easier to get ready when there are three men"

Getting ready isn’t that difficult. My clothes are like a suit, so I can put them on by myself. ……However, tying a bow tie at my own neck is quite challenging, so I tried a few times.

……I’ve heard that women’s dresses are so complicated that they can’t put them on by themselves. Yeah, I’m glad I’m a man.

After changing, I did a final check of my belongings and then we set off.

Our destination was the royal castle, the most magnificent building in this country.

At the entrance to the castle, there were gatekeepers, and Fay went through some procedures. After showing the invitation, the gatekeepers let us through easily.

As we moved forward, we entered the building …… and there, I was amazed.

"Wow ……!"

It was just so vast.

The luxurious stone building was impressive from the outside, but once inside, its size became even more apparent.

In the first grand hall of the castle, there were several sturdy pillars. The ceiling was high, and it seemed to be a double-height structure. However, even so, the ceiling was very high. It made me feel small.

And the castle wasn’t just big.

There were decorations worthy of a castle everywhere. The first thing that caught my eye was the mural covering the entire wall of the grand hall. It was a fresco, I think. The vivid colors seemed to depict a story.

Using my limited knowledge of this world, I deduced that the mural depicted "The Story of the Hero Defeating the Demon King." I had read a book about it during my studies.

There was more to see than just the mural. The sturdy pillars were made of marble with a faint, gentle gray stripe, and they were intricately carved.

When I realized that each pillar had a different carving, I couldn’t help but gasp. Each pillar seemed to have a different creature carved into it. Dragons, phoenixes, and alicorns. ……Well, I doubt there would be a phoenix and a tube fox.

The floor was made of dark gray marble, and the red carpet laid on it was dazzling. The stairs in the back stretched in an elegant curve …… and I could see elegantly dressed people, probably guests of the party, ascending them. It was a beautiful sight.

"How about it? Togo. Was it worth coming?"

"Yeah!"

I couldn’t help but nod. This is amazing. I’m really glad I came!

"Hey, Fay. Can I look at the mural a bit more before we go to the party venue?"

"Sure! Go ahead! Take your time! And we’ll kill some time"

Fay seemed to think it was better to enter the party venue at the last minute, so it was perfect. I immediately went to look at the mural in the grand hall, moving closer to the wall.

The more I looked, the more impressive the mural became. However, I couldn’t quite figure out what technique was used to paint it!

At first, I thought it might be a fresco. Paint is applied to a plaster wall, and as time passes and the plaster crystallizes, the colors become deeper and more vivid.

However, the wall seemed a bit transparent and harder than a plaster wall. Hmm, maybe it’s not a fresco after all.

……Also, the paint seemed a bit special.

"Hey, Fay. What kind of paint is this?"

"Huh? ……Hmm, sorry. I don’t know. I’m not very knowledgeable about art ……"

When I asked Fay, he didn’t know. However, from what I could see, I felt a faint sense of magic from the paint.

"But it seems to have magic. Maybe they crushed magic stones and used them as paint? ……Indeed, the castle is luxurious"

Yeah, that makes sense. This paint is made from magic stones.

……So, could this painting be created with magic? I’m curious.

After taking my time to look at the mural, I admired the carvings on the pillars. The scales of the dragons were intricately carved, the softness of the phoenix’s feathers was expressed in hard marble, and the swaying of the alicorn’s tail was almost invisible in the carving. It was a great learning experience. Wow. I’d like to try carving someday.

Furthermore, while climbing the stairs, I was captivated by the in