Chapter 54

It's a bit short, but I'll update it soon, so please bear with me.

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A massive circular wall surrounds the entire capital, protecting the safety of its people. This wall has never been breached since the founding of the kingdom and has repeatedly defended against invasions from other countries.

Even the citizens who live within this sturdy wall and the guards who are the country's soldiers stand with a sense of pride, vigilantly scrutinizing to ensure no suspicious individuals enter.

The Slowlett family, being nobles, albeit barons, glide through the long line of people waiting at the gate as if they were the wind, driving their carriage forward.

Envious gazes from travelers and merchants pierce through us.

"Hey, look at that. It's the dragon emblem. Could that be the famous Dragon Slayer?"

"Seriously? That's so cool. I wish I could be a noble too."

Praises and envious voices drift to our ears.

Father Nord looks a bit embarrassed, while Mother Elna smiles warmly. It seems that Mother Elna only feels embarrassed when her past is brought up.

She seemed so embarrassed when Rumba talked before.

Well, I'll ask Rumba about it in detail after watching the play.

"Hey, is it really those guys guarding the East Gate today!?"

"They were at the South Gate three days ago..."

"Those two are dangerous. Let's hope we don't run into them."

Voices from the line of carriages waiting to enter.

It seems that the East Gate, which we are passing through, is guarded by a dangerous duo of guards.

What does "dangerous" mean? Are they such formidable warriors? Or are the merchants and travelers trying to enter with something suspicious in their past or in their possessions?

We finally reach the gate and stop the carriage.

The road is wide enough for three carriages to pass without any problem. The massive wall stretches as high as the sky, and it seems to be about thirty meters thick.

"Please show us your noble emblem."

Two men in silver and red metal armor approach the carriage. Their full-body armor clinks with every movement.

Behind us, men are happily chatting, saying things like, "Wow, that was close!"

Are these two the dangerous duo?

They look ordinary, with one having short hair and the other a shaved head. In terms of intimidating appearance, Baltro is much scarier. I think the capital has many adventurers, so people are used to this level of sternness.

"Alright, I'll show you the noble emblem."

"Sure, I'm bored."

Father Nord and I get out of the carriage to show the noble emblem required for entry into the capital.

From Father Nord's cool expression, it seems these two are not a problem. Or maybe he just doesn't know. Out of curiosity, I follow him.

"Here, this is the noble emblem."

Father Nord takes out a booklet-like item from his coat pocket and shows it. It has a shining golden dragon emblem.

It seems this booklet serves as proof of identity.

The short-haired guard checks it expressionlessly, then looks at Father Nord and his expression changes to one of surprise.

What's going on? Is he a big fan of the Dragon Slayer, like in the villages and towns we've visited?

"Beautiful..."

"Huh?..."

What did this man just say?

Father Nord looks at the man with a puzzled expression, and the man averts his gaze, looking embarrassed.

"No, nothing. I have indeed confirmed it. You are Baron Nord Slowlett, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Then, as a precaution, we will conduct a light inspection of the cargo carriage and ask some questions."

"Alright."

The other guards then proceed to inspect the cargo carriage.

By the way, the bald guard has been staring at me the whole time. Did I do something to offend him?

"Purpose of your visit to the capital?"

"To attend a noble exchange event hosted by Duke Ringrande."

"Indeed, it is scheduled for a week from now. How many people are in your party?"

"Eight, including servants and guards."

It seems that higher-ranking nobles can skip this process, but the Slowlett family is a baron, which is a lower rank, so we cannot.

After a series of routine questions, I start to get bored and look around. Suddenly, a guard speaks to me.

"Is this your first time in the capital?"

The guard, sitting down, smiles and speaks to me. Even though he is still taller than me, he seems to be entertaining me. I thought he would be scary because he looked so stern, but he seems nice.

Maybe people are just too scared by his stern appearance.

"Yes, it's my first time."

"Is that so. May I ask your name?"

"I'm Alphriette Slowlett."

"How old are you?"

Hmm? Do I look that young? I'm almost seven. I thought he would tell me about the good places and sights in the capital.

"I'm almost seven."

"Really, you're almost seven... You seem a bit young... No, maybe that's just it."

"..."

"No, nothing. Ahaha."

I have a bad feeling. This man just said something really strange. What is this chill running down my spine?

The guard smiles and pats my head. His hand gradually moves to my shoulder, then my arm, and finally my waist, and he grabs my buttocks.

"Ah!?"

I feel a threat to my chastity and retreat as fast as I can. What was this man trying to do?

His hand felt like it was clinging to my body, which was disgusting.

"Is something wrong?"

The bald guard approaches with a cheerful expression.

Why does he look so cheerful when he was just groping me? I almost feel like I'm the one who's wrong.

"How old are you?"

"Uh? I'm thirty-two."

"Nice, nice. Do you have a wife?"

"Of course, I do."

"What type of men do you like?"

"Huh? Men? Is that relevant? What are you touching!?"

I see that Father Nord is also in danger. This is not about our purpose in the capital or security; the questions are just weird.

Indeed, these two are dangerous. I understand why everyone is scared.

"The cargo carriage inspection is complete! No issues!"

The voice of an angel to Father Nord and me.

"Alright, let's go in. Come on, Al!"

"Okay. We need to hurry because we have something to do."

We quickly get into the carriage, as if we can't stay in this dangerous place any longer.

The dangerous guards watch us leave with a sad expression.

"Rou, please move faster."

"Y-Yes, I'll hurry."

As soon as Father Nord speaks, Rou, who is on the driver's seat, hurriedly cracks the whip.

He must have seen our interaction and felt a threat to his own chastity. He looks quite frightened.

"Al, you and Father Nord both look pale. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

We can't say it. We were groped by a man.