Chapter 31

The palace was much larger than I had imagined.

First, I had only left the residential area for the garden once, when I went to visit my father.

Meeting my father and going to see him involved only moving around inside, so I had never grasped the overall layout.

"From the Red Room, you go down to the entrance, right?"

"This is the closest to the entrance, but almost no one uses it."

Herkov answered while facing forward as I followed him, keeping a low profile.

The reason almost no one uses it is simple.

Currently, I am the only one living in the left wing of the palace where the royal family resides.

Conversely, the only people who use it are my attendants and the servants who take care of my residential area.

"In the past, guards and servants waited here to watch for visitors coming to each room."

When you go down the stairs from the Red Room that Harty used, you reach the ground floor entrance.

The floor and columns, decorated with brownish marble, resemble a high-end hotel.

"Why do Herkov and the others come from the stairs of the Blue Room?"

"Harty is a widow, so it's to avoid any strange rumors. Also, there are many stairs that connect one floor, but there are only four, or maybe five, grand staircases that connect all the floors."

In fact, the grand staircases are for important people, and the short, narrow stairs are for private use.

I've lived here since I was three, but I didn't know this.

Herkov and the others can use the grand staircase because my father, the emperor, casually gave them verbal permission.

Harty could use it too, but for convenience, she used the stairs from the Red Room.

"The servants live in the basement, so it's convenient that they can go down with just one staircase."

"I'd like to see the basement sometime."

"Maybe next time. Today, I'm on my way back from work."

Finally, we reached the outside by going through the wide entrance from the third floor.

This is actually the main entrance of the left wing, and it's the first time I've passed through here.

Herkov signaled me to be quiet.

He beckoned me to hold his finger, which he had casually lowered.

He had also told me beforehand to grab the belt if I needed to use my hands to avoid being noticed.

"The building on the right is the Parliament Hall, visible from the Emerald Room. If you go left, you'll reach the palace square, and if you go straight from the palace square with the palace behind you, you'll reach the main gate."

Herkov stopped and explained in a low voice.

The windows of the Emerald Room face the front of the left wing, so I had seen them before.

However, the different perspective made them seem fresh.

"The main gate is only opened for official events, like when His Majesty moves. Normally, people use the side gates. But today, to avoid being seen, we're using the gate of the left wing."

The palace, which backs onto a mountain, was built by cutting into the mountain and leveling it.

Just one step outside the palace, and the gentle slope leading to the capital is in the direction of the main gate.

The gate of the left wing is also a carriage road, but it is winding and unpopular.

However, some people use it due to the distance, as the palace is large.

"……We made it."

"We weren't noticed."

When we exited the gate of the left wing and were no longer visible to the gatekeepers, Herkov covered his face with one hand.

Looking up, I saw his bear ears drooping.

The gatekeepers didn't pay any attention and let us pass.

However, they did check Herkov's luggage, so they weren't slacking off.

"Do they always do the inspection?"

"Pretty much, yeah. As you can guess, it's because of me. The second prince cried because he was with the prince, and now they have a lot of suspicion."

From Herkov's complaints, it seems that the strict inspections started three years ago.

Indeed, I am a recluse, and if anyone is suspected, it would be my three attendants.

"However, it should be difficult to enter the palace by magic, so it's surprising that we weren't noticed."

"Light can be produced by magic, but the phenomenon itself is not related to magic, so maybe that's why?"

While I'm still thinking about how I managed to get past the palace's defenses, it's impossible to monitor everything.

Probably, they can detect harmful magic or specific dangerous magic.

As we talk, we go down the winding road.

Then, through the gaps in the trees, we can see the capital.

It's a view like a port city with the sea spreading out.

"Wow, it's so wide! Is that a lake shining over there?"

"Yeah, good reaction. As I said, the capital is this wide, so we'll have to narrow down the places we go."

We were told there would be no detours, but since it's already evening, it can't be helped.

Indeed, the view of the city stretching as far as the eye can see is something that can't be covered in a day.

Since the capital has not been moved since the empire was established, the city has continued to expand, making it this large.

From a high position, Tokyo also looks wide with its buildings, and I have a similar feeling.

(With this, I want to go out regularly. But if I do, it can't be noticed.)

(This has been proven by this incident. It doesn't seem to be a concern.)

While I was thinking, Sefira spoke directly in my mind.

(This time, it was human sentries. What if they were beastmen? Some beastmen have good noses, good ears, and sharp skin senses. Also, some dragonmen can detect temperature.)

I've never seen a dragonman, but according to books, they have千里眼 (千里眼 means "千里眼," which is a term for a supernatural ability to see things far away, but it's not directly translatable, so I'll leave it as is).

(It's like the pit organs of snakes.)

(Details)

(Don't abbreviate. Snakes can catch prey by their body heat. If there were dragonmen with this ability, it wouldn't matter if they couldn't see, hear, or smell.)

I want to think of countermeasures, but for now……

"The city!"

In front of me, houses gradually increased, and before I knew it, I was on a cobblestone road.

Then, I entered what could be called the city.

"Here, put this cloak on over your head."

From here, we decided to show ourselves and not hide unnaturally.

So we entered a side street where no one was around, and I put on the cloak and pulled the hood over my head.

Since the capital is near mountains and a lake, it doesn't reach 30 degrees even in midsummer.

It's common for people to wear a cloak as a light coat.

"Let's get a carriage and go to the lake first."

"Wait a moment."

I gave Sefira an instruction.

(Scanning………complete. No one who particularly noticed you was detected.)

I had her search the surroundings.

Herkov spat and burst out laughing, putting his hand to his ear and looking confused.

"What was that? Not your ears, Sefira?"

"Yeah, yeah. Since I became Sefiroth, I've enhanced existing functions. Mental conversations that were previously one-on-one can now be done with two people simultaneously."

From Herkov's reaction, Sefira must have told him.

Well, I'm used to being suddenly intruded upon by thoughts.

For Herkov, it must have felt like someone suddenly said, "I'm talking to your mind right now."

"Since there doesn't seem to be any danger, let's go."

"That's my job, but I guess it's good to have a strong lookout?"

I don't mind the details.

Since Herkov acknowledges Sefira's existence, it's not a problem for him.

I walked through the evening capital with Herkov.

Most buildings are four to five stories tall, with windows almost touching the ground, suggesting that many have basements.

"This area is close to the palace, so there are many houses of people with some status. But if you're talking about noble mansions, they are in the eastern part of the city."

I looked at the prosperity of the capital while listening to Herkov's explanation.

"And this area is where the carriages stop. The driver will tell you where they're going."

The carriage road and pedestrian path are separated, but very loosely.

There are no signs like bus stops, and people just gather in a spot.

Even without that, some people raise their hand to stop a carriage like a taxi.

When a carriage stopped, the driver announced where it was going and how many more people could get in.

If you want to be dropped off along the way, you need to tell the driver in advance.

The fare is paid in advance.

"Let's take this one."

The carriage I found that goes to the lake is about the size of a minibus.

Other passengers will get off at various points along the way to the lake.

I was the only one who was excited to get on.

I was also the only one who was a bit disappointed that the windows didn't allow me to see outside.

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Next: First Visit to the Capital 2