The Royal Capital
The greatest city in the world. A town named after the hero who led the Human-Demon War to victory.
When one sees this town for the first time, no one can hide their astonishment. The majestic royal castle towering atop a hill—the Silver Palace. Surrounding it, the enormous estates of the high-ranking nobles. Encircling those, fortress-like walls, and beyond them, the city stretches endlessly. A colossal arena. A magnificent training ground for the knights' order. The beautiful temple of the Holy Milis Sect. Aqueducts strung throughout the city. The headquarters of the world's largest trading company. The dojo of the Water God school's main family. An opera district lined with theaters. A pleasure quarter perfumed with the allure of gorgeous women. The gates built to commemorate victory in the
This is the oldest city of the human race, said to hold everything this world has to offer.
An excerpt from "Walking the World" by the adventurer Bloody Kant.
--- When I first saw the royal capital from a small hill,
The royal capital was vast. Vaster than any city I'd seen in this world.
First, the castle built atop the hill. This gleaming silver fortress rivaled—or surpassed—the castle of
Surrounding it were fortress-like walls, thick and impenetrable. They looked to be over twenty meters tall, sturdy enough that even rampaging dragons would struggle to breach them.
Encircling those walls were the glittering estates of noble houses. That district must be where the high-ranking nobles lived. Mansions the size of castles stood at every turn. And surrounding that district—more walls, of course.
Beyond those walls, the ordinary townscape spread out, though every so often, sections were again enclosed by walls. The city must have grown gradually over long centuries, with walls added to match its expansion.
Yet after five rings of walls, the fortifications ceased entirely. From there, a jumble of buildings stretched on without end, all the way to the horizon.
Building more walls would have cost too much, and with knights regularly subjugating monsters, it was probably manageable without them.
Compared to the great metropolises of my previous life, it might have been smaller—but seeing this fantastical townscape filling the entire vista brought an indescribable rush of emotion to my chest.
"……" "We've returned."
However, the rest of our party seemed to be experiencing an entirely different kind of emotion. They stared at the castle with expressions of extreme severity. Even
"Let us go."
At Ariel's words, we entered the royal capital.
--- From the outside it seemed imposing, but once inside, it was nothing special. City entrances are the same everywhere—peddlers bustling about, adventurers sauntering through. The only difference was that the adventurers here seemed younger than in other towns. There were older, weathered ones too, but they looked somewhat lackluster.
If I had to name a distinguishing feature, it was simply that the roads were extraordinarily wide. Wide enough for six carriages to pass each other—a three-lane road on each side. Apparently this road continued straight to the central plaza.
"We'll move to my secondary residence. We'll use that as our base. Before entering the royal palace, there are many preparations to make."
Following Ariel's instruction, we proceeded along the road. Our destination was the upper-noble district, a cluster of towering buildings. Just traveling through the city would take roughly half a day.
We moved in single file—Rook leading, then
As we made our way through the city, the atmosphere shifted at a certain point. We moved from an adventurer-dominated area to a civilian one.
Then townspeople began pointing at us.
"Wait—is that Lord Rook and Lord Fitz…?" "It is… which means, could that carriage be…?" "Lady Ariel!?" "She's come back after hearing about His Majesty's illness!"
Rook and Sylphie's faces had given away the carriage's occupant. Not that we were trying to hide our identities particularly. We didn't expect to remain completely concealed, and once we entered the royal castle, our presence would become known regardless. Even if
"Kyaa, Lord Rook!" "Lord Fitz!" "Lady Ariel—welcome home!"
They were remarkably popular. Cheers flew from all directions, and occasionally flowers were tossed toward us. Not every person reacted, but roughly one in five noticed and responded.
Ariel and the others were like bona fide idols. Rook was even waving back. It had been nearly ten years since they'd left the royal capital, yet they were still this beloved—that was impressive.
Still, it was interesting that not a single person blocked the path of these celebrities. There must have been some unwritten rule that you don't stand in front of a noble's carriage. Perhaps something about how those who obstruct a lord's procession could be cut down without consequence.
"One, two—Lord Fitz!"
Sylphie scratched behind her ears every time someone cheered. That was her nervous habit—I'd tease her about it later.
Once we crossed the plaza, the cheers grew even louder. People must have been spreading the news of "Ariel's return."
With this much commotion, I worried that guards might show up to restore order—and that in the chaos, Aubey might sneak up behind us. That would be scary…
But no attack came. Soldiers were present, of course, but they too were cheering alongside the people. A captain-like figure was leading the charge.
From the lowliest private to the citizens at large, everyone seemed to be on Ariel's side. The
"You seem to be in high spirits!"
Eris, naturally, had a rather different take.
--- Once we entered the noble district, the cheers dwindled. Perhaps Ariel was popular only among the common folk, not the nobility. Or perhaps nobles simply didn't have the habit of cheering from the roadside. Probably both.
In the noble district, we occasionally spotted groups patrolling in formation—figures clad in armor, walking through the streets. They wore full-body silver plate and heavy-looking full-face helmets. Compared to the soldiers mixed in among the commoners, they had a far more serious air about them. If the regular soldiers were the police, these were the military.
"What are those?" "Squire knights."
When I voiced my question, Eris—an uncommon occurrence—offered an explanation.
"To become a knight without attending the knight academy, you have to serve as a squire and learn etiquette and ceremony and all that." "Oh, really?" "Patrolling the streets like this is apparently part of the squire's duties too." "You know a lot about this." "Heh-heh, a friend told me."
I was surprised that Eris had a friend. Judging from her tone, it didn't sound like an online-only buddy.
"A friend? From the Sword Sanctum?" "Yes."
So a swordswoman friend. A sword-friend, then.
"I'm glad you've made friends, Eris. It's okay to fight with them now and then, but sometimes you need to hold back and get along, you know?" "But that person…"
Eris started to say something, then stopped. Her gaze swept the area, and her hand moved to the sword at her hip.
Following her line of sight, I noticed one of the squire knights staring at us intently. The full-face helmet concealed their expression. Were they an enemy? I sensed something unusual.
The figure spoke to what appeared to be their captain, then broke into a run toward us.
"…!"
Sylphie, Ghylaine, and Rook all drew their weapons in an instant. Impressive, Sylphie—you drew your staff faster than Ghylaine.
"Wha—!"
The armored figure halted, startled by the three who had drawn weapons so suddenly. Though clearly flustered, they reached for their bucket-like helmet and pulled it off.
A beautiful woman emerged from within. Beautiful was the only word for her. Hair that flowed like a stream. On her sweat-dampened forehead, there was a hint of something alluring.
"Eris! Ghylaine! It's me!"
Her gaze was directed at the back of the carriage—at us. More precisely, at Eris.
"…………"
Eris stared at the woman from horseback without a word.
"Eris. So you're alive. Master said you'd never return alive if you fought the Dragon God, so I assumed… But why are you in the Asura Kingdom? If you'd contacted me, I would have—" "Who are you?" "…!"
The woman swallowed. Then she wore a somewhat sad expression—but the kind of sad expression that said, "Well, this is just how Eris is." The expression of someone who knew Eris well.
"……I'm joking."
Eris said this lightly, then slid gracefully from her horse.
"It's been a while,
Realizing this was an acquaintance of Eris's, Rook sheathed his sword. Sylphie looked relieved but kept her staff at the ready. Ghylaine held her drawn sword loosely at her side, scanning the surroundings. Her judgment was sound—the moment of relief was when you were most vulnerable.
"Are you now serving the people in this carriage? There are rumors in town that the Second Princess has returned. Could this be…? But why is Eris… Ah, I recall she was studying abroad at the magic city Sharia. Is that where you met? Was she hired because she's a Sword Emperor?"
Despite her quiet appearance, she was surprisingly talkative. Eris, by contrast, said nothing. Bathed in the machine-gun barrage of words, she crossed her arms and struck her usual pose. She said: "………………Yeah, something like that."
She apparently hadn't been listening past the halfway point. That was probably just how conversations between these two went.
"I was recommended by my master to become a knight. Alongside the formal knight appointment, I'm to receive the title of Water King." "Oh, how nice for you." "Yes."
At that point, Rook turned his horse around, moved toward us, and dismounted. With a gentle expression, he asked: "I apologize for interrupting your reunion… Eris-san, is this an acquaintance?" "Yes, that's right." "I see. I'm sure you have much to catch up on, but I'd appreciate it if we could keep this brief." "I know."
Speaking softly, Rook turned to Isolte and gave an elegant bow.
"Pardon me, my lady. I'm sorry to impose, but we are in the middle of our duties. Perhaps when we have some free time in the future, I can make amends for this interruption—" "That won't be necessary." "Very well, then. My apologies."
Isolte refused him coldly, and Rook, without so much as a bitter smile, mounted his horse with the same gentle grin and rode to the front. Isolte watched him go with a look of displeasure.
"So that's the infamous
Isolte was speaking in a low voice so Rook wouldn't hear. Eris looked blankly puzzled. It seemed Isolte had mistaken me for Rook. Being right in the middle of someone's trash talk was an uncomfortable position to be in. I wasn't trying to look cool, but I did swing a sword around from time to time…
"I'm leaving now." "Yes. I'm sorry for holding you up when you're so busy. …You'll be staying here for a while?"
When asked, Eris glanced at me. At the very least, we'd be staying in this city until Ariel secured the throne. I nodded. It was then that Isolte looked at me for the first time. She wore a puzzled expression.
"Um, and you are?"
Awkward. Should I say Rudeus? Well, there was no reason to use a fake name… but given that she'd just been badmouthing me, things could get tense.
"Hyahh!"
At that moment, Matsukaze moved. Against my will, he shifted toward Eris and pushed her back with his head. Hey—don't move on your own! I'll give you cabbage later, so…
"Oh, sorry—I was in a hurry, wasn't I?"
But Isolte seemed to read the situation from that gesture.
"Then, when I'm off duty, I'll give you a tour of the city. …At that time, please introduce me to this person as well."
Given a direct look from her, I weighed my options. If I said "Pleased to meet you—I'm Rudeus," what kind of face would she make?
"I don't really get it, but sure." "You don't really get it… Eris is always like this. Well then, may the blessings of Holy Milis be upon you."
Isolte gave an elegant bow and departed. So she was a follower of Milis.
Eris watched her retreating figure, then abruptly turned and mounted her horse. Once Rook saw she was ready, the procession began moving again, carriage and all.
"That was Isolte. Water King. I met her at the Sword Sanctum." "Sounds like you two got along well. That's nice." "Yes… but—"
Eris trailed off, looking toward where Isolte had gone. The silver-clad group was filing into an alleyway and disappearing from sight.
"She might end up on the enemy side, you know."
Ah, right. Isolte Kruel, Water King.
As a squire knight, she probably couldn't do much on her own. But that was only her rank—her actual skill was Water King–class. In a battle, she would likely show up.
"…Are you okay with that, Eris?" "My blood's boiling. I can settle things with her the way we did at the Sword Sanctum." "I see."
I didn't fully understand, but the fact that she could say that without hesitation meant that was simply the kind of relationship they had. One of rivalry. I could appreciate that.
Still, if that rivalry escalated into a fight to the death, it would be far beyond my comprehension. I hoped they could both survive and keep competing. Once you're dead, that's it.
--- We turned right partway along the road and began ascending a slope. The massive walls were guarded by soldiers, but Rook showed them something like a crest, and we were waved through almost without inspection. We passed through the middle-noble district, crossed another wall, and found ourselves surrounded by houses the size of small castles or fortresses—the upper-noble district.
Ariel's secondary residence was located at some distance from the royal palace. Despite being in the city proper, it was at least five times the size of my house. Not as large as Eris's family estate, which had doubled as a wartime fortress, but still absurdly large for a private home.
The hour had already turned to evening. We'd entered the city just past midday, so we really had spent half a day.
Once inside the estate grounds, a butler-like figure emerged. Upon seeing Rook, he withdrew immediately and frantically gathered the maids to welcome us. There were only about five of them—they'd been managing the property during Ariel's absence, presumably.
Led by the servants, we entered the building. Inside was lavish, of course. Not as opulent as Perugius's castle, but the expensive art pieces placed at key points made it feel like a proper Asura noble's estate. I'd rank it one notch above Eris's family home.
After each of us was assigned a guest room, we washed away the dust of travel. Even the buckets used for bathing were ornate, metallic things with decorative trim. The house also had bathtubs, apparently, so one could take a proper bath. I probably wouldn't bother.
After bathing, we ate dinner—the four of us: me, Ariel, Eris, and Sylphie. Those in Ariel's retinue dined elsewhere.
"Now then, Lord Rudeus." "Yes." "With your help, we've arrived here safely."
After the meal, Ariel addressed me directly.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll begin moving. I need to prepare the 'stage' to welcome Lord Perugius and to bring down Grand Chamberlain Darius. Confirming which nobles betrayed me in my absence, gathering intelligence, contacting allies we've pre-positioned, laying groundwork in various quarters… It will be busy." "Understood." "To prevent Darius's side from striking first, I'll deploy the 'stage' as early as possible. Fortunately, because of my father's illness, the major nobles have gathered in the royal capital."
So the decisive battle was imminent.
"How much time are you planning to take?" "Ten days." "Understood."
Ten days… That was fast.
"I already have my cards in play. I'll make additional moves, but I believe our basic victory is essentially assured. It's unlikely, I think, but there's a possibility they might desperately launch a direct attack during the 'stage.'"
Honestly, they'd been holding their forces in reserve, so I didn't think the likelihood was that low.
"I believe our combat strength is sufficient, but we must prepare for the worst. Before that, I'd like to thin out the enemy faction's key players." "Yes." "I'd like you, Lord Rudeus, and Eris, along with Sylphie, to handle that task."
Individual elimination, then. Facing the North God school's fighters all at once would indeed be difficult.
"But finding them and then attacking isn't easy either. While we're doing that, Ariel might be targeted."
There must be allies of Ariel in this city as well. But there was no one at the North Emperor level. If Eris, Sylphie, and I left, only Rook and Ghylaine would remain to protect Ariel. Ghylaine was reliable, but if she had to face multiple North King–class opponents, she'd be stretched thin.
"Yes. So I'd like to use them as bait." "Bait…?" "We deliberately expose a vulnerability and let them attack. I also have magic items for that purpose."
She must mean those rings that swap appearances. Someone would use one to impersonate Ariel, creating a situation ripe for attack. Ariel herself could set up these scenarios while going about her business—on her way back from meeting nobles, during her rounds of groundwork. Dawn, dusk, late night. There would be plenty of patterns. If they came to us, it would save us the trouble of hunting them down.
"Sylphie, this would be a somewhat dangerous role for you, but—" "No problem."
Sylphie answered immediately.
"This is the decisive moment. Let's do everything we can."
So Sylphie would play Ariel. Well, in a battle, nowhere was truly safe. Once you'd come this far, it was all the same. If she was willing, I'd protect her with everything I had.
"Will they take the bait?" "I'd say about fifty-fifty."
In the end, there had been no attack the entire way into the royal capital. We'd been on guard, of course, but over nearly a month of travel, they'd had plenty of chances. Which meant they were likely planning to let Ariel prepare her "stage" and then crush her with overwhelming force when the time came.
"If they take the bait, great. If they don't, your safety is guaranteed." "…If they don't take the bait, it'll be an all-out war." "In that case, I'm afraid it would burden you, Lord Rudeus."
That was the shape of it. Would it be all right…?
"Don't you have any reinforcements?" "We found a few people in the Lanwood Kingdom and sent them to the Asura Kingdom in advance. But at best, they're Upper Swordsmen, Upper Mages. I'll position them at the 'stage' on the day, but they won't be enough against North Emperor or North King–class opponents."
Yeah, figures.
"If it comes to that, we may need to borrow that person's strength." "That person."
Orsted. Was he already in this city? He kept in regular contact, but there was little to report and he was always taciturn. Ariel hadn't met with Orsted since I'd fallen under Rook's suspicion.
"Yes. If it comes to that, let's borrow his strength."
Sylphie tilted her head at this exchange, but never mind.
"Then, we'll proceed on that basis." "Yes."
The plan for the ten days was set. Starting tomorrow, the battle in the Asura Kingdom would begin.