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The city of Roa resembled a fortress in its entirety.
No, not just Roa. In the northern part of the Asura Kingdom, including the royal capital, the overall cityscape retained the fortress-like style from the era of wartime preparations—a lingering "trace" from the great human-demon war of the past.
Four hundred years ago, the demon race chose to invade from the northern part of the central continent, and the Asura Kingdom became humanity's first line of defense during the war.
However, while the architectural style has been preserved, the former military stronghold has now transformed into a bustling hub of commerce and trade.
Even at nine in the morning, the city gates were bustling with activity.
Three carriages slowly passed through the gates. The armored guards stationed outside, recognizing the markings of the lord's carriages, let them through without inspection.
In this era of peace, no one would dare to commit such an outrageous act as assassinating a noble and impersonating them to enter the city.
"What the heck!! Does that guy from the royal capital have muscles as big as Allen's?? Does he have calluses as thick as Allen's??"
This was Eris's voice, her rising tone "jumping" out of the carriage window.
"More or less."
This was Ghislaine's usual calm voice, stating the matter as a fact.
"Huh? Are you lying to me, Ghislaine?"
"No."
"You're lying!"
"It's true, Eris."
"Huh? Sylphie, you think so too?? Didn't you say Allen was the strongest??"
"..."
Ever since Eris heard about a cousin in the royal capital who shared the same name as Allen and had similar swordsmanship skills, she had been referring to this relative as "that guy."
In her words, she kept trying to get Ghislaine to praise the Allen by her side while belittling the "cousin" in the royal capital.
This was very typical of her.
Very much like a wild dog.
It left Allen himself both amused and exasperated.
But this was precisely the charm of the wild dog.
Once she recognized you, she would think you were great. Though limited by her level of education, she could only express this as a simple "good," this sentiment came from deep within and was honestly reflected in her words and actions.
She just wasn't very willing to say it outright.
A tsundere little lioness.
Eris's loud, noisy voice and Allen's slightly helpless soothing words drifted out of the carriage window, floating through the air, passing by the neatly lined roadside vendors and the astonished expressions of passersby.
Finally, they seeped into the carriage ahead, dissipating at the corners of Philip's smiling mouth.
Rudy had been leaning against the carriage window, looking outside. This was his first time visiting a large city in this world, and his face was filled with curiosity.
Sylphie, who had been watching Allen, couldn't hold back any longer and soon joined Rudy by the window.
The two of them knelt by the carriage side, sticking their heads out, reminding Allen of dogs sticking their heads out of car windows in his previous life.
"Hey? What's that? Do you know, Sylphie?"
"I don't know."
Hearing this, Allen leaned over their heads to look outside.
Eris, raising an eyebrow, also leaned over.
"What? Let me see too."
The wind outside the window tousled the hair of the three, each of different colors.
In the distance, they saw a public carriage stop, with many people carrying large luggage waiting nearby.
This reminded Allen of Roxy's massive suitcase, which could almost fit Blue Mama inside. Public carriages like these were Roxy's primary mode of transportation during her travels.
He couldn't help but blink.
'Roxy... Speaking of which, the seven-day map search cooldown ends tonight. I'll be able to see her again.'
[You don't usually watch at night, do you?]
'Lately, she's been busy with teaching duties and usually takes a bath around midnight. If I watch in the early evening, I can catch her writing letters.'
[...6.]
[So, is there any point in watching the same letter twice?]
Allen smiled as he watched the cityscape passing by outside the window.
'Carriages are slow, and letters travel far. So, a correspondence that takes two months to go back and forth holds special meaning.'
'And...'
'I never said I only watch twice.'
Rudy, having waited for a while without a response from Allen, glanced over and saw that his brother's eyes had glazed over, lost in thought again.
He turned to Ghislaine inside the carriage.
"Ghislaine, do you know what that is?"
Ghislaine glanced out the window, her hand resting on her sword.
"Are you mocking me?"
Rudy flinched and quickly waved his hands.
"No, that's not what I meant! I really don't know! I just wanted to ask you!"
"Oh, sorry. When I first joined Paul's team, he used to point at things I didn't know and ask me about them to mock me. Later, Zenith joined in too... That's a public carriage stop. Generally, travel between towns relies on this kind of transportation."
As soon as she finished speaking, Rudy and Sylphie both looked at Allen, realizing that he had been reminded of Roxy by this mode of transportation.
The former first pursed his lips, then shook his head with a wry smile.
'When I first approached Allen, I thought even his leftovers would come my way, but now I have nothing... Damn, was this a strategic mistake? I wonder when I'll meet a girl who likes me...'
His fiery red hair swayed above his head.
Rudy glanced up.
Eris (.
Rudy chuckled awkwardly.
'Allen's little sister... a brash and reckless brat... Did I make a mistake from the start? Instead of raising a girl, maybe finding a gentle and beautiful older sister would be more suitable for me? Not getting any leftovers is one thing...'
'Even the goddess has been taken away...'
'This guy, Allen...'
'Good thing I'm not a girl.'
Meanwhile, Sylphie looked up at Allen.
In her reddish-brown eyes was Allen's smiling face.
He was looking at the now-distant carriage stop.
As they turned a corner, the stop disappeared from view, and the "atmosphere" around them suddenly changed.
The roadside vendors were gone, replaced by rows of towering buildings.
Not only were there shops typical of a sword-and-magic world, like weapon and armor stores, but also more mundane shops like clothing stores, shoe stores, food stores, and pharmacies. Each had hired staff standing at the entrance, displaying some of their goods to attract customers.
The weapon shop had swords and blades hung at the entrance, with the shopkeeper calling out, "Swords for sale~ Swords that can cut through iron~"
The food shop had a cart outside with exquisite pastries on display, "Royal desserts from the capital, come and try~"
The pharmacy had beautifully crafted glass bottles lined up, "Love potions~ Premium quality, guaranteed to work all night~"
At the entrance of a multi-story, imposing building of unknown purpose, there were no people or goods on display.
?
Allen looked up in confusion.
The goods were hanging from the upper floors—
From the windows, several girls with slender figures, dressed in sheer, gauzy clothing, leaned out lazily, combing their wet hair.
"Cough cough cough!"
"Allen? What's wrong?"
Allen coughed repeatedly, quickly lowering his head. As he had looked up, several girls had noticed his gaze and were smilingly waving at him, clearly inviting him in.
He quickly turned to Sylphie, only to find that she hadn't been looking at the shops outside. Their eyes met, and she instinctively wanted to look away but only moved her neck slightly, continuing to gaze at Allen.
Amidst the ongoing calls of the vendors.
"Come take a look~ Newly arrived dresses, all the latest from the capital~~"
Allen blinked.
"Sorry, Sylphie, today's not a good day. We need to head to the lord's mansion first. How about we come back another day to buy you a dress?"
Sylphie was momentarily stunned, then quickly explained.
"I! I didn't mean that!"
Allen smiled. The earlier scene from the upper floors was now completely replaced by the image of Sylphie's white hair and red eyes.
"I know, but I meant it."
"..."
"...Okay."
On the other side of the carriage, Ghislaine looked worriedly at Rudy, who was leaning halfway out of the window, looking back.
—
As the carriages continued forward, entering the heart of the city, the buildings on either side of the street became more imposing and expansive.
This area was more residential, and the shops leaned toward higher-end products.
It was still bustling.
But no longer noisy.
Finally, the carriages turned a corner.
Before them was the center of the city, and the largest building in Roa.
The lord's mansion, resembling a castle.
The coachman nodded slightly to the guards at the entrance.
The gates opened.
The three carriages entered.
Ahead was a large fountain, with white stone paths and lawns on either side, reminiscent of the plaza in front of a European castle.
The servants cleaning the plaza, seeing Philip's return, quickly ran into the mansion.
At Philip's gesture, everyone disembarked and waited.
Allen, with a smile, glanced at the fountain nearby, then whispered something to Ghislaine.
The sound was drowned out by the fountain, making it inaudible.
At that moment, a burly, white-haired man who appeared to be in his prime strode out from the mansion's entrance with vigorous steps, followed by a line of servants and beast girls.
Sauros Boreas Greyrat.
His gaze was fierce, and his steps were quick.
A master swordsman.
Before he even arrived...
His voice came first!
"Philip!! I heard you took Eris to the countryside to find a tutor and didn't return all night!!"
Before Philip could respond, Eris jumped up and ran toward her grandfather.
"Grandpa! I'm back!"
"Father, we—"
Sauros scooped up Eris as she ran toward him and, without waiting for Philip to finish speaking, kicked him to the ground in front of everyone!
Rudy, who had been about to greet him, was startled.
"Taking Eris to the countryside to find a tutor? Bringing in villagers? And not returning all night? Philip, as the mayor of Roa, you're far too leisurely! What were you thinking?!"
After saying this, he immediately turned his gaze, like a lion, toward Rudy and Allen. His eyes swept past Rudy's face but lingered on Allen's for a moment.
Seeing this, Rudy took a step back. Noticing that Allen remained unfazed, he quickly bowed to show that he wasn't just some villager but part of the family.
"Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Rudyus Greyrat."
Allen, who had been looking at Thomas, turned his gaze back and bowed as well.
"Hello, I'm Allen."
"I'm Sylphiette."
Hearing the name "Allen," Sauros paused, scrutinizing him. His gaze lingered on Allen's posture as he bowed, then on his glasses, as if pondering something.
After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"Hmph, didn't Paul teach you even the most basic manners?"
Philip, who had gotten up from the ground, knelt on one knee and addressed Sauros.
"Father, these are the young geniuses from Buena Village who helped quell the monster wave last year. One is Paul's son, the other is a tutor hired by Paul, and the last is the disciple of a Water King-level magician. They are all exceptionally talented and young, making them ideal candidates for recruitment."
"Considering Eris's recent disinterest in her studies, bringing in talented peers as tutors would motivate her. Since Paul recommended them, they are more trustworthy than outsiders. Moreover, with the blood relation, Eris would be more accepting. If they show exceptional growth in the coming years, they could naturally be of use to Roa."
His tone was sincere, and his words were direct.
It was as if he was afraid his father would misunderstand.
This was a stark contrast to his usual evasive manner of speaking.
Sauros shifted his gaze from Allen's face, not looking at Philip but instead at Eris in his arms.
"Eris, are you willing to have them as your tutors?"
"I'll allow Allen and Sylphie to be my tutors!"
Rudy's mouth twitched, and he looked at Sauros in horror. The latter, however, didn't seem to care that one person was missing or who that person was. His sharp gaze returned to the kneeling Philip.
"Why were you late? Did you stay overnight at Paul's place? Why are your clothes so dirty?"
Philip glanced up, his eyes falling on Thomas, who had been standing behind Sauros with his usual calm expression.
As the butler, Thomas's honest demeanor was as natural as ever, his body language respectful.
Despite being a master swordsman like Sauros, he stood beside him without any presence.
His clenched fist was the same as always.
Completely natural.
Amidst the sound of the fountain, Philip's voice was equally natural.
"Father, on our way back..."
"We were ambushed."
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 170 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 100 power stones I will publish the next chapter.