Vol. 2 Chapter 201
Entering the Royal Capital
Translated by Raizu
I stayed in Callahanasso City in the Levios territory for only five days.
However, those five days felt like the longest since reincarnating on the Eruo continent.
The city of Callahanasso is a temporary gathering place indicated by the Levios family for the Quordenze Nobles.
As the eldest son of the Quordenze family, the Head of the faction, naturally I had no choice but to interact with the Royal Nobles who gathered there.
After breakfast, the meeting with the Nobles began, and by the time it settled down, we had a lunch meeting, followed by a meeting in the afternoon, a tea party, and then a dinner party… Every day was a dizzying rotation.
Putting aside the fact that I was just busy, my every move and demeanor was being watched, so my mental fortitude was declining rather extraordinarily.
The stress didn’t end there.
Just as the civil officers said, Callahanasso was a fairly large city. In the Quordenze territory, it is at a level comparable to Gatoren City and Nambonan City.
There were no priestly facilities left here, but as one would expect from a former Guardian City, there were historical buildings here and there. I just wanted to wander through all of them at will.
For the time being, I asked a Levios civil officer to guide me through the city. But, who would’ve known that not being able to freely explore the city is a major pain.
When a Levios knight came to inform me that the faction was finally ready to enter the capital, I almost did a fist pump because I’m finally able to leave the city.
At least, that’s what I thought. But, my torment continued on.
In the end, the same thing was repeated in the Royal Capital, except that the next opponents were all big names, including the five Great Nobles of the Kingdom. I honestly don’t like it. Rather, I wanted to withdraw back to Callahanasso.
But of course, if I were to do that, my happy future life as a Quordenze will be messed up.
Thus, I gave up on everything regarding the plan to leave the Royal Capital.
The sunlight that seeped into the carriage became stronger.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to relax like this. For me right now, traveling in a carriage is the most comfortable time.
I stuck my head out the window and peered outside.
The group of Quordenzes marching in a line on the mountain path looks like a procession of ants.
The Levios officer confidently said that crossing the mountains was the best way to get to the Royal Capital from Callahanasso.
Once I actually go through the route, I can understand why they’re boasting.
A huge amount of money and manpower must have been invested to make the shortest distance on the map a reality, and despite the fact that the highway crossed the mountains, there was enough space for a carriage to pass. Most of the section is about the size of a two-lane road on each side.
I guess it’s a form of pride for the Royal family.
If small and medium-sized Nobles were to see the size of Callahanasso City and this mountain road, they would probably think that they can’t beat the Levios family at that point.
However a mountain road is still a mountain road. The undulating topography, the virgin forest that grows so densely it is difficult to enter if you get off the road, the outlook is not good at all.
And, due to my father’s instructions not to pass through the tunnel in a queue, the movement of the Quordenze faction was cut off in places.
Because of that, I didn’t even know how far behind the carriage that Plume was riding.
[Young Master. In the mood of observation?]
The escort who was in the carriage spoke briefly.
[You got me.]
This morning, I asked the leader of the Levios knight to do something for me.
I wanted to stop by a spot where I could see the Royal Capital from afar. For information, I already got permission from my father.
The Royal Capital, Levios, is located in a basin between Mount Seika and Mount Meloron, at the westernmost end of the Astoraph Mountain Range that stretches to the eastern part of the continent.
Therefore, I wanted to see the whole city from somewhere with a good view.
When the escort opened the door, there was a Levios knight in a bowing posture.
When I suddenly looked ahead, I saw my father’s carriage parked there. It seems that he will temporarily stop leading and come to deal with me.
[Thank you for waiting, Wilk-dono. This is the spot. Please watch your step.]
A Levios military officer standing nearby quickly attached a small staircase to the carriage.
I descended the stairs, conscious enough to create a sense of elegance by making breezy footsteps.
The carriage was parked right in front of a steep cliff. If you take about 20 steps forward, you will fall to your death. If you are a normal human that is.
A waist-high wooden fence was installed in front of the cliff, and the carriage seemed to stop along a small pavilion. It is indeed a spot prepared for sightseeing a picturesque view.
The Levios knight spread his arm out to the side and lowered his head, as if telling me to “have a look”.
I walked a few steps before the wooden fence and gazed at the scene.
[…Amazing. So that is the Royal Capital Levios?]
Seen from a high place like this, it does look good.
In this land surrounded by mountains, people’s activities spread out in chaotic yet orderly manner.
The center of the basin is probably the center of the city, and the layout of the districts spreading radially around the Royal castle resembles a giant dartboard.
If it’s a fantasy story, there will be something like [What the hell…! The seal was here! The Royal Capital… yes, the Royal Capital Levios itself is a huge sealing magic circle…!], it certainly had that feeling thanks to its layout.
But, unfortunately that trope is lost along the way.
The entire basin was filled with the vibrancy of all sorts of people: houses, paths, fields, workshops, shops, and so on.
[I’ve heard about it, but it’s really an interesting city.]
I don’t know what to say, but it’s much larger than Newnelly city.
Of course I won’t say that out loud.
[I’m proud to hear that. From here, all we need is just going downhill, so I can guide you into the city right away.]
I can’t stay here forever looking around. Due to my request, not only my father but also the other carriages had to stop.
When I turned around to return to the carriage, I noticed something.
[Why are you flying the national flag in a place like this?]
In one corner of the pavilion, the flag of the Kingdom of Levios was fluttering.
The flag fluttering in the refreshing spring breeze seems to welcome visitors.
[Travelers coming from Callahanasso will see the Royal Capital for the first time in this place after all…]
Until then, travelers who thought they were walking in the Levios territory would change their minds when they saw the panoramic view of the Royal Capital and the national flag, thinking, “Ah, this is the Levios Kingdom”.
That visual effect was effective for me as well. I feel like my consciousness has turned from the “Levios family” to the “Levios Kingdom”.
I looked at the flag.
Illustration (By Mimin)
[…A circle drawn by blue ground and wheat, huh?]
It is said that the Levios Kingdom’s flag was designed by the first King Levios.
Until then, Nobles had incorporated their favorite designs into their own family crests, such as animals, tools, and plants that had a long history or a special feeling.
As a result, preconceptions such as the Quordenze being connected with snakes are often born. Even more so if it is a large Noble.
He may have wanted to avoid using a specific object as a symbol for the Nobles to unite and confront the priest.
Perhaps for that reason, the design is extremely simple.
[Did you know? This flag is also the idea of the Kingdom.]
The blue and white that are separated from the top and bottom represent the ideal world and blue land dreamed of by the first King Levios.
It’s strange that if you look only at this groundwork with prior knowledge, it will certainly look like a single picture of [A pure land that extends to the horizon and the clear blue sky that illuminates it].
And seven tan hexagons drawn in the center. This is a symbol of wheat.
Wheat is the bounty of the land, and it has also become a symbol of the nobility. Because it is used so often as the coat of arms of Noble families, it is a universal symbol, so to speak, without the image of a specific family.
In fact, there are many aristocrats who use wheat in their family crest. Even if it’s not used in the main, if you include the cases where it is drawn as an accessory, I feel that about a third of the Royal Nobles had wheat drawn in their crest. Wheat is also depicted on the coat of arms of the Spierzeig family, the rivals of the Quordenze family.
Let’s unite the Nobles and aim for a better future… The flag of the Kingdom of Levios has a strong role as a poster that conveys messages both inside and outside.
…..When you hear about it, you can’t help but think that it’s a flag that is considerate of other families.
However, no matter how you look at it, this blue and white base is the color of the Levios family crest, which makes the arrangement of the wheat marks also seem to be united around a specific family…the Levios family.
As expected, the leadership of the Levios family must have been strong since the country was founded.
When I looked up to the sky, there were lines of sheep-like clouds.
[Anyhow, if only we could enter the Royal Capital on a cloudless sunny day.]
If this were a sightseeing tour, it would be a sudden disappointment.
[That is certainly true.]
I felt something soft in his tone.
The Levios knight may have thought the same thing.
After passing through the mountain path, the road gradually becomes flat.
As the carriages headed for the central area along the main street, I heard people’s voices.
Citizens seemed to be aware that the Royal Nobles would gather for this social gathering, and there were many onlookers on the main street.
[The commoners of the Royal Capital seem to be accustomed to Nobles.]
If I listen more carefully, I could sometimes hear the Quordenze family being mentioned.
The people of the Levios family may have provided a guide in advance, but I’m a little surprised that commoners would go out of their way to see it.
Citizens of Newnelly come to see me and my father when the Quordenze family moves, but on the contrary, even if they know that Nobles from other territories are coming, they don’t come to see them. They’d rather withdraw into the house.
They don’t know what kind of existence the other Nobles are, so they’d rather stay away.
[The Royal Capital is frequently visited by Nobles from all over the world, so not only the people who welcome them, but also the visitors themselves eventually start to get used to it.]
The maid who was riding with me said so indifferently. Since she has stayed in the Royal Capital several times, she is familiar with the atmosphere of the Royal Capital.
At first, the Royal Nobles were a little surprised at the commoners going out of their way to see the sights, but they seemed to get used to it after a number of repetitions.
As long as they aren’t interfering with traffic and refrain from insulting words, the Nobles don’t care about the eyes of the commoners. The inhabitants of the Royal Capital strictly guard the lines around it.
The carriage moved slowly to show the dignity of the Quordenze family to the onlookers.
The central area of the Royal Capital has Noble mansion districts on the east and west sides of the Royal castle. Quordenze House is on the west side.
By the way, when it comes to the other five Great Nobles of the Kingdom, Zeldomitra’s mansion is on the west side, while Adellahan’s and Milendorva’s mansion are on the east side. This was not determined by the friendly relationship between the Nobles, but simply by the time they joined the Kingdom.
At the time of the Kingdom’s founding, construction zones for Noble residences existed only on the east side. Due to the increase in the number of affiliated Nobles, that area became too cramped, and a mansion district was added to the west side as well.
In short, the Quordenze and Zeldomitra families are newcomers.
[Even so, the liveliness of the Royal Capital is amazing. No wonder it is often described as the best city on the continent.]
Ever since I was reincarnated on the Eruo continent, I have had doubts about the existence of a city greater than Newnelly. At most, it should be at the same level.
However, once you feel the vitality of the city first-hand, you can’t help but understand its economic strength.
There is an energy here that cannot be measured by superficial factors such as population and city area.
But, not everything is 100 points. At least I’m not entirely satisfied with it.
[However, it’s just that there are only new buildings…]
The Royal Capital of Levios… No, this city seems to have a long history, but it doesn’t have much to illustrate that. The marks of history have been lost.
Since ancient times, this basin has been the most prosperous land in the eastern part of the continent. It is related to one of the largest large-scale Fields on the continent that exists in the immediate vicinity.
Currently, the Levios Field, which is also called the Royal Capital Field in the adventurer circles, has a mirror rock whose cross section can be used as a mirror, a variety of mineral resources, although not many, and above all, good quality gold that can be collected at the deepest part.
There are many Fields from where mineral resources can be collected, but there are very few that produce precious metals and gems.
It was only natural that people would gather in this place.
Even in the era of priests, this did not change, and since there is a record that Zeth, the founder of the Zeth religion, stopped by around here during his journey around the continent, it is also popular as one of the pilgrimage sites for priests.
The enormous wealth created by the gold and mirror rocks was used for the construction costs of the Holy High Church, and the name of the church city continued for a long time.
And during the time of war, this city became one of the fiercest battlefields on the continent.
Everyone couldn’t help but want to gorge themselves on this fat, savory metropolis.
Naturally, the clashes between the armies were repeated countless times, and the area around the city was reduced to ashes while being plundered overtime.
The joy of the Nobles who finally obtained this land was fleeting, and they were scattered in front of the Levios family, who conquered not only the Corbovian Plains, but also the area sandwiched between the great rivers.
The Levios family, who obtained this land mostly through fishing, simply destroyed the city.
This should have had political performance implications.
Burning down all the priests’ nests in the eastern part of the continent and renaming the city was an irreversible declaration of war.
It also served as an opportunity for the surrounding Nobles to completely cut off their lingering feelings for the priest. From here, the Levios family will push their position as the leader of the anti-priest forces to the fullest.
The First King Levios was praised as a wise ruler by the people and nobility, but the severity of the oppression of priests was the worst in history, be it in the past to the present.
The city was later rebuilt according to the city plan drawn by the Levios family, and the area was designated as the capital of the Kingdom.
Thus, the current Royal Capital Levios was born.
[It’s just as Young Master said, the city was once completely destroyed, so it’s hard to feel the weight of its history.]
That’s why the oldest building in this city is 80 years old at the very most.
The city of Newnelly still has the Holy High Society Church from nearly 200 years ago, and depending on the location, there are even older ruins that are said to have survived from ancient times.
Compared to Newnelly City, where the old and new are mixed together, the Royal Capital Levios feels youthful.
[But, I can tell that they’ve developed as much as they could.]
This city is like a young tree growing higher and higher toward the blue sky in search of the sun.
According to my father, the Levios family did not attach much importance to the Royal Capital Levios at first, so they could not have predicted that it would develop to this extent.
Perhaps because of the times, people from all over the continent gathered in the capital, freed from the heat of the turbulent times, in search of peace. It is a symbolic city where Nobles who are symbols of strength are united.
At that time, the Royal Capital had a city plan, but it was only for the central section. Other than that, most of it was vacant land and it was easy to move in. For that reason, refugees could enter the Royal Capital without permission, built houses, plowed the fields, and started working in the vicinity of the central section.
The Levios family did not hesitate to use them to solve the labor shortage for reconstruction.
The Royal Capital is peaceful, has jobs, and is full of vacant lots, so there is no shortage of places to live.
Reputation begets reputation, and growth begets growth. Due to this virtuous cycle, the Royal Capital Levios developed with explosive momentum and became the city where order and chaos are mixed up.
[The Royal Capital of Levios and the ancient city of Cobovia, even though these two cities alone are quite large, there are still multiple cities comparable to Callahanasso… The Levios family is still powerful.]
Although the prestige of the Levios family was greatly damaged by the demonic beast Yersinia, the power of the Levios family remains intact.
…..I see, the Royal Capital social gathering itself is one of the prestige recovery campaigns.
Due to the Yersinia Calamity, the order of succession to the family headship has changed, and there should be many Nobles who will be coming to the Royal Capital for the first time this time.
By entering the Royal Capital, they will come to know the latent strength of the Levios family firsthand.
While I was thinking about the political activities of the Levios family, the carriage finally arrived at the Quordenze residence.
Since the servants live in this mansion, it never turned into neglected, dusty residence.
As soon as we got off the carriage and entered the hall, freshly brewed tea was served.
[…..So, if the Zeldomitra family and their factions enter the Royal Capital this evening, most of the Royal Nobles will have gathered.]
[So, the Zeldomitra will be arriving today too? The Adellahan and Milendorva arrived yesterday? The schedule is quite overcrowded, isn’t it?]
Next to me, who was drinking tea, a civil officer was standing and looking at the materials he was holding.
[If there is a meaningless gap between the gathering in the Royal Capital and the holding of the social gathering, disputes may arise between the Nobles.]
They’re not beasts, and I don’t think there are any Nobles who would start a fight so quickly.
[I see. So what about father?]
[The schedule is to have dinner to say our greetings to the Royal Capital. There is no particularly important meeting abound. Perhaps it will be done at dusk.]
As the sun was still high, my father went to the Royal castle on the same way as he entered the Royal Capital.
It seems that going to the Royal castle with most of the family just to say hello is a bit grandiose, and the Quordenze family seems to be taken lightly. Therefore, I entered the Quordenze mansion ahead of my father.
[Then, do we have some free time now?]
I told the civil officer who showed his affirmation to call the people of the Pioneering Association into the room.
Led by a civil officer, the employees entered the hall with their faces twitching a little.
While we were stuck in Callahanasso, they entered the Royal Capital first and took a walk. I informed them that I was going to enter the Royal Capital today and gave instructions to come to the Quordenze residence.
I can’t wander around the Royal Capital as I please. So I decided to use them as my eyes.
[… Thanks to the president’s introduction, we got to enjoy sightseeing in the Royal Capital.]
[Even though it’s my own order, I’m both jealous and annoyed here.]
The employees laughed at those words.
They understood that the Nobleman was not throwing a tantrum. That’s how good our relationship is.
[Have you heard anything about the Levios family?]
[Yes. However, I haven’t talked about anything other than what I was told to tell in advance. I received a very polite response without having to force an answer]
I wanted the people from the firm I often employed to buy souvenirs from the Royal Capital… I made a setting like that and talked to one of the Levios’ civil officers, and he arranged for various conveniences.
The fact that the eldest son of the Quordenze family is interested in the Royal Capital may be a good thing for them as well after all.
What I asked of the Pioneering Association employees was to look around small shops that could not be invited to the mansion. I’m looking forward to interesting souvenirs that are not available at the firm for Nobles.
Of course, souvenirs aren’t limited to material items, so collecting souvenir stories is also one of the purposes.
It seems that he was introduced to a commoner familiar with the city who acted as a guide, and that the mission is continuing without any major troubles so far.
[…..I heard the story, but hand mirrors are cheap. If I were a merchant, I’d want to pile it up and bring it back to Newnelly.]
Saying that, the employee placed a spoon-like object on the desk. If you look closely, it has a mirror surface.
According to the employees, a large amount of shavings can be generated from the large mirror rocks, so hand mirrors can be made very cheaply in the Royal Capital.
They are really helpful in bringing me samples of things that I might be interested in.
I enjoyed talking with them while eating the loquat-like fruit brought in as a souvenir.
[…Have you noticed anything else? Unlike in Newnelly, I can’t walk around the city freely here. I want to know the atmosphere of the Royal Capital.]
Then, after showing a slightly difficult expression, one of the employees asked for a statement.
[Haa, that’s about it… Citizens of the Royal Capital have a bad personality. They’re either unkind or arrogant… I’ve had a bad experience several times.]
I guessed it was quite uncomfortable since he went out of his way to tell me.
All the employees more or less have expressions like “I don’t know what to say”, so I think it’s possible that the culture of the Royal Capital didn’t suit them.
I decided to ask the maid who was standing nearby.
[Is it so?]
[Pardon me. We have really no idea about that.]
The employees must have done something very strange. Perhaps that implication was conveyed, because he went to explain himself.
[I think that’s because they know the maids belong to the Quordenze family. There seems to be a tendency to look down on people other than those who have some sort of backing or who have powers, like Lords or Highlords.]
Actually, when they act alone, they’re bound to experience some discomfort.
When he entered a large store, the response before and after he presented the letter of introduction handed to him by Levios’ civil officer was completely different.
[It’s like they have no mercy towards weak people… I really felt sorry for the children of the beggars. Just walking down the street, they would kick and hit them. In Newnelly, people won’t get that far to drive beggars off, right?]
I thought the people of both cities were pretty merciless when it comes to beggars, but it seems the difference between them isn’t small.
[That’s interesting. Is it because there’s no church?]
[Ah…! I see, that might be the case.]
Unlike the Quordenze territory, the Levios territory has no facilities related to Zethism, and reading scriptures is not allowed. Even if it is an ordinary person.
The ethics and morality of the Eruo continent were maintained by the religion of Zeth.
There must be ethics, good and evil, and justice passed down from parents to children, but there must be a lot of common sense that has already been lost in the 80 years since the founding of the Kingdom.
For the current inhabitants of the Levios territory, Nobles may have become a form of faith.
Being strong is good, being strong is justice. In other words being weak is bad, there is no value in saving… This may be an extreme theory, but there is a possibility that such a concept is budding. It is quite conceivable. Even though there is a difference in degree, the people of Quordenze also have such consciousness.
[Rather, from the perspective of the residents of the Royal Capital, the people of Newnelly may be too naive. The strength to win in competition may be justice, while the weak and lazy are evil.]
[Certainly, I feel that there are more people here who are ambitious.]
The city of Newnelly still has a church, and although there are restrictions, reading scriptures is allowed for the time being. For that reason, I think that the ethics of the Quordenze territory have a part that is close to the teachings of the scriptures.
However, since they have no interaction with the Holy City and do not allow any interpretation of the scriptures that is inconvenient for Nobles, they are preaching a considerably altered doctrine from the perspective of the holy city’s priests.
I think that the reason why the employees sometimes felt uncomfortable was that their underlying ideas did not match.
[From now on, please be aware of that part while going around the city.]
The story ended there, and they returned to the inn in the Royal Capital.
My father hadn’t come back yet, so I decided to explore the mansion because I had too much free time.
I had a general grasp of the area through magic detection, but when I actually walked around, I could see how narrow the site was.
The Quordenze residence is only about half as wide as the villa in Newnelly.
The mansion is spacious enough for a commoner, but for someone like me who’s used to the life of a Noble, it feels cramped. There is nothing luxurious about it to me.
After walking around the mansion, I went out to the garden. There is another purpose besides exploration.
[Master.]
[Taking a walk?]
It was to meet Eve, who had been walking around the garden since a little while ago.
According to the military officers around the area, there are currently no secret agents near the Quordenze residence.
Ever since we entered Callahanasso City, there had always been members of the Levios family wandering around, watching us.
Thanks to that, my chance to talk with Eve had drastically decreased for a while. Even if I had time to talk, I could only have the attitude of dealing with a young civilian in Quordenze.
Tonight, I’m going to pour every drop of semen I’ve been accumulating since my departure from Newnelly to Eve, so I wanted to increase my favorability for today.
I understand that Eve still has some wariness about me.
However, when I pointed my hand at her, she silently lowered her head and took a posture that made it easier to caress her. I feel that the art has been trained in a good way. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I’ve seen the relationship between the DV man and the victim woman.
[………………uu…………….♡]
Just when I thought I would finally be able to devour this body, my affection overflowed more than usual.
Honestly, it’s quite difficult to suppress the runaway mind.
Gritting my teeth, like forcefully stopping while urinating, I severed the favorable magic release and averted my gaze from Eve.
Seeing her cute face, big breasts, soft hair and the feel of her round head, the magic power that should have been tightly regulated seems like it would burst out at any moment. I feel like the tightness is getting looser, probably because I’ve spread my favor too much lately.
It would be bad to fully release the love aura since we’re in the capital now after all.
[You may have heard, but don’t leave the grounds of this mansion. Bad people might take you.]
[……………..yes………]
Eve was ecstatic and absent-minded, but her head still bobbed up and down.
For her, the Levios family is fear itself. If she understands where we are, she wouldn’t even leave.
As I was enjoying my conversation with Eve, one of the civil officers approached me.
[Young Master.]
[I hope you can keep it short. What is it?]
I always kept my magic detection on to a certain level. It allows me to perceive the location of anyone with magic power if they enter the range of my magic sensing.
That’s why I’ve been noticing a presence hovering around the main gate of the Quordenze mansion for some time now.
[Someone requested to see Young Master.]
The Royal Capital was teeming with magic powers, especially since Highlords were gathering in large numbers. It makes me sick when I use magic detection. Still, I can’t really afford to turn it off.
Human’s mana capacity still has a limit after all.
As long as we were far apart, I thought that there must be a strange Highlord. The feeling of magical power is a little different from that of a normal Highlord.
The more the existence approached the Quordenze mansion, the more apparent the strangeness of their magical power. The mood turned into when the protagonist of a ghost story is chased by evil spirits.
And now, I can understand it because we’re at this close range.
There is a being out there who has a hidden amount of magical power that far surpasses that of the normal Highlord.
[Since they’ve come all the way to our place, is it someone I can’t ignore easily? Who is it?]
Somehow, I already can guess the answer.
[It’s Princess Orshian of the Milendorva family.]
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