“Miss Aila, this won't do! It's against the rules!” Steve, atop his horse, immediately voiced his objection.
“We cannot allow an unidentified individual to join the group under these circumstances. It adds unnecessary risk.”
“One more person won't make a difference. We’re only a few hundred kilometers from the Lionheart City borders. At our current pace, it’ll only take two or three days at most, right?”
Aila pouted at Steve’s opposition, her expression showing her displeasure. She waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, fine, fine. I’m not the one in charge of this caravan anyway.”
Midir bowed slightly to the elven girl. “It’s alright. I’m already very grateful that you could answer my questions. If nothing else, at least I know I’m heading in the right direction. The rest of the journey won’t be difficult for me.”
Just as Midir was about to bid them farewell, Aila suddenly pulled a small object from her jacket pocket and tossed it toward him.
Midir caught the flying object in one hand. It was a small badge engraved with a crescent moon, and beside the crescent was a golden star.
“What is this?” Midir asked, looking at the exquisite badge in confusion.
“You really are from the countryside! You don’t even know this?” Seeing Midir’s confused expression, Aila couldn't help but roll her eyes.
“This is our adventuring group’s emblem. Entering the Royal Capital these days involves a lot of screening. Carrying this should help you out.”
Midir realized its purpose and thanked the girl again, carefully wrapping the badge and placing it in his pack.
Soon after, a swirling green light rose from his body. With the help of the wind element, he accelerated away from the caravan.
Watching his receding figure, Steve sighed. “Miss Aila, why did you help a total stranger for no reason?”
“What rank do you think he is?” Back in the carriage, Aila didn’t answer Steve directly but countered with a question of her own.
Steve was taken aback for a moment, then replied with a bitter smile. “I’m just a weak merchant with no martial skill. How could I judge his rank? I could only tell he’s a mage from the way he summoned the wind at the end.”
“Hmm... although he was deliberately restraining his power, he wasn’t exactly trying to hide it. You might not have noticed, but in my perception, that silver-haired man gave off a hint of pressure I’ve only ever felt from my old man and mom.”
Aila was idly playing with a crescent-shaped pendant, her words carrying a subtle depth.
“Like your parents? And he looks so young... then wouldn’t that mean...?” Steve’s bewilderment gradually turned into shock as he listened.
“That’s assuming my senses weren’t mistaken...” Aila replied, her beautiful blue eyes staring blankly at the pendant in her hand.
“But if I’m right, someone with his abilities wouldn’t need to lie to us. So where on earth did he come from? I’m getting more and more curious about his identity.”
“I hope we meet again. Digging up secrets is my favorite thing!”
...
The official roads leading from the Royal Capital to various regions were straight and wide. With the help of the wind element, Midir reached the territory of Lionheart City, the capital of the Human Kingdom, in just over a day.
Lionheart City was massive. Including the main urban area and the surrounding small towns, it spanned over a hundred kilometers and housed tens of millions of people. Even the villages around the main city displayed a level of prosperity that far exceeded anything in the Far East.
“Truly worthy of being the center of the Human Kingdom,” Midir thought to himself, observing the increasing number of houses and the bustling crowds.
Traveling from the Far East, he had often seen stretches of wasteland or forest for hundreds of kilometers where he wouldn't see a single soul for days. The current environment provided a stark contrast.
He found an inn in the outer city, paid the receptionist a few silver coins, and headed to his room.
While the days of travel hadn't left him exhausted, having a place to wash up and rest was a welcome change.
It wasn't until evening that Midir left his room, intending to gather some information and see if there were any ways to earn some gold coins.
After all, he hadn't brought much travel money, certainly not enough to support a long-term stay. Although his life on the border had made him indifferent to material conditions, his subconscious told him that in a metropolis like Lionheart City, one couldn't survive without money.
As night fell, Midir entered a restaurant. Just as he sat down, he heard people at the next table talking loudly.
“Did you know? When I came back from the city today and passed the Adventurers Guild, I saw them posting all sorts of monster subjugation commissions again. Out of curiosity, I asked around and found that in this week alone, the number of commissions has increased several times over. The major adventuring groups are overwhelmed.”
“It’s not just the Adventurers Guild. I heard several garrison corps from the Royal Capital have been sent out to assist in subjugating monsters. Even though no monsters have been reported near Lionheart City yet, if the garrison leaves the capital, won’t our safety be compromised?”
“No need for hearsay. My wife’s cousin is in one of those corps, and they left days ago.”
“Don’t worry. There’s no precedent in history for the Royal Capital being breached by the Demon Race. Do you really think the border fortress city-states are just for show? If the Demon Race attacks from the west, they can’t just bypass them out of thin air, can they?”
“True. We’re right under the shadow of the throne. If anything really happens, the big shots will handle it. It’s not for commoners like us to worry about.”
“But the area around Lionheart City is just a plain. If something really goes wrong, there’s nothing to defend!”
“Many people are saying that the abnormal meteor from last month brought countless monsters! Apparently, this news came from the Magic Guild.”
“Yeah, I heard that too. They’re calling it the Radiant Meteor, a god descending to earth. If you ask me, it’s more like a demon descending!”
...
As Midir ate his dinner and listened to the idle chatter of the people around him, his doubts only grew.
“Is this situation really a coincidence?”
From what he heard, the explosive outbreak of monsters across the continent coincided almost perfectly with when he regained consciousness. And it had been exactly a hundred years since the last time this happened.
Rate on N.U.
