The next morning, we wake up a little early to check where the adventurers are going.
We should’ve just done this from the start.
And just as I thought, they’re going through the gate. But it’s not just adventurers, I see men and women that are dressed like they’re going to do farmwork too.
They’re all chatting while they walk, seemingly not nervous at all, like they’re just strolling.
We go back to the inn, have breakfast, and get packed lunches from the manager. Not that we have anywhere to go anyway.
We could go have a look at the port, but apparently nothing really happens over there unless they have goods to transport, meaning there’s nothing to see there other than docked ships today.
“How about doing some exercise in the guild?”
I have to agree with Rurika’s proposal, because there’s nothing else.
I ask the manager to inform the soldiers that we’re in the adventurer guild, if they come here looking for us, and we’re off.
And when we get to the guild, we see Sahana is here.
She quickly comes over when she sees us. The way she walks is kind of graceful.
“I’m glad I could see you again. I was wondering if I should go to the inn or if it would be a bother.”
“Really? That’s good then, but do you need anything with us?”
“Yes. I would like to invite you to the castle, as a way to apologize for the trouble my brother caused yesterday.”
“Castle?”
There’s only one castle here, right?
“It is exactly what you think. We have been living there, and when I talked about it with my big sister, she said I should invite you over.”
“You have a big sister?”
“Yes, and unlike my brother, she’s an adult, and someone I can look up to and respect.”
There’s clearly a big difference in how she treats her and Sirk. He’d probably get teary-eyed again if he heard this.
“I-I see. I’m glad we can cross that gate, but are there any rules or anything?”
“Well… For now, you should just meet my sister. Unlike me, she has a lot of power.”
Says Sahana, and we’re given permits, that we’re told to hang from our necks. And that’s what we do.
When we reach the gate, the guards seem a little nervous, but they do check the permits.
“Is Sahana a young lady from an important family or something?”
“She must be, if she lives in the castle.”
Rurika and Mia say to each other quietly.
I’m curious about that too, but I’m more surprised about what I see on the other side of the gate.
First, there’s the castle with a big tree on its back. This isn’t that surprising, because it was visible from the mountain and from Marte.
The one path to the castle is surrounded by water, and without that path, it would look like the castle was just constructed in the middle of a lake.
The water is shiny and beautiful, but I feel like the boorish walls around it kind of ruin it.
The castle itself is nice and big, but I feel like it’s a bit too small to accommodate all the people I saw coming here this morning.
“Hey, why are there walls around the castle? Well, it’s not like having ramparts is a problem, it’s just that their construction is strange.”
“Yes. We’ll explain it once we reach the castle.
When I ask Sahana, she responds with kind of a cheeky smile that doesn’t answer my question at all.
We keep going through this path, and eventually we reach a part where the sun is blocked.
I look up, and see we’re under the tree. We’re still about fifty meters from the castle, so it really makes me realize how big it is. But when I look at the others, no one except Mia is particularly surprised.
When we finally reach the castle, we see an armed person that looks like a knight. His armor is a lustrous green color without a single spot of dirt.
“Miss Sahana. Are they the ones?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“We received the message, but…”
“Yes. I’m going to take them to my sister first, so there is no problem.”
After they’re done talking, the guard opens the door.
We see an entrance hall, and another big door on the other side, as well as stairs that go up on both sides.
“This way first.”
Sahana leads us up the stairs on the right.
One floor, two, three… We stop in front of a door, and Sahana knocks on it.
A maid then opens it.
“Miss Sahana… What is it? Miss Yuini is still working.”
“Can we come in? I won’t bother her.”
“Yes, come in.”
We enter the room, and see a woman sitting at a desk. I can’t actually see her face, because she’s looking down, but I assume she’s a woman because Sahana calls her big sister. And apparently it’s just her and the maid in this room.
I guess she reached a stopping point, because the woman raises her head and looks this way.
She has a nice face, to the point that it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that people ask her to pose for paintings. I gulp without thinking.
But more noteworthy than that, is what looks like coral stretching out from behind her ears.
Something tells me that’s not an accessory…
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Yuini, the first princess of the Dragon Kingdom of Ruflet.”
She pays no attention to the fact that I look bewildered, and stands up while introducing herself.
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So does this mean girl that has been showing the around is 2nd or 3rd princess. My guess is the guy who was after hikari is the arrogant prince type
Thanks for the treat.
He praised Appraisal not so long ago and now he don’t even use it